Rocket City Wings Huntsville, Alabama -- Chapter B, Region A Friends for Fun, Safety & Knowledge June 2007

A Day to Remember
  - From the Chapter Directors

What is that noise?  I think that I should recognize it, but I'm just not really sure what it is.  "John!", Elizabeth hits me in the back, "turn off the alarm."  Oh!, that's what that noise was.  I reach over and turn off the alarm.  Boy, it was a long day yesterday and this bed sure does feel good.  "John, its time to get up," Elizabeth cajoles me in a sweet voice.  Maybe if I just lay here real still she won't notice.  "John, we have a ride to go on this morning."  You know most of the time I really look forward to going on a ride, but sometimes you just feel extra tired and you really, really want to sleep.  That is my feeling this morning.  "Hon, come on we REALLY NEED to be on this ride," she insists as she gets out of bed.  I won't bore you with the details, but let it be said that we did get up and get out of the house and on the road.  I was still a bit sleepy and a bit grumpy. 

We headed South on 53 (Jordan) toward the meeting point.  This was the day of the Memorial ride.  We were to visit our fallen brethren and plant flags at their graves.  This ride was originally suggested by Rich and Nancy.  I remember thinking that it sounded like a great idea but I was expecting only the die-hard core riding group to show up on Memorial Day.  I even commented to Elizabeth as we headed for the gathering point that I expected maybe five to six bikes to show up, tops.  As we came over the hill and started down toward the BP station Elizabeth exclaimed, "Oh my gosh, look at all of the bikes!"  There were bikes everywhere.  There were more bikes than I can remember at a non-rally chapter ride event.  We actually had to split the bikes into two groups to keep things reasonably safe.  The amazing thing was that the initial count was not the finial count.  Things grew.  When all was said and done, we had two groups of nine bikes each, one chase truck, totaling 35 people and two dogs.  The original plans were for a ride and grave-side visit that would take around four hours, but because of some problems finding graves and other issues our four hours turned into nine hours.

The number of members was impressive but what all of these people were doing is what I will carry away from this day.  What is Memorial Day?  It is the day that we are to "remember."  We are to remember those who have fought for our freedom.  This amazing group of people chose to forget their comforts, they chose to forget their selfishness, and they banded together to remember, honor and spend time together and recollect memories of friends that have gone on to be with their maker.  Those that we visited were:

George Lillard (Maple Hills Cemetery)
Guy Page (Hayden Cemetery)
Russ Werman (Limestone County Cemetery)
Jim Lehr (Riverview Cemetery)

This was a day that touched me very deeply.  I was very honored to ride with friends that cared enough to take time for each of these special individuals.  These were all friends, but they were also veterans and we are thankful for those that have gone on before us to give us our freedoms.

John & Elizabeth Griswold

Dateline Lineup
  - From the Chapter Directors

We have had a lot of fun in May with plenty of special events.

May 4th was our annual support for the Relay for Life.  This year it was at John Hunt Park.  The evening was very enjoyable and the company (the fellowship) was beyond compare.  We did have one unique aspect to the evening, every time we started walking around the course, it started raining.  We would come back under our shelters and wait for the rain to subside.  Then try again.  Each time we went out, it would start raining again and it seemed like it was always a little harder.  We did finally give up around midnight.  As we started taking down the shelters and heading for the cars the skies really opened up.  But even with wet weather, smiles abounded.

May 5th found the group going in multiple directions.  We had a couple of bikes heading for the Polk Salat Festival (yes that is spelled salat with a "t"), and we had a group supporting the recharter picnic of Chapter-H where Roy & Anita presented the official charter document to Paul Neely the CD of Chapter-H.  We all reconvened at the Midway Cycle customer appreciation day.  It was a fun day, but I will admit that after the busy and very late previous night, I was dragging a bit.

