What a weekend. Over the past couple of days, theres been so much going on around the museum. Thousands and thousands of motorycles in the area, here to ride the mountain roads and soak up a bit of good old American two-wheel history. We had countless new faces at the museum, and got to catch up with many folks returning for a last look or two before the museum relocates.
On of the best parts of the weekend was meeting my new friend's Big Al and Haley. I'd received a call a few days earlier from Carolina Cruiserr, informing us that they would be in the area shooting an episode on the Smokey Mountain Motor Classic in Maggie Valley, and would like to stop by the museum to do a segment on Wheels Through Time. I was honored by their offer and told them we'd have a heck of a time.
Just before closing on Friday, two motorcycles rolled across the bridge and for some reason, I knew it was the folks from Carolina Cruiser. At first it looked like a couple of normal guys coming in for a visit, but as they got closer, it was apparent that these were no "normal" guys.
"Big Al," he said, "and this is Haley." Wondering who was who, I shook Big Al's hand and turned to the big 6'3", 240 pound fella next to him. "Hi, Haley!?!?" ........laughter.
Turns out the big fella was Tres, Big Al's good buddy and production assistant for Carolina Crusier. "So who's Haley?" I asked. Joking about the hilarity of a 240 pound "Haley", Big all introduced me to the star of Carolina Cruiser, the real Haley -- a 3 year old Jack Russell Terrier dressed in full biker get-up.
 Hilarious. This dog had all the bells and whistles, from the little biker vest, to a hot-rod helmet, to the cool set of goggles, which Big Al appropriately renamed "Doggles". And this was no ordinary puppy. She loved it. And she did tricks, too. Sit, lie down, high five, ten, roll over. Big Al would even point a finger at her and yell "Bang"......of course she played dead.
We all hung around the pavilion for a while, and gathered a few ideas for Saturday's shoot. I could already tell it was going to be a lot of fun. And when it was time for them to go, the dog nearly dressed herself, hopped on the gas tank and was ready to go. If you've never seen a dressed up Jack Russell riding on the tank of a hot-rod Harley with ape hangers, I highly recommend you tune into Carolina Cruiser, or visit their website, located at www.carolinacruiser.tv.
The next days shoot went off without a hitch. We had one heck of a time. Thanks Big Al and Haley for including WTT and we look forward to having you back!
|
