Texas Chapter O was chartered in April 1987. While the Chapter uses the name of Austin, Texas, as a location identifier, Chapter O's participants come from many cities, towns and communities in Central Texas. Come join us at one of our gatherings or rides! Our Gathering time/location and local, District, Region and Headquarters GWRRA contact information is on page 2. Come join us for a ride - see our Ride Schedule on page 10. Some of what s inside Article Page CD Article 1 & 3 Come Join Us! 2 District News 3 Educator s Desktop 4 MEC Article 5 Monthly Rides 6, 7, 9 Regional Registration 8 Our Sponsors 11 Chili Cook-off 12 District Registration 13 Rally Season Is Here Rally / Convention Season is starts in full swing with the coming of March and April Be sure to get signed up and definitely sign up for the Bluebonnet Ral-avention. Remember if you have anything for our Silent Auction just contact the Chapter Director or the Ways & Means man (David Strebbing) We pick up or you can bring to any chapter function. Chapter O Web Page www.goldwingaustin.org From the Chapter Director Tom & Dawn Sprague February is behind us and the riding season is in full swing with the coming of March. This year Feb was kind to us with some great riding weather. Only the February trip to Wimberley was a little cold and damp. In our February gathering we discussed the possibility of making a group trip to Wing Ding this summer. I would like to be in Greenville SC by Noon on Tuesday. That is when the National Couple of the year selection process starts. This year competing for National COY is Dale and Carleen Garrett from Chapter T Killeen Texas. They are representing Region H in the competition. I really want to get there to cheer them on to success. Anyway the idea would be to depart from Austin on Saturday morning (29th June). This gives us 3 full days to get to Greenville. The idea is to see what people would like to do along the way. There are a lot of things to see and places to visit between here and Greenville SC. The basic route I am looking at is to depart from Austin and the first night we would spend possibly near Little Rock AR (this first day would be a little under 500 miles). The next day we have some opportunities to do some site seeing in Memphis and/or Shiloh National Battlefield. If we do the sight seeing then we may only cover around 250 miles and stay in Savannah TN. The next day we could possibly visit the Space and Rocket center in Huntsville AL. and stop in Cleveland TN for the night. The next day is a short ride to Greenville SC. (continued on page 3)
Chapter O Team Director & Webmaster Tom & Dawn Sprague, 512-301-3092 Assistant Director John & Wanda Osborn, 512-528-8105 Educator Randy Reese, 512-251-2017 Secretary/Treasurer Bruce Wade, 972-345-4815 Membership Enhancement Dawn Sprague, 512-301-3092 Ride Coordinator Mark & Margaret Peres Couple of the Year 2012 Lyle & Sheri Altes, 512-897-0860 Newsletter Editor Sheri Altes 512-415-1920 Ways and Means Dave & Shirley Strebbing 512-832-8294 Merchandise Coordinator John & Wanda Osborn 512-528-8105 Scrapbook Coordinator Dave & Pam Stokem 512-8107185 Camping Coordinator Billy Laue, 512-773-2602 Seamstress Gayle Thomas, 512-832-9559 International Team Director GWRRA Jere Goodman director@gwrra.org Deputy Directors Dave Carter - Regions E, F, H, I foxwing1@sbcglobal.net Jere Goodman Regions A, B, D, N Rider Education Pro Tem Tony Van Schaick avanschaick@nc.rr.com Leadership Training Paul & Cheryl Brosher pbrosher@sbcglobal.net Membership Enhancement Ed & Linda Johnson MED4U@comcast.net Global Affairs Dan Sanderovich dan.sanderovich@gmail.com MFA Coordinators Greg & Cassima Dean 214-549-0476 Vendor Coordinators Jim $ Ruby Seal 903-856-5153 TX District Team Director David & Christina Vidrine, 281-709-3904 Assistant Director Mike & Robin Thacker, 281-686-8892 Educators Ricky & Karen Frazier, 281-615-4386 Trainer Open 2010 COY Coordinator Dave & Jean Simmons, 325-382-4469 Treasurer Diane Shults, 713-562-3994 Activities Coordinator Phil & Annette Locker 832-441-5830 Newsletter Editor Christina Vidrine, 832-217-5432 Vendor / Entertainment Coordinator Kenny Shults 281-642-4619 Couple of the Year 2012 Mike & Robin Thacker, 281-686-8892 Chapter of the Year Coordinator Robin Thaker & Billie Fleming Webmaster Tom Sprague, 858-755-6071 South Central Region H Team Region H Team Director Bill & Dea Ann Gray, 918-231-9571 Assistant Director Garry & Phylis VanBuskirk, 316-321-0896 Assistant Director Member Enhancement Coordinators Coy Coordinator, Patch Princess Jere & Maurine Pyburn, 318-387-1741 Motorists Awareness Division Coord. Larry & Brenda Penepent 479-818-7188 Trainer Jack Wagner 405-359-7892 Educator, Webmaster Sam & Anita Belinoski Member Enhancement Coord. John & Lena Bryant, 817-741-5216 Treasurer & Chapter of the Year Coord. Ed & Ann Nahl, 405-321-6467 2011 2012 COY Dale & Carleen Garrett, 254-554-4123 Newsletter Editors. Robert & Voleta McClure. 405-550-9144 2 Want to experience Friends for Fun, Safety and Knowledge first hand? If the answer is yes, you are welcome to visit us at our Chapter gatherings. Chapter O s participants gather the third Tuesday of each month at 7:00 pm. The location is at the IHOP Restaurant, 11654 Research Blvd (Hwy 183) at Duval Road in Austin, TX. In case you get lost, the phone number is 512-345-7124. Please see page 11 for our Ride Calendar of Events. For more information, we encourage you to contact any of our team members or visit our websites (links to all are provided on this page). Want to know about what is going on in GWRRA? Check out the new "Insight " Newsletter. Wondering why you should join GWRRA? Check out the benefits you will enjoy!
