THE CAPITAL REPORT GWTA OF MICHIGAN Chapter A"

Transcription

1 THE CAPITAL REPORT GWTA OF MICHIGAN Chapter A" SEPTEMBER 2012 Lansing, MI. Region F Directors Region F Board Reps. Bob & Kim Davis Ronnie & Kathe Vaughn gwtaregionf@yahoo.com OFFICERS ronniejvaughn@windstream.net State Directors: Terry Hammond & Ron Klann tvhammond@cablespeed.com rbklann@yahoo.com Chapter Director: Eric Larson ericmlarson@ermichigan.com Asst. Chap. Director: Treasurer(s): Karmen Bentley Thomas Ongstad knf785@aol.com gwta@broadstripe.net Newsletter Editor: Marcy Schafer schafer4@msu.edu Trip Coordinator: Al Jack al@michjack.com Sunshine Person: Stacie Larson snazzysax12@ermichigan.com Events Coordinator: Barbara Ongstad kitten1964@broadstripe.net Safety Director: Chapter webmaster: Eric Larson ericmlarson@ermichigan.com From Your Chapter Director The month of September is now upon us and it has some of us asking the question about where the summer went. Wow, it is hard to imagine that it won t be long and the leaves will be changing and the snow birds will be heading for warmer climates for the winter. But before we rush into that thought, let s continue with the great riding season that we have had so far. August brought us some really great rides. As I write this, we ve had three really nice mid week rides and one fantastic dinner ride. Well OK the dinner ride itself wasn t all that long or spectacular in terms of the ride itself, but you have to trade something for the really good meals that we all had. I m expecting that our last mid week ride of August will be nice too, after all, why break the winning streak of four great rides when we can make it five. And we ve had three nice weekends for the Chapter Fun Runs that have occurred so far. Oh that s right, one of them didn t start out really well in the rain, but it turned out very nice by the time we got to the check in point for registration. Hopefully the last upcoming one will be as nice.

2 Now as we drift into September, don t forget that we still have three really nice events coming up with the Das Essenhaus ride, the Chapter C Fun Run and the Pennsylvania State Rally. And don t forget our mid week rides, which for safety purposes and due to our shorter daylight hours will start a half hour sooner at 6:30 p.m. to insure we get done by dark. Speaking of darkness, don t forget that as we head into the fall riding season, the threat of deer crossing the roadways increases as we see the twilight hours moving in closer to the end of our rides and the deer become harder to see in the shadows. So please everyone, slow down and be on the lookout for these animals crossing the roadways. One thing I believe I failed to mention at the August meeting is that for September we should hold our Officer Elections as I believe we have always done this in September each year. All positions, including mine as your Chapter Director are up for election. Please let me know if you would like to continue in your current position, change positions or step down and let someone else do the job. As the current Chapter Director, I will coordinate the nominations. If you need to know what the responsibilities of a position are, give me a call or me and I can help you understand what those responsibilities are. From past experience at several different levels throughout the association, I can tell you that it is an honor to serve our fellow association members as an officer. And the beauty of GWTA is that when you decide you are done serving, you don t step down, but instead step back up to simply being a member. Give some thought to what you can contribute to the overall operation of our association and let me know if and how you want to help. Please ride safe and I m looking forward to seeing you soon at an upcoming event. September Birthdays 5 th Dan Mecham 11 th Ron Fox 26 th Mary Tithof September Anniversaries 20 th Gene & Beth Hoover CHAPTER MEETING Notes 8/14/12 Eric opened the meeting by welcoming everyone present tonight and a special welcome to the Larson women. It has been a long time since all four Larson s were at a GWTA event together. August birthdays and anniversaries were announced and included Marcy Schafer on August 15 th and Terry Hammond on August 24 th for birthdays with Al & Mary Jack celebrating their wedding anniversary (46 th ) on August 13 th. Terry declined our offer for singing Happy Birthday and Vickie felt that after