A Word From Your Chapter Directors Lyle & Sheri Altes

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1 GWRRA Texas Chapter O - Capitol Wings Texas Gold Chapter of the Year / 2008 Texas Chapter of the Year / 2007 GWRRA Internat l. Chapter of the Year A Word From Your Chapter Directors Lyle & Sheri Altes Hey O Well fall is here and hopefully some cooler and drier weather will be ahead of us and hopefully some good riding. We want to thank everyone that has made our last couple of gatherings. We have had a great crowd of over 30 people both months and this month we had the pleasure of having our Texas District Directors Jim & Alvalin Woodul join us. It was a pleasure having them there. Please join us again for our October gathering which will be Oct 16, 2018 at the El Rincon Restaurant in Pflugerville Tx. Come join us for half price enchiladas and meet with good friends. Speaking of good friends, three chapters in our area are having rallies in the month of October, We would like to encourage all of you that can to attend these rallies. It is a great reason to get a ride in and even better reason is to help these sister chapters who are always there for us when we have our rally. We know how much work goes into planning and holding one of these events, and fewer chapters are doing them now, but for those of us that do we need to get out there and support each other as much as possible. You can check further back in this newsletter for dates and times and registrations for these events. We will be setting some group rides for these and we hope that you can join us. The weather will hopefully be good and there will be some great hill country riding involved. Also, don t forget about the Louisiana Ride-In to Natchitoches on Nov This also sounds like a fun time and several of us are planning on going. There is a flyer and registration form in this newsletter and pre-registration is appreciated. If you plan to go, please take time to register as it will help the organizers with their planning for restaurants, parking, riding groups and other things. There will be a chapter ride put together with more information coming soon and we hope to see you there. Lyle & Sheri Chapter Meeting: Our next meeting will be the 3rd Tuesday at El Rincon (back room), 200 E. Pecan, Pflugerville. Join us at 6:00 pm to eat and visit followed by the 7:00. NOTE: It s 1/2 price enchilada night. NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE August 27 31, 2019 Gaylord Opryland Resort Important Dates: 10/6 T-Fest Rally 10/13 K2 Rally 10/20 Chapter H Rally 11/2-4 Louisiana Ride-In 12/1 O Christmas Party 1/1 Polar Bear Ride 4/6 Bluebonnet Rally

2 Kickstands Up! Additional rides will be announced via the website and Google Groups. For an up-to- date monthly list, visit the Chapter O web site at Date Chapter Event Location Contact/ /Web Phone 10/6 T-Fest Rally Killeen TX /11-13 Mississippi District Rally (Monster Mash) Gulfport MS 10/13 K2 Rally 10/16 Chapter O Meeting 10/20 Chapter H Rally Castroville Regional Park El Rincon Pflugerville TX Louise Hays Park 202 Thompson Dr. Kerrville, Texas Lyle Altes /2-4 Louisiana District Ride In Natchitoches LA See flyer in newsletter 11/20 Chapter O Meeting TBA Lyle Altes /1 Chapter O Christmas Party Catfish Parlour 4705 E. Ben White Lyle Altes /1 Polar Bear Ride TBA Lyle Altes /6 Bluebonnet Rally Lady Bird Johnson Municipal Park Fredericksburg TX Lyle Altes /16-18 Texas District Rally Paris TX Jim & Alvalin Woodul /30-6/1 Missouri District Rally Branson MO Ken Lueckenotte /27-31 Wing Ding 41 Nashville TN

3 Chapter Activities Here it is, October already. Where has the year gone? The Christmas party is just 2 months away and then next thing you know it will be time for our Bluebonnet Rally. It is officially the Fall season and the temperatures are under 100 degrees and if the rain chance will back off we might just get some rides in. Ken & Teri Burnett Assistant Chapter Directors We try to get at least one ride in every month, but we failed in September. There is a ride planned for the T-fest on Saturday, October 6th and hopefully we will get some more rides in soon. The staff is having a planning session on October 2nd so if you have any ideas for rides or other activities please let the staff know and we will get the word RIDING OPPORTUNITIES Ride to T-Fest in Harker Heights Rally Flyer in newsletter When: Sat, October 6, 8:30am 2:00pm Where: Exxon, 30 US-183, Liberty Hill, TX 78642, USA Description: Meet the Exxon Station in Seward Junction (Hwy Hwy 29) Dear Chapter Directors: I'd like to invite your chapters to the TX-H Annual Rally, Wings In The Park, to be held on Saturday, October 21. This year our venue has changed to Louise Hays Park in beautiful Kerrville, TX. There'll be rides through the Texas hill country, and plenty of food and games. You can access the registration form from our website: or use the form in this newsletter. Come on out and join us for a super-stellar time. We look forward to seeing you all. Ride Safe. Carl "Stoney" Batts K2 Country Rally October 13, 2018 Castroville Region Park 9:00 2:00 All bikes are welcome. No ma er what you ride, it s all the same wind! Registra on flyer in this newsle er