(continued from page 1) The above being said this is only one possible route with some things to see along the way. There is also a possibility to take a Southern route and ride up the Natchez Trace Parkway. The reason for leaving on Saturday is to enable us to do some sight seeing along the way. Some folks in Chapter T2 has also expressed some interest in making the ride with our group. For anyone interested in riding as a group to Greenville SC we are looking for what you would like to see or do along the way. If you have some input for the ride I am all ears. Please if you are interested in making the ride in this manner let me know. Also let me know if you have any ideas or things you would like to see along the way. The idea is to spend a couple of hours at our stops for sight seeing. This is a great way to break up the ride and to make it pleasant for those who are may not be interested in an Iron Butt type of ride 343774. Now on to other chapter things. Currently there does not seem to be much interest in the chapter to make participate in the Texas District Convention in Wichita Falls TX. I would encourage our chapter members to possibly reconsider attending this event. The Texas District Convention is 16 to 18 May and promises to be a fun filled event. There are fewer and fewer chapters holding rally's As everyone should know our Bluebonnet Ral-a-vention is the 13th of April. This is the week after the Region Convention in Marshall. Last month I talked with Jere Goodman (Director of GWRRA) and he is planning to be in Marshall for the Regional Convention. He is interested in talking to everyone in the GWRRA community to see what people are thinking and what their needs are. I know the spring is a very busy time for rally's and conventions. Don't get left behind and miss out on all the fun. GWRRA is all about friends having fun while enjoying safe biking. Progressive Drawing: At the February chapter gathering we had the second progressive drawing. Unfortunately for Richard Seay he was not in attendance. Richard was working in Houston doing his class for inspections. I am not so sure Richard is really retired. Fortunate for everyone else in the chapter the pot is now worth $30. I have predicted the average pot would be worth around $30 by the time the winners name is chosen and the person is in attendance at the Chapter gathering. Time will tell. As for last months GWRRA numbers in the Newsletter, again there were two. And both numbers were on page 3. Linda Poullard's number was in the right column in the third paragraph. Ken Burnett's number was in the left column in the second paragraph. Congratulations to Ken on finding his number and reporting it to the Chapter Director at the monthly gathering. Sorry Linda, maybe next time. Ride safe and ride often Tom & Dawn Sprague David Vidrine Texas District Director Are You Ready to Rally? It s time to get the bike in shape, oil change, new tires if needed and check those T-Clocks. She has been sitting pretty for awhile and now she is ready to take some long needed rides. Yes, your wife is ready as well. It s getting close to getting prepared for all the rallies (conventions) that are in the upcoming months. I know my Goldwing is anticipating being back on the road for some what? FUN. Just remember there is a lot of fun to be had at rallies. All the rallies are different from Marshall, to Louisiana to Wichita Falls to other states, Kansas, Oklahoma and Arkansas and yes even Wing Ding. But the goal for these rallies is the same to meet great people and have a lot of fun and enjoy riding. We bought these fine machines to hit the road and put some miles on our Goldwings. I hope to see many of you at the rallies. I look forward to catching up with old friends and meeting new friends. Here is a listing of some of the rallies coming up Gumball Rally May 16th thru 18th in Wichita Falls, Texas. 3
Educator s Desktop By Randy Reese Spring Riding Tween Seasons Street Savvy April 19, 2012 By Tim Carrithers Photos By Adam Campbell Once Punxsutawney Phil sees his shadow, we re in for at least six more weeks of schizophrenic weather somewhere between winter and spring. Despite the celebrated 20-lb. prophet s 39 percent accuracy rate, it s probably going to be a bit sketchy out there well past the Vernal Equinox. That s no time to be letting your guard down. For the purposes of this exercise, let s assume any motorcycle emerging from hibernation after months of cold storage is already up to scratch. Beyond that, the price of staying out of trouble is a process that starts before the engine does. What s the