GWRRA Texas Chapter G - Tomball, Texas V O L U M E 3 0, I S S U E 9 S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 8 From Phil s Files Hello Chapter G and Friends! September is here and Wing Ding is done, can you believe it? The weather is getting ready to make a change, as in more comfortable, and we are planning to take advantage of it. We are starting a monthly Road Captain meeting to plan rides and ride related activities. If you have a favorite destination you would like to re-visit, please let one of our Road Captains know so we can get it in the queue for planned rides. We have activities on the calendar for this month. Ice cream social at Larry and Sally s plus any ride(s) from the Road captain meeting. In the meantime, let s all ride safe! Philip In This Issue: Chapter Information 2 Calendar, Birthdays, Anniversaries 3 Rider Education 4-5 Membership Enhancement 6 Ride Wrap Up 7-11 Find Us on the Web! Chapter G: www.gulfwings.com Ch. G on Facebook: www.facebook.com/gwrratxg/ Texas District Website: www.gwrra-tx.org GWRRA Website: www.gwrra.org Our next Chapter Gathering is Thursday, September 27 at 7:30 PM Our next Team Meeting is at 6:30 PM on September 27, prior to the Gathering. We meet at Valley Ranch BBQ, located at 22548 SH 249 (at Spring Cypress Rd), Houston, TX 77070
Huffsmith Kohrville Rd Your Chapter G Officers and Team Members Officers: Chapter Directors: Philip Blair & Erin Gilligan - 832-244-9721 Email: philipblair@outlook.com GWRRA # 201709 & 201709-01 Assistant Chapter Director: Tommy Nichols - 832-722-9968 Email: tommy1of10@sbcglobal.net GWRRA # 356335 Chapter Ride Coordinator/ Educator: Ray Willis 281-703-6880 Email: irllwillis@att.net GWRRA # 139228 Officers: Membership Enhancement: Jim & Teresa Cook - 281-507-5277 Email: jcool45@yahoo.com GWRRA # 375888 & 375888-01 Asst Membership Enhancement: Larry & Sally Dresch - 832-654-6820 Email: larsal@sbcglobal.net GWRRA # 358879 & 358879-01 Secretary/Treasurer: Glenn & Pat Belunek - 713-686-7258 Email: phonehome5603@sbcglobal.net GWRRA # 343562 &343562-01 Team Members: Newsletter Editor: Erin Gilligan - 713-628-0026 Email: eringilligan@comcast.net GWRRA # 201709-01 Web Master: Sam Belinoski - 713-557-4577 Email: sam@samanita.com GWRRA # 131632 2018 Couple of the Year Glenn & Pat Belunek - 713-686-7258 Email: phonehome5603@sbcglobal.net GWRRA # 343562 &343562-01 Chapter G Safe Miles Our monthly gathering takes place at Valley Ranch BBQ Restaurant on the 4th Thursday of the month. The meeting starts at 7:30 PM, but come early to eat and visit! North August 2018: 1,605 Valley Ranch is located at the southeast corner of Spring-Cypress Rd and SH 249, in the Spring Cypress Village shopping center. Total 2018: 18,300 Old Luby s Valley Ranch BBQ McDonald s Chapter G Ride Line: ** new number ** (832) 688-8300 FM 2920 S.H. 249 Tomball Pkwy/Bus. 249 Unless otherwise noted by the ride leader, our chapter rides leave from the old Luby s Restaurant parking lot in Tomball, near FM2920 and Tomball Parkway. For updates on our next ride s start time and weather updates, call the Ride Line at (832) 688-8300. GWRRA Gulf Wings Chapter G Newsletter is published by Chapter G Members. Disclaimer: Articles, website addresses, maps, and cartoons express the opinions of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Chapter Staff members or the membership. Chapter G (Chapter) is not responsible for the accuracy of any facts stated in articles, website addresses or cartoons submitted. Chapter G assumes no responsibility for the advertising content within this publication. All warranties and representations made in articles, websites and advertising content are solely that of the advertiser and any claims regarding its content should be taken up with the author, webmaster, or advertiser. The Chapter assumes no liability with regard to its advertisers including errors of information, typographical errors, errors of omission, misprints or failure to place advertising in this publication except for the actual cost of such advertising or a correction/retraction. Under no circumstances shall the Chapter be held liable for incidental or consequential damages, loss of business or services, or any other liabilities unless otherwise stated above. September 2018 Page 2