4 Dawn Sprague Chapter MEC Chapter Birthdays October 3 Linda P October 5 Dexter P October 11 Jim T October 13 Gayle T October 13 Al H October 31 Linda J October 31 Mary H Anniversaries October 20 Al H & Claire N October 23 John & Wanda O GWRRA Anniversaries 2002 John & Wanda O 2002 Charlie & Julie D OH YEAH CHAPTER O It was great seeing everyone at our Monthly Chapter Meeting on Sept. 18th especially as Tom & I were gone for over 3 months this summer. A Big Welcome to our visitors: Jim & DeeDee, Markus & Hilda, and Billie Sue. It was also great to see Jim & Alvalin (our Texas District Directors), Andrea, Jose, and Scott & Judy. DON'T FORGET TOO MARK YOUR RIDE CALENDAR for the upcoming Rallies. For more info, see page 3 and their registration flyers in this newsletter. Our Annual Christmas Party will be on December 1st at Catfish Parlour South. Always a "FUN" time especially since you can "legally" steal. Our Chapters' Bluebonnet Rally is just around the corner. If you want to camp, reservations MUST BE MADE by March 4, No GWRRA Numbers were claimed from last month s newsletter. The Progressive Drawing will $10.00 next month. Richard was surprised to get the traveling basket. Ride Safe, Ride Often & Have Fun! Sheri won the WingNut for leaving her phone under the trunk on the trike and riding all the way down the Tail of the Dragon while at Wing Ding. They made it to the end safely and surprisingly so did her phone. 50/50 Winners Robby & Ken were the big winners.

5 Texas District Educators CORNERING SAFETY Fall is the time of year when the turning leaves can be very beautiful unless they are piled up in a corner where you are entering. Then they can be very hazardous. Make sure to look through your curves so you can avoid a low-side situation. On the same topic of corning, here is some information from the Look Learn Live folks: Contrary to popular belief, most motorcycle fatalities do not occur in a collision with another vehicle at an intersection. (170026) A higher percentage involves motorcycles running off the roadway in a curve then striking a fixed object. If you are uncomfortable during road speed turns, increase your skill through training and practice. Classes on cornering are available in Texas and the practice is fun. If you find yourself coasting through corners with the power off, you have entered the turn too fast for your comfort level. Enter the next turn slower and add throttle as gently and early as possible through the turn. Your vision is the key to your survival in cornering. If you are approaching a blind curve due to a sight restriction of any kind, slow down! You do not know what s lurking just around the bend. The proper use of your vision through a turn is a skill! Turn your head before the corner starts and look far through the turn, keeping your head and eyes up. This will help you relax on the controls and see any issues far in advance. Enjoy the gradually cooling weather and stay safe!