We had a delightful ride led by Rich and Nancy to Cherokee Rock Village on May 12th.  I will admit that I don't think that I could readily find my way there again.  But it was a beautiful ride and an amazing destination.  You are walking among rock formations that almost resemble buildings and streets, but these are located atop a southern style mountain.  If you ever see this on the ride schedule again, make a point of coming with us.

The Ride Meeting on the 18th of May was a success from several aspects. We came up with some new rides and most important we got some new people to attend and contribute.  Look for the Chickamauga Ride in July as an example of our new contributions.  The Bug Run was fun as one might expect when you get a bunch of crazy wingers together chasing after bugs.

The Chrome Ride was a grand experiment that I want to try again.  The main reason that I say that is that we really sort of messed up the original plan (sorry Marty).  I'm not complaining because we visited Roy Fosnight fresh from his operation instead of sticking to the original ride schedule.  We still visited Country Cruisers, purchased safety chrome, or lights or some folks already had enough stuff they didn't need to purchase anything.  Then we ventured to Richard Chapman's to start installing.  And install we did.  We finished putting the last bike back together (which was Big Dog's) around 12:45 in the morning.  And amazing enough everything worked!

The Memorial Ride was so spectacular and meaningful for me that I had to write a separate article.  You that rode; you chose to forget your comforts, you chose to forget your selfishness, you chose to remember those that have gone on before us.  And I humbly thank you.

Given that I'm writing this before the Street Strategies seminar actually happens, but the seminar should actually happen before the newsletter is published, I'm not exactly sure what to say here.  I hope we all had a good time and that I didn't mess up too many times.

Now let's talk about some things that will be happening in June.  As always, the most up to date information can be found on the website.

One of the events that we have very often participated is the

The weekend of June 9th will be very busy for me as my youngest daughter (known to some of you by the nickname of "trouble") will be getting married.  So I will take this liberty to mention, June 9th at 2:30pm at Messiah Lutheran Church, 7749 Highway 72 W, Madison, AL.  If you want to see me in a tuxedo, this will probably be the last time.

Now for Chapter related activities…

There is a group of folks that is planning on attending the Georgia District Rally in Rome starting on June 14th.  If you are interested you should go ahead and register and contact Elizabeth Griswold if you want to coordinate rooms, departure, etc.

Please join us at the

I have a favor to ask.  We need to be neighborly and

The

It looks like another really GREAT month.  We look forward to seeing you on the rides.  And please, ride safe.

John & Elizabeth Griswold

Our "Wing" History
  - From the Asst. Chapter Directors

Let me start out by saying that Lisa & I are honored and excited about being AL Chapter B's newest ACD's.  And especially for those of you that may not know us as well yet, I'd like to share a little bit of our ‘Wing' history with you:

On Memorial Day of 2005 we purchased our Dark Metallic Grey Goldwing. Not long after that I was looking on the internet for Goldwing related topics and happened across GWRRA's website, and then Chapter B's website. We were interested to see there was a local group of Goldwingers. We then saw the ride schedule and noticed that there was a "Bike Night at Sonic" in Madison on the following Thursday night, so we decided to go check it out. The very first thing we saw was Roy Fosnight waving and smiling at us. We parked the bike and Roy immediately came over and introduced himself. After the introductions, he pointed out all the Goldwings, and invited us to meet some of the other chapter members. We spent the next couple of hours getting acquainted with everyone and learning about GWRRA. A couple of days later we sent in the membership form we received that evening and became members of GWRRA. Little did we know that trip to Sonic would lead us down this path. We have been associated with the chapter for approximately two years now, and have met a lot of wonderful people and made many new friends. We would like to say "thank you" and we look forward to many more years with this wonderful chapter and organization.

Marty & Lisa Knapp

How many motorcycles have you seen today?

May was national motorcycle awareness month. But that does not mean you should not be paying attention to your driving. With the summer and rising gas prices come more motorcycles on the road. Research shows that two-thirds of car and motorcycle collisions are caused not by the motorcycle but by drivers making a left hand turn in front of motorcycles. Drivers said they either did not see the motorcycles at all or did not see them until it was too late to avoid the collision.

