We had a
I can say with confidence, Richard Chapman is a happy Rider! Richard won the Membership Drawing, but only after I drew Joe Smith’s name. I think Joe was in North Carolina, South Carolina…..or both! David Foster won the first part of the 50/25/25, and Russ Werman maintained the Werman family tradition by winning the second draw. Patti Wyman, from Chapter I picked up a door prize. Our extended family member, Ellis Counts contributed some nice door prizes and a report on the Good Samaritan Ride. The monetary donations from the two hundred or so riders are not as important as the benefit to those less fortunate. Ellis was smiling so big as he recited the numbers, I lost track for a moment, and because I know the Ride was a great success and many individuals will enjoy the benefits. Thank you Ellis for your contributions to Chapter B and those individuals you find needing assistance. If you have not skipped over to Don Broxson’s article by now, I am sure you will. He does a better job telling you how much fun we had on our
It is real Hot out on the highways, be sure to sip water often as you ride and be very careful. We want to see you on the road … waving and smiling! Mike and Cindy
Chapter B Ride Educator for July
Ride Safe & Ride Often Candy TourA bit of history prior to the Candy Tour ride is in order. The Monday before the group’s scheduled Saturday morning departure, I had to take a business trip on the Kawasaki to Hattiesburg, Mississippi. Any reservations I had about whether or not I enjoyed Sport Touring as compared to Gold Wing Touring were quickly put to rest. This was especially true on the way home as I was in a hurry. A Sport Tourer will certainly get one down the road in a hurry and in almost as much comfort as a Gold Wing. Beware, this style of motorcycle is not a Gold Wing by any stretch of the imagination, but does provide a reasonable amount of comfort, luggage capacity, weather protection, etc. in a lighter package. Arriving home Thursday afternoon; I started all preparations for the previously stated Saturday departure time of 7:30am. Friday was spent at the office for several hours and then completing all details prior to the trip to include cleaning and a check out of the Gold Wing. I was a tired puppy Friday night when I finally climbed into bed. Saturday morning’s departure was exciting as all trip beginnings are. The group consisted of Tommy, Melissa, Mike Janes, Netsybro and I. For those headed out on US 72, there is a newly opened Cracker Barrel where US 72 meets I-24. We found it so popular and crowded that we ended up riding toward Chattanooga to eat at yet another Cracker Barrel. After breakfast the group rode the Cherohala Skyway. A first for all of us and I highly recommend this 52 miles ride across Tennessee and ending up in Robinsville, NC. Get a new Map of the area as maps produced prior to 1998 will probably not show this newly opened rode. I believe it opened in 1997. The group thoroughly toured Robinsville as we could not find the highway out of town. Finally stopping at a Church parking lot and pouring over the maps, we asked a couple that drove by how the heck do we get out of Robinsville? We ended up spending the night in Franklin, NC. Seems the Harley Davidson folks were having a rally in Cherokee and all the rooms were spoken for in the nearby area. Sunday we started our ride up the Blue Ridge Parkway. Except for a few miles at the beginning; The group rode the 469 miles of the Parkway. During the next couple of days, that big game hunter Tommy bagged two snakes and a squirrel with the Orange Demon Trike. I tried my best to explain to him that we were on a sightseeing tour and not a big game hunt, but it did little good. The second snake hit was not a clean kill and by the time I rolled by the darn thing had coiled up and was obviously not a happy camper. I steered well clean of the riled up snake! I simply could not believe all of the motorcycles and convertible automobiles on the parkway. Even with all the tourists and the 45 mph speed limit, the group encountered pretty good riding conditions the entire time. Beware that the Blue Ridge is a motorcycle rider’s dream come true and it is one curve after the other. Most are not extremely sharp, but mountain curve riding skills will certainly be honed to a keen edge after a visit there. We (I) misread the map a few times and the first misfortune resulted in a paved road turning to pure gravel. The group ended up backing down to turn around as the road was too narrow to permit a U-Turn (that is a Fosnight to the Chapter). Don’t believe everything you read on the map. Also, backing with a fully loaded trailer and passenger on a steep mountain road is only so much fun! We visited Mount Airery, NC. This is the home of Andy Griffin and the entire downtown area is decorated and full of Mayberry memorabilia. A neat place to walk around and look for pork chop biscuits. (Ask Tommy about those). After completing the Blue Ridge Parkway we paid the Toll for the 105 miles of Skyline Drive. The end puts you out at Front Royal, Virginia. We ended up spending the night in Hagerstown, Maryland. For those that color in the states they have visited on the vest patches of the US; Netsybro and I added Maryland, West Virginia and Pennsylvania on this trip. Our goal is to someday color all of the lower 48 in. It takes a while folks as the limiting factor is always time and money! The next morning the