6 Not Rain, nor Thunder, nor Dead of Night Will Stop an ARC by Robby Winfield Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds. The above in quotes is the Motto of Our United States Postal Service. I get the impression sometimes as a touring motorcycle rider, we feel their pain. As we in the GWRRA have such a high commitment to Safety, we take riding safety courses such as the ARC that just took place. We got up and left before sunrise and my GPS told me the sunrise hit just as I rode past the City Limits sign on Highway 195 in Killeen. An ARC is an Advanced Rider Course and on Saturday, 22 September 2018 there was a course being offered in Killeen Texas and I was all in. The night before was weather wise a nightmare, flooding, torrential rain, road closures, lightening, you name it. Our weather radio went off all night with weather warnings. The courses are held rain or shine and are only canceled for ice on the roads. If there is lightening they will stop the range portion of the class seek shelter let it pass and ride on Don t we do that as riders when we are touring on the road? Our class was well represented by GWRRA including one of the Instructors was a GWRRA member. Chet Roby, one of our instructors, has been a long time MSF instructor and GWRRA member of TX Chapter T. The other Instructor was Perk Bearden, President and Owner of Texas Motor Sports in Harker Heights, (332370). Texas and our partial sponsor for the ARC. We started the day with 8 riders, 2 Instructors, and 2 Cheerleaders. There were 3 GWRRA riders in attendance, Mike Pineda, Scott Finnell, and myself and 2 GWRRA Cheerleaders Pat Pineda, and Tricia Winfield (Of coarse Tricia was with me Not a surprise RIGHT?). The course was 2 parts, a classroom portion for the first half of the day and range the second half of the day. We lost one of our original 8 riders after about 2 hours into the classroom time. He was a Sargent active duty soldier and got called into the base. He was our one Sport Bike Rider. One of the other riders was on a BMV Adventure Model R1200. The other 3 members of our group were how do I say this? They were more seasoned than the Group of us GWRRA members and were riding 2 BMW s and a Kawasaki Adventure model. One of the seasoned rider s had a CAR TIRE on his BMW and was given a hard time about it by his comrades. Our skills were pushed to new limits then honed during each exercise. I was really rusty on 2 wheels so I will be looking for more courses in the near future. We spent a total 4 hours on the range then back to the classroom to take a quick test and to receive our MSF Course Completion Cards. Anyone else up for taking a course with me? See you on the Range...

7 WING DING 40 by Randy & Kathy Reese We decided to take our time heading to Wing Ding this year. We had to be there in time for the Couple of the Year selection process. We had been recruited to help out and we had to prepare to relinquish our International Couple of the Year crown to the ICOY on Tuesday. We spent the first night of our journey in Monroe, Louisiana. I contacted a former coworker that used to live in Monroe and asked for restaurant recommendations. She said we should either try to new steakhouse/seafood restaurant or an older one that has been there for years. We like dives so opted for Mohawk Seafood Tavern. It was an unpretentious joint offering all types of seafood and they had a huge antique bar that was beautiful and above the bar hung a pair of Jack Dempsey s boxing gloves. We decided to eat in a booth in the bar (highly recommended by my friend) to get the full ambiance of the place. They served some of the coldest beer I have ever had and fresh oysters on the half shell and other seafood. It was a FUN experience. The next day, we went to Chattanooga, Tennessee and we stayed at the Chattanaooga Choo Choo Hotel (originally built in 1906). It was in a great location downtown and close to lots of restaurants and shopping. They were working on some renovations but the lobby and hotel grounds were beautiful. The local trolley tour left from the front of the hotel and we took advantage of the trolley around the city (twice). We had dinner at a nice little local restaurant that featured live music and then we visited the Chattanooga Whiskey Distillery that was directly across the street from the hotel. As we made our way back to our hotel room, we heard live music coming from the garden area at the hotel. We grabbed a rocking chair and listened to the music into the evening. We decided Chattanooga was a place we would definitely go back to and that we needed a little more time to explore the city. We got to Knoxville on Friday yes it was early but we wanted some time to mess around the area before Wing Ding got started. We were staying at the same hotel as all of the couples who were participating in the International Couple off the Year selection process and we were excited to meet all of them. We spent Saturday in Gatlinburg. Saturday may not have been the best day to visit as it was very crowded and there was a lot of traffic. We found a shuttle at the Gatlinburg Visitors Center that took you straight to town and you could leave your car in their lot. This turned out to be the best option for getting in and out of the town. When we got back to the hotel, we worked on finalizing our farewell speech we were giving at the ICOY event. Many of the couples began arriving on Sunday and we had FUN meeting them and getting to know them a bit. On Monday, we had dinner with all couples. Although they had all been participating in ZOOM conference calls throughout the year, it was the first time they all got to meet each other in person. Gifts were exchanged among the couples and, of course, many new friends were made that night. The big day was finally here. Tuesday morning, the couples had to report for interviews and we went to the Couple of the Year Boot Camp. We wanted to meet other couples who were preparing to go through the COY program and we wanted to be there in case anyone had any questions about our COY journey. We got to have lunch with the couples after their interviews and we remembered the nervous stomachs leading up to the afternoon presentations. Continued on next page

