A little more, Quiet Sunday Hollister....

Next to 'Johnny's Bar and Grill, we have 'Honorable Tatoo'

In the window a 'sample sheet'. Don't sport any 'tats' myself...but find a lot of the artwork interesting.

Also in the window this nice piece of artwork...

In the window of a clothing store across the street was a really old Schwinn bike, fitted with a chinese clip on motor that had been aged to give it some patina to match the rest of the bike...

While looking up Hollister stuff, kept running into a 'Hollister' brand clothing outfit. It was just a bit annoying...

Another corner of 'Old Hollister', Fifth and San Benito

And another... Fourth and San Benito

The Granada Theater

'Granada', like 'Alhambra' is a popular name for theaters in America. There are, or were... I should say...a lot of 'Thunderbird' drive-in movie theaters,as well...

Masonic Temple...Fourth and San Benito

The building I mentioned in previous post that had been restored after the 1989 quake. The bricks are looking good, but the paint could use some help. This building as many on this block, looked like they were between occupants. A commentary on the times and economy...

Renovators Supply is a big outfit back East that supplies lots of neat old replica building hardware...

This shop looked like it was still going...since '51. (Good to see stuff older than me...)

Louie, the 'old fella' I met at the Saloon, tells me the 'Vault' used to be an old Bank of America. It's now an events place and dance floor.

'The Original' Hollister-California, it says. Take that all ye imposters!! (Wondering if this was aimed at the 'Hollister' branded clothing outfit...?)

Next time through Hollister in a few weeks, I'll visit the nearby Corbin seat factory and grab a few shots. Been a few years since I stopped there. He has a few old bikes and stuff in his show room. Can't remember exactly how many years ago they completed the bypass of Hollister on the road to Monterey. I used to stop in  Hollister a lot. Now that my nephews living in town, I'll probably be hanging out in Hollister more. Also going to be spending time at the Off-Highway vehicle park in the hills here. It was good to see that a lot of the old town is pretty much the same as it's been for years. There is a huge new State Courthouse going up, but at least it's away from the old Downtown. So, just warning you, probably more Hollister related postings in the works...

Local motorcycle stuff coming up...some progress being made in that department.

Stopping at Hollister , on a quiet Sunday...

The Whiskey Creek Saloon, On 5th...up a block from San Benito

As I mentioned in the previous post, been traveling through this area for close to 20 years, since my sister and her family moved to Marina (near Monterey))...and my parents later to Castroville (also near Monterey and Salinas...Steinbeck country as Hermit said...). Note: to 'Whitey' Williams...on the road to Monterey from Hollister there is a stand of Eucalyptus, that at certain times of the year, and with windows rolled down, treat the nostrils to their unique vapors...Also know of a grove in Folsom California, and one night when lost in the Berkeley/Oakland hills.....remember seeing and smelling some. Probably planted by wayfaring Aussies...remember someone telling me it was done as an experiment to use them commercially somehow...but it didn't work out...

Entrance to said drinkin' establishment. Didn't imbibe, but did chat up a local, name of Louie that had grown up round these parts. We talked about 'The great quake of '89'...1989 that is. I noticed that an older building up the street looked like it had been re-faced with new brick, and some of the cast vents were reproductions of originals. He confirmed that it indeed had been restored after the '89 quake. I remember driving through Hollister after the quake to see how my family had fared, and seeing some of the houses, that had fallen off their foundations, that I had seen on the news casts...

Mural painted on the side of the Saloon

I believe... a depiction of Wino Willie, of the Booze Fighters. Years ago, (before blogs) a friend and I used to hang out at a local MacD's. We'd have some great conversations with some of the local War veterans. For some reason they took a shine to us, probably because we rode motorcycles and seemed to be interested in their stories. One of the guys was a WW2 Navy veteran that survived Pearl Harbor. When he got back to southern California after the war...he bought a Knucklehead and used to hang out with the Booze Fighters. After surviving Hell and high water, he was sadly killed by a drunken driver. Remember he said his mother was born on the Isle of Man...

About a block away from the Saloon is 'Johnny's Bar and Grill'

Mural on the side of 'Johnny's'...depicting Wino Willie, Brando as Johnny and those fellas from Easy Rider...

According to the Wikipedia article (link in previous post...) this block, 5th off of San Benito was where most of the arrests occurred in 1947. I was happy to see that this part of Hollister has not changed much from 1947.

Have always had a fascination with hatch-doors in sidewalks...(there is a whole 'nother world going on below us...)

The original builders plate was still there,,,wonder if this company is still around...? Next time I'm through I should make a 'rubbing'...

A little musical interlude...."Hermit" and "Whitie" got me thinking of the Dead's cover of this Kristofferson tune.

Johnny

and again...

Be back with more Hollister....(can't seem to locate a bunch of pics I e-mailed myself and down loaded to the puter...off to see if I can locate them....

