Ridges to Rivers Tales

Transcription

1 Ridges to Rivers Tales April 2015 DIRECTOR'S REPORT As I write this there are a lot of smiling Harley faces as the weather report has a full week of 50 degree days. The first bluebirds have been spotted; the winter roads are waiting their annual spring cleansing rains and the hope that sooner rather than later describes when we get on our Harleys again. Not only is the forecast showing signs of spring, so is our ride calendar. This month our first official ride appears on the ride calendar, the Spring Flood Run, April 18th. The last two years have been unkind to the Spring Flood Run, so just the law of averages would seem to indicate this should be a good year to kick off the season with a ride to Maiden Rock. The full 2015 ride calendar can be found later in this edition of the Chapter Newsletter. While we are on the subject of the 2015 ride calendar, at the March Chapter meeting, ride destinations were added to the rides. I really like the approach the Chapter took to assign destinations: directionally. To the best of our ability, the Chapter went east, west, south and north for both the Supper Rides and Post Meeting Rides. Post Meeting Rides will go north to Nelson and as far south as Potosi for one of our favorite Greg Schaub rides, the Potosi Brewery. Post Meeting Rides will also visit Rockton and the Country Garden in Soldiers Grove for the annual Mars/Venus ride. Supper Rides were kept a little closer to La Crosse with rides to Big Boar BBQ in West Salem, Rushford, MN. the Great River Roadhouse in De Soto and Bub s in Winona. And of course there is the Northern Exposure rally in Hayward June Last year the Chapter also had a number of Impromptu rides, posted through Facebook, which were popular and will make a return in Whether you join the Chapter for the majority of rides or just a single ride all year, you are always welcome. Eric L. will have all the rides posted on Facebook, Heather H. will have the ride calendar on the Chapter web page, and when an Impromptu ride is posted on Facebook, if you have liked La Crosse H.O.G. on Facebook, you should receive a notification. There should be any number of opportunities to participate in a Chapter ride in Also listed on the 2015 ride calendar are a number of local events and activities that are not official Chapter rides but are popular, and many from the Chapter attend, they include: Rudy s Bike Nights, Big Bikes for Little Tikes, Freedom Fest, Thunder Ride, the Spring and Fall Flood Runs, the Tomahawk Fall Color Ride and Sturgis. What has become an annual rite of passage into spring, free pizza and Greg Gerlach s spring this is what you need to have on your bike when you travel presentation, are both scheduled for the April 4 th Chapter meeting. The April meeting at the Brice Prairie Pub and Eatery will be our last winter meeting before returning to La Crosse H-D for the summer meetings. Summer meetings will start at 10:00 a.m. and will again be stand-up meetings that last minutes and followed by a Post Meeting Ride. Greg s presentation is always well received as he has a great show-andtell on how to be prepared for roadside emergencies to your bike and yourself. I tell the story every year, but Greg got a Chapter member home from Waters Meet, Michigan using silicone and a cut up Mountain Dew can. This guy is good, worth the trip to the meeting just to hear Greg. The free pizza is a thank you to ourselves for getting through winter. The Chapter will buy pizza and soda, if you want to order off the menu or place a special order or drink something stronger than soda that will be on your dime. For those who have Chapter merchandise, please wear/bring that to the April meeting for your own show-and-tell as the Chapter prepares to re-open the online store. Later on in this Newsletter I have the results of the Chapter surveys with interesting results. The Chapter likes to ride basically for the fun of riding. Food stops are a big favorite, but as far as the time from start to finish or the miles put on between home and home again, there was no one ride that outshone the others. It was also mentioned in the survey that people felt comfortable in the Chapter, felt safe riding with Chapter members and generally felt we were all a fun bunch to hang out with. Where else can you Ride and Have Fun with such a nice Chapter? Ride Safe. Ride Smart. Ride Often. Dave 2015 Officers La Crosse Area Harley Owners Group Sponsoring Dealer La Crosse Area Harley-Davidson (608) Lacrosseharley.com Director Dave Sarnowski ((608) sarno@mwt.net Assistant Director Greg Schaub (608) gms1253@chater.net Secretary Barb Sarnowski (608) sarno@mwt.net Treasurer Lana Gerlach (507) gerlachl@acegroup.cc Head Road Captain Greg Gerlach (507) gerlachl@acegroup.cc Activities Director Greg Nikolaisen (608) gnikolaisen@centurytel.net Safety Officer Greg Schaub (608) gms1253@chater.net LOH Officer Tracey Melvin (608) traceyanna2@yahoo.com Editors Mike & Bea Chilson (608) mikebea@centurytel.net Photographer Tracey Melvin (608) traceyanna2@yahoo.com Historian Bob Dallas Drawver (608) dallas12@centurytel.net Webmaster Heather Holm Holm.heat@gmail.com

