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Monday, September 3, 2007
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Bikers rally for a cause
Senior Reporter The throaty roars and steady stream of hundreds of motorcycles parted a sea of traffic on Highway 371 Saturday.
Traffic in both directions was stopped for about eight minutes as riders surged forward leaving the Old Waterfall parking lot for the open road. The fifth annual 110-mile Rally Up North motorcycle ride was on. The event raises money for Confidence Learning Center, a year-round center near Brainerd for people with disabilities.
Garry Malz, Pequot Lakes, has attended the event every year. This year it provided a welcome distraction from dealing with going through his belongings after a house fire. Malz was watching expectantly for friends to arrive before the ride began. He stood next to his Custom Pro Street bike, with a color scheme that resembled a lightning bolt-charged storm.
"I had to get a break. There is no better break than this," he said. "It's for a good cause. The best there is. You couldn't ask for a better day."
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Bikers zipped down Highway 371 north of Brainerd on the 110-mile Rally Up North motorcycle ride Saturday. Brainerd Dispatch/Kelly Humphrey
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Credit the weather for helping to attract a large turnout. The warm, breezy late morning gave way to temperatures that were downright heated beneath a cloudless sky. Bikes of every hue, shape and size lined row upon row in the parking lot. Riders ranged from leather chaps-clad women to helmeted gentlemen who seemed suited to the suburbs. And ages covered the gamut from gray beards who grew up calling a bad day a "drag" to those more likely to have a conversation smattered with calling friends "dude." There were bearded men who have ridden motorcycles for decades and young people who could count years of riding experience on one hand.
Meeting the different people and seeing all the bikes is part of the appeal.
"They come from all over," Malz said.
Bob Brinkmann, Glencoe, and Megan Buhr, Watertown, rode about 150 miles Friday with Gary, Lynne and Jon Reinitz, all of Glencoe, to participate. They heard about the bike run and wanted to check it out. Buhr recently got her motorcycle permit.
"We are looking forward to see all the bikes," she said. "This is the largest - definitely the largest one we've been to."
Buhr and Brinkmann said they were going to tell friends back home about their experience and may be able to return with a larger group next year. Jon Reinitz said with a cabin by Longville,they were familiar with the area. He said beyond the attraction of seeing all the different bikes, was riding in such a big gathering.
"You meet some of the nicest people," Gary Reinitz said.
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About 1,000 motorcycles were expected at the fifth anual Rally Up North. Bikers gathered before the ride Saturday at the Old Waterfall on Highway 371 north of Brainerd. Proceeds from the event benefit the Confidence Learning Center. Brainerd Dispatch/Kelly Humphrey
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Lynne Reinitz said this was her first time on a bike run. Scanning the parking lot lined with motorcycles, she said: "I had no idea what to expect. It's unbelievable."
The rally is a scenic motorcycle ride of the lakes area. Participants paid $20 to attend with proceeds going to Confidence Learning Center. Riders left the Old Waterfall on Highway 371 North about noon and had planned stops along Gull Lake and in Crosslake and Crosby before a 6:30 p.m. return to the Old Waterfall for a pig roast and live music.
Lynne Reinitz said: "It's a beautiful day and it's for a good cause."
More photos of the event are part of an online gallery at www.brainerddispatch.com.
RENEE RICHARDSON may be reached at renee.richardson@brainerddispatch.com or 855-5852.
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