Man, I've followed conversations about this one on the Forum and Social Media. Used to be chapters could have more than one, now the max is one per year. Throw in State, Leather n Lace and you have potentially 33 Sanctioned events a year in Texas alone. But, not every chapter does one. hell, I bet the majority of the membership is lucky to attend one much less two TOTAL a year, to include their own? How do I know that? Human Nature. But that's not the point of this post.
Out of State Sanctioned events... IMHO, these matter. Why? Well, if you're a 23 Texan and doing the Ride 23 program, destinations don't need to be sanctioned. Meetings qualify so that means one has at least 360 opportunities a year to ride with a 'purpose', other than ... just putting on mile and meeting up with Brothers. If one completing the LRRP Inner State, same thing. BUT, if one is doing the LRRP Tri State they MUST be sanctioned to qualify. Now, here's my point. I'm looking at 3 possible destinations for NEXT weekend ... Oklahoma State Meeting ... SANCTIONED. MS State Meeting.... SANCTIONED. But what I really would rather do ? The annual Thunder Beach Rally down in Florida for the weekend. BUT, it's NOT Sanctioned. Does that matter? Weeeellllllllllllllll.... back to the Tri-State LRRP. If one needs a check mark still, yes it does. If it doesn't matter for Tri-State (already completed or one doesn't give a shit) ... then obviously doesn't matter. For the General Public attending, doesn't matter. For those members with FL 20 .. doesn't matter. But, obviously .. to me it matters. So, I'll be headed one of two other directions.
Man ... .wish that sucker was sanctioned. Could convince myself to arrange my schedule and put some F'n miles on!
Non-Sanctioned
So, apparently the folks that want to argue that Chapters should only have a single event a year don't have my perspective. If a Chapter is putting on a stellar event ... an event within another large event ... why not let them Sanction it? To me ... Sanctioned shouldn't be some tiny lil event, but a Chapters event. It should be something designed for triple digits of attendees. Maybe more (1k?). Hell, 20-9 could do one for the Spring and the Fall Thunder Beach Rallies... makes sense to me.
Oh well.... maybe Lone Star Rally this year in Galveston. Doesn't matter if it's sanctioned or not.. Well, not to me ;)
Man .. you'd think that would mean something wouldn't you? But what if this is a group's cute tag line .. motto' .. and simply not true?
What if that group has people in it's ranks expelled from other organizations? Banned? Actual Crooks that stole, but were allowed to leave without charges sending them to Jail?
Maybe the original group that didn't send any of the clowns to Jail, is the one with Integrity?
When a club claims to have "honor" and "integrity," it goes beyond just having these words in their motto or mission statement. Here's a deeper look at what these qualities mean in the context of a club:
Honor:
High Ethical Standards: Members are expected to act with fairness, honesty, and respect towards each other, the club's leadership, and anyone they interact with in the context of the club. This includes things like avoiding cheating in competitions, being truthful when representing the club, and treating fellow members with respect even during disagreements.
Strong Moral Compass: The club upholds a set of values that emphasize doing the right thing, even when it's difficult. This could involve standing up for what's right, even if it's unpopular, or taking responsibility for mistakes.
Respect for Tradition: The club may have a rich history and traditions that are valued and honored by members. This could involve participating in certain rituals or events, or upholding certain standards established by past members.
Integrity:
Consistency between Words and Actions: The club's leadership and members act in accordance with the stated values and principles. There's no hypocrisy or double standards.
Transparency and Accountability: Decisions are made fairly and openly, and members are held accountable for their actions. There's a willingness to admit mistakes and work to correct them.
Focus on Doing What's Right: The club prioritizes its core values and principles over personal gain or expediency. They are not easily swayed by pressure to compromise their integrity.
Signs a Club Truly Embraces Honor and Integrity:
Strong Code of Conduct: The club has a clear set of rules and expectations for member behavior, emphasizing fairness, respect, and ethical conduct.
Emphasis on Character Development: The club may have activities or programs that focus on building strong character and ethical decision-making skills in its members.
Willingness to Address Issues: If there are instances of unethical behavior, the club takes them seriously and takes appropriate action to address them. This could involve mediation, sanctions, or even expulsion of members who violate the code of conduct.
