Drifters Newsletter April 2016
April 1/2 President’s Message:
One might not know it from this last week’s weather, but I think on large, we have had some reasonably good riding weather. While sparsely attended, our ride to Death Valley could not have been better. Temperatures were mostly a perfect 70 something, rising slightly in the valley but remaining in the lower 90’s only toward the end of the day. And no wind for the entire three day trip. The ride to Betty NV is a fairly easy 4 hour jaunt, which was ideal for the time I needed to drop by Las Vegas Indian to further check out my knock detector problem. Mike Roe and John Marshall were game to accompany me. We had a fine lunch at the Boulder Station across the street while the mechanics looked for gremlins. They failed in eliminating the problem, promising to call Polaris headquarters. We headed out for our trip anyway – engine check light still shining brightly. Route 95 has to be the most boring highway in Nevada, but I guess the perfect temperature and lack of wind made the ride from Las Vegas to Betty almost enjoyable. The miles just rolled. We stopped briefly at a rest stop mostly just because we weren’t in any hurry, I guess. We arrived about 3:00 at the “Exchange Club” motel – almost dead center in the 1/2 mile that is Betty. Initially, it looked like we might be off for a bad start. A couple was trying to check in and was told that housekeeping was just getting to the second floor and their room wouldn’t be available until after 4:00. Kind of a late check in I thought. Anyway, our rooms – on the ground floor convenient to our bikes – were made up and quite tidy. Not bad at all for $67. And the watering hole was right across the street. We enjoyed a beer on the porch watching truck traffic pass on 95 a few feet away. Good Mexican food was just a few steps away at the corner. Saturday’s plan was to explore Death Valley, just a few miles south. First was breakfast and we now learned that most of western America was visiting Death Valley this weekend. Denny’s had a 45 minute wait just for seating. The local diner was also packed, but quickly found us a table as the swell of customers had just peaked. Turned out – a far better comfort breakfast than Dennys would have offered. Bellies full, we stopped 7 miles south of Betty to tour the ruins of Rhyolite, a quick stop for our first photo-op of flowers.
Then a quick hike with John Marshall to what was advertised by a road sign as another picture opportunity.
We stopped in Stovepipe for some refreshments and tee shirt purchases and the traveled to the west side of the park and Panamint Springs for lunch. Again we timed our arrival just as the lunch swell had peaked. The two wait people were over whelmed . Two soups and a hamburger took at least 45 minutes. The soup must have been carefully ladled. The rest of the afternoon had us crossing the valley to the Harmony Borax Works, Furnace Creek and course Badwater.
The rest of the month – An excellent selection for dining this month at the Stagecoach in Hurricane.
Good weather allowed several folks who showed up for the Harley Saturday hamburgers to ride out toward Pipe Springs.
Secretary Dawn tirelessly pursued the management at Cliffside to arrange our Christmas Banquet – free of a room charge!
And I understand a few renewed their wet weather riding skills returning from the Clark County Fair when the weather finally went south.
AND – their was yet another “ride” to Las Vegas Indian to try to fix the knock sensor problem. This time they found a push rod oil leak that grounded the bike, requiring me to become close personal friends with Greg Clark. The picture of that experience has already been posted elsewhere on the site.
JET
Secretary Notes:
Well, it looks like we finally got the reservations for our Annual Christmas Party nailed down. Please save the date: December 10th, Saturday at 6:30 pm. once again, due to overwhelming demand, the party will be held at Cliffside Restaurant. Please check the events section of the website for additional details.
Since we have new people in the club that are not familiar with our riding safety guidelines, and some of us “old” members could use a brush-up, Mike Roe, our editor, has been hard at work, re-editing ride-safety guidelines. These were guidelines that our beloved K. Wright had previously published in old Drifters’ Newsletters. You will receive a separate email with Ride safety guidelines, Ride Leader guidelines, a reference chart of generally recognized motorcycle rider hand-signals, and an emergency medical form to be carried on your person or bike. It is not a requirement to carry an emergency medical form, but it can sure help others to assist you if you are unfortunate enough to be involved in an unplanned emergency. If you are unable to print from your computer, let me know, I will have a supply of these forms available.
I will also send out the latest and greatest update of the Drifters roster. Please review and let me know if any of your information has changed.
The ride to Laughlin is coming up fast…Wednesday, April 27, so if you plan to go, let me know. Information about hotels is available in the events section as well. Mark and I will be there. It’s raining as I write this, so lets keep our fingers x’d for nice weather!
Keep the shiny side up!
Dawn
Editor’s Corner:
Drifters Attack New Chow House In Laverkin
March 24th was the date of the Drifter’s monthly dinner held this time at the newly opened Stagecoach Grille in the beautiful little Utah town of Laverkin. Thirteen Drifters attended the affair.This restaurant is an upscale place. Its a nicely decorated venue with a Western theme and a nice view of the cliffs at the very edge of the Mojave Desert. This restaurant is a welcome addition to an area of Washington County that has few (no) eateries that offer really top notch food and a pleasing ambiance. Casual dress is acceptable so no need to wear your old prom gown or tuxedo while you chow down your $28 dollar filet or $29 dollar ribeye. For those who want simpler fare, excellent burgers and appetizers are available from $10 to $14 bucks. Now, only beer and wine are served but soon a liquor license will be acquired so a full bar will be available. Each Drifter or couple who attended received a free appetizer with their meal as a reward for participating. Except for Drifter dinner hosts, Mike and Trish, none of the Drifter attendees had eaten at the Grille before. Reviews by the attendees were very positive about the food and the decor. An outside patio is also available for dining. The restaurant is suffering some start up woes and the service was a little slow due to a larger than expected crowd. Being a thursday night the large number of diners is a good indication of future success. Even Drifter dining connoisseur, Bill LaSalata, reported that his hamburger was “okay” and that he would come back! The Grille isn’t that large so it would be wise to make reservations, especially on weekends. It was also Drifter Tricia’s birthday and the restaurant provided a huge FREE dessert that was shared by all Drifters who like chocolate cake. She turned 39 AGAIN! She blew out the candle and will now get her wish. Hope I can afford it. Those who want to know more about the Stagecoach Grille can go to the link our Secretary, Dawn, put in the Drifter website announcing the dinner. Thanks to all who attended!
Mike