Alamo City Wings. Chapter H Officers

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October August 2012 2008 Alamo City Wings Volume 31 Friends for Fun, Safety, and Knowledge! Issue 10 Chapter H Officers Chapter Director Bruce MacMaster 520-3061 BAMac45@aol.

net * From the Chapter Director * It is definitely getting into cooler fall weather. The last couple of rides started out very comfortable and never got up to our 90-degree limit.

Remember that beginning in October we will be going back to meeting at 8:30 AM for our breakfast rides. Also, we have scheduled a lunch ride in October and November that leaves at 10:00 AM.

1 October August Alamo City Wings Volume 31 Friends for Fun, Safety, and Knowledge! Issue 10 Chapter H Officers Chapter Director Bruce MacMaster BAMac45@aol.com Assistant Chapter Director Vacant Chapter Educator Vacant Secretary/Treasurer Charles Fleming txgoldwing00@att.net Membership Coordinator Phyllis Ellis Pcelde@swbell.net Chapter H Team Web Master Dean Davis dean@jeanniesherbs.com Newsletter Editor Kathy Vallejo kvall@att.net Technical Advisor Len Ellis Pcelde@swbell.net Chapter Photographer Dean Davis dean@jeanniesherbs.com Activity / Ride Coordinator Charles Fleming txgoldwing00@att.net * From the Chapter Director * It is definitely getting into cooler fall weather. The last couple of rides started out very comfortable and never got up to our 90-degree limit. In fact our last ride I even heard some complaints from the women that they were cold on the way out to Utopia. Anyway, please join us and enjoy some cooler weather. Remember that beginning in October we will be going back to meeting at 8:30 AM for our breakfast rides. Also, we have scheduled a lunch ride in October and November that leaves at 10:00 AM. See the schedule for details and for those wives who like to sleep in, please join us for the lunch rides. For those who showed an interest in taking an ERC class, we have ones scheduled for November 10 th and 17 th. Please sign up at and let me know what date you picked. No trikes or car tires allowed. It seems like it is early to talk about the holidays but our Christmas party is only two months away. We will have a Texas District Officers & Team District Directors...David & Christina Vidrine Asst. District Directors...Mike & Robin Thacker District Educators...Ricky & Karen Frazier Assistant District Educator...Richard & Kathy Hipp District Treasurer...Diane Shults Membership Enhancement Division...Carolyn Barton Asst. Membership Enhancement Coord....Jim & Alvalin Woodul Entertainment Coordinator....Kenny Shults District Couple of the Year.Mike & Robin Thacker COY Coordinators..Jean & Dave Simmons District Trainer...Open... Vendor Coordinators...Open... Webmaster...Tom Sprague Newsletter Editor Christina Vidrine

2 Volume 31 Page 2 of 9 Issue 10 White elephant gift exchange at our December 5th meeting, so start planning now. Rules will be the same as last year and will be published next month. Our October gathering will be on the first Wednesday, the 3 rd, at Logan s Roadhouse. The meeting will start at 7:30 PM but come early for dinner. Ride Safe and Often Bruce A. MacMaster, Chapter Director Rider Education Peer Pressure Is Easy You Aren t We don t argue with ourselves enough By: James R. Davis All experienced group riders know that each individual is responsible for their own safety. They know that in every group, one of them has the least experience or skill/control. Generally, they know that the group should ride to the skills of the least common denominator the least experienced, or least skilled/controlled. But sometimes you join a group for a ride and many if not all of them are strangers. Sometimes a new member joins your group and you have no idea what their skill level or experience might be. This should be a serious concern to the lead bike (often called the Road Captain though not necessarily so.) Since it s up to the lead bike to set the pace, how can that be done without knowing what the least common denominator is? Clearly this is an argument for a pre-ride meeting and some questions designed to find out as much as you can about who you are riding with. But realities are such that even if you try to find out who has the least experience or least skill/control, the odds are that you will have trouble doing so. People have face, after all. People are reluctant to be seen as the weakest of the group. Worse, and we have seen tragic results of this recently, some people honestly believe they have better skills/control than they really do and are quite convincing about it with others. From a lead bike point of view, a solution is readily at hand always place a new member of the group in the last right-track position (sometimes called the slot ) in front of the drag bike and have the drag bike observe how that person actually rides. Once the drag bike advises the lead bike that the new person demonstrates adequate skill/control then that person is freed to ride anywhere they want to in the group. Until everybody in the group is a t least seen to have reasonable skills/control while riding with the group, the lead bike has no business pushing any limits. But the heading of this message reads peer pressure, and I would like to talk briefly about group dynamics that are dangerous precisely because of peer pressure. Even assuming that everyone in a group is well known to each other, there is a least experienced, least skilled/controlled person there. That person usually feels that he/she has very little choice but to try to keep up, to try to not hold the rest of the group back. If nothing else, they often think that stretching themselves is a learning experience. And while it is definitely a learning experience, if you survive it, keeping up, or not holding the rest of the group back should NOT be part of the equation!! A brave

