Saturday, March 18, 2017, dawned bright, with green grass, blue skies as scores of motorhomes, campers and trailers converged near California City for the 8th annual Hook and Ladder Enduro. There was an air of excited expectation as more than 500 entrants registered to participate in one or more of the six classes: Two for motorcycles and one UTV class on the “big course” and three classes – Dads & Kids, Powder Puff and Picnic – on the “kids course.”
0800 came early as 55 “Varsity” Class One “A” riders lined up for the start. They went out 2 x 2 at 30 second intervals. Since this is “not a race” we don’t recognize the fastest rider, but a certain A/O at 29’s (ex Honda team Baja racer) set a blistering pace! Then 103 “Jr. Varsity” Class One “B” riders (and some “Varsity” riders that don’t like to get up early) left the start line.
Unfortunately, we had a rider down with a broken femur. Due to HIPPA laws I cannot use Rob Mac’s name, but if you have to go down in the desert, it’s best to do it with a couple hundred of the best first responders in the world. Greg Pascolla, one of the sweep riders, was first on scene and made the notification. Craig White did an outstanding job running the incident and Mike Horst was stellar with communications. Our onscene ER doc, Jeffery Nordella, made sure all the protocols were followed. Rob was transported by helicopter to AV Hospital where he underwent surgery the next day and is expected to recover fully.
This incident put us more than an hour behind schedule. 73 UTV’s and quads waited semi- patiently to start. When the green flag finally dropped, they were out the gate with no time to waste. Then we had some down time as the course was being reset for the next three classes. By the time we were ready to go, all three of the next classes were at the start line, hungry for “Dirt Dogs” at Teter’s Trailer.
Normally we run Dads & Kids and Powder Puff together, then Picnic class last. This year it was a mosh pit of two, three and four wheel vehicles of all classes anxious to start. In the interest of time, we decided to run them all together – no times, just a check when they started and finished.
It was semi-organized pandemonium as 243 mixed up entries left the line. They all stopped at Teter’s Trailer where 19 volunteers, led by Greg Stone and John Nowell, served up more than 700 “Dirt Dogs”
The awards ceremony, raffle and silent auction were an outstanding success. All of you gave generously for the benefit of the Widows, Orphans & Disabled Fireman’s Fund. We must have had some good raffle prizes as we sold 10,000 (yes – ten thousand!) raffle tickets. Thank you all for your generosity. Thank you to all our donors, sponsors and volunteers who make this event successful.
Next year look for some changes in the classes and format. In the interest of safety, we are looking at ways to keep speeds down as this is meant to be a family event and “not a race.” In addition, watch for the date as the weekend may change due to conflicts with other events in the area. Hope to see you in 2018.
By Bruce Galien