Gathering 2017
The Knights Gathering 2017 took place in Portland, OR from Sept.8-11. The last time the Knights and I visited was in 2005 during Labour Day weekend. Here are my thoughts after a 12 year absence from the City of Roses.
Thursday night after a full shift at Clinton and a quick stop at the bank, I went to MasterG’s to drop my car off and spend the night with Wayne T. as he was the only Knight to come with me (Norman nearly came but couldn’t find a babysitter in time). I printed out our Amtrak tickets and had a shower before going to bed. I got very little sleep on MasterG’s bed and was sharing it with both him and Wayne. It was like Nova Scotia all over again… But we got up after 4am, took a taxi to Main Street Terminal Station. We waited a bit before Customs. Thankfully the interviewer didn’t pry much and was easy. We boarded the train and it left on time at 6:30am. The ride was pleasant though the wifi was very slow and it won’t allow for streaming video as it capped downloads at 10MB so no YouTube videos for anyone. The connection is pretty consistent though. Things weren’t too scenic as it was cloudy/overcast. Wayne got us drinks and snacks to tie us over the trip. After numerous stops along the way, we arrived in Portland at Union Station after 3pm. Outside, we took a taxi to the host hotel, The Park Lane Suites & Inn. This was the same hotel we were at last time in 2005. On the “suites” side was the main lobby and we checked in. We then had to walk over to the “inn” side (pardon the pun) and we noticed it looked repainted but it still had those old steel stairs. Our room was 240, the upper floor in the back with the city view. We found our room was between Kevin/Kirk/Carol’s room which was on the edge and Bryan/Arnie/Richard’s room was on our other side. Kevin was the first Knight we saw as they got in by van from Fresno earlier than us. We said hello to Kirk and Carol too. Bryce would be coming in later that night by plane. We met Bryan & Arnie next and we decided to go eventually meet all the other Seattle Knights at Scandals. Kevin drove us all there. After some waiting, they arrived and we all greeted each other.
All together, these were all the Knights and groupies/supporters that came this year: Kevin, Carol, Kirk, and Bryce from Fresno; Nancy, Bryan & Arnie, Rich, Richard, Thad & Charlie, Victor & Drake from Seattle, and Wayne T. & myself from Vancouver. In all, there was about 13 Knights/groupies and about 2 supporters who were the regulars. We would later have a few others that would join us for a thing or two.
After some time and drinks at Scandals -which by the way had a nice bear clientele!- we went to The Roxy for supper. In 2005, it was the last place we attended before we parted. My Nikon DSLR’s battery died so I relied on my phone and Wayne’s camera to take pics for the rest of the night. Inside, not much has changed. The crucifix with neon halo over Christ is still on the wall. I ordered gravy and fries as it was the closest thing to a poutine I was going to get, and a turkey braised sandwich. It was pretty good. The fries were a hit because others were sharing cheese n’ fries but mine was different so it was enjoyed. Kevin & Kirk went to pick up Bryce at the airport when we were leaving but Carol stayed with us. We then went to the Stag -a go-go boy club- and while you had to present ID and pay a $5 entry fee, they wouldn’t accept our Canadian driver’s licenses! They wanted our passports as secondary ID and of course, Wayne and I left them in our hotel rooms. This was all state law! So they had Wayne and I fill out forms, I filled out first. They wanted to know my name, address, and phone number plus sign the document. I was then quickly patted down, was asked about the camera but were okay with it after I took out the battery, and was given a wrist strap as Bryan paid $60 to cover us all. Wayne was treated more shamefully as they hovered over him while he was filling out the form. Thad was pissed at them and they denied him entry due to his protesting behavior so he waited outside for us though Richard stayed with him. The rest of us spent less than 10 minutes inside before leaving. Yeah, there were go-go boys but so what? Bryan was refunded the cover he paid for all of us. Poor Thad, but it was nice he felt that way toward us. We then walked to CC Slaughters, which was okay but I was getting bored and a little tired. Bryan had a drag queen emcee shout out about our presence in the bar and where we were all from, much to the applause of the crowds. We spent just over an hour in the bar before we took an Uber back to the hotel. Wayne and I got ready for bed and went to sleep sometime after 1am.