3 Volume 31 Page 3 of 9 Issue 10 person will acknowledge their weaknesses and not push the envelope aggressively, even if it means that the rest of the group will recognize those weaknesses. A smart person believes absolutely that THEY are responsible for own ride/safety and not incidentally, in not being a potential hazard to anyone else. These people ignore peer pressure to the point that they might not fit into a particular group and that s just fine for all concerned! But peer pressure is NOT the real danger there is always peer pressure (sometimes thoughtless, sometimes just good natured competition, sometimes no more than shared courtesy.) It is YOUR OWN PERSONAL pressure to perform that can be dangerous. I call that your head. What I m getting at is mental rightness being ready and prepared to do what you are about to do, and knowing it. If your head is not right, STOP and get it right before you go another two feet on your motorcycle!!!! After more than 30 years of riding motorcycles there are times when I simply feel that I cannot safely do something that I have done a thousand times before sometimes the most trivial of things. For example, a few years ago I was on a tour to Tulsa, Oklahoma and our group had just finished a pit stop and were on our way back onto the road. We were on a parking lot that had a driveway with a relatively severe dip in it as it joined the main road where we then had to make a hard right turn to get underway. All the bikes ahead of me did just fine with that dip. But when it was my turn to negotiate that driveway I decided that my head was not right and stopped my bike. I radioed to the lead bike that I would catch up in a moment, nothing was wrong. One minute later my head was right, confidence restored, and I took off and joined the group. Trivial embarrassment is nothing compared to an accident. There is no doubt in my mind at all (NOW) that I could have made that exit from the parking lot without a problem. But this is one experienced rider that is not ashamed to say that when my head is wrong, I stop and wait until it gets right. Peer pressure is easy you aren t. LETTER FROM THE EDITOR Well we are into October which means the beginning of the holiday season. We have Halloween for the kids, then we go right into Thanksgiving and then the next month is Christmas. We seem to be getting a little cooler weather now which helps get people out for the weekend rides although the weathermen are calling for a lot of rain this fall and winter. We ll see. I had no news stories or pictures this month so I m hoping that someone will send me something for the November newsletter. Be Safe and Have Fun! Kathy Vallejo

