Volume 17 Issue 3. May and June V OLUME 17 I SSUE 02. From the Director 2. Assistant Director 3. Secretary s Report 4. Ladies of Harley 6.

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1 May and June V OLUME 17 I SSUE 02 INSIDE THIS ISSUE: From the Director 2 Assistant Director 3 Secretary s Report 4 Ladies of Harley 6 Safety 7 Activities 8 Let s Ride! 10 New Members 14 From the Editor 17 Birthdays 18 Calendar of Events Membership form 23

2 Page 2 From the Director By: David Pardue 2017 CHAPTER OFFICERS Director David Pardue Director@birminghamhog.com Assistant Director Rick Gamble AD@birminghamhog.com Treasurer Gary Townsend Treasurer@birminghamhog.com Secretary Lisa townsend Secretary@birminghamhog.com DISCRETIONARY OFFICERS Ladies of Harley Sally Peek LOH@birminghamhog.com Activities Committee Lisa Kimbrough Activities@birminghamhog.com Safety Officer Tony Berenotto Safety@birminghamhog.com Photographer Kevin Cerisano Jessica Pajaron Photographer@birminghamhog.com Webmaster Bryon McCool Webmaster@birminghamhog.com Membership Officer Julie Gamble Membership@birminghamhog.com Head Road Captain George Phillips Roadcaptain@birminghamhog.com Charities Rick Gamble Newsletter Editor Russell Nix Editor@birminghamhog.com Public Relations Rick Gamble I hope everybody is enjoying our early riding season this year! We have all ready had several great rides this year and have several more on the calendar already. We have several members that are doing an Iron Butt ride this Saturday which is 1000 miles in one day. And the first week of May 3-7 is our annual pilgrimage to thunder beach. We have ricks annual ride to Gumbeaux's, Knuckleheads, and a overnight ride to Dover Tennessee all are on the calendar. Remember our annual bike giveaway is on August 12th in conjunction with bike night so we need to start pushing some tickets, for members that are not going to Thunder Beach, Riders has a booth set up at city fest in Trussville on 6 May we need to have a table set up selling raffle tickets if you want to volunteer. May 13 is a big day at Rider's Open House!Swap meet starts at nine,free lunch from 11 till it's gone, and it is passport day go to all locations in Rider s and get you passport stamped for a $250 gift certificate to the winner. The Ride for Ryland starts at 3, and bike night starts at 5 with Ben Moseley and the Contraband. We will be having our monthly meeting on May 11 and serving cold cuts. The meet and eat will be at The Shrimp Basket in Irondale. For the month of June our meeting is on the 8th serving barbecue, bike night is on the 10th, the band will be Them Dirty Roses. Our meet and eat will Lightning Strikes bowling Alley on the 22nd. So you can see we have a lot going on the next two months hope to see as many members as possible at these events. Until next month. Thanks for being a Birmingham HOG! David Pardue Director

3 Page 3 Can you believe it's May already? Now with riding season in full swing there are a few things I'd like to bring to light, without taking away from our safety officer. #1 Just take a few minutes and look over your bike. A good rule of thumb is T-Clock. If you don't know what that is google it. #2 Keep your tire pressure in check not only is this a safety thing you will also get more wear out of your tires. #3 with all the bike nights, rides, and friends getting together please limit your adult beverage intake. Good rule two wheels two drinks...i know I can hear some of you now..."well I drive better drunk" NO YOU DON'T! We all think we're ten feet tall and bullet proof. Believe me that asphalt says different. #4 With summer here there will be a lot more 4 wheeler on the road so just be aware of your surroundings, we all know what we are going to do it's those other people we have to watch. #5 Yes it's hot in Alabama but PLEASE don't wear flip flops and shorts while riding even if,"well I'm just going right over here". I say all this because I love all my HOG Brother & Sisters and we have lost too many of our family and friends...ride Safe! And enjoy your HOG! There is always a ride or a event going on. Keep a check on the HOG web site calendar and now with social media keep check on Face Book. If you are not a member of Birmingham HOG face book page all you have to do is ask to join group. If you are not getting the weekly news blast and would like to make sure David has your correct address. We are always looking for new ideas for events and rides just submit yours and we'll see if we can get it done. Plus we need more Road Captains all you have to do is talk to George Phillips or any officer and they will get you going in the right direction...don't let the word.. Road Captain scare you it's not hard and if you get lost that's part of the fun. My nickname is turnaround Rick...LOL. Last but not least, BIKE RAFFLE BIKE RAFFLE BIKE RAFFLE...it will be here before you know it...please sign out some tickets and help sell...this is where 90% or better of our FUN funds comes from. Drawing will be Aug. Riders bike 8 PM. Contact Julie Gamble to get tickets to sell.

