Ridges to Rivers Tales

Transcription

1 Ridges to Rivers Tales March Officers NEWS FROM THE ASSISTANT DIRECTOR Hello Everyone, Here we are in the middle of winter. Cabin fever has set in. I am ever so thankful that we have things to do like the Winter Party, the Chili Cook-Off that the store had and, of course, the bus trip to the International Motorcycle show in the Cities, and finally the State Rally meeting. First, I ll go with the Winter Party. This year had to be as good as it has ever been. I m pleased with the way everyone steps in to help make this a huge success. Thanks definitely go out to Dan Woodard for arranging the party. Next, Greg Gerlach with his very clever awards. Mike Chilson for his very interesting conclusion to the years activities. And finally, to Dave Sarnowski, for doing the MDA auction. Thanks must also be given to all the people that brought in donated items to be auctioned off. And also to the people that bought the items. Thank you all. I think we netted about $1,000. I think we have to include the people from the American Legion for both the nice place we use and also the good food we had, which goes back to thanking Dan Woodard again. I am not going to touch on the Chili Cook-off because Eric will have a lot to say about it at the meeting. The bus trip to the motorcycle show was outstanding, except that the one wearing the lucky rabbit foot was not the lucky one. Instead that happened to be a guy with the initials D. S. Haven t figured it out yet. One clue. He was our last chapter director. I think there were more vendors than usual, at least I spent more money than usual. And I found out I am not the only person that has trouble finding the center. The Mall is just the Mall. Dave and Barb, Lorraine, and myself attended the State Rally meeting at the Kalahari in Wisconsin Dells. We were able to get the time that we wanted for doing registration. Once again, the lucky rabbit foot failed to do its thing. I m beginning to think I have to change my name to Howard or Earl. Let us hope that it will come through for me in this weekends drawing for the 250 million dollars. Dallas Drawver La Crosse Area Harley Owners Group Sponsoring Dealer La Crosse Area Harley-Davidson (608) Director John Tillman (608) tillman.john@uwlax.edu Assistant Director Bob Dallas Drawver (608) dallas12@centurytel.net Secretary Linda Schmal (507) Hedge_hog_hollow@hotmail.com Treasurer April Gillmeister (608) Head Road Captain Greg Gerlach (507) gerlachl@acegroup.cc Activities Director Tom Ernst (608) ternst@yahoo.com LOH Officer Susan Woodard (608) Lingchop2@aol.com Editors Mike & Bea Chilson (608) mikebeatrev@centurytel.net Historian/Photographer Bob Dallas Drawver (608) dallas12@centurytel.net

2 Ridges to Rivers Tales Page 2 THE 2006 CHILI COOK-OFF WAS HOT! For an event that was just a stab in the dark, this first annual event was a blast! When we first thought of a chili cook-off, as a way to break the January ho-hums, we didn t even have an idea of who would be a charity that we could partner up with to make this work. On a whim, I gave our friend Brucie Bumchuckles from radio a call and he hooked us up with Operation HomeFront. This turned out to be a perfect match to spice up the event. Patty, from O.H., was in full force from the first phone call. They were thrilled to be involved and were able to do a tremendous amount of advertising and manpower to push us into the public eye. From radio to print and television, our little event was being promoted everywhere you looked. The Cook-Off was a huge success. With over 36 competitors, we had chili of every color, texture and temperature to sample. The event ran from 11 am to 3 pm and the floor was packed for every minute of it. The team from O.H. met everyone as they entered the door and tables filled every nook and cranny that we could find. Tasters were able to take their spoons, napkins and appetites to each contestant who would then fill a 4 oz cup for the sampling. If you left hungry, it was definitely your own fault! It seemed like the hotter blends ran out first and the milder ones were cleaned out at the end. We even had one contestant that tried to persuade votes with a platter full of bar-b-qued chicken wings! When it was all done and the last bowl was scraped clean, the winner of the First Annual Chili Cook-Off was Laudy Allen. Second place was taken by Dave Sarnowski and our own Jerry Davenport pull a close third. Over 200 people donated to O.H. to participate and help them raised over $1,100 for the event. Even the friendly competition between Franciscan Skemp Chef, John Haverty and radio host, Brucie Bumchuckles, for a unique celebrity trophy added extra excitement to the day. John won the challenge this year, but Brucie vowed to be back next year for another try. I want to thank everyone from the chapter that participated as either a chili cooker or chili taster for the support and efforts to make this event work. The response was fantastic when I asked the members at the meeting to sign up and bring in their best chili. Hopefully, everyone, and a few more, enjoyed the day enough to be back again next year and try to heat up a Saturday in January! Eric