Positive Reputation: The club is known for its positive and ethical culture, respected by other clubs and organizations in the community.
Remember: Actions speak louder than words. It's great for a club to claim honor and integrity, but what truly matters is how these principles are reflected in the everyday behavior of its members and leadership.
Man ..... rode home on Krimson, my newest bike (Challenger) on Sunday after a glorious 900 mile weekend. LOVE the bike; can't say enough. Yesterday I took out Krush ('21 Chieftain) and ... what a difference. Just feels .... 'small' to me now. So, as always, my brain got to churning.....
Last night I had a few sips of Bourbon, and saw once again..... Gregory Polaris STILL has their second Elite they hadn't sold yet. I wrote about this awhile back (Challenge post #1).... it was actually ordered for me, but I didn't expect it to exactly happen. Well, I made a comment to Eric about ... "how much delivered?" and ... well... it comes home this Saturday! (Challenger post #2)
Now ... what to call the new one?
I've been riding Indians since 2009. I've got way too many and have NEVER sold one.. never traded one in... but, common sense took over this time around. I know when the new Elite shows up Krush won't get much use .... so ... it goes back to AR Saturday. Gotz to strip some of the good stuff off it first. But.... 2 days from now.... the swap out.
Well, I was planning to head to Ft Worth for their monthly meeting this past weekend, but I became aware of an event in The Hill Country was this past weekend, and then realized 23-3 Alamo Chapter just an hour aways, had their monthly meeting scheduled also. Well, now I've got a quandary. Checked with their CC to ensure all was legit as advertised, then decided to double down and head to San Antonio via 2 lanes and the Hill Country! But first ... had to secure a Kitchen Pass from mama (ruh roh) ........ in the middle of all this ran it by Chief, but.... he couldn't make it so it's a party of 1. Not my first rodeo.
Krimson is Prepped and Ready!
Worst part is ... Thursday I have an 11:30 Dentist Appointment that I really need to be at... .F'. Well, after lunch, Kitchen Pass in pocket, I'm rolling south down Hwy 34. Grab Hwy 77 in Paris and I'm parallel to the Interstate and making good time. Eventually roll over to Hwy281 and I'm making a bee line for Marble Falls, then Fredericksburg and the weekend destination, Kerrville. It's Thursday, my meeting is on Saturday, so lots of time to play.
Awesome 350 miles... put on sunscreen 3 times..would still end up fried
Arrived Thursday before dusk
Unpack, and look for a place to grab a bite. Pick a mexican joint , grab a marg and food and hear "hey fat head." Turn around and see Mike Kugler whom I haven't spoke to in about nine years. Eventually, I'm on the back patio with him and we catch up on everything. Head to hotel , BS with a few, run into Carl and we're catching up. The whole weekend will be like this. Funny thing is, this was a different one for me in many ways. When the smoke clears, I won't have done the 3 Sisters this time around (wtf?). The Fandango Rally is going on in Fredericksburg so I head that way. Then back to the hotel to grab some food via the 1901 Rally I'm attending, and then head out in the back pool area smoking cigars and sipping bourbon. At some point I look down at my watch and thinking .. shit... its 2am! Crappy nights sleep and I'm up at too early .... java.. needed some java!
would be the spot!
After mtg cervezas
Well, meeting is at 1300 hrs, so I'm rolling down Hwy 16 around 1100 hrs and remembering how much I love this stretch of highway. Nothing but curves and twisties. Hardly any traffic so I'm pushing it a lil hard. This new Challenger handles like a dream and I didn't scratch the pipes or anything else, not once.Soon I'm in Bandera where the traffic sucks, but 15 minutes later I'm hauling ass again few dozen miles from my destination. The VFW meetup is in Helotes just outside the chaos of concrete so that was nice. Pull up to a bunch of bikes, head in to grab a beer from Verónica, their cute bartender, shake some hands, see some familiar faces to include Bergie (he's a member of this chapter) and the meeting begins. This is my second time here in two months which is sort of cool. Their meeting style always impresses me. Hard to explain but I dig it. Learned a few tricks from Rachet ( their newer CC). One thing that blew me away is the size of their chapter. Less just say its almost 5 times the size of 23-11. Holy Shit! That'll put gray hair on a CC's head. After a patch in and the usual stuff, we break off and back to the bar. After a couple I find myself on the back patio with Cutter, Texas and Malpractice. Talk about a mix of various personalities. Loved it. Well, before I head out, Texas Pete and Cutter want to ride back with me to Kerrville.. .hell yes! We're soon hauling ass and Texas Pete gets introduced to this highway for the first time. Hit Kerrville and I take us to Howdys that I'd become aware of by the Guadalupe River. Great Food, Good Music, Awesome Service, Cold refreshments. Score! Afterwards, we break off and I'm back at the hotel. I thought that was going to be a quick run to San Antonio .. but.... 8 hours later.... lol Well, find my friends, chat a lil, head up to change and .. .back to the pool area. Living the Dream. Told myself it wouldn't be a late night .. but... crap .. 1am and I'm headed upstairs. Got to leave in the morning!
