East Texas Biker: October 2022

Lucy : New Life Member

Woohoooooooooo... Just got word Lucy got approved. She joined up lil over 37 months ago, so not bad. But........

Learned a few things along the way the last six weeks..... Last year she'd noticed her 201 didn't reflect the day she patched in. In fact a lot of the chapter meetings she had attended didn't show on her 201. WTF? I downplayed it all saying "who cares? All you care about is 1 sanctioned event annually to show... the rest is just fodder." Told her you joined 9 Sep, you attended a sanctioned event in '20, '21 and '22. No big deal ... But, I was wrong.

I've blog'd about this before but for Life Membership, CVMA uses a spreadsheet that breaks each year out into 12 rolling months, separately. Point being, her 2020 Sanctioned event was in October, so that was 13 months after she had joined. See the problem? Well, I called BS because she was Patched in at a Sanctioned Event... .a event she never got credit for. Either she didn't sign the login sheet or someone missed it. Who's fault is that? Well, initially there was finger pointing, BUT, in hindsight it's OUR fault. EVERYONE should pay attention to their 201. Well, I pointed this discrepancy out, and our SR graciously updated her 201 with that info. However, doesn't matter. The Life Membership Application states no entries on the 201 can be counted for LM unless they are annotated within six months of the event. I've now gotten anal over all this.

Overall, I was pretty calm about this. Her, not so much. Along the way I ruffled a couple feathers and learned a few things about the system. The Process. And .. about a certain individual to remain anonymous.

Morale of the Story. LOOK at your 201 and ensure your shit is correct.

Lake Cypress Ride : 13 OCT 22

Awesome day to ride. Seventy deg out when we left, mid eighties upon our return. KAL has a girls’ quilt retreat in that area going on, so Chief put together a ride out that direction. We’d head down past Emory then turn eastwardly up 2 lanes towards the lake. Seventy-five miles later we’d pull up for a quick hello with the ladies, then rallied around the lake to the North side to have lunch at The Cove. Really nice place, great outdoor area, good service, interesting menu (lil pricey). Overall, not bad. We decided on 3.5 out of 5 stars for it. Would I return? Yes! Ride rocked, and this place is ‘country nice.’

Ride back was a nice as the ride there, taking a slight different route, cutting through Lake Fort via a few bridges. About 150 miles total, we’re home.

Gotta tell you …. we had a few close ones today. Within the first 30 minutes, we had two close calls on Hwy 69 with the oncoming traffic. The first one, an SUV crossed over the line and almost clipped the Chief and I (Dutch was 2^nd, so further right). I glanced down for a sec and when looking back up Chief had moved over and the SUV was over the yellow within a couple of inches of my left leg as I jerked to the right. Fuck that was close. I don’t know if they were on a phone, drunk, eating or trying to kill us intentionally. Soon afterward a car was weaving in their lane almost coming into ours. Thirty minutes later a truck was coming down the center towards Chief, getting in their own lane at the last second. WTF? Triple close calls… we rarely have a single one.

Have to admit, was nice to get off the bike in one piece today. Lil too close for comfort.

Couldn't stand my dirty mirrors .. lol

Prepping to Ride

Lunch at The Cove ...

Rolling!

Lunch

Purdy!

LRRP Grand Slam 2023?

LRRP Grand Slam '22 is in the books. It's representative of all three; FTM, Inner State and Tri-State. With a few months to go, I'm already planning for '23!

Polar Bear Plunge

~~First reservation is made .... headed to Shreveport LA for their Polar Bear Plunge Aux event first weekend of February.~~ Still trying to find an Oklahoma event. Worst case, OK State is probably the same weekend as Steel Horse Rally? I know by first week of May, few in AR will probably be held in Little Rock... that's a Tri State Tab!

Ride for the Green

Texas... 23-15 should have their run in March.. that's 1200 miles (Ride for the Green). But, the Leather and Lace ball is in El Paso is in mid Feb, weekend after the Shreveport event.... that's 1400 miles round trip. Problem is .. mama doesn't seem to want to go. Mix that with a more 'local' event and by end of Spring... that's the Inner State Tab!

FTM

Nationals is in Colorado Springs come June. That's a no brainer. Already have the route planned. I'm not even going to advertise it this year. You're in or you're out. I've done 3/4 Iron Butts by myself anyways. I rode back from Nationals last year by myself. Still, something cool about a small group going ... and I'm sure I'll be riding with someone else, but .. they can find me... I won't be looking for them. So, June... Finish the Mission Tab.

And that folks ... is a Grand Slam!

Well, lost the first 3 months due to some issues.... got shit to make up this summer!

