Several years ago a group of friends and I decided to ride our classic (Triumph, Norton, Mustang ) motorcycles up to the Rock Store, a famous biker ‘hangout’ located in the Malibu Canyon approximately 35 miles north of Los Angeles. It’s a very curvy road through the canyon which causes all riders to be ‘on their toes’ negotiating all the twists and turns.
As we were putting together our plan for the ride, my wife, Diane, had a girlfriend visiting from Texas and they said they would like to go with us. My wife came up with an idea, “Let’s load the Doodle Bug in the back of our pick up truck and take it to the Rock Store. We will park before we get to the Rock Store, unload it off the truck, and I’ll ride it in behind the Mustang”. It seemed like a fun idea, I went with it and that’s what we did. About 1/2 mile from the Rock Store the classic motorcycle group continued on and Diane, her friend and I pulled over to the side of the road and unloaded the Bug. I continued on with her behind me, well the classic bikes were already getting a lot of attention from the crowd as they were pulling into the parking lot. The Mustang has straight pipes and is considerably loud, when they saw me coming in on the Mustang someone yelled out “there’s a Mustang!” Then, when they saw the Doodle Bug following they shouted “Wow, there’s a Doodle Bug too!”
As Diane parked the Doodle Bug, she was surrounded by many astonished spectators. Among them was a well known celebrity, Jay Leno, who came up to her and said, “I hope you didn’t get a speeding ticket on that” to which she replied, “I talked my way out of it”. In one picture you can see me sitting on the Bug with Jay (with dark hair) in the background.
To this day, after thousands of bikes have made the trek to the Rock Store, I’m sure that our Doodle Bug was the only one ever to grace it with its presence.
GO DOODLE BUGS!!
Fritz & Diane Steinberg, Culver City, CA
Richard Hake, age 83, of Ankeny passed away January 5, 2020 at Taylor Hospice House in Des Moines. Services are pending at this time.
Richard Dean Hake was born in Radcliffe, Iowa on July 31, 1936 the son of Walter and Olilia (Wang) Hake. Dick graduated from Radcliffe High School in 1954. He enrolled in the Brown Institute in Minneapolis shortly after high school where he majored in Radio Broadcasting.
After college, Dick returned back to Iowa where he was employed by KWMT in Fort Dodge, IA as a disc jockey. On the weekends Dick could be found DJ-ing Teen Hops around the Midwest. Dick would often talk about these adventures and of the people he met along the way. Later in life you could often times catch him counting down the TOP 40 or giving a weather report in his best “radio voice” for old time sake.
Dick also served the town of Humboldt, IA as the City Clerk from 1971-1991 along with being the Manager of Circulation at the Reminder Newspaper from 1992-1996. In 1997 Dick, Rosemary and Michael moved to Hastings, MN where he worked at Smead Manufacturing. This Mississippi River town was perfect for a man that loved to sit along its shores and watch the tug boats navigate the lock and dam.
Between family gatherings and attending his grandchildren’s sporting events, Dick loved going to Threshing Shows, Motorcycle Swap Meets, Doodlebug Conventions, Vintage Volkswagen Car Meetings, and any other place in which he could find folks of like mind and interest. Although he was a member of many different groups, Dick never blended into the crowd. His friends and family will remember him as a man with a huge heart, always open arms, and one heck of a storyteller.
Our sympathy to Dick’s family…may he RIP.
MILBANK— Heidi Christenson, age 62 of Milbank, SD, passed away from cancer on Friday, December 27, 2019, at Milbank Area Hospital — Avera Health. Heidi was the wife of James “Jim” Christenson of Milbank.
Funeral services will be held on Wednesday, January 8, 2020, at 10:30 a.m. at Emanuel Lutheran Church in Milbank. Visitation will be held on Tuesday, January 7, from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. at Mundwiler Funeral Home in Milbank. A prayer service will begin at 6:30 p.m. Visitation will continue at the church one hour prior to the funeral service. Rev. Timothy Koch will officiate, and burial will be at Milbank City Cemetery at a later date.
Heidi was a quilter and an artist. She had a tremendous zest for life! She loved riding on her own 1946 Doodle Bug motor scooter with Jim and her grandchildren.
We are thankful for knowing Heidi, Jim and granddaughter, Niah, whose smile brightened everyone’s day at the annual Doodle Bug reunions. Our sympathy to Jim and all of Heidi’s family.
