High School Woods, Dirt Bikes & Officer Lurch

We used to have all night dirt bike camp outs in the high school woods. I think it would be fair to say our camp would be where what now be the right hand east bound lane of the Golden Gate Parkway, somewhere close to where TGI Fridays stands today.

This night it was Marty S, John Z, Jeff B & Larry F, Sid S & I, plus Joey G who showed up later in his VW Bug. We would set up camp & have a real good time until around midnight when someone would come up with, we’re bored let’s go spin donuts on the baseball diamond. So we all hop on our dirt bikes & commence to a donut convention on the baseball field. About half an hour into this I decided to take a break & rode over to the football field fence & just leaned on the fence & left my motor running. I’m watching everyone else spinning circles with orange dust billowing up in the headlights clouds of dust flying everywhere & everyone laughing like a pack hyenas.

Next thing I know I see car headlights come on in the middle of the field & I’m thinking wow someone else is gonna join the fun. Boom police car lights come & I about die! I throttle the hell outta there & everyone hits the main trail to the woods at the same time you wouldn’t even notice anyone next to you. We all haul ass midway thru the woods & ditch the bikes in an irrigation ditch & ran back to our camp. The whole time Larry F is missing Joey ran to his car & took off down the rail road tracks Sid kept going like we all should have. So like a dumbass I take my helmet with me back to our camp & toss it in the bushes. A while later we see flashlight’s & up pops Officer Lurch & he starts asking questions. BIG QUESTION: Do ya’ll boys have motorcycles? Answer: No sir we’re just camping, Lurch to Marty you’re gonna tell me your dad owns a whole shop of motorcycles & your not riding one? Answer: No Sir:):)! Lurch snoops around & finds my helmet in the bushes with my name inside it & we’re BUSTED then he says go get your motorcycles.

On the walk back to the police car that was parked on Fleishmann he’s going thru his whole Clint Eastwood spiel I can spot an ants ass at 100 yards & pick it off a fence post. That night it was a full moon & as we’re walking back & listening to him go on & on he walks right by our motorcycles all the chrome gleaming in the moonlight. He almost tripped over the damn things & never saw them. We caught up with Larry F the next day & Officer Lurch blocked the HS woods entrance & Larry slid into the police car & Lurch just picked him up by his shirt & pants & through him in the police car. Another funny part of the story was Jeff B, he would always go camping with us but would never have a motorcycle. But he always had this HUGE military duffle bag full of everything you could imagine. Rubber alligators, pots & pans, matches, candles. It was always hysterical but when he came along you KNEW there was gonna be some kind of action, Jeff was never a dull moment I miss him, what times those were just a bunch of kids having the time of their lives…..

I can still see Jeff on the back of Johns 250 Enduro with that duffle bag it hardly fit between them. And as usual Marty would be riding on his back wheel I doubt he ever replaced his front tire due to lack of wear.

PS: There were never no charges filed & we weren't arrested BUT we weren't doing anything against the law to begin with.