GOLD WING ROAD RIDERS ASSOCIATION INDIANA CHAPTER O2

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1 GOLD WING ROAD RIDERS ASSOCIATION INDIANA CHAPTER O2 ELKHART, IN. January 2019 DISTRICT DIRECTOR Ray & Melinda Faber DISTRICT TEAM MEMBER Wolfgang & Connie Gless CHAPTER DIRECTORS Wolfgang & Connie Gless ASSISTANT CHAPTER DIRECTORS Don & Cindy Norman CHAPTER EDUCATORS Richard & Janet Fox CHAPTER TREASURER Bruce McLeish MEMBERSHIP ENHANCEMENT Lucy McLeish RIDE COORDINATOR Rich Durecki COUPLE OF THE YEAR CARDS & FLOWERS Deb Anderson ACTIVITIES Deb Whetstone PHONE TREE Bernadette Harwood CHAPTER VISIT COORDINATOR Wolfgang Gless WEBMASTER Cari Durecki NEWSLETTER EDITOR Vernon Daly RONALD McDONALD RIDE Jim Whetstone FROM YOUR CHAPTER DIRECTORS Wolfgang & Connie Gless Happy New Year Chapter is here and will be a great year for Chapter 02. We have a ride schedule set for the new year and we hope that members will add to it with some more rides, hours long and or longer are welcome. Speaking of rides, Connie and I are planning one of those rides that will be either around Lake Michigan or Lake Superior. Yes, at one point I was leaning towards Lake Michigan but some have mentioned that the Chicago area would be a concern and maybe Lake Superior would be a better idea. So, I ask you, is there interest from the membership to do the Lake Superior ride (4 to 5 days) with a passport needed but no Chicago area to contend with. Your opinion is needed so I can plan for that ride, please let me know ASAP by . Connie and I hope all had a great holiday season, we did and are looking forward to a great Now as for 2019, remember to plan your personal schedule to coordinate with the chapter schedule as best that you can. As you know some chapter functions need membership participation to help make them work. With the riding season about 4 months away this is a good time to plan for riding safety classes that will be offered in The district educators are trying to schedule classes close to the area you live in but need rider participation to make it worthwhile. If you are keeping up your levels program or just wanting to better your riding skills, sign up when it is offered. Winter Rendezvous is coming up fast, (February 22, ) that s next month. It is being held in Shipshewana, IN., close to home. This is a good time to attend as it is close. I have read through the schedule and a lot is being planned for all participants. Go and have a good time. OK that is all we have for now except for this, HAVE A GREAT NEW YEAR. Ride often and ride safe. Wolf & Connie MONTHLY MEETINGS are held the 1st Thursday of each month at the Perkins Restaurant in Elkhart on Cassopolis Road just north of the Toll Road. Dinner at 6:30, meeting at 7:15 PM DINNER RIDES are every Thursday night May-Sept. (except meeting night). Meet in the parking lot BEHIND Discovery Middle School on Ash Road. Leaving promptly at 6:15 PM 1

2 FROM YOUR ASSISTANT CHAPTER DIRECTORS Don & Cindy Norman Happy New Year to all, near and far! Our thoughts are with you all. Trust you all had some loving family time for the Christmas season. The last few days in Indiana have been sunny and warm. Tempting to get the bikes out, but I am sure it will not last. It was great to see our friendly, dedicated winter group at the meeting this week. Our traveling is over for now until spring break. We will be enjoying Indiana for the next few months. There are many upcoming opportunities to stay connected with the group: January 17 th - Dinner at the Flat Top Grill in the UP Mall January 19 th - Hunter Ice Festival in Niles. Not an organized time, but maybe we will run into some of you while we are there. We went to Goshen s Fire and Ice last night. Carvers were able to make some amazing creations, even at the 40 degree temperature. February 23 rd -24 th - Winter Rendezvous at the Farmstead Inn in Shipshewana. Price goes up February 1 st. Don t miss this opportunity to be involved with the larger group of Wingers. We have an extra queen size bed in our room! March 9 th - Movie and dinner afternoon. Final details at the March meeting. May 11 th - Save the date for our annual Chicken Sale. August 27 th -31 st - Wing Ding in Nashville, Tennessee. Not sure where Dumbo and Udderly ended up, but would love to see them at the February meeting. We are looking forward to a great 2019 and much more riding time come spring time. Best wishes for each of you also. Fond greetings, Don and Cindy 2

