MOUNTAIN BLUE J S Ride Coordinator

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Chapter Directors Bob & Kathy Hill 706 896-6611 bob.hill76@gmail.com Asst Chap Directors Dave & Judy Hurd 828 369-5918 iretiredandluvit@gmail.

net Webmaster Dave Hurd 828 367-3771 iretiredandluvit@gmail. Co-Activity Coordinator s Susie Beach 813-416-2253 susieq0810@hotmail.

1 Chapter Directors Bob & Kathy Hill Asst Chap Directors Dave & Judy Hurd Treasurer Peg Jones MOUNTAIN BLUE J S Ride Coordinator Vacant Educator Bill Schleicher Wmbs10262@windstream.net Webmaster Dave Hurd iretiredandluvit@gmail. Co-Activity Coordinator s Susie Beach susieq0810@hotmail. Greeter Kathy Hill bob.hill76@gmail.com Newsletter Editors Dennis & Sue Bible REGION A - GOLD WING ROAD RIDERS ASSOCIATION GEORGIA DISTRICT HIAWASSEE, GA Sept/Oct 2015 CHAPTER GA J BLUE NOTE

We blink our eyes and its fall already! Where has the year gone? This is, in my opinion, is one of the most gorgeous times to ride our beautiful mountains. God s beauty at its best.

2 We blink our eyes and its fall already! Where has the year gone? This is, in my opinion, is one of the most gorgeous times to ride our beautiful mountains. God s beauty at its best. The leaves turn all sorts of pretty colors. I hope everyone is able to get out and ride to take advantage of what is right out our doors every day! We don t even have to do an overnight to get to see these beautiful sights. Count your blessings, folks! With the turning of the leaves we are reminded that everything and everyone has a beginning and an end. Same goes with my time as CD for Chapter J. Some of you may have already heard that I am stepping down at the end of the year. I have enjoyed being your CD for the past two years but my energy has run out. I am still working every day and I am getting too old to be able to do both. My job is exhausting in itself. With that, any of you that would like to be considered for the job, please or call me. There will be other positions available also. Please, please consider stepping up and accepting any of these opportunities. We are a fun group and we want to keep it rolling. We have to have people to accept the leadership positions so we can KEEP having fun!! On a lighter note, our Christmas Party is coming up soon! Yea! December 12 th is the date and we will meet at the Young Harris Center (where we always hold our Valentine s Parties). This year things will be done just a bit different. We are having Jim s Smoking Q cater our dinner in. Details and a signup sheet on this will be available at the October meeting. Please plan to attend. It will be fun no matter where we are! Ride Safe, Ride Often! Bob & Kathy Hill

WING DING #37 HUNTSVILLE, AL closing ceremonies were all held at the VBC. Our members departed Georgia and arrived in Huntsville at different times.

These were: Terry and Anne Kintz, Art and Jan Upchurch, Dick and Diane Schmidt, Tom Van Harte and Paula, Nick and Sandy George, Nestor and Iris Morin, Roger and Dottie LeRoy and Allen Cecil.

Some of our folks attended the Welcome Party located in the U.S. Space and Rocket Center.

3 WING DING #37 HUNTSVILLE, AL closing ceremonies were all held at the VBC. Our members departed Georgia and arrived in Huntsville at different times. by Roger LeRoy We had fifteen members of Georgia Chapter J attend the 2015 Wing Ding in Huntsville, AL over Labor Day weekend. These were: Terry and Anne Kintz, Art and Jan Upchurch, Dick and Diane Schmidt, Tom Van Harte and Paula, Nick and Sandy George, Nestor and Iris Morin, Roger and Dottie LeRoy and Allen Cecil. Despite the very hot weather (it seemed like the 4th of July) everyone enjoyed the many activities and venues arranged to keep the 9095 registered attendees busy for the five day event. Some of our folks attended the Welcome Party located in the U.S. Space and Rocket Center. This venue is Huntsville s major attraction and some of our group went there for the Wednesday Welcome Party, the Thursday evening German Biergarten Party and to take in the museum and Imax theater. Most of the activities, including the Demo Rides and indoor Trade Show were held at the Von Braun Center. Registration, Poker Run, Food Court, Ticket Sales, Bike Show, Seminars, Dinners, Entertainment and Dick and Diane arrived on Wednesday from their trip out West before returning to Georgia. Those that departed Georgia on Thursday had a beautiful day to travel through Tennessee and pick up Highway 72 taking them directly into the City. A

This involved each participant making a paper airplane to be flown off the balcony in the Arena.

