GOLD WING ROAD RIDERS ASSOCIATION INDIANA CHAPTER O2 ELKHART, IN. October 2017 REGION D DIRECTOR Lloyd and Becky Glydewell 937-322-7156 DISTRICT DIRECTOR Ray & Melinda Faber 765-307-0134 ASSISTANT DISTRICT DIRECTOR Wolfgang & Connie Gless 269-476-2321 CHAPTER DIRECTORS Bob & Sue Chute 574-250-0193 ASSISTANT CHAPTER DIRECTOR Richard & Cari Durecki 574-226-4956 CHAPTER EDUCATORS Richard & Janet Fox CHAPTER TREASURER Bruce McLeish MEMBERSHIP ENHANCEMENT Wolfgang Gless RIDE COORDINATOR Richard Wright COUPLE OF THE YEAR CARDS & FLOWERS Cathy Rummel ACTIVITIES Deb Whetstone PHONE TREE Bernadette Harwood CHAPTER VISIT COORDINATOR Wolfgang Gless WEBMASTER Cari Durecki NEWSLETTER EDITOR Vernon Daly RONALD McDONALD RIDE year. FROM YOUR CHAPTER DIRECTORS Bob & Sue Chute Indian summer in the Midwest is absolutely the best time of year for riding! Although it has been a little late this year, the stunning colors that Mother Nature provides is a true testament to the beauty that surrounds us. We hope you have had the opportunity to travel on two wheels and enjoy all the neighboring imaginative marvels this country has to offer this time of the Our Chapter Educator Richard Fox gave a timely account on expecting the unexpected. I saw a lot of heads nodding and smiles abounding during his talk. Richard is highly entertaining and the content of his speeches are always entertaining and so very informative! At our September monthly meeting of the GWRRA Hart City Wings there were twenty Chapter members in attendance and two guests, John and Pat Vanfluron, from Middlebury. It was great to see members Carl and Rhonda Tribble there too! Our Chapter Membership Enhancement Coordinator, Wolfgang Gless informed the members the annual Winter Rendezvous will be held in Shipshewana this year. Due to the close proximity of this event, it is anticipated more of our members will be attending. There are a lot of changes coming to GWRRA in the coming months. We look forward to learning of the changes and how they will affect our Chapter. There are new Chapter activities in the works including: 10/15 Heston Dinner; Bonfire get together at Whetstones and our Holiday Party November 3 rd. Please mark your calendar to join in the Chapter fun! With winter weather at our back door, our Dinner Rides are now on four wheels, the third Thursday of the month, starting October 19 th. We will continue to have our monthly meeting the first Thursday of the month, with the next scheduled meeting being November 2 nd. We encourage all our members to continue to keep in prayer all those affected by the numerous wildfires in the west, the hurricanes that have wreaked damage, as well as the senseless violence and loss of life in Las Vegas. And while you re at it say an extra prayer for our countryeeunited we are strong! That s all for this month. Remember, life is shorteepay it forward. Bob & Sue MONTHLY MEETINGS are held the 1st Thursday of each month at the Perkins Restaurant in Elkhart on Cassopolis Road just north of the Toll Road. Dinner at 6:30, meeting at 7:15 PM DINNER RIDES are every Thursday night May-Sept. (except meeting night). Meet in the parking lot BEHIND Discovery Middle School on Ash Road. Leaving promptly at 6:30 PM 1
FROM YOUR ASSISTANT CHAPTER DIRECTORS Richard & Cari Durecki Now that our dinner riding season has concluded, I d like to thank Richard Wright for taking on the task of having the dinner ride schedule available for those whom wished to lead a ride or two. Thanks for everyone who signed up to lead dinner rides this year too. Our riding season (in the North Country) is quickly coming to a close. Soon our fair weather friends will be retreating to the south. Just a word of caution, for those of us that like to take fall rides that Bambi and Bucky are on the move. This morning I was in the car and a deer ran across the road in front of me, I didn t see it but the car ahead of me slowed down because they did. It was great to have the Tribbles join us for this month s meeting, it s been a while. We wish Rhonda all the best in her fight with cancer. KEEP UP THE FIGHT GIRL. It was also nice to see some new faces at the meeting too. There were a couple of sign-up sheets that were passed around during the meeting; one was for the Bonfire/Chili cook-off at Whetstone s. It looked like there will be at least 3 chilies for the competition. If you re not bringing Chili please bring a dish to pass. If you didn t sign up and wish to go, please contact Jim or Deb to let them know you ll be attending. The second sign-up sheet was for the Birthday/Holiday party on Friday, Nov. 3 rd at Dal-Mar in Nappanee. Cost is $10 per person. If you didn t get signed up please let Deb know ASAP so she can have a final count at least 2 weeks ahead. Hey, if you want to know what s happening in 2018 you ll want to attend the planning meeting set for Sunday, November 5 th, at McLeish s house. Bring you brilliant ideas on what you ALL wish to do this next year. We can t have fun activities without some input, gather at McLeish s around 2 O clock, and bring snacks or goodies too. It seems as if the same folks come to this but we d like to see more involvement for those of you whom are just along for the ride. The more that you participate the more ideas come out and the more fun for everyone. That s all for this month, be good to yourself and to each other. Rich & Cari 2
