Gold Wing Road Riders Association

Transcription

1 Gold Wing Road Riders Association Chapter AB-A A (Calgary) Newsletter March, 2011 Wing Wag BRAGG CREEK Text and Photos by Kim Coubrough T he next morning it was wheels up at 6:30 and heading for New Mexico. After a good night s sleep we were ready to hit some great roads again. After a couple of hours, we were not disappointed by the awesome ride over the continental divide. (Pic #17a) Not something you want to do if you re tired. We stop near the end to snap some pictures and then off we went. As we came out of the higher elevation, the temperatures started to climb. By the time we crossed the Rio Grande and hit Taos, New Mexico (Pic #17) it was in the mid 30 s. Coming from the summer we had, this was hot. After passing through Taos and finding out the hard way that they moved the check point, we went back (Pic #17a) through the middle of town to the camp ground north of the city. Normally this (Continued on page 2) Mar 14 Mar 26 Apr 11 Coming Events Monthly Meeting CPR First Aid Course Monthly Meeting What s Inside 3 Flags Classic-Part Flags Classic-Part 3 (con t)...3 News & Notices...4 Meeting Guest Speakers...4 Safety First...5 Meetings Information...5 Classifieds...6 Calgary Area Team Listing /50 Winner Flags Classic-Part 3 (con t) Flags Classic-Part 3 (con t)...8

2 Wing Wag March, 2011 Page 2 (Continued from page 1) (Pic #17) drank half and the other ½ on my back, then #3 and the same with that one. Then it was back in for another three bottles. Most of those I drank. The coat went back on and stayed on after that. To hell with a tan! The rest of the Wild Hogs had a great laugh at my stupidity, but I learned my lesson the hard way. After taking a little longer than 5 minutes for a fill and empty, we were on our way again to check point 4. This was in Springerville, Arizona and since they wouldn t open the check point till 6 a.m. the next morning, it was where we would spend the night as well. would not be too much of a problem, but this city was packed and hot; so it added at least an hour or so to our time, not to mention a lot of sweat. Anyway, we found check point # 3, got stamped, and loaded up with liquids and snack. After voicing our concerns with the change in location, a local gave us direction to bypass the city. That was much appreciated, as not only did it speed up our time, but we saw part of the city most people would never see. After we left Taos, we filled up in town called Alcalde, just north of Santa Fe. It is at this point I learned a valuable lesson on dehydration. I had noticed over the last couple of days that most of the bikers do not wear helmets, and/or jackets. So thinking I would like to get a bit of a tan, I went without a jacket. Way bad idea!! Anyway, we headed south past Albuquerque, and for the first hour things were going along fine. It was 36 degrees out, and I had lots of water in my butler. Well, by the end of that first hour, I noticed I did not have much water left and we still had two hours of riding left. It was ration the water time. There was no way I was going to be the one to stop the Wild Hogs, particularly on the freeway around Albuquerque. So I toughed it out till we stopped in Soccorro. After getting fuel, I went in and grabed three bottles of water, one under each arm pit, and drank ½ of the 3 rd. The rest went on my head. Then #2, Now as most of you know, Arizona and New Mexico are in a desert, so there wasn t a lot to see. After about an hour or so the beauty of the dessert kind of gave way to monotony; however, on highway 60 we went past a couple of interesting sights. First was the state prison, and from what I could see from the highway, it was not an inviting place; rusted water towers, razor wire and guard towers made for a less then desirable stop. However, after that we came into view of The Very Large Array which is a grouping of 27 radio telescopes. I remember this place from a movie with Jodi Foster, so it was cool to actually see it for myself. About an hour after that we arrived at Springerville, Arizona. (Pic #19) (Pic #19) (Continued on page 3)