4 Page 4 SECRETARY S REPORT By: Lisa Townsend March 9 minutes David Pardue, Director David welcomed everyone to the meeting and asked everyone to stand for the playing of the National Anthem. New members were introduced. Dwight Boone; Michael Myrick; Stephen Standridge and Connie Bradford Gary Townsend, Treasurer Gary reported that we have about $2,000 in the account. Anyone needing name tags, let him know. Lisa Kimbrough, Activities - March s meet & eat would be held at Habaneros; April meet & eat will be at Hooters; April 23rd is the CPR class. Sign up with Lisa. Tony Berenotto, Safety Will have information about classes in next newsletter. Very important to keep training. Especially for slow speed operations. Classes give you good techniques for maneuvering at slow speeds. George Davidson reminded everyone to check their tires. George Phillips, Head Road Captain George talked about some good rides coming up in March and April and reminded everyone to check the HOG website for updates. Russell Nix, Newsletter Editor Will post on Facebook to go back to 1987 and post a picture. He will put in newsletter. Julie Gamble, Membership Raffle tickets are here if anyone wants to check some out. Melissa Smith, Riders Harley has started back offering the riding class to veterans and first responders for $99. Bike nights and open house starts back in April. Trussville City Fest is in May, Riders will have a booth if we want to go and sell tickers. Tim Peek, Riders Tire sale is going on. Harley is introducing the new model. Road King Custom, blacked out. Introduced 750 Street Glide. Street 750. Sally Peek, LOH Sally forgot to mention last month that the first LOH event of the year was at BWW and there were 23 people there. The Sweetheart dinner was great. She thanked everyone for helping decorate and Brad for the steaks. March, TBA there will be a Sips & Strokes. David asked if anyone would be interested in getting tshirts for our 30th anniversary. Jimmy Fitzgerald talked about the riding classes. He s looking at June 17th. Winners are as follows: LOH Connie Bradford Door prizes Everett Vann and Mona Lee 50/50 John Burke won $76 Sold 5 raffle tickets Shane Myrick gift certificate to Shrimp Certificate Rode bike and/or wore vest David Lee, Shane Myrick

5 Page 5 April 13 minuets David Pardue, Director David welcomed everyone to the meeting and asked everyone to stand for the playing of the National Anthem. New member, Jeff Williams, was introduced. Gary Townsend, Treasurer Gary reported that we have about $1725 in the account. Anyone needing name tags, let him know. Lisa Kimbrough, Activities - April s meet & eat will be held at Hooters; April 23rd is the CPR class. Sign up with Lisa. Shopping night will be in June. Julie Gamble, Membership 122 members as of today + the one that joined today Ryland s Ride is May 13. $20 for Rider and $10 for additional rider. Tim Peek - Riders Bike night on May 13th. There will also be a swap meet that night. Vendors. Open House. On June 10th bike night. That day will be another passport ride with other 2 dealerships. Ride will end at Riders for bike night. Test ride a bike and get a ticket put in drawing for a gift. George Phillips, head road captain-russell s ride leaves tomorrow for Lynchburg. Rick has ride on April 22nd to Chattanooga. Leave Riders at 9:00. Iron Butt ride on the 29th leaving Riders at 4am. May is Thunder Beach. Rick has ride leaving May 3rd. David Pardue has one leaving on the 4th. On the 20th, headed to Douglasville, GA to Gumbeaux s. Leave at 8:00am. May 27th George is going to Decatur to hot air balloon festival. Will stop at Bob Gibson s on the way for lunch. All kinds of things to do there. Rick talked about the Smile a Mile Ride. It s April 29th. Goes to Barber s and you get a lap around the track. Money is for childhood cancer. Big Oak raised around $3800 during World of Wheels. There will be other fund raisers such as a game night and Sandy Phillips has a football board for the Alabama Auburn game with chances being $50 per square. $1000 will be donated to Big Oak. See her if interested in getting a square or two. David Lee talked about Mona s birthday party on April 22nd. It will be here at the hog room. She is 60! The theme is Senior Prom. BYOB. No gift but bring canned goods. Bring annuals, old pictures, etc. Mona encouraged everyone to bring raffle tickets to sell. Tony Berenotto Safety-Will put out contact and emergency numbers. Safety tip is wear sunscreen! Russell Newsletter editor-we ve sold ads for the newsletter. Bought a new computer. Next newsletter is to go out on May 1. Articles due on the 24th. Winners are as follows: Darrell Heichelbech won $25 gift certificate to Riders for wearing his vest or name tag. Rick also asked a Trivia question. Who knows how Riders got its name. David Lee answered that Bill Peek s nickname was Easy Rider and he just dropped Easy. David won a gift certificate for his answer. Sally Peek LOH, Looking at doing Sips & Strokes in May. Other winners for the night: Phillip Isbell won the door prize drawing and won $25 gift certificate to Riders. Travis Land also won one. Lisa Townsend won a bike raffle ticket. Steve Smith won one also. Kathy Oliver won the LOH prize. It was a car tag. Larry Calhoun won the 50/50, $105.