2 Ridges to Rivers Tales Page 2 Journey Through the Wild West: Heads N-Tales H.O.G. Ride 2014 As the cold winter weather starts to wind down, I pause to reflect on my rides of last summer and plan an adventure for next summer. Last summer, from June 28 th though July 3 rd Barb Burchill, Dan McCammon, Kathy, I and 123 other HOG members, enjoyed the Heads N-Tales Ride. This ride was organized by R.U.S.H. LLC (Riding Ultimate Scenic Highways), the same group of people who organized the 2010 Wisconsin Minnesota State Riding Rally from Duluth, MN to Dubuque, IA and the 2012 riding rally from Dubuque to Memphis, TN and the 2013 riding rally from Memphis to New Orleans. One of the things that all these riders had in common was the love of riding Harley Davidson motorcycles. Almost all of the participants in the Heads-N-Tails ride also rode on two or three of the previous rides. An interesting thing about the ride was that it was classified as a State Rally because of the lack of a better classification. Officially, the Heads N-Tales ride started in Keystone SD and ended in Butte, MT six days later, but for most riders the ride started and ended back home in Wisconsin and Minnesota. Kathy and I trucked our Softail to the HD shop in Rapid City then rode for eight days and 2500 miles before ending up back at the truck. We unload the bike on June 27 th and rode to registration motel in Keystone. On the way we ran into the only rain we had on the entire trip and it really rained. We, along with several other bikers, pulled over at a gas station on the South side of Rapid City and waited an hour for the rain to lighten up. On Day One we travelled many of the popular roads in the Black Hills including, the 1887 Hill City Train Route, Needles Highway, Iron Mountain Road, Custer State Park and the Peter Norbeck Scenic Byway before meeting the rest of the Rally riders at Crazy Horse Monument for dinner and the opening ceremony. After the festivities at Crazy Horse we paraded to Mount Rushmore National Memorial for the inspirational and patriotic Evening Lighting Ceremony presentation by the National Park Service. Once at the Memorial, we all posed for a group photo. On Day Two, we checked out of Keystone and rode to Sturgis Harley Davidson for breakfast followed by a tour of the Sturgis Motorcycle Museum then on to the Spearfish Canyon Scenic Byway and Lead, SD. From Lead we rode to Gillette then to Buffalo, Wyoming for a tour of Jim Gatchell Museum. After Buffalo, we rode to Sheridan, WY, then toured the Little Big Horn Museum and Battlefield in Montana before returning to Sheridan for the evening for some Good Time Burgers and Frozen Custard. On Day Three, we rode to Thermopolis, WY for visits to Merlin s Hide Out, Hot Springs State Park, and Wyoming Dinosaur Center. Then on to Cody, Wyoming for a rodeo, Cody Gunfight, Dug Up Gun Museum and two nights stay at the Irma Hotel. On Day Four, we rode from Cody through Yellowstone National Park to Bear Tooth Pass, and Red Lodge before returning back to Cody for the Stampede Rodeo. Beartooth Pass was the highlight of the day for Kathy and me. It had snowed the previous week but the roads were clear. The snow drifts were near the tops of the speed limit signs and snowmobilers were enjoying the new powder as we rode by. On Day Five, we rode from Cody, WY to Butte, MT. Along the way we stopped at the Montana Grizzly Encounter in Bozeman, MT then on to Yellowstone HD in Belgrade, MT for lunch, followed by Dumas Brothers Brothel, Berkeley Viewing of the open pit ecological disaster copper mine in Butte and dinner at Copper Canyon HD. We also stopped by and paid our respects at Robert Craig Knievel s grave site. On Day Six, we rode to Virginia City and Nevada City, MT for a play at the City opera House, panning gold and museum tours before returning to Butte for a tour of the Brewing Company and the Closing Ceremony and fireworks. This summer R.U.S.H leading a seven day ride from Detroit, MI to Bar Harbor, ME. Kathy and I; however, are looking for people to join us on ride to Anchorage, AK and back. I am on the 4 th revision of the route and have shorten it from 11,400 miles to 10,000 miles. Are you interested? Paul Callan

