Page 2 CRUISIN U S NEWS Gold Wing Road Riders Association Chapter U Dothan, AL. Southeast Region A FRIENDS FOR FUN, SAFETY, AND KNOWLEDGE CHAPTER DIRECTORS Bruce & Eileen Williamson eileengram@aol.com ASSISTANT CHAPTER DIRECTORS Pat & Darnell Lapera patlapera@yahoo.com SUNSHINE LADY Darnell Lapera patlapera@yahoo.com CHAPTER EDUCATOR LTC James & Freida Clayson 334-791-3288 james.clayson@gmail.com TREASURER Melissa Stumpf melissa.stumpf@yahoo.com NEWSLETTER EDITOR Richard Stumpf (334) 477-3667 richard.stumpf1@gmail.com TECHNICAL ADVISOR Albert (Bubba) Houser (334) 797-5058 Hueyman19@yahoo.com WAYS & MEANS Joan and Ray Collier joancollier@aol.com CHAPLIN/EVENTS COORD. Ron and Peg Smith (770)688-5478 ronypegsmith@hotmail.com REGION A DIRECTORS Jim & Sue Jackson RegionDirector@gwrraregion.org DISTRICT COUPLE OF THE YEAR 2017-2018 Bill & Vicki Cater MONTHLY GATHERING Second Tuesday of every month 6:00 PM Eat - 7:00 PM Meet Golden Corral, Dothan AL TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter & State Officers.2 District News...3 District Rider Ed..4 Chapter U Ride Coord.5 NAADD News......6 SAADD News 7 Bruce & Eileen s Gab..8 Calendar.... 10 ALABAMA DISTRICT DIRECTORS Frank & Linda Teasley Director@Alabama-gwrra.org ALABAMA DISTRICT TEAM ASSISTANT DIRECTORS Ron Landers Ron & Corky Alexander RIDER EDUCATORS MOTORIST AWARENESS Carl & Jan Breeding LEADERSHIP TRAINERS Roy & Anita Fosnight MEMBER ENHANCEMENT Danny Baker COY COORDINATORS Terry & Barbie Cleveland VENDOR COORDINATORS Linda Teasley DISTRICT CHAPLAIN Trina & Bill Barden TREASURER Sara & Harry Leach WEBMASTER Larry & Penny Anthony On the cover: The much-anticipated 2018 Goldwing is here! What do you think?
Page 3 Greetings fellow riders, at this writing we have just returned home from the Mississippi District Rally. We had a great time and the Alabama District brought home some certificates. Alabama had the highest attendance in Region A outside of Mississippi, Chapters N and G tied for having the most attendees from a chapter in Region A outside Mississippi. A great big thank you from both of us to all who attended the rally. We had a great time and from what we heard so did everyone else. As you may know by now, Harry and Diane Schaffer stepped down as Mississippi District Directors effective December 31. We would like to thank them for a very successful tenure as Directors and wish them the very best in all of their future endeavors. Replacing Harry and Diane, effective Jan 1,2018 will be long time members of Mississippi GWRRA and former District Directors, KZ and Terry Kleinheitz. We certainly send our congratulations and best wishes to KZ and Terry for returning to the Mississippi District Team. Well it seems fall may finally be upon us with the cooler temps. For us, this is the best time of year to get out and enjoy our sport that we love so much. Riding this time of year is really great by remember it also brings challenges such as sudden weather changes. We strongly encourage everyone to be prepared when riding this time of year. The final Region A rally is just around the corner and we would like to take a moment to send a very special thank you to JJ and Sue Jackson and the entire Region A team for all of their hard work and dedication to all of Region A for these many years. They have done an outstanding job in being there for all of the Region A members to help in any way possible. We don t know what the future holds for all of us but when you see any of these dedicated GWRRA members out and about, take a moment to thank them for their service and dedication to all of us in Region A. With the close of the Region A rally that concludes the rally season in Region A. Now is the time to think about what we have accomplished in 2017and what we would like to accomplish in 2018. Please mark your 2018 calendar the annual Alabama District Officers conference on Jan 20th in Gardendale, Al at the Gardendale Civic Center. Since financials will be submitted before then we will alter the start time a little bit (more to follow next month). All CD s and chapter officers are asked to attend as we will have a lot to discuss next year. In closing please remember all of our service men and women who serve and protect us each and every day. Also please remember all of our first responders and the families of all of these folks. We thank them for their service and we hope you can as well when you see them out and about. Please remember to ride safely during this fall season and we hope to see all of you soon, Frank and Linda Teasley