4 stop at the Lodge Mfg. Co. in South Pittsb urgh, TN resul ted in some folks buying their highly prized cast-iron cookware. The first order of business on Thursday, after arriving about noon and grabbing lunch, was to join Bushtec Trailer Co. in their Rocket Launch! This involved each participant making a paper airplane to be flown off the balcony in the Arena. If your airplane landed in an open Bushtec Trailer located on the Arena floor, you would be eligible for a drawing to win the Trailer. At the time we tried it, we were told eight airplanes had landed in the open Trailer! None of our members were so lucky. On Friday most of us spent time in the Indoor Trade Show and taking some Demo Rides. There were over 125 Exhibitors and 5 Companies giving Demo Rides. Nestor and Roger took rides on the Roadsmith Trike and the Indian Trike. The Roadsmith ride took us about 8 miles out of the City and offered a good opportunity to evaluate the ride. Later Roger rode the Goldwing RT18 Reversed Trike, but that was shortened to a ride around the Von Braun Center. That evening we attended the Country Music show in the Concert Hall. Saturday started off with the Grand Parade. This involved over 300 bikes and trikes. The local police escort took us on a 14 mile journey through the City and Monte Sano State Park, the highest elevation in the county. Following the parade we rode about 4 miles to Milton Frank Stadium to see the Drill Team exhibition. There were six Drill Teams performing. The Georgia Drill Team, with our own Allen Cecil, was last to perform. They did an excellent performance and received a resounding round of applause from the audience. The finale consisted of all the Drill Team participants joining the Georgia Team resulting in over 50 bikes and trikes gathering in the showground

while the Georgia members with trailers released red, white & blue balloons into the open sky. A truly spectacular ending to the day s performances. That evening J&M Corp.

Sunday some of us returned to the U.S Space & Rocket Center for tours and movies.

5 while the Georgia members with trailers released red, white & blue balloons into the open sky. A truly spectacular ending to the day s performances. That evening J&M Corp. sponsored a BBQ dinner, musical entertainment and gave away $3000 worth of electronics for those purc Mystery Lunch Ride hasing prize tickets, with that money going to charity. Sunday some of us returned to the U.S Space & Rocket Center for tours and movies. After lunch we donned our Chapter shirts and joined the other members for a table of Blue J s at the closing ceremonies. No none of us won anything! Monday s ride home was ideal with temperature in high the 70 s along backroads of Alabama & Georgia getting us home about 3:00 PM. August 22, 2015 By Roger LeRoy On Saturday, August 22 four bikes and 5 Blue J s headed off to a mystery lunch finally revealed as Pat s Kounty Kitchen in McCaysville, GA. The route there was as indirect as we could make it. Starting westward on Old Blue Ridge Hwy. we crossed Hwy. 76 just east of Blue Ridge, GA and rode along the Toccoa River on Galloway Rd. This brought us out onto

6 Hwy. 5 just south of our destination. The meals at Pat s are always great as they put together some fine Southern Home Cooking. After out lunch we saddled up and rode north on scenic and twisty Hwy. 68 through Ducktown, Turtletown, Farner, Ironsburg and Coker Creek Village to Tellico Plains, TN. The weather was ideal with temperatures at 79/80 degrees and enough cloud cover to make for pleasant riding conditions. A short gas stop and break in Tellico Plains then we were off for the Cherohala Skyway. As we progressed Eastward and gained elevation, the temperature came down dramatically. When we crossed into North Carolina, we encountered low hanging clouds and the bike of the clouds, the views were fantastic and the air was very clear. A restthermometer was reading 66 degrees. Lots of motorcyclists riding the Skyway this day and we noticed most of the scenic pull-offs were full of motorcycles. The arm was getting a good workout waving to the many passing bikers. As we came out stop at one of the pull-offs offered an opportunity for the photo-op shown above. Coming down off the Skyway and into Robbinsville, NC we were quickly back into the warmer weather which topped out at 84 degrees for the day just right with plenty of cloud cover to offer us a perfect riding day. A very light sprinkle of rain welcomed us to Robbinsville but did not last long. With no more stops, we were soon on Hwy. 74 heading back through Andrews and Murphy to split up for our separate homes. Enjoying this Mystery Lunch ride were: Bill Schleicher, Ron & Beth Freeman, Woodstock and Roger LeRoy. RIDE REPORT IRONHORSE LODGE 9/24/15 We had nine bikes/trykes with 13 riders leave Blairsville on a cool sunny morning heading for the Ironhorse Motorcycle Lodge near Robbinsville, NC. Starting north on Hwy. 129, we went looking for some curves by turning onto Martins Creek Road. This winding road brought us back onto Hwy. 129 via Hwy. 64. A short break at the rest stop near Andrews, NC and some folks were already shedding a layer of clothing as the temperature rose into the low 70 s. The ride through the Nantahala Gorge is always exhilarating and we caught glimpses of many rafters enjoying their cold morning float trip on the Nantahala River. Almost at the stroke of noon, we arrived at the Stecoah Diner located on Hwy. 28 and near the entrance to Ironhorse Lodge. The Lodge serves breakfast and dinner only so we arranged for our lunch at the Stecoah Dinner. After lunch more of the riders removed another layer of clothing as the temperature was in the high 70 s with a

