The Northern Rally Start

For those folks joining our rally from the north, this is the place to be 10 am April 9th!

(scroll to the bottom of the post to get your tickets!)

Santa Maria Harley-Davidson has been in business for over 30 years. They have been in their current location at 2022 Preisker Lane since 2003.

They sell both on road and off road vehicles with over 250 motorcycles, ATV's and Side by Sides in stock. They carry multiple brands, including Harley, Honda, and Kawasaki. They have a full service and parts department. Plus all the motorcycle accessories and clothing to make your ride enjoyable and your bike look super!

Last Year's Bike Night Calendar

Santa Maria Harley Davidson is also very community minded with monthly BBQs at the store, meetups, Bike Night, and a large commitment to helping Toys For Tots every Christmas.

So, come join us for the Rally & BBQ to have a great time and help 

Northern Santa Barbara Special Olympics!

You can buy your tickets here .

Our Southern Start Point

For all the folks joining our rally from the South, I thought you might like to hear a little about

 Santa Barbara Motorsports.

(They promised coffee and donuts for the folks that get there early!)

They have been located in Goleta since 1963.  For the past six years, the business has been owned and operated daily by four family members; they have an additional 10 full/part time employees.  A few of their employees actively race, while all of the folks at Santa Barbara Motorsports are general motorcycle enthusiasts.   

They are located at 6466 Hollister Ave, having been there for the last four years. 

 They are an authorized motorcycle dealership for Honda, Yamaha, Suzuki, KTM and KYMCO and also carry quads, other off road vehicles, and all the gear from jackets and helmets to generators you’ll need to make your adventure complete.  Their two factory trained technicians collectively have over 28 years of experience.  

They are a sponsor of the Lompoc Valley Motorsport Park Project, the Ventura  County Motorcycle Club, Family Off Road Adventures,  and the Central Coast Adventure Riders.

In the past they’ve hosted two KTM off road demo days and one KYMCO scooter demo event.   They currently have a two day campout adventure/dual sport ride planned for May 14th and 15th this year.

So, come join us at Santa Barbara Motorsports to help support 
Northern Santa Barbara County Special Olympics!
You can buy your tickets here , 
and use the Santa Barbara choice to start at Santa Barbara Motorsports!

Our Charity

I though you all might like to hear a little about the charity the Motorcycle Rally is being held for.

We can all learn a lot from the athletes of Special Olympics. From learning that folks we felt were different than us really aren’t that different; they have the same hopes and desires to succeed and live a happy life as anyone else. To truly appreciating the dedication these athletes exhibit no matter what obstacles life has put in their way, should show us all that it’s the journey, not the destination that determines how well life is lived.

 Special Olympics Northern Santa Barbara County is a part of Special Olympics Southern California, which is a division of  California Special Olympics and a part of  National Special Olympics. The athletes can take part in any event Northern Santa Barbara County group holds and can be elected to participate in the regional, national, and world events (such as the Special Olympics World Games held in Los Angeles in June 2015)

All the Northern Santa Barbara County athletes brought home medals~
 in Golf: Athlete - Zachary Alonzo and Unified Partner - Tom Garrard, Level 2 ~ Gold;
 in Bowling: Athlete - Alex Hassett, Silver Medal in singles, Silver Medal in doubles, Silver Medal in team, and a gold medal in Unified bowling. Alex was one of only two bowlers to medal in every group (team, doubles, and singles) 
 and in Softball: Athletes represented from Northern Santa Barbara County, Santa Barbara County, and San Luis Obispo County, Bronze Medal

 Zachary Alonzo also won the 2015 Paul & Margaret Thorsen Most Inspirational Athlete Award (you can read about him here à http://www.sosc.org/athletes ) 

The Softball Team at the World Games 2015

Special Olympics Northern Santa Barbara County is an area of Special Olympics Southern California offering 11 different Olympic-type sports programs each year with year-round sports training and competitions to over 1,200 children and adults from Solvang to Santa Maria. All the programs offered provide athletes with the chance to develop physical fitness, sports skills, social skills and self-esteem, ultimately giving people with intellectual disabilities an opportunity to compete, to grow, to learn and to inspire. Special Olympics athletes are able to train and compete at the local and regional level with the possibility of advanced competition, if elected to attend. The minimum age requirement for participation is 8 years old; there is no maximum age limit. 
The programs are offered at NO COST to their athletes.  