3 Page 3 La Crosse Area Chapter H.O.G February 11, 2006 La Crosse HOG Meeting Minutes Westview Inn, West Salem, WI 37 members present Meeting called to 1:05 p.m. by Director, John Tillman January Minutes and Financial Report approved by the membership Eric Eade - Store Liaison Eric was unable to make the meeting. However, the Chili Cook-Off was a success, $ 1,100 was raised for Operation HomeFront. The dealership will be making this an annual event. Thanks to everyone that made chili, volunteered their time and also all those who came as chili tasters. Activities Director Dan Woodard will be retiring as our activities director. Tom Ernst has volunteered to be the new chapter activities director. The Holiday Party was attended by 69 people. Everyone reported having a good time. In addition $1,010 was raised for MDA. Thanks to everyone who helped in the organization of the party, games and the auction. Also thanks to everyone who donated and bought auction items. A special thanks goes to Mike and Bea for the wonderful video presentation. The bus trip to the International Motorcycle Show was attended by 28 people. All those who attended enjoyed the show. Thanks to Ron Schmal for organizing the bus and providing on board games. MDA UPDATE The chapter will be looking for volunteers for the event. Dave Sarnowski has volunteered to coordinate the registration. Dallas, Lorraine and April have volunteered to handle the sponsorship/poster details. We will need volunteers to solicit and collect door prizes and also a volunteer to handle the grounds duties. Dan McCammon suggested we do a memorial for one of our past ambassadors who recently passed away Ride Calendar Meeting dates were added for the rest of this year. The Annual Tillman ride was put on the calendar for the weekend of July This years ride will go through the center of the state to the Ashland area and other parts in the beautiful north woods. If you have ride suggestions please bring them to the next meeting. STATE RALLY Dave, Barb, Dallas and Lorraine attended the planning meeting recently. There will be some changes in the events this year. Our chapter will again be doing the registration 7:30-10:00 on Saturday morning. There are still a few people needed to help with registration. Contact John to sign up. Rally info will be at the dealership. 50/50 was won by Mike Schmidt March 4 th Meeting Location: CHINA BUFFET Village Plaza Shopping Center 1611 Losey Blvd S La Crosse, WI (meet in the backroom starting at 11:30 a.m., meeting at 1:00 p.m. Thanks to Terry Griffell for arranging the location.