Looking Forward... Date Event Location Contact Phone E-mail/Web Sep 12 Road Captain s Meeting Sep 27 Team Meeting / Chapter Gathering BreWings; 7:00 pm (Hwy 249 near Spring Cypress) Philip Blair 832-244-9621 philipblair@outlook.com Valley Ranch BBQ Philip Blair 832-244-9621 philipblair@outlook.com Sep 27-29 Oklahoma District Rally Apache Casino Hotel, Lawton OK 855-248-5905 reservations apachecasinohotel.com Sep 29 Ice Cream Social Larry & Sally Dresch s house Time TBA Larry Dresch 832-654-6820 larsal@sbcglobal.net Birthdays and Anniversaries September B I R T H D A Y S A N N I V E R S A R I E S Brian Norwood 9/2 Ray & Lynda Hoot 9/29 Rudy Hernandez 9/6 Sam Belinoski 9/9 Pamela Hunt 9/17 Ricky Hunt 9/22 Mike Schreckenbach 9/24 October B I R T H D A Y S A N N I V E R S A R I E S Sally Dresch 10/4 Dennis & Terry Beavers 10/17 Fatih Millington 10/14 Brian & Kathy Norwood 10/21 Jerry Worley 10/19 September 2018 Page 3
TEXAS RIDER EDUCATION UPDATE September 2018 Randy and Kathy Reese txed@gwrra-tx.org 1007 Parkcrest Ct., Pflugerville, Tx. 78660 (512) 744-3635 (512) 848-3144 Motorcycle Parking 101 Yeah, I know you re probably thinking, What could be so hard about parking a motorcycle that could possibly warrant an entire article? Well, if you are headed for Wing Ding, you will be sharing parking lots and spaces with thousands of your closest friends! If you ve been riding for years and years and have never: Tipped over while backing your bike into a parking spot. Laid your bike over because your foot slipped on loose debris or a wet surface. Needed a little push into or out of a parking space. Had your kickstand sink into the ground or asphalt. Had your bike tampered with or stolen. then you should probably count your lucky stars and go buy a lottery ticket. However, if you re like most of us and have at one time or another encountered one or more of the above scenarios, this article might be worth taking a quick look over. Security: I don t know about you, but depending on where and for how long I plan to leave my bike parked, I take different precautions to keep it safe and secure. For example, if I'm: Fueling up and need to step inside the store for only a few seconds, I lock the ignition switch. Stopping for lunch and I can see my bike from where I m sitting, I lock the ignition switch and forks (never know when nature might call and you need hit the john). Stopping overnight, I try to get a ground floor room near an exit so I can see my bike from the window of my room, lock the ignition switch and forks, and try to secure my bike to another bike or solid object using my cable and place a weatherproof cover over my bike. Depending on your own personal experience, the above examples may seem like overkill, and to some of you they may seem like I'm leaving my bike exposed to possible theft. To me, there s a fine line between paranoia and precaution. I sure as heck don t want my bike stolen, but at the same time I don t want to be a nervous Nelly and go through the hassle of always locking my bike up tighter than a drum whenever I want to buy a pack of gum. If I had to give any advice I d have to err on the side of caution, because taking a little more time to properly secure your bike is a lot better than having your bike stolen and never seeing it again. Surface Hazards: Watch for surface debris, loose and uneven surfaces and wet or potentially slippery spots where oil accumulates. Be aware of surfaces where you could lose your footing. Take care that your tires and feet do not become contaminated with fluids when entering or exiting a parking space. September 2018 Page 4