3 FROM YOUR CHAPTER EDUCATORS Richard & Janet Fox Flammable Solvents & Roller Wienies A few days ago, as my wife and I prepared another holiday feast, she commented that the neighbors across the street were once again engaged in another ritualistic arson practice and she thought that I might be interested in observing their antics. As most people should know, the use flammable solvents has long been a mainstay when itinerant young boys are assigned the task of cleaning up leaves and other yard debris during the fall or in the depths of winter when they have nothing better to do and no parent is watching. These particular youngsters had decided that the solvent of choice was gasoline, intended, no doubt, as a motor fuel for the lawn mower safely stored in the outdoor shed for the winter. The ingenious fire bugs were transporting the leaves in a wheelbarrow to the area. Once ready they would throw some quantity of accelerant onto the pile and use a match to ignite the potential inferno. The boys would then return for another batch of leaves. The boys somehow did not connect the obvious dangers of gasoline ignition with the potential harm possible to them or their surroundings. Soon the layers of pine tree needles and pinecones surrounding their mischievous deeds where also on fire. Luckily, the storage barn was not burned to the ground and, more importantly, no one was turned into a replica of a roller wienie from Seven Eleven. A few important reminders for all. Gasoline should never be used as an accelerant for fires Gasoline does not burn when being ignited it explodes The sudden flash moves at 3000 ft. per second (this defines an explosion) The temperature of a gasoline ignition is so high that it will incinerate your lungs when you suddenly inhale as you react to the flash. The heat produced in the area of the vapor ignition will melt polyester and many other fabrics and you can t get them off your skin. The flare of the flame cannot be easily extinguished even when using the correct fire extinguisher. Check your bike and other vehicles for gas leaks every year. Never smoke around gasoline pumps when refueling or filling portable containers Never fill a portable container while it is in your vehicle always place it on the ground 3

4 Past Events Meeting Notes: By Vernon Daly Don opened the meeting with the pledge of allegiance. With so many members in Florida for the winter, there were only 13 members in attendance this month. Don went over upcoming events, which included the Hunter Ice Festival, Winter Rendezvous, the Movie night in March and Wing Ding next August. The Past Event page is pretty sparse this month as there were no activities during December, mainly due to the holidays. I hope everyone had a nice Christmas and New Years Day. Let s all keep our fingers crossed that we have a mild winter, and lets all look forward to an early spring and riding season. Vern Richard Fox, our chapter educator gave a talk about the dangers of using gasoline as an accelerant when burning leaves. He then tied it in to taking your motorcycle out of mothballs after winter and that it s a good idea, for the first time, to start it up outside just in case there has been a gas leak over winter. Deb Anderson read off the anniversaries and birthdays for the month. Both Dumbo and Udderly Fantastic are staying with their current guardians for the next month. With that, Don asked if there was any other information for the chapter. There being none he adjourned the meeting. Save those pop tabs for Ronald McDonald House Monthly Item: Pick anything from the Wish List Individual Snacks and drink boxes are always needed. 4

