August 2008 January 2012 Alamo City Wings Volume 31 Friends for Fun, Safety, and Knowledge! Issue 01 Chapter H Officers Chapter Director Bruce MacMaster 520-3061 BAMac45@aol.com Assistant Chapter Director Vacant Chapter Educator Vacant Membership Coordinator Phyllis Ellis 695-4320 Pcelde@swbell.net Secretary/Treasurer Charles Fleming 827-1894 txgoldwing00@att.net Chapter H Staff Web Master Dean Davis dean@jeanniesherbs.com Newsletter Editor Kathy Vallejo 827-4446 kvall@att.net Technical Advisor Len Ellis - 695-4320 Pcelde@swbell.net Chapter Photographer Dean Davis dean@jeanniesherbs.com Activity / Ride Coordinator Charles Fleming 682-1446 txgoldwing00@att.net * From the Chapter Director * I am writing this before Christmas because of our newsletter editor s holiday schedule so I can t reflect on the last two weeks of the year. The early part of December has been cold and wet on weekends, in fact one weekend I was not able to ride at all which hasn t happened in a long time. This last ride was cool but dry and we decided to go to IH 35 North Honda after breakfast to get everyone s GL 1800 s brake inspected according to Honda s safety recall. Each bike passed inspection and took about 30 minutes each. If your GL 1800 needs to be inspected you should get a letter from Honda next year but if you have an hour to spare you can go to IH 35 North Honda and they will work you in. If you have your VIN number, give them a call first to see if it is part of the recall. The Mid-Winter Roundup will be held January 14, 2012 at the New Braunfels Civic Center. The opening session will begin at 9:00 AM with the Director s forum, Rider Ed and MAD update, Membership Enhancement and Chapter financial transactions breakout sessions to follow at 10:00 AM. Lunch will be provided on site at noon. The afternoon sessions will include Leadership Training on Structure of GWRRA and Membership benefits overview; Rider Ed and levels program Q & A; and Chapter of the Texas District Officers & Staff District Directors... Fred & Mandy Mew... 817-707-3568 Asst. District Directors.... Mark & Lynne Heene... 512-814-6432 District Educators... Chet Roby & Maria Collins... 254-718-3977 District Treasurer... Leona McDade... 817-491-2881 Membership Enhancement Division... Carolyn Barton... 254-578-3353 Asst. Membership Enhancement Coord.... Donna Holley... 940-231-4026 District Couple of the Year. 2010.... Dave & Jean Simmons... 325-382-4469 District Trainer... Lynn Heene... 512-288-4152 Vendor Coordinators... Don & Linda Holley... 940-390-0873 Webmaster... Mark Heene... 512-814-6432 Newsletter Editor Mandy Mew 817-939-3568 District Admin Support and Security.Terry McDade.817-491-2881
Volume 31 Page 2 of 9 Issue 01 Year program and Couple of the year Information and Q &A; and Chapter Finances made Easy Instantly. The day will end with an Open Forum Q & A with the District Team at 3:00 PM. All members that are interested in any subject are welcome to attend. Our regular meeting will be on January 4 th at 7:30 PM at Logan s Roadhouse. Come early (around 6:30 PM) for dinner and greetings. You will notice that there is one destination ride per month with the others being pick a place and go. You can take your chances by showing up and convincing others where you want to go or you can let Charles or me know where you would like to go and we can change any ride to your favorite destination. Your choice, just let us know. Ride Safe and Often Bruce A. MacMaster Chapter Director RIDER EDUCATION Target Fixation Rather than let it lead you into trouble, use it By: James R. Davis the phenomena wherein our motorcycles tend to go in the direction we are looking and is usually described with an example familiar to all that if you see a pothole in the street ahead of you and don t take your eyes off of it you are likely to hit it. While that is true, it is too trivial an example to get our attention appropriately. We are left with the opinion that target fixation is of trivial concern because we all know that we can, if we try, avoid that pothole. In the case study we talk at great length about the tragic consequences possible from thinking that target fixation is a trivial problem. You are strongly encouraged to read that case study. While it is more graphic than most will be comfortable with, I can think of nothing that will better make the case for respecting the danger of target fixation. It is insufficient to simply post the advice that you should avoid target fixation. Saying don t fixate is all very well, but one it starts, you need a positive technique to get yourself out in one piece. So once you are in trouble, use target fixation to save your skin. Don t look at the oncoming truck/tree/pothole; figure out where you would rather be and fixate on that instead. In fact, those of you that have taken the MSF classes know that target fixation is an excellent way to control skids fixate on a point dead ahead on the horizon, and you ll be well on the way towards automatically correcting most skids. Sometimes we riders tend to minimize the risks we hear about. Take for example, what every student of the Motorcycle Safety Foundation has heard about target fixation. Fixating on something means not being able to take your attention (your eyes, for example) away from it. In the case of riding motorcycles, for example, this leads to