group finally reached their goal and reward. The chocolate factory located in famous Hershey, PA. You can literally smell the chocolate while waiting at the red light to cross the main highway and enter the plants parking area. A tour of the factory (with samples) and a trolley tour of downtown Hershey was most interesting. Mr. Hershey had a very interesting life and is noted for more than just milk chocolate. We proceeded to Lancaster, PA from there. Lancaster was a bit more spread out than we had hoped for. The group had in mind a walking tour and all of the Amish and Mennonite sights are pretty much dispersed over a wide area. So, we made a decision to proceed to York, PA the next morning. What is in York you may be wondering? Well the group then toured the Harley Davidson assembly plant located in York, PA. For those interested in manufacturing processes and techniques, York is the place to go. There were a number of factories located there and all offer factory tours. An interesting fact is that all Harley Davidson motorcycles built there are pre-ordered. Supply and Demand exactly match. No wonder they cost as much or more than a Gold Wing. Staying the night in Maryland again we chose to ride home through Wild and Wonderful West Virginia. There district rally is called the “Waller in the Holler”. Ride through this beautiful state and you can understand why. I-79 to Charleston and then I-64 into Kentucky is one very pretty ride. I can’t remember the name of the town now, but we spent the night in West Virginia. The next morning we departed in the only rain we had to ride in for the entire trip. The rain moved out by noon time and with it the lower temperatures. After I got us good and lost west of Lexington, KY, Mike Janes saved the day with a recommendation that the group proceed home down US 127. This was by far some of the prettiest country side we saw. One horse/cattle ranch after the other. The group is already talking of a three day trip back to this area to tour the largest Toyota manufacturing facility in the US and the 4-Roses and Austin Nichols distilleries. The only ice cream stop (can you believe it) was in Scottsboro. We had to make at least one for it to be an official GWRRA ride. We finally arrived home around 6:00pm on Saturday, one week exactly after we left. We covered 2,209 miles, everyone was saddle sore a bit, but had big smiles on their faces to offset the soreness. There is discussion already of touring the badlands of the Dakotas next year. Time and money will determine if we get to take the next fantastic voyage. To those headed to their own destinations this summer, please ride safe and may God Bless. Don & Lynette Broxson Whaddayathink?HUH?Whaddayathink?IN Riding Season 060705 This is intended to provoke thought, questions, or dialog OR to entertain or aggravate ONLY! It is in no way intended to be indicative of rational thought nor to delude anyone that it is based upon the reasonable input or opinion of any expert other than Ellis Counts! We are definitely IN riding season. Several events of INATTENTIVE / INEXPERIENCED DRIVERS in recent days have led me to examine just what we should be watching and what we might expect during this time. I was coming back through Shelbyville in the rightmost lane noticing a car pulling up into my UNcomfortable zone. As usual, I was looking and planning to lock eyes with the driver when I realized that I was looking at the BACK of her head and her cell phone. When her left front wheel started to roll again, I swerved to my left. She kept coming across my lane and ALL the way over into the leftmost lane. Needless to say my first planned escape route was no longer valid. I was already all over my brakes, and I had to swerve back to my right behind her. What did I do right? What did I do wrong? Another event in a rainstorm in Sarah’s “Z” and two more similar incidents on the bike have occurred on our bike in the last three weeks. SO, besides “PULLER-OUTERS,” what should we be looking for IN RIDING SEASON? POP-UP THUNDERSTORMS: These can occur almost any time in our area in the heat of the afternoon. Be prepared for instantly reduced vision. Sometimes it is best just to ride on and get wet; you will dry out fairly quickly in the heat that will surely return. Pulling off under an overpass can be dangerous; other drivers’ visibility is reduced, too. If you must, pull your bike as far off as possible and get your body on to the most protected place possible. EXTREMES of HEAT and COOL: You may leave in 58-degree cool, ride through 100-degree heat, and come back home in 66-degree comfort. A light jacket is nice to have with you; a rain suit can suffice. Although some disagree, a LONG-SLEEVE, light-colored, light-weight shirt is cooler in the long haul. Remember to drink plenty of liquids; it is easy to let dehydration slip up on you. Be aware of the symptoms, and make a conscience effort to consume larger amounts of water or sports drink ahead of time. MOWERS and WEEDEATERS: Most operators don’t think and / or have the courtesy to pause in their work as we pass. A flying object thrown from such an implement could ruin your day, so beware. Also, many folks blow clippings into the roadway. These could cause you to slip, and they will blow all over you and into your bike aggravating you for miles down the road. Avoid them if you can. OVERGROWN ROADSIDES: In addition to limiting your ability to observe hazards, they