FRIENDS FOR FUN, SAFETY AND KNOWLEDGE

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1 FRIENDS FOR FUN, SAFETY AND KNOWLEDGE NOVEMBER 2017 ISSUE 308 GOLDWING ROAD RIDERS ASSOCIATION, REGION A, FLORIDA DISTRICT Monthly Gathering First Thursday of each Month At Golden Corral 582 Blanding Blvd 6:30 pm Eat STAY IN TOUCH! Chapter Director Welcome to the best riding weather we have seen in a long time. Kathie & I actually rode to Macclenny a few weeks back. Nice to get some wind therapy. This month we will have our chapter fund raiser, YARD SALE, on the 18 th. Having a yard sale once a year has paid many of the chapter expenses over the past four years. And getting your closets cleaned out is a bonus to all. We tried to make a ride to Jesup, Georgia but the rain was headed that way, so we settled in Folkston, for a $9 buffet at a place called Brickhouse. Reviews are mixed, but it did fill the belly. Jones Kitchen will be on the calendar again. Along with the famous Benton Lee Steakhouse in Uvalda Georgia. Plenty of rumors about the 2018 Goldwing, next week we will see. Hope to see you sooner than later. GENO AND KATHIE CHAPTER DIRECTORS FL1-X ASSISTANT DISTRICT DIRECTORS FOR NORTH FLORIDA

2 FL1-X Chapter Team Directors Geno & Kathie Jette Couple of the Year Judy and Jim Rutherford Treasurer Jim Louden Goodies Sales Kathie Jette Membership Enhancement Welcome Committee Gary & Terry Hartley Ride Educator Marc Oakley Newsletter Editor Dayle Manes Sunshine Coordinator Dee Louden Ways & Means 50/50 Sue McKay More Points to Ponder Maneuverability is one of a motorcycle's better characteristics. At slower speeds and with good road conditions bikes can make quick turns and stop quickly, but don't expect that you will always be able to dodge out of the way. When stopped in traffic; Allow extra space in front of you, notice which side of the traffic has the most room for an escape route, keep the bike in 1st gear and watch the rear view mirror until traffic behind you has stopped. On the road; Allow extra space between other traffic whenever possible. 2 seconds is the minimum but 3 or 4 seconds may be better when riding alone in 4 wheel traffic. Be extra careful approaching intersections. Making eye contact with the 4 wheel drivers Is a start but don t count on that meaning they see you and recognize your presents. Watch the front wheel. It has to turn or move before the car does. Always be aware of what is going on around you and have an escape route. The further you can stay away from other traffic, driveways, and tree lines the better. Many times riding n the left hand lane on 4 lane roads allows for the most unobstructed view and better reaction times. Safety is for Life Marc Oakley Motorist Awareness Liaison Bob Manes tyjax@bellsouth.net Chapter Web Master Mike Randall randme@bellsouth.net

3 I SSUE 308 Page FLORIDA GWRRA EVENTS GWRRA Team November 11/12 FL1-M 35th Chapter Anniversary Largo, FL 2018 FLORIDA GWRRA EVENTS January 13/14 Lakeland Fireballs Star Wars Rally Auburndale, FL. March 22/24 Annual Gathering of the Wings Altamonte Springs, FL. April 28 FL1-K Rally Reward Offered Palm Coast, FL. May 12 FL2-D Rally Taco Tuesday Melbourne, FL. Deputy Director East Bob & Nan Shrader Region A Director Jim & Sue Jackson District Director Bill & Gina Berry Motorist Awareness Nate & Danelle Kinion Chapter of the Year Coordinator Harry & Lynn Anderson Assistant District Directors Geno & Kathie Jette District Ride Educator Rick & Pam Northrop Assistant. Ride Educator Scott & Kathy Kelly Assistant Ride Educators Ray & Claudia Vega Florida District Couple Rick and Jan Meredith District Webmaster Scott Kelly re@fl1-x.org Willie Maloy Jim Louden Gary Hartley Bob Manes Nov. 1st Nov. 3rd Nov. 9th Nov. 13th Marc & Rena Oakley Nov. 4th Fred & Gail Baker Dayle & Bob Manes Nov. 29th Nov. 26th