5 What s Coming Up Summary January 19.. Hunter Ice Festival, Niles February Winter Rendezvous Shipshewana March 9.. Possible movie afternoon/evening See below for details Thursday Dinner Rides Now that riding season is over, we will be doing the once-a-month dinner get-togethers on the third Thursday of the month. Below is a list of the first three for the upcoming season. Note that December is deliberately left out due to the holidays. Meet at the restaurant at 6:30. MOVIE NIGHT A movie/dinner afternoon or evening is being planned, possibly for March 9 or thereabouts. Watch this space for updates as the date and time are not actually finalized as of this writing. It will be at Wonderland in Niles and will partly depend on what s playing. January Flat Top Grill in UP Mall February 21.. Jade Garden, Elkkhart March 21.. Fiesta Tapatia, Mishawaka April 18.. Fat Cap s, Roseland Hunter Ice Festival The weekend of January 19th is the weekend for the Hunter Ice Festival in Niles. Some chapter members have gone to this in the past and it s a fun event to attend. Birthdays & Anniversaries Anniversaries: February 20.. Tom & Connie Whalen Birthdays: No birthdays in February 5

6 Other News Got an item that you would like to sell? Advertise it here in the For Sale listing of the newsletter. This publication is seen state wide and could help to locate someone that is looking for your item. Your Chapter Store Representative: Cindy Norman Chapter items for sale: Hats $13.00 Chapter Flags $12.00 Gold Wing Clocks.... $15.00 Various pins, patches etc. also available. See Cindy for details. For Sale: 2004 GL 1800 White with Graphic s & Pin Stripping. 109,000 touring miles. Loaded with chrome aftermarket parts including wheels, valve covers, timing chain cover and many more. Baker Air Wings are also included. Decorative Lighting is installed from front to back. Price Reduced $9000 Ronald McDonald House As we start a new year and Ronald McDonald House I want to encourage everyone to be on the lookout for sales on all the various items that we can use at the house, especially any kind of single serve items like chips, crackers, drinks, etc. We go through a lot of these items on the coffee cart every day. A special thank you to everyone who donated items in Vern Winter Rendezvous If you are planning to attend Winter Rendezvous in Shipshewana in February 2019 please let your CD know. The District would like a preliminary head count or Changes and Corrections No Changes or Corrections this month. Please note that changes and corrections will not be repeated, so be sure and check last month s newsletter to make sure you didn t miss anything. 6

7 District Educator Article Yea, YeaL..I know Thanksgiving was last month but I m just getting around to thinking about the past year and how thankful I am for all the support Debbie and I have received as your Educators. The Indiana Rider Ed team is a fantastic group of folks, truly dedicated to safe riding and continuing education. They put in a lot of time, effort, and their own money in making the various rider ed activities a success. They travel to all parts of the state to teach riding courses where they have to spend at least an extra day getting the riding range setup for the classes. An we can t forget our wives in this mix. Their support in putting on the various classes tremendously adds to the classes success. YOUR Indiana Rider Ed Team is comprised of: Chuck and Chris Jacobs They are Team GWRRA Rider Education Coordinators responsible for most of the northeast states. Chuck is an ARC and TRC instructor and they have actually hosted rider classes in their home. Chuck is also a University Trainer. Mike and Joyce Nelson Mike and Joyce are Assistant District Educators who go out of their way to support the program. You ve seen them at the various rallies working the Rider Ed table. Mike is a TRC instructor and has been instrumental with working with Ivy Tech in Fort Wayne allowing us to use their fantastic facilities for rider courses. Dennis and Debbie Junker Dennis and Debbie are Assistant District Educators (through the end of the year when they will be stepping down) who have been LONG time rider ed champions. Dennis is a Master Instructor Trainer (MIT) and is qualified to teach ARC and TRC, along with two and three wheel trailering courses. John and Laura Kuehl Both John and Laura are GWRRA do-da s! They are both on the GWRRA staff as Rider Educations assistants, Laura is a GWRRA Assistant for the Medic First Aid (MRA) program, and both John and Laura are Indiana s MFA coordinators. John is also a Master Instructor. Mike and Penny Kadinger Mike and Penny while being Chapter Directors for A2 are also Indiana s only other GWRRA MFA instructors. They travel all over the state giving MFA classes to keep us safe and our levels current. Next time you see these selfless, dedicated folks please give m a hug or shake their hand and tell them thanks for what they do. Until next timel.. Rick and Debbie Warmels Indiana District Educators 7

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