Drifters Newsletter July/August 2015
President’s Message
July/Near August, 2015
We all owe so much to our great club secretary. She seemingly tirelessly keeps our gorgeous website up to date and interesting. And surely her most unrewarding task is to keep after me to write a few paragraphs monthly for our rag. It must have been particularly frustrating this month! I’d been rather occupied with a couple of flight students and glider hosting at Parowan for the last couple months. It’s kept my riding down to nothing, my attendance at club events logging zero, and all and all less than motivated to try to write about not much of anything motorcycle related. So I wasn’t surprised when Dawn emailed me on her return from Minnesota once again poking me a bit. Apologies for be such a scofflaw, Ms. D! But I’m blessed to have you helping me stay focused. Many thanks!
I did get away for my annual pilgrimage to Oshkosh WI last week, home of the Experimental Aircraft Association’s Aventure – an annual gathering for a week of 10,000 aircraft and 100,000 daily visitors. It’s like a world’s fair for aviation – a Sturgis with wings if you will. I flew to and from in my plane, which was only about a 6-7 hour flight. Looking down on the expanding plains of eastern Colorado, Nebraska and Iowa, I thought for a few moments if a few days on a motorcycle across those 1200 miles would be a worthwhile adventure. Some of you will recall I did a cross country ride four years ago to trade my Fat Boy for the Road King in North Carolina. I do remember that it took a full day to ride 90 percent across Kansas – and that was on the interstate. So all that seat time I still remember. Something to think about next year perhaps.
Looking forward now – we’ve got a couple of rides coming up. First is this Wednesday – a lunch ride to the Mercantile Store in Antimony. We’ll meet at the Hurricane McDonalds at 0900 and then pick up Cedar City riders at the Canyon Park at 1000. This will be the first time on Route 14 over the mountain since the Road King wreck. Hope I’m not superstitious or worse.
DINNER!! – at Rusty’s Ranch House on Wednesday August 12 at 6pm. Always a favorite – call Dawn to RSVP, please.
Then what will surely be our signature ride for the year – Deadwood SD for a week of day riding in and around the Black Hills. Dates on that are August 24 – 28 plus a few days either side to get there and back. Some are trailering, some are riding. Vern is the instigator so if you want more details, give him a ring.
If I can keep my calendar clear – most of September looks open for some riding. I’d like to probably head for CO and northern NM. Anyone interested in coming along?
Blue Skies, tail winds!
John
Secretary’s notes:
Summer is speeding by…the 4th of July is just a memory (thanks Margrete for making it a fabulous one!) and Labor Day will be here before you know it. I’m looking forward to joining a few Drifters for the ride to Antimony next week, and stuffing ourselves at Rusty’s Ranch House the following week. I haven’t gotten in as much riding as I’d like this summer – we had so many stormy days then intense heat, and working for a living does crimp my plans at times. Mark and I will be joining the Drifters on the Deadwood, South Dakota trip. I’ve never been in that neck of the woods, and I’m sure that sharing the experience with my friends in the Drifters will make for some sweet memories. Next, my favorite time of year is nearly here…Fall! The Fall Colors Ride and our Chili cook-off are always great – we’re finalizing the date for the Chili cook-off as this newsletter is being released, so as soon as I know, you will, too. We also have members behind the scenes working on a date and venue for our annual Christmas bash. We’re always looking for someone to lead a ride, plan a lunch or dinner, or lead an event for the club. Please contact me if you’ve been brainstorming any new and exciting activities! As always, we continue with Friday breakfast at Golden Corral, the burger lunch on Saturday at Zion H.D., and the Ladies lunches – see the events section for all the juicy details.
Webmaster’s musings:
A big thank you to all Drifters who have contributed to making the website a smashing success! Fresh ads being placed in classifieds, Mr President’s witty newsletter ramblings, and of course a giant thank you must go to Mike for his wonderful continuing saga of his 1970’s cross-country ride. If you haven’t taken the time to read it and look at the pics, you are missing out! I seriously think he should get a publisher! I do have one request this month, please send me pictures of you and your bike. The Drifters and their bikes section is still a bit skimpy. John M has graciously volunteered to take pictures, so let me know if you’d like to schedule a photo session. Lots of beautiful scenery around here for photo backdrops! Also, please continue sending me any items that you would like to share with the club.
See you on the road, keep the shiny side up!
Dawn