GOLD WING ROAD RIDERS ASSOCIATION TREASURE COAST WINGS FL2-O

Transcription

1 Chapter Director David Morris Monthly Gathering Every 2 nd Weds at Southern Pig & Cattle Restaurant 2583 SE Federal Highway Stuart, FL Contents CD 1 ACD,IOY 2 Rider Ed 3 Article 5 Gathering 6 Article 8 Article 9 COY 10 Safe Miles 11 Calendar 12 1 GOLD WING ROAD RIDERS ASSOCIATION TREASURE COAST WINGS FL2-O Region A Volume 33 Issue 6 June 2016 This month our writers share memories about Good Samaritan/Good Luck/Good Advice Enjoy their stories~ MESSAGE FROM CHAPTER DIRECTOR Summer weather has arrived.our ride and kick-tire schedule is working out great. We are experiencing the normal attendance rate for the Gathering and outstanding attendance at all of the scheduled activities. Looks like the ride committee has hit a home run! At the beginning of the June Gathering, I took a few minutes to talk about my experience purchasing a 2006 White Goldwing. It seemed that I was the last holdout still riding a 1500 Wing the only 1500 on chapter rides. When I found a 2006 on Craigslist, I decided that it was time. But, what to do with my 93 Wing. Hey I have been riding it for the last 16 years. I thought to myself, this is not like owning a boat, you know. Boaters always say the happiest days of boat ownership is the day you buy it and the day you sell it. I did not feel that way about my Wing. It was a great ride and never gave me any problems. At the close of the Gathering I was approached by Ray Vega telling me that one of his chapter members wanted to talk to me about the 93 wing. Terry, a life member of GWRRA, told me that he would like to see my 93. I showed him a couple of photos that I had taken for a potential posting on Craigslist. A few days later we arranged to schedule a time to meet. He liked what he saw and decided to purchase it. Again Ray Vega to the rescue and loaned his bike trailer to Terry. I was happy to sell my bike to a fellow Goldwinger but also sad to see it on the trailer, going to a new home. I have reflected on how our GWRRA members always enjoy helping each other. There have been so many stories shared about those experiences at almost every event, ride, kick-tire and rally. It seems like each of us is always willing to be there for our fellow Goldwinger. Being a member of GWRRA makes us all lucky to know our fellow Goldwingers. Dave Morris, FL2-O Chapter Director FRIENDS FOR FUN SAFETY AND KNOWLEDGE OFFICERS Director of GWRRA Ray & Sandi Garris Deputy Directors East Bob & Nan Schrader Region A Directors Jim & Sue Jackson FL Senior District Director Bill & Gina Berry Bgberry93@tampabay.rr.com Assistant District Director Bill & Cheryl Smith Wcsmith161@gmail.com District Rider Educators Rick & Pam Northrup Asst District Rider ED Ray & Claudia Vega (561) CHAPTER OFFICERS AND TEAM FL2-0 Chapter Director Dave Morris Dwmorris@netzero.net Asst Chapter Director & MembershipEnhancement Bob Feehrer Road Captain John DuBose Chapter Educators Barry Covard,Nancy Karnell Asst Chapter Educators Larry & Tammy Pounds Motorist Awareness Forrest Appleton Chapter Treasurer Kathy Prater Chapter Webmaster Barry Covard Newsletter Editor Barb Parish Tech Herb Metalflake Jebb 50/50 Bud Parish Couple of the Year Bud & Barb Parish Individual of the Year John DuBose