6 Volume17 Page 6 LADIES OF HARLEY by: Sally Peek MAY/JUNE 2017 NEWSLETTER April showers bring May flowers and June warmer riding weather. This year is going by too quick. Even though it has gotten warm, we get to enjoy spontaneous cooler days to take advantage of our passion, riding our Harleys. Our HOG group has had many fun rides almost every weekend and also long weekend rides. Check out our monthly calendar and plan on joining us when your schedule permits. Recently, I got to go on a ride by myself on one of the most beautiful, not too hot or not too cold, slight wind days and realized how important wind therapy is. This is one of my favorite times of the year. Especially up in the rural mountains of Blount County. Winding through the curves, shaded by honeysuckle vines and the smell of their flowers are breathtaking. Just idling through the hills, slowing down to hear my pipes pop pop pop while shifting down shifting, does not get much better. It s the little things as a biker we get to enjoy and is a constant reminder why we ride anyway. Plus the fellowship of getting together with friends and family and coming together for the same reason ride and have fun. In the near future, I want to start a Sharing favorite riding stories to include in my newsletter. Could be most memorable riding experience, why we decided to ride our own Harley, or just anything you want to say so we can get to know each other better. For those women who are interested in riding their own, contact Melissa Smith at Riders who schedules these classes in our Riding Academy. She will provide you with all information you need to get started. Riders Harley Davidson has all accessories, clothes, jewelry, shoe apparel, jackets and rain suits, t shirts, jackets and any other biking accessory you may need to look the coolest while riding your bike. Look for sales. Our Motorclothes staff will be happy to assist you. For May, I want to have a Sips N Strokes paint class in Trussville. Watch for announcement on when, during a week night, and I will post all details. June I want to do a Nails & Salsa Ride 2 to U S Nails in Springville. Guys are welcome to join us. Then afterwards go next door and have a Mexican meal with your favorite beverage. I am reserving the Nail Salon so it will be just us so we won t have to wait too long. Again, announcement will be posted with details. For those who don t want to go to the Nail Salon, you can always go next door and a jump on the food and beverages. Thunder Beach 2017 is here. For all going, please ride safe. That goes for all rides. We unfortunately have seen that first hand and want to avoid any tragic incident. Our motto is Ride and Have Fun, Ride Safe Always. Look forward to seeing everyone soon. Again Ladies if you have any suggestions to anything you would like to do with LOH, please let me know. Softball is winding down so my Saturdays will soon be free to participate in more rides with my HOG family. Sally Peek LOH Officer 2017

