April 2009 Issue 46 Lake Erie Chapter # 3738 Officers

Transcription

1 April 2009 Issue 46 Lake Erie Chapter # 3738 Officers Director: John Kikol kiksharley@aol.com Asst. Director: Ron Long Ringo56@windstream.net Secretary: Dennis Mullin mullind@oh.rr.com Treasurer: Robert Perona robperona@hotmail.com Membership: Donna Augustine Augustine157@msn.com Safety: John Gudin / jgudin@wowway.com Webmaster Ken Unger ken@elyriahog.com Photographer: Ken Unger ken@elyriahog.com Activities: Cindy Koson Debby Baker Ladybug7007@cox.net Bakerd56@oh.rr.com Volunteer: Judy Adamich Judy.adamich@gmail.com Historian: Mike Cotrufo mcotrufo1@aol.com Editor Matt Scheer lehogwash@sbcglobal.net Ladies Of Harley Kim Weigl kimmisue@eriecoast.com Welcome New Members Holly Miller Timothy Winters A Happy Harley Birthday To You APRIL Robert Adamich Donna Augustine David Barrett William Bicsak John Byrne Mark Fundak Larry Gaskalla Ken Grainer Harold Gray Harry Hamlin Art Kavulla Keith Klimkowicz James Mayes Jr. Rebecca Mines Robert Schneider Alan Shauck Jan Stanfield Patrick Stanfield Kimberly Weigl Kristina Wertz Kerry Wesp Joe Zemantauski Jr MAY Angie Burge Diana Carroll Paul Cramer Joyce Holod Cindy Koson Christine McCarthy David Shorts Garry Schroyer David Shorts Donna Suerth Lisa Verde-Coles Wayne Wobser Kiks Stand Well the riding season has arrived early this year and hopefully winter is gone for another seven or eight months. I am sure we are all busy with the Easter Holiday and family affairs that conclude with the holiday dinner, shared with our family members gathering from near and far. It is certainly a time of reflection for us all and giving thanks for all our blessings. The Rally for the Troops is one week away and hopefully the forecast is predicting a cooler morning in the low 40 s but warming up to the mid 50 s in the afternoon and mostly sunny. It should result in an excellent turnout to honor our veterans, active military and families of our Fallen Heroes. This is always very busy time of the year for me as the Rally becomes all consuming with final details and changes that always seem to occur during the final weeks. As I mentioned at the last chapter meeting the theme of the Rally this year is the continuing education of the public for signs of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) of our returning soldiers who have served for extended deployment of 15 to 18 months or have been called back for another deployment after prior service. The stress and stain on those soldiers and their families has resulted in a high rate of suicide and according to the Army there were 24 cases in January and 18 in February. There will be extensive materials available at the Rally from the VA and guest speakers will deal with these issues. We have lost two returning soldiers in the Greater Cleveland area during the past 14 months to suicide, that we know of and the proceeds from the sale of 2009 Rally patches and pins will be donated to American Veterans with Brain Injuries (AVBI) and Ghost Riders Foundation, both organizations dedicated to educating the public about Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBI) and PTSD. (continued) This newsletter is available by accessing Page1 of 12