TEXAS RIDER EDUCATION UPDATE September 2018 - continued Sloped Surfaces & Stability: Park on level ground whenever possible. Leave your bike in first gear to keep it from rolling. Park with your front-end facing uphill so your bike doesn t roll forward and retract the kickstand. Turn your handlebars to the left to increase stability. Place a small piece of flat metal or other solid object under your kickstand when parking on hot asphalt or wet ground. In a pinch, you can use a crushed beer can oops I mean soda can. Parking Spots: Park off the street in a parking lot whenever possible. Find out if there are local parking restrictions. Parallel Parking: Pull into the parking space and maneuver within its boundaries. Take your time positioning your bike once you are safely inside the parking space. Diagonal Parking: Back in rather than pulling in forwards for easy departure. Park near the back of the parking space so other drivers see your bike before pulling into your spot. Mechanical Arms (John Osborn, this is for you): Move quickly through mechanical arms that control access to parking lots. Wait for any vehicles in front of you to pull ahead and watch for mechanical arms to lower prematurely if your bike is lost in the detection loop. Parking at the end of a row: Leave plenty of room for vehicles to be able to make the turn. Place your bike near the back of the parking spot so drivers can see your bike before pulling into your spot. Never thought there was so much to consider when parking your bike, huh? A few simple precautions can go a long way toward insuring your parked motorcycle is safe and will be there when you return. Ride Safely, Ride Often, and HEY! Be careful out there! Randy and Kathy Reese Texas District Educators September 2018 Page 5
Membership Enhancement By Jim & Teresa Cook ALMOST HERE!! Great riding weather is just around the corner and I cannot wait to again hit the road with my GW friends. We complain about the two months of really hot weather in Texas but we are fortunate to live in an area of the country where we can ride all year long. I personally will be glad to get back on the bike after my summer off for shoulder surgery. I cannot remember a time when I have not ridden in so long. The road captains are getting ready and we hope you guys are too. As always; Be safe and have fun and...let s Ride Jim and Teresa Cook Membership Enhancement Coordinators Visitors and Guests We had 19 Chapter G members at the August meeting. No visitors or guests this month And the Winner Is. 50/50 Drawing: Ray Willis, generously donated back to the chapter. Thanks Ray! Valley Ranch Gift Certificate: Kim Botkin Jar of jam: Anita Belinoski First aid kit tools: Steve Scott September 2018 Page 6
August Rides and Activities In August we had two rides and a CPR/First Aid class. And Ray & Linda and Steve & Lee went to Wing Ding. I m sure they ll tell us all about it at our next chapter meeting. We had a total of 1,605 safe miles in August. On August 4th, Gene led a breakfast ride to Pie In the Sky in Conroe. We had a nice ride and met up with Brenda Dillon there. We had a lovely time catching up with her while we enjoyed a tasty breakfast. A couple of folks even bought slices of pie to go. We had 10 people on 5 bikes, with 450 safe miles. September 2018 Page 7
August Rides and Activities On August 11th, Cindy Harris (Chapter W) held a First Aid / CPR class for local GWRRA chapters. Attending from Chapter G: Margie and Tommy, Marshall, Greg and Sherri, and Philip and Erin. It seems like every time we take this class, something has changed in CPR best practices. If you haven t taken the class in several years, it s probably a good idea to take one and get current on the latest process. We learned a lot, but of course we also made sure we had fun doing it. September 2018 Page 8
August Rides and Activities More pictures from CPR/First Aid training. Does this thing really work? September 2018 Page 9
August Rides and Activities On August 18th, Philip led a breakfast ride to Mamie s kitchen in Pattison. The morning started out a little bit cool as we made our way to the restaurant along mostly familiar roads. Then our GPS said we had arrived, but we were sitting next to a cemetery. What the? Well, it s official; we re lost, said Philip over the radio. But Marshall saved the day! He took over and led us to the restaurant. It turns out, GPS had dropped us just a few hundred feet away from our destination, but around a bend where we couldn't see it! (Guess we should have done a pre-ride on this one. Oops.) We had 16 people on 11 bikes, with 1,155 safe miles. September 2018 Page 10
August Rides and Activities More pictures from Mamie s Something serious being discussed here September 2018 Page 11
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