Gophers and Cheese

Here's my last batch of photos from the Polar Devils Vintage Racing last Saturday.  It was all fun and games until the vehicles started breaking down and the cops showed up.  Isn't that always the way??? I found a good spot to get a lot of the photos you see below, far away from the crowd, but found it odd when the cars and bikes stopped going by.  It was about 12:30 and the event was supposed to go from 10-3.  I walked back towards the starting line area and overheard people saying the event was shut down for lack of permits and saw a Sheriff on a snowmobile that seemed to be telling people to leave (last photo) so I headed out.  I have since heard it was due to COVID restrictions, not permit issues. I'll admit that it was nice to be out - to see, hear, and smell motorcycles and hot rods again.  Hopefully it was a small taste of things to come but, in the mean time, stay safe out there and try to look forward to fun days ahead.

While they weren't actually racing each other, occasionally seeing cars and bikes side-by-side on the track reminded me of Moto Mania.  This event actually had a bit of that Moto Mania fun-and-free-for-all vibe.  The only real restriction was trying to limit it to pre-1955 vehicles.  That didn't stop one or two newer models from sneaking onto the track but most seemed period correct.

Here are more photos from the Polar Devils Vintage Racing on Saturday.  There was a wide array of unique vehicles, all set up for snow and ice.  Towards the end of this set, you'll see Kevin Baas riding around on his knucklehead with a checkered flag.  I initially thought he was just holding it but I later saw a video where someone tossed the flag up in the air and it amazingly landed perfectly in his forks, as you'll see in the photos.  He rode a few laps like that.

After a few bitterly cold weeks here in Minnesota, the weather on Saturday could almost be described as beautiful, even though it was still below freezing.  It was sunny and felt warm(ish) but I was layered up.  The event drew a good-sized crowd, including families.  While it was outdoors, I still did my best to keep a safe distance from others.  I took most of my photos farther down the track, away from the crowded starting line.

On Saturday, February 20th, I headed just south of the cities for the first motorcycle event I've attended in over a year, ice racing on a frozen lake.  Under the banner of the Polar Devils, vintage (pre-1955) motorcycles and hot rods took to the ice for a little fun.  Over the rest of the week, I'll share a bunch of photos so check back daily.

2020 sucked. Don't get me wrong, there were some good things about it, but it was bad for motorcycle-related stuff.  Most events were cancelled, blah blah blah...  I don't have to tell you.  You know. Anyway, I went to my first motorcycle event in over a year yesterday (Polar Devils Vintage Racing) and have the itch to post some photos because I took a ton.   Look for those over the coming days.  The blog has not been well maintained (obviously) and probably won't be again.  It's extremely time consuming. If you want current stuff, just follow me on Instagram (@gophersandcheese) or Facebook.  That said, this blog remains a great place to archive and organize large groups of photos from past events so you may still see a rare post here and there (no promises).  If you want to relive local events from 5-10 years ago, then look no further - this is the spot. The store (Cheese Shop) is closed for now so I removed the links.  If you just can't...