limit your visibility to others. Watch out for tractors with bush hogs out mowing them, and be aware of how quickly an animal coming out of such cover can be in front of, upon, under, or ON you! Slow down a little in such conditions, and you might try riding a little tighter to the left of your lane. BUGS including the type that come through your vent and bite or sting become prevalent through the summer months. Accumulations can cause your windshield to become difficult to see through even on one short evening ride. Clean it regularly with a very good WINDSHIELD-APPROVED cleaner and soft cloth. The sooner you clean off the bug parts the easier it is on your windshield and you. ANIMALS and ROAD KILL: Animals, small and large, are prone to be right on you very quickly, and they are much more active at this time of year. Even though the small ones may be “squashable,” most of us had rather not end their life or have to clean the parts off our bikes. Road kill sufficient in size could wreck you, and it can definitely stink up / mess up your bike. I was once made to park at the opposite end of the parking lot! TRASH and FLYING OBJECTS: This is prime work season. Are you willing to take a chance on how well an object on the back of a work or farm truck has been tied down? Don’t follow too closely, and LOOK OUT! A fellow biker from Tennessee Valley Riders has recently ruined TWO rear tires running over bolts in the road. One went through head first! What are the odds of that happening? Short of putting yourself in danger of wrecking, watch out for and avoid running over anything in the roadway whenever possible. TAR SNAKES: They are there all the time but become slippery with heat. They will cause your bike to slip around some, and a two-inch momentary change in the trajectory of your bike could become a major problem, especially if you’re pushing the limits a little to start with. ROAD ALIGATORS: Heat added to loaded trucks is the recipe for throwing a re-cap – and disaster for you if you’re in the vicinity. Be on lookout for the change in sound of a loose cap, give trucks a wide berth, and pass quickly or slow down and let them by quickly. ALWAYS wear safety glasses. Even though we may ride behind a barn-door size windshield, nothing will protect you from the blast of shrapnel from a nearby exploding tire. All bikers are our brothers – and sisters. Ride! Ride often! Ride Together! Ride SAFELY! Ellis July 2005 District NewsWe attended Chapter N Fun Day on June 7 and had a great time. Thelma and Louise were up to their tricks again. This time I was the target. You would have had to be there to appreciate it. The weather was nice and we really enjoyed the day. After the Fun Day several of us from Chapter K rode back through Decatur and stopped at Big Bob Gibson’s for some world famous bar-b-que. This past Thursday 6 of us rode up to Hiawassee, GA for some fun in the mountains. The Georgia folks put on a great Rally and the weather was good for a change. Alabama did quite well at closing ceremonies. Dewey and Alice won a set of tires plus a Microsoft Office software package. Cindy Erickson won a leather jacket in the door prize drawings. Ray won part of the 50/25/25 on Friday afternoon and also won some money at closing. Alabama got the award for the largest district in attendance outside Georgia with 49 present and I won $25.00. Dian got second place in the poker run on Friday. Rick Brothers got second place in the bike show and Eugene Baggett took first place in the bike show. It is with great sorrow that I report to you the death of Truel Watts. I had a message when we arrived home yesterday afternoon that Truel had passed away yesterday morning from complications after undergoing carotid artery surgery. This was very unexpected and is a great loss to all of us that knew him. Truel and Sylvia have 2 daughters and 4 grandchildren. Please keep Sylvia and their family in your prayers and if you are close enough, provide her with your love and support. By the time you read this, you should be able to make a reservation at the Lafayette hotel. Please encourage your Members to register early. We have new activities planned this year and I think you all will enjoy them. Please survey your members and give me some idea of how many expect to attend the District picnic on August 6th at Wind Creek State Park. I have to buy the food and I need some idea of how much to get. I also need to know if you plan to go to Wing Ding. We will need help selling tickets on Thursday the 7th of July. Please let me know if you will be there and can help. Until next month, hug someone you love and don’t forget to wave! Bill & Dian June 2005 - AL-B Ride ScheduleInformation About Our Group Rides
C/B Shell is the Shell station (3490 Wall Triana Hwy) next to the Cracker Barrel just off of I-565 in Madison.
Remember, this is YOUR chapter and YOUR participation and ideas are what makes it all worth while. So please pass along any ideas you have. It will be appreciated by all, especially me. Also, if 2 or more chapter members (from different households) meet or go somewhere, this can be counted as a Chapter event. Let me or the Chapter Director know how many folks so the chapter can WIN the activity award at the end of the year. Russ Werman, Ride Coordinator, Rid eCoo rdin ator - 256-777-9467 2005 RALLY SCHEDULEJul 4 through Jul 7 – WING DING – Fort Wayne, IN |
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