2 (Contineued from Kiks Stand Page 1) As always thanks for your support and look forward to seeing you all at the Rally next Sunday. We stage at 8:30 AM and depart at 9:3- AM for downtown Cleveland. Parking is free at all Tower City Parking Lots and Harley Davidson Sales Company of Cleveland will provide food and entertainment after the Rally from 12:30 to 3:00 PM. I have been trying to finalize our chapter trip around Lake Erie on the 4 th of July weekend. It promises to include a night in London, Ontario (July 3 rd ) and fireworks at Niagara Falls (July 4 th ) to celebrate our Nations Independence Day, commemorating the adoption of the Declaration of Independence. We return home on the 5 th of July. I have booked hotels and will be getting out the information this next week. Rooms will be limited as that is the busiest weekend of the year in Niagara New York. It promises to be three great riding days around our great Lake Erie and lots of new places to visit along the way. The chapter s response to Judy Adamich, our Volunteer s Officer, for volunteers to work at the dealership for its 70 th Anniversary this past weekend was outstanding. Thanks to all the new members that volunteered to make the event a great success for Lake Erie Harley Davidson and the Stevens family. It was a nice tribute to George, Mike, Barbara and Laurie that was well deserved. We look forward to celebrating future anniversaries of one of the best dealerships in the country. Their support of our HOG chapter is extraordinary. On behalf of all the HOG chapter members congratulations to the Stevens family for 70 s years of providing us the motorcycles we are all enjoy riding. I encourage all our members to actively participate in our monthly meetings, after meeting dinners, chapter rides and events. It s your chapter to enjoy and have great riding experiences. Thanks for your involvement in making Lake Erie HOG chapter a great place to meet some of the best riding friends you will ever meet. Ride Safe, - John KIKS Kikol, Director From The Assistant Director Ron Long Hi Everyone, It s almost riding season, the weather is getting warmer and the roads are drying out. While we are all getting ready to ride some of the officers were in Milwaukee Wi for Primary Officer Training. It was a great time for all of us. We met some old friends and made some new ones. This year they had the European POT trainers join our classes to learn how it is done. They were from Italy, France, Germany, Norway, The United Kingdom, Holland, Belgium Switzerland, Spain, England and South Africa. It was hard to understand them at times but we got everything worked out just fine. Some of the rides they have are quite a bit different than ours, on one ride that was talked about, the local police gave breathalyzer test to all the road captains before the ride. If one did not pass, they did not ride. This year the Ohio State Hog Rally is in Zanesville (all you ABC riders come on down for the Z). I have reserved a block of rooms at the Super 8 Motel at 2440 National Road, Zanesville, OH, Phone # All the rooms are under my name (Ron Long ) but, I am not paying for them. The deadline for registration is coming right up on April 23 rd. Any questions please let me know. (Ron Long or Ringo56@windstream.net) If you are interested there are several other state rallies in our neighboring states. The Indiana Hog State Rally is in Evansville on June 25 th through 27 th. The deadline to register is May 8 th. The West Virginia Stat Hog Rally is in Canaan Valley on July 15 th through the 18 th with the registration deadline on May 27 th. You like Pennsylvania, then head to Rostravere on August 20 th through the 22 nd and make sure you register by July 2 nd. Want to be part of a first time event, then it is off to Lansing Michigan. August 27 though the 29 th for the very first Hog Rally of Michigan. Registeration deadline is July 9 th. In addition to the Ohio State Rally I hope to attend at least two others. I am thinking Michigan and Pennsylvania since I have some time off in August. This newsletter is available by accessing Page2 of 12

3 And don t forget the April events. We have the Easter Egg hunt coming up on the 11 th of April. April 19 th is the Rally for the Troops and on April 25 th it is the Pancake Breakfast. Come on out and support our chapter and the dealership at these events. I hope to see everyone out on the road. Ride Safe Have Fun Ron Ringo Long Ladies Of Harley Kim Wiegl April is proving to be a busy month. Make sure you bring the kids (and grandkids) out to the dealership on Sat. April 11, for the Easter Egg Hunt! There will be games, prizes, photos with the Easter Bunny, and an Easter Basket Raffle for the kids. Also in April, the Ladies will be sewing patches during the Ride-In Pancake Breakfast (April 25 th ). The cost will be the same as last year - $5 for a small patch and $10 for a large patch. Less expensive than the dry cleaner and no waiting a week or more to get your vest back. Start gathering all the patches you earned last year, and have them sewn on while you eat breakfast! The Ladies of Harley are planning a lot of activities this year. LOH is open to ALL female Chapter Members Full and Associate whether you ride your own bike, ride behind, or not at all. It s FREE to join LOH. Call National HOG to get your FREE LOH PIN and FREE PATCH, and come to a meeting. We meet the first Wed. of every month at 7:00. In April we met at Sorrentos (108 Antioch Dr, Elyria, OH, Phone ). On May 6 th we will be back at Luchitas located at 1134 North Abbe Road In Elyria OH Phone # Please come join us for dinner and socializing. Joining LOH is a great way to get involved and meet more of the Chapter Members. We welcome new members and their ideas. More members = more friends=more fun! Hope to see you at the next meeting! A Survey For You Ken Unger We are compiling results from a survey that has been available on line. If you did not have opportunity to complete the on line version of the Survey there is one attached at the end of the newsletter. Please complete the form and drop it off in the HOG box at the Lake Erie Harley Davidson dealership Thanks for your participation The Road Captains Jerry Ciganko Head Road Captain On your next chapter ride introduce yourself to one of the road captains. Let them know of any questions or concerns you have and they will do their best to help you out. Thank you to all those who volunteer their time to be Road Captains Diane Delaney John Gudin Ken Unger Mary Ann Ciganko Cont Next Page -- Mike Cotrufo Thomas Easterday Dennis Mullen Karen Gilley Mike Flory Jim Augustine Mark Koson Kristin Bedoya Ron Long Membership Update By Donna Augustine, Membership Officer We have had very good response to the presence of the H.O.G. chapter at the various Dealership Events. Because of Dave Booth s efforts at the St. Patrick s Day Party, we came in to the March This newsletter is available by accessing Page3 of 12

