For 16 motorcycle enthusiasts, the road to
the Clean Show in Las Vegas was a full-throttled journey they
won’t soon forget.
Participants of this year’s Clean
’03 Motorcycle Run enjoyed a day of close camaraderie as
they heeded the call of the open highway on August 10.
The diverse group of motorcycle riders
consisted of drycleaners, suppliers and commercial laundry
industry members hailing from all over the United States and
Canada.
The Motorcycle Run was organized by Rich
Mason, a man who fully understands how time spent on mechanical
two-wheelers can be a much-needed “sanity break.”
After all, he experiences a grueling grind every day at his
drycleaning shop, Mason Cleaners, in Dumont, NJ.
Hoping to round up a handful of interested
bikers, Mason tried posting information on the Drycleaners
Forum and submitting articles to various trade publications for
months prior to the ride.
“I can’t believe how many
phone calls and e-mails I got about it,” he said.
“Considering it was the first time anything like that was
ever done, it was actually a pretty impressive turnout. I was
surprised.”
One group of enthusiastic participants
departed from the Eaglerider Rental Company at 9:30 a.m. on
Sunday morning on rental bikes. Joining them was a married
couple from Alberta, Canada who rode their own Honda Goldwing
Terri for 22 hours altogether.
The trip took the group through Red Rock
National Park out to Route 95 in the desert, where temperatures
soared to fiery heights at times.
Fortunately, some relief was found down
the road towards Toiyabe National Forest and the Lee Canyon ski
area where the elevation climbed to 8,800 miles above sea level
and the temperature was a much more comfortable 75 degrees.
After heading through Kyle Canyon (and
back into the intense desert heat), many of the riders were
ready to call it a day when they arrived in Las Vegas at
approximately 6 p.m.
A second pack of riders enjoyed a 75-mile
trip with different highlights, including Hoover Dam and dinner
in Boulder City. Perhaps the most memorable sight was the Las
Vegas horizon of blazing lights at the tail end of the trip. In
fact, the last of the bikers called it a day around midnight
after cruising down the Las Vegas Strip.
“Everybody that went had a great
time,” Mason noted. “We couldn’t find a
better place to ride — just breathtaking scenery and the
most beautiful sunny without-a-cloud-in-the-sky day that you
could ask for. Of course, with that came temperatures well
above 120 degrees, but you kind of have to expect that in the
desert.”
Once the ride concluded, it didn’t
take long for questions to spring up about the possibility of
another Motorcycle Run for the Clean ’05 Show scheduled
in Orlando, FL.
“Everybody who was there were
already making inquiries about it,” Mason said.
“And, after reading about this Run, I hope more people
will join us next time.”
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