Both of us slept in and surprisingly, the maids didn’t wake us up! We got to see Bryce before Kevin drove all of us, sans Kirk, to brunch at a place called the Bad Habit Room. When we arrived, the Jet Chapter were finishing up and were about to leave. Thad of course was all over Bryce, memories of Assembly 2010 coming out LOL! They were waiting outside for their Uber drivers but it took a long time for some reason. Arnie came back in and chatted with us for awhile before he had to go. There was little for me to eat off the menu so I got a pop tart and some kind of apple French toast with bacon. The pop tart was delicious but the French toast was meh. After we were done, Kevin drove us all to the Interchapter meeting which was in Rich’s Portland home. It was a nice, small little place.
The meeting started at 3:02pm with Nancy -President- chairing it and Rich as Recording Secretary. After reading the 2016 Minutes I provided via email, our chapter was the first to talk about our status. We said that we had problems with Paul and getting the office and archives from him. At first, he refused to give us the VHS tapes but we thankfully have them now. Wayne and I also added that after Damian passing, we managed to get his Knights archives and items. While I congratulated Seattle on marching in their Pride parade this year, I let them know that we have put our practically 30-year tradition to rest when we did ours this year. I explained the reasons: since 2008 that it was an over 2km walk in the hot sun, Knights and volunteers are finding it more difficult as we age, lack of volunteers despite communication and use of social media, and just a general lack of respect from the community as a whole. After my long-winded speech, Kevin Caldwell spoke on behalf of the Yosemite Chapter. They continue to be a casual/social/dinner group which has been successful in keeping them together. They weren’t in the Pride parade this year as they allowed a group from San Francisco called “Boots N’ Britches” to be the colour guard. Nancy then spoke on behalf of the Jet Chapter. They have raised thousands of dollars for their charities through coat checks at the Cuff, Jell-O shots, concessions, St. Patrick’s Day raffle tickets at CC Attles, and Potluck dinners. They have done the flags for the Leather boy, girl, bootblack, baton rouge, Daddy/boy, and Pride events. They have collaborated with the Seattle pup group too which has helped them. There may be a possibility of Beggar’s Feast or some other dinner fundraiser to come back. Near the end of the meeting, we discussed the possibilities for Gathering 2018 as it was now my chapter's turn to host it. There was interest in San Francisco (Dore Alley weekend?), Boise ID, Denver, Salt Lake City, Reno or Las Vegas, etc. These all sounded interesting but we will make a final decision in November or December which is the latest we can determine it. After Good & Welfare, the meeting concluded at 5:25pm.
After the meeting, Kevin drove us back to the hotel as we had to get ready for the scheduled formal dinner. On the way, I called a local Bikerdaddy I was chatting with on Recon. It was difficult to pin down a chance to meet but now, I had a chance at the formal dinner. I call him via Skype, he picks up, and I say “Hi, this is Steve from Vancouver…” and all of a sudden, there is a click. I thought maybe we got cut out. I call him two minutes later and it goes to voice mail but it was full. Hmmm… I then message him on Recon, letting him know I called him and when and where dinner was if he wanted to join us. Back at the hotel, Wayne and I dressed in our Knights formals. I wore my patrol boots that I bought last year and wore them over my leather pants. It surprisingly worked and wasn’t too constrictive compared to the breeches back in March. They looked nice together and I got a couple of compliments from others. Kevin then took us all, again san Kirk, all the way to Seres, a Chinese restaurant. As we were almost about to order, I get a reply from the Bikerdaddy. His message to me: “I’ll pass, please do NOT contact me again!” So it seemed he got pissed off at me and hung up on me beforehand on purpose. It did upset me for the rest of the dinner. I looked at the past messages, trying to see if I said something that offended him or whatever. The only thing I could deduce was that he had feelings for me and that I wasn’t responding to him in kind… I think he viewed it that I wasn’t taking him seriously enough and got to the point of indirect insult that he dropped me. As Wayne would later tell me, Gatherings are Knights priority and while it can be difficult to have private time with local friends, our loyalty is to our fellow Knights. I thought that was true but I learned something from this: that I should emphasize to bear and leatherbear buddies that my coming to a Gathering means it’ll be difficult to meet up and I’ll try my best to give them enough notice as to where we will be. But back to the formal dinner, Nancy suggested we order some dishes and share it amongst each other. Some agreed, I and few others wanted it to be separate and with separate checks. But the sharing model on two bills (food and then drink) won out. There were noodles, a couple of shrimp dishes, kung-pao chicken, Mongolian beef, spring rolls, pot stickers, etc. and the food was pretty good. But then things, as expected, took a sour note. Billing became a nightmare! Because of the separation of food and drinks by Nancy, there was inconsistency in how much people were willing to contribute to the food bill. It took around half an hour and a few Knights were getting impatient with Nancy. I felt sorry for the waiter would had to put up with this! I paid for Wayne and I, $40 plus $8 in tips. Because it left a lot of Knights sour, the traditional group shot pictures didn’t happen. Even for the rest of the weekend, I couldn’t do it. We returned to the hotel and we stayed there the entire night. I was hoping to hear from any bear buds but not much. So Wayne and I went to sleep after 2am.
