2014 May-June - Chapter GA-J

MOUNTAIN BLUE J’S
Chapter Directors
Ride Coordinator
Sunshine
Bob & Kathy Hill
Dennis Bible
Susie Beach
706 896-6611
706 781-7400
813-416-2253
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
Asst Chap Directors
Educator
Greeter
Dave & Judy Hurd
Steve Beach
Kathy Hill
828 369-5918
813 417-2253
828-321-3472
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
Treasurer
Webmaster
Newsletter Editors
Jill McDaris
Bob & Kathy Hill
Dennis & Sue Bible
734 755-4662
828-321-3472
706 781-7400
[email protected]
Co-Activity Coordinator’s
[email protected]
REGION A - GOLD WING ROAD RIDERS ASSOCIATION
GEORGIA DISTRICT HIAWASSEE, GA
May/June 2014
CHAPTER ‘J’ ‘BLUE NOTE’
What’s up with this happy couple?
We’re sure there’s a perfectly legitimate and rational explanation as to
why they seem so happy but we’d rather let our sleazy minds run wild
with speculation!
(The only reason this is in the newsletter is because we had empty
space to fill in lieu of a message from our Chapter Director!
‘Spose we might get some “Words of wisdom” for the next issue?)
I told you pray for no rain
I talked to you, told you that we’re going
too
Back to the Smokies again
(Chorus)
Cause I’ve got friends on Gold Wing cycles
Where the chrome shines bright
And the lights sparkle
Our blues away, we’ll be okay
I’m not big on flat land places
Think I’ll slip on up to the mountain places
Cause I’ve got friends
Our ride began and 10:00 AM at the Blairsville
BP. We had 8 riders, 4 bikes and 2 trikes. When On Gold Wing cycles.
showing up for the ride most people said they
Well, I guess you weren’t wrong
were coming on the ride but not going to the Lost When you said we belong, out west,
Sea. So it was decided that we would not stop at
Cause we’ve been there before
the Lost Sea. We left Blairsville and whent
Everything’s alright
North on 129 to 64 and turned onto 294. We
took that to 68 into Tellico Plains and had lunch. So we’ll turn on our lights
And we will ride with our backs to the
We then took 68 North to 411 and then over to
360 which took you right back to Tellico Plains.
shore
We then took 68 South all the way to 76/515 and It’ll be a cool scene, riding on our Gold
back to Blairsville. It was a very nice ride.
Wings
Back in the mountains again
Thousands of bikes shining as bright as
“Going Back to Our Roots”
the sun
Words by Don Harden and sung by Brian Stewart That we’re riding in
(Chorus)
Sung to the tune of Garth Brooks
Cause I’ve got friends on Gold Wing cycles
“Friends In Low Places”
Where the chrome shines bright
And the lights sparkle
We’re going back to our roots
Our blues away, we’ll be okay
We’ll show up in boots
Now I’m not big on flat land places
To ride in the Smokies again
Think I’ll slip on up to the mountain places
The first one to know
Cause I’ve got friends
The first one to show
On Gold Wing cycles
I want to be the first you know to get
there
Contributed by Dave Hurd
Well, I saw your surprise
And the gleam in your eyes
Ride Report
By
Jill McDaris
by
Dennis Bible
Chapter GA-J Ride Coordinator
2014 Chapter GA-J Hairy Leg Ride
RIDE REPORT
Day 1,
Tuesday 5/13/14, Dennis leading, Terry tail gunner: We met at the Hiawassee Huddle House for a quick breakfast. Terry asked for blessings for our
ride. We were on the road at 06:30 under clear skies and 63 degrees. There
are 8 riders on 4 bikes and 4 trikes. Destination, Morehead City, N. C. We
had over 500 miles ahead of us this day so we stuck to the 4 lanes and Interstates. Bill started nodding off so we found a CVS and he picked up some NoDoze which seemed to help. About halfway we discovered Art’s trike was
leaking oil from the right valve cover. His
boot was getting oil soaked but he decided to ride it as is. Arriving in Morehead
City, we checked in to the motel, cleaned
up and motored to the “Channel Marker”
Restaurant for a pleasant seafood dinner
on the deck overlooking Bogue Sound. No
card game tonight.
520 miles, 11 hours.
Day 2,
Wednesday 5/14/14, Gordy leading, Terry
tail gunner:
Up at 05:00 and rolling at 05:30 to catch
the Cedar Island/Ocracoke Island Toll
Ferry. What a beautiful morning ride
watching the sun rise through the mists
coming off the bayou. It was “T” shirt
weather on beautiful Pamlico Sound all
day! After the 2 ½ hour ferry ride
we pulled into the Pony Island Restaurant on Ocracoke Is., for
breakfast/lunch. Ocracoke is a small
fishing village of about 1,000 locals.
The island is noted for its wild horses which can be seen in an enclosure
about 8 miles north of the village.