2 2 MESSAGE FROM ASSISTANT CHAPTER DIRECTOR BOB & ALICE FEEHRER Temperature 80 Degrees/Micanopy, Florida/Time 8:00am Destination Adventure We The start ride out to to the find District a good Conference breakfast in place. Orlando What with we Jim did & Marilyn find was Rich, a family winding run through dinner the in back the little roads, town was of a Micanopy special treat. in Alachua We observed County, wild the flowers second in their oldest vivid town colors in along Florida. the Of roadside, Course cattle St Augustine and being livestock the first. grazing After in a the perfectly fields and cooked noted breakfast that the Jasmine we venture bushes around and Orange town and Blossoms visiting were all the in full antique bloom. shops Our sense among of the smell mighty was stimulated oak trees by and various historic fragrances buildings, in the taking air as in we the rode ambience through of these this beautiful areas. setting This is much that was better the than home the of odor a few of diesel Hollywood and gas movies. fumes experienced The cemetery on the was busy interesting and fast with paced the old I-95. tombstones, and beautiful trees and more. Since our names were not on one we were Another having enjoyment a great day. on the bike is seeing everything up close without being obstructed by a vehicle window. For some reason everything seems larger than life. There we were in the sun with the wind We blowing head out past on us, a scenic with a front highway row seat to Marjorie to view the Rawling s world passing home by. where she wrote The Yearling. It s hard to believe anyone wouldn t be inspired with the beauty and solitude that this area offers. Alice and I enjoy biking to picnic areas every so often, be it Dubois Park on the intercostal enjoying the Artists view from of the around Jupiter the Lighthouse world come or a ride to Alachua to Highland County Hammock to paint Park in nature in Sebring, at its FL, finest. taking the scenic ride around the park and stopping at all the lookouts and enjoying a picnic lunch. The Herlong Bed & Breakfast in downtown Micanopy is a great place to stay with a Jasmine garden The best patio. enjoyment We enjoyed is riding the with wine fellow cocktail Gold hour, wingers birds sharing chirping, these jasmine opportunities in the with air, each and quiet and every solitude one of after you and which sharing we ride your across individual the experiences. highway to the This area s is what infamous makes riding Blue a Highway motorcycle Pizza fun. These for the moments best pizza make in all Chapter of Alachua O the County. success that it is. Take every opportunity to go out and ride when you can. Each ride is a unique experience. We played Samaritan by aiding a Tortoise crossing the road. They are protected and we didn t want to see it become road kill. What we learned was simple. Nature is beautiful and we are so very fortunate to have a Trike where we can experience it in full force, all senses engaged. We consider ourselves blessed and fortunate to be able to literally stop and smell the roses. Bob Feehrer, Assistant Chapter Director INDIVIDUAL OF THE YEAR JOHN DUBOSE GOOD ADVICE The best thing about riding is all the great people you meet along the way. It doesn t matter if it s GWRRA, Road Runner Magazine Annual Tours, Scooter groups or just local buddies. They all have good information to share: Bud Parish on his many routes around Abingdon, VA, Phil Miner (NC) whom I met on RR Tours who has a collection of over 50 motorcycle and always has locations to visit on great routes, Jim McClellan my young Roanoke buddy who always has a great local routes and ready to travel on my RR Tours, Spooner Legault my Sebring buddy who always has a new central or west coast of FL route and restaurant to check out and then there s my local FL buddies like Joe Pisano, John Bettencourt and Jim Cuff that s always got good advice or ready to ride. So get out, enjoy your friends on your wing.

3 3 CHAPTER RIDER EDUCATION Barry Covard/ Nancy Karnell Larry & Tammy Pounds It s All About Communication One of the things I really, really enjoy about riding with GWRRA is the fact that when Nancy and I ride with members anywhere, we re comfortable with the ins and outs of group riding because we are familiar with the style of GWRRA rides. That s because most of us have participated in Road Captain Courses, or Team Riding seminars. So, basically, we all ride the GWRRA way. And there is nothing prettier than a group of Goldwing s traveling in formation when everyone moves left and right together as a team. But, as with the diversity of our membership, so is there variety in the way individual Chapters have made slight modifications to what the manuals prescribe. Most of those modifications arise to adapt to local traffic situations, terrain, two lane, four lane expressways, two wheels or three, trailers etc. And most of those modifications result in safer, more enjoyable riding. But sometimes, when new members or our friends from the north or those just visiting are not privy to these modifications, safety can be compromised. Let me provide an example: The practice of passing a tractor trailer on a multilane highway is not found in our GWRRA materials. The group will move to the left lane as a group to pass and continue in that staggered formation past the tractor trailer. While some riders/chapters will pass and move to the left track of the passing lane as each rider approaches the rear of the trailer, if he/she is in the right track, closest to the trailer, they move to the left track. Good idea right? Well, yes and no. By moving to the left track, they have indeed created a larger space or cushion between them and the tractor trailer. But what about the motorcycles to the front and rear of them. Unless the leader has given the single file signal, we generally ride one second behind the offset bike in front of us, thus providing two seconds of space to the bike directly in front of us. Now, for the length of time the bike/trike that is in that alternate track, there are three bikes/trikes directly in line with only one second between them, all next to an 18-wheeler. Not good. The solution, you might guess, is, keeping our space cushion in ALL directions and in this example, the only way a visitor to the group could do that is by knowing that the riding style of the group is for everyone to move to a single file formation and opening up the space between bikes when passing an 18-wheeler. Cont d

