November - Ontario Retreads

Retreads Ontario South
®
http://home.cogeco.ca/~osretreads/
November 2006
AREA REP - Lorraine Jarvis
[email protected]
ROAD CAPTAINS –Bob Jones,
John Bacon, Ron Johnston
TREASURER –Chris Spence
NEWSLETTER –Brian Jarvis
REGALIA –Bunny Johnston
Ontario Retreads Breakfasts
EAST 1st Sunday, 9:00 a.m. Call
Earl & Jean Reinke, (613)8392997
KAWARTHA 3rd Sunday 10:00
a.m., Golden Wheel Restaurant
Hwy 28, Frazerville, just north of
Hwy 115
NORTH 3rd Sunday 10:30 a.m.
Camelback Rest. HOJO call Ron
Vaillaincourt (705)235-2028
NORTHERN TRIANGLE 2nd
Sunday 9:30 a.m., Bayside
Restaurant, 354 Atherly Rd.
Orillia
NORTHWEST 3rd Sunday, 9:00
a.m., Call Tom & Janet Gowler
(807)475-4613
WEST 4th Sunday 10:00 a.m.,
Country Hearth Restaurant,
Komoka.
Hi Folks;
I
t
’
shar
dt
obel
i
ev
et
hatNov
ember is just around the corner. Even
t
houghi
t
’
sautumn, October was a pretty busy month. The annual
colour run to Port Allegany was wonderful, with a good turn out of
members. It was a bit cool and damp, but not as bad as it could
hav
ebeen.I
’
m sur
eagood time was had by all.
Then, we had the pleasure of enjoying Friday the 13th in Port
Dover; however, Mot
herNat
ur
edi
dn’
tseem t
of
eelt
hati
tshoul
dbe
proper riding weather. Thatdi
dn’
tkeept
housandsofbi
ker
sf
r
om
attending.
Our October 1st breakfast was only attended by 17 members, due
to many being on the colour run, but 5 bikes adorned the parking
lot. Joe Vietch went home $29.00 richer by winning the 50/50 draw
and Grant Kurtz will have his next breakfast on us.
Sunday October 15th was a much nicer day, with 41 members in
attendance. There were 16 bikes out for the ride and we had 3
guests. Peter and Julia Roles must have enjoyed themselves, as
they became new members before leaving.
JohnBaconwasi
nat
t
endance,buthi
sl
uc
kwasn’
twi
t
hhi
m this
day. Wayne Doherty was the lucky 50/50 winner of $82.00
(
appar
ent
l
yher
ubbedhi
st
i
c
ketonJohn’
sheadf
orgoodl
uc
k)and
a member of the kitchen won the breakfast draw.
I
’
m notqui
t
esur
ei
fwehav
ehadourI
ndi
ansummer yet, if not, I
can hardly wait for it, if we have, where was I?
There are a lot of activities coming up, so read the newsletter
car
ef
ul
l
y
,soy
oudon’
tmi
ssoutonany
t
hi
ng.
I know how much we all hate to give up riding, so if you are one to
ride during the cooler months, please remember to dress
accordingly and adjust your riding to the road conditions. Even
t
hought
her
ei
sn’
tanysnow,t
her
oadscanbej
ustasdanger
ousi
f
they are wet, damp or covered with slippery leaves. We have a lot
of beautiful seasons ahead, so be careful out there.
A br
i
efupdat
e oft
hi
ngs happeni
ng: Ladi
es Ni
ghtatJake’
si
s
Thursday Nov. 16th at 6:00 pm (contact myself or Barb Andrew if
you will be attending).
Night at the Races, Sun. Nov. 12th (commitment must be made by
Nov. 5th).
Burlington Santa Clause Parade, Sun. Dec. 3rd and the Bike Show
in January 2007.
Don’
tf
or
gett
ol
etmeknow i
ft
her
ear
eanysoci
alev
ent
st
haty
ou
would like to see us hold and I will try my best to make it happen.
DON’
T FORGET,br
eakf
as
ton Sun.Nov
.5th is at Fr
anki
e’
si
n
Mount Hope, 8:30 am. If you need directions, please contact me.
Unt
i
lt
hen………….
.
Ri
deSaf
e……………… Lor
r
ai
neXL+
My Breakdown in Kentucky by Robin Norton
It was already hot and humid at 8:30 a.m. on
August 1st when I said goodbye to my wife, Meryl. I
hopped on the Honda VFR 800 and headed west
from Toronto via the QEW in very heavy traffic
towards the Fort Erie border crossing.
Iwasn’
tt
oo sur
e wher
e Iwoul
d end up orhow
long I would be away, as I had decided only a few
day
sear
l
i
ert
omaket
het
r
i
p.I
twasmywi
f
e’
si
dea
after she heard me complain once again about the
monotonous cityscape and traffic I had to endure
around Toronto just to get somewhere decent for a
f
ew hour
s’r
i
de. Shesuggested I take a trip for a
week or so and mentioned Northern Ontario. So I
opted for south of the border with its better roads
and more abundant accommodation options. A
couple of days before I left I went to the local
bookstore to get some ideas for my trip from the
U.
S.gui
de books
. “
Gr
eatAmer
i
can Mot
or
cycl
e
Tour
s”wasagoodf
i
ndandIboughti
tt
ohel
ppl
an
my route.
