A state of sin we be in



See if you can pick out our rig!

DATELINE PILOT TRUCK STOP PARKING LOT, CARLIN, NEVADA --- In stark contrast to the east, middle America and certainly Utah, we've arrived in the land of 24-hour fun. While Laconia, New Hampshire was as far east as this circus would go, Reno will mark the western edge of the inaugural Ding's CC tour. Street Vibrations fall 2012 rally starts Sept. 19 and generally draws some "whales (think nor cal docs and lawyers)" to its five-day event. As we did for Sturgis, we are rolling the proverbial bones and planning to vend far off-site from the main action. Our base of ops will be the parking lot of the Silverado Casino in Fernley, Nevada. These folks are mighty military friendly and have graciously offered to spin us up on the jumbo-tron outside and maybe run a radio spot or two. We will arrive on the blacktop today and commence a massive marketing and ad campaign that will have us posting fliers and such in a 50-mile radius, most notably in Reno proper, Sparks and wonderful Virginia City (I won a nice pile of cash many years back at the ol' Bucket of Blood saloon in VC. The riches allowed my buddy Shank and I to stay an extra night and have one of those old west portraits taken. Naturally, we scoffed at a suggestion to wear corsets and carry parisols and instead opted for dusters, chaps and big boy rifles! This work of art is on permanent display in Wyoming) I believe if we market enough and accept any and all help from friends Al, Kim and Dragon, who will join us for the new thoughfare, we can cover our gas and more (at $4.50 a gallon for diesel, every fill-up is more than $200!) From Reno, it's south to see Shank for a couple of days at the funkiest desert motel and bar I can find. Apres that, we're off to Tecumseh, Oklahoma for Hawg Lakes rally Oct. 4; then Boo Fest in Jefferson, Texas Oct. 12 (yahoo, Billy Gray and his wife Deb will be at Boo); and wrap the season on Galveston Island in November. For those keeping track of my conversion to quasi-military bride, I must announce my official "branding." On Tuesday, I was issued my official military ID card at Hill Air Force Base near Ogden, Utah. To celebrate, the Dinger and I went out for Italian (and, unlike my pre-military days during which chain restaurants were generally taboo - along with everything else that is boxy, homogenized, sheep-like and grossly mainstream) at an, ahem, Olive Garden. Surrounded by 8-top tables filled with Joe Smith's relatives, we guzzled good chianti, savored portabella ravioli and seafood alfredo, inhaled one of the better tiramisus I have had recently and my man with the big weathered hands daintly sipped super duper high octane espresso. Our wonderfully gay server seemed stunned I was relatively new to the suburbia lifestyle-way of dining. What's next for this hippy chick? A planned subdivision; a shopping spree at Ikea; a mini van; or something else? I'll keep you posted....Love Hol, Ding, Thumper, Bob and, yes, that same fly from Algona, Iowa.