We got up before noon so we could have brunch at the Radio Room. It was a beautiful day compared to the other two. Kevin took all of us there, including Kirk and would join us for the rest of the day. Seattle was there before us, upstairs on the outside patio. I ordered a root beer and sirloin steak with fries. The steak was very nice despite one part being fatty but the vast majority of it was great. We spent a couple hours there and returned to the hotel. Kevin and the rest planned to do some shopping at the nearby Fred Meyer’s and since Wayne had to do some for MasterG and himself, we thought we would meet them there. So, Wayne and I walked to Fred Meyer after Kevin left for Subway nearby. As Wayne was doing his shopping, I was looking out for Kevin. When we couldn’t find him, I messaged him and he was at the Subway so Kirk could get something to eat. We were walking back to the hotel full of groceries as I got this message. I said that we would come back to Fred Meyer after dropping the groceries off, which ended up happening. We met up with Kevin & Kirk, Bryce, and Carol in the store so they could pick up a few things for their trip home the next day. We were even cruising and commenting on some of the hot bears and cubs that were around the store. We went down to the underground parkade and there were plans to go visit a brewery and the Paul Bunyan statue. I wasn’t in the mood to go so I left my camera with Wayne while I walked back to the hotel. Not long after I got back, I got a message from a leatherchub off Biggercity who wanted to meet for a play session. I invited him over so while he was on his way, I dressed in my chaps, boots, harness, gloves, and Muir cap. He arrived and was a handsome chub, wearing a harness and jock for the session. He gave good oral service to begin with and then I had him lie on the second bed in the room to give him a flogging. He said he had surgery on his upper back in the past so to be careful. I complied and flogged his ass a lot. I did get to his upper back and he found it wasn’t so bad so I flogged him harder. He had a nice and tough ass on him! To end it all, he had a fetish of being slapped in the face so with my gloves on and while he was jerking off, I carefully slapped him. I even took my right glove off and used it to slap him too. After a while, he shot. I had it on my glove and after tasting a bit, had him lick it off too. I got him a towel and after helping me take my boots off, he left and I dressed up normally. Kevin and the rest were back before I was done my session but I let Kevin know beforehand on what was going on. Wayne stayed around Bryce at the time and I let him know that he could come back but Bryce didn’t give him the message so Wayne thought I had my leatherbud with me longer than expected. It wasn’t until Wayne saw me outside did he eventually come back in. Supper was going to take place 7pm at the nearby Mexican restaurant -called Mazatlan- the same one we went to in 2005. A local rubberbear friend of mine, Michael, got back to me and would meet for dinner with his partner and a friend. I dressed in my leathers like the previous night but kept my current t-shirt on. Some of us walked over to the restaurant and the only missing Knight was Nancy, whom we didn’t see the rest of the night as she was recovering from drinking earlier.
At Mazatlan I got to meet Michael and he introduced me to his partner, Steve, and their bearded friend, Bob. All three of them were a hit with us and we all got along. Instead of being seated in the windowed part liked in 2005, we were in the back of the restaurant this time. I ordered chicken fajitas and (underestimated portions!) a chicken burrito with beans and rice. Burrito was put in as take out but chicken fajitas were as good as I remember them. A thing we did back in 2005 was the “string of straws” in which we connected a bunch of straws together from one end of the table to the other. One end had a drink and the other was someone to suck it all the way. Thad did it in 2005. This year with a dry margarita, Rich was first to drink, then Arnie and Bryce. Unlike in 2005, it wasn’t fully across table like before, but most of it. Thad had a drink too until straws came apart and then Bob and I had a sampling of the dry margarita. Wayne paid for my meal which was nice of him! We left the restaurant after 9pm and Kevin drove us all the way to the Eagle. The location we went to in 2005 was long gone and this one was pretty far away from us, even having to take a bridge to another part of the city. The bar itself was okay, at first some Knights sat in the front section but then I realized there was a back part of the bar which had the three bears plus Kevin and company. Bob smoked a cigar and he let me try puffing on it. Bryce was getting heavily cruised given how big and furry he was. He eventually took his shirt off then Bob, Steve, and Wayne took their shirts off too. They were pawing each other all over. There was a cat walking around the bar, probably the owner’s. We got to pet it but it mainly minded its own business. The Seattle Chapter said goodbye to us eventually and we thought they were going to go home early in the morning but we later found out we presumed wrong. Sometime later, the three bears had to leave and after they said goodbye, we left the bar right after too. Back at the hotel, Wayne and I did most of our packing and then went to bed after 2am.