Why drivers don't see motorcyclists:

• Drivers tend to look for other cars or trucks, not motorcycles. How many times have you looked at someone you knew but didn't recognize them because you were not expecting them to be there?
• The profile of most motorcycles is narrow with a short body, making it harder to see and making it difficult to estimate the cycles speed and distance. As we mature, this also true for cars and trucks.
• Motorcycle riding requires frequent movements within a lane to adjust for ever changing road and traffic conditions.
• When motorcycles move to the right of the lane they are not inviting you to share the left side of the lane with them. They have the same rights to lane use as a car or truck.

Tips for cars and trucks to share the road with motorcycles:

• Pass a motorcycle the same way you would pass a car or truck. Don't follow too close or pull in too close.
• Always signal your intention to turn.
• Allow at least a two-second following distance between you and the motorcycle. Motorcycles can stop in a much shorter distance than a car or truck.
• Check your blind spots when changing lanes. Turn your head and actually look.
• Anticipate motorcyclists' maneuvers. Allow room for them to make adjustments in their lane for road hazards that may not affect you.
• Pay extra attention at night. Drivers can easily misjudge distance since the single headlight and tail light of a motorcycle tend to blend into the lights of other vehicles.

Come to think of it. Most of these are good driving rules even for car to car. Next time you start to turn "LOOK TWICE. SAFE A LIFE."

Dennis & Ann Greer

An Introduction
  - From the Smiles & Caring Coordinators (Hospitality)

I guess it's official; we've taken over Hospitality for the chapter.  This blurb is just an introduction so it will be short.  We've been informed that a few of the duties of this position have changed, which means this next meeting will be a learning session.  Just be patient, we'll get the hang of everything eventually.  Jake wants to let ya'll know he's developing a few ideas and will be trying them out soon, so don't be surprised!

Jake & Kathy Lawyer

Upcoming Events and Newsy Notes
  - From the Events Coordinators

We would like to start a new feature in the newsletter which gives you a little more information on some of our longer range upcoming events and newsy notes to keep in mind. We will try to keep this short and to the point so as to give you a quick glance at things coming up in order that you might be better informed and can plan a little further ahead.  Two events which are featured below include the Chapter Funday and the Chapter Christmas Party.

Cruisin USA Funday sponsored by Rocket City Wings, AL-B, will be held on Saturday, September 29, 2007 at the Huntsville Christian Academy located at 175 West Park Loop from 10:00 am- 1:00 pm. We plan to have food, game, prizes, vendors, raffle and lots more to be decided by the committee in charge. We will be asking for volunteers to serve on a committee for this at the June Chapter meeting and hope that you will consider giving a little of your time to help make this a fun and eventful day for all.

Chapter Christmas Party will be held on Saturday, December 1, 2007 also at the Huntsville Christian Academy beginning at 5:00 pm. We will be asking for volunteers to serve on a committee for this at the June Chapter meeting also. We would love to have your input so please consider helping us out with the planning of this fun-filled event by serving with us as we strive to make the evening a memorable one.

If you would like to serve on either, or both, of these committees and cannot make the June Chapter meeting please let us know either by telephone or email so that we can include you.

