Monthly Meetings. 3rd Thursday Eat at 6:00 pm Meeting at 7:00 pm Golden Corral I-55 & Hwy 157 Collinsville, IL. From the Director: Chapter O Officers

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1 Monthly Meetings 3rd Thursday Eat at 6:00 pm Meeting at 7:00 pm Golden Corral I-55 & Hwy 157 Collinsville, IL GWRRA National PH GWRRA Director Mike Stiger Region E Director Bruce & Barb Beeman bbbeeman@charter.net Illinois District Director Dan Ribbing dd@gwrra-ildistrict.org Chapter O Officers Chapter Directors Ed & Vina Haggerty cbc05wing@aol.com Assistant Director (OPEN) Treasurer Vicky Dillard vcdil@aol.com Member Enhancement Judi Laux judilaux@newsignsfast.com Educator Jean Stout stoutsworld@gmail.com Webmaster & Newsletter Roy & Cheryl Miller rlm1123@charter.net ckm0527@charter.net Friends for Fun, Safety, and Knowledge Volume XIII Issue 6 June 2012 From the Director: Bring out those lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer! V-A-C-A-T-I-O-N in the summer time. Hot town, summer in the city, back of my neck is dirty and gritty. Any way you sing it, summer is here. Been a while since we last got together, I was shocked to hear that Ponderosa had booked our room on the first Saturday in June for a retirement party. Somehow our 7-year relationship with Ponderosa didn t mean anything. I can tell you how many people have expressed a negative opinion about the quality food, so I took a look at the calendar, noticed that we were the only chapter in the area meeting on a weekend, and no one was meeting on the third Thursday. I took a suggestion that the Golden Corral had a meeting room and great food. Vina and I went for dinner, spoke with the manager and reserved the room for the third Thursday of the month through November. Our relationship with Ponderosa is also retired. Bill Cook, our MAD Coordinator held our Annual Windshield wash to promote motorcycle awareness at the Homestead Rest Stop, southbound side of Highway 55. Next, we had Niehaus Days, the weather cooperated, but the crowds didn t. My thanks to Rick Ess for taking the lead on setting up, operating and tearing down the Chapter O Sloppy Joe Booth. We were ready for the crowds; that never showed up. It s my understanding that Niehaus did have a successful open house. All the tickets for the 2012 Goldwing were sold by Saturday. This event was suppose to be the big fundraiser for the chapter, we made money, but in my opinion, not enough to justify the amount of work for 3 days. I think whoever makes the decisions next year; a change in menu is in order. No one sold burgers; hmmmm maybe there is an opportunity here. Belleville Honda held an open house, sponsored by GWTA, the burgers were good, and a cool bottle of water was most welcomed. I believe attendance was down there too. Chapter U had their annual fundraiser poker run, always a fun time. I m not going to mention any names, but someone that sits behind me attempted to read the map, and lead us down a dead end, so we had to turn around and making this an official ride. Chapter E won all the money. We had an O-O picnic with Missouri Chapter O. This was a fun time, and I extend my thanks to the Missouri Chapter O chapter directors, Gene and Karen Kaufmann for

2 continue sponsoring the picnic. The food was delicious and there was plenty of it. Rumors are that the Chapter O-O s will get together again next year. Defecting to IL- O? Looking to the future: Wind Ding in Ft. Wayne, Indiana, hope those going have a great time. If you are going, please plan on attending the international couple of the year selection, to support Bruce and Sherry Watkins, they are the Region E couple of the year, from Missouri Chapter I. If you came to winter warm up after party, then you know Bruce and Sherry. If you have a lime green safety shirt, please wear it and root them on. We wish Bruce and Sherry well. July 8 th is the MAD Event at the 14 th World Largest Catsup Bottle festival. Summer Rally is coming up, make plans to attend if not it already. I know the calendar is looking a little, empty for rides. Vina and I have had some issues in our personal lives that have taken away from the chapter. Our family comes first. I will update the calendar after Vina and I come back from vacation. Keep watching the web page. Ah, yes, the lazy days of summer are here. Let s not get too lazy that we forget motorcycle safety while we riding. AGATT or all the gear, all the time, is a good reminder to gear up before we get going. I know that wearing safety gear makes for a hot ride. So I encourage you to wear as much safety gear as you can. Don t forget to keep hydrated, drink plenty of water. Try a cool collar around your neck or a wet towel, take frequent breaks. Ride in the mornings, or early evenings. Lazy, crazy, hazy days of summer make for hazardous riding conditions. Don t let riding in a hot town; inhibit your ability to ride safe, so you don t spend your vacation recovering from an accident. Ride Safe. Ed IMPORTANT DATES June 28th - Dave & Betty Story June 30th- Henry & Sharon Ludwig July 2nd - Gary & Karen Gurley Check the Chapter website at for last minute schedule changes & updates June 23rd Bill Sugg June 26th Barb Jett June 28th Ed Haggerty July 1st Karen Gurley July 3rd Jean Potwora 2