TX State Meeting 2022 : Done!

We had multiple groups headed in, multiple time frames. For me, it'd be Dutch, Smitty and myself rolling down the 'long way' on 2 lanes Thursday Morning. Posted it for months prior, no takers. Posted it to Texas CVMA group .. no takers. So, Thursday morning at 0800 sharp, Dutch and I roll out of Cash. Straight down Hwy 34 to Ennis where we top off tanks and pick up Smitty, and we are rolling. Temp is chilly requiring layers / leather, but by the time we leave Ennis around 0945, I'm down to short sleeves. Not a cloud in the sky! We roll all the way to Gatesville for a Pee Break and allows Dutch / Smitty to take off some layers then to Blanco to splash Gas. While topping off we hear someone screaming at us from across the street so we head over to find a local CVMA member, Lumpy! Great guy and after some chatting he busts my balls a lil with Indian questions, followed by handing me over a printed Manual for the newer Spirit Lake 111 models he'd been given, but never used; SCORE! Thank you Brother! He tells us we'll see him this weekend since he's a member of 23-21/Blackjack chapter. So, we're off! Ninety minutes later, we're pulling up to the Host Hotel in New Braunfels. Quick Check in and I've soon got a nice cold beer in my hands. Soon, mama and the Kennedys roll up in his truck and we're all checked in and cleaning up a lil. Chief and Kal, make it over the Host Hotel. Target and his bride have rolled in. We're soon down by the waters' edge enjoying the beauty of this property, enjoying cold ones and catching up. Let State '22 begin!

Host Hotel

Bike Night

Friday. What to do .. what to do. Several of us work our way over to Gristmill River Restaurant & Bar for some grub and drinks to keep us busy during the day. Of course, the Vendors and National Store are setup as well. But Friday's highlight is the Bike Night at the local VFW which is over the top awesome. Shit load of bikes roll in and we're soon joined by 44-2 in from Mississippi. I'm starting to really get to know these guys over the last two years; perfect! Soon, Crayon rolls in (AR PRO); I think she's following me? Hahahah... this lady rides ... EVERYWHERE! She's putting some serious miles on; she'd rode in with 23-26 today. After some good music, catching up with some other folks .. we head back to the Host Hotel...

Saturday is here... and by 0800 we're on the bike rolling up the road to the Knights of Columbus where a shit load of bikes are already here. When the smoke clears over 600 folks will swipe in, with 98% of those beingTexas members. Something like 6 or 8 other states are also represented; awesome! Meeting lasts about 3 hours and we're swiping and rolling. One thing I have to say/admit, that meeting was ULTRA Professional and well run. Dudeman is at the helm and held a great meeting. Boomer was in the house and gave a great speech as well as recognizing about a dozen folks with his 'patch' he gives out for folks helping other Brothers and Sisters (Dutch was a recipient last month at Regionals). Skrape as always is serious as fuck (in a good way) and gives some great advice and keeps things in check. The SEB as a whole did a great job. Behind me is a liquor setup where I grab a Bloody Mary and a few Jack n' cokes so ... I'm not complaining! We're soon back on the bike and headed back. Change up into some Comfys and .. hanging out on the back Patio. Great raffles and auctions going on, Bourbon is flowing ... and we've got a big party with several hundred folks kicking it up.

State Meeting

Somewhere around 0500 I'm opening up an eye.. or two .. and by 0630 I'm cleaning up and prepping to ride home. By 0800 Dutch and I realized that 23-26 left and hour earlier, LA and AR folks are still eating breakfast and a half dozen from our 23-11 chapter are mounting up. So against everything I'd stated about only riding 2 laners, Dutch and I jump into the fray and we're headed up the Interstate with our chapter. Up near Hillsboro, they jump off the Interstate for a planned lunch stop. Dutch and I get the itch ... so ... we're back on the bikes and rolling up a few miles, jump off onto Hwy 77 and we're back in a bliss of sorts on 2 lanes the rest of the way home. Hell, we hit traffic in Quinlan and took the long way around Tawakoni .. .just to enjoy the ride.

State '22 ... in the books!

Route down

Sulphur Springs is calling our name! National Taco Day!

Sooooooooooooooo... we take the looooong way

Few days to go until State Mtg.... got the itch. Weather is beautiful, so we plan a quick lunch. Put it on GIO, but only 3 of us are a go. Oh well........

