The Long Ride by: Lou Heeres

Introduction

I recently read a comment by a former NBPD motor officer, on the NBPDRA web site, about what has become known as the long ride. As one of the participants in the first three such rides, I thought I would tell you how it all began.

Part I

On November 15, 1961, Don Picker and I were assigned to motorcycle duty. At that time the NBPD did not have a formal motor officer training program; so Chief Jim Glavas arranged for CHP Sergeant Paul Cleveland to serve as our training officer. Paul was the OIC of the Orange County CHP motor squad.

Paul, Don, and I met in the briefing room of the old 32nd Street station, and spent the first 1⁄2 day of our week long training session in a lecture mode. At noon we assembled with our bikes in the Newport Dunes parking lot, where we would spend the remainder of the week practicing the many drills and exercises designed to make us proficient motor officers. At the end of the fifth day, Paul told us to wear our uniforms the next day, and he would take us out on the streets and see how we performed in traffic.

We started our ride from the PD. The reader should remember that in 1961 there was only one freeway in Orange County, the Santa Ana, which came south from LA, and terminated in Santa Ana.

We rode south through the cities of Newport Beach, Laguna Beach, and Dana Point to Hwy. 74, the Ortega Highway, where we turned north and rode over the mountains on the two lane to Lake Elsinore. We then headed to Corona and through the Santa Ana canyon to Orange, Tustin, and Santa Ana. Paul then took us down south Main Street, where he had us splitting traffic. We then continued on through Costa Mesa and to Newport Beach. All in all it was quite a ride for two guys who thought they were going to ride around Newport Beach for a while.

Part II

I served as a motor officer until October 1, 1963, when I was promoted to sergeant. While on motors it was my privilege to ride with: Bill Laughlin, Al Luke, John Marshall, Jim Parker, Don Picker, Hal Sheflin, and Jim Spears.

On a date that I can’t remember, I was assigned to train John Simon as a motor officer, and in May 1966, I was assigned to train Jon Schorle and Stan Bressler. I put the three of them through the same program that Paul Cleveland had used for Don and I. On the long ride portion of the program for Jon and Stan, Paul Cleveland joined us for a portion of the ride (Thanks Jon). I am not aware of who coined the term long ride, and there have apparently been a number of different routes used.

Epilogue

After I retired Mickey and I were living in Sequim WA, just east of Port Angeles on the Strait of Juan de Fuca, and had acquired a Honda Gold Wing 1500-6. In August 1989, Stan and Judy Bressler and Jon Schorle rode up on their Gold Wings to visit us. While they were with us we took a couple of long rides. One of them was to Victoria, BC via the Port Angeles ferry, and the other west and south on US 101 to the Oregon border. Great rides with great people!