Hudson goes to Hollyweird

[Hudson]

My vitamin D levels were running low, and I'd ******' had it with the rain and weather patterns.

Weekends especially, when it seemed to rain Sat and Sun but not throughout the week. Just to piss me off. You'd think after 20 years of living here, I'd have gotten used to this, but every year it annoys me just a little bit more than the previous year.

Time to take matters into my own hands. So this weekend, I rode my FJR to the airport (in the rain of course), parked it at the terminal next to all ADVriders and their BMW G esses and fancy Touratech panniers and what not, and got the hell out of Washington for the weekend.

Destination: The canyons of Mulholland.

But first I had a planned detour. A chance to watch the classic racing film "Le Mans" on the big screen at the Grauman Chinese Theatre with some very special guests.

I'd been to Hollywood before, but always driven through it. This was my first time really walking around like a tourist.

What a freak show. That's Chewbacca crossing Hollywood Blvd. I passed several Marilyn Monroes, one Audrey Hepburn, lots of Storm Troopers, and a few Catwomen.

This week, Turner Classic Movies had a film festival where they would invite the cast and crew to discuss the film, then screen it with the audience. Really cool seeing Burt Reynolds, Ned Beatty, and Jon Voight discuss "Deliverance". I strolled into the Roosevelt Hotel, and they were interviewing all manner of celebs.

I walked along Hollywood Blvd for a while, taking in the freak shows and checking out the stars of my favorite actors and actresses.

Got hungry and sampled a fine Old Fashioned made with bourbon instead of rye, and some tasty onion rings.

I ambled back to the Roosevelt and (to quote

) sat in "a dank little lounge room" and waited for the festivities.I had a long night ahead.

 

[Hudson]

I sometimes find myself at a table with some pretty fascinating people who've led epic lives, and it reminds me that I need to work harder at having epic experiences, and stop worrying so much about money, stability, security, and things that drive all of us to enslave ourselves to lots of ultimately unimportant things.

Lead and live behind a life of epic experiences. I have a lot of work to do in this regard, but I'm slowly making progress.

That's Vic Elford on the right, and Derek Bell on the left. They can pretty much cross the "epic experiences" requirement off their checklist.

From Wikipedia:

During the 1972 24 Hours of Le Mans, when he saw a burning Ferrari Daytona in front of him, Elford stopped in mid-race to save the driver. When opening the door, Elford found an empty cockpit, as the driver already had escaped. Elford then noticed the wreck of a Lola among the trees, with Jo Bonnier having been killed. Cameras caught the act and Elford was named Chevalier of the National Order of Merit by French President Georges Pompidou.

Solid brass ones, Elford has.

Derek wears big shorts too. Five times winning Le Mans, three times winning Daytona. His son Justin is no slouch either, racing and winning in Le Mans and Daytona.

Derek and Vic joined Chad McQueen backstage. Chad was on the set of Le Mans as a ten year old, and these guys were among Chad and his Dad's heroes, and their inspiration for racing.

All three sat down and spend the next hour and half taking about what it was like to make "Le Mans" while guests (including many Porsche enthusiasts) hung on every word.

Nowadays, drivers like Michael Schumacher, Lewis Hamilton and Sebastien Vettel make tens of millions racing and from endorsements, and would earn huge bucks to race in a movie. But back in the sixties and early seventies, guys like Elford and Bell were paid between one to three hundred dollars a day to race their cars at speeds of up to 230 mph. Without the benefit of safety gear, high technology, or gadgets. David Piper, one of the racers in Le Mans, lost his leg when he spun and crashed. Derek was involved in a crash that caused the fuel tank to rupture, burning his face in the process.

Real men. Real courage and talent. I was glad to see Porsche support bringing them out for this event, and put them in the spotlight.

We headed over to the theatre. Already sold out, there was still a line of people hoping to get a stand by ticket. That's a great testament to film more than 40 years old.

Chad stopped to pose by a picture of his dad putting his prints onto the famous walk.

Inside, a crowd of 600 sat spellbound as Chad, Vic and Derek explained some of the history and behind-the-scenes stories of the film. For me, seeing Le Mans on the big screen was transformational. I've watched this movie lots of times on DVD, but it doesn't compare to the big screen. You get the drama, the excitement, and the thrill of the race in a way that watching at home can't match.

 

[Hudson]

Sunday was going to be Mulholland day, but luckily plans were changed. I say luckily because the squids are out in full force on weekends in the canyons, and the CHP is not far behind. In contrast, Monday we passed maybe 4-5 bikes over several hours.

