by Fred Jewell, RCB Prez

I can’t believe it’s getting to the last few weeks of summer already, and that means we’re getting ready for our annual campout at Manchester Beach in October. In the meantime, however, we have the Gypsy Tour, happening over the holiday weekend that I know a lot of our members enjoy. It’s a well-run and interesting tour of Northern California, but it does involve camping, which leaves me out. Our club meeting is on the same holiday, Saturday, which means either Ray or Rick will lead a (much simpler) ride depending on the temperature. If it is relatively cool(er) out we’ll go to Granzella’s via the Capay Valley, or if it’s hot, we might end up in the foothills somewhere. Routes are already on the club rides section of the website, check the forum for updates.

September also means that the mileage (destination) contest is drawing to a close in a couple of weeks, so get those pictures in to my email or phone by the 15^th. This is your chance at a set of tires for your bike, installation included donated by Randy at A&S, which is nothing to sneeze at (if that’s your idea of fun). It is a raffle so the more places you go to the better your chances of winning.

As I’m moving along in my second presidency of this most excellent motorcycle club, I often think of Gary Stofer, president for many years before my first stint, and the things he helped me with in becoming president of the first club I’d ever even been a member of, let alone leading one. That being said, as much as I enjoy being president, I would really like to see someone new and energetic come take the reins of the club, I would help him or her as much as I can. Pay and benefits commensurate with experience.

Gary had many pearls of wisdom he would occasionally drop on us as he saw fit. One I recall in particular was when I was complaining about the weak horn on my 1100 RT and wanted to install a louder one, and he said bad idea, you don’t want aggravate drivers as you are extremely vulnerable in a road rage situation. The pearl he dropped on me was if you have time to think, react and hit that hard-to-reach horn button, you have time to avoid the situation and let the driver go on their way. I don’t think I’ve hit the horn but a couple of times since then, and I never replaced the stock horn on any of my bikes.

Last month’s trivia question answer is Kingfish, a side band of the Grateful Dead’s Bob Weir I got to see in concert a couple of times in the mid-seventies. Here’s a non-musical one for this month: On what date did the 20^th century begin?

The weather’s great, let’s ride!

by Fred Jewell RCB Prez

August is almost here and we’re welcoming our intrepid travelers back from Alaska, not much the worse for wear, save for a little mud. Well, a lot of mud. (Just ask Al Morrison). Ernesto kept us updated regularly on his Facebook page with lots of pictures and eloquent descriptions of the day’s events. Many thanks to him for doing that so well, it kept my mind at ease from worry, knowing everyone was safe and well. It certainly appeared that it was the ride of a lifetime for those who went, and that it was well planned and well led by our own Octogenarian Roger. I have to say I’m very proud of Roger, he’s been trying to get this ride together for a few years and he finally did it. It almost made me yearn to go there myself, the scenery was breathtaking, but the tales of mud and gravel stop me right there. It shouldn’t stop anyone else from trying though, especially if mud and gravel roads don’t bother you. (Ask me if you don’t know my answer to riding in the dirt).

August is also the time for the annual Tahoe Chill campout on the 18^th through the 20^th. There is a sign up for it on the front of the website; this is important as to estimate enough food and beverages for everyone. Hopefully, the bear will like other people’s campsites better than ours this year, just don’t forget to say “hello bear” if he does visit ours.

I have it on very good authority that, if you are playing the “Where’s My Name contest, or even if you’re not, you should not miss Mendenhall’s Museum of Gasoline in Buellton. The contestant stated that there is a huge amount of land speed record memorabilia, and the owner is a wonderful guy named Mark. I’m going, even though being the administrator of the contest, I don’t participate, but it sounds like a great day ride destination. And speaking of the contest, I also have it on good authority that our club ride this Saturday will be going past Jewell, CA on the way back from the oysters. Great way to earn 12 tickets, enjoy a ride to the coast and partake of a dozen oysters.

