Larry Meeker presents BMWNEF President John Hunt RIH Recognition, and Walt Brown

Please Note: There will be no meeting in July !!!

The Executive Committee has canceled the July meeting because the first Sunday in July is the 4th a major holiday. The following week and the rest of the month many of the EC and members are traveling to the BMWMOA Rally in Redmond Oregon and other rallies. The next monthly meeting will be August 1, 2010.       We'll see you then and hear about your travels.  

WHAT'S COMIN UP

Upcoming club events calendar http://www.bmwnef.org/calendar.htm                                                           BMWNEF Annual Picnic Saturday June 12th Bridlebourne Stables 6160 County Road 305 Elkton, Florida details Planning to attend the BMWMOA Rally? 2010 BMW MOA International Rally Redmond, Oregon July 15 – 18, 2010 If so, now is the time to start planning. It's going to be a great ride out to Redmond at the height of rally season. Many of your fellow BMWNEF members will be attending.  This would be a good time to make your reservations. Hope to see you all there. Details & Map

2010 Executive Committee Members and links to their email address

President                    John Hunt	Director Bill Wilder
Past President            Larry Meeker	Director                        David Sturgis
Vice President Wayne Givens	Director Chip Kenyon
Secretary Millie Stevenson	Director Dave Rogers
Treasurer David Palm	Director  Howell Winfree
Director                        Valerie Robinson

 

Get Well Soon If you know of any member who is injured, ill or hospitalized please let us know, email diana.allen06@comcast.net

May Club Happenings

View the 2010 Riding Into History Photo Show 

Riding Into History by Don Sipler If all you did was walk around the lake you only sipped the cream off a pint of Guinness.

Just in case you’ve been under ground for the past few months and have not heard about this superb event; the Riding Into History that took place the weekend of May 15^th 2010 has taken the last ten years, plus the past 8 months of planning and hard work to take it's place as another exceptional Concours d'Elegance, reinvented enough each year to make it a truly unique experience.

The 11th annual Riding Into History has become almost too big in scope to adequately put in words.  If all you did was come out on that beautiful sunny NE Florida spring day and walk around the lake in front of the World Golf Hall of Fame, you only sipped the cream off a pint of Guinness.

What else is there you ask? There are literally hundreds of levels to this event, surely too many to list them all here. But, I’ll try to hit the highlights. Because, who knows, you may want to take a bigger dip next year.  

Riding Into History is an all-volunteer supported event. The #1 objective is to put on a really first class motorcycle concours event. #2 raise a lot of money for charity and #3 have a ton of fun doing it. The 2010 charity is The Wounded Warrior Project.

This all began in 1999 sponsored by ABVMC, “Atlantic Beach Vintage Motorcycle club”. Over the years BMWNEF “BMW Motorcycle Owners of NE Florida” has taken on the major role in providing volunteers. HMS “Historic Motorcycle Society” also contributes greatly as well to the planning and pool of volunteers. Several other clubs also chip in during the day of the event. There are many, many opportunities to join the army of volunteers, sponsors and media supporters that it takes to pull off an event of this size each year.

World Golf Village is a tourist Mecca, on Interstate 95 just north of St. Augustine Florida, that has contributed their magnificent venue for the past several years and for that we owe them a debt of gratitude.

It costs real money, up front, to put on an event of this caliber. We start each year by asking local businesses to provide the seed money. This year we soon found that the economy had seriously stressed local businesses, especially the motorcycle business. This made for a very challenging task. In exchange the sponsors names are carried through all the media advertising. A special thanks to this year’s sponsors. 

Sargent Cycle Products,  Mercedes Benz,  Hampton Road Racing

Harley Davidson of St Augustine,   Scooter Super Store,   BMWNEF

Letting people know about the event is also a big part of the success of Riding Into History and this year we received a big boost with a contribution of TV airtime from Comcast Cable Television. We were able to put together a 30 second commercial at minimal cost that was shown throughout the area free. Cheers to Comcast!    Hundreds of posters were highlighted with the donated artwork by reputed motorcycle artist Don Bradley. The posters, having become collector items, were distributed by volunteers to area businesses plus thousands of 2 for 1 discount flyers were handed out at bike nights and everywhere else.