Volume 31 Page 3 of 9 Issue 01 LETTER FROM THE EDITOR We are looking forward to the Polar Bear ride on January 1 st to start out the year with all our motorcycle family. Hopefully we will have a nice day. I m praying that 2012 will be bring a safe, fun-filled year of riding! Be Safe and Have Fun! Kathy Vallejo Newsletter Editor DEER CAMP So, Here I Am. MEMORIES OF A PAST RIDE It was in the fall, October, as I remember. Tom Finch and Rod and I had a short, but wonderful trip to Big Bend. There d been a couple of group trips to Big Bend in the past, that for one reason or another, we d missed out on. It had been a really long time since we d been to the area, and the first time on a motorcycle. Four guys have been going to the same deer camp for many years. Two days before the group is to leave, Ron s wife puts her foot down and tells him he isn t going. Ron s friends are very upset that he can t go, but what can they do? Two days later the three get to the camping site only to find Ron sitting there with a tent set up, firewood gathered, and dinner cooking on the fire. Dang man, how long have you been here, and how did you talk your wife into letting you go? The weather was cooperative and the scenery gorgeous. We were fortunate enough to get rooms at the Lodge, in the park. Well, I ve been here since yesterday. Yesterday evening, I was sitting in my chair and my wife came up behind me and put her hands over my eyes and said, Guess who? I pulled her hands off, and she was wearing a brand new nightie. She took my hand and pulled me to our bedroom. The room had candles and rose petals all over. On the bed she had handcuffs, and ropes! She told me to tie and cuff her to the bed, and I did. And the she said, Do whatever you want.
Volume 31 Page 4 of 9 Issue 01 We spent a pleasant afternoon; including watching wild life in the parking lot a roadrunner, what I assume was a prairie chicken, and several deer, wandering around the vehicles, grazing on the lawns. After breakfast, we toured a different section of the park for a while, then rode through Terlingua and Alpine, headed for Ft. Davis. We had dinner at the Lodge restaurant, and our evening was spent on the patio off our room, viewing the night time scenery and enjoying the cool breeze. We awoke the next morning to a full moon in the clear, blue sky. To my surprise, I was able to get a rather good picture. Again, the weather was great, warm, but not miserably hot clear, blue skies, with not a cloud in any direction that I could see. We had the road pretty much to ourselves. I was enjoying the ride and was lulled into a state of near oblivion. We were riding in wide-open country, mostly scrub brush, not too much in the way of scenery.
Volume 31 Page 5 of 9 Issue 01 In the distance, I could see buzzards circling over their potential lunch. Since there was nothing else to keep me alert, nothing of which I felt the need to take a picture, my eyes kept going back to the lazy circling of the scavengers. The nearer we got, the further back I tilted my head, until I was looking straight up in the sky. Suddenly, I was jolted back to full consciousness, as it started to rain. But wait, there was not a cloud in the sky, it couldn t be raining! Then the realization hit it had to be buzzard pee. Thank goodness for face shields! Here I am, on the back seat of a motorcycle, miles from any civilization, nothing handy to wipe my face shield, nothing in my hands except a camera. What am I to do? I guess I ll just take a picture! Rapidly, I went through a range of emotions, from shock, disbelief, disgust, ending up with amusement. I was laughing out loud in a matter of minutes, with the knowledge that I had just had a rather unique motorcycle experience. This was another first for me. Believe me, once is enough! The lesson learned is that I no longer look straight up when we pass under circling buzzards; just in case there s a bulls-eye on my face shield that only they can see. Betty Loper aka Rebel Child OLD COWBOY A tough old cowboy from south Texas counseled his grandson that if he wanted to live a long life, the secret was to sprinkle a pinch of gun powder on his oatmeal every morning. The grandson did this religiously to the age of 103 when he died. He left behind 14 children, 30 grandchildren, 45 great grandchildren, 25 great, great grandchildren, and a 15 foot hole where the crematorium used to be.