FROM YOUR CHAPTER EDUCATORS Richard & Janet Fox The difference between movies and the reality of safety A couple of weeks ago we attended a movie titled The Hitman s Bodyguard. This was an action flick where the bad guys were trying to kill the hitman and the bodyguard was trying to get the target to a trial so the he could testify against the bad guys. You might be wondering what this movie has to do with the reality of safety as applied to motorcycles or any other endeavor of the human race. Please let me explain. First, the movie. The main characters had completely opposite approaches to life and safety. The bodyguard planned everything down to the last detail to ensure the safety of his clients. Unfortunately to no avail. The hitman, on the other hand, planned almost nothing and whatever happened he just went with the flow and tried to do what was necessary to survive. A great action flick if ever I saw one. I won t tell you how it ends. That you have to see for yourself. Fast forward to the reality and my fishing trip to Canada at a lake we have fished many times. Like many of our rides and trips this one was well planned. Safety equipment check. Food, water purifiers, matches, all checked and double checked. An excellent plan. Within 15 minutes of our flight arrival at the camp the pilot lights on the stove, propane refrigerator, and water heater were all lit and our supplies were installed in the cabin. We were ready to catch some big ones. Then the carbon monoxide detector went off and could not be reset. A call on the satellite phone to the camp main office provided no help but to open all the windows. CO is a deadly odorless and tasteless gas. The windows were already open. The refrigerator, as the culprit, had to be turned off. We requested a delivery of ice (which occurred two days later). Four 8 pound bags for our coolers. Oh well we didn t really plan on keeping delicious fish for home use anyway. Two days later a moderate wind (15 20) was blowing on the lake. My partner and I were back trolling to try for Pike when some water entered the boat from a larger than average wave. My boat seat came loose suddenly and I fell back into the boat by the engine hitting the emergency stop. My partner got me back upright but another large wave caused the seat to fall over again dumping me against the motor and the transom of the boat. This time we took a lot of water and swamped the boat. When the water shifted the boat rolled over within 3-4 seconds. At this point my partner turned to me and said I don t know how to swim. We had to pull the capsized boat some 400 yards to the nearest shore. In the process of getting to shore with a water temperature of 60 degrees he started suffering from hypothermia. I got him up on shore while I controlled the capsized boat. About that time our other boat and partners arrived from the south end of the lake and assisted in the recovery efforts. The incident cost us about a $1000.00 worth of gear. Other issues that week included very poor fishing, intense rain, and fog so thick you could cut it with a knife. A disabled boat motor. A rusted spark plug in the cabin water supply pump. A 24 hour delay in our flight out and no fish to bring home. Nobody could plan for all of these things to go wrong on one fishing trip so why bother just go with the flow and do what you have to do to ensure your safety! Sometimes you just have to improvise. 3
Past Events Meeting Notes: By Vernon Daly Bob opened the meeting to around 20 chapter members and two guests. After the pledge of allegiance, upcoming events were mentioned. These included the October 21st bonfire/chili cookoff at Whetstones, and the combined Holiday/Birthday party on November 3rd. Signup sheets were passed around for both of these events. If you were not at the October meeting and want to attend either or both of these events, contact Deb Whetstone or Bob Chute to get your name added to the list. For details on both of these events please see the writeups on page 5. Carol Skinner reminded everyone about the upcoming Heston Supper Club event on October 15th. The weather will determine exactly how this event will go. Carol is aware of everyone who is planning on attending and will contact everyone to let them know if it s a motorcycle event or a car event. Please see the writeup on page 6 about this event. Bob wanted to remind everyone that the planning meeting will be held on November 12th at 2:00 at McLeish s. Everyone come with ideas of events you would like to see. Richard Fox, our chapter educator, gave a talk about the difference between what you see in movies and real life regarding safety and planning. He related how several planned activities went awry on a recent fishing trip. Wolfgang Gless had the privilege of receiving both Udderly Fantastic (for leading the northern Michigan ride) and Dumbo (for calling out several turns opposite of what they really were on a recent ride which he led). Fall Fest We had 4 bikes, 7 people, attend Fall Fest in Warsaw. It was a hot, but nice day. Pizza was served for lunch and we got to talk to a lot of people that we only see occasionally. Thanks, Rich, for leading the ride to and from