LONGHORN H.O.G. Chapter Newsletter

Transcription

1 LONGHORN H.O.G. Chapter Newsletter Grand Prairie, TX April 2018 Longhorn Chapter #1961 Gina Harris ~ Editor Volume 4, Issue 18 Director s Comments, Cheryl DeGray The Next Meeting will be SATURDAY April 7th at 10:00 AM Remember ladies, please come early as LOH has their meeting upstairs at 9:30 AM. All ladies are welcome, come check us out!

2 Mike Winsor ~ Chapter Secretary Meeting called to order at 10:03 by Kenny Waterston who introduced our Director, Cheryl DeGray. Cheryl let those in attendance know that some officers went to HOT in February and came back with some great ideas for the Chapter. There were two corrections to the 2017 Mileage awards: Clifton Howard was moved to second place and Bob Hagar was awarded third place with 14,441 miles Murray Clark was introduced as our new Head Road Captain and Safety Officer. Cindy Waterston discussed the HOG Ride365 programs which have been added to HOG.com for mileage and ABCs of touring contests. Also, the Dealership has reintroduced their MPG mileage contest so there are a few chances for us the ride our Harleys and earn prizes and rewards. The Road Captains in attendance discussed their upcoming rides. More information and a complete list can be found on The Forum. Kenny Waterston closed the meeting with one of the new ideas from HOT; less talking and more riding. Two rides left the dealership after the meeting, one to Railhead BBQ and the other to the Texas Motorplex in Ennis to watch the ProMod drag races. The meeting was adjourned at 10:30. Gwen Offutt-Smith ~ LOH Officer March Ladies of Harley Meeting: You knew we were in the building by seeing all of our festive, bright green shamrock name badges and our shamrock flashing necklaces for St Patrick's. We had a very fun meeting with 11 Ladies attending. Thank you to Renee Macdonald for coming up with our Pot o' Gold game with Bucket and Gold Coins! Rhonda Johnson had just the right touch for getting the gold coins into the Pot o Gold bucket and was our big winner! Maria Cuebas provided the gifts for the drawing, and they were a hit! Thank you Maria! And a big "thank you" to our greeters Renee Macdonald and Susan Graves. For our next meeting (April 7th) please remember that we are collecting toiletries for Meals on Wheels. Gwen, you were very much missed and I was one lucky girl to have your meeting guideline notes! Hope to see you all at April Meeting!

3 RIDE HOTLINE: Check the Forum for Updates!!! All Chapter Events and Activities are CLOSED EVENTS unless otherwise noted. Ride Calendar Longhorn HOG Chapter #1961 April 2018 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat LOH 9:30 Chapter Meeting 10:00 Ride to Follow to Medeas in Everman CDeGray Star Point Waco, Killeen, San Angelo 8-8:30 3 RBarger Pre-Ride to Big Bend BHagar invites you to join him if you can t make the ride over Memorial Day Weekend (in May). Complete with Scenic Loops. Contact BHagar or see The Forum The Shed Edom 9-9:30 MVonTress Fish in a Barrel 8:30-9 Gun Barrel City MWinsor

4 RIDE HOTLINE: Check the Forum for Updates!!! All Chapter Events and Activities are CLOSED EVENTS unless otherwise noted. Ride Calendar Longhorn HOG Chapter #1961 May 2018 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat LOH 9:30 Chapter Meeting 10: Spring Picnic TBD Big Bend Country 7:30-8 BHagar

