Volume 28, Number 4 O Fallon, Missouri August 2017 CHAPTER "O" TEAM CHAPTER DIRECTOR Gene & Karen Kaufmann gwrra.mo.o@gmail.com 314-402-8271. Road Runner Ramblings We love suggestions! ASSISTANT CHAPTER DIRECTOR Harry & Nancy Schonhoff harrybassman@aol.com CHAPTER RIDER EDUCATOR David Senior dp@seniorassociates.org TREASURER/HISTORIAN Jim Ryan MEMBERSHIP ENHANCEMENT 2017 COUPLE OF THE YEAR Harry & Nancy Schonhoff 2017 Individual OF THE YEAR Keith Wooden WEBSITE Dave Miller dm3280@swbell.net RIDE COORDINATOR Brian & Christi Heideman brheidman@centurytel.net MEMEBERS AT LARGE Joe & Vera Hulsey jhulsey486@hotmail.com Chapter Web Site http://mogwrra.org/gwrramoo.com/ Meetings at Moudy s Bar & Grill 2151 West Terra Lane O Fallon, MO I-70 & Lake St Louis Exit. On the 3 rd Monday of the Month 6:00 to eat, 7:00 to meet Wow! There is sure a lot happening in GWRRA, we have the Association changing up the structure of the organization, Wing Ding is coming up, and our local Chapters have all kinds of events going on too. Our own Chapter O is no exception! Be sure to check out the list of the upcoming events in the newsletter, and check your calendar so you don t miss out on any of the FUN. When the GWRRA home office announced the changes, they said they wanted to get back to an emphasis on having FUN and riding more. I personally like the fact that they are moving toward simplifying the Association and getting back to the roots. As for us, Chapter O, I would like to think we never lost having FUN as a priority and we have continued to ride even adding weeklong and several overnight trips to our monthly day rides for the last decade. So I don t think much is going to change for us. I think we can just keep on doing what we do with a title change or two for a couple of Chapter volunteers. And don t forget about the Solar Eclipse Party. How FUN will that be? Let s all hope for clear skies!! I hope to see you all out there riding and participating in whatever you can fit into your busy life. We know there are many demands on your time and we appreciate you spending some of that precious time with Chapter O. Remember, you only have one go round in this life So let s ride! Gene and Karen Kaufmann
More From the Back Seat Well, the countdown is on! I'm excited so we're throwing a Solar Eclipse Watch Party! The party will be on August 21, 2017! Location is our house at 1307 Rose Hill Lane St. Peters. MO 63376 Totality at our location will be 33 seconds. We will have lunch 11:15 am which will give us plenty of time to observe the eclipse as it starts at 11:55 am and the Totality will arrive at 1:17 pm. Lunch will be burgers and hot dogs, beans and chips. Depending on the chickens, maybe a deviled egg or two! Tea and lemonade. If you would like to bring a side dish that's fine but not necessary. You are welcome to bring other beverages as well. Bring a lawn chair or two if you are coming by car. Don't worry about chairs if you're on your bike. As luck would have it our Chapter O Gathering is also on August 21st. So anyone traveling a distance is welcome to hang out at our house until we leave for the Gathering about 5:00 pm. We have Solar Eclipse glasses but just so we are sure we have enough glasses and burgers we would love for you to let us know if you are coming to the party. Please email, call or text if you will be joining us. I've heard from the following folks so far: Roger and Linda, Debby B. Jim B., Dale, Candy, Nancy and Harry, Harry C, Peggy and Dave, Steve and Diana, Joe and Joyce. The Great American Solar Eclipse is on its way! Don't miss it!
Saturday, July 1, 2017 Impromptu Breakfast Ride Five of us headed for the backroads on a cool (?) July morning. We road for an hour or so and ended our ride at the O Fallon Family Restaurant for breakfast. Ten other Chapter folks met us there and we enjoyed good coffee and conversation. A few of the guys continued the ride after breakfast making for a great Saturday morning. Do you ever get up in the morning and think it would be a good day to take a ride with a friend? Just give Gene or Karen a call and the word will go out. That s what impromptu rides are all about. You re never sure where or who but it s always FUN! Saturday, July 8, 2017 Ride to Hannibal Thirteen bikes and 21 folks enjoyed a great ride on the Golden Eagle Ferry through the beautiful area of Calhoun County Ill to the Hannibal area and Fiddlesticks restaurant. We stopped half way through the ride for a comfort break and we had an interesting photo op of Dave Senior. Ask Karen to show you the picture! It will make you laugh. Thanks Brian for a fantastic route plan. Thursday, July 27, 2017 Dinner out at China House Our Monthly Dinner ride took us to China House Buffet in Warrenton. Seventeen of us enjoyed dinner and the best Blackberry cobbler as proclaimed by Steve Lake, our personal blackberry cobbler expert. Another great time to be together and share stories and plan rides and trips. Join us when you can for our monthly dinners.
