Gophers and Cheese

Here's a bunch more photos from the last big van get-together that I attended in 2023, Autumnmatic.  I'll start with photos of my van because it's my blog - I do what I want.

The 2nd Annual Autumnmatic was held on the last day of September in the legendary Triangle of Tranquility.  It was a lot warmer than the prior year, evidenced by the shorts & t-shirts instead of jackets & winter hats.  Once again, it's a very low-key event where people just show up, hang out, and make their own fun.

The last bike night I attended in 2023 was First Tuesday at Forgotten Star Brewing , hosted by The Litas .  There may have been a thick blanket of clouds and a little drizzle, but you really have to squeeze all the days out of the riding season that you can around here.

Here's the last batch of photos from the Twin City Vans Good Times Truck-In.  I joined the convoy as we left the fairgrounds took a cruise north towards Rochester, MN.  Randy and I needed gas and I totally forgot to put my gas cap back on.  I had to call the gas station and pick it up on the way back.

Friday was a lot of fun but Saturday had all the big events at the 46th Annual  Twin City Vans Good Times Truck-In.

2023 was my second time attending the Twin City Vans Good Times Truck-in and the first time as a member of TCV.  I drove my 1978 Dodge Trademan, of course, but this time I knew to bring a tent to put my stuff in when I wanted to show my van for show & shine or bright & shine.  I still slept in my van, but the tent proved useful.  The truck-in was held in Preston, MN.

Second Thursday Moto Nite at Bauhaus Brew Labs is organized by The Moto Collective .  It's a huge, eclectic bike night.  This one was special to me as it was the first bike night where I rode my grandfather's 1979 Hondamatic (CM400A). I restored & modified the bike over the winter.  When I got it, it was mostly stock, dirty & corroded, non-running, and was clearly home to multiple mice over the many years it was stored.  To be honest, the bike still needs some work as it's still not running quite right but it was good enough to make it to Bauhaus that day and that was a big win.

The First Tuesday in June 2023 was another great bike night at Forgotten Star Brewing , hosted by The Litas .

Heavy Thursday was held at The Joint in Minneapolis in May 2023.  A good mix of bikes and vans showed up.  I rode my Sportster.

As mentioned in my previous post, this one is a whole bunch of photos of just one bike that I saw at the 2023 GTSA Rod & Custom Spectacular , a custom 1973 Sportster survivor named Satana: Devil's Daughter.  This bike was absolutely amazing - the paint, the parts used, the molding, just the right amount of chrome, and even the matching helmets.  I loved it.  I kept walking back around to see it again and again.

I went to the GSTA (Gopher State Timing Association)'s Rod & Custom Show for the first time last year.  It's held inside the State Fair Coliseum in St Paul.  Weather can be hit or miss in Minnesota in early April so it's nice to have an indoor show to attend.  I'm breaking my coverage into 2 blogposts, not because I took too many pictures in total, but because I took way too many pictures of one particular bike.  I'm just going to make that its own post as I think it deserves it.

Last year's Donnie Smith Bike Show was held at the St Paul River Center, as usual.  I was there early on Saturday.  It can get pretty busy, so I like to get there before the big crowds.  This view from above is certainly the calm before the storm.

I stopped by Motosota at Bauhaus Brew Labs for a bit on Saturday, September 23rd.  The "motorcycle farewell to summer" event was going on, rain or shine, and, unfortunately, there was both.  I was there early while it was still nice and just cloudy - the rain came later.  In spite of the weather, there was a good crowd of bikes & vendors and (of course) tasty beverages from Bauhaus.  I was there with my wife & daughter and was limping around because I injured my knee last week (still have no idea what I did to it) so I couldn't stay too long.  It was still fun.

This is the third and final blogpost from this year's Chariots of the Gods show.

More photos from Chariots of the Gods 2023...  While you'll see lots of people and vans from Twin City Vans , this isn't a formal/traditional truck-in.  It's open to the public.  Truck-ins are typically restricted to vanners only and you need a van or panel to get in. Custom vans aren't typically seen in the wild and are rarely found at car shows so having so many in a public space is quite a special event.  I credit this show for hooking me.  I was at the first, back in 2013.  Check out all my old Chariots blogposts here .

Just over a week ago (August 12th), the 10th Chariots of the Gods Custom Van & Vintage Camper Show was held in it's usual place, known as the "triangle of tranquility", right outside of Nate's Custom Upholstery shop (aka Vinyl-Lux).  This year, my son and I went to the show together and camped overnight.  In addition to the van, I brought my Grom (which I hauled inside my van).  The Grom was perfect for a quick ride to beat the heat and an evening run to McDonald's for dinner.  Anyway, on with the pics!

Second Thursday Moto Nite at Bauhaus Brewlabs , hosted by The Moto Collective , is a massive monthly bike night.  What started back in 2017 as a vintage motorcycle night has expanded to a large and eclectic mix of bikes reminiscent of the crowds that used to gather for First Thursday at Dulono's Pizza (feel free to reminisce with my Dulono's blogposts here ).  Enough typing... here's a ton of photos from the August 10th bike night:

I was on a family road trip just over a week ago and we went to Wisconsin Dells and Chicago.  In between, we drove through Milwaukee and I wanted to stop by the Harley Davidson Museum and see their latest exhibit about the Mama Tried Show because I knew some people with bikes and other things on display.  Even though I haven't attended the show in a few years, Mama Tried and Flat Out Friday are awesome (see all my past blog posts about it here ).

The Litas Twin Cities host a great bike night the first Tuesday of the month at Forgotten Star Brewing in Fridley, MN.  My whole family enjoys this one so the last few times I've gone I drove (blasphemy, I know), just so we could all go.

Wrapping up coverage from this year's Full Tilt Boogie Chopper & Van show.  10 days in a row of blogging!... am I OK?  "I'm alright, don't nobody worry 'bout me..."