Overslept, not sure what happened to the alarm. Cracked an eye open at 0615, jumped up, cleaned up, and took everything down to pack up the bike. Got it all stuffed in there and rolling. I decided to opt for the speedy route home so, 281, to I14 to I35 and cruise set at 91. Crazy part is ... I've still got cages passing me! Come up on traffic, grab some throttle, switch some lanes and lets just say .... this bike in the triple digits handles like a dream.
By noon, I'm pulling up at SWG and I beat the crew there for Sunday Funday. I'm beat but it takes me a few hours to decompress. I must have thanked mama 3 times for giving me that Kitchen Pass. I'm already planning for next year.
Well, 905 glorious miles of good times .... worth every second / dollar .
I'm Soooooooooooooo ready to ride... REALLY RIDE .. this year. I keep saying "Lets' ride as a Chapter" .. hell.. I've said that for over six years. Rarely ever happens... so .. lets do some dreamin' and schemin'
Day Rides
Ben Wheeler. LOVE this ride. Once you get off Hwy 69, nothing but curves and beautiful countryside. Stopping at The Forge is one of my favs' but with a big group, Moore's Store rocks.
Jefferson: Nothing like the Lake of the Pines area of East Texas
Los Pinos Ranch Vineyards: Haven't been here in several years. Great Location out in Pittsburg. Just noticed a couple others have popped up in the area there and elsewhere
Rowdy Creek Ranch
Enoch's Stomp Vineyard & Winery
Walkers Mill Vineyard & Winery
Cedar Hollow Winery & Vineyard
VineCrafters Winery & Grill
Lake Fort. Always nice taking two laners back and forth around and over the lake. Grants' Bar n Grill is just one of the stops for a P' break and a drink or two.
Overnighter
I hate to admit this..... as much as I ride. As many trips as I've taken, in the last three decades I have NEVER just done an overnighter (correction: back around '19 while up in MN we did one.. but I was referring to here locally). You know... head out a hundred... two hundred miles then find a quaint place to stay .. nice place to eat, etc. and ... meander home the next day. We planned one a few years ago but something got in the way and the 1/2 dozen of us had to canx. Need to do a couple.
Queen Wilhelmina State Park is a no brainer. Once you get into Oklahoma, you hit the State Park area. Whether one stays in Talihina or Mena, awesome riding
Hot Springs AR. Beautiful areas to ride and Hot Springs offers just about everything for the night.
East Texas. Overnighter in the Jefferson area? Meander around on 2 laners in with Pines everwhere.
I'll come back to this routinely to update.... thoughts?