Headed out in the low 70s, short sleeves. Perfect! As usual, roll to Valero in Lone Oak, and at 1000 hrs we are rolling. I pick a 'long way' to Sulphur Springs and it works perfectly. We have no idea exactly where we are going to eat. After putting down the kickstands in the "Square" Chief mentions it's National Taco Day and maybe, Mexican Food? Hmmm.. is there a Mexican Restaurant down here? He knows exactly where it is... somehow, I've rode and walked right by this for years... go figure. LOL. Los Mochis, it is! And a good choice; we all three grab tacos, and I can tell you .. mine rocked! Now .. how to head back. We decide on a slightly longer route heading a lil further east ... then back around. Perfect!

Actual Round Trip: Approx 120 miles

Los Mochis decor

Taco Heaven!

I led us out, Chief led us back. Always nice to switch it up. If I didn't have to get back to do some work and honey-dos .... I could have rode all day. Good news is .. in two days, we head South To New Braunfels for the CVMA TX State Mtg!

If I was Commander ....

Okay ... pick up your shoes because here comes the BS. Why B.S.? Well, because I refuse to back it up. I'm in Keyboard Warrior Mode .. lol. I'm rambling hypothetically. I refuse to run for the position unless I put 100% into it and .. that ain't gonna' happen for many years. I travel too much. Still work my primary job. Love to Play Hard still. Don't have the focus. I found that out when I accepted PRO (I didn't run for it btw .. someone else stepped down, I stepped in) and then resigned less than a year later. Hell, was it even six months? Didn't want to deal with B.S. But .. I digress.

IF I was Chapter Commander, what would I do? This shit is easy from the sidelines of course. I don't have to deal with dozens of Type A Alpha Males bumping heads. Don't have to deal with folks that barely participate. Don't have to deal with folks that don't show up. But still .. ... what would I do.....differently? Maybe the same ... Maybe similar to past years? Well, since you asked ... :)

1. Meetings would be more than just that. I'd want folks to mingle more before and after. Have a really good time. Hell, most of the time these are held at Bar Grills or VFW/American Legions where we have plenty of ... adult refreshments. Now, you don't want to mix it up too much ... but damned... have a good time. Folks take this shit too seriously sometimes.......

2. Length of Meetings. I've been in 2.5 hour meetings before. Fucking Brutal. Been in way too many that stretch past 1 hour. Almost always, unnecessary. They rarely need to be that long. People lose interest. People causing the delays like to hear themselves talk too much. Shit that doesn't need to be discussed, is... rambled on about over .. and over. I'd shoot for 30-45 min minutes; tops. Most of what is discussed is.... I don't know.... lets just say .. not necessary? IMHO at least. I'm a get to the point guy. Want to do a fund raiser? Get some ideas, appoint a POC .. move on. Want to discuss a new subject? Bring it up, discuss it with no BS... move on. Patch someone in? Do it professionally and that means NOT handing a sheet of paper between multiple CEB members that seem to be reading it for the first time. Get the required stuff done, pull out that gavel and.. BAM! Meeting adjourned. Like I said.. folks take this shit too seriously .. but .. I repeat myself .. lol

3. Identify 1-3 fund raisers for the year and .... get folks to lead the charge and hold them responsible. Simple as that. Let them hold their own damned meetings and give a short update at the chapter meeting. Get some input if necessary .. then .. move on. Gun Raffle, Golf Tourney, Poker Runs... whatever. Me personally, I prefer the Poker Runs. More specifically I prefer actual RIDES where all 50-200 bikes rollout together. Lets go do 50+ miles... stop for a stretch/cold ones/grub , then hop back on for another 50 and do some 'fund raising' at the destination. Done! Gun Raffles no friggn brainer; trick is to get buy in from chapter members to actually commit to selling some damned tickets! Golf Tourney .. well.. I cringe on this one... most people in the chapter don't seem to give a shit. Have to admit; I don't. Folks take this s.... never mind :)

4. Chapter Ride(s). Why is this so difficult? Lets go do 100 -150 miles as a chapter. We ARE a motorcycle association, right? I've been a member going on five years .... and have only been on a couple of smaller rides. Here's an idea/concept. Lets ride .. an actual ride... .to a chapter meeting! Keep that meeting ultra short, and have a great time. I can't emphasize this enough. We all have motorcycles, ride on 2 or 3 wheels..... so ..........lets RIDE! Why don't we have several of these a year... as a minimum?

That's it ... maybe I'll come back and update as time goes on with more ideas. Maybe 3-5 years from now I'll put up/shut up, get elected and run a Chapter as Commander (CC). For now, I just want to ride throughout the week with my Brothers and Sisters; a few have become good friends. Attend events throughout the State .... Region(s). And I want the time we all spend together to be as painless as possible (ex. shorter more efficient meetings!) I simply want to enjoy the 'ride'... meaning .. everything.