Jack Wells receives Best in Show Award

350 motorcycles were on display around the walk of fame either for judging or display only. This can take you to another whole level of emersion in this event if you have a nice old bike to display. To enter one or more bikes is totally free. In fact we give a commemorative gift to each person who pre-registers in the concours. Our group of highly qualified judges awarded trophies to the best in each of several classes.

Each year the Riding Into History planning committee invites a prominent member of the motorcycle community to be the Grand Marshal for the event. This year Clement Salvadori an extensive world traveler, by motorcycle more than a million miles, writer for Rider Magazine, and author of several books lent his extensive knowledge of the sport to our event. Clem, a fine gentleman, tirelessly signed autographs and posed for photos throughout the weekend.

Grand Marshal Clement Salvadori signing posters

Hundreds of beautiful vintage machines lined the walk, mostly bikes long retired from active duty on the highway. The owners seated beneath the trees enjoying the gentle breeze across the lake were proud of their clean, chrome and painted ponies and were more than happy to discuss their bike's history.

Event T-Shirts and Posters were on sale and around the lake were club booths and other displays of interest. A hospitality tent provided coffee, water and goodies to entrants and volunteers. At 10:30 and 1:30 the tent was converted into the Vetter Theater, where Craig Vetter noted motorcycle designer and inventor provided seminars.

Craig Vetter at his seminars

The Scooter Super Store (BMW motorcycles of Jacksonville) and Harley Davidson of St Augustine each hosted rides to the World Golf Village. Our highly trained parking lot staff in their bright yellow shirts directed the traffic, that at times was a bit over whelming. By noon the vast parking around World Golf Village was filled to capacity with nary a spot for a two, three or four wheeler to park.

When we talk about having fun, being a planning committee member has it’s benefits. Friday morning we along with Grand Marshal Clement Salvadori and his wife Sue, Craig Vetter and his wife Carol, rode our bikes to St Augustine for lunch and our chance for an informal meet and greet. After the lunch a few of the group went on to the Daytona area and the famous loop. The last launch of the Space Shuttle Atlantis was scheduled that afternoon so a stop in Tomoka Park provided a good view of the historic event.

 Friday evening again more fun at The Grand Marshal Dinner held at the Caddy Shack restaurant with many of the above planning committee members along with several of the exhibitors and their wives. Just for the record, we on the committee are all volunteers, so the above food and fun was at our own expense.

The Biker Ball Saturday night was open to everyone to enjoy. The Renaissance Resort Conference Center ball room was decorated in a London Ace Café style with a black and white motif. The walls were lined with tables of silent auction items. Everything from a restored bicycle, bike jackets to signed and framed Riding Into History posters and dinner certificates.

On the menu was typical “Pub Grub” sheppard’s pie and fish and chips. Musical entertainment was provided by a very high tech Juke Box with, what else, hundreds of 60s British Rock tunes. A few of the best of the British bikes were on display in the room as well. Several awards were presented to contributors. A talk by Grand Marshal Clement Salvadori brought the room to a hush as he detailed his early days of motorcycling and visits to the British Isles in 1960.

Topping off the weekend was the traditional Sunday morning Historic Ride.  Many of the exhibitors rode their favorite vintage machines to St. Augustine for brunch. Escorted by committee members and the Grand Marshal they weaved their way through the historic streets of America’s oldest city. It doesn’t get much better than that.

Truly, Riding Into History.

Camp Blanding Donation Presentation by Rich Molloy

On Tuesday, May 18, 2010, Colonel Joseph Duren, Commanding Officer, Camp Blanding ANG, assembled his staff commanders for a meeting with representatives of the BMWNEF.

            President John Hunt, 2010 Winter Rally Co-Chairs Jeanette Meeker and Vickie Decker, and David Rogers were present.  Col. Duren announced to his commanders how pleased he was with the BMWNEF Club it’s members and the results of our Winter Rally.  He indicated its success to him was measured in many ways.  The successful use of the base and its facilities, the opportunity to host a large representative group from the community and the hope that if the military attended one of our safety seminars and it saved one life, it was well worth it.

