July, 2017 Volume 18, Issue 7 G.W.R.R.A., REGION H, TEXAS DISTRICT, CHAPTER W Chapter TX-W Director Cindy Harris Hi Everyone, Whew is it hot out there. Needless to say if you go riding it is best to go in the morning or later in the evening before the sun goes down. Lynn and I rode down to Jay s Café in Needville on Monday the 3 rd. We were worried they weren t going to be open as no one was there except two cars. But they opened up at 8:00 am. Of course we were the only ones there so we couldn t complain about the service LOL. We did find out a lot of information about what they grow around there, when they pick and how they pick it. The girl was born and raised in Needville so she was full of information. And of course the breakfast was wonderful. We didn t have many for our monthly meeting but we had a great time and did a lot of talking. Hopefully once we get closer to the end of summer we will have more people coming. I did want to bring up an idea. This is not etched in stone and I do want everyone s input on this. I know we have more people come out to our planning meeting so I want to leave that meeting alone as we have fun going to different places for dinner. But I would like your thought about changing the Monthly Meeting to a Saturday morning. My thought is that we would meet for breakfast (we have one or two places in mind that has a private room) and then we are guaranteed a ride every month. Our meetings aren t too long and we can plan on going somewhere to do something and then probably stop somewhere along the way for lunch. But I would definitely like some input on this. This also gets us riding our bikes to our meetings LOL. As you saw on my email to everyone, Lynn and I will be taking the San Juan cruise in March 2018. I have put the website on this newsletter for you to look up the information regarding the cruise. It would be great to have others go with us. The price is very reasonable. If you are single, or the other half does not want to go, and need someone to share the room let me know and I m sure we can find another person to share with. I looked up the airfare for the flight and it will run about $250 round trip from Houston on Southwest. http:// www.wingersnwaves.com/ Hope to see you at the next Planning meeting which is scheduled for July 20 th at the Golden Coral on Highway 6 at 7:00 pm. I have a private room for us. I will send out an email as a reminder earlier the week of the meeting. Until then keep riding as much as you can. Cindy Harris Chapter Director
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Dehydration Tips by Kristi I'll jump in here because I've managed to get myself dangerously overheated and dehydrated several times since moving to the desert. The last time was three years ago on the same road that Karen & MizPiggy were traveling on -- I pulled into the little convenience store at Hoover Dam, stumbled into the back where the ice and popsicles were kept, sat down and almost passed out while my husband and one of the clerks packed my head and wrists in ice. My pulse was racing and I was hyper-ventilating -- it was probably an hour to an hour and a half before I could get back on my bike and ride the 40 miles to home. That sort of thing shouldn't happen to you more than once -- hello! but, if you want to ride in the summer it's real easy to convince yourself that it was a fluke and you'll just drink more water next time. But the truth is it can sneak up on you really fast, and since the heat also makes you stupid, you don't even realize it's happening. Anyway, I finally realized that I had to come up with something that would work for me or stop riding four months out of the year. So, here's my solution: more clothes not less. I wear a tank top under a long-sleeved cotton shirt, under my Joe Rocket jacket -- and I carry several liter and 2-liter bottles of water. When it's really hot I pull over every 30 minutes or so, take off the jacket and the long-sleeved shirt (the reason for the tank top...), immerse the shirt in water, put it back on without wringing it out, and then zip up the Joe Rocket back on top. The jacket keeps the shirt from drying too fast, and even in 115-degree heat it will stay wet and delightfully cool for 20-30 minutes. If you're going any distance, that can turn into a lot of stopping and splashing -- and it's not pretty when you get to where you're going -- but it's certainly better than not riding... I also wear a full-coverage helmet with a dark visor over a flannel do-rag that's also been doused in water. Around my neck I've got one of gel neck thingies that will actually stay cool for a couple of hours. They make vests out of that gel material -- I think Karen may have one. They're not cheap, but I'll bet they're really effective -- and I'm sure they'll give you more than 30 minutes of cool. I wonder if they make full body suits out of it... There are other gizmos you can buy -- I think Robin and Minor have little fans that attach to their handle bars (or maybe it was spray bottles...) As for what to eat or not to eat -- I finally realized that milk shakes are really a bad idea in 100- plus heat. Otherwise, eat light and drink as much water as you can every time you stop. I keep meaning to look into getting water bottle holder, but since I stop so often it's probably not necessary. (I don't stop every 30 minutes in normal weather... really...) It seems a little odd to be writing about this in January, but since I did finally come up with something that works, I've just been waiting for an excuse to brag about it... PAGE 3 originally posted in the Women Riders International (WRI) forum
