Stop #160

Rumor from a Facebook user is a new Dutch Bros store is under construction in Pasco, Washington. This would be the first in Pasco and the second in the Tri-Cities area. A few weeks ago Ess and I hosted the mayor of Pasco, Matt Watkins, during an Oregon sweep of this years Dam Tour. Matt didn't realize just how many Dutch Bros locations there are and it looks like he's going to have one in his fair city.

If the store opens prior to June 20th, and I assume it will, this would make 160 locations in total for the Dutch Treat ride. Since I'm already visiting Kennewick and Walla Walla, the extra stop should only add about 20 minutes to the days route and doesn't impact the plan significantly.

Happy Ness is a riding partner

Mr. Happy is a puppet marketed by Aerostich, a Minnesota company that makes some of the best motorcycle riding apparel in the world. Mr. Happy went along with me during the inaugural Two Wheels for Transition ride in 2009 and developed a taste for Dutch Bros mochas. When he heard about Dutch Treat, he insisted on coming along. Happy will be in the photos of all the Dutch Bros locations. Look for him.

Dutch Bros 151

The photo posted from my phone earlier today is stop number 151 on Dutch Treat. Today's trip to Grants Pass was necessary prior to my June ride for one reason: I don't know where this Dutch Bros "store" is. Last summer Esther and I were doing a little reconnisence of the Grants Pass/Medford area to make sure my GPS coordinates were accurate. When we got to 151, address 1101 Grants Pass Parkway, all we found was a Fred Meyer. We drove round and round and through the parking lot looking in vain for something similiar to almost every other Dutch Bros. That is, we were looking for a drive through. That was our mistake.

Of all 159 Dutch Bros locations there are only three that require someone to leave their car. One is in a student hall on the OSU campus in Corvallis. Another is in downtown Grants Pass in a store known with the Dutch Bros culture as "The Coffee House". The third is inside the aforementioned Fred Meyer. While Esther and I were driving round and round, it never occurred to me to look inside. Dutch Bros 151 is practically a coffee cart and like no other location. Who knew?

Well, I know now. And I also know it's just inside the west door of the Fred Meyer. So during Dutch Treat when the minutes count I won't be riding around and around wondering where the elusive store 151 is located.

1101 Grants Pass Pkwy DB 151

Simple but not easy.

I’d like you to think of something you do well. I don’t care what, it could be anything. It might be throwing a pass, swinging a bat or cooking a soft boiled egg to perfection. You’re so good at this thing or you do it so often that it’s almost become second nature. Now here’s my question: can you do that same thing 159 times in a row without making a mistake? That’s what I have to do during Dutch Treat.

It’s not enough to ride to every Dutch Bros location in the nation. I need to prove I was there. To do that, I plan on taking a picture and posting it and a SPOT location on Facebook and my blog. But that’s not enough to meet the standard of the Iron Butt Association. For that I need a receipt that shows I was at a certain location at a certain date and time. I need to write the bikes odometer reading on the receipt and then complete a log showing the time, date and odometer reading again. Finally, I need to finish the ride without losing that log or any of the receipts. And I have to do this 159 times in a row without missing a step. As I said, it’s simple but not easy.

To assist, I plan on using a checklist. Checklists are proven tools in helping us humans to remember what to do and what order to do them in. In aviation, where the cost of a mistake is pretty high, the use of checklists is standard operating procedure. I heard recently that the use of checklists in hospitals has reduced patient infection rates dramatically. Here’s my checklist outlining what I need to do at every Dutch Treat stop. Hopefully it will make my simple routine a little easier.

Stop Routine
___ Pull into line
___ Give baristas white board with correct store # on it
___ Take PHOTO with phone. SAVE picture.
___ Make purchase/ RECEIPT in teeth
___ Pull forward out of line.
___ MARK location with SPOT
___ ODO on receipt
___RECORD on Bonus Log
___ SECURE receipt
___ SEND pix to FB and blog
___ “FIND” next location

Jinxed

Three weeks ago I posted about adding a second auto-routing GPS to Moose. The idea is partially for redundancy. In the event one GPS quits working there's a back up right at hand. Who knew I'd need it so soon?
Zumo is dead. She won't power up. Nothing. I tried all the tricks you learn as a zumo owner: I removed and replaced the battery and held down the "plus" and power buttons simultaneously for 30 seconds. No go. An email was sent to Garmin support this morning. Looks like R2D2 (my name for the 2820) will be getting the duty for a couple of weeks.

Good things come to those that wait

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow said “Perseverance is a great element of success.” Albert Einstein said “Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result.” In the quest to get some assistance from Dutch Bros regarding my upcoming Dutch Treat ride, I had resigned myself to the latter. After months of trying to get some corporate attention, I had all but given up. I had emailed them; hand delivered a proposal and even attempted to enlist the help of my local owner. All to no avail. Thank goodness I have a brother who wasn’t bleeding at the forehead from repeated contact with the proverbial brick wall.

Daryl mentioned the ride to the latest DB franchisee in Kelso, Washington, who apparently took pity on me. Mark forwarded the Dutch Treat information to corporate which made a pin hole in the dam. I received an email from Dutch Bros indicating that while no financial donation was available, logistical help would be considered. Within a few days the flood gates opened and it seems like I’ve got the full faith and backing of the company to include assistance from their public relations firm. Dutch Treat is poised on the edge of a full blown media campaign.

Thanks little brother.