8 Wing Ding 40 continued We were honored to be asked to escort each couple to the stage for their presentation. At the last minute, we were also asked to ask the question that is asked to each couple after their 5 minute presentation. We were given 6 questions and we could select the one question that would be presented to each couple. We selected the question Pick one item on your vest, show it to the audience and explain why it is important to you. We chose that question because We ve never heard this type of question before and we found their answers to be very interesting. Some answers were very personal and some were either chapter related, rider-ed related or Couple of the Year related. When all was said and done the announcement was made. The International Couple of the Year is Rick and Debbie Warmels from Indiana. All of the couples did such a great job with their presentations and we know Rick and Debbie will be excellent ambassadors for GWRRA. We spent the rest of the week enjoying Wing Ding, visiting vendors, participating in various events such as the COY Reunion lunch, the Level IV lunch, the dinner featuring the Hypnotist (very entertaining) and of course, the Dark Side Disco party. All of the couples dressed in either disco or Star Wars costumes and it was a lot of FUN. Texas was in charge of the Light / Bike Show and we helped direct traffic and classify bikes. One thing I noticed at this year s Wing Ding is that there was a big increase in F6B riders. Many of these riders participated in the light and bike show. At closing ceremonies, they gave away another Goldwing and coincidentally, the winner was the same person who won it in That s just crazy. About mid-week, I started sneezing and coughing and feeling run-down. I made it through the week but started getting messages from others on the way home who were also getting sick. I began to wonder if it was something in our hotel. But, everyone made it home safely and we had another Wing Ding in the books. We had to get home quickly due to a water leak in our sprinkler system at home so we did an iron butt and made it back home in 1 day. Even though the Warmels are the new ICOY, our travel year is based on a calendar year and that won t end until December so we are still on the road as the ICOY. As I write this article, we are on our way to the Oklahoma District Rally at the Apache Casino in Lawton, OK. While we aren t big gamblers, I will be buying plenty of tickets for their grand prize which is a CRUISE. To finish out our year, in October, we will be going to the Mississippi District Rally and the Wingers and Waves Cruise. In November, we plan to go to Natchitoches for the Louisiana Ride-In event. Then, that will be a wrap for our ICOY journey.

9 MY 2018 RUN FOR THE WALL EXPERIENCE Tom Sprague Note: this is article is a bit lengthy and after a discussion with Tom, we decided it might be best to break it up into smaller segments. I thought it would be appropriate to start with Tom s short story about Capt. William "Bill" Robinson. KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WVLT) -- U.S. Air Force (Ret.), is the longest held POW in American history, spending 2,703 days in captivity during the Vietnam War. (7.5 years) Sept. 20, 1965 started out as what Robinson calls a simple rescue mission. He was an aircraft maintenance officer, helping a downed pilot. Robinson said the planes covering the helicopter he was in were called off, but his team still proceeded with the rescue. "I was shot down and I was captured and I spent the next eight Thanksgivings, eight Christmases and eight New Years in captivity," Robinson said. According to Robinson, a soldier never leaves a man behind. And he'd make the same choice again. All these years later, Robinson shares his story around East Tennessee. As a prisoner in North Vietnam, many days he saw just 15 minutes of sunlight, most filled with torture tactics. "I'll never know whether it was a real execution but they took me out and lined me up next to a freshly dug grave and knelt me down in front of it," Robinson said. "My hands were tied behind me, my feet were tied together." By some miracle, he was spared. Robinson said the government called him and his fellow captives "expendable" and initially did not take steps to rescue American soldiers. He received few letters from family over the years -- only the ones filled with bad news. He said it was another torture tactic. But he mustered the strength to stay alive. "I was only there for three days in my mind. Yesterday, when I was shot down, today is today, and tomorrow I'm going home. And somebody else put all those other numbers in there when I wasn't looking," Robinson said. Three days in his mind, 2,703 his body was a prisoner. On Veterans Day, Robinson proudly wore the American flag over his heart. "I can always remember the words of my pilot, he said, 'Live to fight another day,'" Robinson said. Robinson has been back to Vietnam since and even has a brick from the prison he was in -- it's one of his most coveted possessions. He said he's proud soldiers are now being recognized for their sacrifices. Stay tuned next month for Tom s story about his Run for the Wall Experience.

