January, 2019 Volume 20, Issue 1 G.W.R.R.A., TEXAS DISTRICT, CHAPTER W Chapter TX-W Director Cindy Harris First Ride of the Year Happy New Year!!!! Hope everyone had a safe and fun New Year. If you didn t make the New Year s Day ride you missed starting out in beautiful weather to freezing our butts off before we got to Smithville. Of course, by the time we got back to Katy it was warm again. But we had a good ride for the first day of the year. We had a great meeting and I did have a ride for us but most of us had things to do so I will save it for another day. Since we did not have a meeting in November and December there was a lot going on. To sum it up we did Nun Run, Hero s Highway Ride, Planning Meeting Dinner, November 24 ride, Christmas Party, Wreaths Across America, dinner at Carmengio and Gypsy Toy Run. Whew, I guess we were busy. Upcoming events are the Mid-Winter Roundup in Paris, TX, CPR class in February at my house, Invite from N2 in Humble for Soup Night, camping at Stephen F Austin State Park, camping at Texas Motor Speedway, Home of Hope Rally 2019 and Texas State Rally. I will put more information out on Groupworks about each event. As you can see it is already starting to get busy. Remember it still gets cold out there and we want to make sure we dress so we can unlayer as the day goes on but have the items there to put back on. I guess I wasn t prepared for our New Years Day ride. Also, drink lots of water as we tend to dehydrate during the cold weather as well as hot weather. Make sure your tire pressure is good as it tends to go up and down with the weather. Just a quick note about an issue that Charlie had with his bike. When he started it up the gears kicked in and rolled into the wall. He is bringing it down to have it fixed but ask him when you see him what actually happened. As some of you were not at our Chapter meeting, I did want to mention that Janice Hill s mom passed away on New Years Day. It was a very peaceful departure and the family was prepared for the moment. They had her funeral on Saturday, January 5 th and according to Janice there was about 100 people that came out to show their respect. As I watched everyone s post at Christmastime on Facebook it looked like everyone enjoyed their holiday whether it was staying home or traveling. It is always fun at that time, but it is always nice to get back into a routine was they are gone. I m ready for Spring now. Our next Chapter meeting will be on February 2 nd at 9er s Grill in Richmond. We did change our time back to 8:45 am for the meeting so we can let the morning warm up a little before we head out on our ride. Our next Chapter Planning meeting will be on January 24 th as I will be out of town on the 17 th. We might go back to the pizza place as we seem to enjoy the meal there, the prices are very reasonable and we usually have the whole place to ourselves. I do want to try and do some planning at the planning meetings this year so when you come to the meeting I will probably put everyone to work on a calendar. Hope to see you soon and ride safe out there!!! Cindy Harris Chapter Director
VOLUME 20 ISSUE 1 JANUARY, 2019 PAGE 2 February, 2019 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat 1 2 Upcoming Events for February 2nd Chapter Meeting 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 14th Planning Meeting 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 Check our web site calendar for last minute events. www.gwrra-txw.org 24 25 26 27 28 30 If you re a rider in Texas, motorcycle insurance from Suzanne Sansom Insurance Services Inc. can protect both you and your bike. At Suzanne Sansom Insurance Services Inc., we believe that good insurance is no accident and our dedicated agents will take the time to find you insurance products that are reliable and affordable. We are an independent agency and we will shop for the top carriers in the country to satisfy all of your personal insurance needs. www.sansominsurance.com/personal-insurance/motorcycle-insurance/ 3522 S. Mason Rd., Suite 260 Katy, TX 77450 Phone: 832-437-4180 Fax: 832-772-4325 Email: suzanne@sansominsurance.com Motorcycle ~ Life ~ Auto ~ Home ~ Commercial www.sansominsurance.com
VOLUME 20 ISSUE 1 JANUARY, 2019 New Year s Resolutions PAGE 3 It s a brand new year and most of us will at least think about resolutions to make us happier, healthier, and better persons. It s also a good time to think about how you can improve your motorcycling lifestyle and enjoyment. Here s my top ten motorcycle resolutions for 2019: I will ride more Last year was a lot busier than I anticipated and even though Kathy and I traveled many miles for our ICOY activities, I found myself in a car much more often than on two wheels. I want to remedy that this year. I will wear ATGATT All The Gear, All The Time. I am pretty good at this, but I admit that when I run to the store or on an errand, I may not don my jacket and boots. As a Level 4 Senior Master Tour Rider, I have pledged to wear all safety gear every time I get on one of my bikes. I ll strive to do that. I will ride each of my bikes at least once a week I tend to jump on the scooter to run around town because of its light weight and convenience, but I plan to ride the Wing every couple of trips. Keeps the fluids circulated, battery charged and my skills sharp. I will participate in more charity rides I used to do several of these a year, but only did two in the last year. It benefits the community and helps promote a positive image for riders. I will take multi-day road trip Kathy and I have fond memories of riding to Big Bend or Palo Duro and spending multiple days in the saddle. Time to do it again. I will ride 1/2 of Route 66 Kathy and I did the first half of Route 66 from Chicago to Amarillo two years ago. Time to fishih this bucket list item travelling from Amarillo to Santa Monica this year (also takes care of resolution above). I will pay more attention to bike maintenance I admit I don t change my fluids as