4 4 Rider Ed, Cont d Failure to communicate that before the ride begins has the potential to place every bike in the group at risk even for just a few seconds. So what s the answer? Talk! Communicate! Take a minute for a pre-ride meeting before every ride. Know the contents of the Team Riding manuals and Road Captain Courses and brief every rider in the group about any unique riding practices your Chapter may have adopted, make sure someone on the ride identifies who might need to be briefed about your style of riding prior to the ride. And then go have fun and let the visitors depart with a Wow! Those folks really know how to have a fun and ride safe! Be smart. Be safe. Have fun By: Barry Covard, FL2-O Chapter Educator First Aid/CPR class Saturday, July 23 9:00-1:00 Jim and Sondra Cuff s home 1601 Starman Ave, PSL Class from 9:00-1:00 with snack break provided Optional Lunch after class (at your own expense) The class is free if you are a Florida GWRRA member. However, you must RESERVE your space in the class by Letting Barry Covard know you want to attend or barrycovard@comcast.net Give Barry a check for $30/pp which will be returned after you complete the class

5 5 Gold Wing Chapter FL2-O has CAMARADERIE By Marilyn Rich Camaraderie: kam rad e r`e : From 19 th century French. A mutual trust and friendship among people who spend a lot of time together. This definition is a good description of our FL2-O chapter of the Gold Wing Road Riders. We have a strong sense of friendship among our members. We are ready to plan and participate together in all sorts of activities. Rides of course take a high priority and during the entire year the turn out for rides has been exceptional. Every rider and co-rider takes care to be on time and to follow the leader and the planned route. Safety rules are abided and a strong bond of trust exists between the riders. Members are ready and prepared to support and aid the ride participants. Other activities are met with genuine enthusiasm. We have lots of chances to socialize at Kick Tire Nights, rallies, training sessions, and, of course, the monthly gathering. New comers are welcomed and made to feel part of a friendly group. Members come to meetings ready to share tips and information of every sort from bike repairs and maintenance to interesting places to visit (especially where there is a good restaurant). We, the members of FL2-O, are very lucky to have found such a friendly organization. We have a true feeling of camaraderie! BIRTHDAYS GWRRA ANNIVERSARY July- Claire Miller Apr 5 Barry Covard Apr 7 Miriam Montenegro May 6 Eddie Montenegro May 12 Sandy Pisano May 26 Barb Parish May 29 Jim Rich May 30 Greg Comstock June 13 Myrta Colussy June 27 Dave Morris July 12 Marilyn Rich July 21 George Scholes July 22 Richard Maneage July 23 Jean Maneage July 28 Tammy Pounds WEDDING ANNIVERSARIES June 10 Greg & Percy Comstock June 12 Bud & Barb Parish June 14 Herb & Pat Jebb June 15 Willard & Wanda Hackett June 20 George & Nancy Scholes GET WELL WISHES to FL2-O snowbird member, Al Baptiste, in Toms River, NJ. He is undergoing radiation and may need further surgery. Prayers and good wishes to both Al and his wife Ruth.