7 RIDE REPORT IRONHORSE LODGE 9/24/15 We had nine bikes/trykes with 13 riders leave Blairsville on a cool sunny morning heading for the Ironhorse Motorcycle Lodge near Robbinsville, NC. Starting north on Hwy. 129, we went looking for some curves by turning onto Martins Creek Road. This winding road brought us back onto Hwy. 129 via Hwy. 64. A short break at the rest stop near Andrews, NC and some folks were already shedding a layer of clothing as the temperature rose into the low 70 s. The ride through the Nantahala Gorge is always exhilarating and we caught glimpses of many rafters enjoying their cold morning float trip on the Nantahala River. Almost at the stroke of noon, we arrived at the Stecoah Diner located on Hwy. 28 and near the entrance to Ironhorse Lodge. The Lodge serves breakfast and dinner only so we arranged for our lunch at the Stecoah Dinner. After lunch more of the riders removed another layer of clothing as the temperature was in the high 70 s with a beautiful bright sun shiny day. A short two mile ride took us to the Ironhorse Motorcyle Lodge. Everyone was impressed with the amenities at this facility. The large clubhouse includes a store, kitchen, dining area, game room, loft with more games, seating areas with numerous large screen TV s and a stone patio overlooking the Stecoah River. Several cabins were available adjacent to the Lodge. Everyone agreed that this location would make a great destination for a dinner ride! Exiting the Ironhorse Lodge we continued on the back road we had entered on and it brought us back onto Hwy. 28. From there, we took Hwy. 143 into the town of Robbinsville, NC and stopped for our necessary ice cream break. After returning via Andrews and Murphy, NC, everyone headed for their respective homes having enjoyed a fine ride through some beautiful country and cool weather. Roger LeRoy Received from Tom Van Harte Hello Folks Well another MS-150 is in the books...fund raising will continue for awhile but it looks like the hoped for 1 million $ will be reality... kudos to all of you for another job well done. We only had about 800 participants this year and we had no major incidents which made for a short day Sunday. Next year we have a new start point at Serenbe

serenbe with Callaway being the overnite point then back to Serenbe Sunday..it will involve a different strategy for us but at least we'll have some new scenery and it will be held in Oct.

Thanks again for a simply wonderful job and hope to see you all again next year TVH Ride Report 2015 Multiple Sclerosis (M/S) 150 By Dennis Bible The 2015 M/S 150 was held at Callaway Gardens in Pine