Ride Safe and God Bless,

Rich & Nancy Follett

Relay for Life Results
  - Team Captain: Tammy Hollingsworth, AL-B

For it being my first go around as Team Captain, I set my goals high, but I am pleased to announce that we had a successful Relay nonetheless.  We raised over $2,100 and I will be getting the final results and totals tonight at 5:30 pm during our final Team Captain meeting.  Chapter B has made me proud.  We had a fun and successful Parking Lot Fundraiser although I was still recuperating from illness.  I had hoped to do more, but time constraints limited any other fundraising activities except what we were able to do on Relay Night.  We sold pink bracelets and did quite well.  It was a wonderful night and only a few rain drops appeared.  We ended the night early around Midnight and then there was a downpour.  Taking into account the effort put forth, I thought we did wonderful.  Although Relay took place in a new location this year, as it turns out, it was very spacious and worked out well.  We also got to enjoy some fireworks display after the ballgame next door.  This year was special for me because I've completed a year as of May as a member with Chapter B.  I've found a new family.  This relay was special also because one of our own, Roy Fosnight, is encountering his own ordeal with cancer.  He is doing well and is expected to make a good recovery.  Roy now being supported by his wife, Anita, had to support her years ago with her bout with cancer.  We do these events and work with these charities because we care about people, but when it affects someone close to you, it brings about a greater feeling of purpose for what we do.  Thank you all that helped me with this job and showed your support for a very good cause.  As I said before, I believe that we as volunteers we will reap the greatest reward. 

Cancer can strike anywhere; it shows no prejudice when it shows its ugly face.  Although Relay For Life is over this year, cancer does not keep a calendar, therefore, the fight is still on.  We will beat cancer one battle at a time – one day at a time.  With that, I would like to transition your thought process for a little while from Relay For Life to Ride For Kids.  Again, another important event that we all agree to support.  Also, as with Relay For Life, we know some special folks that are being affected by brain tumors. 

If you haven't met or known about one of our Ride For Kids stars, Ryan Otto, I would like to introduce you to one of millions of reasons why this next event is just as important as Relay For Life.  Folks, people are dying, but this type of cancer seems to be affecting our “little people”.  If you haven't met Ryan, you have missed out on a great kid and the most inspirational mother I have ever met, Michelle Huckabee.  It seems as though Ryan's earth journey has almost come to an end.  He has sacrificed very much to be used as a guinea pig for other kids' hope.  He has endured painful procedures and unpleasantries beyond most folk's imagination.  We've been able to keep him with us due to numerous small miracles.  We keep hoping for a super miracle, but there comes a time when we all must accept death.  Ryan is very brave and has specifically defined how he wants to be dealt with upon his death.  His mother has specifically asked that we keep "riding for the kids" and supporting the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation - Ride For Kids.  She said it gives hope for the others.  Due to the monies that have been raised in the past, it has possibly kept Ryan alive for 2 1/2 years versus 2 months.  I will be Riding For the Kids this September, and I will be trying harder than ever to raise monies.  Every little bit helps.  There are lots of kids that are dying, but we have saved a lot of kids too.  Some have even survived long enough to receive a scholarship provided by the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation to go on and have a good life and career.  Not as a surprise, lots are becoming doctors to help other kids.  I just want to personally thank you for your help during last year's fundraiser and throughout the other hard times we've tried to help them with.  Your prayers that you have sent up Ryan's way really made a difference.  I am so proud with the help of others to have been able to be a part of the group to provide a nice birthday surprise for Ryan for his 14th birthday, and to be able to give him a trip to see the beach one last time.  Giving Ryan and his parents that opportunity that otherwise they could not have done on their own was such a blessing.  It took a team of family and friends, and please know that Michelle thanks me everytime I see her for the things that my friends here at work and in the chapter have done.  Whether it be just a cash donation, raffle for a quilt, or your participation in a Ride For Kids Pancake Breakfast event, it all matters.  What we do truly matters no matter how small or large of a contribution it is.  They are both appreciated with the same amount of love.  If you would like to go to the Ride For Kids event, I have an extra seat on my bike.  I promise, you will be touched and you will have fun.  It is a wonderful event and a beautiful ride.  All the love and energy that you feel there will stay with you throughout the year!  We have lots of bikes going down and there will be spare seats, so don't hesitate to ask.  Also, they will always be needing volunteers for that day.  It may be to help direct traffic or just go fetch water for the families or just about anything.  It's a one-day event that will touch you forever. 

I cannot do this alone; sUccess of these events has “U” in the middle of it.

Oh yeah, give your own kids a hug today, and give at least one other person a hug….tell everyone that you love them.  You'd be surprised how many hugs you get back!!!

Attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference. ~ Winston Churchill
“J” for J-enious. ~ Tammy Hollingsworth
[I may not be a “jenius”, but what I know for sure is we've got a lot of lives to save!]

Tammy Hollingsworth

June 2007 District News
  – From the District Director

Well, the

On our way to the Rally, we were on I-85 just about 5 miles from the hotel in Spartanburg when the bottom fell out of the sky.  Did I mention we were stuck on the Interstate, in the left lane, in stop & go traffic with no place to go?  And if that wasn't enough it started lightening close by. We managed to work our way to the right and get off an exit and located a new convenience store under construction and got under the pump canopy.  We spent most of an hour there waiting for the storm to pass.  They had a Bar-B-Q supper Thursday evening, but we didn't get there in time.

May 12^th we had our

Chapter K had a bike on May 12 in Florence and I am told they had a good turn out and everyone had a good time.  Sorry we had to miss it.

We have decided to add a little more spice to our registration packets for the

The

Please keep our Military people, our country's leaders and all those who are sick and recovering in your prayers, as well as those who have lost loved ones recently.

Till next time, hug someone you love and don't forget to wave. 

Bill & Dian Gulley

June 2007 District News
  – From the Assistant District Director
  / Rally Coordinator

We need your help. Even before the end of the rally this year we have been planning and preparing materials to promote the 2008 rally. We have materials ready to give out. The District Staff has attended the South Carolina, Tennessee and the Louisiana Rallies and promoted our rally for 2008. We will attend the Georgia, the Mississippi and also the Florida Rallies as well and give out brochures but folks that is not enough.

Until we have the folks in our state excited about our state rally and talking it up inside  their own chapters we will not have the attendance we need. The regulars will attend and believe me we need and appreciate them but there are so many people in our state that do not attend or support the rally. Soon you will be able to find on our website a chart of each chapter in our state and it will graph the percent of the members registered for the rally by chapter. It will not have the actual numbers because each chapter is a different size and frankly 100 % participation would be great regardless the size. An award will be given this year to the best participation by percentage. It is possible to go over 100% participation because we use the average business meeting attendance plus a percent from the green bar report to determine 100% participation.

We have prepared a brochure that can help you promote the rally and your chapter at the same time. I keep a few in my motorcycle and when I see a motorcycle I don't recognize or meet a new motorcyclist I give them a brochure with my name and phone number on the brochure inviting them to join in on our chapter activities and promote the rally at the same time. You can download the brochure from the web site or contact me and I will send your chapter the lot you request. We have 2300 GWRRA members in the state of Alabama and only 1/3 attend chapter functions. We need to reach that other 2/3's not just for the rally but for the chapter health as well.

We now have 4 hotels set up to take care of us this year, the Ramada, Malaga, Admiral Semmes and now the Howard Johnson.  Prices range from $60 per night to $109 so we do have some alternative pricing. The $60 nights are at the Howard Johnson and is about 5 miles from the Civic Center. If we successfully fill this hotel then we have some others we can provide as well. Check the website for the phone numbers and make sure when you make reservations you call them directly and tell them you are with GWRRA.

Recently a few of the men from Chapter A have started a series of "Hairy Leg Rides" attending business nights of chapters in other states. We are having a great deal of fun riding over to other chapters gatherings and telling them how we would like them to attend our rally. So far we have been able to attend the Monroe LA, Slidel LA and Milton FL business gatherings and we have had a ball. First the chapter is in disbelief that we would travel that far on a week night to attend their meeting and then it turns into appreciation. We now have those chapters wanting to reciprocate and come to our meetings. For those chapters that are close to neighboring states plan a trip to them and take some brochures with you. Help us get the word out that we want them to come to our rally. If we get them there they will have a great time and hopefully they will want to come back.

So in short I challenge every member in our great state to step up and promote our rally from within the chapter and to everyone you meet. Get excited now, believe me if you wait until January or February to get the word out it is too late. Their plans will have already been made and it will be too short notice.