3 CHAPTER O UP COMING EVENTS Jun 27th - Ice Cream Run - Happy Days, Millstadt June 29th- 30th - 2nd Annual Trike Rally on the River, Quincy, IL July 4th - No Ice Cream Run due to Holiday July 8th 14th Annual Brooks Catsup Bottle Festival, Collinsville (flyer pg 7) July 11th - Ice Cream Run - DQ, Edwardsville July 18th - Ice Cream Run - DQ, Columbia July 25th - Ice Cream Run - Culver s, O Fallon Aug 1st - Ice Cream Run - Bobby s, Maryville Aug 3 5th Illinois Summer Rally Rock Falls, IL (see website for registration form) Aug 8th - Ice Cream Run - White Cottage, Belleville Aug 15th - Ice Cream Run - Dairy King, Trenton Aug 16th - Chapter O Meeting - Golden Corral, Collinsville (eat 6pm meeting 7pm) Aug 19th - Ride for Kids St Charles Community College- Cottleville, Mo Aug 22nd - Ice Cream Run - DQ, Granite City Aug 29th - Ice Cream Run - Culver s, Collinsville Sep 5th - Ice Cream Run - Culver s, Edwardsville Sep 9th - New Baden DARE Motorcycle Ride Sep 12th - Ice Cream Run - Dairy King, Breese 2012 REGION E RALLY SCHEDULE July 27-28th Minnesota District Rally Alexandria, MN August 3-5th Illinois District Rally Rockfalls, IL (registration form on Ch O website) August 24-25th Wisconsin District Rally Oconomowoc, Wi September 1-2nd Region E Rally Davenport, IA September 28-29th Iowa District Rally Toledo, IOWA GWRRA NATIONAL WING DING 34 July 4th - July 7th 2012 Allen County War Memorial 4000 Parnell Ave Fort Wayne, IN Website: If you are attending the Wing Ding please support Bruce & Sherry Watkins in the Region E International Couple of the Year competition by wearing bright florescent green on Tue July 3rd 1:30 pm Coliseum Arena 3

4 Hot Weather Survival Tactics for Motorcyclists by: MCg Motorcycle-Intelligence.com Whether you describe Hot Weather as 80 degrees or 110 degrees, if you are riding for several hours in heated temperatures, the main thing to prevent is also the most obvious: DEHYDRATION. Dehydration is excessive loss of water from the body. Motorcyclists should not think too lightly of this malady. Dehydration can lead to a range of bad to very bad things that are listed below. As a rider, you may be surprised at how fast dehydration can affect you on the road, especially since there are a surprising amount of motorcyclists (and non motorcyclists) who live their non-riding lives in a near-hydrated condition anyway. (Although I m sure that does NOT include YOU!!) What s the easiest way to tell if you are dehydrated? If you re thirsty? Well OK that s true: you should definitely drink water when you are thirsty. But there are riders who are so used to ignoring their body s thirst signals that there s another way: check the color of your urine. A DARK yellow color indicates you are dehydrated. This means you are well past the point of not drinking enough water. That may not sound too revelatory, but here are some of the hazards and symptoms that can impact any dehydrated rider anywhere in the world: Heat Cramps: If you feel cramps in your legs or abdomen, you need water. In fact, you ve passed the point you need water. And things are going to get worse until you get some of that H2O. Heat Exhaustion: If you kept on riding in spite of the cramps, or even if you didn t experience cramps, but are riding beyond your body s normal need for water, you are now motoring into the realm of becoming a prime candidate for heat exhaustion. Some of the symptoms that you may expect include lots of sweating, headaches, nausea, dizziness, weakness, tiredness and even fainting spells. Obviously these are the kind of symptoms that can badly affect your motorcycle control and reaction time to routine threats to motorcycle survival. So, Heat Exhaustion means bad news for bikers. Heatstroke (also known as sunstroke): To put things in proper perspective, heatstroke is a medical emergency and the person should be taken to a hospital. This is well beyond the stage of feeling uncomfortable simply because it s hot out. Signs to watch for include rapid heartbeat; rapid breathing; confusion or incoherence; blanking out; hot, red, dry skin; elevated body temperature; and even hostility (more so than normal for any of your easily aggravated companions). Note that the rider has now passed the sweating stage. The dehydration is so advanced that there is not enough water in the body to perspire (which is the normal way the body cools itself). A rider experiencing heatstroke might even appear to be intoxicated. As heatstroke continues to advance, the face may change colors, moving from red to a pale or bluish tint. Unfortunately, if heatstroke is this far advanced, things can still get worse, including the failing of body organs accompanied by unconsciousness and coma, and in rare circumstances, death. In short, you don t want to come near the possibility of experiencing heatstroke. It s worth re-stating that you don t want to get yourself anywhere near the point of heatstroke. However, if a rider you know does get heatstroke, you need to help them fast, no matter what objections they may offer: Their body temperature must be lowered immediately. Begin by getting the rider out of the sun, and ideally into some air-conditioned area. Loosen and/or remove their clothing to allow more ventilation. Even better would be to get the rider into some cool water, such as a bath, or even a lake or river if such is possible. OK, now let s look at what you can do to enhance your safe travels through hot weather. Let s start out with the most obvious: 4