Page 4 October was the setting for the final Region A Rally in Eufaula. By the time this newsletter reaches you it is probably going on. We plan to travel to Eufaula on the 25th and stay until the 29th, it is always great to have the opportunity to spend time with friends we don t get to see often enough. Rallies are not just for riding and motorcycle accessory sales, they are also reunions with dear friends who come from all over to spend a few days together. Come join in the fun. This past weekend pointed out to us the utility of the Three season jackets, with really cool weather in the early morning, very warm weather mid-day, then more cool weather later; Sunday even threw in a shower for good measure. These jackets are very helpful to have in your wardrobe so you don t have to pack three or four different coats for one day of riding, Gloves are another item we tend to change based on the weather, a winter weight glove is not very comfortable when it is over 80 degrees outside. We hope many of the chapters will take part in some of the Veteran s Day Parades around the state, it is another great opportunity for us to show our support of the community. It is not a requirement that you be a veteran to ride in these events, even though many of us are, but is a sign of respect for those who have fought for our freedoms, and those who continue to do so today. We are still in need of ranges where we can conduct Advanced Rider Courses (ARCs) and Trike Rider Courses (TRCs). If you have areas in your chapter area that we can get permission to use. Please give us a point of contact that we can contact to see if they are suitable for our use. We would very much like to be able to present the courses in addition to the ones we have been able to do at the rallies. If your chapter needs a First Aid/ CPR course, don t hesitate to let Robert and Gail Brown know, or notify us and we will pass it on. Here again, the chapter s assistance in locating a suitable facility is a necessity. The instructors have the knowledge, and are willing to share it, but we don t have our own facilities, so we need your help in keeping the programs going. The cooler months are a great time to get some training done, so help us make it available to the membership. Plan for an enjoyable ride, but prepare for problems and they will be minimized. Ride safely, ride often, call a friend. Carl & Jan Breeding Alabama District Educators
Page 5 Past Rides 1. Havana FL Antique Trip - Havana FL is approx.. 1 ½ hour ride from Dothan. It is located NNW of Tallassee FL. Bubba Houser did an outstanding job as Ride Captain for this trip. We rode down on Sept 30. The weather was good and we all had a good time. We had 8 bikes and 11 riders, with 2 guests from Chapter G with us. Apparently when we had lunch we overtaxed the small restaurant where we dined. The manager thanked us for coming but asked in the future to call ahead of time. Rides this month 1. Cheaha State Park Sat Oct 21 Freida and I will be riding to Cheaha State Park. This will be a recon for a proposed trip a few months down the road. New Ride Suggestions 1. Gee s Bend Ferry Trip This is a 2 leg trip first leg approx. 3 hours to Boykin AL 2 nd Leg approx. 4 hours back to home. Bubba Houser proposed this trip as well. We do not have a date for this one either. 2. Trip to Seale, AL to tour Museum of Wonder and Old Russell County Courthouse. Lunch at Kountry Kitchen AL 16S. 3. Zip-Line Trip to Phenix City/Columbus - This trip would be in conjunction with Chapter M s Gathering 4 Nov 2017 Upcoming Overnight Rides 1. Mississippi Rally, Gulfport MS Oct 12-14 2. Region A Rally, Eufaula AL OCT 26-28 3. Florida Rally, Orlando FL Mar 22-24 2018 4. Key West Trip- continuation from Florida Rally Mar 24 5. Cheaha State Park No date set yet. Ride Smart & Be Safe! James and Freida Clayson GWRRA AL-U
Page 6 As always, it is hoped you have been out riding as Chapters. The weather has been nothing short of great for our riding pleasure. Going out on your rides, it is hoped you are traveling down some of our back roads. Roads not normally traveled by your Chapter to offer a dissimilar experience and see scenery and sights not normally observed. Especially this time of year while the leaves are turning. Why would I mention roads not normally traveled, these roads will normally be traveled at a lower rate of speed. They will provide greater pleasure as we have time to leisurely observe the scenery, and they are normally less traveled. This allows for less stress of the normal traffic dealt with when operating on the main thorough roads. Hopefully this will create more enthusiasm for our Chapter participants to join us on our rides. After all, are we not riding for the enjoyment of the ride? (Yes, there are those who enjoy riding on the edge, but most of us enjoy the leisure!) There are times we are unable to experience the above due to the event we are traveling to (time restraints.) If we are not able to allow for different routes or departing at an earlier time, we should consider more breaks. This means less distance being traveled before stopping for fuel or a rest break. We are not getting any younger, our riding endurance has shortened from the days of the iron butt; riding 150 200 miles before stopping. With youth (age) comes another issue; health, another reason for the shorter distance. All of this should be considered. While planning rides, take the time to investigate what neighboring Chapters are doing. (A great reason to keep your web sites current.) The intent is not necessarily to ride with those Chapters, but to join up or meet with a Chapter at an event, i.e., lunch, museum, or other place of interest. (This has nothing to do with the District Visitation Program) A time for us as Chapter participants to