7 Page 7 SAFETY By: Tony Berenotto Greetings fellow HOGs!! Whatever your reason, I hope you are able to get out and enjoy the beautiful weather we ve been having, whether it is for fun or to get to work. But, please do it safely. It s Motorcycle Awareness Month again, so this is going to sound like a repeat from years past. An onslaught of motorcycle awareness campaigns will seek to make motorists pay attention and to stop behaviors that lead to distracted driving. Unfortunately, these campaigns only reach those who actually care to listen! They do not reach the self-absorbed, selfish, arrogant drivers who think everything revolves around them. Those drivers will still text or read Facebook while at the wheel (we see it every day!), they will still change lanes without using their signals, they will not check their mirrors before crossing 3 lanes of traffic, and they still think they can make that light even though it's been yellow for 5 seconds. So, as I said last year, how do WE PROTECT OURSELVES? Most collisions occur because a motorist crosses into the path of a motorcycle and its rider. We have to take some personal responsibility to prevent that!! We cannot, and should not, depend on drivers to see and avoid us on our bikes. Keep that in mind as you are riding and defend yourself! There are at least 3 things I personally believe you should do to accomplish that goal: 1.) Make yourself stand out. Install newer, brighter lighting the kind that flash or sequence, 2.) Adjust your speed as you see a threat enter your vision. Whether it is an approaching or overtaking car, an intersection, a driveway, or hill, slow or speed up as appropriate. Your reaction time is your asset. Don t give it away. Mostly, be prepared to react! and 3.) Use lane positioning to your advantage put yourself where the drivers are more likely to see you. Be in the lane or lane track that is farthest from the threat. If you are approaching an intersection, position yourself in the lane and track closest to the center of the road. If you are nearest the yellow line, you decrease the angle the turning has to turn his or her head to pick you up in their vision. And lastly, do not mask yourself behind a bigger vehicle. An opposing or turning car may think they are clear after the larger vehicle and turn directly into you. Regarding lighting, I upgraded to LED lights on both bikes. It s been a great improvement. The new Custom Dynamics LEN turn signal replacements were particularly effective and easy to install. The front lights can be bought with a white LED ring that stays on functioning as a driving or aux light. They change to amber when the turn signal or flashers are activated. Just remember to get the clear or smoke lenses. As we all know, every month should be Motorcycle Awareness Month. But take what you hear, use what you want and filter out the rest. That's it for this month. Get out there and put some miles on your bike! But, please keep you and your fellow riders safe; keep the greasy side down and your alertness level up!!

8 Page 8 ACTIVITIES By: Lisa Kimbrough Hello Hog Family, I hope everyone is doing well, school will be out soon, lots of graduations and summer planning ahead of for some of us. Don't forget rides and more rides! I am looking at our busy calendar for the next few months. On May 11 is our monthly meeting and will be having Sub Sandwiches, Chips, Potato Salad, and dessert. Dinner starts at 6:00 until it's gone. The Meet & Eat will be on May 25 to The Shrimp Basket in Irondale at 6:00. I am also looking to see if we can find a date to watch The Baron's play sometime in May or June before it gets to hot. Always a good time the last couple times we have gone! I can't believe summer is almost here. Our June monthly meeting will be June 8 and will be serving BBQ, Baked Beans & Slaw with a dessert. Looking for volunteers to help sell Hot dogs for our June 10th Bike night. Money that we make will go to the chapter and Big Oak. Good time to sell Raffle tickets as well. Last but not least, our Meet & Eat will be June 22 at Lightning Strikes Bowling Alley. Nice restaurant and maybe do some bowling that night, who knows. I am checking on ideas for our yearly Hog Picnic this year. No date set as of yet. So check your Hog calendar lots of rides coming up. So ride, be safe and have fun! Love you guys!

9 Page 9 Bluegrass Barbeque Thirsty Thursdays 2709 Moody Parkway All day $2.00 Moody, AL Budweiser, Bud Light (205) 640-1BBQ (1227) Miller Lite Coors