Check out the web site www.alabama-gwrra.org it is great and has a complete section dedicated to the rally. You can get rally details there.

Until we see you again ride safe, enjoy the company and have fun.

Jim & Karen Lee

New Virus Identified

There is a dangerous virus being passed around electronically, orally, and by hand.  This virus is called Worm-Overload-Recreation-Killer (WORK). If you receive WORK from any of your colleagues, your boss, your spouse, or anyone else via any means DO NOT TOUCH IT. This virus will wipe out your private life completely.

Depending on where this happens you may have to take one of two paths.
If you should come into contact with WORK:

Path 1 is for those people not fortunate enough to ride Goldwings.  Put your jacket on and take two good friends to the nearest grocery store. Purchase the antidote known as Work-Isolating-Neutralizer-Extract (WINE) or Bothersome-Employer-Elimination-Rebooter (BEER). Take the antidote repeatedly until WORK has been completely eliminated from your system.

Path 2 is for Goldwing owners.  Get on your wing and start Reality-Inducing-Delight-Enhancer (RIDE) and while killing the virus with your RIDE go to Delve-Into-Numerous-Nutritional-Extreme-Realities (DINNER).  Preferably with other wingers.

You should forward this warning to 5 friends. If you do not have 5 friends, you have already been infected and WORK is controlling your life.

I know some of you are retired and have successfully conquered this virus but continue to RIDE and go to DINNER as often as you please.

Confidence - Having a System

I can still remember my first ride on a motorcycle on the Public Streets and I was not what you could call relaxed or confident. In fact I think I recall saying to myself "What am I doing out in this jungle?".

Many riders find themselves in this situation even if they have been riding for a week or decades, especially when it's raining and you are in heavy traffic, your gloves are wet, your boots full of water and the road's like an ice rink. I know new riders must frequently ask themselves what they are doing out there. I guess it's natural to be concerned for your own skin when in this situation.

Riding on the street can be risky if your brain is in neutral or if you have decided that motorcycling is your only way to adventure and so become a reckless, thrill seeking mobile weapon! I doubt that there are too many riders with that thought. One of the best ways to help gain confidence and reduce risk is to operate to a system. Looking up the dictionary I found the word "system" means "a combination of things or parts forming a complex whole". Being systematic on a motorcycle means showing or involving a system, method or plan. Having a system will help you gain confidence and should also help eliminate the chance of your making a mistake.

The pilot of an aircraft goes through a systematic check of all instruments on the approach to an airport to eliminate all possible mistakes: riding any motorcycle on the Public Streets should be treated with the same caution to eliminate all hazards. It should be appreciated that the system set out here is basic and must be adjusted by the rider according to the circumstances relating to particular hazards that may occur. Some hazards require fewer features than this example - other hazards require more. I believe that to have a system helps to build CONFIDENCE needed when riding. Who wants to drop a bike - it's embarrassing and painful, not to mention expensive!

Motorcycling gets into your blood when you gain confidence. Riding to a system will help to increase your skills and awareness then you will be more relaxed - after all we should never forget that motorcycling is FUN, especially with CONFIDENCE.

Stayupright.com

June 2007 -  AL-B Ride Schedule

• Unless otherwise indicated, all rides will leave from the ride meeting place at scheduled time.
• As a courtesy to all members, it is important to be ready to leave at the departure time.
• All bikes should be fueled and bladders emptied ahead of time.
• We plan a variety of rides.  Time and money might make it hard to make all events.  We hope this variety will give you an opportunity to pick and choose, and at least enjoy some of them.
• If the weather is bad--come in your car.
• If you have a CB, you will find us on Channel 1 (unless noted otherwise by the ride leader).

• We need your ride suggestions!!
• We need any and all of your ideas!!
• You can be part of the Ride Committee!!
• If you want to help...
  Please e-mail us at Rid eCoo rdin ator

June - 2007

July - 2007