The border crossing took only a few minutes but
for some reason I had to leave my banana,
although the apple was allowed through. I then
headed south towards Gettysburg, PA, keeping
away from major highways and taking time to enjoy
the beautiful countryside. After an overnight stay in
tiny Halifax, PA (i.e., no bars), at the Red Rose
Motel (recommended: clean and cheap), I arrived in
Gettysburg. After a short visit, as I had already
spent considerable time there a few years earlier
with my wife, it was on to Antietam, MD, Harpers
Ferry, WV, and Fredericksburg, VA.
These are all important Civil War battle sites and
well worth a visit, especially since the surrounding
countryside is beautiful with many roads ideal for
motorcycling. I stayed overnight in Fredericksburg,
VA, and then headed southwest towards the
Appalachian Mountains. Just south of Leesburg I
was riding along a country road when something
caught my eye to the left: a big sleek doe charged
out of the brush, and as I went for the brakes she
suddenly veered left and was running in the ditch
par
al
l
elt
ot
her
oad. ThankGod,I
’
dcomeupona
smart deer. About two hundred metres along there
was a deer warning sign, a little too late, but I
vowed to take these signs a lot more seriously in
future. A little later on while traveling along a quiet
narrow country road near a place called Summer
Duck; I swerved around what looked like a strip of
rubber from a tire. When I was almost alongside it,
it raised its head about eighteen inches in the air, a
big black snake that looked as if it was about to
strike. I think this raised my adrenalin level more
than the deer. A friend told me later it probably was
a constrictor and not poisonous.
At some point I saw a sign that said Skyline Drive
and followed it to investigate. It turned out to be a
toll road through Shenandoah National Park. The
fees are $10.00 for motorcycles and $15.00 for
automobiles. I decided to take it; expensive, but
valid for a seven-dayper
i
odal
t
houghIdi
dn’
tus
ei
t
again. A great road for motorcycling with not much
traffic, lots of sweeping curves and lovely scenery.
I continued through the Park until I came to the
Blue Ridge Parkway, which is a toll-free road
forbidden to any commercial traffic and which
meanders south through the Appalachian
Mountains for four hundred and sixty-nine miles of
endless curves, ups and downs and never-ending
panoramas of mountains and valleys. In other
wor
ds,abi
ker
’
sdr
eam t
hatIdi
scov
er
edt
hankst
o
t
he “
Gr
eatAmer
i
can Mot
or
cy
cl
e Tour
s”book. I
t
begins at Rockfish Gap, near Waynesboro, VA, and
ends in Cherokee, NC. Due to the high elevation
the air was much cooler than the 30º+ C
temperatures I had been experiencing since leaving
Toronto. The speed limit is 45 mph, although there
are no police patrols to enforce it, and the traffic is
very sparse due to its limited accessibility.
Entrances and exits on the Parkway are infrequent
and in some cases many miles from a town or
services, along steep winding roads with very tight
curves, as I later discovered.
There are no
services on the Parkway with the exception of the
occasional comfort station and one or two holiday
lodges with expensive restaurants. So a full gas
tank is a good idea before you start.
The
Par
kway
’
sconst
r
uct
i
onbegani
n1935andwasone
ofPr
esi
dentFr
ankl
i
n Del
ano Roosev
el
t
’
s makework projects to help the many unemployed during
the Great Depression.
I stayed overnight at the Blue Ridge Motel in
Meadows of Dan, VA, (a bargain at $35.00, tax
included, and also not far from the Parkway), and
the next morning rejoined the Parkway and
continued south, keeping an eye on the sky, which
had started to darken as rain clouds moved in. In
the early afternoon as the first drops of rain began
falling, I spotted an exit and thought this would be a
good place to leave the Parkway, wait out the storm
at the nearest restaurant and then head off to the
Smoky Mountains and Deal
’
s Gap -- a
mot
or
cy
c
l
i
st
s’ hav
en not
ed f
or hav
i
ng t
hr
ee
hundred and eighteen curves in eleven miles. It
started to rain harder as I got onto the access road,
and I discovered that I was descending from
probably over two thousand feet elevation along a
very steep and narrow winding road with multiple
hairpin curves. It went on for miles and miles
without a sign of civilization amongst the trees and
nowhere to shelter.
Finally, as the road
straightened, I spotted a small cluster of rundown
houses or shacks on the left and across the road a
large fire station truck garage. There was nobody
there as far as I could see, and I drove my bike
onto the cement apron in front of one of the garage
doors sheltered from the rain by the roof overhang.
There was no point in putting on my rain gear as I
was quite wet, so I sat on the warm cement to wait
out the rain and looked across the road. There
seemed to be some kind of all-male party going on,
as half a dozen guys wandered in and out of the
house holding bottles of beer or standing around in
the pouring rain in their shirtsleeves, drinking and
chatting. Finally one of them spotted me, waved at
me to come over and held up a beer. I declined
with a friendly wave and as the rain had started to
ease, climbed back on the bike and continued on
my way. I finally saw a gas station, where I was
informed that the nearest town was Waynesville,
NC, so I headed there in search of food and
lodging.
It was early Friday evening and as I tried at the
usual places like Super 8, etc., I quickly discovered
that everything was booked up. One friendly clerk
even telephoned around for me without success. I
finally asked why it was so busy and he told me
that this was college graduation weekend and all
the proud parents and grandparents had taken all
the rooms for Friday and Saturday. So there was
nothing to do but head down U.S. Highway 74 and
keep looking. Finally in the next town, Whittier, NC,
I spotted the seedy looking Starlight Motel, where
the lady proprietor said she perhaps could fix me
up. Lounging on old sofas outside some of the
rooms were several men drinking beer who looked
as if they had seen better days. Friendly, though.
