September gave San Francisco Dykes on Bikes® (DOB) plenty to celebrate. We welcomed two new patch-holders, headed back to Guerneville for Russian River Pride, spent a weekend at Babes Ride Out in Oregon, and wrapped up the month at Folsom Street Fair. Now, headed into October, we are also looking forward to a very special honor from the GLBT Historical Society. 

 

First, we are very happy to welcome Ruthie and Scotia as our newest Dykes on Bikes patch-holders. 

 

Ruthie was patched in at Russian River Pride on September 19. 

 

They started the day by leading DOB on a chilly ride from Emeryville to Guerneville. A cold morning on motorcycles called for a stop at Wild Flour Bread in Freestone, where pastries, hot coffee, and chai helped warm everyone up before we continued on to Guerneville. 

 

Ruthie may have thought they were arriving for a day of Pride festivities. Instead, shortly before the parade, we surprised them with their Dykes on Bikes patch. Then DOB joined Russian River Pride Director Chritina Wildlake to kick off the Russian River Pride Parade for the 3 block ride through downtown Guerneville. 

 

Approximately 3,000 people attended Russian River Pride’s three-day celebration this year. Like Dykes on Bikes, Russian River Pride is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization. In addition to producing Pride, it is also a granting organization and has reinvested almost $90,000 into the local river community over the past three years. 

 

Our relationship with Russian River Pride has grown over the past year, including the Bikes, Burgers and Beer fundraiser we held together at the Surrey Resort in July. It was great to be back in Guerneville and riding with them again. 

 

After the parade we gathered at the R3 for refreshments, snacks, and lunch on the patio. It was a good chance to hang out and congratulate Ruthie on officially becoming a Dykes on Bikes patch-holder. 

 

A week later Scotia had her turn and was patched in while volunteering with Dykes on Bikes at the Folsom Street Fair. 

 

Scotia did a tremendous job this year across their Prospecting activities. We were particularly proud that Scotia represented Dykes on Bikes at the Acme Theatre Company this summer after organizers invited us to attend so their young performers would know the larger queer community was behind them. That kind of showing up for community is an important part of what our patch-holders to throughout the year, and we are happy to have Scotia wearing the patch.  

 

Folsom Street Fair was also a full day of volunteer work for DOB. We provided motorcycle parking, gear check, and staffed one of the Fair’s busiest entry gates. It was a long and busy day, but a fun one. Thank you to everyone who parked their motorcyclces with us, came through our gate, and helped make the day such a success, and especially to the SFDOB volunteers who spent the day working motorcycle parking, gear check, and gate duty. 

 

That same weekend six of us headed north for Babes Ride Out Oregon, where, thankfully, the weather was much warmer than last year. We spent the weekend riding, camping, and trying out demo bikes from Harley-Davidson and LiveWire, including LiveWire’s new Honch electric dirt bike. The Honch was a lot of fun, as was the whole weekend.  

 

That brings us to October.

 

On October 17, the GLBT Historical Society will hold Reunion 2026, its annual gala and most impactful fundraiser of the year. The event supports the Society's work preserving and sharing LGBTQ+ history. 

 

This year, San Francisco Dykes on Bikes® will be recognized with the Society's History Maker Award. That is a pretty remarkable thing to say during our 50th anniversary year. Dykes on Bikes began in 1976 when women motorcyclists rode at the front of San Francisco's Pride parade. Fifty years later, we are still riding, still showing up, and still doing the work. This recognition belongs to the riders who came before us, the patch-holders who kept the organization going through the years, and the community that has supported Dykes on Bikes along the way.

 

We are honored to receive the History Maker Award and proud to share this year's recognition with Marvin K. White.

 

September was busy, October will be busy, and we wouldn't have it any other way.

See you on the road.