often as I need to. I also have parts I bought a year ago and have still not installed. Time to fix that. I will attend several GW Modules I think everyone should make this a resolution. I always learn something new or am reminded of something I know but have forgotten. The new updated training modules (both Rider Ed and other areas) offer us help in riding skills and life/leadership skills. Please contact your CD or us to request a particular training for you or your chapter. I will invest in heated gear I m tired of being cold. Will also help extend my riding season. I will visit more chapter events and gatherings Even though Austin is only reasonably close to four other chapters, I keep up with all Texas chapters through their newsletters and websites. There is a lot of FUN being had out there and I want to be part of that. Look for us out and about this year. I challenge each of you to contemplate next year and how you can increase and enhance your GWRRA experience. Hope to see each of you on the road soon. Randy and Kathy Reese Texas District Educators 2017-18 International Couple of the Year All The Gear All The Time txed@gwrra-tx.org 512-744-3635
VOLUME 20 ISSUE 1 JANUARY, 2019 PAGE 4 Our Meeting Place and Time GWRRA Texas Chapter "W" holds its chapter meetings on the first Saturday and third Thursday of the month. The first is a meeting then ride and is at 9 ers Grill, 1800 FM359, RICHMOND, TX. The second will move month to month so see our calendar. The first is our regular chapter meeting starting at 8:15am while the second meeting is an informal planning meeting/social gathering starting at 7:00pm. Everyone is welcome and encouraged to attend. January Birthdays None we know of Anniversaries Jack & Lorraine Johnson, 25th
VOLUME 20 ISSUE 1 JANUARY, 2019 PAGE 5 FLEXING OUR WINGS A LITTLE TEXAS HISTORY Some January Texas Events January 2nd, 1974 On this date in 1974, Tex Ritter died in Nashville, Tennessee. The native of Murval, Texas, attended the University of Texas, where he was influenced by John Avery Lomax and J. Frank Dobie. Some of his greatest hits were "Rye Whiskey," "Wayward Wind," and "You Are My Sunshine." His performance of "High Noon," from the movie of the same name, won an Oscar in 1952. Ritter appeared in eighty-five movies and starred in the television series "Ranch Party" (1959-1962). In 1964 he was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. John Ritter, his youngest son, starred in the popular series "Three's Company." January 4th, 1923 On this day in 1923, radio station WBAP in Fort Worth established the basic format for country music variety show broadcasting (a format subsequently taken over by Nashville's "Grand Ole Opry" and Chicago's "National Barn Dance") with a program that featured a fiddler, a square-dance caller, and Confederate veteran Capt. M. J. Bonner. The familiar mélange of wisecracks, music both lugubrious and jolly, and country costumes became immensely popular all across the nation. WBAP, established by the Fort Worth Star-Telegram under Amon G. Carter in 1922, was looking for its programing forte. Under call letters derived from the words "We Bring A Program," the station was an innovator in Texas radio. In addition to its "hayride" program, it featured the Light Crust Doughboys, legendary fiddler Eck Robertson, crossover musician Al Stricklin (who began as a jazz pianist and joined the Bob Wills Fiddle Band), and other country stars. But it also had its own "serious" studio orchestra in which such musicians as Don Gillis played. WBAP and the other leading Texas radio stations broke the ground in the 1920s and 1930s for a flourishing music industry. January 10th, 1901 On this day in 1901, the Spindletop oilfield was discovered on a salt dome south of Beaumont, marking the birth of the modern petroleum industry. Pattillo Higgins, the "prophet of Spindletop," and others had tried for years to find oil on Spindletop Hill, but with no success. In 1899, however, Higgins hooked up with Anthony F. Lucas. Despite negative reports from contemporary geologists, Lucas remained convinced that oil was in the salt domes of the Gulf Coast. On January 10 mud began bubbling from a well that Lucas had spudded in the previous October. The startled roughnecks fled as six tons of four-inch drilling pipe came shooting up out of the ground. After several minutes of quiet, mud, then gas, then oil spurted out. The Lucas geyser, found at a depth of 1,139 feet, blew a stream of oil over 100 feet high until it was capped nine days later. Many of the major oil companies were born at Spindletop or grew to major corporate size as a result of their involvement at Spindletop, including Texaco, Gulf Oil Corporation, Magnolia Petroleum Company, and Exxon Company, U.S.A. January 26th, 1945 On this day in 1945, Audie Murphy, the most-decorated soldier in United States history, earned the Medal of Honor by single-handedly repelling a German attack. The Texas native enlisted in the United States Army in June 1942. During World War II he received thirty-three awards, citations, and decorations. After the war he starred in numerous movies, wrote country-and-western songs, and pursued other business interests. Murphy was killed in an airplane crash in 1971 and was buried near the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington National Cemetery.
VOLUME 20 ISSUE 1 JANUARY, 2019 PAGE 6 Chapter U Member for Sale 2006 California Sidecar - Escapade Elite Trailer 25 cu. ft. capacity, with covered cooler on tongue, garment bag and spare tire included. Repainted in 2012, has new tires, covered and garage kept. Asking $1,950.00. Contact Court van Sickler- 210-627-7475. Chapter W Officers Position Name Phone Number Chapter Director Cindy Harris (386) 846-8521 Assistant Chapter Director Vern Neal (713) 295-9150 Team Treasurer Social and Membership Enhancement Janice Hill OPEN Newsletter Editor Steve Wilkening (713) 899-6855 Ride Coordinator Varies by Month Webmaster Steve Wilkening (713) 899-6855