6 6 JUNE 2016 GATHERING Chapter Director David Morris called the meeting to order promptly at 7pm after everyone had enjoyed a delicious meal at the Southern Pig and Cattle Restaurant in Stuart on Wed., June 6. Before opening the meeting up to reports from Chapter officers, David announced that he had purchased a beautiful, white 2006 Gold Wing After the applause subsided, David said. I know, I know, I m the chapter hold out, the only member still riding a He always said that his 1500 ran and sounded like a well-tuned sewing machine. It is a great bike, but David decided in May to sell his reliable 1993 Gold Wing 1500 after riding it for over 16 years. Now the fun begins!!! He researched available bikes online for hours and days and traveled some distances to see them and finally discovered a like new 2006 down in Homestead, Florida. We traveled the distance stopping only in Hollywood to check out a 2008 at a bike shop and then headed for Homestead to discover an amazing white 2006 with only 15,000+ miles and all the bells and whistles including a CB radio, navigation and much more. He put a down payment on it and promised to pick it up on Mon. not realizing that Tropical storm, Colin, was expected to move through south Florida. The day that he was scheduled to pick up the bike, the weather report showed that a band of heavy storms would be coming through for the next three days but on closer inspection, David saw that there was a small window of cloudy but rain free weather from 8am-4pm on Mon. so we high tailed it to Homestead. David picked up the bike and drove it home and I followed behind through the terrible Miami traffic. Thank goodness we missed the rain which arrived as expected at 4pm on Mon. just after we got home to the Treasure Coast. The bike is a gem and David is thrilled!! David also announced that Forrest will be moving David to Minnesota also announced soon and that will Forrest no longer will be be available moving to Minnesota to serve as soon Motorist and will Awareness no longer Coordinator be available David to serve thanked as Motorist Forrest Awareness for his service Coordinator. FL2-0 and David wished thanked him success Forrest in for his his future service endeavors. to FL2-0 David and wished also him encouraged success in someone his future to endeavors. step up and David volunteer also to encouraged fill that vital someone position within to step the up Chapter. and volunteer If you are to fill that interested vital position in serving within as the the Chapter. Motorist If Awareness you are interested Coordinator serving for as the Motorist Awareness Coordinator FL2-0, please for FL2-0, contact please David contact Morris. David Morris. David asked Barry Covard, Rider Educator, to give his report. Barry encouraged everyone to take the CPR class on Sat., July 23 at Jim and Sondra s house. It is a 5 hour class starting at 9am & your participation guarantees that you will move up to Level 3. Plus, there will be a ride for lunch following the class. So, be sure to make your reservations and acquire the lifesaving knowledge and enjoy the fun! Each member may reserve a seat with a $30 check made out to GWRRA and it will be refunded to them. The class is FREE thanks to the money acquired through March Rally ticket sales. Barry also announced that Doug and Donna acquired their Master certification. Congratulations, Doug and Donna! We miss you and hope you are enjoying your new home in the Keys. Speaking of Doug & Donna, Bud and Barb ran into Doug a couple weeks ago. He was in Stuart for a graduation. They are doing well. Doug s real estate ventures are very successful- - so far this year he s sold $2 million. Barry also brought stacks of 2017 Rally tickets and announced that they are now available to buy and sell. As we all know, the Grand Prize winner receives a brand new Gold Wing or $10,000 cash but this year there is a new incentive to purchase tickets. The person who sells the winning ticket will receive a $250 cash prize. Purchase one ticket for $1 or a book of 10 tickets for $10 and write your name on each ticket so that the person who sells the winning ticket may be identified. You could win a new Gold Wing or $250 so purchase your tickets now.