When she showed me the room there were two
double beds, one made and the other obviously
slept in. That was it –$50.00 plus taxes take it or
l
eav
ei
t
.It
ooki
t
,asi
twas
n’
tagoodt
i
met
obet
oo
fastidious. When I asked her where the remote
was for the small TV appended to the ceiling, she
said they had all been stolen. Then a little later on
the loud partying began; not me but them. I finally
drove up the highway and bought some beer of my
own to drug myself to sleep, consumed this, put in
my earplugs, set the paging alarm on my bike and
finally managed to get to sleep around half past
mi
dni
ght
,t
hi
nki
ng may
bei
t
’
st
i
met
oheadhome
af
t
ergoi
ngt
oDeal
’
sGap.
In the morning all was quiet except for one old
fellow wandering around who complained of having
a terrible headache when I greeted him and
enquired as to the whereabouts of the proprietress,
who had insisted I return the room key to her
personally. She had said it was the only one she
hadl
ef
t
.“
Sl
eepi
ngi
tof
f
”
,hesai
d,soIl
ef
ti
ti
nakey
box and drove over to the big Cherokee Indian
reserve for breakfast and a t-shirt, then on to the
SmokyMount
ai
nsandDeal
’
sGapt
or
i
det
hesocalled Tail of the Dragon –eleven miles of non-stop
very sharp curves and hairpins on Highway 129
near Tapoco, NC. There are supposed to be three
hundr
edandei
ght
eeni
nal
lbutIdi
dn’
tcount them.
In the early afternoon I arrived at the starting point,
where there are a couple of souvenir shops, one
with a restaurant attached. A hundred or more
bikers and their machines were congregating
outside, and I watched the action for a while as
bikes started or returned, and chatted with some of
the riders. I was warned to watch out for opposing
riders crossing the yellow line because some were
driving too fast for their abilities; good advice as it
turned out. I went into the shop to buy a couple of
souvenirs before I set out on the ride and looked at
t
he phot
os ofcr
umpl
ed bi
kes on t
he “
Wal
lof
Shame”di
spl
ay
edi
nsi
de.
Then off I went with some trepidation to ride the
“
Dr
agon”
,andi
twasanex
c
i
t
i
ngchal
l
engewi
t
hso
many bikes flying at you from the opposite
direction, some, as warned, crossing onto your side
of the yellow line, but others were obviously expert
riders on 600cc sports bikes taking the curves at
knee-dragging speed. Anyway, I completed it and
decided once was enough, stopped, consulted my
map and decided to look for the I-75 and head
home the fast way, then drove towards a big black
cloud on the horizon. As I approached a town it
started to rain, so I pulled into a supermarket on the
outskirts and bought something to eat. At the
check-out I asked the young woman at the cash
what the name of the town was. She looked
sur
pr
i
sedandsai
dsomet
hi
ngl
i
ke“
Mar
yv
i
l
l
e–youal
ldon’
tknow wher
ey
ouar
e,wher
e’
r
ey
ougoi
ng?”
WhenIr
epl
i
ed“
Tor
ont
o”shesai
d “
Wher
e’
st
hat
?”
Incredul
ous
,Isai
d“
y
ou’
v
enev
erhear
dofTor
ont
o?
I
t
’
si
nCanada.
”Sher
epl
i
edt
hatshehadn’
t
.ThenI
as
ked“
hav
ey
ouhear
dofBaghdad?”andshesai
d
“
y
es, i
st
hat wher
e you’
r
ef
r
om?” I was i
n
Tennessee.
The rain continued so I donned my rain suit and
headed towards the I-75. Fifteen minutes later the
rain stopped and so did I, to remove the rain suit
because of the heat. Then I was on the interstate
heading north and planning to drive until dark. After
a while a hard rain started to fall and it was difficult
to see, so I pulled under the first overpass I saw to
wai
ti
tout
.I
twasn’
tl
ongbef
or
ei
tst
oppedandIgot
back in the saddle, turned the key, pushed the
starter switch and . . . nothing. There was no
display on the console and the battery appeared to
be dead. When I checked the connections the
battery felt very hot and I suspected it had shorted
out. What to do? Here I was somewhere in
Kentucky at around 7:00 p.m. on a very busy
highway with plenty of motorcycles passing by, so I
tried to flag someone down without success. I just
got a merry wave back from the bikers, who
probably thought I was just being friendly. Then I
remembered reading that if you placed your helmet
on the ground next to the highway it was a sign of
distress, so I tried this while I tried to flag someone
down,butt
hi
sdi
dn’
twor
kei
t
her
,andIhadseenno
sign of a highway patrol car in either direction.
Looking off into the distance, I thought I could
det
ectanex
i
tanddeci
dedt
oheadf
ori
t
. Idi
dn’
t
feel that leaving the bike there while I went for help
was an option, as it would have been an easy
target for thieves. I managed to strap my helmet
and jacket to the seat and started pushing.
Fortunately there was a slight downgrade but it was
hot and humid, and I managed only a few hundred
y
ar
ds bef
or
e Ir
eal
i
z
ed t
hatt
hi
s wasn’
tgoi
ng t
o
work. I was afraid of dropping about 550 lbs of
machine onto the asphalt, as I was getting tired and
my wrists were starting to ache. So then I tried
straddling the bike and walking it along, which
worked a little better as long as there was a
downgrade, but soon the ground leveled out. Still, I
was making progress: I had reached the first exit
sign for London, KY.
