Gold Wing Road Rider s Association Chapter P Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania July/August, 2008 PA District, Northeastern Region

Transcription

1 Chapter PA P July/August, 2008 Page 1 of 8 Gold Wing Road Rider s Association Chapter P Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania July/August, 2008 PA District, Northeastern Region National Staff: Executive Director: Melissa Nordoeff x212 Region B Staff: NE Region Director: Lorraine & Earl Knight District Staff: District Director: Chuck & Evelyn Stone Asst. District Directors: Jake & Cheryl Lewis Gordon & Pat Geissler Dennis & Pam Milford Tom & Renee Wasluck Chapter P Staff: Chapter Directors: Marty & Karen Miller Assistant Chapter Directors: Roy & Shirley Hoak Gathering: 3 rd Sunday of every month Eat N Park Restaurant Route 60 & Manor Park Drive Robinson Township, PA :30am Breakfast / 10:00am Meeting Birthdays: Ed Horne 7/1 Donna Eagle 7/14 Bob Minsterman 7/18 Joe Pallotti 8/14 Lee Corfield 8/21 Roy Hoak 9/3 Carol Horne 9/6 Michael Mignella 9/6 Denise Chuderewicz 9/10 Chapter Educator: Andy Lucas Treasurer: Bob Minsterman, Jr Chapter Couple 2008: Roy & Shirley Hoak Ride Coordinator: Larry Meyer Public Relations: Chuck Jack MAD Coordinator: Andy Lucas Newsletter Editor: Jayne Minsterman chapterpnews@yahoo.com Event Coordinator: Suzanne Benedict Plaque Attack Coordinators: Position Available Goodies: Karen Miller Greeting Cards: Jayne Minsterman Webmaster: Marty Miller

2 Chapter PA P July/August, 2008 Page 2 of 2 Miller s Mentionables By Marty & Karen Miller Chapter Directors I hope everyone is getting in some riding. We have been very busy. Karen & I went to Chapter I s meeting in Reynoldsville. We were very happy that we took the car as we drove through horrendous storms on the way back. Chapter I had a great turnout at Fatman s Restaurant right in downtown Reynoldsville and we were welcomed with open arms. A couple days later, we went to Chapter U s bike show at the Dairy Queen in Delmont. They had a great turnout and I would say it was a 50/50 split between the GoldWings and the Harleys. We had dinner there and then they passed out 2/1 coupons for ice cream. So, we sat around and had ice cream. It was a beautiful ride home and we didn t get wet. That s because Roy stayed home!!! The next week, I went up to Chapter D for their gathering on Thursday night and met Carl there. I made the right call that night as I took the car. Carl had fish swimming in the sidecar on the way home. On Friday of that week, I went to Chapter T s meeting in Somerset while Karen was at work. It was a perfect night for a ride. They have their meeting at the King s about ½ mile off the turnpike. I had a great time and had a great ride home. On Saturday of that week, we went to the car cruise at Pittsburgh Mills where there were classic cars and motorcycles. Karen and I walked through the crowd and handed out Ride for Kids brochures. We gave out about 200 brochures. Hopefully some of those people turned out at the ride. I went to Chapter E s meeting in Belle Vernon at the Holiday Inn. It was a quick meeting as they needed the room for an event that was scheduled. With all of the Chapters that I have gone to, can you believe I haven t won any 50/50 s. After Chapter E s meeting, I went to N&R Trike for their open house. There, I met Larry, Carl, Norm and Barb and we all came on bikes except Barb who brought the car because she just had her knee replaced 3 weeks ago. She is walking with a cane but she had no problem picking up her $200 prize when they called her name. However, Norm spent that in a little more than 5 minutes. If you did not go to Honda Homecoming, you missed a great time. We got there Friday afternoon and the hotel had water and pizza for the guests. We went downtown where we met Howie and Carl. After visiting the vendor area, we got something to eat and waited for the parade. It seemed like the parade would never end, as there was over 1,000 bikes in the parade. Every kind of bike was represented there. We were staying about 3 miles away so it only took about 30 minutes to go back to the hotel. The next day, Karen and I went to Bellefontaine and checked out the vendor area. They had quite a few vendors but we didn t buy anything. We left there and headed to the plant for the GoldWing drawing. When we arrived, we parked about a ½ mile away because there were that many bikes. You would of thought Honda didn t make that many bikes. Well I did not get to bring home my new bike as somebody from Ohio won the bike. When the drawing was over, the parking lot cleared out and we just waited for the crowd to die down. On the way home, Carl and Karen and I stopped at Chapter E s meeting in Wheeling. They have their meeting at Hoss s and we once again had too much to eat. We left there and had a great evening ride home with beautiful weather. On July 27 th, Karen and I went out to Chapter C s gathering in Chambersburg. It was a beautiful ride in the country as we went out Route 30. When we arrived, they were surprised we brought the bike because it was storming 5 miles away. Well, Roy wasn t with us so we did not get wet. They have their meeting in the back of a restaurant and you can order lunch if you would like. On the way home, we stopped at