Passing through Hollister...again

While at a local tire shop getting new rubber for my Toyota in preparation for a trip down to the Monterey area, this interesting rig pulled in.

It's a six cylinder Honda Valkyrie with a Champion sidecar. 

Talked to the owner about it for awhile. He was in for a new sidecar tire. He said it made about a hundred horsepower and easily pulled the trailer he has for it.

Meanwhile in Hollister 1947....

An alternate 'take'...

Some real 1947 bikers...probably about my parent's age...

A picture that was said to have served as a model for characters and the 'look' presented in "The Wild One"

The model for 'Johnny's trophy'...?

The reason for the trip to the coast was to join my sister's family and my mother to celebrate my nephew Wes's birthday at his house in Hollister. I've been driving through or by Hollister for close to twenty years. Everyone's familiar with the 'Hollister riot' of 1947, and it's leading to the Brando/Marvin movie 'The Wild One'.

My nephew has the dream job, in charge of flora and fauna and trails at Hollister Off Highway vehicle park. A job where they provide the motorcycles and four-wheelers. Being about to re-enter the world of dirt bikes and trying my hand at some trials riding and flat tracking...I'll probably  be spending more time in Hollister. Sacramento has the "Prairie City Off Highway vehicle area...but it doesn't hold a candle to Hollister. I'll probably be posting on a trip to the parks in the Fall.

Here is a link to-------------------->Hollister riot

Here is a link to-------------------->The Wild One

Be back with a few pics I snapped in beautiful downtown Hollister....

Sac Mile Part 3...sort of, cars and some odds and ends...

Just before you entered the track , there was a mini car show. So I hastily snapped these pics in no particular order...

Some nice cars, I particularly liked the Panel trucks. The Brass era Model T was cool too.I ended with the Model T because I have a basket case T, a few years younger than this one. A Roadster from the early twenties, but not too unlike this earlier car. It will be the subject of a 'sister blog' I'm working on that probably won't get launched until I actually start working on the car. For now I'm busy enough with bikes and work. Next time ...progress reports?  The 350 needs attention to suspension components and wheels. The tank and seat as well. And the carbs need a going over, and an exhaust system needs to be fabricated. The Cub's motor needs final tear down, and a parts list generated. So, till next time.

Sacramento Mile 2013 Part 2

A view of bikes coming out of turn 4 and down the stadium side straight. Sound like airplanes when they get up to speed. (about 130 MPH)

A heat race of the big twins

Pro Singles coming out of turn 4, pretty loud too. (About 110 MPH) 

"Dash for Cash" , precursor of things to come.

Wild and crazy flagman...

Shayna Texter winning her heat race.

Start of the main event.

So, there they are, not the best quality...but a little taster of the Sac Mile. You owe it to yourself to get to at least one GNC event. I hope to catch several in the next round. 

I think I said this a year ago...need better video camera.

Don't know why some of the vids are offset, had everything centered...and can't figure out how to 'redo'...oh well, so be it.

The Sacramento Mile 2013....On any Sunday, well...make that a Saturday.

Sammy Halbert , as Sideburn magazine says "...He's living the On Any Sunday-making-a-living-from-prize-money life in the 21st century. A whiskey drinking scrapper too. the man's something special."

Sammy's my favorite Pro flat tracker. At his Facebook page is a pic of Mert Lawill and Bruce Brown with him...he makes Mert look tall. One strong, scrapping dude wrestling that XR around the track. He makes it look easy, but it's not...

Sammy, in the 'paddock' as the announcers have taken to calling the 'pit area', come on y'all we're 'mericans here...sheeesh quit tryin' to be so 'continen-tal'...hehe.. Really like Sammy, he's down to earth, cool, calm collected....but man, on the track...even his bike sounds meaner than everyone elses...I swear...

Sammy came in fifth in the main. It was a real battle between the top 5. Sammy was running second at one point. They were really racing. Sammy made a great save towards the end of the race, hope to see some video of that. He's doing really well for having missed some races due to an injury and recovery time. These guys are tough.  

Sammy's XR

The track looking towards turn one...picture doing about 130 MPH here and thinking about pitching it sideways in a few seconds...

Looking down the straight towards turn 4, the track groomer getting it ready for the main events...

I'm going to get back and add a few more comments...finish off here with a couple blurry shots...and I'll add a few videos later...they are tedious to put on here.

A blurry shot of Shayna Texter, winner of the Pro Singles, taking the checkered flag for a lap...the gal is fast!!

And even blurrier shot of Bryan Smith, three in a roll Sacramento Mile winner taking the flag for a lap.

Yeah, it's looking like I'll be breaking this into a 2 parter...didn't take half as many shots as last year...due to some equipment malfunctions and a not so functioning photographer, but still a lot of pics to sort, decisions to be made...wrestling with uploads/downloads and all the usual computer crap...be back with some more...