3 Page 3 Journey Through the Wild West: Heads N-Tales H.O.G. Ride 2014 Pictures Submitted By: Paul Callan

4 Ridges to Rivers Tales Page 4 LA CROSSE AREA H.O.G. MEETING MNUTES March 7, 2015 Brice Prairie Pub and Eatery 17 members, 2 guests present Minutes and Treasurer s report posted Meeting called to order at 1:00 p.m. 1) Greg Schaub; Assistant Director/Safety Officer a) Discussion of motorcycle accident info -- many involved unlicensed or uneducated riders b) State rally at Janesville July 9-11 with info available on website c) Intersection safety is an issue of LOOKING and being AWARE of traffic situation e) Discussion of legal and illegal motorcycle parts e) Trip down memory lane with Whose slogan is it? 2) Dave Sarnowski, Director 1) Discussed if any interest in chapter riding contest decided to forgo for ) Chapter calendar a) Set destinations for post meeting rides and supper rides voted upon 3) Survey results a) Chapter is interested in reopening the webstore (i) Will look into the option of having a Northern Exposure logo b) Would like smaller groups for Northern Exposure rides 26 bikes registered (i) Would have a staggered departure (ii) Would like an option of shorter and longer day rides c) Chapter members are comfortable riding with other members 4) Pizza Party in April. a) Chapter to purchase pizza and soda. Passed. 5) Meeting location for next year to be discussed next meeting 6) Introduction of guests Tim and Amy 7) Door prize won by Ginger Eade 8) Next meeting Saturday, April 4 last one at Brice Prairie for year a) Wear purchased items from HOG webstore! 9) Next meeting April 4, 2015, noon/1:00 at Brice Prairie Pub and Eatery. Respectfully submitted, Barb Sarnowski, Secretary

5 Page 5 CHAPTER 'NORTHERN EXPOSURE' RALLY UPDATE A Northern Exposure rally shirt is one step closer to becoming a reality. There was not enough universal support for a single shirt or style, so the Chapter is looking into the possibility of producing a stitched Northern Exposure across the top, Hayward on the bottom and a Musky graphic in the middle. The design crew is working on the feasibility and will be reporting back to the Chapter at the April meeting. If it does work out, the shirts would be made available online in the Chapter s online store. The Northern Exposure Survey Monkey results also showed a strong preference for two smaller groups for the ride to Hayward. Greg N. and Greg S. are working on a route which both groups will take, staggering departure times by about 10 minutes. Anyone and everyone are invited to join the Chapter on the June adventure to Hayward. For those that have not signed up yet, contact Greg S., Greg N. or Dave S. for hotel information and to sign-up for the Northern Exposure mailing list....and THE SURVEY SAYS!!!!!... The results from the Chapter s Northern Exposure and Chapter Ride/Merchandise online surveys are in which were shared at the March La Crosse H.O.G. meeting. The survey found: Northern Exposure Two groups, three if necessary Ride miles between miles Offer multiple rides for day trips 53% would like to purchase a Northern Exposure rally shirt if offered No clear favorite on rally shirt style Rides and Merchandise Chapter rides: 68% of those responding rode with the Chapter on at least one ride in % anticipate riding with the Chapter for one or more rides in 2015 When it came to time and miles for a ride, I just like to ride was the most popular answer Favorite types of rides heavily favored food stops with 77% Work and personal schedule were the main reasons for missing a ride. Supper Rides-first choices: minutes to the destination Be heading back home 7:30 to 8:00 Driving after dark is a concern Merchandise: 68% of those responding purchased from the online store. 72% of those responding indicated they would purchase merchandise if the store were re-opened Limited support for a Chapter patches From the comments section of the survey a number of food destinations were added to the Chapter s list of places to visit. The survey also indicated that the most common reason people do not ride with the Chapter is because of personal commitments and work. As for why people do like to ride with the Chapter, safe riders and great people were among the answers. Although the Chapter survey was a nice tool to receive important feedback from Chapter members, Chapter members should always feel comfortable visiting with your Chapter officers and Road Captains. Suggestions for rides, how to help the Chapter grow and be more visible, or just a friendly visit are always welcome.

6 Page 6 REMEMBER THE BIKER By: Chuck Miles As I was tooling down the right lane of a multilane urban road, I watched a driver race by me and almost clip the tail of the motorcycle about a block ahead of me before moving into the open lane to the left of the bike. On another day I was on the interstate when a car went flying by in the center lane. The driver stayed in the center lane until he was about a car length behind an eighteen wheeler several hundred yards ahead of me. Both the right and left lanes were open between me and the truck and beyond, yet the driver didn t change lanes until he was almost connected to the trailer. Do I remember the type of cars that were involved in these scenarios? Of course I don t. You ve seen drivers do a lot of crazy things on the road, but I d guess you don t recall what they were driving either. We typically don t recollect the type of cars that make foolish moves on the road. We don t say, Look out for that darn Chevy/Dodge/Ford because they drive like idiots. We assume the driver was suffering from Stupid Person Syndrome and we remember what the offense was that they committed. Sometimes bikers commit some of the same sins that upset them when they see drivers do them? Most bikers despise tailgaters, yet they often tailgate themselves. But there is a difference in how it is perceived. We don t need the whole lane because we re small so do we use that to our advantage inappropriately? Maybe you ve shared the lane with a car when they re going straight and you re turning right. How do you feel when a driver shares your lane to make a right turn at that same stop sign? Bikers are not immune to SPS, but not all bikers drive like fools, any more than all Chevy/Dodge/Ford drivers drive like fools. Unfortunately drivers don t see things the same way. When they see a biker zipping through traffic, they assume all bikers ride like that. When people see a car do something crazy on the highway they assume the driver is afflicted with SPS. They don t say all Chevy/Dodge/Ford drivers are terrible drivers. On the other hand, when people see bikers perform risky maneuvers on the road, we do hear that about bikers. They believe that all riders are careless and are dangerous to be around. We often decry the lack of drivers willingness to share the road with motorcycles, but this is a two-way street. We need to be as courteous to them as we expect them to be to us. The majority of bikers are responsible riders and considerate of others when riding in traffic. Unlike autos, SUV s and pickup trucks the difference is that motorcyclists get lumped into a single bucket in the minds of the driving public. It s up to us to help them perceive motorcycling as it really is. The best way we can do that is to show them by our riding style that we are truly safe, responsible riders. We can all live better that way. Ride Smart! Ride Safe! April by Chuck Miles Used with permission SPRING FLOOD RUN APRIL 18TH Mark April 18 th and the Spring Flood Run on your ride calendar as the first Chapter scheduled ride. Dave Sarnowski will lead the ride, leaving from La Crosse H-D at 10:00 a.m., with Maiden Rock, Wisconsin as the destination. The ride up will stay on the Wisconsin side, travel through Fountain City, Alma, Nelson, stop at the village park in Pepin, then continue on to Maiden Rock. At Maiden Rock the ride will officially end and riders will decide for themselves which route to take for their return trip home. This ride is very weather dependent with the last two years getting canceled. Hopefully this year s weather cooperates and La Crosse H.O.G. kicks off the riding season in style.

