Gophers and Cheese

Wrapping up coverage from Vintage Torque Fest 2022 in Dubuque, IA with more photos of the Tuff Mudder Mini, some mini bike flat track, and the mini bike parade.  There are some 4-wheeled vehicles somewhere in this post too.

The next morning it was time for the Tuff Mudder Mini event at Vintage Torque Fest , hosted by Mini Bike Weirdo .

Time for some dirt oval action from Vintage Torque Fest 2022!  Vintage racing, chain racing, and flame throwing are all jam packed into today's blogpost so buckle up!

 Lots more photos from Vintage Torque Fest back in April...

More photos from Vintage Torque Fest 2022!  Before jumping into a ton of dirt track photos, here's my van at the campgrounds.  I made a makeshift parking space with stakes and rope to save my semi-dry piece of land when I drove into town.  The campground was muddy, slippery, and a number of people got stuck.  My biggest challenge was keeping the mud out of my freshly done interior.

I worked really hard to finish enough of my van's interior to drive it down to Vintage Torquefest and camp.  The first time I attended was 2019 I rode my Road King and tent camped.  Sleeping in the van was definitely more comfortable.  I was also not feeling well in 2019 and left early but this year I stayed for the whole thing.  Unfortunately the wet weather led to a number of cancelled events but I still had a lot of fun anyway.  John puts on a great event and it seems like he's everywhere but also having fun too.  I took a ton of photos so I'm just going to share them over a series of posts.

Union Speed & Style had an open house last night (June 17th) as part of Back to the Fifties weekend.  It was my first time visiting their new(ish) shop in Osseo, MN.  I've been a fan since seeing Jordan's work at Bearded Lady over ten years ago .  The building, both interior and exterior, is awesome.  Their metal work on display is absolutely top notch.  Also, the beer provided by Hayes Public House was quite tasty.  Here's a bunch of photos from in and around the shop.

Here's a bunch more photos from Heavy Thursday in June 2022 at The Joint.

The venue was changed at the last minute for Heavy Thursday.  It returned to The Joint in Minneapolis.  I left my van home and rode my Sportster.  The weather was absolutely beautiful.

I got a late start and, after missing the correct exit off 94, I ended up arriving at the 2022 Rocker Spring Social while it was winding down.  Awards had already been given out and some people were starting to pack up and leave.  I snapped some photos quick but I'm sure I missed seeing a lot of people and a lot of good bikes.  It should go without saying that I'm not a role model so don't be like me... show up to motorcycle events while they are actually happening.

Lots more photos from Dirty Rotten Bikerfest 2022 in Oak Grove, MN...

Saturday was my first ride of the season (overdue thanks to working so hard on my van lately).  The weather was BEAUTIFUL!  I stopped by Dirty Rotten Bikerfest for a little bit.  There was a big crowd and I took a bunch of photos so I'll break it into two blogposts.  Here we go!

Heavy Thursday is the first Thursday of the month May-Aug at North Star Bar in St. Paul.  I drove my van and parked in the back lot next to a few others.  Loadie and Red Desert played inside the bar and Modist had Heavy Lager on tap.  Here are a bunch of photos:

As promised, here are more photos from the 33rd annual Donnie Smith Bike Show , which was this past weekend at the RiverCentre in St. Paul, MN.

I went to the Donnie Smith Bike Show on Saturday March 26th.  I've attended most years since 2008.  This year dropped the car show portion but still had the usual selection of great custom bikes and a large swap meet area.  As always, I tend to gravitate towards choppers and vintage stuff (and there's always a lot to see) but if you're into big wheel / high dollar baggers, this is certainly the show to attend but don't expect a lot of photos from me.  Anyway, if you missed the show or want to relive some of it, I'll spread photos out over 2 blogposts.  Here we go!

The blog is 12 years old today!  While I haven't been posting much content here, I did just update the 2022 Events Calendar .  I hope to hit quite a few motorcycle and van events this year.  My current focus is getting my new-to-me 1978 Dodge Tradesman ready to roll.  I bought it in the fall and it's been a fun winter project so far with lots more to do.  It's about 100X better than the first van I owned .  If you wanna see pics, follow along on Instagram .

Here's my last round of photos from Frankensteiners Ball 16 .  I do love vans and was happy to see a few I hadn't seen before at other local shows.  Do you like airbrushed wizards & warriors, rolling bars, shag carpeting, Cragars, and side pipes?  If not, what the hell's wrong with you?  I still hope to buy or build my very own dream van one day.  If anyone knows of a solid blank canvas out there, let me know.

Here are some motorcycles that I spotted at Frankensteiners Ball 16 .  While a lot of people rode to the show (and it would've been easier to find parking if you did), there weren't a lot of bikes inside the show.  "Quality over quantity" I suppose.  The wooden mini bike was wild and I haven't seen it before.  I love the entry form for Year & Make filled out simply as "Can't Weld".  Look closely and you'll find a bike put together with wood, bolts, steel plate, and various plumbing parts... no welding anywhere.  Turn the forks and the headlight stays focused straight ahead like a old-tyme Road Glide.  It has a steampunk vibe even though it's clearly powered by gasoline.  It's awesome.

I went to the Frankensteiners Ball 16 on Saturday, October 9th at the Isanti County Fairgrounds in Princeton, MN.  It's been a few years since I attended the show and I haven't been since it moved from the Anoka County Fairgrounds to this much bigger location.  It's a great collection of classic cars, hot rods, and rat rods with a splash of bikes and vans too.  Lots of kids attend in costume as candy is left in front of cars for a little early trick-or-treating. I'll spread the photos I took into 3 parts: Cars, bikes, and vans.  This post will have the most photos and I'll lead in with a photo that I think sums up the show pretty well.  Enjoy!

I had a lot of fun at Motosota .  While I wasn't there all day, I was sure not to miss Red Desert and JRD & The Big Mistake .  Doom metal and outlaw country go together like peanut butter & jelly as far as I'm concerned. Motorcycles are just the bread holding that delicious sandwich together.  If you have no idea what I'm talking about, here are photos... but it was better with sound.