Volume 31 Page 6 of 9 Issue 01 MIRROR IMAGE I pointed to two old drunks sitting across the bar from us and told my friend, That s us in ten years. He said, That s a mirror dummy!
Volume 31 Page 7 of 9 Issue 01 Alamo Cycle Plex 11900 I.H. 10 West 696-2000 Complete Bike Financing Sales and Service WDC Trike Conversions, Inc. www.2wingnuts.us 210-872-6206 * MTC Voyager Trike Conversions * Champion Sidecar-Trikes, Sidecars, Colorado Trailers & Patriot hard bags. * California Sidecar-Trikes, Escapade Trailers & Sidecars * Cyclone Alarm Systems * Klicktronic-Electric Shifter * LED Lighting * Rivco Accessories Wayne: 2wingnuts2@earthlink.net Daniel: 2wingnuts@earthlink.net Colby: 2wingnuts3@earthlink.net TRIVIA C 1. Children grow faster in the spring. 2. A jellyfish is 95% water. 3. A hummingbird weighs less than a penny. 4. All porcupines float in water. 5. Bats have over 100 vocal chords. JANUARY BIRTHDAYS Betty Loper January 5 Claudia Barlaan January 21
Volume 31 Page 8 of 9 Issue 01 Ride & Activity Schedule Date Start End Event Description HAPPY NEW YEAR POLAR BEAR RIDE Meet at 10:00am and take a ride for lunch in the 1/1/12 10:00 15:00 hill country. Chapter Meeting/Gathering at Logan s Road House on IH 10, Meet around 6:30pm for 1/4/12 18:30 20:30 dinner, meeting starts at 7:30pm. 1/7/12 8:30 14:00 Breakfast ride- Pick a place and go. 1/14/12 08:00 17:00 Mid Winter District Meeting-New Braunfels, TX Meet at Bandera Café (Bandera Road) for breakfast. Meet at 8:30am for breakfast, or 1/15/12 08:30 14:00 show up at 9:30am just to ride. 1/21/12 08:30 14:00 Breakfast ride- Pick a place and go. 1/29/12 08:30 14:00 Breakfast ride- Pick a place and go. Chapter Meeting/Gathering at Logan s Road House on IH 10, Meet around 6:30pm for 2/1/12 18:30 20:30 dinner, meeting starts at 7:30pm. 2/4/12 08:30 14:00 Breakfast ride- Pick a place and go. 2/12/12 08:30 14:00 Breakfast ride- Pick a place and go. 2/18/12 08:30 14:00 Ride to Utopia for breakfast at Lost Maples Café Utopia, TX and then ride in the area 2/26/12 08:30 14:00 Breakfast ride- Pick a place and go. 3/3/12 08:30 14:00 Breakfast ride- Pick a place and go. Chapter Meeting/Gathering at Logan s Road House on IH 10, Meet around 6:30pm for 3/7/12 18:30 20:30 dinner, meeting starts at 7:30pm. 3/11/12 08:30 14:00 Breakfast ride- Pick a place and go. 3/17/12 08:30 14:00 Breakfast ride- Pick a place and go..meet at IHOP (Bandera Rd. and Stoneleigh-1 st traffic light inside 1604) for breakfast. Meet 3/25/12 08:30 14:00 at 8:30am for breakfast, or show up at 9:30 am just to ride. 3/31/12 08:30 14:00 Breakfast ride- Pick a place and go. Chapter Meeting/Gathering at Logan s Road House on IH 10, Meet around 6:30pm for 4/4/12 18:30 20:30 dinner, meeting starts at 7:30pm. Note: Unless otherwise indicated: All Chapter "H" rides start at the parking lot behind the Exxon and Whataburger located at Bandera Rd. & 1604 (Northwest San Antonio) Rides are subject to change; Changes will be communicated via the website, Newsletter, and/or e-mail.
Chapter Director 6419 Red Jacket Dr. San Antonio, TX 78238