The Gulf Wings Newsletter GWRRA Texas Chapter G - Tomball, Texas

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1 The Gulf Wings Newsletter GWRRA Texas Chapter G - Tomball, Texas V O L U M E 3 0, I S S U E 1 2 D E C E M B E R From Phil s Files Hello Chapter G and Friends! December is here and Christmas is coming, isn t it great? The Christmas party was so much fun, as always. If you didn t make it, well you missed a great time. Wonderful food and excellent company, and the world s largest pocket knife (ask somebody). We have one ride planned for December and one for January, so far. Check the weekly s for updates. In the meantime, here s hoping everyone has a great holiday season. Let s all ride safe! Philip In This Issue: Chapter Information 2 Calendar, Birthdays, Anniversaries 3 Rider Education 4-5 Mid Winter Roundup Info 5 Membership Enhancement 6 Ride Wrap Up 7-9 Find Us on the Web! Chapter G: Ch. G on Facebook: Texas District Website: GWRRA Website: Our next Chapter Gathering is Thursday, December 20 at 7:30 PM Our next Team Meeting is at 6:30 PM on December 20, prior to the Gathering. We meet at Valley Ranch BBQ, located at SH 249 (at Spring Cypress Rd), Houston, TX 77070

2 Huffsmith Kohrville Rd The Gulf Wings Newsletter Your Chapter G Officers and Team Members Officers: Chapter Directors: Philip Blair & Erin Gilligan philipblair@outlook.com GWRRA # & Assistant Chapter Director: Tommy Nichols tommy1of10@sbcglobal.net GWRRA # Chapter Ride Coordinator/ Educator: Ray Willis irllwillis@att.net GWRRA # Officers: Membership Enhancement: Jim & Teresa Cook jcool45@yahoo.com GWRRA # & Asst Membership Enhancement: Larry & Sally Dresch larsal@sbcglobal.net GWRRA # & Secretary/Treasurer: Glenn & Pat Belunek phonehome5603@sbcglobal.net GWRRA # & Team Members: Newsletter Editor: Erin Gilligan eringilligan@comcast.net GWRRA # Web Master: Sam Belinoski sam@samanita.com GWRRA # Couple of the Year Glenn & Pat Belunek phonehome5603@sbcglobal.net GWRRA # & Chapter G Safe Miles Our monthly gathering takes place at Valley Ranch BBQ Restaurant on the 4th Thursday of the month. The meeting starts at 7:30 PM, but come early to eat and visit! North November 2018: 1,188 Valley Ranch is located at the southeast corner of Spring-Cypress Rd and SH 249, in the Spring Cypress Village shopping center. Total 2018: 23,691 Old Luby s Valley Ranch BBQ McDonald s Chapter G Ride Line: ** new number ** (832) FM 2920 S.H. 249 Tomball Pkwy/Bus. 249 Unless otherwise noted by the ride leader, our chapter rides leave from the old Luby s Restaurant parking lot in Tomball, near FM2920 and Tomball Parkway. For updates on our next ride s start time and weather updates, call the Ride Line at (832) GWRRA Gulf Wings Chapter G Newsletter is published by Chapter G Members. Disclaimer: Articles, website addresses, maps, and cartoons express the opinions of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Chapter Staff members or the membership. Chapter G (Chapter) is not responsible for the accuracy of any facts stated in articles, website addresses or cartoons submitted. Chapter G assumes no responsibility for the advertising content within this publication. All warranties and representations made in articles, websites and advertising content are solely that of the advertiser and any claims regarding its content should be taken up with the author, webmaster, or advertiser. The Chapter assumes no liability with regard to its advertisers including errors of information, typographical errors, errors of omission, misprints or failure to place advertising in this publication except for the actual cost of such advertising or a correction/retraction. Under no circumstances shall the Chapter be held liable for incidental or consequential damages, loss of business or services, or any other liabilities unless otherwise stated above. December 2018 Page 2

3 The Gulf Wings Newsletter TEXAS RIDER EDUCATION UPDATE December 2018 Randy and Kathy Reese 1007 Parkcrest Ct., Pflugerville, Tx (512) (512) Preparing for Toy-Run Season One activity that many motorcycle riders participate in this time of the year is Toy Runs for kids. Our chapter enjoys the comradery of a large mixture of motorcyclists and the excitement of the children as we roar up with our gifts. Because Toy Runs are a group riding experience, it is important to review some of our basic group riding guidelines to keep everyone safer. Here is what the Motorcycle Safety Foundation suggests: Arrive prepared. Arrive on time with a full gas tank. Hold a riders meeting. Discuss things like the route, rest and fuel stops, and hand. Assign a lead and sweep (tail) rider. Both should be experienced riders who are well-versed in group riding procedures. The leader should be aware of each rider's skill level before the ride and monitor the riders during the ride. Keep the group to a manageable size, ideally five to seven riders. If necessary, break the group into smaller sub-groups, separated by a few seconds, each with a lead and sweep rider. Ride prepared. At least one rider in each group should a first-aid kit and full tool kit, and all riders should carry a cell phone, so the group is prepared for any problem that they might encounter. Ride in formation. The staggered riding formation allows a proper space cushion between motorcycles so that each rider has enough time and space to maneuver and to react to hazards. The leader rides in the left third of the lane, while the next rider stays at least one second behind in the right third of the lane; the rest of the group follows the same pattern. A single-file formation with a minimum 2- second following distance is preferred on a curvy road, under conditions of poor visibility or poor road surfaces, entering/leaving highways, or other situations where an increased space cushion or maneuvering room is needed. December 2018 Page 3