4 Chapter Meeting with 182 members. The new signups and renewals prior to the meeting have us ending March with 193 members. Pretty darn good, considering riding season hasn t even started. Dave and I will continue to host the Membership Table at various upcoming Dealership Events. Hopefully this visibility will show in our Membership numbers. As with everything in life it s not the quantity but the quality that matters. High numbers are great, but it s the percentage of members who participate that make our Chapter what it is. I encourage everyone to participate in some way, shape, or form. We each have our own talents, interests, and areas of expertise. By sharing these attributes, not only is the Chapter improved, but also our lives are enriched by the experience. I would like to take this opportunity to thank Mike Stevens for allowing me the privilege of attending the Primary Officer s Training in Milwaukee on March 20 th and 21 st. In talking with Officers from various Chapters throughout the U.S. and overseas, it became quite evident how fortunate we are to have the level of support and backing that we have from the Stevens family and the entire Lake Erie Dealership. In closing, the various classes offered during P.O.T. all shared the same common denominators: The Chapter exists because of the Dealership The Chapter has to feed Mamma HOG (National H.O.G. membership) There s a ride in every idea The Chapter s purpose is to Ride and Have Fun chapter would be where it is now if she had not put in an extraordinary effort. I would also like to thank Karen Gilley for the excellent writing and editing that we have seen in the Hog Wash as well. I look forward to trying to fill Diane s shoes (no not heels) as we move forward into the riding season for The first round of name tags have been ordered and by the time you read this will have arrived. The list for requesting a new name tag (They will reflect the chapter name change to Lake Erie ) is at the motoclothes desk. Please ask Scott or Wanda for the list. Cost is $9.00 and needs to be prepaid. Minimum order quantity is 12, and we only need a couple more names to get there for order number two. I will also have the sign up sheet available at the chapter meetings. Look forward to seeing everyone at the upcoming events and rides. A Lucky Guy Matt Scheer Scott Cole has the bragging rights for Birthday Cake!! His wife made this great cake for Scott s 50 th birthday. Scott s bike is the 09 Heritage Classic on the ummm, left, no right, no on the top OH WELL, it is bound to be on there somewhere!! Congratulations on having such a skilled baker in the family and HAPPY BIRTHDAY SCOTT!!! Until next month RIDE SAFE From the Secretary: Dennis Mullen I would like to take this opportunity to thank Diane DeLaney for all the hard work she s put in over the last six to seven years. I don t believe that the This newsletter is available by accessing Page4 of 12