Georgia Mountain Rally by Fred Veator Bonaire, Ga.

      The old saying goes “That in spring a young man’s fancy turns to love”. Well I must be getting old because lately in the spring I fancy a ride to the north Georgia mountains. There is no better reason to take a ride to the north Georgia mountains than the Georgia Mountain Rally. The rally is put on by the BMWMOGA held in the north Georgia town of Hiawassee, only a couple miles from the N.C. border.

       Several members of BMWNEF made the ride to the rally and once again BMWNEF was awarded the plaque for the most attendance of any club. The plaque was received by BMWNEF members C.J. Winkle and Helen Barber and hopefully will show up at a club meeting someday. For several years the GMR has been the time to give your tent and rain gear a good test before your summer ride. Many riders were greatly disappointed because there was no rain this year. However the riders that had to head north into Tennessee after the rally had to ride through 12 inches of rain in just 5 hours, some guys have all the luck.

      Three nights camping at the rally had put Helen and myself in the mood to ride on. We left the rally and spent about 6 days riding around Alabama and Mississippi visiting courthouses. We visited 28 more courthouses; bringing my total to 1245 only about 1800 more to visit. We camped a couple nights in a campground in northern Mississippi Delta (home of the blues) on the Mississippi RIVER side of the levy. The ranger said the river was rising at the rate of 3 feet a day, but not to worry the campground hadn’t flooded since 2008. I know time flies when your old, but 2008 wasn’t that long ago. There was a 5-story observation tower at the campground and I got plenty of exercise going up this tower to watch the river come closer. After 2 days we packed up and left, we didn’t want to add to the blues.

Chip Kenyon and his wife Cathy on a different kind of ride

My 50CC and Western US Trip by Ray King

I have never been so glad to turn directly into a 30 MPH headwind in my life.

For those of us who do most of our riding in the Southeast, riding out West can be an adventure in itself.  I always seem to make an “adventure” out of any long trip, and my recent 50CC and subsequent riding through California, Nevada, Utah, Colorado, and every place between here and there was no exception.  “Adventure” to me is a code word that means problems, but maybe that is true for everyone.  If long-distance motorcycle rides were simple and easy, they would not be adventures and the Iron Butt Association would not award certificates for so many of them.  This IBA ride, a 50CC, means riding coast to coast, Jax Beach to San Diego, in 50 hours or less.

Fortunately, my problems on the 50CC were minor, non-bike-related, and did not cost so much time that finishing in the time limit was ever in doubt.  But I learned—or re-learned—a couple of things.  First, if you are using any new equipment, make sure you give it a thorough test ride before you embark on the real thing.  I thought I had done that with my new helmet, since I had owned it for a couple of months and had ridden with it to Moonshine, Illinois, and on the Cape Fear Rally, where the face shield pivot plate screws had backed out.  I had tightened them carefully, but apparently they needed to be Loctited.  Second, if you feel you must use sunscreen, use it sparingly and be very careful in its application.  On a long ride, chances are that it will eventually work its way into an eye or two, and it will be very painful and make it hard, or impossible, to see!

Most of the ride to San Diego was uneventful, but never boring, even though it was on the Interstate all the way.  The scenery was spectacular, and in the West you feel like you can see forever.  Some of it was even surreal….riding through western Arizona at dusk, everything was in silhouette, I seemingly had the highway to myself, and the sparse forest of dead and dying Saguaro cacti on either side of the road were just plain spooky.

I did not take any pictures during the 50CC portion of my trip, but I took a few before the start and after the finish.

This is my friend Danny Lee just prior to the start.  There were about 20 bikes, and most of the riders, including Danny, were turning around in San Diego and coming back to Jax Beach to make their ride a 100CCC—coast to coast to coast in 100 hours or less!