Saturday, July 29, 2017 Early Morning Split Ride The morning started early for some of us as we took off at 6:30 am for a gorgeous early morning ride. It was beautiful! We arrived at Chubbies in Moscow Mills for our mid-morning breakfast and then continued on for the second half of the ride. Brian and Christi had to leave us for this part of the ride and Gene, in true friend fashion, threw in a U-turn for Brian on his lead leg of the trip! We are so fortunate to have beautiful roads in our area to explore. They never get old. Saturday, August 5, 2017 Chapter I Fun Run We teamed up with Chapter W2 to head to the Chapter I Fun Run in Cape Girardeau. Five bikes from each Chapter enjoyed the ride to Cape and the Fun Run. Thanks to everyone who participated and supported Chapter I in their yearly event. Tuesday, August 8, 2017 Dinner at Fratelli s Another social opportunity for friends at Fratelli s in St. Charles. We were fortunate to have Terry Moore visiting from Colorado and we were able to catch up on his life in the great state of Colorado. He is pursuing business interests around the mid-west so could we be so lucky as to have Carol and Terry back here one day? We would love that! Twenty two folks enjoyed the Italian cuisine. What s up next for our dinner out? Suggestions are always welcome!
Saturday, August 12, 2017 Ride and Memorial Bench Dedication for Tara Wooden We will have the opportunity to participate in the dedication of the memorial bench for Tara at the Girl Scout Camp in Troy honoring Tara s work with the Scouts. We will have a split ride before and after the dedication. Check your email for details on the day s rides and activities. Let s all support our friend, Keith as with a heavy heart he observes this well-deserved honor for Tara. Thursday, August 17, 2017 Ride For Kids Training meeting The training meeting for those who wish to volunteer at the Ride for Kids will be held at 7:00 pm at the Courtyard by Marriot at Cave Springs. Please note that this is a different location than previous years. Ride For Kids can use help with parking lot detail, registration, Stars registration and rides and serving lunch. It s a great way to help kids and families as they struggle with Brain cancers. Saturday, August 19, 2017 Missouri District Picnic and Ride We will join our sister Chapters from across the State for the Annual District Appreciation Picnic in Jeff City. Join us for a beautiful ride on Hwy 94 to Jeff City and the festivities. Fried Chicken, green beans, potato salad and drinks are provided. Everyone is asked to bring a side dish or desert to add to the spread. We will leave the Foristell MacDonald s at 9:00 am for the ride to Jeff City. The picnic is usually over by 2:00 and we head home from there. A beautiful ride, good food and good friends who could ask for more? Sunday, August 20, 2017 Ride For Kids Please come out to support the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation and the Ride For Kids. Registration is from 8:00 to 9:30 am with Kick stands up for the ride at 10:00 am. You can register online or at the event although we suggest on-line. It makes it much easier when you check in. Based on your donation to the PBTF you can earn t-shirts and other prizes. You also may have a chance to win a new Honda motorcycle. It does happen, just ask Greg and Marty. You will also get a chance to meet our local Stars who benefit so much from the funds raised. Our Chapter was not able to hold a local fundraiser this year so your donations are so important. If you can t be there consider donating anyway. The ride is great by the way. It is all controlled by local police. No worries about cars entering the ride. All intersections are controlled.