Last month’s trivia question was easy, (at least to those of us old enough to remember Johnny Horton) so this one is a little harder to get without the use of Google: I was going to send them off to Alaska with a song called “Wild Northland”, so who did that song, and why would I be associated with it?

The weather’s great, let’s ride!

by Fred Jewell RCB Prez

THE RAIN IS GONE! Finally! Aaaannd, here comes the heat. It’s looking like Saturday we’ll be riding into 104-degree temps, that is, unless you decide to participate in the annual Ride ‘n’ Bowl in Yerington, where it should be significantly cooler. The lunch destination in Genoa (Nevada, not Italy) should also be a decent temperature with shady spots to eat really good homemade sandwiches.

Speaking of shady spots, our poker run went off (although with a hitch or two) but ended up at Mike Ledbetter’s estate for lunch, drinks and games. Mike is a very gracious and generous host, and he deserves a round of thanks from all those who were there. I certainly had a good time cooking for everyone, and I’m hoping next year will have an even bigger turnout.

Our coterie of riders will be going north, to Alaska (north, the rush is on) soon after the holiday weekend and we wish them all well and good riding. I’m expecting daily reports on how it’s going; it sounds like the ride of a lifetime and some of us who can’t make it will want to live vicariously through them.

I’m starting to get more pictures of member’s motorcycles at sites from my Where’s My Name contest now that summer is in full swing. Please check the forum for my post about some corrections to a few site descriptions. Unlike last year’s contest, I haven’t actually been to many of the sites, so I went off Google earth for them.  Mea culpa. I am hearing of a possible group ride to several of the local sites in July. Stay tuned for details, but here’s a chance to gather 6 tickets in an easy day’s ride.

Easy trivia question today: Whose song did I reference above?

By Fred Jewell RCB Prez

 It sure looks like my karma with the weather continued last month with the poker run being postponed, but this Saturday it’s looking as if we’re finally getting the cooperation we need. If you signed up last month there’s no need to sign up again for this Saturday, we’ve got you covered. If you haven’t yet, please do so as soon as possible so we know how many to feed. I’ll be doing the cooking, so you know it’s got to be good.  

 I’m starting to get some texts and emails from members with their contest pictures of the locations, and I’m expecting a lot more now that the optimal time for riding is here. There are enough local sites to visit that you could gather a half dozen tickets in an afternoon if you don’t feel like exploring the rest of California. One member has already found the sprawling metropolis of Jewell, CA, so I know others can too and earn 12 tickets for the privilege. If you have sent me an email and I haven’t responded right away, please send it to my phone, along with your name and the location. A lot of emails ended up in my spam file last year. 

 I’m going to call this next section of my column “Things I Learned From Gary Stofer”. If you never had the good fortune to know Gary, he was president of the club for something like 9 years, and was truly the glue that held the club together, and a (mostly) very even-tempered guy. I succeeded him in my first tenure as president as I got the feeling he was glad to be finally handing the reins over to someone else. Which brings me to the first thing I learned from him, and that is you don’t campaign to be re-elected, you campaign to find someone to replace you. That being said, I would gladly step aside for anyone else wanting the position! The next thing was as president, you’ll never please everyone, so don’t try. Just do what you think most people would want to do, and if someone complains, maybe they could be president next! I did hear him say more than once “This job doesn’t pay enough to take your crap” or something like that. Gary had a very strong opinion on replacing your weak sounding horn for a louder one, something with which I completely agree. The point being that if you have time to think, react, and reach for your horn button, you have time to avoid the situation. If you’re using the horn in retaliation for some perceived wrong done to you, you should realize that you’re in a position of extreme vulnerability on your bike, so discretion is definitely the better part of valor. Just let them go on their way.  

 So let’s get going now that the time and weather are right. Go somewhere you haven’t been to before. Ride a road you’ve never been on. Ride until you’re lost and have to use your GPS to get home. Travel, get out of your comfort zone, you’ll be surprised at how much fun you’ll have.

Due to the weather, the Memorial Poker Run will be after the June club meeting on June 3rd instead of the May meeting.

By Fred Jewell RCB Prez

Yay! Sunshine and warm temperatures, finally. I was beginning to wonder there for a while. Hopefully it continues through this weekend for our annual poker run, 50/50 raffle and lunch at Mike Ledbetter’s palatial estate in the foothills. Don’t forget to sign up on the website ahead of time, it’s always a good time and a fun ride devised by Ken and Gordy.

It’s also good weather to start your hunt for sites in the Where’s My Name contest and collect raffle tickets towards a set of tires for your bike. There are 180 tickets available if you hit every one, but I’m going to bet even last year’s winner, Chris Navarrete, can’t make it to all of them. You’ve got until September 15 to gather as many tickets as you can and improve your chances for those tires.

Jeff Hanrahan, from A&S, told me recently that BMW will be celebrating their 100-year anniversary at the Barber Sports race track and motorcycle museum in Birmingham, Alabama Oct. 6-8.

Unfortunately, this is the same weekend as our Manchester Beach meeting, but if you’re not going to Manchester (and shame on you) you might want to join in their festivities. I wish it had been just about any other date, I’d have gone. That motorcycle museum has been on my bucket list for a while, and I’ll bet BMW will put on a great event.

There are lots of things going on in the months ahead, both our own events and others we enjoy participating in, so check the RCB calendar and plan accordingly. Get yourself and your bike ready to go, and let’s have a great riding season.

Some random thoughts: Why do we park on a driveway and drive on a parkway? If a fly didn’t have wings, would it be a walk? How come people are never combobulated or gruntled? You can’t be in cahoots by yourself.

by Fred Jewell RCB Prez

 Is it just me, or has it been raining on every club meeting since I became club President (again)? I hope it’s not an omen. I believe Ken has been chomping at the bit to go to the Priest Station Cafe each time, and this Saturday is looking iffy again. We’ll see how the weather looks as we get closer, so let’s hope for the best.

 Remember, April 1 starts the Where’s My Name contest, and it’s not an April Fool’s joke, you really can increase your chances for a set of tires mounted on your motorcycle by visiting the sites listed to earn raffle tickets. There are 180 tickets possible. 

 In the latest issue of the Owners News magazine I found an article about group riding that I felt was very apropos to this time of year, and well worth reading. To summarize, in case you don’t get the ON magazine, the author emphasized several “contracts” all riders should have in group rides: Don’t hit the rider in front of you. Be in proper riding formation (differs by road situation). Keep the rider in front of you in sight. Keep the rider in back of you in sight. Pass back road warnings and hand signals. And to me the most important, ride within your own ability. (I’ve also heard that described as every bike has its own throttle and brake). Read the whole article to get the details explained better; the information in it could come in very handy on any group ride going to Morro Bay at the end of the month.  Speaking of Morro Bay, it’s looking like a pretty good turnout this year, more than we’ve had in a while. That is something I do hope IS an omen, I’m looking forward to seeing more participation in club events throughout the year. After all, isn’t that why you joined the club? Actually, the board is looking to do a survey of our members to determine just that, plus other things as well. Look for it in an email sometime in the not-too-distant future, and please answer it (honestly), it’s being designed to find out what the club can do for our members. 

 I know the weather will eventually turn into proper riding weather so let’s get ready. We have a lot of rides and events coming up in the next several months, so there’s got to be something that you’ll find to your liking. 

 After reading that ON article I was reminded of a classic discussion of knowledge v. wisdom, where knowledge is knowing Frankenstein was the doctor, not the monster, but wisdom is knowing the doctor was the real monster. In motorcycling, knowledge is knowing what your motorcycle is capable of, wisdom is knowing where your own capabilities end. Ride safely; let’s all make it home.  

By Fred Jewell, RCB Prez

Instead of a mileage contest this year, I've come up with a different kind of contest. Visit these sites to collect raffle tickets for a drawing to be held at the next Manchester Beach shindig. All locations are in California, and I used members’ names to come up with sites to visit to earn raffle tickets.

*Contest begins on April 1, 2023, and ends at midnight on September 15, 2023.

*Only RCB members in good standing are eligible to participate and win.

*Contest winner will be determined by drawing at the October meeting at Manchester Beach KOA -YOU MUST BE PRESENT TO WIN!

*Contest consists of visiting the sites on the list to collect the corresponding # of raffle tickets for the site.

Each site can only be visited once, and must be visited on your motorcycle. As you visit each site, take a picture of the designated location (as stated on the list) with your motorcycle in it. Note: there are some locations that cannot be reached on your motorcycle, in those cases, a picture of the location will suffice.

*Each site has a # of tickets available, anywhere from a minimum of one to as many as twelve.

*The contest winner will be awarded set of motorcycle tires of his/her choice installed on the winner’s motorcycle.

Here are the locations and the sites to be photographed for the Where’s My Name contest. Starting April 1, all you have to do is travel to the sites on your motorcycle, take a picture of the site specified with your motorcycle in it (when possible), and send the picture to my email or my cell phone. Email is frebeck94@gmail.com, cell # is 916 230 0951. Please remember to tell me who you are and what your picture is. Also, please realize that, although I tried, I couldn’t get every member’s name into the contest, and the names have no meaning to the location other than similarities. Contest ends on Sept. 15, and the drawing for the tires will be at the Manchester Beach club meeting in October. You must be present to win. Good luck to everyone!
Fred Jewell, RCB President (again)

Gordy Olson reminded me of Gorda on US 1, which boasts of having the highest priced gas in the country. Get a picture of your bike and the pumps to earn 5 raffle tickets.

Chris Navarrete, who won last year’s contest, reminded me of Navarro on hwy 128. Take a picture of your bike in front of the general store to earn 5 tickets.

Ken Caruthers reminded me of the town of Caruthers. Take a picture of your bike in front of the “Welcome to Caruthers” sign to earn 3 tickets.

There is a road outside Galt called Ivie Road, spelled just like our own Mike Ivie. Take picture of your bike and the road sign to earn 1 ticket.

Ray Nuguit made me think of Raymond, where there is the Raymond Museum. Take a picture of your bike in front of the museum to earn 3 tickets.

Scott Moseman may not know there is a town in California named Scott Bar, but you can take a picture of your bike in front of the John Scott monument for 7 tickets. It is next to the Community Hall.

Not for Al Morrison as much as for his wonderful wife Angel, you should go to Angel’s Camp and get a picture of your bike in front of the Angel theater for 2 tickets.

Jack Klauschie reminded me, of course, of the town of Jackson. There is a historical landmark for the Argonaut and Kennedy mines on 49 just before town on the right. Take a picture of the plaque for 1 ticket.

Bob Brown has a town named after him called Brown’s Valley (not really, but it sounds good). Get a picture of your bike in front of the Brown’s Valley Garden Center for 2 tickets.

Tracy Buchanan, of course, has to be Tracy, and there is the Tracy Historical Museum in town. Make sure you get your bike in front of the museum in the picture for 2 tickets.

Of course Larry Campbell has to be Campbell, and of course there has to be a Campbell Historical Museum there for you to get a picture of your bike and the front entrance to earn 2 raffle tickets.

Randy Felice and Rand Olson reminded me of the bustling metropolis of Randsburg. Not much there but there is the Rand Desert Museum, and you can take a picture of your bike in front of it for 7 tickets.

I’ll bet Steve Jones didn’t know, and probably not you either, that there is the Jones Family Park in Elk Grove. Get a picture of the sign for 1 ticket.

Bob Lawrence reminded me of Lawrence Livermore Labs in Livermore, where you can earn 2 tickets for a picture of your bike at the front entrance. Just don’t stay too long, you might start glowing in the dark afterwards.

Lewiston is where I thought of Marv Lewis, and where you can earn 5 tickets for a picture of your bike in front of the Lewiston Hotel Bar and Grill. Go in and hoist one in memory of Lois.