weather looking like? A medium-tint faceshield deals with a broader spectrum of light and shadows than a dark one. Pack a clear one for long rides, just in case. Make sure your gear is warm enough in the morning without turning into a mobile sweat lodge in the afternoon. Starting with a moisture-wicking foundation layer helps, followed by another one you can peel off and stow if things heat up later. Tough modern miracle fabrics that keep wind and water from getting in while letting evaporating perspiration out are best: Gore-Tex Pro-Shell Armacor, for instance. Protect your hands and feet with gloves and boots capable of fending off whatever sort of weather you might encounter. It s easy to get carried away when your favorite road is closer to clean and dry than flooded or frozen, but ease into it anyway. Tires take a little longer to heat up on cold pavement, so get a feel for available grip a little at a time, even when the surface looks perfect. There are probably a few lingering hazards out there to trip up the unwary. Fresh cracks and potholes often emerge with the spring thaw, so keep your eyes moving. It didn t rain last night, but a seep from last week s deluge can leave a wet, slippery strip in that next blind corner. Adjust your pace and perceptions accordingly, and keep those eyes working a little more than the customary 12 seconds 4 ahead enough time to find an escape route if something fouls up your original trajectory. And beware the dreaded shaded corner. Morning light dries open bends, but takes a while longer to drive insidious moisture out of sheltered ones. Mountain roads and northern climates can throw you another curve: Did it freeze last night? A lingering patch of ice in the shade or on a bridge can cause your ride to end in the ditch, and it s hard to see. For reasons known only to God and David Attenborough, mud, rocks, gravel and emergent wildlife like hanging out in shady, off-camber, second-gear bends at this time of year, so be prepared. Heading to work in a light drizzle seems safer than braving a downpour, except a little water blends with all those other accumulated contaminants instead of washing them away. Expect pavement on your way to work to be considerably slipperier than usual in spots; especially freeways and heavily traveled surface streets. Relatively benign urban hazards such as painted crosswalks, manhole covers and light-rail tracks get very slippery when slightly wet. It all adds up to less speed, more than the minimum 2-second following distance and smoother inputs on all the controls wherever you go. Allow yourself extra time to make the trip. Nothing puts you on the deck faster than rushed, sloppy riding on a misty twilight commute. Smooth, safe riding is always a matter of expecting the unexpected, and there s never any shortage of that out there. But unless you ve got some of the Magic Punch they give Phil every year at the Groundhog Picnic to guarantee another seven healthy years, buffer that post-winter enthusiasm with a little discretion. Summer will be here any day now.
Membership Enhancement OH YEAH CHAPTER O It was great seeing everyone at our Feb 19th gathering. A very special WELCOME to our Guests--Glenn Copeland and KC & Leilani Smith. It was also great seeing Steve & Sherry Morrison and Dave Klepal from Chapter T2!! Despite being a "short month", we managed to get in a lot of Rides. Feb. 2nd saw us going to Royer's Pie Shop in Round Top--"Thank You" Mark & Margaret Peres!!! On Feb. 8th, several members of our Chapter met up with Chapter U from San Antonio for their "Hooky Ride". They definitely picked a Great place to eat--the Salt Lick in Driftwood. Everyone "waddled" out!! Feb. 16th was the Breakfast Ride, meeting at the Wimberly Cafe. Due to weather conditions, the planned ride didn't come to fruition thought the comradie was great!!! Then there was the First Annual Chili Cook-Off at Woods Fun Center--see Paul Wood's Article for details. Finally there was the Breakfast Ride on Sunday. 