7 7 Ray Vega from FL2-A expanded on the ticket sales topic when he told us that last year a total of only 26,000 tickets were sold and 10,000 of them were sold in South Florida where he oversees 7 chapters. He was really happy that his chapters did so well but wanted everyone to know that the Grand Prize bike costs $20,000 and the printing of the tickets costs $4000 so there is only $2000 left over in profit. That s why it is really important to sell more tickets this year. The more tickets you sell the more money available for training and classes so pick up your tickets at the next gathering in July. Barb Parish gave a report on the summer ride schedule. She said that there was excellent participation on the ride to CJ Cannon at the Vero Airport and many members enjoyed the Wed. night Kick Tire meal at Sam Snead s Restaurant at PGA in Port St. Lucie where they have an excellent seating arrangement for us and delicious food. She also encouraged everyone to join in on the June 18 breakfast ride to Marsh Landing and the Wed. Kick Tire dinner at Manatee Island. Bike night on Thursdays is a new summer destination ride that starts at Florida Sports where they serve great quality hot dogs and concludes with a ride to various dessert locations. Barb asked for suggestions on how FL2-0 could expand on our relationship with Florida Sports so that we could help his business grow and he could help us garner more chapter members. Ray Vega suggested that we offer them a free ad in the Newsletter on the back page. He recommended that we print out the Newsletter and drop it off at Florida Sports. It was also suggested that we sell tickets at Thurs. night Bike night. We could also distribute hard copies of the Newsletter to local restaurants including Southern Pig and Cattle. Barb suggested that a committee be formed to brain storm promotional ideas for Florida Sports Bike night. David and Barry volunteered to visit Dennis or Doug and encourage them to become partners with FL2-0 for our mutual benefit. Developing a Poker Run could be a start!! Herb, our Tech guy, talked about how difficult and expensive it can be to change a headlight bulk on a Gold Wing. He went through 7 light bulbs on his bike. If he had taken it into the shop, each bulb would have cost $25 each and the labor would have been $100 for a half hour to an hour job. Herb said that you can do it yourself but it s not easy. You have to pull the wire off, then the gasket, take the existing bulb out and then get the new bulb at the exact right angle for it to pop into the right place. You can t see it as it goes in and you can t touch the bulb otherwise the bulb is ruined by the acid in your skin. It is a difficult job and you will definitely get scratched up. Herb said, After struggling for quite a while, the headlight bulb finally popped into place. He asked for any suggestions from the group and Ray Vega said to use needle nose pliers in order to reach into the small area and place the bulb into the socket. Ray Vega reminded everyone to reserve Oct. 8 for Wingtoberfest Rally. This fund raiser for FL2-A will take place at John Stretch Park in Lake Harbor from 11am-2:30pm. Ray encouraged us to come by for a great BBQ of hot dogs, burgers, potato salad, sauerkraut and all the fixin s. The preregistration price is just $10 per person or $12 at the door. Bring 2 can goods for the food drive and get extra tickets for prizes. The last order of business was the 50/50 for $30 which Marilyn Rich won. Congratulations, Marilyn!! David adjourned the June FL2-0 meeting & the conversation and fun continued into the parking lot. Written by Terry Henderson

8 8 Good Samaritan Story Joe & Sandy Pisano Our Good Samaritan story took place several years ago. We were beginning our trek home after visiting with Joe's sister and brother in Houston when we developed a problem with the Wing. When we pulled into a Jack in the Box for lunch we noticed that the bike had developed a gas leak. After removing the seat, Joe determined that there was a problem with a gasket. Being Sunday and no means of transportation, Joe turned to the Goldwing Gold Book for help. Our phone call happened to connect us to the local chapter director and his wife. They went above and beyond to help us with our dilemma. They made several phone calls to locate what we needed for the repair, drove to get the repair supplies, and helped Joe with the fix we needed to get home. To further show their kindness, they invited us to spend the night in their home. Truly we were very fortunate that our Gold Book lead us to these amazing Good Samaritans. Breakfast at Original Pancake House Saturday, June 18 Due to the high probability of rain, we nixed the ride and met at the Original Pancake House. Thirteen enjoyed great service and good food. It was good to see that everyone wore their chapter shirts. Several members even decided to ride!

9 9 By Jim & Sondra Cuff We just attended Americade 2016 in Lake George, New York, and had a great time. Our group of thirteen family and friends made many group rides and really pigged out. Some of our favorite places to eat were LogJam, Hattie's, Sutten s and a few other pubs. The weather was beautiful most of the time. On the way to Americade, we rode through Vermont and upstate New York. When we got the Americade on Friday, we enjoyed the most beautiful fireworks over the lake. There were many vendors and events. If you haven't been to Americade in Lake George, New York, you should make time for this rally. You won't be disappointed!!!! It's held every June