5 Continue Drink lots of water. WATER is emphasized since refreshments like soda, coffee (or any caffeinated drink) or alcoholic drinks can actually contribute to dehydration, instead of helping to alleviate it. Insulate your skin from the heat. It may seem counter-intuitive to wear protective clothing on a hot day, but you NEED to cover your exposed skin. Think of the desert nomads that spend their whole lives traveling in the desert with their camels: They ALL wear garments that cover their entire body and head. In real simple terms, exposed skin on a hot day is not only subject to sunburn, but bare skin soaks up MORE heat from the sun. If the outside temperature is higher than your normal body temperature (36.8 C or 98.2 F), and if your bare skin is exposed to the heat, your body temperature has nowhere to go but up. On the other hand, if your skin is covered, you are insulating yourself from the heat. It may feel good (particularly on shorter rides) to take your jacket off on hot days, but it is pushing your body into the range of dehydration symptoms even faster. (Of course, riding without proper motorcycle gear on a hot day could also result in considerably more severe circumstances should you take a tumble on searing asphalt with bare skin or without a helmet). If you are riding in areas of low humidity, for example, in the deserts of the American Southwest (or any place that is hot and dry ), you can cool yourself by dowsing your cotton shirt with water and zipping up your jacket on top of it. Your closed jacket will keep your shirt wet, longer. Of course, if you happen to be wearing a mesh jacket, you can feel quite comfortable for only a little while, as the water evaporates from your shirt under the mesh quite rapidly. In other words, it won t take long before your shirt is thoroughly dried out and you need to do it again. Now, if you try this in a part of the world that is hot and humid, then you will simply be hot and wet with this tactic. If you are motorcycle touring and you know the temperature is going to be uncomfortably warm for you in the direction you are heading, then don t ride in the hottest part of the day. Hit the road before the sun rises, get several hours of riding under your belt, and then get to a hotel or make camp before the heat becomes unfriendly. Additionally, if you are one of those folks, who are not early risers then hit the road in the late afternoon, and ride through sunset and into the evening. (Of course there is a risk in finding No Vacancy signs at motels, hotels and campgrounds if you want to end off your riding too late in the evening.) Perhaps the simplest tactic is to take regular breaks and get into some shade (while drinking plenty of water!) Enjoy safe riding! Last Months Young Biker Boy! did we have guesses to this little guy. Lloyd Acup, Ray Ruder, Bill Cook, Jim Dillard, Jim Caminiti, Dan Ribbing & Walter Potwora. The correct guess was submitted by Vicki Dillard Larry Kolling. Wow! This was an easy guess. Correct guess submitted by Vicki Dillard Cheryl Miller 5

6 Just for Fun GUESS the Young Biker This little one is the Young Biker of the month. You have a week to figure it out, the photo is posted on the Web also.please wait until June 28th to start submitting your guess to give everyone a chance. You can post your guess on the Chapter message board or me at rlm1123@charter.net or leave a voice message if you don t have . Phone If you would like to continue the Young Biker We need more photos. Currently we have NO More girl photos and only a couple guy photos. Keep the photos coming! 6

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11 Two Red & Black Goldwing Jackets With removable linings great shape Size 2XL $65.00 each or $ for both Contact: Frank Caminiti FOR SALE Two Air Tex Honda Mesh Padded jackets worn very little Size 2XL $65.00 each or $ for both Contact: Frank Caminiti or PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS 11

12 PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS GWRRA IL Chapter O Ed & Vina Haggerty 1101 West Harnett St. 12