4 HARTLEY HAPPENINGS Hello Wingnutts, and welcome to the month of November. Terry and I hope everyone is doing well. We ve been out of the area for about a month and are now back in town for a couple of weeks before we re on the road again. Take advantage of the great riding weather now that fall is here and get in some extra riding. Try to attend various GWRRA events if you can. We missed the October gathering and will again miss the November gathering. We hope all are well and are enjoying the events placed on the ride calendar. If you get a chance, attend as many of these events as you can. The company is always enlightening and we have a great time. From Wisconsin District Membership Enhancement Coordinators, Joe and Pam Heidenreich: By now many of you have heard that there are going to be changes in the structure of GWRRA. Some of those changes will affect the Membership Enhancement programs. With the elimination of the Region level staff there will no longer be a Region Couple of the Year. So after Wing Ding 40 there will no longer be a Region couple rather they will be called Division Couples. The Divisions will consist of North, East, West, Central, Canada and Overseas. The Division Couples will be named the first week of May and those couples will be the ones to move on to the selection at Wing Ding will be the last year for Region Couples to participate at Wing Ding. Starting with Wing Ding 41 in 2019 is when the new program will commence. So what does this mean for the Chapter and District level? Nothing. Chapters should still honor a couple for their outstanding participation within the Chapter. At the District level we can still select a District Couple. Those will be the couples that the Divisions draw from. At the International Level some programs are being discontinued those being Chapter of the Year, Membership Enhancement Coordinator of the Year and Newsletter of the Year. This does not mean that at the Chapter level or District level these programs have to go away. For us at the District we would love to be able to honor a Chapter or MEC. If your Chapter would like to submit a Newsletter for recognition we would love to be able to do that as well. All you have to do is get it submitted to us and we will take it from there. These are just some of the changes coming with more to follow. Like any program anywhere the only way they will succeed is with participation so get together with you chapters and continue to participate in these programs. I m sure the Florida District is doing this as well and will continue to honor a Chapter of the Year, Newsletter of the year, MEC of the year as well as Rider Educator of the year. Be sure to check out the 2017 Florida GWRRA Events in our newsletter and see what s coming up that you may want to attend. The next Wing Ding will be held in Knoxville, TN. The last Region A Rally was held on October in Eufaula, Al. We hope you had a chance to attend. We ll hopefully see a lot of you at Wing Ding next year in Knoxville, TN, As always, ride safe and remember (ATGATT) All the Gear All the Time! Gary & Terry Hartley, Membership Enhancement Coordinators

5 Ramblin' On Robbinsville... Robbinsville, NC. and The Dragon go together sort of like peas and carrots or bacon & eggs. Kind of hard to mention one without the other. HWY 129 borders North Carolina and Tennessee and winds through the Smoky Mountains. It is more than a challenging roadway that's carved out of the Smokies with 11 miles of winding, twisting, ups and downs that have 318 turns, switchbacks and curves along with straight up and straight down views, that... you better not be looking at. Those of us that have ridden the "Tail of the Dragon" know that all attention must be focused several hundred feet ahead of the turn you are currently in and setting up for your next turn. It's almost impossible to look down at your gauges or the scenery because now, it is all about feel and survival. "Pay attention or pay the price"! Blind turns and switchbacks are frequent where your vision is obstructed and then out of nowhere appears a group of crotch rockets coming toward you flat out over the centerline creating near misses and quick adjustments made by you. This is not a ride for the weak at heart or inexperienced rider. If you are not aggressive, you could get run over by faster bikes and create a problem for yourself or other bikers. In other words, don't go out for a cruising Sunday afternoon ride on the dragon just to look at the view. Stay focused & be aware at all times. Your safety and the safety of others around you depend on just that. At the bottom of The 'Tail' is "Deals Gap" and believe me always a welcome sight to relax or ease your tensions... and... I might add a good place for a hamburger, fries & coke. At Deals Gap there are many things you must see. One being "The Tree Of Shame." The tree of shame is in the middle of the parking lot surrounded by hundreds of motorcycles either finishing their run or getting ready to make their run. Mounted all over this tree are bike parts that have been left over the years on the dragon. Everything from wheels and tires to gas tanks, helmets, motors, fenders, boots, jackets, goggles and a few arms, legs & fingers and some riders never made it back home. History is not something we want to be a part of here. "Respect It Or...!" The only place you can purchase a Deals Gap shirt to wear or a Dragon decal to adorn your motorcycle is at Deals Gap. These items are not available on line. If you have ever seen one of those things on a biker or on his / her motorcycle, they have 'been there done that' and survived "The Dragon"! Be aware & Stay Focused, Bob & Dayle Manes Motorist Awareness Liaisons * Each turn on "The Dragon" has a name and action photos are taken by 'Killboy.com.' Below are our photos on "The Dragon" at the famed "Jedi's Fall" last September.