4 Looking Forward... The Gulf Wings Newsletter Date Event Location Contact Phone /Web Dec 14 Dec 15 Ladies Night: Dinner/Hallmark movie Gene s Ride: Sodalak s Steak House, Snook TX Belinoski s home Anita Belinoski anita@samanita.com KSU 9:30 a.m. from old Luby s Gene Mings mingswing@sbcglobal.net Dec 20 Team Meeting / Chapter Gathering Valley Ranch BBQ Philip Blair philipblair@outlook.com Jan 1 Polar Bear Ride TBD Philip Blair philipblair@outlook.com Jan 26 Texas District Mid- Winter Roundup Paris, TX Loves Civic Center Hotel: Holiday Inn Express (Hotel res) December B I R T H D A Y S Birthdays and Anniversaries A N N I V E R S A R I E S Margie Nichols 12/2 Jim & Teresa Cook 12/29 Kathy Norwood 12/14 Philip Blair 12/20 Marshall LeGard 12/25 Linda Johnston 12/26 January B I R T H D A Y S B I R T H D A Y S Steve Scott 1/9 Tammy DeLuke 1/24 Ricky Bearb 1/14 Darlene Worley 1/26 Tommy Nichols 1/14 Tina Andries 1/27 Larry Dresch 1/15 Ray Hoot 1/28 Stan Brown 1/16 Gerard Doyle 1/21 A N N I V E R S A R I E S Ray Willis 1/23 Steve & Lee Scott 1/5 December 2018 Page 4

5 The Gulf Wings Newsletter TEXAS RIDER EDUCATION UPDATE December continued- Avoid side-by-side formations, as they reduce the space cushion. If you suddenly needed to swerve to avoid a hazard, you would not have room to do so. You don t want handlebars to get entangled. Periodically check the riders following using your rear view mirrors. If you see a rider falling behind, slow down so they may catch up. If all the riders in the group use this procedure, the group should be able to maintain a fairly steady speed without pressure to ride too fast to catch up. If you re separated from the group, don t panic. Your group should have a preplanned procedure in place to regroup. Don t break the law or ride beyond your skills to catch up. For mechanical or medical problems, use a cell phone to call for assistance as the situation warrants. Please note: Some Toy Runs can involve up to several hundred motorcycles. This is inherently a dangerous situation. Consider smaller events or sponsor one with just one or two chapters. Gold Wingers are generally better trained and more skilled in group riding techniques. Have a very merry holiday season, and remember to adjust your riding to the weather to keep safe. Mid Winter Roundup The Texas District Mid Winter Roundup meeting will be held on Saturday, January 26th in Paris, Texas. The meeting will be held at Loves Civic Center, 2025 S Collegiate Drive, Paris, TX The host hotel is the Holiday Inn Express, located at 3025 NE Loop 286, Paris, TX Mention GWRRA to take advantage of the group rate (available until January 11th). Phone number for the hotel is The Mid Winter Roundup is where we take care of financial paperwork and new officer appointments, recognize new chapter couples, and have some training. All chapter members are welcome to attend! December 2018 Page 5

6 The Gulf Wings Newsletter Membership Enhancement By Jim & Teresa Cook Hello Gulfwingers! Wow, where has this year gone? I for one am looking forward to a year filled with good friends and good rides. Speaking of good friends, if you missed our Christmas party you missed a really good time. We are so fortunate that our chapter is filled with such wonderful people and if you do not attend our social functions as well as our rides you are losing out on at least half of the reason that we exist. I am looking forward to our next ride to Snook, which will be history by the time most read this, but be sure to make the annual Polar bear ride on January first. I sure hope that it is warmer than last year. Keep the shiny side up and ride safe. Jim and Teresa Cook Membership Enhancement Coordinators Visitors and Guests We had 21 Chapter G members at the November meeting. No visitors or guests last month And the Winner Is. 50/50 Drawing: Margie Nichols Valley Ranch Gift Certificate: Ricky Bearb December 2018 Page 6

7 The Gulf Wings Newsletter November Rides and Activities It seems like the holiday season comes earlier each year! We didn t have a lot of activities in November. Only one ride, plus the Ride Captain s meeting. I d like to see some pictures from their meetings...it sure sounds like they have a lot of fun! We had 1,188 safe miles in November. On November 3rd, Ray Willis led a ride to the City Hall Café in Huntsville. It was a beautiful, cool day with clear blue skies. Nobody got lost, though we did get split up a couple of times in traffic. The food was good, and there was pie! The company was wonderful, as always. We had 15 people on 13 bikes, with a total of 1,188 safe miles. December 2018 Page 7

8 The Gulf Wings Newsletter November Rides and Activities More pictures from the City Hall Cafe December 2018 Page 8

9 The Gulf Wings Newsletter November Rides and Activities Here s a sneak peek at some pictures from the Chapter G Christmas party. More to come in next month s newsletter! December 2018 Page 9

10 The Gulf Wings Newsletter December 2018 Page 10