5 70 th Anniversy Celebration was just that Ken Unger WOW! 208 Members I was soooo impressed, yesterday, with the enthusiastic volunteers from our Chapter at the 70 th Anniversary party. No group has ever worked so hard for so little salary A tribute to everything that Donna Augustine does, the Membership this year is phenomenal (and certainly not to leave out the efforts of David Booth, who s been with Donna every step of the way)! 12 New Members yesterday.!!! and did I mention NEW! Judy, again, organized an outstanding troop of volunteers. Our Undercover Security crew helped foil some shenanigans, our Road Captains (and other help) shivered, but directed traffic and our food-and-beverage crew worked there HOG-butts off! I have to thank Debbie Baker for the best smile and unexpected wave-of-happiness I ve had in quite some time as I watched a small group of young girls, dressed in glittery-boas, pink and purple purses, and socks with frills..gather at the Ladiesof-Harley table to check out the Easter basket for The Girls It reminded me why we started the Easter Egg Hunt event and It Made My Day! 10:00 am. We waited till then because it was a little chilly that morning, only high 60 s. (Thur. & Fri. were mid to high 70 s and Sat. was 80) We rode north on I-75 and NE on I-4 so it was a nice ride over if you enjoy riding on interstates. We did however make a stop at Orlando HD on the way. During Daytona, Orlando also has venders set up, food, beverage, a live band all day, demo rides, etc. gong on. So we took our lunch stop there. Our next stop was Destination Daytona. If you ve never been to the new Daytona Harley Dealer, which is actually on A1A in Ormond Beach, it s a MUST stop if you re ever in the area. It s a whole village with the dealership, hotel, restaurant, bar, lots of little shops, etc., and of course, during bike week, many venders. You have never seen so many bikes in inventory: hundreds & hundreds of bikes, both new & used. I was amazed to find out that they average selling 44 bikes a day. Then it was off to two of my high school friends home in Palm Coast, about 25 miles north of Daytona Beach. We were in Daytona Beach before for Biketoberfest but didn t get to do a lot of riding. So our friend, Fred, agreed to play tour guide and led us around for the next 2 days. When I told him I was going to write this up for our news letter, he said, Wait till your Harley friends find out you followed a Goldwing trike and a BMW around for two days! It was a great day for the dealership.but I think the Chapter hit a new plateau too. PS. Mike, Everyone RAVED about the Chicken. They wanted to know where they could buy some for home! Ride Safe! Ken Unger Destination Daytona Tom & Linda Easterday Linda & I are really enjoying riding all winter. Our latest trip was a couple days at Daytona Bike Week. We left Sarasota on Wednesday morning at Thursday morning we stopped for breakfast then headed down A1A and Atlanta Ave. along the Atlantic Coast to Daytona Beach which was a neat ride down the coast. Then we did the tour through Daytona Beach and down Main Street which was already lined solid down both sides of the street This newsletter is available by accessing Page5 of 12

6 with bikes and crowded with people even though it wasn t even noon yet. That was actually our only time in downtown Daytona Beach as this trip was more about riding. Next it was out to International Speedway Blvd. to the speedway. When we arrived there, Fred, who is a real NASCAR fan, lead us through the tunnel to the infield. The only other speedway that I ve been in the infield of is Richmond and Daytona Speedway is impressive from that view point. After making a circle around the infield (not on the track), we headed back out the tunnel to park and visit the venders. The speedway, like the HD dealership had many, many venders set up. After a quick beer and a few purchases from the venders, we were off again. Next we did the famous loop which includes a beautiful ride along the Halifax River, N. Beach St, Old Dixie Highway, and A1A to Flagler Beach. Then it was back to Palm Coast for dinner with friends. Friday morning we headed up US1 to Hastings, then Rt. 207/13 N. along the St. John s River. What a beautiful ride. It was a two lane road lined with trees and Spanish Moss hanging down over head. Then we crossed over the river on 16 W. on a bridge that had to be at least ½ mi. long, through Pikolata, past Penny Farms, and to the little town of Middleburg just outside Jacksonville where we met a couple other friends from my HS days for lunch. After lunch we headed E on 16 and south on A1A to St. Augustine. Of course we found the St. Augustine HD dealership where we picked up another T-shirt and sat outside for a while listening to a southern rock band playing in the parking lot. They had venders, including food & beverage set up at their dealership as well. Then it was through old St. Augustine, past the Fountain of Youth, past the old fort on the banks of the river, and across the Bridge of Lions. This is an old, historic bridge that they are currently in the process of restoring. Then we headed back down the coastline including St. Augustine Beach, Anastasia Island, and back to Palm Coast. Saturday morning it was time to head back to Sarasota. We rode south on Rt. 11 and west on Rt. 40. This was about an 80 mile ride through the Ocala National Forest. It was a very picturesque ride lined with a mixture of Palm trees, pine trees, and deciduous trees with green leaves on them. Going west on 40, we were heading away from Daytona Beach on THE BIG WEEKEND of the rally so we were passing hundreds, and hundreds, and hundreds of bikes heading the other way. It was almost like we were on a one way road, going the wrong way. My arm got very tired from waving. At Ocala we hopped on I-75 to return home. All in all we rode about 700 miles in four days and while we have ridden a lot further, it was not on a Dyna. Linda was a real trooper and held up well. I could always tell when she started to fidget, it was time to stop for a little break! Chapter Meeting Minutes Dennis Mullen Meeting was called to order at 7:04 p.m. on February 26, 2009 Pledge of Allegiance Director s Report New members Jan Stanfield introduced herself as a guest. John K. announced that there will be a preview showing of a movie call Brothers at War. The showing is 3/12 at Lorain Community College and price is $10. Limited number of tickets. Proceeds are going to a group called Equal Honor for All. The four chapters, (South East, Cleveland, Western Reserve and Lake Erie) have decided to pursue hosting the 2010 State Rally. If you would like to be involved in the process please see John K. The event has never been in the Cleveland area. Event would be in June Tentatively looking at the Holiday Inn Rockside as the hotel. Would look to use the Berea Fairgrounds on Friday and the Rock & Roll Hall on Saturday with a number of local rides. Will use video from 2008 application. Assistant Director This newsletter is available by accessing Page6 of 12