Athletes are grouped in competition divisions according to ability level, age and gender. Special Olympics also offers events for lower ability level athletes to train and compete in basic skills. The development of these key skills is necessary prior to advancing to longer competitive events.  Special Olympics athletes can also participate in Unified Sports® competitions. Special Olympics Unified Sports is a program that combines Special Olympics athletes and athletes without intellectual disabilities (partners) on sports teams for training and competition.  

At Special Olympics Northern Santa Barbara County sports are offered on a two-season sports calendar. For the Spring/Summer ~ Aquatics, Athletics (Track & Field), Basketball, Bocce, and Golf; for Fall/Winter ~ Bowling, Floor Hockey, Soccer, Softball, Tennis, and Volleyball. Athletes may participate in two sports each season, and must designate their primary and secondary sport choices. Athletes may compete at the local and regional level in both sports, but may only attend the chapter-level competition in their primary sport. Each sport trains for 2 hours a week, whether it be at an aquatic facility, track & field, Bocce court, or bowling facility, etc.

As you can see Special Olympics Northern Santa Barbara County is a wonderful organization and worthy of your support. 
To buy tickets for the motorcycle rally hit the link!
And Thanks for helping Special Olympics!
(all photos from the Special Olympics Southern California website)

Roblar Winery ~ Another one of our Rally stops!

So, here's the story about another of our stops!

    You'll find Roblar Winery and Vineyards nestled in an oak tree-studded 40-acre vineyard that was established in 2005. Located in the heart of Santa Barbara County, Roblar reflects the spirit of Santa Ynez Valley – rustic, authentic, and bold.   The winery’s lodge-style architecture was designed by the noted Montecito architect Bob Easton.   

Roblar's philosophy is to foster a unique visitor experience of bringing together great wine, great food, and great friends.  Many California wineries focus their visitor experience on the wines alone. At Roblar, they take a different approach: their winemakers, Kerry Damskey and Bryan Davison, craft the wines to be enjoyed with food, prepared especially for you by their on-site master chef, Laurence Hauben, who is originally from France.  

  She creates all of the food and wine pairings served at Roblar, which are available 11:00 am to 5:00 pm on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday (reservations are a good idea!), as well as the signature foods; flatbread pizzas, pork sliders, chicken wings, etc. that they sell at their bar. She utilizes local, seasonal ingredients—many of which are grown on the estate—to complement and guide you through the intricate flavor profiles of the wines. She also teaches cooking classes at Roblar!

You are free to wander the estate—from their 5,000 sq. ft. tasting room complete with an indoor-outdoor stone fireplace, to the trellis-covered patio, looking out over their expansive gardens. And there are very few places more beautiful than the Santa Ynez Valley in Sprngtime!

And then there’s their wonderful wines!

Their winemaker, Bryan Davidson, is very well known in Napa and Sonoma and has won numerous awards for his winemaking style.  He crafts limited edition wines for Roblar.  Their wines have won numerous gold metals, as well as double gold at the San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition.

Their estate-grown varietals include Sauvignon Blanc, Merlot, Sangiovese, Grenache and Semillon. They also source grapes from the Santa Rita Hills near Lompoc, and the Arroyo Seco Valley near Greenfield, where cooler coastal growing climates create richer, more concentrated flavors in the Pinot Noir and Chardonnay varietals. They grow about a dozen varietals on the Santa Ynez vineyard and make approximately 42 different wines (white and red). Their winemakers source the best grapes from all the different wine areas in California in order to present you the opportunity to sample many great varietals.

 Everything wine they make is multiple, so they have four chardonnays, eight pinot noirs, three syrahs, three cabernets, etc.   They do this by using different vineyards and different strains of yeast to bring out different aromas and flavors in the wines. This means that while you might like pinot noir, you just might find one you really love at Roblar!

So, be sure and visit Roblar Winery both for the Rally and after. It's bound to be a wonderful experience.

And don't forget to scroll on down to buy your tickets for the Rally. They are $50. for a single and $85. for a couple. It's going to be a great day and a great BBQ, and you'll be helping the athletes of Special Olympics!