Elkhorn Valley H.O.G. News

Transcription

1 Elkhorn Valley H.O.G. News Chapter #1397 August 2011 Volume 8 Ride Nebraska DOTH Pre-Ride 1

2 March 2011 Volume Chapter Officers DIRECTOR: Ace Stahlnecker ace@evhog.net ASSISTANT DIRECTOR: Kevin Kendall kevin@evhog.net SECRETARY: Bob Gilbreath bob@evhog.net TREASURER: Cecil Brasher cecil@evhog.net LADIES OF HARLEY: Cindy Graham cindy@evhog.net HEAD ROAD CAPTAIN: Mark Henry mark@evhog.net EDITOR: Sandy Kovar sandy@evhog.net SAFETY OFFICER: Kevin Graham keving@evhog.net PHOTOGRAPHER: Judy Stahlnecker judy@evhog.net MEMBERSHIP OFFICER: Adam Erb adam@evhog.net WEBMASTER: Bob Gilbreath bob@evhog.net HISTORIAN: Robin Kendall robin@evhog.net SWINELINE: (402) IF YOU HAVE ANY SUGGESTIONS FOR RIDES OR OTHER ACTIVITIES, PLEASE CONTACT YOUR OFFICERS OR ROAD CAPTAINS. IF YOU HAVE SUGGESTIONS FOR ARTICLES OR WOULD LIKE A PICTURE INCLUDED IN THE NEWSLET- TER, PLEASE FEEL FREE TO CONTACT SANDY KOVAR SANDY@EVHOG.NET 2

3 Hello everyone, I hope everyone is enjoying the heat but getting in some riding. We have had some great rides since last month s newsletter. We had several bikes make the trip to Hot Harley Nights. Randy had a great ride plan. The weather was cooperating this year so everyone could enjoy the parade and Saturday evening event. The Ride Nebraska over the 4 th of July weekend that Kevin put together was full of terrific sights and fun. Especially the bike wash at the little town south of Sutherland, Nebraska. Then of course Day Of The Hog, it was just as hot this year as last but a great time. I would like to personally thank all the volunteers for all the hard work. I would also like to thank Mike and all of the committee chairs for the months of time they dedicated. It means a lot to belong to a great organization that can dedicate the man hours, materials and ideas. I am proud to be a small part of the success this event brings toward the cure of issues associated with MDA. The hot weather brings along with it some great riding as long as we all remember to hydrate throughout the day. It can be hard to recognize some of the symptoms associated from heat related problems when you are riding in the breeze at 60 MPH. When you are riding with others always keep an eye out for the other riders. Offering water at each stop can sometimes make your ride a great memory. Please take all the necessary precautions to have a safe summer. I hope to see you in Sturgis this year. I know from conversations with several of you we have quite a few groups of people planning to make the 71 st Annual Bike Rally. If you are making the trip please be safe. Our EVHOG Challenge Passport has been documenting our active chapter. We logged over 2,000 points in March, almost 1,900 in April, over 3,200 points in May, 3,335 points in June and over 4,400 points in July. This is a great representation of how active our members stay throughout the year. There are still plenty of months to build points for the monthly challenge coins and year end prizes. Your officers have come up with some fun events so keep checking the calendar. We have had a few ideas brought up at the July Chapter meeting. If you have any suggestions or maybe some place of interest you would like to see on your calendar please contact any of your officers. I look forward to seeing everyone either at one of your EVHOG events or at the Dealership. Be Safe and Have Fun Ace 3

4 The Ride Around Nebraska or I should say the tour of Nebraska because due to the floods we were not able to ride the northeast and southeast corners of the state. On Friday, July 1, we left in the afternoon and since it was pushing 100 degrees it was decided a more direct route to O Neill would be used. Even with the more direct route we were able to see the last drive in theater in Neligh, NE along the way. Before leaving O Neill we spoke to a rider who had started in New York 6 days prior and was on his way to Los Angeles, not impressed he was riding a Suzuki 125e. Saturday leaving O Neill we went north to highway 12 and then west along the Sand Hills and stopped in Valentine for lunch, there we got to witness a windmill blade being towed on a flatbed coming through town. Now normally that is not newsworthy, until it clips the bed of a pickup right outside the door where we were eating lunch which pretty much stopped traffic for a while. Turning south from Crawford, NE Judy decided to run over a rattlesnake who thought it could cross the road. Actually she slowed it down and Ace finished the rattler off. Arriving in Scottsbluff we met a couple from Australia who were riding through Nebraska on their way to South Dakota to see Mount Rushmore and other sites. They did say the Harley riders in the US are much nicer to those not riding Harleys and then their Australian Harley riders. We also talked to another couple who wanted to know what was with KS; seemed riding across KS did not impress them. As usual in western NE a severe thunderstorm and possible tornado sighting popped up and the restaurant manager approached our table and asked about our food and then told us that if the weather should become more severe we would either go over to the Hampton Inn (that was good since we were staying there) or into the kitchen back by their coolers. As the storm approached we were in the lobby talking to the above mentioned riders when a man from Germany was losing his mind as he was letting everyone know that they don t have this type of weather in Germany and asked the desk clerk to open the liquor cabinet when the clerk explained that he did not have the key the gentleman then asked how about a bottle of red wine? Sunday led us to Chimney Rock and Lake McConaughy where the water levels were out of the banks and the damn was releasing water. Here are a few tips coming out of the southwest NE on Hwy 25 towards McCook, on Sundays there is nothing open between Sutherland and McCook. Also on Sundays in Holdrege the only adult beverage sold is beer, wine and liquor are not available. It was a great ride and many more stories could be told. Contact one of the riders that went on the ride for more on the ride. I am working on a plan for next year so stay tuned. Shiny side up! Kevin 4