By now the daylight was fading and I was on an
uphill slope with the shoulder narrowing as I
approached the exit, forcing me to run the bike on
the rumble strip. Finally, when I was about a half
kilometre from the exit, which I could see rose
sharply before leaving the highway, a pickup truck
pulled up behind me with its flashers on. Alan, the
driver, who had owned a bike in his youth, said he
had noticed me much earlier while driving his
daughter to the next town, and knew I must have a
problem. He had jumper cables and the engine
started right away, but stopped as soon as they
were removed. Leaving them on and running it for
a whi
l
e di
dn’
thel
p ei
t
her
. It
hanked hi
m,buthe
said he would stay and help get me off the highway
and take me to a twenty-four hour Wal-Mart that
sold motorcycle batteries. Thank God for Alan,
because the exit ramp was steep, but we managed
in relays with him helping me push for about a
hundred metres and then going back for his truck,
and so on, until we made it to the top and I was
able to coast down to a gas station. We removed
my battery and he drove me with it to the local WalMart where the young clerk in the battery
department insisted he had to know the make,
model and year of the bike. Finally, after much
searching through his thick catalogue, he declared
hedi
dn’
thav
eone. Ex
asperated, I demanded he
let me behind the counter to look on the shelves
myself, where I immediately found one of exactly
the same dimensions as my own. According to my
Visa slip, it was exactly 10:31 p.m. when I finally
paid the $50 plus tax for the battery. Then it was
back to the service station where I added the six
l
i
t
t
l
ebot
t
l
esofaci
dsuppl
i
ed,andwi
t
hAl
an’
shel
p
installed it. The bike started immediately.
He left, leaving me his name and telephone
number in case I had a problem in the morning.
Then off to look for a room, there appearing to be
plenty of choice as there were four or five places
close by, but which all proved to be booked solid
because of the college graduation weekend. So it
was north up the Interstate to the next exit, where
the Super 8 motel clerk told me he had one room
l
ef
t
,buti
twas“
smoki
ng”andIcoul
dchec
ki
tout
.
As I considered this, another customer walked in so
I grabbed it. It was after midnight when I finally
crawled into the shower.
The next day, Sunday, I checked the previous
ni
ght
’
swor
kdoneont
hebi
keandhi
tt
hehi
ghway
at around 9:30 a.m., arriving back home in Toronto
773.6 miles later at 1:00 Monday morning without
further incident.
Byt
he way
,Mer
ylf
ound Al
an’
saddr
esson t
he
Internet, so I was able to send him a proper thankyou letter a few days after my return.
A couple of footnotes to my trip:
1. I was subsequently told by someone that if I
had disconnected a lead from one side of
the battery and then boosted it the engine
would have continued to run from the
alternator. Apparently the defective battery
was shorting out the ignition the way I tried
to do it.
2. A couple of weeks after my return our Bell
Telephone bill arrived with a charge of
$26.37 for a three-minute London,
Kentucky, collect call billed by a third party
cal
l
ed MP Gui
dance t
hatIdi
dn’
ti
nf
act
make. I had made a one-minute call to my
wife using my Bell Calling Card to tell her
my room number and telephone number so
she could call me back. My point is to warn
members that if you call collect from the
U.S.A. it could end up costing you almost
$9.00 per minute.
3. Finally, as I struggled to write the story of
my trip (with some gentle prodding from
Lorraine and Brian), I came to realize how
much time and effort they must put into
prepar
i
ng t
he mont
hl
y newsl
et
t
erand I
’
m
sure we all appreciate it.
Note: It is very helpful, as well as greatly
appreciated, to have the members submit
stories like t
hi
s and l
ast mont
h’
s as wel
l
.
Thanks for making the job a whole lot easier.
Let
’
shope others will be motivated to follow
your examples!
Annual Colour Run
The annual colour run was another success other
than the fact the trees had not really started to
change colour.
We headed out to the Duty Free at Fort Erie to meet
up with the group who were going. We had prepared
for the worse, weather wise. When we arrived there
were already some people there and as the rest
gradually arrived it was obvious everyone else had
feared the worse. To a person we were layered for
warmth and our outer garments were of the water
proof type. Likewise it seemed most of us had
brought lots of spare gloves in case they got wet,
along with bandanas and balaclavas, etc. It turned
out our preparations were unnecessary.
In total there were 11 bikes assembled to ride this
morning and 18 people. (Ron & Lynda, Dave & Cheryl,
Gerry & Barb, Steve & Karen, John & Karen, Tony and Caro,
“
Mouse”
,Don&Bar
bandour
s
el
v
es)
The sky had become a wonderful blue on the ride to
Fort Erie, but as usual while we were having coffee it
turned an ominous gray. Fortunately it did not rain
for the most part.
Tony had planned a stop near the intersection of
Rtes 16 & 39 to let us have a pit stop and gas up.
Af
t
ert
hi
swe pr
oceeded t
o Denny
’
sr
est
aur
antf
or
breakfast or lunch whichever you preferred. Once
again while we were eating it started to rain but let
up pretty much when we were ready to leave.