8 serenbe with Callaway being the overnite point then back to Serenbe Sunday..it will involve a different strategy for us but at least we'll have some new scenery and it will be held in Oct. for some cooler weather. Thanks again for a simply wonderful job and hope to see you all again next year TVH Ride Report 2015 Multiple Sclerosis (M/S) 150 By Dennis Bible The 2015 M/S 150 was held at Callaway Gardens in Pine Mountain, Georgia, over September 19 & 20. There were 24 Motorcycle Marshal's led by Tom Van Hart, providing safety patrol for the bicyclists riding to raise funds for M/S. Of the 24, 7 were from our Chapter GA-J to include: Tom Van Hart; Nestor & Iris Morin; Roger & Dottie LeRoy; Bob Baillargeon; and Dennis Bible. There were between 800 & 900 bicyclists riding anywhere from 60 to 165 miles over several courses that included Georgia and parts of Alabama, covering two days, with a goal of raising $1 million dollars for research for a cure for M/S. Our motorcycles orbited the bicyclists providing support and safety, looking for problems with anything from road rash, heat exhaustion, flat tires to dehydration. I logged about 400 miles over the two days on patrol and I'm sure all the other Marshal s did too. This year we were treated to a brief, guided tour of Callaway Gardens on the motorcycles after all the bicyclists were safely in on Saturday night. While we didn't see any botanical miracles, the evening light playing through the trees and onto the wooded ponds was amazing. I'm sure there is much more to see, but after a long, hot day on patrol, everyone was ready to hit the showers and get some hot food, so the tour ended rather abruptly. Next year they plan to move the event to sometime in October (cooler weather) and start in Serenby, Georgia. I'm sure Tom will be looking for all the help he can get to support that event! Presented By Dave and Judy Hurd Bike Only Road Blocks

9 In 2007 New York State started singling out motorcyclists from all other drivers and setting up what were called Motorcycle Only Checkpoints which were actually roadblocks for bikes only. The supposed purpose was to increase rider safety by doing surprise road side inspections and writing tickets. While 104 traffic citations were issued at one checkpoint, it included officers from four police departments, a police helicopter, a dedicated chase car, additional highway signage and investigators from the state Special Investigations Unit. Congress Blog, March 12, 2014 End Motorcycle Only Check Points for Good. The tab for that level of resources was high and the money could have been used for a myriad of other programs, for example some trying to educate drivers to be aware of motorcycles or funding rider education programs. Nevertheless, the idea caught on with the federal government and it began providing States with money to set up and run these biker blocks. Georgia started doing it in March 2011, using money provided by National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, a/k/a NHTSA. According to the AMA, thousands of bikes were stopped as they tried to get through Georgia to Bike Week in Daytona Beach. The delays were quite lengthy. The AMA, as with many others, are strongly opposed to this discriminatory singling out of riders. In case you are interested in a history lesson, a thorough listing of the points, articles, Bills and news about motorcycle-only checkpoints from 2007 through 2014, is at hts/motorcycleonlycheckpoints.aspx. However, there was something I found to be surprising in researching this issue. According to a Nov 15, 2010, letter from the NHTSA in response to objections from the AMA, out of 225 bikes stopped in New York, 11% had bad tires and 36% were not wearing approved helmets. Those numbers do not speak well of riders. As to helmets a 2009 NHTSA study of motorcyclists injured in crashes and transported to a Baltimore shock trauma center during showed that 56 percent of those wearing a novelty helmet had serious head injuries, compared with 19 percent of riders who were wearing a helmet certified by the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT). Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, Status Report, Vol. 50, No. 6 July 30, 2015 Back to the checkpoints. Some U.S. Senators took action to put an end to them. In March 2014, a bill was introduced by U.S. Sens. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), Kelly Ayotte (R-N.H.), Joe Manchin (D- W.Va.) and Susan Collins (R-Maine) to prohibit the use of federal funds in establishing motorcycle-only checkpoints. It was sent to Committee where it quietly died. Undaunted, they tried again and on January 8, 2015, introduced Senate Bill 127 also prohibiting grants of federal

10 funds to states or local governments for the purpose of checking helmet usage or for motorcycle only checkpoints. Again it was sent to the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee. This time, the result was in favor of riders. On July 15, 2015, the Committee approved the Bill. Moreover, rather than trying to have it passed as a separate statute, Shaheen got it incorporated into the S. 1732, the Surface Transportation Reauthorization bill. So the funding prohibition is part of the Transportation Act itself. What that means is that as soon as the main legislation goes through (which depends on whether we have another government shutdown) prohibition of federal funding of rider roadblock will be the law of the land. So after eight years of fighting, perseverance has paid off; unless a State decides to fund them on their own, biker -only road blocks will be a thing of the past. Our Ride Report By Dave Hurd October 09, 2015 First off, I want to apologize because we didn t take the camera. I do have to admit the views are pretty much embedded in our minds. We left our place right around 12:00 PM after checking out the trike for a leisurely ride. We headed up the Cullasaja Gorge for some beautiful colors. The skies were cloudy but there was no rain forecasted until 3:00 PM so we figured we d be safe. We took Highlands Road on up to Highlands and took 106 across to Dillard. The trees are doing quite MAGNIFICANT in many areas! We were in no hurry and just eased our way down 441 to Clayton then took 76 across to Hiawassee. At this point Judy was still doing pretty well with her back and legs but I knew she wouldn t last much longer so we headed out on 75/175 to the T and took a right turn on whatever the name of that road is to where it intersects with 64, and headed home. We arrived back home at 2:45 PM so it was about a nice 3 hour ride but Judy was very happy to be back as things were starting to bother quite a bit. We are thinking about taking the Parkway to Pigeon Forge for another leisurely ride and pulling over if traffic wants to go like a bat out of the Crazy House. Another day. Another ride. Thank You Lord, You done us real GOOD!