10 10 COUPLE OF THE YEAR BUD & BARB PARISH Good Samaritan/Good Luck/Good Advice In May Bud and I decided to purchase a trailer to haul our trike when we take trips to the North during the summer and fall. We think the trailer will make it easier to travel in the summer Florida weather- both the heat and the rain. We also have to admit that health and old age are catching up with both of us. Since we are planning a trip to the Blue Ridge Mountains in the fall, we thought it would be a good idea to test the equipment, so we headed to the mountains of North Georgia. On our second day, we ran over debris and punctured a tire on the SUV. We immediately exited I-75 and headed to the Walmart which was right there. We found out the brand new Walmart did not have a tire center yet. Bill, a good Samaritan in the parking lot, gave us the name of an excellent tire repair shop. They came out in a truck and fixed the tire. We were on our way in 45 minutes and the cost was reasonable, too. Our lucky day to run into Bill. About noon the same day we stopped for lunch and Bud s cell phone holder caught on the seat belt when he stepped out of the car. Luckily we noticed before we left town and went back to the place we d stopped. We found the cell phone on the ground. Unfortunately we had run over the phone with our trailer. Luckily the only damage was the cracked screen protector (not the screen itself). After we got to our North Georgia location, we found a Verizon store and bought a new screen protector. The Verizon technician who helped us, just happens to ride bikes and 4 wheelers in the area. She gave us some very good advice about curvy roads to ride and restaurants for lunch. We have no pictures from the trip because I decided to just be in the moment and enjoy the scenery the scenery and the and curvy the curvy roads. roads. The elevation The elevation was 2-4,000 was feet and the Appalachian Trail criss crossed 2-4,000 the scenery. the feet highway and and The the the elevation Appalachian curvy several roads. was locations. Trail 2-4,000 The criss elevation At feet one crossed and trailhead, we became the good Samaritans by the ranged was giving the highways Appalachian typically some from several 2-4,000 ice cold Trail times. water feet. criss and We to crosses we a became couple found the hikers. the several highways good Boy, were they thankful! Samaritans roads several with times. great a trailhead We curves. met some when Another hikers we piece gave at of a trailhead couple luck One hikers was and day when some this Bud time Bud ice was we cold wanted craving were water. the a milkshake. Boy, good were Samaritans We they were thankful! by in out in the boonies and I said you ll never find the giving a milkshake middle them of ice nowhere, around cold water- here. but around - At they the were the bottom next so thankful! of the hill was a General Store with a restaurant Bud curve got was lucky and a general the gourmet day he store milkshakes. was with craving restaurant Bud s a milkshake, and lucky day! but they we had were gourmet out in the milkshakes" boonies and I said you l never The get roads a milkshake were great around and here. we plan At the to ride bottom this of area the again! mountain, we found a General Store with gourmet milkshakes

11 11 CONGRATULATIONS Steven Katz, son of Sam and Linda Katz, graduated from Marine bootcamp on June 3 rd and is now at Camp Geiger at School of Infantry. At the end of training in two months, he will be deployed where needed. SAFE MILES: Please note your miles the end of each month and record them on the Chapter Meeting sign in sheet OR me your miles the end of each month to barrycov@comcast.net. RAFFLE TICKETS Our Chapter has ordered 1500 raffle tickets. Please help us sell them prior to the Florida Rally March The proceeds from these tickets fund our free Florida training. Something new this year- - the seller of the winning tickets will also receive a cash reward. Contact Barry Covard for books of tickets or barrycov@comcast.net

12 12 J FL2-O Calendar: Rides, Kick Tires, and Gathering June 22, Wednesday Kick Tires, Manatee Island* Fort Pierce 4:30 Kick stands up Cracker Barrel in Stuart July 7, Thursday: 5:30 Bike night at Florida Sports. Dessert ride at 6:30 to Perkins July 13, Wednesday Gathering at Southern Pig & Cattle July 16, Saturday Breakfast Original Pancake house, Jensen Beach July 21, Thursday: 5:30 Bike night at Florida Sports. Dessert ride at 6:30 to Kilwins* in Tradition July 27, Wednesday: Kick Tire Fiorentino s*, 2571 SE Ocean Blvd, Cedar Pointe Plaza, Stuart *= coupon in Enjoyment Book October 8 Wingtoberfest with FL2-A, John Stretch Park, 11-2:30, Kick stands up at 10:00 am at Cracker Barrel in Stuart 2016 REGION GWRRA EVENTS May Alabama District Rally Eufaula. AL Jul So. Carolina Rally TBA Aug. 31 Sep. 3 Wing Ding CORRECTED DATES Billings, MT October Southeast Region A Rally, Eufaula, AL Thanks ~ To everyone who wrote an article for this month s newsletter: Sandy Pisano, Marilyn Rich, Sondra Cuff, Linda Katz and all the officers and team- -Dave Morris, Bob Feehrer, Barry Covard, Terry Henderson, John DuBose, and Barb Parish The End- Thanks for reading!