We descended on the motel about 1:30 p.m. and set
up in our rooms. We met the others who had come
down the day before; Dave, Don and Barb, Gord and
Lynne. Dave and Pia had taken a tour the day
before as well as Bob and Robin. Alex and Hilde
arrived in their van which brought the total to 29
people.
After everybody was settled in, Tony offered to take
us to the “
Tannery”
,somewhere in Pennsylvania.
This was not without delay as there was a parade
through the town in celebration of their
Sesquicentennial. Our stay was short because we
had to be back to the motel in time to get on the bus
which would take us to dinner at the Two Mile Inn.
The Two Mile Inn
The bus ride was amusing as we acted like a bunch
of school children. The food at the restaurant was
good and plentiful as well as reasonable. After
dinner the bus returned us to the motel and
everybody went their own way either to bed or to
hangouti
nsomeone’
sr
oom.
In the morning we had breakfast at the diner just
down the street. After this the group split into two
with a group of five bikes heading out for home and
the rest planned to go on a ride down around Du
Bois, PA. (
Pr
onounced“
dewboy
s”byt
hel
ocal
s)
The weather for our trip home was pretty good
outside of the wet roads and some rain around
Ellicottville, NY. As we neared the border the skies
brightened and some outer wear was removed.
All in all we did not have to endure the hardships
t
hatwehav
ei
nt
hepastwi
t
ht
heweat
herandI
’
m
sure everybody is looking forward to next year.
Friday the 13th –25th Anniversary
”
Tont
o”andt
he“
WagonMast
er
”
Upon exiting the van after getting the morning
coffee it started to snow. Some phone calls were
made to determine if others were going and what
the weather was like. Dave phoned back to let us
know there were numerous bikes heading south
and he was going to make, at the very least, a
token appearance on his bike.
While getting suited up we got another phone call
from a friend to let us know her husband warned of
sleet in the Nanticoke area where he was working.
The decision was made to take four wheeled
transportation but to keep the extra clothing on.
Police at Hwy 6 and Reg.3 directed us west on St.
John’
sRd.t
owar
dSi
mcoe.Al
lt
her
oadssout
hf
r
om
here were barricaded and we ended up parking in a
field west of Blue Line Rd. The cost was $10 which
included the bus ride into town and back. The drop
off point would be the LCBO store and the pickup
point was next to the Legion parking lot.
We i
mmedi
at
el
yr
an i
nt
o“
Newf
”and Mar
y Anne
from the Niagara HOG but lost them in the park
while checking out the vendors wares and watching
them try to hold their tents down. Once on the main
street we qui
ckl
ydi
scov
er
ed “
Bunny
”and Mar
go
si
t
t
i
ng on t
hei
r bi
kes. “
Bunny
” was somewhat
excited about a trike a local is willing to build for 15
grand if you’
re interested. (See him for details).
Volkswagen Trike
It was quickly decided the four of us would go to a
little bar next to the park. On the way we
encountered a fellow dressed in a full length silver
fox fur coat. While Margo was taking his picture a
fellow showed up on a Harley with a great looking
dog on the back. The aforementioned fellow
wanted to get his picture taken along side of the
pup and it was love at first sight.
What a nice coat you have!
We continued on to the bar which provided us with
warmth and refuge from the cold and rain and
strong winds as evidenced by the pictures (below).
Once inside, the bar was made the headquarters
for sojourns to various shops and to the HOG pin
stop in the Arbor parking lot.
Gradually more Retreads, who also had taken
warmer transportation and the shuttle bus,
gathered. In all there were 13 of us counting Dave,
Tony and Dave K., who we never made contact
with. We continued to occupy the seats in this
establishment until 4:15, at which time we
Happy Campers
convened at the Port Dover Legion for their fish and
chip dinner. Once again it was good and plentiful
but there was no dessert to be had this year.
Before leaving home I had my camera in my bike
but due to the change of plans left home without it.
Thanks go out again to Margo who once again
provided me with her memory card so the pictures
you see could materialize. The only problem with
this is that she never gets in the pictures. To
remedy this, the following is offered.
Margo and Bunny
Some of the other attractions she captured were
the S’
Cool Bus bike and an Indian Larry Tribute
bike.
Looks like winter
Lots of legs to hold this baby up
Someone should have told this guy!
Dave made it again!!
Indian Larry Tribute bike
So it’
s all over again until April and July of 2007.
Let’
s hope the weather is better!!!
Nicaragua Mission Supported by Prince of
Peace Ladies
Remember the Nicaragua Mission last January?
While the Mission Team worked on building a
Church, assisted with VBS, and handed out Power
Bracelets, in Matagalpa the ladies in the picture
were dreaming about warmer weather and the ride
they had arranged on Greg Munz
’
smot
or
cy
cl
e. I
t
wasal
mostay
earagot
hatt
he‘
Ladi
esofPr
i
nceof
Peace’Bur
l
i
ngt
onhel
daf
undr
ai
sert
osuppor
tt
he
‘
Ni
car
aguaMi
ssi
on’
.I
twast
hent
hat85y
earol
d
Anny Hayton, and Jean Hyatt, who only admits to
senior status, along with Helen Stewart, who admits
to being under 50, decided that they were not too
young or too old to do something adventuresome.
Anny disclosed that she may have ridden in a
motorcycle side-car as an infant in her Native
Norway. Jean admitted to having ridden years ago
while Helen has ridden occasionally, more recently.
Greg Munz, who was part of the Mission Team, is a
member of the Southern Ontario Chapter of the
‘
Ret
r
eads’whi
ch i
s an i
nt
er
nat
i
onal organization
whose members must be over 40 years of age.
The only other membership requirement is to have
a love for and a dedication to exploring the open
road on motorcycles.
Greg, Anny, Helen, and Jean of Prince of Peace
Burlington pose before getting ready to ride.
As part of the fund raiser Greg volunteered to take
church members for a ride in exchange for financial
support of the Mission. Interestingly enough, only
women accepted the challenge. When it was all
over they were all smiles, having displayed courage
to take the risk and overcome their apprehensions,
and get on with doing something extra-ordinary.
The ladies proved that not only can you have fun
but you can do it in support of a worthy cause. The
money that they donated in order to take their rides
went to support the Nicaragua Mission.
Bike Storage
I
t
’
st
hatt
i
me oft
he y
earagai
n!The following
information was gleaned from several different
sources.
Fuel system-fill your tank right up to avoid rusting
inside it, add stabilizer and run engine to ensure the
stabilizer gets into the carb/s. Some advise the
draining of the carb/s to avoid the clogging of jets
with buildup of varnish. This can be done by
removing their plugs or by running the engine with
the fuel tap shut off until it stalls.
Engine-change the oil and filter. Some recommend
putting oil in the cylinders or spraying them with
lubricant.
Body work-give it a good wash and a polish and
depending on where you store it possibly spray it
with silicone. This may require a special fluid to
remove it in the spring.
Battery-if it is to be stored in sub-zero temperature
remove battery and keep it in a warm place and
charge it with a trickle charger. If to be stored in
your garage you can leave it in but get a battery
tender. ($64.95 at Sturgess Cycle less your 10%
club discount.)
Chain drives-lubricate the chain to prevent rusting
Shaft drives-check oil level
Cooling System-check antifreeze to ensure it is able
to withstand expected temperatures.
Tires-inflate to recommended pressure or more.
Block bike up to take weight off tires or move
wheels periodically to prevent flat spots.
If possible start it once a month.
Once again the Retreads will have a presence
at the bike show on the above dates.
Even though it is Ontario South who is
responsible for the operation it is hoped this
year we could have some representation from
other chapters. As in other years there will be
the normal volunteers, but, it would be nice to
have more. This is especially true of persons
from other chapters who come to visit the
booth. If they are going to be at the show it
would be helpful to have them on hand to give
more pertinent information to people who
inquire about their respective chapters.
Let us know if you want to take up this
challenge!
Summer vacation part 2 Boise to Paonia by Wayne Doherty
I had planned a leisurely ride through Utah to Boise but things change. Near
the end of the RA rally someone (either Hans or Shag), came up with a more
ambitious route. It was to take us into Nevada then through southern Utah
and back to Paonia from the bottom. Hans rides alone, Shag and Doc
traveled together, so the rest made up a last minute group from Toronto. Just
who was going was uncertain until we pulled out Sunday morning but it turned
out to be Roy Eastwood, Carol Taub, Mike
Fortais, Russel Roode and myself. The first
day was a long ride through the ranch lands
of Utah. This is dry land farming and very
empty. Gas was infrequent and always a concern for those of us with limited
range.
Area 51 in Nevada was the destination. We had a pop-up
thunderstorm on the way with wind rain and hail and were glad to get there.
This is the 2nd home of the aliens in the US
after Roswell NM. We were the last to arrive
and caught up with Hans Shag and Doc. Groom Lake (Area 51) is off limits
and can only be reached by a gravel road that is gated with signs that say “
use
of deadly force is authorized.” People here
were friendly but we had the feeling that some
had been rejected by the aliens.
The next day we gassed up ($4/gallon) and
headed out through the desert. This is the old
west. The country is empty and dry. Cattle have the right of way. One bull we
passed‘
ownedt
her
oad’andnoonei
nourgr
oupwasaboutt
o argue. As an
easterner I couldn’
tgetov
ert
hesi
mpl
ef
actof“
the desert.”I
t
‘
sempt
yandgoes
onf
or
ev
er
.Ican’
ti
magi
nehow t
hef
i
r
s
tpeopl
e
got across it with no marked trails.
I
twas hot
,buta dr
y heatand y
ou’
r
e not
supposed to feel it.
Mike and I found a friend in a 30 degree beer
r
oom anddef
i
ni
t
el
ydi
dn’
tf
eelanyheat
.
We r
ode t
hr
ough Zi
on Nat
i
onalPar
k.I
t
’
s
impossible to photograph or fully describe
how magnificent it is. Hans had planned to
meet us at Bryce Canyon that night but we
di
dn’
tmakei
t
.Anot
heraf
t
er
noonthunder storm came along and stopped our
pr
ogr
ess
.Wehear
dt
hatt
her
ewas3”ofhai
lon
the road.
The next morning we rode through Bryce
Canyon National park. All of these places leave
you in awe.
Afterward the road t
ookusupt
he“
Escal
ante”
where you ride on the peaks of the mountains
with drop offs on each side. The afternoon ride
passed through the Glenn canyon. Again, an unbelievable landscape.
A short cut led us down Route 261 to Mexican Hat. This meant we had to go
down t
he Mokee Dugway
. Thi
s was Car
ol
’
s mostmemor
abl
er
i
de and I
thought she might shoot Roy for taking us there.