5 COMPLETING THE COURTHOUSE CHALLENGE by Bob Hagar, Road Captain One of the chapter s riding programs is the Texas Courthouse Challenge. The challenge itself sounds simple, and is: Get a picture of your bike at every county courthouse in Texas. (No time limit is associated with this challenge.) However, Texas includes 254 courthouses, and as the figure below shows, those courthouses are distributed widely across the entire state. So, this simple challenge actually means that you have to ride to every county in the state and take 254 photos. Described below is how I completed that challenge in 768 days. Sometime late in 2015, I discussed the Courthouse Challenge with someone (probably either Mark Von Tress and/or Mike Mattiza, because Mark had recently completed the challenge and Mike was working on it), and since I planned to retire from full-time employment in early 2016, I decided to take on the challenge. Below, I ll describe first how I prepared to collect courthouse photos, and then how I actually did collect those photos. Preparing to collect photos: After some consideration, I realized that I could collect courthouse photos in any of these ways: As a participant in a chapter ride led by another road captain, when the group stops at a courthouse. As a rider completing a route to collect star points or for some other purpose, when the route passes through a town or city with a courthouse. As a road captain pre-riding a route for a chapter ride, when the chapter-ride route passes through a town or city with a courthouse. As a rider completing a route specifically planned to collect courthouse photos.

6 Because I needed to collect 254 photos and could collect each in a variety of ways, I also realized that keeping track of the status of the courthouse photos would also be a challenge. So, to complete the Courthouse Challenge, I first completed these initial administrative tasks: Located an internet site ( that lists the names and locations of every courthouse in Texas. Copied and pasted the entire list into Microsoft Word and manipulated that list to produce and save a list of courthouse names. Entered that list of courthouse names into a spreadsheet and planned to use that spreadsheet to record the status of every courthouse photo. In Garmin s BaseCamp software (which is my environment for planning routes), created a list for courthouses, and in that list, placed and named waypoints for every courthouse as described in the barnfield.net website. For each courthouse waypoint icon, I used a green flag. Located an internet site ( that shows photos of every courthouse in Texas. Collecting photos: With those tasks completed, I began collecting courthouse photos in early 2016, as follows: When I planned the route for the 2016 Texas Border Ride, I included a stop at the only courthouse that was on our route (El Paso County), and Rod McCullick and I collected that photo as we completed that ride in early May. In both 2016 and 2017, when I planned routes to collect star point photos, if a courthouse was near a route, then I included that courthouse in the route. Thus, when I completed the star-point routes, I also collected photos of the courthouses included in those routes. In the spring of 2017, I included courthouses in my route to pre-ride the Rio Grande Valley Scenic Loops chapter ride scheduled for June of 2017, and I collected those photos when I completed that pre-ride. In the summer of 2017, I included courthouses in my route to pre-ride the Leakey and 4 Scenic Loops ride scheduled for September of 2017, and I collected those photos when I completed that pre-ride. After I realized that collecting photos by the methods above would be only hit-and-miss, I planned and completed seven courthouse-only routes. Each such route included collecting photos while traveling from my home to an area of the state, while in the area, and while returning home via a different path. These are my courthouse-only routes:

7 My 03/18 ride to the panhandle completed my collection of courthouse photos, so with that ride, I completed the Courthouse Challenge. This overview of that route is representative of the others: Looking back on my experiences with the Courthouse Challenge, what stands out for me were (1) the amount of planning and record-keeping required to complete the challenge, (2) the variety of architectural styles within the Texas courthouses, and (3) variations in the amount of activity in the vicinities of the courthouses. These topics are expanded below. Following those topics is a brief summary. Planning and record-keeping to complete the challenge As mentioned above, I added courthouses to routes planned for other purposes (like a pre-ride for a chapter ride or a starpoint ride). I did this as follows: First, I developed the route for its other purpose, in its own BaseCamp folder and list. Then, I copied the route into the BaseCamp list that contained all of the courthouses. (BaseCamp leaves the route in its original folder and allows a user to edit the route from within any list in which it appears. That meant that any changes I made to the route within the courthouse list would also appear on the route within its original list.) In the courthouse list, I examined the route to see if it passed near any courthouse(s). If so, then for every such courthouse, I added the courthouse to the route, and changed the courthouse s icon to a blue flag. After completing my examination of the route and adding to it all of the courthouses that were near it, I removed the route from the courthouse list (while it remained in its original list) and updated the spreadsheet to show that those courthouses were within that route. At the appropriate time, I retrieved the route from its original folder, downloaded it into my gps unit, and collected courthouse photos while completing the route. After I returned home, I retrieved the courthouse photos from my phone, filed them into the courthouse photo folder, and updated the spreadsheet to show that the route had been completed and the photos had been filed.