Warsaw. Progressive Dinner I m not exactly sure how many participants we had at the progressive dinner, but I think it was around 20. The weather really cooperated and all of the courses were really good. A big thank you to all who provided not only the food but the use of their house. Also thanks go out to everyone who led a ride. They all were really nice. I think everyone had a really good time at this annual chapter event. Ronald McDonald House Ride Once again, Jim Whetstone planned and led our annual Ronald McDonald House Ride. It included a stop at a grain elevator where participants were treated to a tour of the facility. At the House members were greeted by house staff where they were presented our check from the Pound Auction as well as some supplies and pop tabs. Chapter members were also given a tour of the facility, which is now 7 months old. I think everyone was impressed by the new facility. With that Bob asked if there was any other items anyone wanted to mention. There being none he adjourned the meeting. Save those pop tabs for Ronald McDonald House Monthly Item: Pick anything from the Wish List Individual Snacks and drink boxes are always needed. 4
What s Coming Up Summary October 5.. Chapter Meeting, Perkins October 15.. Heston Supper Club, 3:00 October 21.. Bonfire, Whetstone, 5:30 November 2.. Chapter Meeting, Perkins November 3.. Holiday/Birthday Party, Dal-Mar Appetizers at 5:30. Dinner at 6:00 November 12.. Planning meeting, 2:00 at McLeish s Holiday/Birthday Party The combined Holiday/Birthday party will be held at Dal-Mar hall in Nappanee. It will start with appetizers at 5:30 and dinner will be served at 6:00. A signup sheet was passed around for this event, which will be $10 per person with the chapter picking up the balance. If you were not at the October chapter meeting to get on the signup sheet, please contact Deb Whetstone or Bob Chute to get your name on the sheet. It is important that we have an accurate head count so we know what to tell Dal-Mar about the attendance. Thursday Dinner Rides That s it for the Thursday dinner rides. We will now be on our once-a-month Thursday dinner gettogethers. Below is a schedule of these dinners for the entire non-riding season Be at the restaurant at 6:30.. October 19E..Jade Garden, Nappanee St. Elkhart November 16..George s Gyros, Bristol St. Elkhart DecemberE...No dinner this month January 18..Fiesta Tapatia, McKinley Ave, Mishawaka February 15ECracker Barrel, Elkhart March 15EE.Regio s, Mishawaka April 19EE...TBD Bonfire Have a Hot night out with Deb and Jim Whetstone. October 21,2017 we will be hosting a bonfire. Be here at 5:30 and enjoy the food and company. We Birthdays & Anniversaries Anniversaries: November 20.. Mark & Carol Skinner Birthdays: November 5.. Jim McPhail November 15.. Richard Fox will be having a chili cook off also. If you have a favorite Chili recipe please make it and bring it along. If you do not want to make chili please bring a side dish or chips. A fun night is planned so please join us. In case of rain or extreme cold please know that we will play games inside. Sign up sheet will be passed around again at October meeting. Hope to see you there. 5
Other News Got an item that you would like to sell? Advertise it here in the For Sale listing of the newsletter. This publication is seen state wide and could help to locate someone that is looking for your item. Your Chapter Store Representative: Cindy Norman Chapter items for sale: Hats................ $13.00 Chapter Flags........ $12.00 Gold Wing Clocks.... $15.00 Various pins, patches etc. also available. See Cindy for details. For Sale: 2004 GL 1800 White with Graphic s & Pin Stripping. 109,000 touring miles. Loaded with chrome aftermarket parts including wheels, valve covers, timing chain cover and many more. Baker Air Wings are also included. Decorative Lighting is installed from front to back. Price Reduced $9000 269-476-2321 or 269-816-4745 For Sale 1998 Kwik Kamp Motorcycle Camper Ronald McDonald House Reminder We can always use two items at the house that we re always running out of: single serving snack packs (chips, Doritos, etc) and single serving juice boxes (any kind will do). We take these on the coffee cart every morning and this stuff goes fast. Heston Supper Club Several people were discussing having a dinner out. Seems several members have anniversaries in October. So it was suggested dinner at Heston Supper Club. The plan for now is have dinner Sunday October 15 th at 3:00 pm. There is a time difference so we plan to get there when they open at 3:00 (that is 4:00 our time). You can go to their web site http:// www.hestonsupperclub.com You can join their e club not sure what you might receive. A sign-up sheet was sent around at the September meeting. If you want to go and didn t get on the list please contact Carol Skinner. Changes and Corrections No changes or corrections this month. Has blue canvas in good condition with reddish brown cover. Has been modified to have electric outlets both inside and outside and does have a clear title. Asking $1000.00 or best offer. Call 574 215-1810 if interested. Please note that changes and corrections will not be repeated, so be sure and check last month s newsletter to make sure you didn t miss anything. 6
7