we embarrassed her at the last meeting with out wonderful singing, that we didn t need to shame Terry because she was depending on him for a ride home after the meeting. Karmen gave the Treasurer s Report and we are still solvent. Reminder that the remaining mid week rides are out of the Mason McDonalds for the month of August. The dinner ride is the fourth Wednesday night this month on the 22 nd and we will depart at 6:30 p.m. for that ride. There is still a fifth week to ride out of Mason and that last ride will start at 7:00 p.m. September rides begin one half hour earlier at 6:30 p.m. and will be out of Eaton Rapids McDonalds. We still have 3 fun runs left for the year with the locations and registration times noted. Chapter H2 on the 18 th departing out of Mason McDonalds at 8:30 a.m. Chapter G on the 25 th departing out of the Mason McDonalds at 9:00 a.m. Chapter C is on September 8 th and will depart out of the Charlotte McDonalds at 9:00 a.m. Also there is the Das Essen House ride on September 1 st to Middlebury, Indiana which will depart the Charlotte McDonalds at 9:00 a.m. All Rally Apps and Fun Run information is on our chapter website and has been ed to the membership at least one time. If you are in need of a flyer or application, please visit the website at or Eric at EricMLarson@ermichigan.com or give him a call and he will get you the needed information. Reminder was given that the fall color tour is going to be in Ludington, Michigan at the Best Western Splash Park Inn from October 5 th thru 8 th. The

3 registration deadline for a guaranteed room rate of $62.99 plus tax is only through September 1 st. Al Jack mentioned that when he called he was quoted $99.00 until he mentioned GWTA and then was given the reduced rate. The phone number is For Miscellaneous Business, Chris mentioned that a card had been sent to Tom Hills in sympathy of the passing of Ginger on August 1 st. They were members a couple of years back and Ginger was having many problems at that time with diabetes, kidney dialysis and an amputation. Karmen mentioned that she had talked to Mary Tithof and Elaine Lawson is feeling much better after her surgery and is getting out and about more. She also reported that Mary had told her that Mary Bolton was doing fine too. Gerry LaMere offered a size small blue smurff jacket with a red bike on the back to anyone who needed one. Karmen Bentley was the winner (who would have ever imagined that) of the 50/50 drawing tonight taking home $18.00 in winnings. Next Chapter meeting will be Tuesday, September 11, 2012 at the Flap Jack Restaurant on S. Waverly Rd. Dinner at 6:00pm. Business meeting to follow dinner. From the Sunshine Corner Ah, a great summer day when the air conditioner is finally turned off and a gentle breeze is blowing in some much needed fresh air into the house. The weather report this morning said we would have lower than normal temperatures this week, but to me high-70s with sun sounds like a perfect late August day. Ginger Hills, a former chapter member passed away earlier this month after a long battle with several health issues. Please keep her husband Tom and their entire family close to your heart during this difficult time. Keep the sunny thoughts headed Elaine Lawson s way as she keeps on the road to full recovery this summer. Hang in there, Elaine! We are all pulling for you. And finally, thank you everyone for your cards and positive vibes that have made their way to our house. I m over the half-way point with my chemo treatments and headed down the final stretch. It s wonderful to have just a great group of GWTA friends around during times like these. Be sure to find some time to enjoy these last weeks of summer to the fullest in whatever way you can! Sunshine Lady, Chris Larson What we see depends mainly on what we look for. ~John Lubboch UPCOMING ACTIVITIES SEPTEMBER 1 st Region F Das Essenhaus Dinner Run Middlebury, IN Leave the Charlotte McDonalds at 9:00am. Meeting time at the restaurant is 12:00 noon. 5 th Weds. Night Ride Eaton Rapids McDonalds Depart at 6:30p.m. 8 th Chapter C Fun Run Leave Charlotte McDonalds at 9:00am. Registration is 10:00 to 11:00 at Bailey Park, corner of M-66 and Roosevelt St. across from McDonalds. 11 th Chapter A Monthly Meeting Flap Jack on S. Waverly Rd. Dinner at 6:00 with meeting to follow. 12 th Weds. Night Ride Eaton Rapids McDonalds Depart at 6:30p.m Pennsylvania State Rally - Pinegrove, PA 19 th Weds. Night Ride Eaton Rapids McDonalds Depart at 7p.m. 26 th Weds. Night Ride Eaton Rapids McDonalds Depart at 7p.m. OCTOBER 5-8 th Michigan Fall Color Tour - Ludington, MI Best Western Splash Park Inn Toll free: Room rate; $ tax - reserved under