8 Also as mentioned above, I developed and completed several routes for the specific purpose of collecting courthouse photos. I did this as follows: I retrieved and printed a screen print of the BaseCamp map window that displayed the BaseCamp list that contained all of the courthouses. On the printed copy, I used a marker to draw lines that divided the state into approximately pie-shaped slices, where the center of the pie was my home, the outside edge of each slice was on a state boundary, and every courthouse was within only one slice. I named each slice by its direction from my home; I ended up with names like N, S, NW, NE, etc. I created a BaseCamp list for each of the pie-shaped slices, and named each list consistent with the name of the corresponding slice. Into each each slice s list and from the BaseCamp courthouse list, I copied all of the green-flagged courthouses that were within the corresponding slice. (Remember that all of the blue-flagged courthouses were being photographed during rides for other purposes.) When I finished, I had as many lists in BaseCamp as I had slices on the printed courthouse map, and within each list were all of the green-flagged courthouses that were within the corresponding slice on that map. I updated the spreadsheet to indicate to which list each courthouse was associated. Then, within each list, I created a route that began at my house, connected with all of the courthouses in the list, and returned to my house. As you might imagine, I tried several different arrangements of courthouses on the route, in an effort to minimize the total mileage for the route. After I determined the optimal arrangement, I planned the route as usual, by adding appropriate waypoints for breaks, fuel, food, and lodging. Then, after the route was fully developed, I separated each multi-day route into multiple daily routes. In addition, while planning the routes, I noted that finding some courthouses would be very simple because those courthouses were adjacent to the routes straight through towns, but finding other courthouses would be more complex, because they were located in the center of a city, well away from a direct route through the city. Indeed, during my first courthouse-only ride, I encountered some complex routes to and from in-town courthouses, and experienced some intown confusion. So, after that ride, I decided to add another planning product to the remaining courthouse rides, and to the subsequent star-point rides. I called that product a closeup file, originated each in Microsoft Word, and gave each a name that corresponded to its associated route. In each closeup file, I inserted each courthouse s name (in the sequence established by the route) and below each name, I inserted the courthouse s photo (edited from a screen print of the texascourthousetrail website mentioned above) and a map segment (edited from a screen print of a BaseCamp map window) that showed how to enter the town/city from my previous courthouse, locate the courthouse, and exit the town/ city toward my next courthouse. I printed each closeup file to a pdf file and when I was ready to complete a route, I downloaded the associated pdf file into a pdf-reader app on my phone. Below is an example of a page from a closeup file I prepared for my route to collect courthouse photos in the southern part of the state: (Victoria County is SE of San Antonio and SW of Houston.)

9 After each list s route(s) and closeup files were complete, I scheduled completion of the route at a good time for me and completed each route as scheduled. While completing a route, after stopping at each courthouse, I took the courthouse photo with my phone and then referred to the closeup file to remind me both how the next courthouse looked and how I would find it. After completing each route, I retrieved the courthouse photos from my phone, filed them into the courthouse photo folder, and updated the spreadsheet to show that the route had been completed and the photos had been filed. Thus, I planned and completed each route in turn, and filed each route s courthouse photos after completing each route. By completing the last route and collecting the final photo, I completed the challenge. The variety of architectural styles Anyone who has seen more than a few courthouses has noted that they weren t all built in the same architectural style. Instead, the styles that appear in courthouses across the state vary widely from the very ornate to the relatively plain. Two examples are shown below; one photo is of the multi-turreted Wise County courthouse, and the other is of the relatively plain Val Verde County courthouse.