Is there more to it that all this? Of course. Fund Raising allows us to help others Vets. Other Sisters and Brothers. But, this shit ain't work. We need to enjoy it... .. all of it.

Update 4 OCT: We have multiple chapters surrounding us. We've got 23-26, 23-14 and 23-29. Why not ride in to one of their meetings? Join them for a ride? Actively share schedules? Just .... thinking out loud.

Sanctioned Events: Does it 'matter?'

Hey .. I'm guilty of it. When I see an event out there one of the first things I wonder, look for is... is it Sanctioned??? Now, in all fairness, does it matter? Well, yes and no.

In the big picture .. .NO. One just wants to have a good time! Me personally I 'assume' if it's sanctioned it'll be larger and more folks there vs just a local chapter and maybe a few other locals rolling in. So, why does it matter then? Well, if you're hosting a Chapter Event you want participation; lots of it! So you pick you biggest/best (only?) as your annual Sanctioned Event. No Brainer. But what about from the perspective of an attendee?

Well, I come up with 4 reasons

1. If someone is wanting to put in their Life Membership Application they have to have attended 1 sanctioned event per 12 month window over a 3 year period (Nationals is a requirement in there as well, and counts as one of the Sanctioned events of course). So, this gets' that checkmark.

2. If someone from out of state is pursuing their LRRP Tri-State tab, the events need to be sanctioned to count.

TRI-STATE: Single award per calendar year for riding to three (3) separate out-of-state Sanctioned Events in three different states (National Sanctioned Events, Regional Sanctioned Events, or State Sanctioned Events).

3. If someone is pursuing their LRRP Inner State tab, Sanctioned events are needed outside of chapter meetings ( not chapter events) :

INNER-STATE: Single award per calendar year for riding to multiple separate Home State Sanctioned events (National Sanctioned Events, Regional Sanctioned Events, State Sanctioned Events, Chapter meetings other than member’s own).

4. If someone is rolling by themselves in their own state, or out of state for that matter (vs authorized group ride), it counts towards DRP mileage (assuming that's their chapter's policy)

I'm pretty sure .... that's it. I guess one could say it identifies a Chapter's main event for the year since we only get one per nowadays, instead of two.. So, for most folks does it really matter? Nope. I believe there was a time you had to attend a sanctioned event annually. But nowadays, one simply has to attend a single chapter meeting to remain in good standing. And even then, if one isn't, by attending a SINGLE event or chapter meeting .. after years and years, they are back in good standing assuming all their dues are paid.

So, does SANCTIONED really matter? Even though I've already attained Life Membership, I'm an LRRP / DRP freak so it does matter to me. But, does it matter to the average member? Well, I'm guessing.........no. There is literally no point in it theoretically. Theoretically. The average member doesn't want to pony up $200 for a life membership. The average member isn't attending event after event in their state or region. Hell, the average member doesn't participate / contribute to their chapters overall meetings/events (IMHO.... I'm a believer in the 20/80 rule) throughout the year. Me personally I think EVERYONE should attend one ore more sanctioned events each year. I think EVERYONE should attend most of their Chapter's meetings and events throughout the year. But, neither are a 'hard' requirement.

Am I missing something? Comment below!

VFM Mckinney : OCT '22 Chapter MTG

THE ROUTE

The Plan

Reames Market

Gotta tell you ... Lucy wasn't looking forward to rolling through Princeton and McKinney's traffic mess so I posted this route on GIO. Lucy and I, KAL and Chief, Mike and Linda Eads and Dutch .. all met up at Reames in Cash to head out for our hour long ride to the VFW. Overall, this actually worked out awesome. Well, until five miles out I missed the Hwy 75 turnoff .. whoops. Then saw a Street Glide pop out in front of us as he headed back towards 380 and it was S.P. and his girlfriend. So, we had one more in the mix! Few miles later arrived at the VFW.

Actual Route

Good meeting in the big picture. This VFW isn't huge but a nice one. Lot of folks made it in (40 or so?) Good to see everyone, no drama. Overall, just a good basic meeting. Somehow, feels like we are missing something, but I can't put my finger on it.

On the way back, I took the route I was supposed to take and this time didn't miss any turns! Turned out to be a really nice ride. However we diverted to Ashen Rose in downtown Greenville to check it out, grab some grub and drinks and ... lock it down for our January meeting. Boots and Sideways rolled in about 1/2 way through to join us. Chief / KAL had headed back early so it was just the six us of there. Food rocked, drinks were excellent. Overall, 98 miles of good times!