4 Volume 31 Page 4 of 9 Issue 10 ANNOUNCEMENT I am pleased to announce a special Wing Ding 35 Promotion in conjunction with our Home Office. We will be giving away a four night stay and two registrations, (one from each Region-US and Canada) along with one winner from overseas. All full registrations received by May 1, 2013 will be eligible for a drawing to be held at Home Office and winners will be notified as to their hotel location and full registrations will be refunded. I encourage everyone to get their registrations in early as Wing Ding 35 in Greenville, SC will be an outstanding Wing Ding! Mark your calendars and don t be tardy; it s a grand old time at the Wing Ding Party! As I burst through the door, I came to a terrifying conclusion. His theory was right. The parking lot was empty. I immediately called the police. I gave them my location, confessed that I had left my keys in the car, and that it had been stolen. Then I made the most difficult call of all, Honey, I stammered (I always call him honey in times like these.) I left my keys in the car, and it has been stolen. There was a period of silence. I thought the call had been dropped, but then I heard his voice. He barked, I dropped you off. Now it was my time to be silent. Embarrassed, I said, Well come and get me. He retorted, I will as soon as I convince this policeman I have not stolen your car. Yep, it s the golden years. Sincerely, Jere D. Goodman Director of GWRRA Subject: Car Keys Several days ago as I left a meeting at a hotel; I desperately gave myself a personal TSA pat down. I was looking for my keys. They were not in my pockets. A quick search in the meeting room revealed nothing. Suddenly I realized I must have left them in the car. Frantically, I headed for the parking lot. My husband has scolded me many times for leaving the keys in the ignition. My theory is the ignition is the best place not to lose them. His theory is that the car will be stolen.

5 Volume 31 Page 5 of 9 Issue 10 CHRISTINA S CRAZY COMMENTS The Quanah Parker Nature and Visitor Center is on site and features exhibits on wildlife and habitats of the Wichita Mountains, interactive and changing displays, artwork, videos and films, and a bookstore. Drive to the top of Mt. Scott, 2,500 ft, for a breath taking view of southwest Oklahoma. One of the prettiest sights I noticed when David and I and Mike and Robin Thacker visited Wichita Falls was the Wichita Mountains. Now I know people who are from up North would probabaly say Those arent mountains. But this is the closet we Southerns will get to see mountains in Texas. Less than an hour drive north of Wichita Falls are the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge which rank among the oldest ranges on earth. Formation of these mountains began some 500 million years ago! These Mountains host a rare piece of the past - there are legends of lost mines and cached treasure. Spanish traders bartered with several Indian tribes for hides and other artifacts and legends persist of hidden treasures of Spanish gold. The James gang is said to have buried bandit loot somewhere among its boulder strewn slopes and other, less renowned, outlaws supposedly secreted booty in these mountains. Kiowa Indians supposedly raided a wagon train on the Santa Fe Trail and Quanah Parker, last of the Comanche Chiefs, called these Mountains his home. This 59,020 acre Refuge provides a home for large native grazing animals such as American bison, Rocky Mountain elk, and white-tailed deer. Texas Longhorn cattle also share the rangelands as a cultural and historical legacy species.

6 Volume 31 Page 6 of 9 Issue 10 After looking at these breathtaking pictures, isnt this one more reason to come see us at the Texas Gumball Rally in 2013 in Wichita Falls Texas? I guarantee you will have a great time. Chapter E the Texas Eagles will be organizing some great routes for you to take up to the mountains. We will be distrbuting them out at the Convention. Make sure not to forget your camera so you can take some great pictures. HALLOWEEN

Volume 31 Page 7 of 9 Issue 10 Alamo Cycle Plex 11900 I.H.

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net Daniel: 2wingnuts@earthlink.net Colby: 2wingnuts3@earthlink.

7 Volume 31 Page 7 of 9 Issue 10 Alamo Cycle Plex I.H. 10 West Complete Bike Financing Sales and Service WDC Trike Conversions, Inc * MTC Voyager Trike Conversions * Champion Sidecar-Trikes, Sidecars, Colorado Trailers & Patriot hard bags. * California Sidecar-Trikes, Escapade Trailers & Sidecars * Cyclone Alarm Systems * Klicktronic-Electric Shifter * LED Lighting * Rivco Accessories Wayne: 2wingnuts2@earthlink.net Daniel: 2wingnuts@earthlink.net Colby: 2wingnuts3@earthlink.net TRIVIA Honeybees are the only insects that create a form of food for humans. A hummingbird s heart beats 1,400 times a minute. OCTOBER BIRTHDAYS Pete West Oct 3 Len Ellis..Oct 13 Spencer Smith.Oct 18 Peter Russell Oct 23 Wayne Brown.Oct 24 Lisa Williams.Oct 25 Dale Tondre Oct 31