I was headed to Mulholland from the OC about the time some jackweed decided to plant a fake grenade in the VA hospital, causing a shut down of Wilshire and leading to a ten mile traffic jam on the 405. Not being super familiar with LA, it came as a great relief when Fairlaner decided to whizz by on his 2013, drop an FRS radio in my lap, and then talk me through the various streets as we wound our way slowly toward Malibu. I'd still be in traffic if he hadn't shown up.

Got to Malibu, and exchanged the Ford Focus for a 2013 Triumph Bonneville, Steve McQueen edition. This one had some tricks up its sleeve, including a big bore kit, cams, clutch, and suspension upgrades. It makes my stock version sound like a wimpy lil Subaru, and wakes up snorting and cursing when you fire up it up. A proper McQueen bike. We headed up Ensinal Canyon towards the Rock Store.

 

[McRide]

.... and you could've stayed home in the rain, LOL!

 

[Auburn]

very cool Dave.

Can't wait to hear the rest of the story Saturday

 

[leedavis]

Fantastic ride report! I'm been around long enough to remember some of the old forumula 1 cars and recall not thinking much about them at the time other than that they were cool. When I see them now all I can think of is that you'd have to be nuts to drive one!

 

[ahchiu]

Great RR, see you Saturday.

 

[Hudson]

Got more photos and stories, but those will have to wait until I figure out why some of the photos aren't showing up.

 

[FJRBluesman]

Dave - You lucky dawg! Looked like a blast, especially riding that Triumph around. Very cool pix and reason for being there. Thanks for sharing.

PS - More PIX!!!

 

[Bustanut joker]

I'll be damned!

Another room I approve of!

 

[Hudson]

Fairlaner's Gen III was looking pretty sweet. I really like the lines and look of the new bike.

We got a few fun shots and headed towards the Rock Store to meet up with a pack of Porsches.

Richard did his usual.

 

[Hudson]

The Porsches were not there when we got there, so we headed out to find them. There were a gaggle of photographers with the Porsches, shooting some action sequences for an upcoming project. We finally guessed (correctly) that they blasted up to Stunt Road, so we raced up the hill and sure enough, there they were. Some of the photogs ogled the bike while Chad pointed out the engine mods.

Chad was leading the ride in his race-engine prepped 911, while a nice 911t and drop dead gorgeous 911 RS gave chase.

Then it was back to the Rock Store to meet and chow down some sammiches.

The sun was getting to me after a few hours, and wearing a black leather insulated jacket wasn't helping. Plus I hadn't gotten to sleep till 2 a.m. the previous nights, so I was done for. The trip was quickly coming to a close, so I dropped off the bike, thanked Chad the for the chance to ride the Triumph, and wormed my way back to LAX along Coast highway, wishing I'd hit the Powerball so I could just live in Calif. full time.

The flight home was nice, as I sat next to a nice older couple who liked to tour the US on their V-Stars. We talked about roads and trips and it turns out they lived only 3 miles from FJRay in LaPine, so we made a promise to hook up at the next Rueben run. I love meeting motorcycle peeps, No odd shallow conversations, just shared passions. My kinda folk.

Hopped on the FJR and headed back home. It was overcast when I started, and just started pouring rain as I got closer to home, so much that I had to stop and put on a rain jacket. Couldn't see a damn thing ahead of me, and wished I had not waited for Sat. tech day to install the Clearwater Darlas.

Wouldn't you guess, today (a work day) is sunny and beautiful. But at least the forecast is dry. At least till Saturday....

 

[Fairlaner]

it sure was fun Dave......it was a blast chasing those crazy germans in the Stangs....

R

 

[Panman]

Charmed life Dave, looks like you had a good time. See you this weekend.

 

[Hudson]

it sure was fun Dave......it was a blast chasing those crazy germans in the Stangs....
R

They told me later they thought you were the crazy rider. "You so crazeee, Fairlaner!"

 

[escapefjrtist]

Nice shots Hudson!

--G

 

[ahchiu]

Nice shots Hudson!
--G

+1

 

[Fairlaner]

it sure was fun Dave......it was a blast chasing those crazy germans in the Stangs....

R

They told me later they thought you were the crazy rider. "You so crazeee, Fairlaner!"

Thats because all i wanted to do was go and chase Chad in that Porsche......

R

 

[FJRBluesman]

More great shots, thanks. Glad you got to ride the Triumph. :yahoo: