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ROAD DEBRIS by Rev. Willie JULY 08
The June meeting presented a navigational challenge to the attendees. The Morrisons live in the Brier Creek subdivision, an upscale community in Far West Raleigh, near the airport, that was previously scruffy pine forests about 5 years ago. The problem is that none of the roads appear in our Garmin GPS files, and even though you have the co-ordinates for their house, you have no idea what roads are there. Trying to read the map and directions from the newsletter made for slow going for the wandering attendees. About 21 Travelers made it to the meeting site (we have not heard of any lost Beemer riders stranded in the new suburbia), and we were able to vote on some of the big decisions facing the club.
With the leaders standing in the sun and the members intelligently staying in the shade, we decided that the “Adopt A Highway” proposal from Vince Provenzano was a good idea but we had concerns about member participation and the club set aside the proposal for the time being. The next question concerned our long-time
Halloween Campout: do we want to continue this traditional club event or do we want to change it? Given the economic drain to the club from the last couple of Campouts, along with concerns about its current location and the shrinking attendance, it was decided that we would have a simple club-only campout at a site TBA sometime this fall. This campout will be of the “no-brainer” style of campout, with each camper responsible for their site reservation and their fees. There will be no pins or patches, door prizes, field events, or catered meals for this event, and the attendance will be about 20-40 folks instead of 75-150 people. Another rally bites-the-dust, but with all the attendant costs to the clubs and with questions about how many will attend these events with $4-$5/gallon gas prices, I think that many local club rallies will fall by the wayside in the near future. The big national rallies will survive because of their size and draw, but many of the smaller gatherings will not be able to overcome the quickly rising costs involved with attending and operating these events. Another question that the club has been examining has been the position of advertisements in this newsletter. It was decided that 1/8th page ads will be posted for businesses that are owned by club members, and there will be no fee attached to this privilege. After all this decision making, all involved scurried back into the air conditioning and we enjoyed delicious snacks and refreshments provided by Jim and Pat Morrison.
Next month’s meeting is at Gary & Tina Shimizu’s in Fayetteville. Again, we are going to a subdivision that has risen in the last few years and many GPS’s will not be able to help you find their house. Another problem is that they live in a gated community and they will have to let the gate know who is coming to their house. That means you must email Gary (gshimizu@nc.rr.com) or call them (910) 423-4090, to let them know you are coming and so they can give your name to the front gate. Preplanning prevents problems.
Remember, while there are more daylight hours to ride now, this is summer in North Carolina and you must take care of yourself. Be aware of dehydration and how the heat will affect your decision-making. With the fires in Eastern NC, the smoke has made it to the Piedmont and the road visibility and the particulate pollution in the air makes for less-than-good riding conditions. Use all these factors in planning and enjoying your rides during the summer. Also remember that most cars have air conditioning, so the drivers have their windows up, the AC on high, and the radio blasting or are on a cell phone. This all means that the cage driver will be even less aware of surrounding traffic and you are invisible to them. Never be surprised by a foolish automobile move, just give yourself enough space to get around them and away from them.
Some Interesting BMW activities coming up in the area:
-July 10-12 RoadRUNNER Touring Weekend in Natural Bridge, VA
A good touring magazine, based in Clemmons,NC
For more info: www.roadrunner.travel.
-July 17-20 MOA National Rally Gillette, WY
-August 15-17 AMA Superbike/Formula Xtream VIR (near Danville,VA)
Nate Kern will be racing his R1200S and the HP-2 in the biggest AMA races in the area and he wants the BMW folks to be there to support his chances at his favorite track.