Monday, August 21, 2017 The Great American Solar Eclipse Party You all should have received an email by now with details on the party. We are celebrating at Karen and Gene s house with a BBQ and Eclipse viewing. Join us at 11:00 am and we will see Totality together at 1:17 pm. 33 seconds of Darkness or I was Mooned on August 21. 2017! Woo Hoo!! See the S-OOOOOOOO-lar Eclipse with Chapter O!! August 28 to September 2, 2017 Ride to Wing Ding We have a great trip planned to the 39th Wing Ding in Grapevine Texas. We will spend the first four days riding through Arkansas and arriving in Grapevine on Thursday. It s not too late to join us. Call Karen if you may be interested in coming along! Saturday, September 9, 2017 Annual Chapter O Picnic We will be celebrating our Chapter and having some fun at our Annual Chapter Picnic at Cuivre River State Park on September 9th. We usually plan a ride prior to the picnic and end up at the park for lunch and games. Stay tuned for more info closer to the event but be sure to plan on joining us! October 20, 21, and 22, 2017 Weekend Ride to Mountain Home Anyone out there remember the Roller Ride that was an Annual event with Chapter O? Well, we are going back to Hwy 19 this year as we head to Mountain Home, Arkansas. Brian, our ride coordinator, has a great long weekend trip planned. The leaves should be beautiful at that time of the year! You have already received an email with details so be sure to get your reservations in as hotels book up quickly. If you didn t get an email or you are not on our email list and would like to join us, just call Karen or Gene for more information. Weekend trips are so much FUN!
The Great American Solar Eclipse This will be one of those once-in-a-lifetime events that you don t want to miss. If you would like to celebrate this special event with us we are planning lunch and viewing at our Karen and Gene s house. We will send out more details closer to the event. The total eclipse will be at approximately 1:15 over our house and will last 33 seconds. According to the Missouri Department of Natural Resources, the last total eclipse to touch the Show-Me State occurred on August 7, 1869, and it only clipped the northeast corner. The last total eclipse to cover this much of the United States happened before there was a United States.. Eclipses of the Sun are awe-inspiring phenomena. It is no wonder that in many early cultures they were believed to be the end of the world or omens. The word eclipse is of Greek origin meaning "abandonment". In China, India, southeastern Asia and in Peru there were beliefs that dragons or demons attack the Sun during eclipses. The ancient Egyptian myth of the snake Apep that attacks the boat of the Sun god is believed now to refer to solar eclipses. The Chinese and the Incas tried to frighten these monsters away but the Indians made a different attempt by immersing themselves in water. They performed this religious ritual to help the Sun struggle against the dragon. Even today, in some countries, it is still traditional to bang pots, chant or shoot into the air when an eclipse happens.
Blow Out or a Flat Tire While Riding a Motorcycle I can t think of many things scarier than having a blow-out or a flat tire while riding a motorcycle. Inevitably if we ride long enough it is bound to happen. When it happens, you may know immediately that you have blown a tire or the tire may just feel spongy, you may feel an unusual sway, vibration, bump or an unanticipated reduction in speed or drag. Stay calm and make no sudden moves. Grip the handle bars firmly and steer straight. Avoid the lean and stay centered on the bike. If you are fortunate enough to stay upright, you can inspect the bike when your stopped. Ease off the throttle allowing the bike to slow on its own. Because braking systems on most Goldwings are linked the less brake you use the better. Braking on a flat or underinflated tire is unpredictable. Come to a complete stop or a nearly complete stop before you attempt to steer to the roadside. Steer to safety on the side of the road, activate the emergency flashers and be thankful you got through the ordeal safely. The safest and best strategy in dealing with a flat tire while riding a motorcycle is to prevent them. Regular inspection of the tires and maintaining good air pressure is incredibly simple and effective!!! While on the center stand turn the front and rear tires a full rotation inspecting the tread, sidewalls and bead of the tire at the wheel. 1. Look for foreign objects imbedded in the tire or any unusual deformities. 2. Check air pressure, check air pressure and check air pressure. Several members point out that just looking at your tires is not good enough. The profile of the tire while parked on the kickstand can be deceiving. Look at your tires while the bike is upright and look at the tires of your fellow riders.
Your will enjoy the ride more if you and all your fellow riders do not have to deal with a flat tire or an accident caused by a flat tire on your trip. Keep the shiny side up! Safe Riding! Dave Senior, Rider Educator
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MOUDY S BAR AND GRILL 2151 WEST TERRA LANE O FALLON, MO 63368 636-639-8844 GET TO KNOW YOUR FELLOW MEMBERS Who is the Guy with the Yellow Bike? Let s get to know James Steele Place of Birth : Gary, Indiana Schools Attended: Clopton High School and Shorter College Military Service: Army Marriage Status: Married to Angela Children/Grandchildren: 4 Children / 2 boys and 2 Girls Locations Lived: California/ Georgia/Texas/Missouri
Employment: Lockheed Martin First Started Riding: 1963 Number of Motorcycles owned: 3 Current Motorcycle: Honda Goldwing 2001 YELLOW Hobbies other than Motorcycles: Model Airplanes