7 Page 7 CHAPTER RIDE CALENDAR The Chapter ride calendar was updated at the last Chapter meeting to include destinations for the upcoming Supper Rides and Post Meeting Rides. The destinations were selected directionally with rides divided into east, west, south, and north routes. Destinations include Bub s in Winona, Nelson Creamery for ice cream, and Big Boar BBQ in West Salem, Country Garden s in Soldiers Grove, the Potosi Brewery, and the Great River Roadhouse in De Soto, Rockton and Rushford. Add to that list the Impromptu rides that will pop up on Facebook and it looks like La Crosse H.O.G. is going to have a great ride calendar for Also listed on the 2015 ride calendar are a number of local, regional and national events. Rudy s Bike Nights are listed, Big Bikes for Little Tikes, Thunder Ride, MC Purple Heart in Winona, Freedom Ride, Spring and Fall Flood Runs as well as Tomahawk and Sturgis. These last rides, unlike the Chapter sponsored rides in the previous paragraph, are listed as interest rides and are not official Chapter rides. Please note that the Thunder Ride and Freedom Fest have not announced their dates as of yet. Both are rumored to be in July this year. UPCOMING DATES April 4...Chapter Meeting..Brice Prairie Pub and Eatery April 18...Spring Flood Run.La Crosse H-D: 10:00 a.m. May 2...Chapter Meeting..La Crosse H-D: 10:00 a.m. May 2...Post Meeting Ride Nelson (Ice Cream!) May 27...Supper Ride...Big Boar/West Salem 5:30 June 6...Chapter Meeting..La Crosse H-D: 10:00 a.m. June 6...Mars/Venus..Country Gardens, Soldiers Grove FREE PIZZA!! Upholding what has become a La Crosse H.O.G. tradition; our last winter meeting at the Brice Prairie Pub and Eatery will be a free pizza meeting. The Chapter will purchase pizza and soda for the day, those wishing to order off the menu or something stronger than soda will be at their expense. Eating will start noonish with the business meeting starting at 1:00. See you on April 4 th at the Brice Prairie Pub and Eatery for free pizza. Pray for Rain.April Showers bring May flowers AND wash the salt and sand off the roads.

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9 Page 9 COMMUNICATING: HOW, WHAT and WHY Provided by H.O.G. Author J.T. Hasley In today s fast moving world of communication technology, we can sometimes be overloaded with information. Instances occur where needing to know the latest and most up to date information for you and your chapter membership is important. As H.O.G. members we want to know the latest information such as when and where HOG Officer Training is, state H.O.G. Rally info, and updates or information related to State Rally planning meetings. (Note: Chapter Assistant Directors are the contact for H.O.G. State Rally info/updates) One of the best ways to get the latest greatest information to you begins with a couple of channels for communicating: H.O.G. Magazine H.O.G. Insider Chapter Officer Newsletter and of course sending you an are ways we stay connected. These communication channels provide Information you can share with your chapter membership; information H.O.G. feels is important. Not getting your H.O.G. Magazine, Insider or anything else from the mother ship? Please read on Your membership contact info that was supplied to H.O.G. is how we stay connected with the late breaking and most up to date information. If your contact information is not current, chances are you are not getting the most up to date info. You may have missed that the latest edition of Chapter Officer Newsletter is now available at members.hog.com. You may have missed receiving advanced notice of really important information that goes out via blasts. It might even be information that cannot wait for the next H.O.G. Magazine or Insider. Now let me ask, is your contact information up to date and accurate? Have you changed your address recently or maybe your phone number? Did you move and have a new home address? If the answer is no, still at the same house, with the same phone number and address, please continue to read as below will be some help you can share with your membership. If yes, keep reading.. You and members of your chapter can update contact info easily at members.hog.com. All members can change their profile information and change their information in our internal H.O.G. program. Go to members.hog.com and click on the Membership tab. A drop box will appear and there you would click on Manage Membership. Two areas will come up so a member can edit on line profile and one to update membership profile. Make the necessary changes, save and be surprised when you once again receive information. Now that you have read this you are in the know and can efficiently communicate to your membership how to update their info.

10 La Crosse Area Harley-Davidson 1116 Oak Forest Drive Onalaska, Wisconsin La Crosse Area Chapter H.O.G. We are on the lacrossehog.com A big thank you to this months contributors: Dave Sarnowski, Barb Sarnowski, Paul Callan, and Mike & Bea Chilson. If you have an article or picture you would like to contribute, contact Mike or Bea Chilson at mikebea@centurytel.net or (608) Articles/pictures should be submitted by the 15th to be included in the next newsletter. April 2014