Two years ago, few of us rode out to El Paso for SCOM / Shindig. Was my first for both. Shindig was 'born' back in '20 when SCOM canceled due to the Chinese virus crap. Boomer came up with the idea, and it's was a HUGE success. They put together a weekend party in the Hill Country and over 300 members rolled in. Since then, they are celebrated together. Damned I wanted to attend that one, but I believe I was in Mexico at the time. Well, in El Paso during the '22 meeting our CC at that time stands up and volunteers our chapter for SCOM '24. Now, here's the kicker. It was the first I'd heard of it; caught me off guard. Most I talked to later seemed to have no idea. Now, I haven't taken the time to research our minutes but .. I have no friggin idea when it was actually, if ever, discussed at the chapter level. Well, the clown of a CC at that time, got what he asked for. Greenville Texas was chosen. I believe as do many others, he just wanted to look good. His own personal glory. Now the kicker is ... we're (Greenville) really not setup for 'large' events. No huge hotel for all to stay at. No conference area that truly is setup for it. But ... it's game on. Now, there were no committees formed at the time.... just the pledge to do it. Funny part is, the clowns that volunteered to do it 2 years ago? They'd leave our Association a year later, all butt hurt and tail between their legs. Following that fiasco, the chapter went though a few a few bumps. Few people resigned their positions. Others stepped up to take their place. I took over the head position this past October, actually not even wanting to run for it, believing that a nightmare was about to ensue with the event. Well, October 2023, I'm now at the helm and it's game on (in my mind). We've got a single task at hand: a successful SCOM / Shindig event.
Now, in all fairness we had a few folks in the mix that were working things all along. Three or four folks were working behind the scenes to keep things on track. Dutch was at the core working all the angles and solving problems and keeping all of us abreast of the facts along the way. But as we got closer, I was frustrated because I personally didn't like some of the previous decisions that had been made. But, we were on a path that couldn't be altered easily. Personally, I'm all in as were many others. A few months ago we become aware of the Solar eclipse commotion (happens today as I type this up). Well, now the City of Greenville is causing us some issues since the Police are on an alert of sorts and will not provide us with two officers for the Shindig as promised. So, we put out heads together and decide on Sweet Water Grill as the location which was my thought from day one. We need a location that can handle 300 plus folks. We had our State Mtg there back in 2017 which was a huge success for SWG, so we brought them greatness again ... (in my mind). On a super positive note, vendors didn't have to pay for table spaces. We didn't have to spend thousands for the officers. We don't have to pay for a band. Truly simplified everything.
Well, back to the event! Friday night we held Bike Night at the American Legion. Big T smoked up some pork butts in advance and the Legion Aux served it all up at a fair price, putting funds in their coffiers. Three to four hours of good times, throwing back cold ones, raising money for the chapter with basket raffles, DJ and Karaoke going inside. Around 10pm we're breaking down and all is a success! Home, hit the sack and ....
...........damned, it's 0500 already and we're moving. Actually, Lucy woke up at 0345 so she's about to have a really long day. Anyways, 0600 and we're packing up coolers with Cupcake's goodies, xtra gargantuan cooler to hold waters, and we're rolling. Around 0700 the doors open and the chapter is rolling in to setup. Dudeman and Cupcake are on hand to do their setup since SCOM is a State event and it's their baby. By 0830 parking lot out front is almost full, coffee is flowing, breakfast tacos and other goodies are being consumed and.... 0900 hundreds of members are reciting the Pledge of Allegiance and it's game on. Got to admit when I went to SCOM in '22 my head wasn't 100% in the game. I was there for a good time. This time around, holding the the position of CC now, immersed in the whole event weekend setup, I'm 100% mentally in the game and into every speaker's message and facts provided. No breaks in the meeting and 3 hours later, adjourned! Chapter members do a quick cleanup, grab some grub from the food truck (Freddies) and ...we're rolling to SWG for the Shindig.
SCOM PARKING
SCOM PARKING
SCOM Meeting
Audie Murphy Chapter
Few of our guys not only did an awesome job getting bikes parked front and center, cages in the back, at the Civic Center, but they also headed to SWG for the initial setup of vendors and parking. We arrived around 1:30 or so and everything was rolling. Cold drinks were being consumed. We'd overwhelmed their kitchen apparently with some long wait times for grub. In SWG's defense, I don't' think they grasped how it was going to play out and didn't expect most folks to roll in until after 2pm. Hell, I was under the belief our SCOM meeting would last five hours, so I didn't expect to see SWG slammed so early. Still, Ema was serving us cold drinks and taking care of my folks so all good (at least for me). Everyone I talked to was having a good time. All the vendors were making money. Throughout the day, we'd raffle off some chapter items, do our gun raffle , and raffle off State items. Chapter 23-10 raffled off a $2k sound system for a lucky winner (Tailpipe?). We had some items donated by the knife folks totaling over $300 to us (awesome!). Our final three items go up for raffle but it's the end of the day. I 'voted' to hold these items for another day but got out voted and the bidding began. When the smoke cleared, I'd won all three items. They weren't getting the numbers we'd hoped for and I couldn't see them go that low .. so bid them up and took them home. Still, my quick math tells me we've raised about 5-6k total, with minimal overhead. By 2030, the SWG's band is cranking out tunes, less than two dozen of our Shindig folks look to be left ... and soon, headed home.