If the “Iron Butt Motel” describes sleeping on your motorcycle on the side of the road, then this must be the Iron Butt Office—finishing your documentation in the parking lot:

After I finished my ride—in fact, a couple of days after—I finally got my sample of Pacific Ocean water and sand at Morro Bay:

I rode California route 1, the Pacific Coast Highway, from San Simeon through Big Sur to Carmel and the Monterey Peninsula:

The primary purpose of my trip was to visit friends and college roommates and fraternity brothers who have migrated to California and Colorado over the years.  The 50CC and 100CCC rides were scheduled by the Motorcycle Tourers Forum, the MTF, for May 3^rd, and that gave me a convenient start date for the trip.  Another lucky coincidence was the first annual “Treasures of Yosemite Rally” on May 14-16, hosted by the Expresso Riders of Northern California, which is the Sacramento area BMW club.  I met a lot of great people there, and saw some spectacular scenery in Yosemite Valley.

I saw more great scenery in Nevada, on US 50, “the loneliest road,” and in Utah, and of course in Colorado on the way to Denver to see an old Army buddy.  They had a really late Spring in the West, and there was still a lot of snow in the Rockies:

I took a couple of hundred pictures on this trip, and the rest of the “keepers” are in this Smugmug gallery:

http://skyking96w.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/California-and-50CC-May-2010/12080738_DMUiM#858105605_QghJS

Now, about that headwind—if you have been riding for a couple of days across eastern Colorado and Kansas, and the wind has been blowing 25-35 MPH across the highway, with frequent gusts to 45 MPH that actually push you into the adjacent lane, a direct headwind that only robs you of 6 or 7 miles per gallon is just no big deal!  

Travels with Marty - The Ozarks  jim ed rossi

 Martini and I worked our way across the backroads of Georgia and Alabama and spent the first night in Tuscaloosa. We had looked forward to riding  the Arkansas Ozarks for several months; getting away is always fun.  

Walking back from dinner at Chili's, we spotted a small gathering around our two BMWs. As we grew closer, they looked much like an Alabama "Adams Family" with two frowning children, a hefty squat woman in what looked like her pajamas and the apparent father, a big guy with no shirt or shoes who looked like Fester with deep sunk dark eyes. Country people, part of the "fair crowd" as Jetfro would say. Marty, of course,  was elated as he had an audience and he explained everything to them, the bikes, our trip, even us, including our Navy backgrounds.   

Fester told us he was once a Goldwing rider until he got into a wreck and got his feet run over..."almost lost bofa them". Mrs. Adams added, "The doctors told him he'd never walk again, but they were wrong!"    "Yes!", the male child repeated with glee, "Never walk again, never walk again!"  I fought off the urge to look at his feet. Then Fester said,  "I was also in Army Airborne". He nodded as he spoke. "Do you know why they have a Navy? To give the Marines someone to dance with." They all laughed and jumped with glee .....I could tell his family really admired him. Funny.  

In Mississippi, we took a detour and rode the Natchez Trace Parkway (10,000 year old indian/settler trail but now like the Blue Ridge Pkwy without hills) and then had lunch in Oxford,  a real nice town and home to Ole Miss, the most gorgeous campus I have ever seen. Exquisite.  Oxford, on the "Southern Literary Trail", presumably because Wm. Faulkner lived there....Also known for the civil rights/states rights conflicts of the 1960s immortalized by Bob Dylan's song "Oxford Town", a personal favorite.   Spotted the Faulkner childhood home on our way out.    

 We ran on unmarked potholed roads for miles and miles at whatever speeds we dared and crossed the Mississippi River at Helena. Stopped at an Arkansas Welcome station and talked to a funny guy on a ragged out Honda XR650L dual sport with leaking oil lines and front forks.  He looked like a homeless man with worn, dirty clothes and bags. He smiled at our gleaming BMWs and said someday he must "get a job and become a productive member of society just so he could buy one like ours". We laughed and he added, "Just not today" and he rode off.   

I was beat when we finally arrived at the Super 8 in Russellville, AR. Over 950 miles on back roads over the two days. I always want to stop at 3:00PM so I can lay down in the air conditioning and read my book but that damn Martini always dogs me to go on.  