4 Ridges to Rivers Tales Page 4 La Crosse Area Chapter H.O.G SHOCKED Submitted By: Dallas Drawver Once again the name Bill Janklow, former Congressman of South Dakota gets in the news. He was convicted of felony manslaughter in the death of motorcyclist, Randy Scott in August of Bill Janklow drove through a stop sign at 70 mph. into the path of Scott s motorcycle, causing the crash that killed him. This is the same man that had a dozen speeding tickets in four years before he was elected to the first of four terms as governor. Weeks before the fatal crash the Nebraska Highway Patrol stopped Janklow for speeding, but let him off with a warning. He even joked about his speeding in speeches. Janklow was involved in 7 crashes over 11 years with most of them being his fault. As a result of the conviction in the Scott s death, he had to pay $11,000 in fines and fees and serve 100- day jail sentence. He is still on probation for the crime. Through legal maneuvers, he avoided any financial responsibility for the fatal accident he caused. He claimed that he had been at a picnic earlier in the day, which he was acting in an official capacity. This means the Scott family could not sue him for damages. And now here it comes. Thanks to a successful appeal to the state Supreme Court, Bill Janklow can now go back to practicing law like nothing has ever happened. Now get this. Bill Janklow said to the justices who restored his license, Every day I understand that somebody died in a traffic accident. I don t think that affects my ability to be a lawyer. I can tell you that I m sorry for what happened, and I think people understand that. On the other hand, I ve enjoyed being a lawyer. I like practicing law. Other people who are convicted of a felony cannot run for elected office, vote in an election, can t own a firearm, enlist in the military, or become a policeman. You can t serve on a jury, and might find it hard to even get a job. But things are different in South Dakota. You can be a lawyer and maybe HANG SOMEONE ELSE FOR THE SAME TYPE OF CRIME. Only if your name is BILL JANKLOW. This information comes from the AMA, other than a couple of my own statements I only felt it necessary to include. Dallas New Members for the Months of February & March Welcome!! Peggy Chapel - Houston Verland Flatten - La Crescent Sue Iverson - La Crescent Denise Nicholson - Onalaska Brian Trimble - Ettrick Daniel MJ & Gloria McGammon - Arcadia

5 Page 5 STATE RALLY UPDATE We are starting to approach that time of the year when we can start to get serious once again about our traveling plans for the coming year. One destination for many people on an annual basis is the Wisconsin state rally. January 29 th, the Wisconsin State HOG rally planning meeting was held in Wisconsin Dells to answer questions and present plans for the 2006 rally in Green Bay. Topics included: lodging, camping, registration, chapter volunteering, biker games and food to name a few of the discussion items. Lodging at this point is mostly taken care of for those from our Chapter who have indicated they are planning on attending the rally. The rooms we have reserved at the Bay Motel and the Radisson are booked and by the time this Newsletter is published, any rooms we have not used will have been returned to the open market. That does NOT mean all the rooms are gone. Should anyone decide between now and June 23 rd to attend the rally, using the Wisconsin State HOG rally web site: and clicking on the lodging link will get you to a site that will take online reservations. Any hotel listed on the online site will have shuttle bus service. There may or may not be rooms left at the Bay or Radisson, but there are many to choose from. Camping information will also be available at the same web site, but the information may not be online until a little later in the spring. Shuttle service will be available to those places as well. Online registration should be up and running by the time this Newsletter is published at the same address listed earlier. Early discounted registration ends May 5 th and confirmation cards will be sent out around the 22 nd of May. The cost is $35 for National HOG members and guests are $25. Bandannas, patches, and new this year, a state rally baseball cap, are also available at an extra cost. The State rally committee is also trying something else new this year and offering a buffet dinner Saturday night at the Casino before Lou Gramm, the lead singer of Foreigner, takes the stage from 8:00 to 10:00 p.m. If you pre-register for the buffet dinner when you register for the rally, the cost is $10, $15 after that. Poker runs are a fun part of any state rally and there will be both an on the way to the rally Poker Run and an on-site Poker Run during the rally. Because of venue restrictions, there is no team volleyball or motorcycle light show this year, but a four person per chapter Texas Hold em tournament, two person Recliner QB contest and an Oneida Indian dance show have been added to last year s games and attractions. If you have any questions, check the State rally posters, pamphlets and online sites for information or see Dallas or Dave. MOTORCYCLE EXPO Looking for something to do while waiting for the weather to cooperate? There will be a Motorcycle Expo including a bike show and swap meet in West Union, Iowa on March 11 and 12. Admission is $5 and there will be food and music. The Expo is held at the Speedway in West Union.