After we got up Monday morning, we found Kevin & Kirk and Carol were leaving early for the 15-hour drive back home. Not sure when Bryce left or was leaving as we didn’t see him again. So, Wayne and I said our final goodbye to Fresno before they drove off. We found Bryan not long after and was bummed that he couldn’t say goodbye to Fresno in time. Wayne went to Fred Meyer on his own to pick up cheese and butter (as they were perishable) to finish off MasterG’s list. While he was there I checked us out of the room. He returned with heavy bags of groceries and it made him very moody throughout the day. I had us take an Uber to meet the Seattle Chapter at Union Station. We dropped off our large luggage before our departure but we had plenty of time before that. We then walked all the way to The Fox & The Hound’s which was quite a walk. Poor Wayne had to struggle with some of the groceries (he managed to pack some in a bag to make it easier) and his bad mood was getting on my nerves. When we reached the pub, I walked a little bit away to go see something nearby. Wayne wasn’t paying attention and thought I was continuing to walk away so he calls me and I answer, "I know!" He doesn’t register it and he calls out to me louder and I answer in an irritated tone “I know!!!” which kind of shocked him. Anyways, we go inside and while Wayne eventually got apologetic, I brushed the whole thing off. Given I had to put up with his moodiness, I felt it fair that he had to put with mine too. While we were waiting around and put in our brunch orders, a Daddybear I was chatting with on Biggercity named Chuck came over and had brunch with us. The Knights seemed to like him and we had some conversation time. I had a Chicken Cordon Bleu sandwich with fries which was okay. Sometime before 2pm, we part ways and Uber back to Union Station. A shame Chuck and I couldn’t do more but at least I could give him a nice bearhug and carasses his lovely tits! Back at the station, the ticketer was nice to have all of us sit together! We boarded the train and 8 of us got tables which was convenient. Only Richard and Victor & Drake sat in regular seats. We departed on time and it was nice to have my laptop to use for the trip. The Wi-Fi was still slow as shit but having power for my laptop helped. The train ride together was fun and we had lots of conversations. Wayne got us some drinks and snacks again I handed Seattle 5x7 copies of the last two Gatherings group pictures and they spread them amongst themselves. I will mail Fresno their copies as I forgot to give it to them. Richard, Victor & Drake got off first in Tacoma and then Thad & Charlie, Nancy, and Rich got off in Seattle. Finally, Bryan & Arnie got off in Edmonds so it was just Wayne and I for the rest of the trip. I was messaging Kevin on and off as he and Carol took turns driving. At night and after we crossed into Canada, we hit an hour delay because of another freight train and it was making me more anxious. Besides waiting for it to arrive, which took around 20 minutes, we had to wait for the OK to move again which took over 20 minutes after it was well away from us! I texted slavechub Michael and he offered to pick us up from the station as he was out and about. We finally got to the station after midnight. Our luggage was taken off the train and we had to wait in line for customs. It didn’t take entirely too long and once we were outside the entrance of the station, Michael was waiting for us and he drove us back to MasterG’s. I had an offer to stay the night at MasterG’s but my mom had food waiting for me so I turned it down. We went to MasterG’s suite after thanking Michael. I picked up my backpack, thanked Wayne for the weekend, and I drove home. After I had some warmed-up steak, veggies, and taters, I did some unpacking and went to bed after a shower. Kevin had made it home safely too before me.
It was wonderful to return to Portland after over a decade absence, albeit with less people this time. The city was still beautiful and despite the few mishaps, I think we had an enjoyable time. Perhaps I’ll visit for a weekend as I don’t know when we’ll be back.