5 Christmas in July 5

6 2011 DAY OF THE HOG!! WOW! 6

7 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat 1 Officers Meeting Bike Twin Peaks 5 6 Sturgis Bike Week Bike Twin Peaks Ride to Bob s Bar Chapter Meeting Bike Twin Peaks 19 Riverboat Days 20 Pancake Ride 21 Riverboat Days Bike Twin Peaks LOH State Park & Picnic

8 august 2011 Every Thursday : Bike Night at Twin Peaks 6:30 pm - EVH Officer's Meeting When: Monday, August 1st, 6:00pm Where: Dillon Brothers H-D Bob s Bar When: Saturday, August 13th Where: Dillon Brothers Harley-Davidson What: Ride to Martinsburg with a stop at Bob's Bar. Meet at the dealership at 9:00am with kickstands up at 9:15 am EVH Chapter Meeting When: Tuesday, August 16th, 7:00pm Where: Clancy s Pub, 777 N. 114th St., Omaha. What: Join us for chapter business, door prizes, and lots of fun. Please arrive early if you plan to eat there. Don t forget to bring your Ride Passport. Yankton Riverboat Days When: Friday-Sunday, August 19th-21st Where: Yankton, SD What: Riverboat Days at Yankton, South Dakota. A block of rooms is being held at the Best Western in Yankton, 1607 East Highway 50; Yankton, SD 57078; Phone: (605) ; Please make your own reservation. They are being held under the Elkhorn Valley HOG chapter. Rooms will be released July 29, 2011 *Friday evening Charlie s Pizza House (The best darn pizza really! South Dakota s oldest pizza house established in 1959, Every pizza is made with love and served with pride.) They do not take reservations, so I suggest we get there around 5:00 PM opening time. They are located at 804 Summit St. *Saturday evening Dinner on the river at Murdo s Aten Resort (Scenic view of the Missouri National Recreational river and specializes in walleye. The steaks and Prime Rib is out of this world.) Located at Hwy. 121 on the south side of the river. We should make reservations here. *Sunday Brunch at JoDean s 10:30AM. When Linda and I were in Yankton a couple of weeks ago we made reservations for up to 10 people. Trust me you need reservations. (Awesome Buffet. Won t go away hungry. If you do, it s your own fault!) Located at 2809 Broadway Avenue. Website Botna Bend Pancake Ride When: Saturday, August 20th, 8:15am Where: Dillon Brothers Harley-Davidson What: Ride to Botna Bend for Pancakes with real maple syrup Mahogney Road Hancock, Iowa. Meet at the dealership at 8:15 am with kickstands up at 8:30 LOH State Park & Picnic Ride When: Saturday, August 27th, 9:15am Where: Dillon Brothers Harley-Davidson What: Pack a lunch and join in on a scenic ride thru Waubonsie State Park where we will enjoy our picnic lunch in the cooling breezes on the high places and in the shady glens. No park entrance fees. Meet at Dillon's at 9:15 am with kickstands up at 9:30am 8

9 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat 1 Bike Twin Peaks MDA Telethon Bike Twin Peaks 9 10 LOH Cookie Run Officer s Mtg Bike Twin Peaks Bike Twin Peaks Tailgate Party

10 september 2011 Every Thursday : Bike Night at Twin Peaks 6:30 pm - MDA Telethon When: Monday, September 4th, 6:00-10:00pm Where: Channel 3 LOH Cookie Run When: Saturday, September 10th Where: Dillon Brothers Harley-Davidson What: LOH Annual Cookie Run to show our appreciation for the Police and Firefighters in the City. More Details to follow. EVH Officer's Meeting When: Monday, September 12th, 6:00pm Where: Dillon Brothers H-D Tailgate Party When: Saturday, August 24th, 5:00pm Where: Chalco Hills What: Join us for a Tailgate Party. We are inviting the dealership and all employees. We will have the Nebraska game on (it starts at 6:30pm). More details to follow. (This will take the place of the usual Chapter Meeting) 10