3 Wing Wag March, 2011 Page 3 (Continued from page 2) Since we had arrived early in the afternoon, it gave us a chance to mingle with about 10 other bikers that were there as well. We listened to the old timers talk about past 3 Flags rides and them doing the 4 corners (a 21 day ride to the 4 corners of the USA). Some of these guys had bikes that looked like they were out of Star Wars, (Pic #19a) (Pic #19a) The next morning everyone was up and ready to go by 5:30, however, since they wouldn t stamp our passports till 6 a.m., we mingled around with the other 3 Flaggers and swapped some more lies. Finally 6 a.m. arrived, the passports were handed out and off we went again. We pretty much figured that the rest of the 755 km would be like yesterdays dessert experience. We were delightfully wrong. We headed down Highway #191 south of Springerville. The road started off with some gentle winding curves and slowly turned into a metal and rubber grinding ride. What a way to start the morning, this was again an awesome stretch of highway. Most of the first 80 miles of the day would test even the most experienced riders. With hairpin turns posted at 15 mph almost every ½ mile and cliffs that dropped several thousand feet just to your right, (excuse the expression) but this was a ass puckering ride. WOW! We carved up the highway for the better part of an hour before we came to a vantage point overlooking some hair pin corners. There we stopped for a breather and to snap a couple of pictures. After we came out of these mountains, the road eventually turned back into the dessert. We carried on south through Douglas; I was very surprised to see how close the highway comes to Mexico. The Border Patrols and National Guard were on full alert and patrolling what seemed to be every inch of the border area. We carried on up to Tombstone and over to Nogales. Due to the killings in the border towns, we were instructed not to go into Mexico, just get a receipt proving we (Pic #18) electronics all over the console, extra gas tanks, and lots of antennas, made for an interesting sight. We also took the time to give our bikes a good wash down since the bugs from the dessert were quite heavy. Since nobody wanted to go out for dinner, we decided to ordered pizza instead; pizza and beer on the deck of the hotel, what a relaxing dinner. were at Nogales (Pic #18) and head for Tucson. Heading north from Nogales, on the Interstate, the Border Patrol had the entire highway blocked off. Everyone had to show ID. I guess they figured we were not smuggling illegal aliens on our bikes, as they (Continued on page 7)

4 Wing Wag March, 2011 Page 4 1. Our Calgary Chapter has been asked to host the 2011 Region Rally on the August long weekend. Anyone interested in being involved please contact our Chapter Directors to express your interest. 2. Birthday Bash Ride June 23 to 27, If you have a birthday in 2011 this is the ride for you. For more information contact Jack Hill at or telus.net. 3. Leather n Chaps Ridin for SNAPS (Special Needs Association for Parents & Siblings) 2 nd Annual Motorcycle Poker Rally - Saturday, July 23, Registration and pancake breakfast at 9:00 a.m., Ride at 11:30 a.m. $40.00 per rider (includes poker hand) $25.00 per passenger; $15.00 from each registration is a cash donation to SNAPS. For more information please call Bike Week Canada is a unique gathering of motorcycle enthusiasts from Canadian and nearby U.S. cities which is to be held September , 2011, in St-Pie de Bagot at the Sanair Racetrack. As CEO I, Robert Végiard, would like to invite you and your group to participate in Bike Week Canada A free VIP ticket will be offered for the weekend, a 200$ value, plus Bike Week Canada t-shirt and cap to the organizer who gathers 10 person or more. If you are interested please contact me at bikeweek.ca or at Please note that accommodation is available on the site (camping) and in nearby hotels, for more information, visit WW Thanks to Ed and Til Hardy for telling us about their first big motorcycle trip together and the things they learned along the way. It was great to hear about their experiences and the learning curve that went with their adventure. WW