10 Page 10 LET S RIDE! By: George Phillips RIDE AND HAVE FUN! Summer is here and the fun never ends. Hope everyone has been enjoying the great Alabama Spring weather and getting to put some miles on your bikes and more to look forward to. Rides: May 3 7 THUNDER BEACH May 3rd - Rick Gamble, leave Cracker Barrel, HWY 119 7:30 AM May 4th David Pardue, leave Cracker Barrel, HWY 119 8:00AM May 20th Rick Gamble, Gumbeax s Cajun Café, Douglasville, Ga. Leave Riders 8:00AM May 27th George Phillips, HOG and Hot Air ride, Hot Air Balloon festival in Decatur, Al., Check the HOG calendar for departure time and location. June 4th Rick Gamble, Top O River Sunday dinner ride, Leaves Riders 1:30 PM June 17th Rick Gamble, Knucklehead Café ride, Rockmart, Ga, Leaves Riders 10:00 AM Please keep a check on our HOG Events calendar for new rides being posted and additional details and updates to posted rides. Also, remember that rides do not have to be posted on the calendar to be official HOG rides but can also be posted on the HOG Facebook site prior to the ride and any member can post and lead a ride. However, to make it an official HOG ride a ride log and any other required forms must be filled out and turned in to me. Let s get out and enjoy the wonderful Alabama weather and roads. Spend some quality time with your HOG family and friends and Ride that Harley. Ride Safe and have Fun!! George Phillips Head Road Captain

11 Page 11 HOG Ride and Road Captain Requirements General HOG Rides Requirements If you are a National HOG member you can now join in on any HOG Chapter rides without signing a waiver form. (You must have a valid membership card with you.) Rides do not have to be posted on the Chapter Calendar in advance, but recommended, they can be posted 30 minutes prior to departure on Face book. Example: If several members happen to meet up at the Dealership and decide to do a last minute ride, you can post it on Facebook 30 minutes prior to the ride, however, to be considered a HOG Chapter ride you must complete and turn in a ride log form. You do not have to be a Road Captain to lead a HOG ride, any active Chapter member can lead rides, however you must do the following to make it a legitimate HOG ride: You must post the ride on the Chapter Calendar (please notify the Director or Head Road Captain for approval after it is posted so that the ride can be approved and show up on the calendar) or Facebook at least 30 minutes prior to departure. You must complete the Ride log and any waiver forms and turn them in to the Head Road Captain. You need to be familiar with all ride forms, i.e. accident form and waiver forms, and should have these with you incase needed. No alcohol consumption before or during the official ride. Once the ride reaches its destination and the official ride is over it is not a problem. All traffic laws must be followed, do not black traffic. Road Captain Status Requirements to receive the Road Captain rocker Inform the Head Road Captain that you would like to be a Road Captain and receive the following: Instructions on how to plan a ride. Restrictions on where ride destinations can or cannot be. Ride requirements and documentation. What the required forms are and how to fill them out. What to cover in a pre-ride meeting. Complete 3 posted rides with the assistance of an existing Road Captain. Rides must be posted on the HOG calendar, if you need instructions or help with posting contact the Head Road Captain. All documentation must be turned in to the Head Road Captain. All information in the General HOG Rides Requirements apply.

12 Page 12 RIDERS HARLEY DAVIDSON 4750 Norrell Drive Trussville, Al (205) Open 9:00am-6:00pm Mon. -Sat. 12:00pm-4:00pm on Sunday Come on out and see one of our sales professional Salesmen Freddy Edwards Bryan Wyatt Bobby Hogan Scott Vance Finance Will Peek Sales Manager Joe Bonds

13 Page 13 Let s MEET & EAT. The Meet & Eat for May is on the Shrimp Basket in Irondale. June Meet & Eat will be on the Lighting Strikes Bowling Alley Trussville

14 Page 14 New members J Gary Melendez - Michael Myrick Susan Smith Steven Standridge Charlotte Summerford

15 Page 15 June 10 there will be another passport ride at the three dealerships like last year. With the ride ending at Rider s Harley Davidson and a party that will turn into bike night. There will be a drawing for a $1000 gift card

16 Page Stemley Bridge Road Pell City, Al In the Cropwell Commons Shopping Center Serving the best Burgers, Steaks, Wings, Wraps and Cold Beer like us on Facebook Ride your motorcycle in on Saturdays between 11A.M. and 6P.M. and you ll get 10% discount