meet and greet, make new friends or converse with old friends. And as in the above two paragraphs, Enjoy and have FUN while riding to the event. After all, isn t the ride the reason we have our bikes and the Friendship of the organization where we share our experiences. If we as Chapter Directors and Chapter Ride Coordinators take the extra effort to plan with the above in mind, our participation may increase. I say may increase as this will depend on the enthusiasm of the participants who made the ride. Did they enjoy the ride? Are they talking about their experience with other Chapter participants? Are you or someone in your Chapter taking pictures and posting them or making them available to your Chapter at your gatherings for all to see what they are missing? If we did our homework correctly, the enthusiasm will be there! The FUN will spread and your ride attendance will improve. The above comments/opinions are suggested to promote some thought to assist you in getting your Chapter participants to get those bikes back on the road. All of us (I want to believe) purchased our bikes to ride, not to park and walk past in the garage or car port as we get in our cages to go somewhere. But should we not enjoy the ride, the FUN soon becomes boring and a chore, NOT FUN. Our task is to keep it FUN for all (the majority.) Until next month, wishing you a Happy Thanksgiving and that you enjoy the ride and we meet somewhere down the road. Keep the rubber to the ground, the sunny side up and ALWAYS ENJOY the Ride!! - Ron Landers
Page 7 August, September, October ----GONE!! Corky and I have been GONE all these months and the SAADD area has been just fine without us. It was kinda nice to meet folks in all those States we traveled through and tell them our names and TITLE. In many of our past adventures we met folks and have kept up with them through the years and managed to see them again this year. GWRRA, we have friends everywhere!! Once we returned, we barely had time to unload our camper and off we went to the Mississippi Rally for some more fun. I tell ya, that three hotel format really works out well. One has eating, another has a bar and I don t know what the third had cause I was too busy foolin around in the other two. Venders everywhere and plenty of things to do. Corky and I like the Scavenger Hunt best. Anyway, if ya get a chance to get over to their Rally, Please give them a try, you ll really like it. I won a new front tire!! The Dunlap 4 too. Chapter U of Dothan tied for 1st Place for Largest Chapter in attendance at MS Rally and their Chapter Director, Bruce Williamson took 1st place in the Comedy Talent Show! He sang My Little Ding-a-Ling and tore the house down. Congrat s to Chapter U. Corky and I managed to gather up with the F Troop Members for their Gathering, and what a job Sid and Virginia are doing. They are bringing the Chapter back in high fashion. They had a guest speaker there who is the Sales Manager for Honda of Montgomery John Marshall, he seemed really interested in getting in with the Chapter so both benefit. Kinda like Harley does with their Clubs. Corky and I have been in touch with Linda Snyder, Chapter M CD s, this week and have found out that Dave has been diagnosed with Stage 4 Lung Cancer. Unfortunately, every person I have ever known to have had Lung Cancer was detected at Stage 4. Why can t they find it a little earlier? Like at stage 1 or something. Good news is that their Dr. seems to think Dave can be fixed. Good luck and best wishes to both Linda and Dave. Chapter M has had their share of bad news lately. As it turns out that Jimmy (The Dude) Shirah has also been diagnosed with Cancer, his surgery is scheduled for 2 Nov. I also know that they don t have the insurance to cover the procedure, so if you have few $$$$$ hanging around with nothing to do, how bout letting them work for Jimmy and Julie??? I m sure they will be truly appreciative of the help. Besides, that s what GWRRA does isn t it?? Help folks. Corky and I will see ya both soon, stay brave. You are in our prayers. The LAST REGION RALLY is coming soon. Let s make it a big one K?? Jim and Sue have been working extremely hard to go out with a BANG, so let us also all help out. There are supposed to be many venders on hand as well. Corky and I must go now, so be safe and ride hard and long. Ron & Corky
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Page 9 Corky s Custom Covers www.facebook.com/corkyscustomcovers Rosetta (Corky) Alexander rcalex@fairpoint.net Home: 334-858-7734 Cell: 334-406-4171
Page 10 GWRRA Cruisin U s November 2017 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat 1 2 Staff Meeting HOTS Deli 3 4 ZIP LINE Ride KSU 1130 Westgate Hardees Ozark Parkway GWRRA-AL-M Dothan Buffet City Phenix City 5PM 5 6 GWRRA-FL-1L PoFolks Panama City 6PM 7 GWRRA-AL-G PoFolks Enterprise 6PM 8 9 10 11 Peanut Festival/ Veteran s Day Parade Dothan 12 13 14 GWRRA-AL-U Golden Corral Dothan 6:00 PM 15 16 GWRRA AL-F Montgomery 6 PM Sweet Baby Jane s Buffet KSU 4:45 Hardees Ozark 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 HAPPY THANKSGIVING! 26 27 28 29 30 Dec 1 2 GWRRA-AL-M Buffet City Phenix City