HOTEL BLUE RESERVATIONS...

I will meet with Hotel Blue manager and get the best price for all attending the GZT 2009! For those not familiar with Hotel Blue, it is located a few blocks from the downtown portion of the GZT 2009 event and it is a great place to stay while in the Albuquerque downtown area. Any info, questions or comments please call or email me: 505-243-7478 / crzyrgd@aol.com
-Noel

Looking for sponsors for this years gig.

We are looking for a few sponsors this year.

Sponsor package includes:
1. Name/logo on show shirt as well as linkage on blog.
2. Camp/bbq pass.
3. 10x10 vendor space downtown Saturday night.
4. That "feel good" feeling for help support a grass roots event!

Email me for more info. trent (at) atomiccustom.com.

Thanks!

GROUND ZERO CAMPING INFO!

Ok, last year we went north.. this year we are heading south!

Ruidoso, NM will be the ride/camp/bbq location. More info on the ride/bbq soon..

For now, here are the coordinates. We will be camping Friday, Sept 4th, and camping will be $25 per bike. Two meals, provided by After Hours Gabe are included!

This is the route I will be taking.. Meeting at Coffee at Dawn on NM 14 around 8 am (tentative).


View Larger Map

Thanks to all

Sincerest thanks from Noel and myself to all who attended.. GZ wouldnt be without you.

Special thanks to:
Gabe Kajimura from After Hours Choppers ..
Jason and Whit from Flyrite Choppers
Bill Bryant from Biltwell Inc..
Brian Douglas from Hoven Vision
Imperial House pinstriping
Mitch Cotie - artist/hero.

Shirts will be available online soon, stay tuned.

Weather update

Great weather for Friday/Saturday/Sunday.. but be prepared for low 50s at night!!

Pack accordingly.

This is what its all about.. Bill and the rest of the Biltwell crew are doing it right!
(copied from the Biltwell website)



One of my favorite parts of a long trip is the preparation beforehand and the anticipation it brings. 2,000 miles on a motorcycle really isn't that big of a deal, but one still needs to get one's shit together, literally. I try to be relaxed about it, and not some militaristic weirdo, but it's difficult. I can see why normal people talk themselves into sensible bikes like baggers or GoldWings™, but that would just suck the fun out of it. So here it is, 40-some-odd hours before we launch and my bed roll, jacket and two(!) tool bags are mounted and ready. Plugs, filter and oil have all been changed, along with new rear brake pads and cables tidied up one last time. Nuts and bolts tightened, loc-tighted and safety-wired four days in advance, and I'll probably still break something in the first 100 miles...

After the Chop Meet, EDR3 and various other runs, when our good friend Joel suggested riding old Route 66 out to Trent's Ground Zero Throwdown, my reaction was "Hell yes, but you plan the route and lead the way! I'm not in charge of shit, and I'll just follow your lead." Joel is as solid as they come and has a sweet route planned, most of it avoiding the freeways, which will make it way more fun, but also make it longer for sure. He's also patient enough that when I suggested riding the back roads out of Temecula to Joshua Tree Tuesday night and camping there, he agreed. Our plan is to wake up with the sun and ride through that beautiful part of the desert in the early morning on Wed and then just make it as far as we feel like, then camp again. Wake up and repeat for a couple days until we make it to Trent's campground at a lake I can't pronounce. We don't have a chase truck other than McGoo back home with the team van and a ramp just in case.

Gear? My Sporty has just about zero gear-hauling capability. I made a luggage rack but it was so ugly and poorly made that I couldn't stand to mount it up. Instead, I figured out how to bungee my jacket and bedroll (Army-issue bivvy and inner-liner, plus a blow-up sleeping pad) to the fender. It seems pretty solid. Tools and spares went into two fork-mounted tool rolls. The cool one made by Breeane at Cycle Cosmetics, the other one some old junk I had laying around. Everything else is in my old assault pack; basic medic kit, flashlight, sunscreen, bug spray, skivvies and socks, poncho, etc. Joel taught me in Mexico to bring your worst old t-shirts and just throw them away when they get funky. That won't take long. Hopefully someone will be selling some new ones in ABQ or we'll be hitting the local WalMart for a resupply. If we had a solid itinerary and knew what hotels we were staying at etc, it'd be a different story but since we're "roughing it" keeping the list of essentials down, but well-thought out is paramount.

Joel is riding his (51?) pan he recently built, Chris is riding his Mr. Potato Head™ pan, Josh is on his Choppahead-built modern Triumph Chop and I'll be rocking my '98 Sportster I borrowed from the wife (kidding!). See you guys in New Mexico, if you need parts in the meantime, hit up Lick's Cycles, Lowbrow, Unit1Parts or your local shop, because we damn sure won't be answering the phone for about a week. If anyone wants to go with us, we're leaving the shop at 6:00PM on Tuesday, just show up ready to rock.

Ground Zero info

Schedule of events:


SEPTEMBER 5: Friday.

2 pm: Meet at Ribs BBQ on NM 14 for late lunch, drinks.
3 pm: Hit the road for Lake Abiquiu. This is not an organized "toy run" type ride, leave early if you like, set up camp, swim in the lake, whatever.
Those that ride with the Atomic group are expected to be self sufficient! We are going to be stopping to cool off at a few spots along the way, this isnt a race.. its a ride.. Enjoy it!

CLICK HERE for the map and route.

There may or may not be a "chase truck" available, so bring what you need with you!

?? pm (most likely 6-7 pm): BBQ at the lake!
Cost is $5 per person, all you can eat! Our good friend Gabe Kajimura from After Hours Choppers will be the chef. The menu will consist of tri tip, shrimp, potatoes, and maybe some other goodies.. Wrist bands will be worn if you are eating!!

The lake is BYOB.. and people are encouraged to "pitch in" but we dont need 50 cases.. there is a gas station about 15 miles from the camp spot.. so you wont have to haul far.

THE CAMP SITE WILL BE SELF POLICED.. we dont need any rookie BS.. if you cant handle yourself.. maybe think about NOT boozing. Clean up after yourself, etc etc.

Swim, relax, shoot the shit, HAVE FUN!!

SEPT 6: Saturday.

9-10 am: Breakfast will be all you can eat as well. $5 a head... home made burritos..

The second day takes us over NM 126 which is partially unpaved, so be ready. This is sort of a chopper adventure ride. I test rode the dirt section earlier this year and the road is much improved compared to the last time I rode it! No worries here guys and gals, if you know how to ride a motorcycle, you will be able to ride this road.

Once we get back into Albuquerque everyone can just break off and do your own thing.. Rest, recover, fix your bike, whatever... The show starts at 6 pm.. 3rd street and Golden, downtown Albuquerque. Same $10 entry fee as in years past. (more on details of the block party as we firm up plans).

This year we are having an outdoor stage with beer garden.. no more cramming into the bar to hear whats going on!

Be sure to reserve your camp spot at Lake Abiquiu (read previous posts for info on that), and reserve your room at Hotel Blue for the night of GZ.

See you there!!!!!!!