17 Hello Hogs, Just a note to thank all who made the rides the past two months. For those who missed them you really missed some good ones. Please come on some of the rides in the future our chapter is only as good as the people in it. Plane a ride, come to a meeting and sell some tickets for the raffle that is how we raise our funds for the great parties. Below is story written by Lisa Townsend enjoy Russell Page 17 If I Have To Explain, You Wouldn t Understand There comes a time when all the cosmic tumblers have clicked into place and the universe opens itself up for a few seconds to show you what s possible. Most of you will recognize that as a quote from Field of Dreams. I believe in the movie it was more about recognizing the opportunity to reach your potential. That s what I got out of it anyway. But now, for me, it describes our ride to Lynchburg on April 14th. I decided to write this article on the drive there because I enjoyed the scenery so much. I believe we saw every farm animal there is, and smelled a few too! I loved the old barns and how it appeared that one strong wind would just topple them over, yet they still stood strong. I especially loved the red ones that said See Rock City on the top. (I really think we should go see Rock City one day)! I marveled at the rolling hills and sprawling farmland. I wondered if any of that farmland supplied the food that we would put on our table one day. I wondered what happened to the old rusty farm implements that were just abandoned in the field. There was just so much to see and enjoy and think about. I didn t think about work or bills or medical issues. I was living in the moment. That must be why it s called wind therapy. Now in the 9 years that Gary and I have been riding, we ve been on some great rides, some very memorable rides. But on that trip something happened. The cosmic tumblers clicked into place. The universe opened itself up and showed out. Big time! The weather was gorgeous, the roads were perfect and the scenery was breathtaking. But more than anything, time with the HOG family was simply put, priceless.

18 Page 18 May and June Birthdays NOTICE!!! We would like to be able to acknowledge all birthdays each month. However, we do not have that information in our database. So we need your help. Please your birthday information, month and day only, to or so we can update our database. If you don t have access to , then you can still provide the information through one of several ways: 1) Put the information in an envelope marked HOG membership and leave it at Rider s, 2) bring it Beverly Bowles May 06th Randy Sargent may 11th George Phillips May 23rd Dwight Boone June 6th Jerry Briscoe - June 7th Sonny Pearce - June 18th Janice Isbell - June 22nd Treva Lackey - June 22nd Lynn Clowers - June 23rd John Burke - June 28th

19 Page 19 A few from Lynchburg Ride Larry leaving on the Iron Butt Ride 29 April 2017 because I didn't want to leave him out and couldn t get him on the last page

20 Page 20 May 2017 SUN MON TUE WED THU FRI SAT Thunder Beach 4 Thunder Beach 5 Thunder Beach 6 Thunder Beach 7 Thunder Beach Monthly Hog Meeting Hog Room swap meet 9 till? Bike Rider s with Ben Moseley and the contraband KSU Rider s HD Gumbeaux s Cajun Café Douglasville Ga Meet and Shrimp Basket Irondale Hogs and Hot Air Ride Hog officer s Meeting 6:00 P.M. Hog Room 31 CHECK WEBSITE FOR UPDATES AT:

21 Page 21 June 2017 SUN MON TUE WED THU FRI SAT Top of the River ride for Sunday Dinner Monthly Hog Meeting 6PM. Hog Room 9 10 Passport Ride three dealerships ending@ Riders Swap meet and bike night with Them Dirty Roses Nucklehead Café Rockmart Ga Meet and Eat Lightning Strikes Bowling Alley Trussville Dover Tn. Ride 25 Dover Tn. Ride CHECK WEBSITE FOR UPDATES AT:

