CHAPTER Q MINNESOTA August 2017 Newsletter Some Old Friends and some new friends Chapter Q, 2017 2018 Couple and Individual of the Year Dave & Elaine Harder Casey Carlson Chapter Q Social Pepe le Q found a NEW Home with Rita & Don Loon Run Ride First some eats and then the Ride The Loon Run Winners are Gary and Mike Squires Page 1
CHAPTER Q MINNESOTA August 2017 Newsletter Chapter Q at MN Rally MN Rally Region E Directors Jere & Sherry Goodman Past and Present District COY Couple of the Year Chapter COY District COY Celebrated Hot Dog Lunch Games That Way? Light Show Page 2
CHAPTER Q MINNESOTA Chapter Q News August 2017 Chapter Director s Babble If you do not know, there is a Chapter Q Facebook Page. Place all your photos or event here. Chapter Q Facebook Page https://www.facebook.com/groups/gwrramnq/ I get up in the early morning and have notice daylight has been slipping away OH NO! I know it has only been a month, but does it seem like we are losing daylight fast almost an hour in the last month. We get giddy in the spring as daylight is extended each day as we look for riding season. We take advantage of the daylight as much as we can. As the days are getting shorter (less sunlight), we look forward to maximizing our riding through the rest of summer and into late fall. In July, we attended our home town rally in Owatonna, Minnesota. It was good to see many folks from Iowa and Illinois attending; in fact, I think that Illinois and Iowa took most of the goodies. If you were not at the Rally, you missed a very fun (and successful) game that was previewed at the Rally Baseball Bean Bag Toss. We are preparing for the Region E Rally (in mid-august) and Wing Ding 39 (in late August). The Region E Rally is held in Williamsburg, Iowa just south of the Amana Colonies. We are ready to pass the Torch to the last Region E Couple Of the Year. The changes are coming! The changes are coming! Expect more details as we move toward the New Year. Everyone has heard the news (no more Regions after this year), but there is a lot of FUN left at the Region Level and at the Region E Rally. You need to come down and join the PARTY as we celebrate. Going forward, it is up to us to cultivate contacts and connections with other Chapters (near and far), Districts, Regions (until the end of the year) and at the national level. We were delighted to know the Couple of The Year program will be carried forward, but with slight twists in the process. For our Home Chapter (MN District, Chapter Q), there will be some changes, but they will be minimal. Our Chapter, like many others, have always focused on riding and social life (all parts of having GWRRA FRIENDS and FUN). We all bought these beautiful machines, we added safety chrome and lights, and we enjoy camaraderie with all our GWRRA friends. Deep down inside we are still bikers independent cusses, but having FUN and enjoying the company of our friends we ride with. As one of our friends said when queried about riding his bike to an event, he said That s why I bought the thing! - WE AGREE! As for change, we have seen during our lives, so let's have some fun with the changes! Remember that Change is inevitable except from a Vending Machine! Page 3
CHAPTER Q MINNESOTA One last pitch for Grapevine and the International Couple of the Year selection at Wing Ding 39 on Tuesday August 29th, come on down: We are hoping to see a sea of gold looking out from the stage at Wing Ding this year. August Events: Social 9th Ch Q Social at Angeno s, Maple Grove 6:30pm Cokato Corn Carnival - 8th Cokato leaving the Ride Point at 6:00pm Region E Rally 11th to 12th, Williamsburg, IA Slacker Ride 15th kickstands up at 10am from the Ride Point Chapter R BS Session 19th, New Richland, kickstands up at 9am Chapter N Picnic 20th Whitetail Region Park, Farmington, kickstands up at 930am Wing Ding 39 29th 2nd, Grapevine, Texas Foodstuff 5th Ch Q Breakfast, 5-8 Grill Champlain 9am 17th Chapter Q Lunch at Sunshine Factory, Plymouth, 11:30 am 26th Ch Q Dinner, Dehn s Country Manor, Maple Grove, 4pm Bob & Renae Hicks Chapter Directors GWRRA Chapter Q 612-210-5442 (Bob) 763-639-7948 (Renae) Chapter Q document repository (for the latest documents) - http://gwrra-mnq.org/news/list.aspx Chapter Q Facebook Page - https://www.facebook.com/groups/gwrramnq/ Future Events September 2nd Chapter Q Breakfast, 3 Squares, Maple Grove 9am 13th Social Angeno s Pizza & Pasta, Maple Grove 6:30pm 15th Wisconsin District Rally, Wintergreen Resort, WI Dells 16th Chapter G Chilly Chili Run, Lakewood Hill Park, White Bear Lake 10 am 21st Chapter Q Lunch, Pub 42, New Hope, 11:30am 23rd Chapter Q Dinner, Chili's, Plymouth, 4 pm 28th to 30th Chapter Q 3rd Annual Ride Inn, Prairie du Chien 29th IA District Rally, McGrath Powersports, Cedar Raids, IA Page 4