Continuing north we queued up for
the free ferry to Hatteras which took about 1 ½ hours to get on the boat,
and another 1 ½ hours to sail to Hatteras. From there we rode to the famous
Cape Hatteras Lighthouse for photo’s and a look-around. Then it was off to
our hotel at Kill Devil Hills, N. C. We got in about 3:30 so it was a scramble to
get over to the Wright Brothers National Monument before the 5 PM closing
time. We got there in time for an interesting lecture about how the Wright
Bros made their famous First Flight and a few minutes to look at the exhibits in the visitors center.
After that it was back to the hotel, dinner and down time. No card game
again.
180 miles, 10 hours, Art still oiling his boot.
Day 3,
Thursday, 5/15/14, Gordy leading, Terry tail gunner:
This is a “Get there” day. We headed north through the Chesapeake, Norfolk, Newport News area on our way to Front Royal, VA. About an hour out of
Front Royal our luck went into the toilet, literally! We rode into a black cloud
and it opened up. We scrambled to get into rain gear, then bumped around on
goat trails for an hour in the dark before arriving at our hotel. Another disaster, the hapless desk clerk took forever to get every wet one of us
checked in. Dinner was in the Thai (spicy food) restaurant in the hotel and I
had to slip Terry a couple of Pepcid tablets as he’d had a reaction to some
spicy shrimp the night before and had paced the beach all night with acid
reflux. But by golly…..we had a card game!
290 miles, 9 hours, Art’s oiled boot kept his sock dry.
Day 4,
Friday, 5/16/14, Roger leading, Terry tail gunner:
During the night rain in the hills
outside of town created a flash
flood. The city sewer backed up in
the hotel and water overflowed
the bath tubs in the ground floor
rooms flooding them. We squished
around on wet carpet to pack and
get out of there. What a mess!
Heading up on Sky Line Drive,
armed with sandwiches, snacks & pop we rolled south overlooking the
magnificent Shenandoah Valley. Even under cool (44 degrees) overcast
skies it is something to see! After a few miles we encountered a sow
Black Bear and her year-old cub feeding close to the road. I was able to
get a few pictures but when she cuffed that cub up a tree, we knew it
was time to give “momma” some space! We stopped at the Big Meadow
Visitors Center and watched a very informative 30 minute movie about
the “CCC Boys” and how they built this wonderful road. After a picnic
lunch, we continued south to mile 105 where Skyline Drive becomes the
Blue Ridge Parkway. More great twisty 2 lane road and little or no traffic. We checked into a very nice “Comfort Inn” in Rocky Mount, VA., and
enjoyed a good dinner at the restaurant next door. Played cards again!
175 miles, 8 hours. Gordy’s radio quit and Bill was nodding off again.
Day 5,
Saturday, 5/17/14, Dennis leading, Terry tail gunner:
After looking at the map this morning and realizing we were not far
from Mt. Airy, N. C. (Andy of Mayberry fame), we decided to head
there for a group photo in front of “Floyds Barber Shop”. About halfway Art started getting noise and vibration. His drive shaft was the
culprit. After having it towed to Winston/Salem Honda, we enjoyed a
free hot dog & hamburger lunch at the dealership while watching the
mechanics try to save it. While waiting, there was a considerable amount of
shopping, tire kicking and horse trading going on in that place (John was eyeballing a new Can-Am and Terry was checking out a late model GL1800). No
luck, Art had to leave his trike and double up with partner Terry. We headed
for our last hotel in Boone, N. C. Great
hotel, good “family style” dinner and our
last card game.
190 miles, 9 hours.
Day 6,
5/18/14, Dennis leading, Terry tail gunner:
I was looking at this guy with a burnt
face, cracked lips & bloodshot eyes when
it dawned on me I was looking in the mirror. Going down to breakfast, I saw
more of the same. After polling the crew and seeing the weather forecast
for rain all along our route, with eight fun meters pegged, we decided to
head for home. Apparently after all the rain and flooding in Front Royal, our
LORD took pity on us (Bill had said a quiet prayer) and let us ride home in the
dry.
It was 6 fine days in beautiful country with a great group. There were the
usual profound observations, corny jokes, insults, threats and complaints
which means everyone was having fun…….right?
200 miles, 6 hours, and everyone came home SAFE!
Riders were: Art Upchurch, Dutch Kryder, John Roberts, Roger LeRoy, Bill
Rutledge, Terry Kintz, Gordon Tomb, Dennis Bible
Next year’s HLR? Who knows!
D
Maggie Valley-Cherokee, N. C.
June 7 & 8 2014
Ride Report
By Dennis Bible
Saturday, June 7, we had 9 bikes and
9 trikes with 29 riders roll out of the
Young Harris Citgo Station bound for
the Wheels Thru Time Museum in
Maggie Valley, N. C. We started with
partly sunny skies and a comfortable
81 degrees. Rain was forecast at
about 40% but never happened. After a lunch break at the Ingles Market in Waynesville, N. C., we rode the
last 15 miles to the Museum, arriving
at about noon.
