Date: Wed, 11 Feb 2004 20:53:49 -0800
Reply-To: Mike Miller <mwmiller@CWNET.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Mike Miller <mwmiller@CWNET.COM>
Subject: bURNINGvAN report-kind of long
Content-type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"
Volks,
Well here it is the long waited for [since Monday] bURNINGvAN report.
The day/activity started at about noon Saturday past when I pulled up beside
a Westy parked at Ocean Beach in SF. Said hello to the guy driving, he and
I exchanged names. He was on the List! But hadn't read the posts about the
event was just there by accident.
Please make a note of this point in the narrative.
It's too bad Tom C makes the server strip attachments. The pictures aren't
to be believed!
Well, after a bit I noticed that the kite flyers were really doing
spectacular things. It was a bit breezy and they had formations of kites
doing all kinds of maneuvers with all kinds of kites.
Just as some more vans rolled up some women joggers came by. They had
forgotten to put on their shirts! how sad. I mean it was a bit chilly and
you could tell they felt it. There were people arriving in larger batches
all the time. More syncros than 2 wheel drive vans, it was getting wild.
Warren and wife were there but his wife protected him from some of the
more...well, extreme sights and activities. What a woman! Protecting her
man so nobly. Made us proud to be associated with them.
Then the groups on the beach made the place clothing optional. I mean it
was a spontaneous decision and I just know everyone felt right about what
ever they decided. TerryK would have been proud! And fascinated. And
trying to get Woltz to take more pictures. Lots more pictures. Of course my
son Eldon, another organizer of this madness, refused to even glance at such
goings on. But he was willing to sponsor some sketches as part of the book
we're planning.
And the vans, and other vehicles. Stuff I'd only heard about, stuff I'd
only dreamed about [turbo Porsche powered Dokas! 4 of them! Wow.] Flat
4's, flat 6's flat 8's flat 12's stuffed into every imaginable chassis.
There were drag races on the great highway next to the beach, sand drags, a
Ferrari Testa Rosa spinning donuts in the surf, and then things got
outrageous.
About 40 or so Vincent Black Shadows showed up! I guess they had heard how
successful the Rio Vista Norton club, van and BMW cycle anti Super Bowl
party and big game viewing had been. Anyway, it was awesome. Harleys only
dream of sounding like that.
About then the cops came over and I thought uh oh! The head cop strode up
and asked who was responsible for this? I pointed at BenT but he had made
it to his supercharged Land Rover 110 with his lawyer's husband covering for
him sped off down the beach. Lousy rat! I tried to hide but the rest of
the list people ratted me out, except for Kady, the Estonian Paramour, bless
her heart. She said she wouldn't fink on any admirer of Arvo Part.
Cop swaggered up to me and said, "Would you like us to clear the beach of
these other people so you can have 10 abreast drags or something." What as
guy!
Made a fellow proud to be an American.
I think TerryK was out on a drag boat but I couldn't be sure. What with the
huge bonfires, the fireworks, the flaming exhausts and the barely clad
cheerleaders [all three kinds, this is San Francisco you know] it was hard
to concentrate.
Festivities went all night and through the next day. Bought out the local
supermarkets. Tim the tomato man supplied comestibles on a pretty much
continuous basis [continuous comestibles have to be seen to be believed and
even then...]
I'm pretty sure it was filmed by at least one independent producers and Ken
Burns has contacted me regarding a documentary, which he guarantees will not
be actionable, very much.
OK remember where I told you to mark the place?
Right there I got a migraine and dropped some drugs to control it so it's
possible that some of the above is not 100% accurate. But I'm pretty sure
of most of it.
Mike