PAGE 4 August, 2017 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat 1 2 3 4 5 Upcoming Events for August 3rd Chapter Meeting 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 17th Planning Meeting 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 29th-2nd WingDing 39, Grapevine, TX Check our web site calendar for last minute events. www.gwrra-txw.org 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
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VOLUME 18 ISSUE 7 JULY, 2017 PAGE 6 Lunch at Blossom s in Navasota Our Meeting Place and Time GWRRA Texas Chapter "W" holds its chapter meetings on the first and third Thursdays of the month. The first currently at Rudy s BBQ, 21799 Katy Freeway, Katy, TX 77450 (I-10 just east of Mason Rd.). The second will move month to month so see our calendar. The first is our regular chapter meeting while the second meeting is an informal planning meeting/social gathering. Meetings are held at 7:00 P.M. Everyone is welcome and encouraged to attend. Come early and enjoy dinner with the chapter. July Birthdays Cindy Harris, 23rd Terrie Schmitz, 24th Anniversaries Steve&Kathy Wilkening, 4th Vern&Suzanne Neal, 7th
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VOLUME 18 ISSUE 7 JULY, 2017 PAGE 8 FLEXING OUR WINGS A LITTLE TEXAS HISTORY Some July Texas Events July 3rd, 1964 On this day in 1964, Natural Bridge Caverns, the largest known cavern in Texas, was opened to the public. The cavern was discovered on March 27, 1960, by four spelunkers who were students at St. Mary's University in San Antonio. It is located off Farm Road 1863 in the hill country of Comal County midway between New Braunfels and San Antonio. The name was derived from a sixty-foot natural limestone slab bridge that spanned the amphitheater setting of the cavern's entrance. The developed portion of the cave, furnished with a half mile of paved trails and illuminated by 35,000 watts of indirect lighting, extends to as much as 260 feet below ground level. Natural Bridge Caverns became a registered United States natural landmark in 1971. July 4th, 1845 On this day in 1845, the convention to consider the joint resolution of the United States Congress proposing the annexation of the Republic of Texas to the United States assembled in Austin. Thomas Jefferson Rusk was elected president of the convention, and James H. Raymond was secretary. By a vote of fifty-five to one, the delegates approved the offer of annexation. Richard Bache of Galveston was the lone dissenter. Subsequently, the convention prepared the Constitution of 1845 for the new state. July 6th, 1923 On this day in 1923, the Dr Pepper Company was incorporated in Dallas. Dr Pepper was first made in Waco in 1885. Wade Morrison, owner of Morrison's Old Corner Drug, employed a pharmacist named Charles Alderton, who, when not filling prescriptions, often served soft drinks to customers. Alderton enjoyed experimenting with various combinations of fruit extracts and sweeteners. One combination, later to become Dr Pepper, proved enormously popular with patrons. Morrison named the beverage after Dr. Charles T. Pepper, a physician and pharmacist for whom Morrison had worked in Virginia. Today Dr Pepper is an operating company of Dr Pepper/Seven Up, based in Plano. July 16th, 1839 On this day in 1839, some 500 Texas troops under Kelsey H. Douglass routed 700 to 800 Cherokees led by Chief Bowl (also known as Duwali, Bowles, or the Bowl) in what is now Henderson County. The two-day battle of the Neches was the principal engagement of the Cherokee War; it resulted in the expulsion of the hostile Indians from East Texas and virtually ended Indian troubles in the settled portion of the state. More than 100 Indians, including Duwali, were killed, and the remaining Cherokees were driven across the Red River into Indian Territory. Among the prominent Texans who participated in the battle were Thomas J. Rusk, Edward Burleson, David G. Burnet, Albert Sidney Johnston, and John H. Reagan. The Cherokee War was the culmination of years of friction between Cherokee, Kickapoo, and Shawnee Indians and white settlers in Northeast Texas.
VOLUME 18 ISSUE 7 JULY, 2017 PAGE 9 Katy home of the 2017 Goldwing and the Can-Am Spyder 22515 KATY FWY Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun Mon HOURS Closed Closed KATY, TX 77450 Phone: 281-392-8850 Fax: 281-392-6162 www.wildwestmotoplex.com About Us Located in Katy, Texas since 1983. Wild West Honda is an authorized dealer for Honda, Kawasaki, BMW, YAMAHA, KTM, Sea-Doo, & Can-Am. Click, Call, or Come on by! Chapter W Officers Position Name Phone Number Chapter Director Cindy Harris (386) 846-8521 Assistant Chapter Director Vern Neal (713) 295-9150 Treasurer Janice Hill (281) 703-1308 Membership Enhancement OPEN Newsletter Editor Steve Wilkening (713) 899-6855 Chapter Educator OPEN Chapter Historian Jim Vardaman Ride Coordinator OPEN Webmaster Steve Wilkening (713) 899-6855