22 Page 22 Iron Butt Ride CRAZY???? The first thing that comes to most people s mind is CRAZY, why would you want to do something like that. To a few, they think WOW you are CRAZY but I would like to do that. The few of us that have done it think, Damn, We are Crazy and enjoyed every second of it. It is a once in a lifetime journey for most and for a few it is a second or third (those are certified CRAZY) adventure. When you first get up early (2 or 3 AM) in the morning to start your Adventure you are thinking it sure is early I must be CRAZY but once you meet up with some of your other CRAZY friends the fun starts to kick in. Finally all of the CRAZY friends show up that are going and the adventure begins. Hi Ho Hi Ho it s down the road we go. OK, let me explain what this is all about: We are just a group of motorcycle riders that love riding our Harleys and spending time together so a couple of us, Gary and Brad come to mind, came up with this idea of doing an Iron Butt ride. Simple, 1000 miles in 24 hours or less. So here is the plan. Leave Trussville at 4:00 A.M. on Saturday morning and ride to Nashville, Tn., from Nashville head to Lexington, Ky. then on to Charleston, WV. From Charleston we will swing down to Wytheville, Va. and on to Chattanooga then back to Trussville. If all goes well we should be back by 11:00 P.M. Saturday night. You stop every 100 miles, top off with gas (to document your trip) and take a short break then head out for the next 100 miles. Our plan is to travel through 6 states (counting Alabama) on our journey to complete the 1000 plus miles. After the ride is completed we will send all of the documentation in to the Iron Butt Association so that we can be certified Crazy and wear a patch to prove it. The first couple of hundred miles are exciting, the time and miles fly by. It seems that you are on the road for only a short time and it is time to stop. You are thinking Stopping again Already, this is fun. The next couple of hundred miles you kind of fall into a routine, stop, get gas and document, tell a few jokes and ride again. Then comes the 500 mile stop and you are thinking, WOW half way! Now to tackle the last half of the ride. By the time we get to the 600 mile stop our butts are starting to tingle and you are really looking forward to the break. Through the next couple hundred miles the tingling in your butt becomes a little more intense and everyone is getting off and back on their bikes a little slower. At the 800 mile stop you kind of slide off the bike walk around to get blood flowing, talking is at a minimum and when it is time to saddle back up your butt is saying hell no but you persevere and continue your adventure. Then comes the 900 mile stop, you slowly slide off the seat and hope your legs hold you up. Once you move around and realize all is good, even though you can no longer feel your butt, you top off with gas. We start to talk about what you have been through so far and the excitement begins to build and we can now see the end in sight and start getting pumped about completed this challenge. We have got this and are having a great time doing it. The last leg of the trip is uneventful and we reach our last stop in good time. Even though we are still sliding off our bikes and we are not sure we even have a butt, we feel good. We are moving a little slower that when we started on journey but the excitement and laughter is back, along with the feeling of accomplishment. WE DID IT!! As time passes and we look back, we will clearly remember the start and finish of our adventure and laugh about several things that happened along the way but much of it will become a blur. The binding friendship that was created, the good times and laughter along the way and all of the special memories that we all made make you glad you went. And now we can say Well, the longest ride I ever did in one day was 1000 plus miles. and you lead into a little more detail of your adventure, those that can hear your story look at you like you are CRAZY. We can t help but smile when we talk about our ride and hear the comment You re CRAZY which just makes us smile bigger. You had to be there to understand, we can proudly wear our patch that shows we are members of a unique group of crazy motorcycle riders The Iron Butt Association.

23 Page 23 CHAPTER MEMBERSHIP ENROLLMENT FORM AND RELEASE CHAPTER NAME: BIRMINGHAM AL CHAPTER 0030 MEMBER NAME: ADDRESS: CITY STATE ZIP ADDRESS: PHONE NUMBER: MEMBER NAT L H.O.G. NUMBER EXPIRATION DATE OF NATIONAL HOG. MEMBERSHIP I have read the Annual Charter for HOG. Chapters and hereby agree to abide by it as a member of this dealer sponsored chapter. I recognize that while this Chapter is chartered with H.O.G., it remains a separate, independent entity solely responsible for its actions. THIS IS A RELEASE, READ BEFORE SIGNING I agree that the Sponsoring Dealer, Harley Owners Group (HOG.), Harley-Davidson, Inc., Harley- Davidson Motor Company, my Chapter and their respective officers, directors, employees and agents (hereinafter, the RELEASED PARTIES ) shall not be liable or responsible for injury to me (including paralysis or death) or damage to my property occurring during any HOG. or HOG. chapter activities and resulting from acts or omissions occurring during the performance of the duties of the Released Parties, even where the damage or injury is caused by negligence (except willful neglect). I understand and agree that all HOG. members and their guests participate voluntarily and at their own risk in all H.O.G. activities and I assume all risks of injury and damage arising out of the conduct of such activities. I release and hold the RELEASED PARTIES harmless from any injury or loss to my person or property which may result from my participation in HOG, activities and EVENT(S). I UNDERSTAND THAT THIS MEANS THAT I AGREE NOT TO SUE THE RELEASED PARTIES FOR ANY INJURY OR RESULTING DAMAGE TO MYSELF OR MY PROPERTY ARISING FROM, OR IN CONNECTION WITH, THE PERFORMANCE OF THEIR CHAPTER DUTIES IN SPONSORING, PLANNING OR CONDUCTING SAID EVENT(S). WAIVER OF RIGHTS UNDER STATE STATUTES I further agree to waive all benefits flowing from any state statute which would negate or limit the scope of this Release and Indemnification Agreement including, but not limited to, Section 1542 of the California Civil Code which provides: A general release does not extend to the claims which the creditor does not know or suspect to exist in his favor at the time of executing the release, which if known to him must have materially affected his settlement with the debtor. By signing this Release, I certify that I have read this Release and filly understand it and that I am not relying on any statements or representations made by the RELEASED PARTIES. MEMBER SIGNATURE DATE LOCAL DUES PAID $ DATE (Dues not to exceed maximum amount prescribed in, Annual Charter for HOG. Chapters, as contained in the H.O.G. Chapter Handbook.) $20.00 per year per member RETURN THIS FORM TO YOUR CHAPTER Membership Officer Birmingham HOG P.O. Box 389 Trussville, AL 35173