CHAPTER Q MINNESOTA Some Common Mistakes Made on Long Motorcycle Trips 1. Choose the right bike for your trip. Everyone has a different opinion of what is the best bike. A Goldwing is great for riding in groups but sometimes, when I am riding alone I sometimes have an urge to ride a BMW eagles don t fly in flocks. Obviously, you would want to think twice before taking off on a 3,000 mile trip on a small sport bike. Consider the distance you are going to ride each day, what is the route like (paved highways, dirt/gravel roads) and what equipment do you need to take with you (elevation, weather conditions, etc.) Preparation is the key, where are you going and what do you need to take with you? Choose a motorcycle and equipment for hardest part of the trip, not the easiest. 2. Wrong gear choice: Leather gear is great on a cold day but not necessarily appropriate for a long motorcycle trip. If the weather is going to be warm then a light jacket may be better. Don t be a gear lover who has to have the newest equipment advertised in the motorcycle magazine. Just because someone found a new piece of equipment useful on a recent trip does not mean it is right for you. You don t want to be weighted down with equipment you never use. Take a short trip and see what you really use and don t use and only take that equipment you need. 3. Too Much Weight: You don t need 10 sets of t-shirts, five pair of pants, three pairs of shoes and three jackets. You are on a motorcycle trip, not going to fashion week. Take laundry soap and shirts you can wash out and dry overnight. If you find you need something you don t have you can buy it; there are clothing stores everywhere. Do you really need your computer and electronic equipment with 10 different chargers and cables? Do you really need 10 pounds of cosmetics or shaving gear, creams or lubricants? When you get home you can resume your normal bathroom routine. A heavy bike in a strong cross wind can be a danger to your riding stability. What to take: Whether you are traveling for a week or a month, the equipment you take is the same. The last thing you want on a long motorcycle trip is a heavy bike. Here is a suggested list of essentials: The clothing you are wearing plus: 2 riding t-shirts; 1 pair of pants; 1 long sleeve shirt; a fleece; gloves; thongs/shower shoes; walking shoes; 3 pair of socks; 3 pair of underwear; cables and chargers; camera; medical kit; a tablet rather than computer. What you need and what you must have are two different things. Pack as light as possible and you will see how much easier your trip will be. One person suggested that all you need is a toothbrush and some body soap for washing. 4. Too many or too little mileage: If you have scheduled too many miles a day you can t enjoy the ride because you at concentrating on reaching a mileage goal. If you schedule too few miles you are going to need more time and may feel cheated. In either event the ride isn t going to be what you expected. Consider the weather Page 5
CHAPTER Q MINNESOTA where you are riding you may want to start the ride early in the morning so you can be off the road before the real hot weather sets in. 5. Leave your business at home. You can t enjoy the ride if you spend all day thinking about work or have to do work late into the night. If you can t leave your work at home don t go, or get someone else to take care of it in your absence. After the ride is over for the day you want to be able to relax and enjoy some social time with your riding companions. The world is so big and the time we have on the motorcycle is so little make the most of it. When you are riding you want to concentrate on the ride, not the business. Remember to enjoy your ride, don t make it more complicated than it needs to be. Make sure your ride gives you plenty of stories to talk about when you get home. Bob Frazee, MN-Q, GWRRA Member #104518 Chapter Educator Page 6