6 Eufaulas Last Stand No more Region rallys... this was the last and I must say the rally was enjoyable. We saw a lot of the same faces that we see at other rallys and know all these folks by their faces but, still have to peek at their name tags to call them by name. It was a nice ride of about 300 miles across hwy 82 out of Waycross from Jax, that included some winding roads, cotton fields, farms and ranches. FRED BAKER & (I) BOB MANES left Jax (Mandarin) on Wednesday the 25th about 9am to meet up with the likes of PAUL MURPH, JIMMY JOHNSON (DENNIS JOHNSONS brother) & RANDALL KLEPPER out of a Spartanburg, SC chapter. We met at "The Pig" in Callahan for breakfast and pulled out headed Northbound at 10AM. We arrived at "The Cracker Barrel" in Tifton about 130 miles later at 12:30, went in and sat at a round table near the restaurant entry. We all had on 'veterans ball caps' designating " Army, Navy, Air Force & Marine veterans. When we got ready to leave, I asked the waitress for our checks and she said, "Sir, all of your lunches have been paid for by an anonymous customer that wants to thank you all for your service!" We ask the waitress who the donor was to thank them but, she said they just wanted to thank us and remain unknown! Wow... talk about a lump in your throat & watery eyes, that'll do it! We headed west across highway 82 thru "All Benny, Ga" and then a bright ride thru the cotton fields and freshly picked cotton sprinkled all over the roadways where the cotton had blown out of their hauling bins during transport. Guess the bins were headed toward Eli Whitneys invention. We arrived in Eufaula around 4pm and everyone decided that we'd find an Outback, Red Lobster or national chain restaurant to have dinner at but, seems like we had a thin choice between the fast food chains only as in "Freckled Faced Wendys, Ronald McDonalds Place or the Monster Burger Hardees". When we got back from dinner MARC & RENA OAKLEY had arrived so, the next morning (Thursday) we all went to the rally together and enjoyed seeing many of our good friends without names (till we got close) It was a small rally without a lot of people so, it didn't take long to see it all and most of the day was all about wasting time, hanging out and watching RANDELL & GENO install a burned out fog light. The Hampton Inn had a continental breakfast included so, Friday morning we all gathered around several tables to have breakfast together and happened to check the radar on our cells and saw heavy rain cells moving across Oklahoma headed our way and the forecast was a 90% rain chance tomorrow (Saturday) with a cold front moving in behind the rain Sunday with morning temps in the low 30's. With that, we decided the best chance for us to stay dry and warm on our return trip was to 'get out of Dodge' while the gettin' was good. Marc & Rena decided to roll the dice and take a chance on Saturdays rain forecast. After our 3rd "cup of Joe" and our weather discussions, we went to our rooms, packed up, loaded our bikes, topped off and left for home about 11am. "So Long Eufaula"... Got home about 6 hrs later warm & dry! With the small choice of restaurants in Eufaula, had it not been for the "Toll House Cookies" in the hospitality room to satisfy our hunger... don't think any of us would dry up & blow away! Be Aware, Stay Focused & Have Fun, Bob & Dayle Manes Motorist Awareness Liaisons

7 GWRRA NOVEMBER 2017 FL1-X SUN MON TUE WED THU FRI SAT 1 Romeo 10am Loc#6 2 FL1-X Golden Corral Blanding Bv OP 6;30PM eat 7:30PM meet 3 Kick tires Need Yard Sale Stuff 4 Retired Horse Farm Alachua KSU 10am Loc#1 Conestoga's/after 5 Daylight Savings Time Ends "FALL BACK" 2AM HONEY DO'S 12 Cracker Barrel Breakfast OP/Meet & Eat 9:30AM 6 7 FL1-Y Conestogas Main St Alachua 6:30pm Juliet dinner Movie/TGIF 5:30PM 13 FL1-K Golden Corral Palm Coast 7PM 8 Romeo 10AM Loc# Romeo 10AM Loc# Kick Tires 16 Carmines 2677 Forbes St Meet Eat 6:30PM 17 Kick tires 11 Jones Kitchen Jesup, Ga. KSU 9:30 Loc#8 "VETERANS DAY" 18 FL1-V Open Grill Cafe 9AM Chapter Yard Sale 7AM- TILL 19 Shrimp R Us KSU 1:30PM Loc#5 20 Planning Meeting The Jette's 6PM Articles Due Romeo 10AM Loc#6 23 "Thanksgiving" 24 Kick Tires 25 Funky Pelican Flagler Bch, Pier KSU 9am Loc#5 26 Mission BBQ Meet & Eat2:30pm 3 What's Cookin' lane Ave 9AM Meet/Eat FL1-J Golden Corral Merrill Rd 7PM 29 Romeo 10AM Loc#6 Ale House OP Meet & Eat 6: Kick Tires 2 Benton Lee Steakhouse KSU 9AM Loc#5 Location Guide #1 Flash Foods Station, 2540 Blanding, Middleburg #5 Race Trac, RT 17/CR209, Green Cove #3 Speedway station, 9651 Argyle Forest Bv #6 Speedway, RT 17, Orange Park #4 Dairy Queen, 610 Kingsley Ave #8 Race Trac, US#1 & I-295 (northside

8 Wingnutts Chapter FL1-X Assistant District Directors For North Florida Geno & Kathie Jette NEXT MEETING THURSDAY, DECEMBER 7TH Friends for Fun, Safety, and Knowledge he Gold Wing Road Riders Association T (GWRRA) is the World s largest singlemarque social organization for owners and riders of the Honda Goldwing/Valkyrie motorcycles and some say the world largest family. Dedicated to our motto, Friends for Fun, Safe and Knowledge, GWRRA members enjoy the freedom of belonging to a non-profit, non-religious, and non-political organization. Once you join GWRRA, you can participate with as many Chapters as you choose. You decide your own level of involvement and time. Wherever you go, whenever you travel, you are welcomed. GWRRA membership opens doors to friendship everywhere you ride! Monthly Chapter get-togethers often lighthearted changes of information at a breakfast location are pleasant, social occasions, There are no expectations, riding requirements, elections, politics, required uniforms or Chapter dues.