8 people met at the IHOP on 198030-01 Parmer Lane!! GOOD NEWS--everyone was rode safe, and didn't do anything foolish that we know of SOOOOOO there wasn't a WING NUT Award given out!! Good job everyone:-) Richard Seay's was drawn for the "Progressive Drawing", but alas, he wasn't there. The "POT" is now up to $30.00 Remember, you have to be there to win!!! ;-) Congratulations to Everyone!! Remember, if you bring in a Door Prize Item, you get a FREE 50/50 Ticket per Item!! Hope to see everyone at our March 12th Gathering!!! Til then, RIDE SAFE, RIDE OFTEN & HAVE FUN Dawn Sprague March Anniversaries Glenn & Betty Copeland Happy Anniversary March Birthdays Mar 3rd ----------Richard Seay Mar 3rd ----------Lynn Harris Mar 7th ----------Steve Thomas Mar 17th---------Glenn Copeland Mar 18th---------Martha Wade Mar 23rd---------Millie Fazzino Mar 28th---------Larry Campbell Now for the Prizes: Door Prizes: Dave Klepal-- 2 Large Frameless Frames Dave Strebbing--2 small Frameless Frames Hubert Jackson--Body Wash & Lotion Linda Jackson--IHOP Guest Card Steve Thomas--Cutting Board Glenn Copeland--IHOP Guest Card Bob Huard--Small Christmas Penguin Container Paul Wood--IHOP Guest Card 50/50: 20%--$16.00--Jack Miller 30%--$24.00--Tom Sprague Congratulations to Everyone!! Remember, if you bring in a Door Prize Item, you get a FREE 50/50 Ticket per Item!! We are continuing the tradition of including a participant s GWRRA number hidden somewhere in this newsletter. If it is yours, it is good for a I-Hop gift card to spend on your next dinner (or some other special item). You need to claim your prize prior to the meeting. 5
WINGNUT AWARD Royers at Round Top Can you believe, we had no to award the wingnut award. I believer our group is slipping! Will have to try harder! ROYER'S PIE RIDE Dawn Sprague What a BEAUTIFUL Day for a ride!!! 17 riders met at Berdoll's Pecan Gift Shop at 12:30. There were 9 Bikes, 1 Trike and 1 "cage" (John Osborn not allowed to ride yet after his surgery). ALSO it was great having first time visitors--sonny DiFranco and Leilani Smith!!! Before heading out, we got as many bikes around Ms. Pearl (Berdoll's Mascot) for a Photo Op. We then proceeded on to Round Top taking the Scenic route. Bert & Myra Kretzschmar were eagerly awaiting for our arrival. They also gave us great pointers on what to order- -Thank You!!!! The Sign says it all Due to the time it took to get to Royer's Pie Shop, about half the group settled for pie only while the rest went to Royer's Restaurant for a Late Lunch. All was awesome!! No time for shopping at all the cute shops though :- ( Maybe next time!! :-) "Thank yas" to Mark & Margaret Peres for another Great Ride!!! 6
Somerville/Brenham ride Ken Burnett Saturday February 16th was a cold morning at 40 degrees when we left to meet up in Bastrop, but the rest of the day was wonderful. Riders shed layers at every stop as the day got warmer. We met up at the biggest Bucees that I have ever been in. How big is it Ken? Its soooo big that they have shopping carts, at a convenience store! There were a group of 8 people for the ride, Richard Seay, Steve Thomas, Tom & Dawn Sprague, Mark & Margaret Peres, Ken & Teri Burnett. It was a great place to meet because you could take care of everything there. We filled our tanks, eat & drank some refreshments & emptied our bladders in the massive restrooms. Where your throne truly awaits you. After a ride discussion M&M led us out of Bastrop on Hwy 21. We rode on Hwy 21 to Hwy 290 where we headed east to Burton. We turned off of Hwy 290 through Burton. We took several rolling, scenic back roads to Hwy 36 between Brenham Somerville. Where we turned left on Hwy 36 & rode about 8 miles to the Boondocks Café in Somerville. We had a delicious lunch ranging from Cajun food to pork chops & chicken fried steaks. After enjoying good riding, good friends, visiting & good food, we were all some Happy Wingers. But something was missing. I thought of a Great little shop in Historic Downtown Brenham, with enough pies to rival Royer s & the Bluebonnet Café. Richard had to leave to go directly back to Austin for a baseball game. We decided that I would try to lead the rest of us back to Almost Heaven for dessert. I wasn t too sure about finding Almost Heaven from the direction we were going, but we made it there without any problems & found good parking easily. Steve Thomas decided to head back home from there. The rest of us decided to go in & get some pie. We went inside to find a long line for lunch & pies. We decided that we did not want to wait that long for pie, but all was not lost. We stepped into the ice cream parlor and got a round of Blue Bell ice cream. After that we were truly Happy Wingers! After deciding on a route back down some back roads to the Bastrop area we said our good-byes and M&M led Tom & Dawn off to go home. Teri & I stayed the night in Brenham and met my mother for lunch the next day at the BT Longhorn Saloon & Steakhouse in Brenham for some great burgers. Teri & I had a very windy ride back on Sunday with wind gusts 20-30 MPH. 7