11 A Bomb in Your Luggage The odds are higher than you think As the heat cranks up and the weather remains HOT, and we hit the highways I thought I would write about something I ran across that I found interesting, see if you agree. My guess is that about half of the motorcycles on the road that have luggage compartments are carrying a highly inflammable if not outright explosive 'tool' somewhere in those bags. Not black powder. Not gasoline. Not plastique. It's usually called WD-40! This is a wonderful product of amazingly useful applications. It is also prone to turning into a fireball when exposed to spark or fire or a lit cigarette. The manufacturer, I'm told, has recently begun packaging WD- 40 using one of two different propellants - one of them remains hydrocarbon based and highly flammable, the other is not. You need to read the package closely to find out which one you have in your saddlebags if you do, but the vast majority is the more flammable variety. By the way, for those of you who have chain drives (although the majority are belt), the last place in the world you want to spray WD-40 is on your chain! It is a Degreaser, after all. Until Next month. 11

12 Join the Ride I would like to start out and thank everyone for participating the numerous rides that have been scheduled this year. The term The More The Merrier, really holds true in H.O.G. sponsored group rides. Going on new adventures and meeting new friends is part of why all of joined H.O.G in the first place. Part of what makes this happen is planning the ride, from the idea, the route, planning enroute and post ride activities. Even though the Road Captain isn t always the one to take credit for the idea of the ride, it is their job to help plan the ride. Set up the route, determine fuel stops, ensure safe group riding practices are followed, making sure there is safe parking and adequate room to handle the group at the post ride event (when there is one). The Road Captain is responsible for the plan and carrying it out. A big part of this planning is knowing approximately who and how many riders are attending the ride. Many of you have gotten to know your road captains and they have gotten to know you. Not only you, but also your ride and your riding skills. This all goes into the ride plan the route, gas stops, and yes even the heads up to a restaurant on how many will be chowing down (if that is our enroute or final destination). The best way for a road captain to determine the number of people that will be on the ride is the Activity Sign Up section in the Members Only part of the chapter website. I myself take this number and add 3 5 bikes onto the total just to be safe. A road captain would rather over plan than under plan. If you have trouble figuring out how to use the Activity Sign Up section of the Members Only part of the EVHOG Website, contact any chapter officer or road captain and they will guide you through it. Don t let this scare you away from EVHOG group rides, website sign up is not for everyone and we understand. We would rather have you join us at the last minute than to not show up at all. If you have suggestions for alternate ways of signing up bring them up to any chapter officer. We will work it into the plan. So whether you tell us or not Come Out and Join the Ride and Ride the Adventure!!! Mark A. Henry Head Road Captain - EVHOG 12

13 Hey Y All! A dear friend of mine recently sent me some thoughts on an incident he witnessed and I thought since Sturgis Week is very near I might pass them on to you. On the morning of July 30 th I was on my way to Lincoln to visit a friend who was seriously injured in a motorcycle accident. I planned to stop in the Rockbrook area to meet a mutual friend, and then we would ride together to Lincoln. I was southbound on Interstate 680 and exited at West Center Road. As I turned left onto West Center Road, there was a wrecked motorcycle and several emergency vehicles on the northbound exit of I680 onto eastbound West Center Road. It was difficult to see much from my vantage point below, and I hoped that the accident wasn t serious. I met my friend and we continued to Lincoln. I returned home later that evening and watched the news. There was a report that the accident had been a fatality, and it was being investigated as a road rage incident. A witness reported that the 51 year old rider of the motorcycle seemed upset, sped up to pull along side a white vehicle, gesturing something to someone inside. At the last moment the rider realized he was entering the exit ramp and failed to negotiate the 90 degree curve from northbound to eastbound. I did not witness the accident and can only surmise the events, but personal experience gives me a pretty good idea of what may have happened. I would guess the bike was northbound on the interstate when the car moved into the biker s lane, either forcing him to suddenly move to the right, or brake to avoid a collision. Perhaps the driver of the car was on a cell phone or texting. Maybe they didn t look carefully enough before switching lanes. Does that sound familiar? There is hardly a rider out there that hasn t experienced an irresponsible or careless driver forcing us out of our lane. Most of us go through three reactions. First, we do whatever is necessary to avoid an accident. Once the danger has passed, we get angry at the rude or reckless driver. Finely, we often want to make sure the driver is aware they nearly caused an accident. I suspect this rider, after avoiding being hit by the car, pulled up along the right side and tried to send the driver a message. Unfortunately, while at highway speed, his focus was on the driver to his left rather than the exit ramp and curve in front of him. The result was an avoidable fatality. As I said, I did not witness the accident, and could be mistaken about what transpired. But even if I am wrong, there is a lesson to be learned by all of us who have ever been cut off in traffic and tried to educate the driver of the offending vehicle. It is a very difficult urge to suppress. The sad truth is that no amount of yelling and gesturing is going to improve someone s driving. The inattentive driver is probably unaware that they have done anything wrong. Ranting and raving might make you feel better, but losing focus on your riding can also cost you your life. I have no doubt that I will be cut off in traffic again (and again). I am also certain that I will get angry about it. But I will make a sincere effort to remember this incident. Pulling along side the driver to scold them creates a no-win situation. Avoiding the accident when you are cut off is the win. After that, any retaliation only creates an opportunity for tragedy. As I said these are good thoughts to remember on our way to vacation. But they also hold true the rest of the riding season as well. Y All be careful out there and even if you aren t headed to Sturgis like yours truly, stay safe and let the idiots be idiots and we ll all live to ride another day. Scrappy 13