3 Chapter PA P July/August, 2008 Page 3 of 3 Chuck s house and made his day by giving him some raffle money. We then jumped on the turnpike and arrived home about 9:30. On Sunday, August 3 rd, I went to Chapter E s Funday at Coopers Rock near Morgantown. It was like a mini rally as we had all the food we could eat and I had a great time. Between Honda Homecoming, the ride to Chambersburg and the ride to Coopers Rock, I put 1250 miles on the bike in 3 rides. I can t remember when I was able to put that many miles on in a couple of days. As you can see, we have been busy and it will get busier with some of the planned upcoming rides. I hope some of you can make these rides. Condolences The Chapter P family extends its heartfelt sympathy to Andy Lucas and his daughter, Heather, on the passing of Patricia Lucas, their loving wife/mother. Rider Education By Andy Lucas Chapter Educator Stupid Hurts And Keeps On Hurting This article appeared in the American Motorcyclist Magazine and I thought that it brought home the idea of stupidity. It was a sunny day, 97 degrees, and I had some quick deliveries to make. I jumped on my 2005 GoldWing trike. I always wear a helmet, but it was hot and I was only going a few miles, so I figured shorts and a t-shirt would be OK. Besides, trikes don t tip over. I was on a four-lane road when a vehicle in front of me stopped to turn left. I stopped, too. The next thing I knew, I was hanging on the left side of the trike, dragging my left butt cheek on the hot pavement. I had been hit from behind. I later found out that a third vehicle rear-ended the car that hit me, and then left the scene. Thanks to my decision to ride in shorts and a t-shirt, I am now being treated for serious road rash. Each week, I visit a care center that specializes in deep-skin wounds for debriding, where a doctor takes a quarter-inch spoonshaped tool and scrapes the wound to keep it from scabbing. Yes, it is as painful as it sounds. The doctors say I shouldn t have any scarring as long as they continue the treatment for the next six or eight weeks. Bottom line: Wear the proper riding gear or don t ride. Please learn from me: STUPID HURTS! Chapter Ride to Wing Ding 30 By Marty & Karen Miller Chapter Directors It was a beautiful day for a ride on Wednesday, July 2, as six bikes set out for Dandridge, Tennessee. We left about 8 o clock in the morning and arrived at our hotel about 6 o clock. I led the ride followed by Joe and Mary, Ed and Carol, Carl, Willie and Dave, who brought up the rear. We put Willie and Dave in the rear due to their noisy, noisy bikes. Those guys were running open pipes. Every time Dave keyed the mike you could hear the rumble. I am glad I wasn t behind them. Wednesday night we decided to go to Shoney s instead of me buying dinner. After dinner, we sat around the pool and had a great evening. The next day, we were off to Deals Gap at about 8:30. We went down through Pigeon Forge and then headed toward Maryville where we picked up the Foothills Parkway which leads down to the infamous Route 129. The new