11 Ron Yoppke of Kenai, Alaska, died suddenly from a massive heart attack Sunday, October 4th, 2015 at his sister s home in Columbia, S.C. Ron really looked forward to his trips to Northern Georgia and riding with our Chapter! Ron was 70.

12 2008 HONDA GOLD WING - GL18HPNA - PEARL WHITE Heated Seat & Grips Premium Audio Navigation ABS Mileage: 33,411 Extra Accessories included: Honda CB Radio & Antenna Driver Backrest (Kuryakyn) Passenger Arm Rests (Kuryakyn) Trunk Luggage Rack (Kuryakyn) Lighted Rear Spoiler ISO Grips (for use with factory Heated Grips) (Kuryakyn) Wide Chrome Brake and Clutch Levers (Kuryakyn) Dually ISO Highway Pegs (Kuryakyn) MP3 Player Connects to factory CD player controls Running / Fog Lights in Lower Fairing Full Bike Cover Price: $14, DROP TAIL MOTORCYCLE TRAILER Can be configured to Transport: One or Two Motorcycles, Trike, UTV or ATV, Golf Cart or use as a flat bed trailer Features: Full Aluminum Diamond Plate Decking Two Adjustable Wheel Chocks Two sets of ratcheting Tie-downs ( front and rear ) Chrome Wheels 13 Spare Tire included Hydraulic rear Tail lift Folds to stand upright to store in Garage ( 94 tall x 91 wide x 40 deep ) Price: $1, BILL SCHLEICHER I have a 6 x 10 foot utility trailer with ramp for sale. Asking $750, call

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13 FOR SALE: 1999 YAMAHA ROYAL STAR VENTURE TRIKE W/UTILITY TRAILER $7,500 TRIKE IS MOTORTRIKE CONVERSION, DONE WHEN BIKE WAS NEW. HAS INTERCOM AND CB RADIO, CASSETTE PLAYER, DRIVER BACKREST, ADDITIONAL LIGHTS, INCLUDING BRAKE LIGHTS. TRAILER CAN CARRY MOBILITY SCOOTER OR LUGGAGE. QUESTIONS, CALL (305) DICK OR DIANE SCHMIDT BIKE IS LOCATED IN BLAIRSVILLE, GA, WILL BE BACK IN MIAMI LATE NOVEMBER. THANK YOU DIANE

15 Richard & Diane Schmidt 11/05 Mo & Bart Rodgers...12/09 JanUpchurch 11/9 Bill Schleicher...12/11 Ron McDonald..11/27 Sandy Tomb 11/29 Nick George.. 12/01 Ray Dickey.12/04 Bob Baillargeon. 12/06 Mike Jones...12/09 Dennis Bible...12/12 Jill MCDaris.. 12/12 Annie Kintz. 12/21 Iris Morin 12/24 Bill Rutledge...11/17

October 2015 Mon Sun Wed Thu Fri Sat 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 11 Toys 12 Dinner 9 10 13 14 15 16 17

16 October 2015 Mon Sun Wed Thu Fri Sat Toys 12 Dinner For Tots Columbus Meeting Ride Day 11: Hallow een

17 2015 Chapter GA-J Meets the 3 rd Saturday of the month In: Hiawassee, GA At: Daniels Steak House,273 Big Sky Dr. Eat At: 11:00AM - Meet at 12:PM November Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Veterans Day 12 Dinner Thanksgiv ing Meeting

News From The Mountain Blue J s Nest

News From The Mountain Blue J s Nest ALL Newsletter items due by 26 th of the month! Chapter Directors Dave & Judy Hurd 828-369-5918 gwrra.ga.j@gmail.com GWRRABlueJs@gmail.com Assistant Chapter Directors Jeff & Connie Overbay 407-474-4699