10 Kathy Reese Newsletter Editor Moving Down the Road With All it Brings Reprinted from Where the Road Meets the Spirit September 21, 2018 Five days into another road trip and I m settled in to the uncertainty and unpredictability of life on the road. Thinking I could get 650 km/400 miles behind me the first day, I made a reservation at a KOA in Millbury, Indiana. Last minute preparations meant I got a late start. I took Interstates, to make distance and get through Michigan s automotive country. Riding at 75 mph, dodging semis, was not pleasurable, nor was the industrial landscape. The tranquil-looking tent-site was misleading. Out of sight less than a stone's throw away, was a gully, through which ran a busy State Road. What I didn t see until the morning was that the very tired KOA property backed onto intersection of two busy semi-carrying roads. In a fascinating juxtaposition, the clop, clop, clop of horses pulling buggies along the shoulder, tried to counterbalance the frenzy. I ve adopted a more reasonable pace of approximately 400 km/260 miles a day. That leaves time for delays like Tuesday s severe storm waited out in a gas station, stopping to rest in small-town squares, or cooling off in little libraries while I tend to other business. Riding reminds me of my spirit and humanness and invigorates both. The beauty and energy of the land, trees, sky, and rivers fills me with peace and gratitude. For four days, I ve ridden secondary highways through small towns, vast cornfields, and pastureland. It s an intimate glimpse into everyday life of real people living life the best they know how. Contrary to the factory-scapes of day one, mass producing stuff, much of which we don t need, it s grounding being on the land that grows our food, watching the harvest, seeing the massive trucks that transport it to the next step (even when I have to duck flying corn cobs) on the way to our table a very real reminder of our humanness. Not surprisingly I overestimated how much work I could get done on the road. It used to frustrate me; now I recognize the familiar voice that s driving me to ride further, keep pushing, and get more done. Change makes that voice louder. As in the rest of my life, I m learning to practice mindfulness whatever I m doing. I ve realized that being on the road, remaining in a state of surrender and acceptance even when things don t go as I think they should, is my work just as much as the other projects I m involved with. I'm movin' on down the road. The mountains, and all their wisdom, await. Until next time, I wish you health, happiness, abundance, laughter, and adventures. Safe travels, wherever your Road leads.

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17 Chapter O Team Chapter Director Lyle & Sheri Altes Assistant Director Ken & Teri Burnett Secretary/Treasurer Tricia Winfield Membership Enhancement Dawn Sprague Ride Coordinator Ken Burnett Couple of the Year Tom & Dawn Sprague Newsletter Editor Kathy Reese Ways and Means John & Wanda Osborn Webmaster Lyle Altes Camping Coordinator Tom Sprague Seamstress Gayle Thomas Merchandise Coordinator John & Wanda Osborn Chapter of the Year Coordinator Kathy Reese Motorist Awareness Coordinator Randy Reese Texas District Team District Director Jim & Alvalin Woodul Assistant Director Dan & Donna Rymarz Assistant Director Tom & Dawn Sprague District Rider Educators Randy & Kathy Reese Ride Coordinator Butch & Marie Schmit Assistant Educator Chris Schoenthal Treasurer Tim Brooks District Trainer Open Assistant District Trainer Jim Scholes MEC Coordinators Lyle and Sheri Altes COY Coordinators Dale & Carleen Garrett CHOY Coordinator Sheri Altes COY Sal & Phylis Pesta Vendor Coordinator Michael Pineda Newsletter Editor/Webmaster Tom Sprague Motorist Awareness Coordinator Scott & Judy Finnell GWRRA National Team President & Wingman Anita & JR Alkire aalkire@gwrra.org Director of Rider Education Susan Huttman snhuttman@gmail.com Director of Membership Enhancement Larry & Penny Anthony mepgwrra@gmail.com Director of GWRRA University Clara & Fred Boldt toledotriker@gmail.com Director of Finance Randall & Janet Drake financedirector@gwrra.org Director of Motorist Awareness Mike & Barri Critzman itsawingthing@hotmail.com Executive Director Overseas Dan & Rachel Sanderovich dan.sanderovich@gmail.com Chapter O Monthly Gathering Want to experience Friends for Fun, Safety and Knowledge first hand? Chapter O s August gathering will be Tuesday, October 16th at El Rincon Restaurant, 200 E. Pecan, Pflugerville TX. (we will meet in the back room). Come join us at 6:00 pm to eat and visit with your friends. The meeting will start at 7:00 pm. Please see page 2 for our Ride Calendar of Events. For more information, we encourage you to contact any of our team members or visit our websites (links to all are provided on this page). Wondering why you should join GWRRA? Check out the benefits you will enjoy!

18 OUR SPONSORS

19 OUR SPONSORS IH 10 West San Antonio, Texas (210) YAMAHA POLARIS SUZUKI KAWASAKI HONDA Friends For FUN SAFETY AND KNOWLEDGE