7 Wheeling Casino trip March 28th. Price is $35 this entitles you to $10 in casino coins as well as a $5 food coupon. Leaving from Lake Erie, if going please park in back between 8:00 and 8:30 a.m. Minimum is 35. Sign up ends March 14th. State Rally web site is up and running. Information is available in the back. Ron has a block of rooms held at the Super 8. Registration deadline is April 23rd. Rally is June Ron looking for anyone interested in going to Oklahoma City for the National Hog Rally. Secretary Report Dennis announced that a sign-up sheet for name tags is in the back. Cost is $9.00 and needs to be pre-paid. The sheet will be available at motorcloths for a week if you don t have the money tonight. Minimum order quantity is 12. Treasurers Report Robert reported that we have $8, in bank account. Deposited $728 into account spent $165. Membership Report Donna reported total of 164members. Reminder that you must renew your national membership to keep your local membership active. If you haven t received your 2009 sticker for your card please see Donna to obtain. There will be a sign up table at all of the dealership events. Activities Report Debbi and Cindy reported that there was a good turn out for the breakfast and drive to the motorcycle show. Next event is 2/28 at 11 at the Vintage Café for breakfast and in March for dinner at Stancato s on 3/15. Easter Egg Hunt scheduled for 4/ Two age groups 5 and younger and Survey taken for those interested in doing an overnight at July 4th around the lake. Debbi talked about passports and passport cards. Passports are $100 and the cards are $45. Both last 10 years but the card is only good for traveling by land, not a ir. Response indicated that there are about a dozen. Ed Malee picked the Moosehead BBQ for dinner after the March meeting. Web Master Report Ken reported on the new Hog magazine which is a combination of Hog Tails and the Enthusiast. He also talked about a National Parks Passport book similar the Fun Book. Cost is $8 and they are available on-line at e-parks.com. There is also a $45 one in a binder. Road Captain Report Jerry talked about a Road Captains ride. It will be a long day ride or an overnight. Historian Report Mike announced he is starting to collect memorabilia for the display case. The case is almost done. Also finalizing the location of the display. Editor Report Matt introduced himself so that everyone can put a face to a name. Volunteer Report Judy stated that sign up for volunteers will start next month. Safety Officer Report John reminded everyone that if you are starting to ride now, watch out since drivers are not looking for motorcycles at this time of year. Watch out for salt let in intersections. He is having a group riding class on 2/28 at LEHD starting at 11. Cost is $10 and lasts about 1 to 1-1/2 hours. Let John know if interested. There will be a second class on March 28 at 11 as well. John talked about the pirate ride as he is looking to identify when the tall ships are in this year. Apparently they were in last year during the ride but no one was aware. Iron Butt will be changing there will be no extra entries for every thousand miles, no gift cards however, we will be giving out plaques. We will be giving awards for most mileage, farthest state This newsletter is available by accessing Page7 of 12