Thursday we v
i
si
t
ed t
he ‘
FourCor
ner
s’t
hen
Mesa Verde National park. Boy, those people
were tough. Their houses were in caves at the
top of the mesa .Everything had to be brought up
from the valley 3000 ft below
Disaster struck when we stopped in Cortez,
Ar
i
z
onat
oshop.Russel
’
swi
r
i
nghar
nessdeci
dedt
omel
tdown.Then Roy and
Russel dug into the problem with Mike helping with the plastic. There was no cure. Carol dug into the
anonymous book and found Dick Jackson. He came to the rescue and had his son tow the bike to his house
for safe storage. (I spoke with Dick recently and he said he did the same thing for another group of Canadians
from Vancouver—maybe the sout
hwestdoesn’
tl
i
keCanadi
anbi
kes?)Thenex
tdayRusselr
ent
edacari
n
Durango while the rest of us headed up the Million Dollar highway to Paonia. Here we caught up with many of
the same people that were in Boise and again, rallied on.
Summer vacation Part 3 Paonia to Vermont
I knew I had to be home pretty fast because I wanted to squeeze in the Retreads rally in St Catharines before
going on to Vermont. I also had to get to a store in Niagara Falls during business hours so I got it into my head
that I should do the Iron Butt Saddle Sore (1000 miles in 24 hours) and Bun Burner (1500 miles in 36 hours) -y
ou’
r
eal
l
owedt
odobot
hont
hesamet
r
i
p.Igotal
lofmydocument
at
ion organized and left Paonia at 5:30
Sunday morning. The trip to Glenwood Springs was quick but it sure got cold when I went over the McClure
pass.I
’
dl
i
ket
odoi
tagai
ndur
i
ngt
hedaysoIc
oul
denj
oyt
hescener
y
.Asmostofy
ouknow,I
-70 between
Glenwood Springs and Denver is probably the most
scenic interstate in the US. Again I was pushing for
t
i
me and di
dn’
tgett
o enj
oy i
tas much as I
’
dl
i
ke.
Something else for another trip.
Idi
dn’
tknow j
us
thow f
l
ateast
er
nCol
or
adowasunt
i
lI
got there. I
tf
el
tl
i
ke t
her
e wasn’
t10 f
tofel
ev
at
i
on
change between Denver and St Louis. The ride was
fast and hot. Everything ran smooth until my credit
card was blocked. This took two stops, 30 minutes
each,t
ogetcl
ear
edup. I
fy
ou’
r
epl
anni
ngaf
asttrip
with multiple gas fill-ups then contact the company first
sot
heydon’
tputahol
dony
ourcar
d.Ex
ceptf
orbei
ng
hot (the only number I knew was 106 in Kansas) the
ride was straightforward.
I finished the Saddlesore section about 10:30 pm just westofStLoui
s
. Thedi
s
t
ancei
sn’
thar
dbutIwas
concerned about finding people to verify the odometer readings. This turned out to be a non-issue (I hope—
still haven’
thear
dt
hatmyr
unhasbeenc
onf
i
r
med)
.Theat
t
endantandanot
hercust
omerwer
equi
t
ewilling to
sign the form.
I wanted to get past the city before stopping so I carried on. I have a bad habit of carrying on too long. The
r
esul
twast
hatwhenIwasr
eadyf
oramot
elIcoul
dn’
tf
i
ndone.TheI
r
onBut
tmot
elwor
kspr
et
t
ygood as long
asi
t
’
snotr
ai
ni
ng.If
oundapi
cni
ct
abl
eatar
estst
opi
nI
ndi
anaandenj
oy
ed3hour
sofuni
nt
er
r
upt
edsl
eep.I
felt dozy a couple of hours later and had another nap. I thought that would take care of things.
At midmorning, just about the 1500 mile mark, I discovered that you can fall asleep at 70 miles an hour and I
don’
tr
ecommendi
t
.I
tonl
yl
ast
edf
orami
cr
osec
ondbuti
tscar
edmei
nmor
eway
st
hanone.Igotof
fatt
he
first exit, found a gas station with a lawn, cleaned up the brown stuff andhadagood1hoursl
eep.Ther
e’
sa
difference between a nap and a sleep. That sleep set me up for the rest of the day. Again, the attendant was
willing to sign the paperwork for the Bunburner odometer. It was well before noon. The distances had been
covered and I could stop. What I should have done is stop in a motel after the first 1000 but now I felt great
and was ready to go. So off we (me and the bike) went. The rest of the day was without incident. I was tired
and not as sharp as I could have been but was not sleepy.
I dealt with my business and was at the Retreads rally by 6: 00 pm. The distance was 1800 miles in less than
36 hours (Two hours lost to time zone changes). When I think about it both Iron Butt distances can easily be
done in the t
i
meal
l
owedwi
t
houtt
aki
ngs
t
upi
dchancesandst
i
l
l
geti
nadecentni
ght
’
ssl
eep.Ipushedt
oohar
d
becauseIdi
dn’
tst
opwhenIcoul
d.Thi
swasal
mostadi
sas
t
erandIhav
et
ot
hankt
hehor
seshoesImusthav
e
been wearing.
The MOA in Vermont appeared on the horizon by noon Thursday and guess what –Icoul
dn’
tf
i
ndt
hepeopl
e
I
’
dt
r
av
el
edwi
t
h(
onl
yacoupl
ewer
et
her
eandt
heyhadhi
ddent
hei
rt
ent
s)
. I was invited to camp with the
Loonietics, and had another great rally.
