As promised, my blog about the Big Bear Choppers signing. What an awesome day!
(Photo courtest of MotorcyleUSA mag)

Okay...this is another mini e-novel...

Where to begin? Well I guess at the beginning, lol. Itt took us over 5 1/2 hours to drive up to Big Bear from Phoenix. The last hour was just going up the mountain and it was amazing watching the temp drop by the minute, lol. We started off in the 60s at the base and it was 36deg by the time we pulled up at the cabin. Brrr...glad we decided to "camp" inside a cabin instead of outside, lol.

Highway 18 at the start of the climb up Big Bear Mountain

Most of my pics up the mountain didn't turn out that well...we were in a hurry to get to the top before dark and there were large areas of fog and cloud cover! This is probably one of the better pics. In some spots the fog / cloud was so thick that we had to slow WAAAAY down before hitting a clear spot in the road. It was beautiful but a little scary at the same time, lol.

It is a beautiful place...I would love to go back for a longer visit and just look around up there. Its a cute town with what looked like lots of great little food and shopping places, and even a Starbucks, lol (which we DID visit, lol). The lake itself is also beautiful....but, we got there around 8pm, ate, went to bed. Sunday morning my friend Jen and I walked down to Starbucks and then to the lake and enjoyed the chilly morning and beautiful view....there were fish jumping and the sun was starting to come out. We leave the lake and wander down the streets a bit and do a little window shopping. Just lovely...and that was pretty much it for non Criss stuff...lol. My poor friend Jen...she is NOT a Loyal, just drove up with me out of the goodness of her heart....and what a looooooong day Sunday was going to be for her...while for me it could have gone on just a little longer, lol.

This is the road over Big Bear Dam that you have to cross over on the way in and out of the resort area.

Big Bear Lake Marina

Okay...so we leave for Big Bear Choppers to be there by ten or so. A line has already started forming for people to have Criss sign stuff. BBC was pretty organized...they had good crowd and traffic control so things were fairly orderly. We were fairly early so were definitely closer to the front of the line but still had a looooooong wait ahead of us. So we hunker down to wait since Criss has not arrived yet. People were allowed to wander around inside the BBC showroom and look at their bikes. At the same time, the Mindfreak merchandise stands were going up....with Criss's Cousin George apparently spear heading that effort. He was busily unloading boxes of merchandise and putting out them for display so we let him be.

I scan the line looking for Susie (PRINCESS4ANGEL on the CA site)....she is supposed to be there...no luck....but then as I am going back to our place in line I hear a voice calling my name and there she is. AWESOME. She is just as sweet as I thought she would be....and her son Sean is with her. He is a budding young illusionist that looks JUST LIKE CRISS....omg, honest. You may remember them...they have been on several Mindfreak epis...and were in the look-a-like contest a few years ago. I think Criss is always amazed at Sean's resemblence to him...as were we. It was great to finally meet Susie. We hugged and chatted...it was a great way to pass half hour or so while we were waiting for Criss.

Me and Suzy....I am sporting my "wild camping look for the day" lol...

Some of the time is passed admiring the tiger and cubs that were behind the gate of BBC's side yard (yep, live ones...). At different times the handler would take mama out and she would do tricks. I guess to keep her from being bored??? We weren't sure why they were there but I read later that Mona Alsopp from BBC had arranged for the cubs as a surprise for Criss.

May be a little hard to see...but there were two playful little Tiger cubs in this cage.

At any rate, it is now finally 1pm and we are ANTSY....no Criss sighting yet. On the bright side for me, Dru (yep...the CA admin) arrives and I finally get to meet her in person. Yaay. And we all wait together some more, lol.

Dru and I...

And then...we think we see JD! Finally, around 1:30pm the black escalade pulls up...EEEEP! He's here! He's here! But sigh....we can see very very little without leaving our spots in line. We aren't that far back but just enough so the view isn't that great. We can see the front crowd going wild for Criss and can see that he is doing SOMETHING...sigh. There were around 9 of us in our group so periodically one or two would go up and do surveillance, lol..."Criss is talking"...."Criss went in the building"...hmm...."ohh Costa is here..."

As it turns out, they were ALL here....George had been here working the booth all morning. JD, Costa, Dimitra, Sandra, Tommy and Criss were there....I think JD was there earlier but just wasn't out for some reason until later. The camera crew of course is now here...as is Jason Verona (eeep). Oh, and Melvin "Shorty" Rossi is there also (one of the "little people" that is occasionally on MF).

Although they are obviously filming stuff up front where Criss is, they do not forget the folks in line...a crew member and a camera man are sent to run down the line and rile us up and get crowd pics. We oblige....lol. Not sure what Criss is doing...can't SEE. It turns out that they ended up doing the bike unveiling first so we did not see it, although one of our group had gone up ahead to spy for us, lol, and he did catch pictures of the unveiling. No illusion or anything...just a simple unveiling and thank you's from what we could see / were told. Would have liked to have actually SEEN it and of course listened to Criss...but I also wanted my book signed, lol. We had seen the bikes before the unveiling. (We had lots of time to walk around before Criss got there, lol). They are BEAUTIFUL! The painting on the BeLIEve bike is especially awesome.

These are some of the pics my friend Krista and her dad took of the BeLIEve bike. There are other great pics of the bikes out on the internet and in the pictures section of the forum if you want to see them.

BeLIEve bike (courtesy of Krista...aka HawaiianBaby)

It's LUCKY!! Also from Krista...

Another great pic from Krista...