It rained hard all that night and was still sprinkling the next morning when we suited up and rode to Honda Motorcycles of Russellville, the No. 5 in sales Honda dealer in the USA. Incredible deals that may take me back there some day. Then we rode to the Arkansas BMW Club "Naturally Beemers No Frills Rally". There were five old codgers there drinking coffee and we made seven. The rest were out riding in the rain. We got some riding recommendations and rode most of the day on three small mountain ridges (2000 ft)...nice but foggy, similar to north Georgia.  

The next day it cleared and we headed north to the larger mountains in the Ozark National Forest and rode twisties all morning, including Hwy 9 north of Mountain View which was like Deals Gap in NC. Good stuff. Had catfish for lunch along the Buffalo National River. Rain came again during lunch so we donned our rain suits and headed out. We had another 150 miles of twisties to get back to our motel.  

We were heading almost due west when the entire horizon turned dark...almost blue - black  -  I knew we were in for it. It was preceded by one of those angry low squall lines that looked like it was filled with funnel clouds but none touched down....then loud cold rain that stung with 70 mph gusts that blew us all over the empty (thankfully) country road with big buffeting winds from all directions. I don't exaggerate. Tree limbs and leaves were everywhere. Lightning so bad I knew I was going to die....or worse, if Marty was and I'd have to call Joy like I had to do in Mexico after the big Marty wreck.  

 We were making only about 25mph.  I couldn't see so I just kept looking for some place to just stop and wait it out, even if we had to remain tucked on our bikes. We turned to the south and spotted a post office/convenience store and we parked next to the building. It was still pouring rain. A nice lady beckoned us inside and gave us towels and sympathy.   She said there was a severe thunderstorm warning with baseball sized hail reported. Baseball? ! Same system in nearby OK left two foot drifts of two inch hail. After 20 minutes, it slowed and we took off, thanking the lady profusely. Back at the motel, Marty said he really enjoyed the ride through the storm. I think he was serious ... I like riding in the cool rain but that was the worst storm I've ridden through.    

Slowly heading home, we rode through more of the national forest and into Hot Springs, a nice looking tourist town next to Hot Springs National Park. Bill Clinton's boyhood home. Must go back someday. Then south through Arkansas along the Mississippi River into Louisiana where peppers and flooded rice fields were on both sides of the road.   

We crossed the Mississippi and spent the night in Vicksburg. It was here that Marty taught me how to eat sushi. Delicious.  I always learn important things from Marty. This trip he wore special underwear like the bicyclists wear...like they were made out of spandex or something like that. He said it was more comfortable but you never know with Martini. I always got my own room after that. We spent the next night in Evergreen Alabama and home the next day. 2400 miles in 7 days.  

A good trip. Texas Hill Country next?    

Membership

New Members 

Edward and Tiffany Rutland Occupation(s): MD, Years of Riding: I've had the bike for 8 months, I've ridden motorcycles for 18 years, I'm 33 years old. Bike (s) you ride: 1967 BMW R50/2 How did you hear about BMWNEF? I ran into a guy on an old BMW bike at a restaurant and he mentioned  it. What are your reasons for joining? Finding other people who have old BMW bikes to shoot the breeze with and get advice if something breaks.  Also to ride with other BMW bikes.

Bruce Bickner and Sabrina Gaston Occupation(s): Attorney / Office Manager, Years of Riding: 40 / 0  Bike (s) you ride:  BMW R1150 RT. How did you hear about BMWNEF? News Article. What are your reasons for joining? Meet and ride / socialize with other BMW riders.

Arthur (Art) Horton.. Barbara (Barb) Horton Occupation(s):Barb retired ; Art,  retired electrical contractor, presently working as Public Works Superintendant at Spruce Creek Fly In, Port Orange, FL Years of Riding: 25+ Bike (s) you ride: BMW 1200 GS, HD FX, Just sold my 2002 GoldWing How did you hear about BMWNEF?, Internet What are your reasons for joining? Looking for like minded folks that like to ride and enjoy the scenery and sights along the way.  Also great restaurants along the way...