Stan and Gloria Davis got me thinking of the town of Davis and their famous Toad Tunnel. Find it at a place called Toad Hollow and take a picture of the tunnel (I don’t think you can get a bike there) for 1 ticket.

Don’t mind the spelling difference, but Karl Weiland reminded me of Carlsbad, where there is the Leo Carillo Historical Park. Take a picture of the sign “Rancho De Los Quiotes” for 9 tickets.

However, Heidi Weiland got me thinking of Heidi’s Pancake House in South Lake Tahoe. Get a picture of your bike in front of it for 4 tickets.

It’s a stretch, but Rick Kilton reminded me of Richvale, where there is a big farm called Lundberg Farms, and they have a sign on the road that you should take a picture of your bike in front of to earn 2 tickets.

Here’s a good one for Nathan Fender in Fullerton. The Fullerton Museum has an exhibit about Fender Guitars, so get a picture of the front of the museum with your bike. Gather 8 tickets and see if they’ll let you shred on a ’56 Telecaster.

Terry Lee has me thinking of Lee Vining and the Mono Basin Museum. A picture of the museum sign and your bike will earn you 4 tickets.

It’s another stretch, but I know there is no place called Williges in California, but there is one called Willits, and that’s close. Get a picture of the town sign over the main street that says “Willits. Heart of Mendocino County” for 4 tickets.

This one could be difficult to get, but Mike Bueche’s name made me think of Buellton, and there’s Mendenhall’s Museum of Gasoline there, and it’s worth 7 tickets if you can get in to take a picture of the entrance.

For Jack “Action Jackson” Weiglein look to the town of Acton where there’s a place to eat called Crazy Otto’s Diner, worth 8 tickets if you get a picture of your bike in front of it. A bonus of 2 more tickets if you can also guess what Crazy Otto has to do with me.

For Maggy and Henry Mini, I took liberties with their name and decided on Mineral. Little did I know that they love to go up there to camp, so if you get a picture of your bike in front of the Volcano City RV park sign you’ll get 4 tickets.

In memory of Stan Paolini I found that there is a road in Valley Springs called Paolini Road, so if you can find any of the street signs that say Paolini get a picture of it for 2 tickets.

For Linda Stofer and in memory of Gary Stofer and their two black Labs, I found a Lab breeder called Stofer’s Labs in Prunedale. It’s a residence, so just get a picture of their driveway at 110 Crazy Horse Road for 3 tickets.

An obvious one for Mike Robles is the town of Paso Robles and the Vina Robles Winery. Park your bike at the main entrance for the picture and earn 5 tickets.

Bruce and Lisa Cornelius got a difficult one in Cornell at the Cornell Winery. Take a picture of your bike next to their old blue pickup truck in front for 8 tickets. The winery’s pickup, not Bruce and Lisa’s.

Another memorial one, this time for Jim Cyran. In the town of Orange there is a Café called Cyrano’s. A picture of your bike in front is worth 8 tickets.

I’m really reaching for this one, but Chuck Talley got me thinking of Talmage, where there is a place called “The City of 10,000 Buddhas”. Get a picture of your bike under one of the arches of the entrance to the city and earn 4 tickets.

Tom Moe reminded me of Mojave and their sign “Welcome to Mojave Gateway to Space” which is worth 6 tickets for a picture of it with your bike.

It seemed obvious to me that Dave Swift should be reminding me of the Swift Transportation Hub in Lathrop, where a picture of your bike at the main entrance is worth 2 tickets.

Another stretch of the imagination is for Ted Alvarez. In Monterey there is the Alvarado Street Brewery, where you should take a picture of your bike in front before you go in and have a cold one. It’s worth 4 tickets.

Continuing with stretching, Ernesto Rivera gets us to Riverside and Mount Rubidoux Park, where there is a castle turret you should get a picture of. I’m pretty sure you can’t get your bike there, but it’s worth 8 tickets.

I found the town of Julian which coincided nicely with Ken Julian’s name, and there is a museum there called the Julian Pioneer Museum. There is a plaque on a rock in front you should get a picture of in order to earn 10 tickets.