4 Chapter PA P July/August, 2008 Page 4 of 4 speed limit is 30 mph on that road and we saw state police officers enforcing it with a radar gun. The talk is there have been too many wrecks and too many people hurt so they are trying to slow everyone down. When we arrived at the Motorcycle Resort, we found that Chapter P s t-shirt from a couple years ago is still hanging on the ceiling. The new Deals Gap t-shirts have an 1800 on the shirt so I had to have one of those. When we left there, we only had four bikes, as Dave and Willie wanted to ride some other roads in the area. So, the four remaining bikes headed on down the road past the Fontana Dam and that road took us over to Interstate 40 that took us to Asheville where we picked up I26 and headed south. We stopped at Hendersonville and checked our maps and we found a shortcut to Greenville and it indeed was a very nice road. Once we got to Greenville, the four bikes split up and we went to our hotels. After I arrived at my hotel, Karen and I left to go help with the light parade as we promised we would help. After the parade, everyone was getting in line for ice cream and we left to go back to the room to order pizza. We had our dinner at 11:45 at night. On Friday, we went down to the Carolina First Center where they had all the vendors set up. Later in the day, we decided to meet downtown and watch the Grand Parade followed by dinner and fireworks. We watched the fireworks from the top of the parking garage we were parked. Leaving the city was another problem as all those people were also trying to leave. It took us about an hour to get back to the room. The next day, we went and watched the drill teams perform. There was one from Canada and one from Florida. They also had a couple of stunt guys that rode the bikes sitting on the passenger footrest and one guy even rode the bike backwards. How many bikes did he crash while learning that? The Top Gun competition was cancelled due to what else rain. We finished up with one more walk through the vendor area before we headed to the Olive Garden for dinner. On the way there, it was lightning and thundering. We were only in the restaurant about 5 minutes when the sky opened up. We took our time eating and by the time we were done the sun was back out. Karen and I headed back to the hotel so we could get packed up for the morning ride home. We left about 6:30 and were home by 5:30, which included an hour and a half for dinner. From Greenville to our house was 580 miles and the whole trip was about 1400 miles. The other 3 bikes stayed for the closing ceremonies on Sunday and then started home Sunday night. They were going to stop in Wytheville and spend the night. The next day they were going to take some back roads home and they had a great ride. It was a very good ride as nobody got hurt, nobody got any tickets, but everybody spent too much money. Next year s WingDing will be held in Tulsa, Oklahoma. It looks to be another great Wing Ding. Tulsa is about 1,000 miles and should be a two-day ride. I would suggest that you make your reservations early. Sick Bay Please keep these people in your prayers as they are under the weather. Shirley Lamb - with her therapy and recent hospital stay. Judy Byers is doing much better. Barb Loche - with her knee replacement. Hopefully everyone is getting better so they can ride soon. Ride For Kids By Marty & Karen Miller Chapter Directors Our Ride For Kids event was August 10 th and the day started off a little rainy at 5:00am. The day dried up and we had a great Ride for Kids even though we fell short of the money raised last year.