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Chapter O gets a call for a little assistance By: Tom Sprague As the Chapter Director you are prone to receiving all sorts of calls / emails from people you may not know. It comes with the territory. On Friday (March 8th) I received an email from someone named Tara LaBlanc requesting some one to drive by her house for a birthday party for their son. Tara explained she saw our chapter on the internet and her son was enamored by motorcycles. Tara went on to explain her son was born with Hirschsprung's Disease and he has been in the hospital 6 times and had 4 surgeries. Tara went on to explain they did not know anyone with a motorcycle and was hoping to make their sons birthday party a real treat by having some motorcycles drive by. I was finally able to contact Tara on Saturday AM and found out where their family lived. I shifted into overdrive and started calling folks in the south of Austin looking for someone that might accompany me to make the visit. I was able to reach Richard Seay and David Strebbing. We made plans to be at the LaBlanc's house around 1:30. The LaBlanc's are located off Hwy 360 and Lost Creek Blvd. I called Tara back and told her our plans. Tara was overjoyed at the possibility of just having some bikes drive by. I told her if we came we would stop and give John Henry the chance to set on a bike. As noted below the LaBlanc's (Tim, Tara, Lela, and John Henry) only moved to Austin in 2010. Tara sent us the below letter about the birthday party. Dear Tom, Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for making our son's birthday a huge HIT! We had a great time visiting with y'all and seeing your bikes. John Henry certainly had a wonderful birthday. Thank you for the very cool handmade car. What a nice thing to do. only 6 days old. He's had three additional surgeries since that first one due to complications with the disease. All his procedures were done at Dell Children's Hospital here in Austin - we are very lucky to have such amazing surgeons and nurses in our city. John Henry is now doing GREAT! He's thriving and growing like a weed. He's literally off the charts in height and weight for his age. Amazing. John Henry on Dave's bike Most boys are interested in trucks and tractors, but John Henry has an early passion for motorcycles. He not only points them out to me daily, he also remembers where they park and will tell me "motorcycle all gone" when we revisit a parking lot a week later! Its the noises they make, the ability to see the driver, the cool helmets, the speed. That's what he likes. He is teaching us to enjoy every moment of our lives as you never know how long you have. That's why I contacted you guys - to help embrace his curiosity for motorcycles. God bless and thank you! Tara LeBlanc Here's a little bit about our family: Our family moved to Austin in late 2010 due to a job change for my husband, Tim, and also be closer to my parents who live in Austin. Our son, John Henry, was born here shortly after we moved. He was not able to keep anything down from the moment he was born and never had a bowel movement. We were told he needed to be tested for Hirschsprung's Disease, which meant that his large intestine did not form correctly. His first 4 hour surgery was when he was John Henry's Sister Lela 9
Kickstands Up! Upcoming Events Additional rides will be announced via the web site and Google Groups. For an up-todate monthly list, visit the Chapter O web site at www.goldwingaustin.org/page4.html Date Chapter Event Location Contact/Email/Web Phone Mar 10 Daylight Savings time Set your clocks fwd 1 hr (Spring Fwd, Fall Back) Mar 17 Saint Patrick's Day Mar 19 Chapter Gathering 11654 Research Blvd I-HOP at 183 / Duval Rd Tom Sprague 858-755-6071 Apr 4-6 Region H Convention Marshall Texas Tom Sprague 858-755-6071 Apr 12-13 Bluebonnet Campout / Ral-a-vention Fredericksburg TX Tom Sprague 858-755-6071 Apr 15 TAX day Apr 16 Chapter Gathering 11654 Research Blvd I-HOP at 183 / Duval Rd Tom Sprague 858-755-6071 Apr 18-20 Louisiana Rally Lafayette LA Merlin Mayon dd@gwrra-la.org 985-384-2673 May 5 Cinco de Mayo May 16-18 Texas District Convention Wichita Falls TX David Vidrine TX DD www.gwrra-tx.org May 21 Chapter Gathering 11654 Research Blvd I-HOP at 183 / Duval Rd Tom Sprague 858-755-6071 May 27 Memorial Day Jul 3-6 Wing Ding Greenville SC 10
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Woods Chili-Cookoff The Judging Chapter O Participants The Winner! 12
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Gold Wing Road Riders Association Texas Chapter O GWRRA Motto.. Friends for Fun, Safety, Knowledge Ride Safe in 2013 Tom & Dawn Sprague 551 Hays Country Acres Rd Dripping Springs, Texas 78620 14