Robert Wallace suggested to me the town of Wallace, so I found a place called Decorative Rock Network. You can park your bike under the sign and take a picture to earn 1 ticket.

Chuck Downing reminds me of Downieville and its grocery store, where you can take a picture of your bike in front of it for 4 tickets.

Since Campbell was already taken, I felt Jim Campbell should remind me of Jamestown, and a picture of your bike in front of the National Hotel is worth 2 tickets.

And finally, the highest valued location has to be the “town” of Jewell, where, if you can find it, a picture of the sign for the town is worth 12 tickets. Realize that this may be very difficult, I’m not sure if it’s still there, it was 37 years ago when I was there last.

Here's a gpx file with most of the point locations. 

By Fred Jewell, RCB Prez

Here it is the end of February as I write this and it looks like March is coming in like a lion (as a lion?), so let’s hope it goes out like (as) a lamb and we can get back into riding! Our first semi-organized rides are coming up soon – the Whale of a Tour ride to Mendocino on March 10th and the Ladies’ March ride and luncheon on the 11th. You still have time to reserve a room in Morro Bay for the ride in April, a fun weekend and great ride, although I’m not sure if highway 1 will be open by then. There are many alternate routes available if it’s still closed, check with Terry Lee.

April 1 is also the start of the annual mileage, er, destination contest, this year called the Where’s My Name contest. Details and the complete list will be coming out at the end of March. You just need to participate, no need to sign up in order to have a chance in the raffle for a set of tires installed on your motorcycle. The drawing will be held at the October meeting at Manchester Beach, and you must be present to win, as if you needed another reason to attend our biggest and most enjoyable event of the year.

March’s Board of Directors meeting will be on Tuesday the 7th due to a scheduling conflict at Pete’s Brewhouse in Folsom, just this one time only. The rest of the year we should be there on our regular 2nd Thursday of the month. All members are welcome to attend and see how unorganized we are, but the food is good.

A new item we’ll be trying out at the monthly meeting in March in addition to the raffle – a 50/50 raffle done separately from the regular raffle, so bring an extra dollar or ten and try your luck. Who knows, you could win enough to buy breakfast for months.

Not too much else to talk about at this time of year, but there’s a lot coming at us soon, so get your bikes ready, we’ll be on the road in no time.

Fred J. President (again)

by Fred Jewell, RCB Prez

February. Not the best month for motorcycle riding, even around here, but compared to the climates in many places I’ve lived around this country, it’s almost tropical. Just think about hopping on your bike in Denver, Omaha, Chicago or Stamford, CT right now and you’ll be thrilled with our climate, which, by the way, is looking really good for our club ride this Saturday.

  Speaking of rides, it looks like Terry Lee is getting things together for our unofficial first group ride of the year, going to Morro Bay. If you haven’t gone on this ride before I strongly suggest you do, as it has many things we like to do as RCBers, which is to ride twisty roads, eat good food and drink adult beverages. Riding highway 1 is an incredible route to ride to get there. The Hearst Castle is well worth seeing while you’re down there, just make reservations well in advance. There is plenty of shopping and restaurants in the Embarcadero in Morro Bay, And Solvang is close enough for a day trip. Check out the motorcycle museum there. Paso Robles has a reputation as having wine as good or better than Napa, so wine tasting is available nearby.

  I have just about finished the locations for our mileage - I mean destination - contest. Look for it showing up on the forum next month as the start date is April 1. Rules and the prize for the winner will be announced in March also. Needless to say this one will be easier to understand and to earn raffle tickets for the prize. I’m fairly certain that Chris won’t be able to go to every location this time, but you never know with him.

  Greg Gibson is currently working on a 4 day ride in northern California that is motel oriented, and I think it is going to be really good, I can’t wait for the details to come out, stay tuned. And the best part is, no camping involved!

  So it’s kind of a slow month for the club, but a lot of stuff is coming soon, so get your bikes ready, (maybe ask Gordy to tune your carburetors) and we’ll be on the road in no time.