6 Page 6 Interesting Intersections By Chuck Miles How often have we heard the same old story? You know, the one about the car turning left in front of the motorcycle and the bike crashing into it. It s the story where the driver was at fault and the biker was surprised and could do nothing to avoid the turning car. It s the one that ends with an inconvenience for the driver and a much more disastrous outcome for the rider. It s not a new story. It s one everyone knows about. It s the one we hear too often. It is a fact that most multi-vehicle motorcycle crashes involve another vehicle violating the biker s right of way. These crashes most often occur at intersections when the other vehicle turns left in front of the motorcycle. Regardless of the details, the results are almost always the same; the biker loses because the other vehicle offers its occupants more protection. I don t want to trivialize the impact these crashes have on the riders involved, but I do have to question their riding style. I have to ask why we allow this situation to happen. If we know that intersections are the areas where the greatest chance of conflict with other vehicles can occur, why don t we better prepare ourselves for it? If cars turning left in front of us represent our greatest danger, why aren t we expecting it to happen? Why do we plow through intersections assuming everyone else will behave and play by the rules? I m not suggesting we avoid intersections, but I am proposing that we accept some responsibility for what happens to us in them because we have the most to lose in a crash. When we see an SUV waiting to turn left at the intersection, why aren t we asking ourselves what we would do if it did make that turn in front of us? How could we position ourselves to increase our visibility to the other driver? How could we adjust our speed and position so we might be better able to avoid a collision if the SUV does turn? Did we see the steering wheel move or the wheels begin to roll that would tell us it s about to happen? We re not responsible for the other drivers actions, but we must be responsible for how we handle what they do. We may have the right of way through the intersection, but we must be willing to give that up if necessary. If our choices are yielding to someone not playing nicely on the road or crashing, I think the obvious decision would be to let them go. We know crashes often happen where roads meet, even for cars, so we ve got to prepare ourselves for the reality that someone may violate our path of travel. We ve got to be thinking about what we ll do if that reality occurs. We ve got to be ready for the interesting things that take place at intersections so we don t meet the other drivers up close. Ride Smart! Ride Safe! March by Chuck Miles Used with permission Dave Sarnowski says, Spring s on the way - get those lawn mowers ready.

7 Page Tentative Calendar of Events ( ) January 28 th Chili Cook Off Operation HomeFront February 3-5 International Motorcycle Show Minneapolis, MN International Motorcycle Show Chicago, IL Open Open March 4 Meeting China Buffet (Village Plaza) 1611 Losey Blvd S La Crosse 4-5 Open 6-11 Daytona, FL Bike Week Open Open April 15 th Spring Flood Run event HOG Office Training Milwaukee Laughlin, NV River Run May 6-7 Open 13 th Mother s Day event 20 th Big Bikes For Little Tikes Myrtle Beach, SC Bike Week Open June 2-4 Road America, Elkhart Lake, WI 11 th Ward McKenzie Memorial Rockton Chicken Q Ride 17 th Father s Day event Minnesota State HOG Rally Rochester, MN Wisconsin State HOG Rally Green Bay, WI? 2 nd Annual Ron Groth Cancer Ride July 1-2 Open 8-9 Open 15 th Meeting Open Tillman Ride Iowa State HOG Rally Des Moines Milwaukee Rally State Fair Park, West Allis, WI 29 4 th Annual Diabetes Ride? Rudy s Bike Night? Dyno Shoot Out? Annual Ride To Work Day August 5-12 Sturgis Bike Week, Sturgis, SD 19 Meeting Open 26 Matt Mattson Ride? Rudy s Bike Night September (No Meeting) 3 MDA Poker Run 4 MDA Check run to Eau Claire 9-10 Open 16 Fall Flood Run Tomahawk, WI Open House Open 30 Oktoberfest Maple Leaf Parade? National Open House October 7-8 Open 14 Toys For Tots Ride Biketoberfest, Daytona Beach, FL Open

8 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, Linda Schmal, Dallas Drawver, Eric Eade and Mike & Bea Chilson. If you have an article or picture you would like to contribute, contact Mike or Bea Chilson at mikebeatrev@centurytel.net or (608) Articles/pictures should be submitted by the 15th to be included in the next newsletter. March 2006 Some may have had fun, but as you can see I had a hell of a lot more fun. There is nothing like flying through the air risking life and limb for your friends. Dallas