We are still waiting in line to get our stuff signed and now someone from the crew is walkings down the line handing out sticky notes for us to write our names on to speed up the signings. Finally...eeep...its almost happening, lol.

Anyways, it still seems like forever until Criss starts the signing. Couldn't really see what he was doing but there was more filming going on....interviews with Mona and crew from BBC, pictures of Criss on the bikes, etc. But again we are not totally forgotten in line. JD starts walking down the line...greeting folks, touching hands, taking pics, chatting away. He is obviously in a GREAT mood and SO SO obliging. We all take pics with him and have a chance to chat briefly with him.

JD working the line, lol...(Pic courtesy of Dru)

JD and I....

JD reading a sign a young Loyal had made...

LOL...at one point I was taking a picture of JD with two of the gals that we were with and had to ask them to move because the sun was facing the camera. JD laughed good naturedly as they shifted positions and said "Oh...now you're a professional photographer..." I stick my tongue out at him and take the pic. And then off he goes down the line. It was just that kind of atmosphere...yes...the waiting was tedious but there was also just a relaxed kind of feeling about the day.

JD disappears down the line and we settle in to wait some more...the signing HAS started but it is taking a long long time. Criss is taking his time with everyone...it is really an amazing atmosphere to me. So mello...at some point we were given tix to ensure our spots in line....and at random any one of us would wander off to check things out....we could walk over to this short wall area and see Criss signing so were able to get random shots of Criss, Dimitra, everyone, actually.

Criss signing a baby...lol...

THE BOYS....I love this pic...this one is courtesy of Dru, as is the next one...

Another random shot of Criss signing....

At some Dru and I wander off to talk to Costa (okay...that may have happened MORE than once, lol). Dru hadn't met Jason Verona in person yet so Costa sends him over...EEP. Very nice, lol. And then back to the line we go...I see that Susie has finally made it up to get her stuff signed. A little later I look up and see that they are talking and filming Sean (Susie's son the Criss look a like)! Awesome. More waiting. At some point the camera guys come up and down the line again....lost track....think it was with JD again. A little later here comes Costa walking up and down the line riling up the crowd...more pics and smiles and signings and hugs.

We have finally moved up enough that so that we have a clear view of Criss even from our spot in line and we take lots more random pics of Criss and the family and Tommy. Dimitra and Sandra are sitting behind Criss most of the time he is signing...occasionally they'd get up and wander off and then wander back. JD and Costa alternate between coordinating the signing and crowd visits and whatever else needed to be done...occasionally they 'd just kick back and if you were forward enough you could go chat with them some more, lol.

Costa and JD by the signing table...

Criss is concentrating very hard here!! LOL.

We decide to wander up front to chat with George...he is taking a break from selling stuff and is hanging out just in front of the rope barricade. He is HILARIOUS! Very sweet...and chatty as well, lol. He jokes around with us for a bit and seems surprised that anyone would want to talk with and take pics with him, lol. And then back to the line we go, still laughing about George...it is now past 4:00pm.

As we get closer to the front and it is almost our turn to get our stuff signed we are handed tickets to guarantee our spots in line. I guess so many people were just showing up and getting in line they needed a way to END IT, lol. We finally get to the point where they let us behind the barricade for the signing...and then it just seems to FLY BY. Before I can think I am standing next to where Dimitra is sitting just on the other side of the tape barrier. I say hello to her and we chat a few minutes about the store opening and I tell her that we saw her working in there last Saturday, lol. She, too, seemed to be in great spirits. I just love that lady!

We're almost there...just on the other side of the rope from Criss now!!!

Criss signing Krista's hoodie...

Almost there....

And now...its time...Dru has ended up ahead of me for the signing since I was talking to Dimitra. She gives Criss a little good natured grief as he signs her stuff and takes a pic with her and they chat for a few minutes. Dru HAS been mod-ing for Criss FOREVER, lol...

And it is my turn..."I just saw you..." he laughs (in Vegas last week). "I KNOW" I say..."I TOLD you I was gonna be here"...lol. We talk briefly, he asks me about the new mod-ing experience, ...and then finally Tommy takes our picture.

Criss!

I had Criss sign my copy of his book for me...its really the one thing I have always wanted him to sign....that and my copy of the BeLIEve program. And just like that...EEP- its over.

We stop off at the store area to look at a few things and chat some more with cousin George...really what a great guy. Its too bad he isn't out more...lol...he is really a lot of fun to talk and clown around with. This time I asked him for a picture.

Cousin George and I...

Costa on the phone under the Mindfreak merchandise tent...

Before I leave the roped area I stop to chat with Dimitra and Sandra again and ask them for a pic.
Dimitra and I....

I turn to start SLOWLY and reluctantly towards the exit and I see Mona from BBC is there so I thank her for a great day and tell her what beautiful bikes they make (and they are beautiful). And on the way out....I run into Jason Verona again and ask him for a picture before I leave.

Jason Verona and I....

Finally, we exit thru the BBC showroom....and its over...just like that.

My BFFs Lainey and Krista and I just outside the show room....

It really was a great day....I wish all of you could have been there...its hard to explain the atmosphere. Although I think the crowd was bigger than I realize (people kept arriving and leaving, lol so the line always looked the same size - ALL DAY, lmao) it seemed much more intimate in a way. Similar to the Meet and Greet in December but much much more relaxed...like we had all the time in the world. I was able to get pics with everyone again and to chat with all sorts of folk through out the day. I look just fabulous in all of my pics with my wild, wind strewn camping hair, lol...but it was truly an amazing experience.

Anyways, ciao for now! MWAH!