8 traveled to, most states traveled to and possibly others I will start on 4/4 at the anniversary party through the first weekend in October. Also available is the national Hog mileage program. Ladies of Harley Report Kim reported winner of the Valentine basket was Sue Knapp. March 21st is Battle of the Bikers Blood Drive please donate. LOH will be doing a bake sale that day. St. Patrick s Day party will be able pre view the Easter Baskets. In April they will be doing patch sewing during the pancake breakfast. Old/New Business Meeting adjourned at 7:40 A Word Of Thanks Matt Scheer Just a quick thank you to all the chapter members for their condolences, and sympathy. Your thoughts and prays mean a great deal to myself and my family. GPSentials (An Introduction to GPS) First in a series by Ken Unger Today, more and more motorcyclists are relying on GPS devices to get them to their destination. For those of you that may not be familiar with GPS units it s time to get your head out of the sand and at least give them a 2 nd thought! GPS (or GPSR) stands for Global Positioning System Receiver. First, you need to know there are 24 satellites that are circling the globe. Assuming you are in range of any 3 or more satellites, your location on the globe can be computed (often times to within 12 feet or less with today s consumer devices). Couple this information with a road-map and the ability to determine your position numerous times per second, and you have a device that can tell you where you re at, how to get to a 2 nd point, how fast you re going, and track your route. After purchasing a GPSR (priced at approx. $100 - $1,000), there are no fees to access the satellite signals. Just turn it on and you re ready to go. There may be fees to later update maps or acquire additional services like map/construction updates or real-time traffic reports, but you re device will work fine without these add-ons. screens, waterproof, etc.). The 3 leading makers of GPSR devices (Garmin, Magellan, and TomTom) make devices that are motorcyclefriendly (i.e. large buttons, anti-glare Want to go to Daytona? Type in the address of your hotel, and the GPSR will plot a route to get you there. Want to know were the nearest Harley- Davidson dealership is? Type in Harley-Davidson and the nearest one can be displayed and a route plotted. Some devices will allow you to create your own routes on supplied PC software and load them in for later use. Some devices will allow you to get collections of points of interest (or POI s) from the internet and load them to the device. As with most technology today, you get what you pay for so do your This newsletter is available by accessing Page8 of 12

9 homework ususally, the more expensive units have the most features. BE SURE YOU KNOW WHAT YOU RE BUYING or Later you may wish for additional functionality. I have loaded all Ohio Covered Bridges, Harley Dealerships, and Historical Markers. Now, when I m close to one of these places, my GPSR will alert me so I can make a side trip. The thing I like best about my GPS is that if you stray from the course that has been plotted, it will automatically re-calculate and give you directions to get you back on-track [great for those times you take the wrong exit or are forced to take a detour ]. Purists will say, I don t need no stinkin GPS it s about the journey, not the destination and I ll grant them that but if you read maps like I do - you know there s no satisfaction in never getting to the destination at all! So, let me know if you have interest in motorcycling with a GPSR and I ll write more articles explaining how to read the screen, websites of interest, waymarking, benchmarking, letter boxing, geocaching, creating routes, pitfalls, and most of all how to NEVER Get Lost Again (unless, of course, you want to)! Contact me with questions, suggestions, interest (KenUnger@CenturyTel.net) Who Is That Guy Kiks? Matt Scheer I am sure some of you are quite familiar with our Director John Kikol. I don t know if you are aware that he has been extended an invitation to become an horary member of the Red Knights. This is an organization of fire fighters who just also happen to ride motorcycles with some similar goals of the HOG organization. John forwarded a short biography of himself. I though you may find it interesting to know a little more about the man we call Kiks. Married for 40 years to Barb, three adult children Todd 39 (unmarried and living in Princeton NJ) Carri 37 married and living in Parma and Courtney 35 married and living in Yardley PA (north of Philly) and our two grandchildren Brennan 4 and Emmerson 2. (They are all in town for the Easter holiday.) Graduate of Ohio University and Cleveland Marshall Law School with a Juris Doctorate degree. I am still a licensed attorney in Ohio but never really practice law for a living. ( So I dislike attorneys as much as the next guy.) I was the President and CEO of CleveTrust Realty Investors for 25 years before we liquidated the company in I actually was named President at the age of 28 and somehow survived the corporate world with the same company my whole career. We owned commercial real estate (office buildings, apartments, industrial buildings, hotels and shopping centers) in most of the major cities in the USA, including Hawaii. I have also been active in NASDAQ (based in Washington DC) for the past 25 years and still sit on a panel that reviews publicly listed companies that have failed to file their quarterly reports with the SEC on time. As for sports I have enjoyed running and biking most of my life. I have run over 30,000 miles including many marathons in my 40's and 50's. My best time is 3:10 which is a 7 minute mile pace for 26.2 miles. I ran NY and Boston several times. For kicks I ran the Pikes Peak Assent twice, which is running up 13.1 miles on a trail from 6500 feet to the top at 14, 200 feet. I have run into and out of the Grand Canyon several times. Love to hike and travel. Actually my son and I are planning a first time trip to China in October of this year. Got into motorcycles about 14 years ago and found it to be the first thing in my life that was not competitive. After 9/11, I became an activist in expressing my support for our military, firefighters and police. I am not a veteran and have no family members in the police or firefighters. I ride a 2004 Road King Custom and a 1995 Fatboy. I am currently the Director of the Lake Erie HOG Chapter. This newsletter is available by accessing Page9 of 12