5 Chapter PA P July/August, 2008 Page 5 of 5 Last year s was about $64,000 and this year s was only $52,000. I would like to thank the Chapter members who attended and got the Chapter 4 th place on the stage. Chapter D came in 1st place; Chapter N came in 2nd place; and Chapter E came in 3 rd place. Herb Springer of Chapter E won the bike. The Chapter raised $3,495 for the Kids. I would really like to thank Steve and Laura for their dedication in raising money as they will be stepping down as Task Force Leaders. They have done a fantastic job with this ride in Pittsburgh. Linda and Gordon will be stepping up and taking over the leader position. Again THANK YOU STEVE AND LAURA FOR ALL OF YOUR HARD WORK!! Enjoy and Entertainment Books Chapter P is selling Enjoy Books and Entertainment Books again this year. The price of the Enjoy Book has been increased to $27.00, but you can get that back in two dinners. The price of the Entertainment Book has been reduced to $ We will have both books at all future Gatherings so you can see what is in them. Please see Karen, Marty, Bob or Jayne if you would like to purchase one (or more) of these. The Chapter makes $7.00 on each Enjoy Book that is sold and $9.00 on each Entertainment Book. These Books make great Christmas presents! Eat N Park Cards If you re having breakfast at the Gathering, why not purchase an Eat N Park card or two? The Chapter makes $1.00 on every card that we sell. It s a win-win situation for both Chapter P and you. You buy a $10.00 Eat N Park card for $ If your total check doesn t amount to $10,00, you can tell the cashier to give the balance of the card to the waitress as his/her tip or you can keep the card and use it the next time you re at Eat N Park. Eat N Park cards make great Christmas presents or anytime presents! MINSTERMAN ACCOUNTING & TAX SERVICE ROBERT H. MINSTERMAN, JR. ACCOUNTANT 1145 Brownsville Road Phone: (412) Pittsburgh, PA Fax: (412) Ignore These State Traffic Laws And Find Yourself In Trouble By Andy Lucas Chapter Educator A series of tweaks to Pennsylvania s traffic laws during the past few years have changed the rules of the road. And they have teeth. Here s a summary of some new and established laws you should be aware of: 1. Wipe n light. Drivers are now required to have their headlights on anytime their windshield wipers are operating---regardless of the time of day. 2. Steer clear. Drivers are now required to shift left a lane when they come upon a police traffic stop or tow truck pickup. If that isn t possible, they need to slow way down. Reports of violations by road workers as well as emergency personnel can trigger citations. Fine: up to $ and a 90 day license suspension. 3. Move over. If an emergency vehicle approaches you from behind with its lights and siren on, you have to yield immediately, moving to the right side of the road until that vehicle has passed. 4. Clear ear. The code prohibits drivers from wearing headphones, earbuds, or other hearing impairment devices while driving. Single ear Bluetooth devices and hearing aids are okay. 5. Litter free. The code prohibits littering or depositing waste on any highways, waters, or

6 Chapter PA P July/August, 2008 Page 6 of 6 properties in Pennsylvania. That includes cigarette butts. 6. No tint. The code prohibits sun screening or non-factory tinting of window glass anywhere on a passenger vehicle. 7. No TV. Television sets and DVD players are only allowed in the back seats. If they re visible to the driver, there s a fine of $108. Most of these are just common sense, but I thought everyone may not be familiar with these laws. Remember: Protect any portion of your body that you wish to use in life later on.

7 Chapter PA P July/August, 2008 Page 7 of 7 August 30 Saturday Ride to Canfield Fair Canfield, OH meet Eat N Park Robinson Twp 09:00am September 1st Monday Staff Meeting tba 07:00 pm September 7th September 13th Sunday Saturday Brunch Ride to Rockwood Inn Ride for Cystic Fibrosis September 21st Sunday Gathering September 21st September 27th Sunday Saturday Ride to Smicksburg Apple Fest Ride to USS Niagara Somerset, PA E. Palastine, OH Eat N Park Robinson Twp Smicksburg, PA Erie, PA tbd meet Eat N Park Robinson Twp 08:00 08:30 eat 10:00 meeting after gathering meet Kings Wexford 09:00 am

8 Chapter PA P July/August, 2008 Page 8 of 8 SALES SERVICE PARTS ACCESSORIES TRI STATES ORIGINAL HONDA-KAWASAKI DEALER Joe Martin Owner Phone (412) Rt. 51 at Ensign Avenue Fax (412) (2 blocks from Liberty Tunnels) Pittsburgh, PA Motorcycles Monday, Tuesday, Thursday 10:00 a.m. 8:00 p.m. All-terrain Vehicles Friday 10:00 a.m. 6:00 p.m. Financing Saturday 9:00 a.m. 3:00 p.m. Insurance Closed Wednesday and Sunday Service G. W. R. R. A. Chapter PA P Bob & Jayne Minsterman, Editors 2521 Kingwood Street Pittsburgh, PA