8 Volume 31 Page 8 of 9 Issue 10 Ride & Activity Schedule Date Start End Event Description Chapter Meeting/Gathering at Logan s Road House on IH 10, Meet around 6:30 p.m. for 10/3/12 18:30 20:30 dinner, meeting starts at 7:30 p.m. 10/7/12 08:30 14:00 Breakfast Ride - pick a place and go. 10/13/12 08:30 14:00 Breakfast Ride - pick a place and go. LUNCH RIDE TO HERMAN S AND SON IN HONDO, TX We will meet at 10:00AM and go for 10/21/12 10:00 15:00 a ride in the hill country and make our way to lunch around 1pm to 2pm. 10/27/12 08:30 14:00 Breakfast Ride - pick a place and go. 11/04/12 08:30 14:00 Breakfast Ride - pick a place and go. Chapter Meeting/Gathering at Logan s Road House on IH 10, Meet around 6:30PM for 11/07/12 18:30 20:30 dinner, meeting starts at 7:30PM. LUNCH RIDE-TO CAMP VERDE GENERAL STORE, IN CAMP VERDE, TX We will meet at 10:00AM and go for a ride in the hill country and make our way for lunch around 1PM to 11/10/12 10:00 15:00 2PM. Meet at Bandera Café (Bandera Road) for breakfast. Meet at 8:30AM for breakfast, or 11/18/12 08:30 14:00 show up at 9:30AM just to ride. 11/22/12 THANKSGIVING DAY- TURKEY DAY 11/24/12 08:30 14:00 Breakfast Ride - pick a place and go. 12/02/12 08:30 14:00 Breakfast Ride - pick a place and go. Chapter Meeting/Gathering at Logan s Road House on IH10, CHRISTMAS PARTY AND GIFT EXCHANGE Meet around 6:00PM for dinner, SHORT meeting starts at 12/05/12 18:00 20:30 7:00PM WITH GIFT EXCHANGE AFTERWARDS. 12/8/12 08:30 14:00 Breakfast Ride - pick a place and go. Meet at IHOP (Bandera Rd. and Stoneleigh-1 st traffic light inside 1604) for breakfast. 12/16/12 08:30 14:00 Meet at 8:30AM for breakfast or show up at 9:30AM just to ride. 12/22/12 08:30 14:00 Breakfast Ride - pick a place and go. 12/25/12 CHRISTMAS DAY-HAPPY HOLIDAY TO ALL 12/30/12 08:30 14:00 Breakfast Ride - pick a place and go. HAPPY NEW YEAR POLAR BEAR RIDE-Meet at 10:00AM and take a ride for lunch in the 01/01/13 10:00 15:00 hill country. Chapter Meeting/Gathering at Logan s Road House on IH 10, Meet around 6:30 p.m. for 01/2/13 18:30 20:30 dinner, meeting starts at 7:30 p.m. 01/05/13 08:30 14:00 Breakfast Ride - pick a place and go. 01/13/13 08:30 14:00 Breakfast Ride - pick a place and go. 01/19/13 08:30 14:00 Breakfast Ride - pick a place and go 01/27/13 08:30 14:00 Ride to Utopia for breakfast at Lost Maples Café-Utopia, TX and then ride in the area.. Note: Unless otherwise indicated all Chapter "H" rides start at the parking lot behind the Exxon and Whataburger located at Bandera Rd. & 1604 (Northwest San Antonio.) Rides are subject to change. Changes will be communicated via the website, Newsletter, and/or .

9 Chapter Director 6419 Red Jacket Dr. San Antonio, TX 78238

August 2008 July 2012 Alamo City Wings

August 2008 July 2012 Alamo City Wings Volume 31 Friends for Fun, Safety, and Knowledge! Issue 07 Chapter H Officers Chapter Director Bruce MacMaster 520-3061 BAMac45@aol.com Assistant Chapter Director