10 The amount of associated activity I realized that in this state, neither wealth nor population is evenly distributed across the counties. So, I perhaps should not have been surprised by the differences between courthouses that appeared to be the centers of civic activity, courthouses that appeared to be abandoned, and courthouses with apparently in-between levels of activity. Below are photos of one of the most-active and one of the least-active courthouses I encountered. (These are of Dewitt County and Hartley County, respectively.) Summary The Courthouse Challenge is relatively simply stated, but completing it requires a major commitment of time for planning various routes and riding all over the state. However, while some time is required for planning, far more time is required for riding. Ultimately, this challenge is about riding! I enjoyed my experiences while completing this challenge, and I recommend this challenge to every member who (1) enjoys riding, and (2) is willing and able to spend not only the time required for the necessary planning and traveling, but also the money to pay for the associated travel expenses.

11 Member Milestones RC Mark Von Tress

12 2018 Star Points of Texas by Mark Von Tress This year I thought we could have Texan theme: Bibles and Beer. It is about 1261 miles if you ride it as loop. I tried to represent most of the major denominations for the churches. Please try to respect worship hours. Honkytonks aren t hard to find. A lot of Texas culture started in dance halls and many were family oriented. Here is a map that sort of looks like a star. Mostly, though, I just wanted to make sure you get to see a lot of Texas, and there are safe parking spots for taking your pictures. To stay current with up-to-date Dealer Events, please visit:

13 Bibles and Beer Star Points # Name 1 Gilley s 2 St. Philip's Episcopal Church 3 Banita Creek Hall 4 First United Methodist Church 5 Honkey Tonk Texas 6 Rohr Chabad Jewish Center at Texas A&M University 7 Gruene Hall 8 St. Joseph Catholic Church 9 Midnight Rider 10 First Baptist Church of Waco Address Google Coordinates 1135 S Lamar St Dallas, TX , N Sycamore St Palestine, TX , W Main St, Nacogdoches, TX , E Goliad Ave Crockett, TX , Hwy 96 N, Silsbee, TX , Live Oak St, College Station, TX , Gruene Rd, New Braunfels, TX , E Rancier Ave Killeen, TX , Sunset Dr, San Angelo, TX , Webster Ave Waco, TX , Website

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15 Ride Hotline: Primary Officers Director/RC Cheryl DeGray Assistant Director/RC Kenny Waterston Secretary/RC Michael Winsor Treasurer/RC Cathy Perdue Discretionary Officers LOH Gwen Offutt Assistant LOH Gloria Hill LOH-Secretary Evelyn Capps Activities Kathy & Harold Doss Safety/Training/RC Murray Clark Membership/RC Cindy Waterston Photographer/RC Michael Mullen Newsletter Editor Gina Harris Webmaster/RC Michael DeGray Historian Michael Smith Events Coordinator Evelyn Capps Star Points/RC Mark VonTress Road Captains (RC) HEAD RC Murray Clark RC Gary White RC Larry Harris RC Rusty Sandifer RC Bob Hagar RC Ronnie Perdue RC Rich Barger RC Steve Johnson RC Mike Mattiza RC Bill Fitzgerald RC Bob Johnson RC Kevin Bigert The Next Meeting will be SATURDAY April 7th at 10:00 AM Remember ladies, please come early as LOH has their meeting upstairs at 9:30 AM. All ladies are welcome, come check us out!

16 Longhorn s Look Ahead LOOKING FORWARD TO YOUR IDEAS COMING TO FRUITION May Big Bend Country RC Bob Hagar June 30-Jully 4, 2018 Branson/Springfield, MO Wildlife Museum/Aquarium RC L Harris August 28-September 4, th Anniversary in Milwaukee RC Cindy Waterston Group Riding Orientation Class Schedule hosted by Safety Officer Murray Clark LONGHORN HOG Appreciation Earn Points for Purchases, Service and Referrals. Details can be found in this newsletter and at the dealership or from your Membership Officer New Rider Course Dates Apr 5-8 Apr 9-11 Apr For More Info and to register visit Electronic version is available anytime at: Please visit