14 Can you believe it s August already!? Where has the summer gone?? Hope all of you got in a lot of riding time between the rains, heat, flooding it s been a challenge. To all who are making the trip to the Sturgis Rally this year I hope you have a good time and return home safely. June 25 th was the LOH Progressive Potluck BBQ, I think everyone enjoyed themselves and had a great time. Thanks again to Cathy & Gil, Pat & Bob, Cathy & Gene for hosting, Cecil for planning and leading the ride. Road captains Kevin K., Ken and my husband Kevin G. for helping us find our way and to the ladies who helped plan this event, Lisa, Sally, Pat E. Cathy C. and to all who attended and brought some great food. July 16 th DOTH-I just want to mention to all who donated their time, money and effort give yourself a BIG pat on the back, it turned out to be a wonderful event. July 21 st we celebrated Christmas in July with a ride over the river and thru the woods to Grandmother s.more by the river and thru some trees to Grandmother s Restaurant we went to enjoy a meal and had a white elephant gift exchange? I think I remember seeing a pink elephant? Thanks to everyone who supported this LOH event. Kevin & I enjoyed ourselves. Upcoming LOH Events Sat. August 27 th Park Ride & Picnic- Pack a picnic lunch and join us for a ride to Waubonsie State Park where we will discover what the park has to offer and enjoy our picnic lunches. Meet at Dillions at 9:15am KSU at 9:30am. Keep this date open-sat. September 10 th, for the annual Cookie Run. Please bring cookies so we can pack our baskets and deliver them to the firefighters and police officers who protect us every day and in commemoration of 9/11. Check back on the Activity sign up on the EVHOG website, more details soon. Until next time 14

15 HAPPY BIRTHDAY 7th 15th 18th 24th July BIRTHDAYS 1st Geri Norris 3rd Ken logan august BIRTHDAYS 6th Blaine parker Robin 16th kendall Holly gilbreath Dan 18th hedberg Rachelle gamble Mike 19th foisey Bill newman Cecil 28th brasher Linda perry (If you would like to have your birthday published in the newsletter and missed signing the Birthday Calendar, please send your name, birthday month and date to or our editor and we will get it posted.) 15

16 Coming Soon! As you read this I am currently working on a new slideshow to be presented at an upcoming Chapter Meeting. This one will include photos of the last years 2008 through If you enjoyed the one last year, I hope you will enjoy this one at also. I will publish in the Newsletter what Chapter Meeting we will be viewing this. I hope you will not want to miss it! 16

17 Hello EV Hog. Hope you re enjoying the blast furnace we ve been having lately. Our membership is up to 244 as of the writing of this article. We had a great turn out for this year s Day of the Hog. I know I had a good time. The route was good and the venue was great. Great job to all those that helped out. See you all at the next chapter meeting, and everyone ride safe. The only good view of a thunderstorm is in your rearview mirror. Adam M. Erb Membership Officer Elkhorn Valley HOG 17

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19 News From Dillon Brothers Mike Bischof General Manager Dillon Brothers Harley-Davidson Summer Hours Sunday Closed Monday 9 AM 8 PM Tuesday 9 AM 8PM Wednesday 9 AM 5:30 PM Thursday 9 AM 8 PM Friday 9 AM 5:30 PM Saturday 9 AM 4:30 PM 3838 N Cleveland Blvd 2440 E. Highway 30 Omaha, NE Fremont, NE fax fax mikeb@dillonharley.com The Chapter will periodically send out s to provide updates and chapter information to our members. If events are cancelled, you can find this information on our Swine Line at (402) In addition, if you ve forgotten the Username and Password to get access to the Members Only section on the website, please contact the Membership Officer, Adam at adam@evhog.net or ace@evhog.net 19