10 However, I have told many people that I am blessed to have the time to organize the many events I do, to honor the families of our Fallen Heroes, as that lost, lasts a lifetime and we need to make sure they know we will never forget their sons and daughters. I spend all of my professional career trying to make money for my shareholders and trying to appease my Board of Directors, Investment Bankers and shareholders, which was impossible. (It was all about money) But these days the events and families that I interact with, are like the American Express Card, priceless. This year will be my seventh Rally for the Troops, Fifth Firefighters Memorial Ride, First COPS Ride and Fourth local Never Forget 9/11 Ride and Ceremony. I have also organized rides to NYC World Trade Center, the Pentagon and Shanksville. As a result, I have developed many contacts with families who lost loved ones in the WTC, the Pentagon, Shanksville and of course Iraq and Afghanistan. So for me it has become very personal and my support for those families will never end. *********************************************** Webmaster Wanted! Qualified applicants should have experience building and maintaining web-pages and have a working knowledge of HTML, JavaScript, and FTP. get out and ride. My wife and I have squeezed in a couple of short rides on a Saturday or Sunday here and there We made it out to the 70 th Anniversary Celebration at Lake Erie Harley Davidson and I agree with Ken, WOW is a great way to describe it. We also got out on Sunday the 5 th of April and went through the Metro Parks up to Lakewood. It did get a little bit cooler as we got closer to the lake but it was great to be out in the wind. There is a survey included in the newsletter this month. If you were not able to complete the survey on line take a minute to complete it and send it in or drop it in the HOG box at Lake Erie Harley Davidson. If you want to mail it in you can send them to me and I will get them submitted Matt Scheer Misty Lake Drive Strongsville OH Make sure you get signed up for the Mileage Award I think a couple of folks may have me in their sights this year so lets ride some, have some fun and see how it all comes out. April brings the Ladies of Harley Easter Egg Hunt on the 11 th, the Rally for the Troops on the 19 th and the Ride In Pancake Breakfast on the 25 th (Where the Ladies Of Harley will be offering the patch sewing again). Oh and don t forget the chapter meeting on the 30 th of April. Take care out there. Interested Chapter Members should contact Webmaster Ken Unger via (KenUnger@CentruyTel.Net) or at any of the Chapter Events and/or meetings. *********************************************** From the Editor Matt Scheer Well, have you been out on the road yet? The sun has found its way out from behind the clouds once or twice and made for some great opportunities to This newsletter is available by accessing Page10 of 12

11 Chapter Survey * This survey is for those members who do not have internet access or have not completed the survey on-line. One survey per member, please. Completed surveys can be dropped into the Membership box a the Lake Erie dealership (near the coffee pot and restrooms) 1. Which Days are best for you to ride with the Chapter? (select all that apply) Sun Mon Tues Wed Thur Fri Sat 2. What distance (round-trip) best describes your riding preference? (select one) miles miles over 250 miles It doesn t matter 3. Do you like overnight rides? Yes No 4. How can we improve our Chapter meetings? (write on the back if more space is needed) 5. How can we improve our Chapter rides? (write on the back if more space is needed) 6. We need your ride suggestions Where would you like to go? (our best rides have come from Member suggestions)! (write on the back if more space is needed) 7. What do you like best about our Chapter / What keeps you coming back? (write on the back if more space is needed) 8. For our planning committee, would you plan on attending our 2009 Christmas Party/Dinner if it was FREE to Members (plus Members could bring 1 additional Guest for additional, reasonable cost? Yes No 9. What are your suggestions for improving our Chapter? (if there s still something you d like to tell us, this is the place to do it. We value your feedback). (write on the back if more space is needed) This newsletter is available by accessing Page11 of 12

12 10. How would you rate your experience with the Chapter? (check the 1 box that applies the best) Very Dissatisfied 1 2 Somewhat Dissatisfied 3 4 Neutral 5 6 Somewhat Satisfied 7 8 Very Satisfied 9 This newsletter is available by accessing Page12 of 12