4 Michigan GWTA 9 th Chapter A Monthly meeting Flap Jack Restaurant on So. Waverly Rd., at 6:00p.m. for dinner with meeting to follow. 13 th Sat. Ride Potterville McDonalds Depart at 1p.m. 20 th Sat. Ride Potterville McDonalds Depart at 1p.m. 27 th Sat. Ride Potterville McDonalds Depart at 1p.m. Ride Report for August 1 We had a great night for our first ride out of Mason and had a very nice turnout with 6 motorcycles and 8 participants. Those attending the ride included Eric Larson (ride leader), Al Jack, Bob & Lauri Bowers, Norm Helfer, Terry & Vickie Hammond and Gerry LaMere. We took off and headed southeast out of Mason towards Stockbridge via Dexter Trail. We then proceeded southwest of Stockbridge towards Jackson turning directly south and heading into the Waterloo Recreation Area. We followed Seymour Road parallel to I-94 with its gentle curves and 45 MPH speed limit back towards Jackson. Eric decided to explore a new road to avoid going into the edge of Jackson which started out nice, but turned to gravel, so we turned around and headed back into Jackson anyway where we picked up Lansing Street and headed back into Leslie. The temperatures cooled off enough that Lauri called for a coat stop, which some of the other riders took advantage of too. Eventually we headed back towards Onondaga and worked our way over towards Dimondale with Bowers and Hammonds bidding the group farewell before we finally stopped for ice cream just shortly after 9:00 p.m. It was a great night for a ride and overall we covered about 85 miles during our 2 hour ride. Chapter W Fun Run - August 4 It was a rather warm Saturday morning at the take off with the temperature forecast to be in the mid 90 s for the day. We had two motorcycles turn out for the event; Eric Larson and Norm Helfer. Shortly after 9:00 a.m. we decided that we were the only ones from Chapter A participating for the day and left out of the Charlotte McDonalds. We traversed the countryside first going southwest towards Bellevue then heading mostly west along a great winding road north of Battle Creek that goes by Fine Lake and comes out onto M-43 near the Gilmore Car Museum and Hickory Corners. There was a car show at the Gilmore facility that day with lots of old cars seen on the grounds from the road and as we headed south on M-43 we saw a wonderful display of old cars heading north. The final leg of our ride to Otsego took us across M-89 into Plainwell where we navigated a detour by working our way around the hospital detour route. We arrived at the Davidson Express (a used motorcycle dealer with accessories and repair facilities) in downtown Otsego and were greeted by members from Chapter W along with members from Chapters C, E, G and N who had arrived to take part in the ride. We had a really nice guided tour of about 60 miles led by a Chapter W member that took us around the Allegan County area and thru the Allegan State Game area on some very scenic roads, returning to the Players Grill sports bar in Otsego where we soaked up the air conditioning, cold drinks and good food for lunch while the door prize numbers and the 50/50 were being drawn. We returned home by heading northeast out of Plainwell around the west side of Gun Lake, through the Yankee Springs Recreation Area, Hastings, Thornapple Lake, Nashville and Vermontville. Aside from the warmer temperatures, it was a very pleasant ride overall as a few clouds, hazy skies and the occasional overhead shade protected us from being in the sun for the whole day. We arrived home about 4:00 p.m. after having covered about 205 miles overall. Ride Report for August 8 It was a great evening for the ride and we had 5 motorcycles and 5 riders show up at the take off point. They included Eric Larson (ride leader), Al Jack, Bob Bowers, Terry Hammond and Gerry LaMere. We took off at the scheduled 7:00 p.m. starting time after looking over the Hammond s new 2000 blue GL1500SE that Terry was riding for the first time. Our ride for the evening was pretty straight forward and started by going out of Mason on M-36 following it into Gregory. There we picked