SWG
I've hit the wall. Legs hurt. Back hurts. Hungry (forgot to eat at SWG!). Dehydrated (barely drank any water throughout the day). Pour myself a double shot of bourbon, raid the fridge and ....for me and mama.... off to zzzzzzzzzz.
So, from everyone I've heard from ... JAMs to State officers, the weekend was a success. Was it all worth it? Hell yes. Was there a lil stress along the way the last twelve months? Fuck yes. Will we do another event like this in the near future? Ummmmmmmmmm.... maybe after a few other chapters do their share.... lmao.
My closing thoughts ....... it's just the way I operate. Hell, I plan on doing an after action lessons learned of sorts for other CC's and ... for my own notes in the future .. but for now .... one last thought. I've always been a proponent of the 20/80 rule. Basically in this case, 20% of the folks do 80% of the work. I actually just broke down some numbers for my.. and only my eyes... but .. they are 'interesting'. My numbers show ... 40% of the folks did the work. The real work. Now in all fairness, we have a few new members (that participated). We've got a few that are out of pocket for various reasons. But.... there are a few that ..... well, lets just say ... did zero. Or I like to think .. 'fucking nothing.' In my mind, inexcusable. There's always a few.... What can we do about that? Hmmmmmm... well, nothing in the big picture. But, I've got a good memory. Well, actually I don't ... which is why I do some of these blogs and keep notes :)
Now ................ ready for some riding this Spring / Summer / Fall!
Okay ... Posting this for the SCOM/SHINDIG weekend. This is not representative of our Chapter, but.... from me. We'll all be busy mostly with Bike Night at the American Legion Friday night... 1800 until close. The Legion's Aux is selling food. One of our 23-11 guys' (BigT) actually smoked the pork butts for them.
Saturday morning at the Fletcher Warren Civic Center (SCOM ) Aux will have some breakfast goodies ( I believe Breakfast burritos). We'll have a COFFEE TRUCK out front.. We've got Freddy's coming in with Crawfish and Burgers at FWC as well for during breaks, and when we break out! Sadly no alcohol on site (which is why we had to move the Shindig location to SWG.
Saturday from 12 until closing is our Shindig. At 2000hrs we hand the mike over to the band that begins playing... we'll all still be going with vendors, food and drinks. Sweetwater Grill (click here for map) has it all ! Guessing by 1930 hrs , raffles/auctions will be done.
I'm hoping you spend all/most of your time, at our event.... but... for those of you that want to sneak off and grab some grub and /or drinks elsewhere for a lil bit.. here's my cheat sheet!
ASHEN ROSE (click here for map): Downtown Greenville. Craft beers, full bar and a good appetizer and sandwich selection. They not only want our business, but asked for it!
DON TORO (click here for map) Latin Cuisine: Across the street from Ashen Rose. Great Mexican food and Full Bar.
The BRASS RAIL (click here for map): Want a Full Bar to just throw a few back? This is literally one mile from the civic center. The proprietor is "Mel"... tell her I said Hi.
READY! Either on the way or back .. . a stop in Long Beach MS! :)
2026 – Region 3 (NY)
Now there .. is an interesting one. I'm assuming it's upstate NY. I hear it's beautiful.... only been to NYC. I see a 1500 mile Iron Butt in my future!
2027 – Region 6 (IA, KS, MO, or NE)
Hopefully MO ... IA , KS and NE are flat!
2028 – Region 10 (CA, ID, OR, or WA)
Hoping it's Cali! My lil girl lives out that way
2029 – Region 5 (AR, LA, TX, or OK)
Well... Crap .. there goes my Iron Butt.... may have to scheme on this one.
2030 – Region 7 (MT, ND, SD, or WY)
Please... please... NOT MINOT .. I mean ND :) Or for that matter, east SD