I
‘
dt
r
av
el
edov
er10000km t
ogot
of
ourr
al
l
i
esi
nt
hr
eeweeksandhadnotwonadoorpr
i
z
e.Iknow t
hey
’
r
e
saving me for a motorcycle next year.
Wayne Doherty
(Thanks to Russel Roode for the pictures)
Ladies night Thursday November 16th
J
ake’
sGrill & oyster house
950 Walkers line, Burlington
“
Ni
ghtatt
heRac
es
”F
l
amboroDowns
November 12th, 4:00 p.m.
1
0kmswes
tofC
l
appi
s
on’
sC
orners(
Hwy5&6)
bri
ngal
ongy
our“
Wi
nner’
sC
i
rc
l
e”c
ard.
Burlington Santa Clause Parade, Sun. Dec. 3rd
2007 M I D ATLANTIC RETREAD RALLY
BIRD I N HAND, PA
MAY 17-19, 2007
Sanctioned
Headquarters: B i r d - I n - H a n d Family I n n & Restaurant, Rt. 3 4 0 , Bird I n Hand, PA
7 1 7 - 7 6 8 - 8 2 7 1 or 8 0 0 - 5 3 7 - 2 5 3 5
“
Mention Retreads Motorcycle Club ”Rat
es:$ 80/ n i g h t (singles) $ 9 0 (doubles)
Special Room Rates will be held until April 1 7, 2007
Your Rally Package Includes
~ H o s p i t a l i t y Room –8 : 0 0 a . m . –5 : 0 0 p . m . ( S a t u r d a y u n t i l noon) I n c l u d e s A l l t h e Cookies You Can E a t
~ Free Breakfast Buffet (Friday OR Saturday –Your Choice)
~ Free Friday Night Barbeque
~ Thursday Night Dutch Treat Shady Maple Dinner (fee collected at registration upon arrival)
~ Professional Entertainment at Bird I n Hand Family Inn following Thursday Night Dinner
~ Fr
eeSat
ur
dayNi
ghtBanquetatGoodN’Pl
ent
y(
Li
mi
t
edt
ot
hef
i
r
st500)
~ Guided Tours, Self-Guided Tours, Charity Poker Run, 50/50 (Drawn Saturday Night)
~ Rally Pin to the first 400 people
Some of the other motels in the area are shown below -- More at www.padutchcountry.com
ALONG SPRUCE LANE
RT. 340, BIRD IN HAND, PA
AMISH COUNTRY MOTEL
RT. 340, BIRD IN HAND, PA
AMISH LANTERNS MOTEL
RT. 896, STRASBURG, PA
800-446-4901
BIRD IN HAND VILLAGE INN
Rt. 340, BIRD IN HAND, PA
717-768-4400
800-538-2535
COUNTRY LIVING INN
RT. 340, BIRD IN HAND,
PA 717-295-7295
717-687-7839
CHERRY LANE MOTOR INN
84 N. RONKS RD., RONKS, PA
717-768-7646
COUNTRYSIDE MOTEL
Rt. 896, RONKS, PA
717-687-8431
DUTCH TREAT MOTEL
RT. 896 & HERR ROAD, STRASBURG, PA
717-687-7998
EASTBROOK INN
RT. 896, RONKS, PA
717-393-2550 OR 800-777-8338
HERSHEY FARM MOTOR INN
RT. 896, STRASBURG, PA
717-687-8635
HOMESTEAD LODGING
RT. 896, SMOKETOWN, PA
717-393-6927
MILL STREAM COUNTRY INN
RT. 896, SMOKETOWN, PA
717-299-0931
OLD AMISH INN
RT. 896, RONKS, PA
717-393-3100
QUIET HAVEN MOTEL
2556 SIEGRIST RD, RONKS, PA
717-397-6231
ROCKVALE VILLAGE INN
24 S. WILLOWDALE RD., LANCASTER, PA
717-293-9500
SMOKETOWN MOTOR LODGE
RT. 896, SMOKETOWN, PA
717-397-6944
TRAVELERS REST
RT. 340, INTERCOURES, PA
717-768-8731
WEATERVANE MOTOR COURT
RT. 896, RONKS, PA
717-397-3398
CAMPING –BEACON HILL CAMPING
18 BEACON HILL DRIVE, INTERCOURSE, PA
717768-8775
CAMPING - FLORY’
SCAMPGROUND
99 N. RONKS ROAD, RONKS, PA
717687-6670
Make Checks Payable To: Mid Atlantic Retreads & Mail to Howard Outten, 37 E. Wolfert Station Road, Mickleton, NJ 08056 - 856-241-8979
Rider: ______________________________________________ Co-Rider:
Address: ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Card #: ___________________ Card #: ______________________ Phone: ________________________________________________________
Email Address (To Receive Confirmation of Registration Only) or send SASE to address above:
# of People
x 48.00 per person with Banquet
x $58.00 per person AFTER April 17, 2007
=$
# of People
x $38.00 per person without
x $48.00 per person AFTER April 17, 2007
=$
POLO SHIRTS (CollarsBanquet
& Pockets):
S
M L
XL $14.00 per shirt
=$
POLO SHIRTS (Collars & Pockets):
XXL
____
=$
XXXL $20.00 per shirt
SHIRTS MUST BE PURCHASED IN ADVANCE
TOTAL: = $___
You must be 40 years of age and have a current membership card to be eligible for event-sponsored awards. Guests,
sponsored by a Retread are always welcome. No trophies for trailered bikes.