24 Birmingham HOG Chapter 0030 PO Box 389 Trussville,Al Riders Harley-Davidson (205) Chapter Membership To remain in the local chapter, your national H.O.G. membership has to be active. National H.O.G sends out reminder s and invoices in advance of your expiration date. Please understand that it is your responsibility to renew your national H.O.G. membership when it is due. If you don t renew your national membership, it is our obligation to remove you from our mailing lists as a local H.O.G. member, and you will no longer receive s or a newsletter. PLEASE keep your national membership current!

25 A few from Chattooga Ride 1 April 2017

26 Page 26 Gary s First and Last Iron Butt Ride Let me tell y all a story!! Some goofball suggested going on an Iron butt ride! That is going 1000 miles in 24 hours or less. Well guess what, 13 brave (note, crazy as me) souls, including me, decided that would be fun! We left out from the Chevron in Trussville with 12 bikes at 4:15am Saturday morning full of life and energy. We left out heading up I65N heading to Nashville, 192miles, to Lexington, 214 miles, to Charleston, WV, to Chattanooga, 420miles, back to Trussville, 133miles. We were making stops every miles for fuel and resting our butts. First 3-4 stops were fun. We were cutting up, laughing, picking on each other. As the miles racked up, the excitement and energy starting waning. Each stop we got a little slower with the jokes and laughs. Still having fun, but you could tell the energy was draining. At one stop, John Mixon s bike wouldn t start. He got in touch with HOG, and they came got him. He was nice and told us to go on. Reluctantly, we went on. The longer we rode, the more drained we got. As we continued, more stops, more draining. When we got to Virginia, starting the way more back towards home, the excitement grew some, knowing we making our way back home after about 550miles. That didn t last long we still had a long way to go. One of the guys had a smaller tank and about 140 miles was max he could go. Heading toward Chattanooga, I picked an exit so he could get gas. Now this is funny now, but not then. Sign said 2.1 miles to station!! (I should have listened to inner me) I turned toward it and we went 2.1 miles and NO STA- TION!! Whoops started looking for a turnaround. Not a chance for it. Over CB, George said GPS told us to a go a little and turn. There was still no place to turn around. Road getting smaller. GPS said go a little and turn again. By now, the banjo music was getting closer!! After 5-6 miles on some spooky back roads (trails almost) we came back around almost where we exited interstate. He put a little gas in to get out of there, with George leading, went 2 blocks down, got back on interstate and went 2 miles to an exit in civilization. We all filled up, and they all had fun picking on me for the trail ride!! From there on, I led out to Rising Fawn, our last fuel stop before getting back. We had a lot of laughs before heading home!! 22 hours on road, about $65.00 for fuel, very little on my part for food, about 1175 miles, hard!!! EXPERIENCE PRICELESS!!! Thanks to all who went. By Gary Townsend

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