Wheels Thru Time is a fantastic collection of all kinds of American made
motorcycles and more. There are one
of a kind bikes, old photo’s, beginning
era snowmobiles, planes, jet skis and
much more. Owner Dale Walksler and
crew were on hand to answer questions, point out interesting facts and
even start up several old Harleys for
the visitors.
After a couple hours at the museum,
we checked into the Microtel Inn in
Maggie and took a break. About 4 PM
we headed for Cherokee where some
visited Harrah’s Casino, others sam-
pled the local sites, stores and eateries.
We met at the Mountainside Theater
at 7 PM for the “Unto These Hills”
outdoor drama about the events that
involved the famous “Trail Of Tears”
of the North Carolina Cherokee. Very
moving! Beautiful costumes! Quite a
story!
Sunday morning, after a complimentary hotel breakfast we headed for the
DuPont Falls State Park outside of
Brevard, N. C., with a couple of stops
to view Looking Glass Falls and the
Pisgah National Forest Visitors Center.
At DuPont Falls we hiked out to see
several wonderful falls of roiling water cascading through gorges of
smooth rock. It looked very inviting
but CD Bob said the water was freezing. There was also considerable excitement when we came close to
stepping on a Copperhead snake that
was slithering across our trail. It
looked like several hikers were 2’ in
the air at the same time and clawing
for more altitude!
Following lunch at the famous Twin
Dragons Buffet in Brevard, we headed home via Highlands and Persimmon
Valley before our group started splitting up in Hiawassee.
Great weather, great group, great ride! Thanks to all that helped out by
leading, tail gunning and riding responsibly! Approx 400 miles, two days.
Dennis Bible
Chapter GA-J Ride Coordinator
THE KICKSTAND KITCHEN
1
1
1
1
1
1
½
1
1
1
3
½
2
½
c. almonds
c. macadamia nuts
c. cashews
c. sunflower seeds
c. pumpkin seeds
c. dried cranberries or other dried fruit with no sugar
c. shredded unsweetened coconut
c. coconut oil
1/4 c. almond butter
c. maple syrup or you can use honey as well
t. vanilla flavoring
t. nutmeg
t. cinnamon
c. organic dark chocolate chips
Combine nuts in food processor and chop pretty fine. Pour into bowl and stir in
coconut and dried fruit.
Combine in medium saucepan and cook over low heat—coconut oil, maple syrup,
almond butter, spices and vanilla. Simmer for 3-5 minutes until thick and bubbly.
Pour over dried mixture and coat well.
Butter a large cookie sheet and pour mixture into cookie sheet and press into
pan. Top with chocolate chips and press into mixture.
Put in freezer for 1-2 hours and then cut into desired bar size. Store in frig or
freezer. They will melt if left out for long.
The best bars I have ever made and we try to limit ourselves to one a day.
HaHa.
Chapter Members Bio's
We want to get to know you!
Tom and Jill McDaris
Tom was born in Detroit. Michigan and lived there until he was ten years
old. His family moved to Livonia, Michigan and after graduating from
high school went to work for the Westland Police Department as a cadet. He was later recruited by the Michigan State Police and was sent
to Flat Rock. Michigan to work at the State Police Post as a cadet.
Jill was born in Trenton. Michigan a small town south of Detroit and a
neighboring city of Flat Rock. She was just ready to graduate from
Trenton High School and was approached by her typing teacher and said
the 33rd District Court was looking for someone to hire and the school
recommended Jill. She went to work for the court immediately.
Tom and Jill met at the 33rd District Court judges’ re-election party
and became engaged about a year later. Tom decided he did not want to
become a state trooper and left the police force. He eventually became an industrial fire inspector. Tom and Jill were married in May
1974 and moved to Walled Lake, Michigan. Jill had to change jobs due
to moving out of the district where the court presided. She started at
a title insurance company as a typist and eventually moved up to the position of Title Examiner.
They moved back to the area where they met after buying their first
home in Lincoln Park, Michigan, which is another neighboring city near
Trenton. Tom and Jill have one child, a son, who lives in Florida.
Tom bought a Gold Wing in 2003 and found GWRRA and Chapter C of
Monroe, Michigan. Jill was a passenger that first year Tom had the
Gold Wing but then decided she wanted to own her own motorcycle.
She took the riding course in August 2004 and passed that and a week
later had her first motorcycle, a 2004 Honda Shadow Aero 750. In
2007 she decided she wanted a Gold Wing and bought a 1996 SE 1500
and had it converted to a trike and has been riding that ever since.
Tom worked as an industrial fire inspector for 36 years and was able to
retire August 1st, 2012 and Jill left work on the same day. They were
able to sell their house and moved to Blairsville, Georgia and joined
Chapter J.
For Sale!
We have 2 3/4 black Nolan wireless helmets for sale size small and medium.
$300. Each
Also some kuryakin floor pegs $50.
Thanks
Sylvia Barineau
850-545-6673
Services!