Hello from Anchorage Alaska

[Cruisingram]

I have been lurking a bit tonight, reading the threads etc. I live in Anchorage Alaska. Anchorage can be the best and worst place for vampires- it is dark for 18 hours a day for a couple months- but it is in the dead of winter- not much motorbike riding, but lots of snowmachine riding!

Summers are endless daylight however, only really dark for about an hour this time of year, and otherwise, brilliantly sunshiny lately- or gray overcast due to our status as a temperate rain forest.

I would love to ride with you someday- and I think, someday I will.

I am at work right now, and when I get home, I am whipping out my Visa card and buying 10 tickets to the Miller training lotto tickets for the "Wake up James" fund.

1) Good cause
2) Gawdammit- I want to go to a superbike school of somesort soon!

I have been thinking of starting my own chapter of a Vampire club up here- I have the friends to do it- wondering how I go about it? Do I need to become a vampire in the "lower 48" to do this?

Your type of club has intrigued me like no other local club has- and I wish to go through the correct charter stuff in order to NOT piss off the local "1%ers"- and I am really not into the highly illegal activities (racing type stuff guys now! ) of some other local clubs that I know members of, without naming names.

However- how does one be a Vampire in broad daylight- albiet 2am? Sunscreen like in "Blade"? :

Little help please?

[lugnut]

Re: Hello from Anchorage Alaska

You would need to meet us before starting a chapter. Until then it would be premature to go into a whole lot of detail about starting a chapter - we need to know you are one of use in spirit, that your love of riding is cut from the same cloth, and that you and your friends are people that we would want to be friends with. Sorry if this seems onerous, but we value our reputation, and need to get a feel how you would comport yourselves and affect that reputation.

Some of us do get to Alaska at times. The mother of my children lives in Seward... I've not been up since my son graduated from high school, but will again. I may ride up, may take ferry. probably a couple of years out.

One of the tasks you'd need to do is find out wht the local 1% scene is, become cordial if not friendly with them. Find out if there is a local Confederation of clubs or Modified Motorcycle Association set up to avoid conflicts and share information between clubs. This is actually something to do if you want to form a 99% club of any kind.

[ro-monster]

Re: Hello from Anchorage Alaska

Hey there, I've seen your posts on BARF. Do you have a motorcycling community up there like we have here?

If you are able to manage it, come visit and join in one of the events sometime!

[Cruisingram]

Re: Hello from Anchorage Alaska

We do have a very good confederation, very well organized, and I know the principles personally. We have the most bikes per person per capita in the nation. We have the generic club like this:
http://home.gci.net/~lastfrontiermcc/

But we have a pretty hard core riding community here in Alaska- and pretty tight, well, that is Anchorage anyway- it is like small town, even though we are pushing 300,000 souls here now.

Man, I want to get down there and ride really, really bad. Where there is a will, there is a way, from what I understand !

[lugnut]

Re: Hello from Anchorage Alaska

pictures on the lost frontier website reminded me of a bar that I'd been to a few times between Anchorage and Girdwood - the Birdhouse. It burned down some time ago unfortunately. I really enjoyed watching the bartender lead a tourist on with the Ptarmagin (spelling?) call... tourist got blasted in the face with flour.

Some friendsof mine in Anchorage had taken to callling it "Los Anchorage" in reference to all the population growth. I thought it was a somewhat clever way of disparaging the changes the city was going through.

As for getting down here to ride - sounds to me like a good use for your PFD check. rainy season is December - April... Rain is possible in October and November, extremely unlikely June-September.

[Cruisingram]

Yes- the birdhouse has been rebuilt and is now in the back deck of Chilkoot Charlies- I frequently (every month in the non-riding season of October through march) perform stand up comedy there- if you remember the bar? Pretty killer bar actually. Met one ex-wife there so far!

Ya, I definately want to ride with you folks, and I may try to talk one or two of my riding buddies to go down there with me- they are pretty interested in this once I broached the idea.

We don't really fit into any other local club- they are fine clubs- but they are really not for us-

The end of riding season is around the corner for us- so getting down your way this "winter" (our winter- you guys ride year around- and to us, rain is still riding weather! As long as it doesn't turn to snow- it is riding weather!)

So I am hoping one of you fine officers of that club PM me or e-mail me please? I want to ask a bunch of questions, and it would be boring and silly on an open forum.

[lugnut]

Cool that there's a watering hole again... but the unique features brought about by the quake of 64... no way they could build it at an angle like that.

Chillcoot Charlies... I don't recall ever stoping there, but was in roughly the same location, ie fairly south of Anchorage, but a ways before Girdwood? I remember some some what yuppiefied building going on in '96 or so...

Try sending elfboy or seric or Moike or luckygirl a PM. Nicknames for the other two officers are escaping me at the moment.

[seric]

I sent a PM his way last night.

[Cruisingram]

Cool that there's a watering hole again... but the unique features brought about by the quake of 64... no way they could build it at an angle like that.

Chillcoot Charlies... I don't recall ever stoping there, but was in roughly the same location, ie fairly south of Anchorage, but a ways before Girdwood? I remember some some what yuppiefied building going on in '96 or so...

Try sending elfboy or seric or Moike or luckygirl a PM. Nicknames for the other two officers are escaping me at the moment.

Actually, they did rebuild it at that angle right at the back of 'Koots.

http://www.koots.com/

Then in August of 2002, the Bird House Bar replica was completed, and the bar opened to the public. Built where the exterior patio was previously located, it is an "exact" replica of the original bar - complete with lingerie cards, pickles, boneless chicken dinners and the Ptarmigan Whistle. We have had quite the time, gearing up on new undies and new stories, so be sure to come in and find out what all the fuss is about!

Interesting part of the bar- the bar expanded back in 74 into what was, I think "barry's cycle shop" or some such? Before my time.

Oh, and I sent Seric a PM

[lugnut]

Cool, so there is at least a layer or two of undergarments stapled to the ceiling again. Not that they've had a whole lot of time to age, but still ambiance should be there after 4 years.

Looks like I may make it up next summer for my son's birthday. Will check it out then.

[Cruisingram]

Do! I will scrounge a bike, we can ride!

[ecthemc]

I miss the birdhouse.. tho I was a bit too younge for the original one ont he way to girdwood..

But a many pairs of my g/fs bras are @ the koots birdhouse !

[Cruisingram]

Gawd Eric you make me feel old. I just realized I had four generations of girlfriends undies on the various incarnations of the birdhouse. Oh well, time to talk another barely legal girlfriend in to removing her undies and hanging them from the cieling I guess. Makes me damn near immortal I suppose LOL