5 up M-106 and headed back into Stockbridge and then continued south towards Jackson. About half way to Jackson, we turned off M-106, heading around the south side of Pleasant Lake and into Rives Junction. From there we continued northwest through Onondaga, then past the VFW Home and into Eaton Rapids, finally ending up in Dimondale for ice cream. It was a beautiful night for a ride and no jackets were needed until we departed to head for our own homes. The ride covered about 75 miles and lasted about an hour and 45 minutes. Chapter E Fun Run - August 11 It was damp and drizzly on Saturday morning for the 9:30 a.m. starting time; however the forecast called for clearing later in the day and the radar showed the patchy rain moving to the east as it moved south. At best it was a disappointing start to the Chapter E Fun Run. We had three participants; Eric Larson on his motorcycle, completely dressed in rain gear and Gerry LaMere in his car with Terry Hammond riding shotgun. It was raining very steady at the Charlotte McDonalds and Gerry tried to convince Eric to park the bike and ride along in the car. But that didn t happen. We took off in the rain and headed west across M- 79. By the time we got to M-37 the pavement was pretty much dry and you could see occasional patches of blue sky in the distance. We followed M- 37 south and took Hickory Road back to the west again where we picked up M-43 and headed to M&M Cycle in Kalamazoo. Under sunny skies, we were greeted there by members of Chapters C, E, N, H and W. After visiting, looking at new motorcycles, dirt bikes, quads and taking advantage of some of the refreshments M&M had provided, we took off with Gerry in the lead and Terry calling the navigational turns. They had a really nice 60 mile ride to the southeast passing around lakes, by miles of corn fields, many beautiful homes, through a few small towns and had us ending at a park in Comstock just a couple of miles east from the starting point. They served us some really good sloppy joes, chips, desserts and lemonade for lunch. After lunch we had a drawing for one of the many door prizes provided by M&M Cycle and R&J Accessories (Randy & Julie Draper) with everyone walking away with at least one prize. Afterwards we said our goodbyes and everyone headed out. Eric split up from Gerry and Terry and headed back up M-43 through Hastings, around Thornapple Lake and back through Nashville and Vermontville. Gerry and Terry basically back tracked the way we came to get home. We stayed dry the remainder of the day, however on the return trip, the further north and east we went, the more clouds we picked up, however no more rain. The day ended after covering about 4:30 after covering about 210 miles. Ride Report for August 15 Another beautiful night for a ride and we had 3 motorcycles and 4 riders show up; Eric Larson (leader), Al Jack and Terry & Vickie Hammond. Just before the take off time we were joined by two more motorcycles; Tony & Anna Edwards who came to ride with us. We departed McDonalds and headed east of Mason along Howell Road and eventually worked our way over to Dexter Trail and then proceeded south along Williamston Rd through Bunker Hill and continued south towards M-106 where we headed towards Jackson. Eventually we turned to the east and worked our way in a northeast direction back to Munith where we picked up M-106 again and headed north into Stockbridge. Tony & Anna decided to jump off there and go visit some friends they knew in the area and the rest of us proceeded back east through Fitchburg, Leslie and Onondaga before brushing the northeast side of Eaton Rapids and then heading back into Dimondale for ice cream. The ride covered 80 miles and lasted about an hour and 45 minutes. Dinner Ride Report for August 22 This being the fourth Wednesday night of August meant that it was our second dinner ride of the season and it most certainly was a beautiful night for it. We had quite a group for the ride tonight which included Al Jack (leader), Fred & Karmen Bentley, Bob & Lauri Bowers, Terry & Vickie Hammond, Gerry LaMere and Eric & Chris Larson