5 Wing Wag March, 2011 Page 5 If you are interested in attending any courses please contact Alex Middleton at rider goldwing calgary.com to express your interest or for additional information. Scheduled Courses: CPR and First Aid Course March 26, 2011 $35.00 for members WW DAY/DATE Mar 14 Mar 26 Apr 11 MEETING SCHEDULE March Monthly Meeting CPR First Aid Course April Monthly Meeting Friends for Fun, Safety, and Knowledge Come ride with us...everyone Welcome! For the latest updates on what we are doing and where we re going, check out our website: Monthly Meetings Monthly meetings are held on the 2nd Monday of each month. This is a time to share information and to meet old and new friends who like to ride together for FUN, Safety and Knowledge. See you at the next meeting at the Fox Hollow Golf Club, 9th Street and 32nd Avenue N.E. 6:30; Meeting at 7:00 PM. Rain, snow or shine, we meet for breakfast every Sunday morning about 9 AM. This is a great year round way to stay in touch with your GWRRA friends. So, if you have missed the opportunity to join us for breakfast recently, why don t you come on over to the Fox Hollow Golf Club, 9th Street and 32nd Avenue N.E.

6 Wing Wag March, 2011 Page 6 Classified Ads The Classified ads are free to all members and associates of the GWRRA. While advertised items do not have to be Gold Wing related, we do insist that all ads pertain to motorcycling. Ads will appear on a space available basis for one month. Should you wish to continue to run your ad for a second or succeeding month, you must resubmit or renew your ad. Deadline for submission is the 25th of the month preceding publication. To post an ad or if the item is sold or the offer withdrawn, please contact Lisa Miller at: goldwing calgary.com CALGARY AREA STAFF Chapter Directors Ron Syroishka (403) chapter goldwing calgary.com Assistant Gary & Susan Premech (403) Chapter Directors assistant chapter goldwing calgary.com Quartermaster Barry Lammle (403) goldwing calgary.com Newsletter Editor Lisa Miller (403) goldwing calgary.com Treasurer Eric Roberts (403) goldwing calgary.com Ride Coordinator Terry Collin (403) ride goldwing calgary.com Rider Education Alex Middleton (403) rider goldwing calgary.com Rider Course Terry Burrell (403) Instructor goldwing calgary.com Social Coordinators Carol Myers (403) social goldwing calgary.com & Susan Premech (403) social goldwing calgary.com Webmaster Darryl Minsky (403) goldwing calgary.com February 50/50 Winner GWRRA TOLL FREE NUMBER (CANADA & US) NATIONAL LEADERS Executive Director Mike Stiger (623) Asst Natl Director Rider Ed Milt Sorensen (403) Region J Directors Phil & Margaret Craven (250) District Directors Ross & Audrey Woolsey (780) Gary Premech NOTE: addresses in this publication are displayed in a manner that will deter automatic address harvesting programs. This step is taken to reduce unsolicited to any addresses we post. We regret any inconvenience caused for our legitimate visitors. REMOVE ALL THE SPACES IN THE ADDRESS TO MAKE IT WORK.

7 Wing Wag March, 2011 Page 7 (Continued from page 3) waved us through. By early afternoon we were entering Tucson, and with the help of Zoomo, we found the hotel. (Pic #20) (Pic #21) (Pic #20) (Pic #23) The next day, (Pic #22) a couple of the guys (Pic #22) (Pic #24) (and their wives Shelly and Susan) took a trip up to Mt. Lemmon (Pic #21). As for Art and me, well we felt our time should be spent in the swimming pool. I also noticed they had a massage service, so for $65 I indulged for an hour and half of heaven. The next day we all decided to check out Tombstone (Pic #23). We kind of went through there several days ago at a little faster than touring speed, so everything was kind of a blur. So this time we took a couple of hours and wandered around. (Pic #24) As a keepsake the Wild Hogs got a group photo (Pic #26) of the occasion. Then after lunch and some photos (Continued on page 8)

8 Wing Wag March, 2011 Page 8 (Continued from page 7) with Big Nose Kate and her saloon (Pic #25), we headed back to Tucson for the banquet that night. The banquet was pretty good, (Pic #27) lots of door prises and not too bad food. (Pic #28) So now with the event over and all of the goodies we received packed, it was time to turn in as we would be heading home the next morning. Editor Note: This article has been presented in several parts over the last couple of months. The final instalment will be in the April edition. Many thanks for your efforts Kim!) WW (Pic #26) (Pic #25) (Pic #27) (Pic #28)