6 with the Jeep. The ride also included Tony & Anna Edwards and with them came 6 other guests, for which I don t remember all of the names. Gene & Bethany Hoover met us at the destination (The Depot in Leslie) since that is their hometown. Overall we had 10 motorcycles for the ride. After seeing the size of the group with 20 people, Al decided we should call ahead and at least warn them that we were coming. We departed with Al in the lead and skirted our way around Mason to the north, going east for a few miles then dropping south and turning on M-36 just in time to take advantage of some of the curves. We turned on Meridian Road and headed south to Barnes then over to Hull and on into Leslie. We wanted to get to dinner fairly quickly to allow plenty of time to eat since they close at 8:00 p.m. and we also wanted to get headed for home before it got really dark. For the efforts of the phone call, they had a large group of tables pushed together already setup with menus and silverware and as soon as people started sitting down they were getting drink orders. The special on Wednesday night is Swiss Steak and let me tell you, it is FANTASTIC. Fortunately for some and unfortunately for others, they only had three servings left, so three people (Gene, Al and Eric) were very happy while a few others were a little disappointed (Bob, Terry and Gerry, and maybe others). In the frenzy of ordering, somehow Karmen knocked over a glass of water, managing to stay fairly dry as we all scrambled to pass napkins so the waitress could concentrate on getting food orders taken. It prompted a comment from someone at the other end of the table to ask her if she should have worn her rain suit in. Some of us had dessert; pie or shortcake, which of course was as delicious as the Swiss Steak. It also happened to be Tony Edwards birthday, so we all sang him Happy Birthday when the waitress brought him the huge whip cream covered shortcake that he managed to woof down after a nice dinner. And for the efforts of the wait and kitchen staff, since it was just a bunch of motorcyclists left in the restaurant at the end, Chris decided we needed to give them all a round of applause. After paying our bills we went outside and chatted a little more before everyone headed off towards home in their own direction. Chapter G Fun Run - August 25 On the ride today we were headed to Ann Arbor to Nicholson s Cycle for the start of Chapter G s Fun Run. Participating in the ride were Eric Larson (leader) and Norm Helfer. We departed Mason McDonalds shortly after the 9:00 a.m. starting time and headed towards Stockbridge on Dexter Trail. We worked our way southeast towards Chelsea on M-52 and then headed east on North Territorial Road, dropping down through Dexter and continuing on into Ann Arbor. We were greeted by Nicholson employees who showed us where to park and by members of Chapters C, G, H2 and M. We registered for the ride, used the rest room and looked over all of the new motorcycles and a couple of snowmobiles on the showroom floor. It was good to see John Snethkamp riding again on his newly triked GL1800 (he has only had it back from the trike conversion for 10 days). That is a beautiful 3 wheeler! Looking around everyone riding was singles with no passenger and after some harassment and coaxing we got Bill Smith (also a single rider) from Chapter G to take the lead. I can tell you he didn t have the route memorized but he was familiar with the area and he did an absolutely fantastic job of leading, pointing out road hazards, points of interest and keeping about 15 motorcycles together in suburban traffic. It was a fantastic ride out of Ann Arbor, northwest around Dexter, southeast into Ann Arbor, continuing south around Saline, then back up along the west side of Metro Airport and into a nice park in Garden City where we ended for lunch. Along the way we passed through a couple of towns, around some lakes, found some curves, saw a whole lot of garage sales and found a wide spot in the road a couple of times to get the entire group back together again. Back in the park we grilled our own hot dogs, had chips, corn on the cob and cookies. They drew door prizes and everyone went away with something and they had some nice stuff like oil changes and filters done at the dealership, plus some other goodies. After the 50/50 was drawn, a Chapter G member did a presentation on geocaching as Chapter M is planning a chapter outing in the future to do some of that as a chapter. We rode home by heading northwest until we picked up North Territorial Road

7 and took that west until we could cut north through Unadilla and into Stockbridge, then through Leslie and then home. I logged about 215 miles for the day. Chapter A website: State website: