By Gordy Olson

RCB’ers:  I don’t know exactly where to start… these have been very challenging times of late, but I think (hope?) that the Club is ready to turn the corner and get back to at least a semblance of normal.

A lot has happened since the last President’s Corner.  Very sadly, Rich and Brenda Gay’s adult son was killed recently in a traffic accident back east.  The Gays were planning to relocate to Sedona, AZ in a year or so but have now decided to make their move now.  We all share their grief and we will miss them. 

On another sad note… Jim Cyran, a true RCB stalwart before he moved back to Ohio last year, passed away recently after suffering a heart attack while duck hunting out here in Sacramento with some California buddies.  Jim was a great rider and a great Club member.   He will be missed.

With the Gays’ relocation to beautiful Sedona, I have reassumed the reins (at least for now) of the Club presidency.  As COVID finally appears to be in our rear view mirrors I am hopeful that the Club will be able to get back to a full schedule of events.  This month, some couples are off to Mendocino for the “Whale of a Tour” outing.  Our monthly club rides have started again and the Wednesday Night Riders continue their longstanding tradition of Hump Day rides.

Check the RCB website regularly to see what else is new.

Here are some items to put on your calendar for the upcoming months… NORCAL BMW is moving their annual 49er Rally from Mariposa to Quincy (where Central Cal used to hold its Beemer Bash).  NORCAL’s event has been relocated -- but not rescheduled -- it will still be over Memorial Day weekend as usual.  RCB will organize and operate the Poker Run at the Event as we had done historically for Central Cal’s event.  You can go to NORCAL’s website and register for the event.  It should be fun and they are expecting 400-500 participants!!

In July, the Club is planning to resurrect the “Ride ‘n’ Bowl” trip to Yerington, NV after a hiatus of several years.  I have been in touch with the casino and they are completely renovating the bowling alley and expect to have it ready on time for our arrival.  It wasn’t entirely clear to me if the renovation is being done exclusively for the Club’s benefit or was previously planned, but either way it will be welcome.  I will be providing more details as they become available.  The July Club meeting and raffle will be held on July 9 to avoid a conflict with the July 4^th weekend.  The monthly Club ride after the meeting will be to Genoa, NV with the River City Beemer Bowlers (AKA “RCB Squared”) continuing on to Yerington for the rest of the weekend.  Bowlers:  Root through your closets, find those old RCBB bowling shirts, get them dry-cleaned and prepare to revisit one of our treasured events.  Remember:  Those who forget the past are doomed to re-bowl it!!!

That’s enough for now.  Stay safe and appreciate every day and every ride.  Cheers, Gordy   RCBPREZ  (Again!)

I want to open this month’s Prez Corner by wishing all the veterans in RCB, and I know there are many, a happy Veteran’s Day. All Veterans deserve recognition and a big “Thank you for your service!” Really, thank you!

We enjoyed our first Manchester Beach event since the pandemic and, I think we all had a great time. I never was really sure it was gonna happen as this state is all busted up as far as pandemic protocol is concerned but, I finally got the ok from our favorite KOA contact Yolanda that the event was to go on as planned. It was so great to see all friends new and old at our biggest event of the year. Next year will be even bigger I’m sure.

During  the November meeting we elected a new RCB President for the coming year and the vote was unanimous. Our new prez is Rich Gay! I and we are sure Rich will be an excellent Prez for our club. Thank you Rich for your willingness to serve. Gordy was re-elected as the VP and Maggie will continue on as our Secretary with Scott Moseman  to continue as Treasurer. Thanks Scott, you do great work! All BOD members will remain in their positions with me getting the nod to take on the one open director position. Cpt. Ken will continue as our IT guy and Ride Capt. as well as a director. Thanks to all who serve the club! I know, the pay sucks but, someone has got to do it. Thanks again.

Sunday, bout a dozen of us got together to resurrect our events calendar for 2022. Those events will be put on the events calendar by Capt. Ken when he gets to it. I want to encourage anyone who would like to suggest a new event for the club to do that. Please do! But, if you do, you are responsible for the planning of the event. It will be your event, and as stated earlier, the pay sucks! We have quite a few new members in the club. Can’t wait to hear new ideas for new events. Bring ‘em on! May the pandemic be over.

There will be a club meeting Sat. Dec. 4^th at Susie’s but, there will be no raffle and, most likely no club ride as that evening we will celebrate our 2021 Christmas Party at A&S. Watch the forum for info in regard to time and your contribution to this grand event. Just know there will be a special guest direct from the North Pole in attendance. That is all I will say! See you there!

Everyone have a great Thanksgiving with your families and friends. Capt. Ken will be leading The day after Thanksgiving ride to Waterloo for lunch. You can swing by the Lockeford Sausage store on the way home and buy the best sausage made ANYWHERE. DO NOT ASK WHAT DAY THE RIDE IS!

Ride often, and ride safe!

Mike

Here we are in mid October with the end of the year staring us down. So where are we now in the maybe post pandemic era? Well, we managed to make a showing at the MOA Intl. in Great Falls Mt. There were somewhere around 25 members in attendance. Not the best rally we have seen but kudos to the MOA rally chairs for making it a nice event with all we have been through this last year. We had a good time. We attempted a campout at Lassen Nat’l Park in Sept. but that was thwarted due to the massive Dixie fire. It was getting tough to find areas to ride in this summer as we were pretty much surrounded by smoke and fire. We did get to Manchester Beach for the Stofer Memorial Classic. Didn’t know for quite a while if that was gonna be pulled off but it was. Worst thing that happened I think was the RCB coffee pot was BROKE! The KOA bailed us out with a coffee pot and saved the day.  Fred was the Manchester Barkeeper and kept everyone happy with Bloody Marys. Bruce and Lisa auctioned a quilt off through auctioneer Jack K. to Gordy for 610.00 that went to The Childrens Receiving Home of Sac. Great cause. We had over 70 folks there I believe. Not bad. Weather was fantastic.

A handful of us loons gathered at a dusty campsite in the Nev. High desert on Oct 14^th, 15^th ,16^th  and rode around stirring up dust and raising hell. We had a great time after we thawed out. Our mornings were touching freezing in the mornings. Scott M. was our host and fed us well. Hopefully the Nevada Outback ride will continue on. I know I will go back. That was FUN! This is not a pavement ride.

I talked with Randy at A&S and we are set for the annual RCB Christmas Party. Wasn’t sure at first but yes!, we will have a party complete with our resident Elf in attendance. Information will follow in a thread on the forum. One thing is for sure, there will be no raffle at the Dec. club meeting. All the goodies are raffled at the Gala, Sat. night. The Elf is in charge. Come and enjoy a great evening!

Nov. is election month. There will be NO mail in ballots. You must be present to vote.  I want to urge all members to get involved in YOUR club. Whether it be an officer or a director or in another capacity please throw your hat in the ring. We need new ideas and new blood to keep things fresh! WARNING!!!! The pay sucks! LOL!

So, see everyone at the Nov. meeting. Hopefully the weather is good and we can ride!

Mike

Yeah, I know, I’m running a bit late this month! Sorry. I am getting ready for and packing for the Tahoe Chill which is coming up this Friday. Should be fun as always and we are in the very capable hands of Lynell and Jenny in regard to their culinary skills and keeping us fed at this event. Thanks to the Klauschies and Harrises for hosting this event. It is a lot of work and I know the folks that attend it appreciate all the effort they expend in always making this an enjoyable event. Pretty sure the bears like it also.

As a club, we are working to try to make the remainder of 2021’s event calendar as busy as possible and I am wondering how it will play out when you consider how the Covid is gonna effect the remainder of the year. Will the Delta Variant send us back to 2020? I am hoping that doesn’t happen but, we should be prepared for the possibility. We are proceeding with Manchester Beach preparations for Oct. but at the same time a lot can happen between now and then. Being optimistic.

The Lost Creek campout in Lassen National Park is scheduled for Sept. 17^th and 18^th.  The plan is I drag my travel trailer there and provide a couple of meals to attendees. The problem (another problem) is the surrounding area is involved in the Dixie fire and the park is presently closed. So here is another possible cancellation. We will keep a close eye on conditions at the park. Fires and Covid! Really?

On a sad note, We have lost a good friend and club member in Laura Musgrave. Unfortunately Laura was involved in an accident in southern Utah and did not survive it. WE will miss that big smile and big personality she brought to all of our events. Ukulele jam sessions will also be remembered when the campfire is lit! Took 12 years to get me to sing around a campfire. Laura actually pulled it off! She was recently recognized in the BMW ON magazine with her riding mileage last year. She had no fear of a long ride. We will miss her.

I want to encourage you all to fill out the emergency contact information on this site. It is a new feature in your club profile and you should complete it. It will help someone help you if the need be. Capt. Ken posted a tutorial and it is a quick and easy add on to all of our profiles and long overdue. DO IT! Please.

We will see some of you at the “Chill” this weekend. Bought a new bear horn. The thing is frickin’ LOUD! Should scare off bears in the next county. We shall see.

See you all soon. Take care and above all, never ride faster then your guardian angel.

Mike

Happy 4^th of July everyone. I hope everyone has a great holiday with family and friends. Grillin’, chillin’ and setting off safe and sane fireworks of which, I have a BIG box. I wish you all a great weekend!

About 25 of the RCB crew made it to the MOA Int’l in Great Falls, Montana and for being the first post pandemic get together I’d have to say it was pretty nice effort from all the volunteers that are the MOA. Thanks to them all as it was a good time. The musical entertainment at the event was the best of any of the Int’l’s I have attended. Very good! The number of vendors was a bit light but, that was due to the pandemic I’m guessing. They had one tire vendor that was selling and installing tires and, those poor guys were bustin’ butt from Thurs. to Sun. About 30 of us took the Rally Shuttle to downtown Great Falls for dinner. After we finished dinner we found out the shuttle broke down, which was no surprise as we were chuckling over how poorly the shuttle was running. The shuttle got the last laugh! Here’s a tip. Don’t wear flip flops when riding on a poorly maintained shuttle as they are not comfortable after a few miles of walking! We made it back with some RCBers actually climbing a cyclone fence to get back into the venue. My only regret there is, I got no pictures! I hear flip flops suck while climbing fences. I believe that and don’t need to try it! RCB shared the cost of a 20x40 popup with the Norcal club and that worked out well in the intense Montana afternoon sun. All in all I think those that attended the Rally had a good time.

On a bad note. One of our members had a bad experience with a Montana Mule deer. Mule deer are considerably larger then their west coast cousins. As I understand it our rider missed 2 before hitting number 3. The result was a minimum of a broken ankle and almost assuredly a totaled bike which was almost new. Thoughts go to our fellow club member for a quick recovery. Could have been a lot worse, injury wise. It could have been anyone of us and this is a good reminder to keep constant vigilance while riding through deer country.

Assuming that our recovery from the Corona remains on a positive plane we will continue to resurrect an events schedule for the remainder of the riding season. Watch the forum as we will be updating this next week.

See you all at the club meeting tomorrow and ride safe!

Mike

PS. The RCB store is now open. Check it out. Buy a hat or a shirt or whatever. Open till Aug 1st.

It’s Friday June 4^th 2021! It has been impossible to guess when our pandemic lock down would end and yet here we are. There is still a ways to go but I think we can agree that we are bathing in the light at the end of the tunnel! Finally! At least it feels that way to me and I hope you are feeling that way also.

Tomorrow will be our first club meeting in a loooooooong time. It will be fun seeing all of our members again, together! We will have a chance to meet new members that I know we have and reacquaint ourselves with our club friends. We as humans are social creatures and we need this interaction as it has been a long time coming. I know our esteemed rafflemeister Gordy has some great prizes for our first post pandemic meeting. Should be a good one so, bring cash and win something cool. You new club members take special note as, it seems like new members win quite a bit in their first raffles. Not sure why but, it is true. Following our meeting, Capt. Ken will lead us on club ride n romp to Calistoga and have lunch at Buster’s. Great roads and a fun ride. Fill your fuel tank and come ride with us!

Thanks to all who have responded to our request to know if you are attending the BMWMOA Intl. in Great Falls, Montana. We need it to compete for the most attending in a chartered club award. Once again, we will be sharing a large shelter tent with our friends at the Norcal club. Our camping site will be adjacent to that tent so we don’t have to worry about too much sun as Montana sun can burn you up. Bring sunblock folks and we hope to see you in Great Falls. The Int’l is a great time and if you have never  been to one and can, you should go, you won’t regret it. The MOA does a great job with this event.

We will resume BOD meetings and do what we can to produce an events calendar as all our events have been cancelled and right now, the only thing in cement is Manchester Beach in October which, is our biggest event of the year. Camping is HUGE right now so, if you want a cabin or an RV site, I recommend you do it now. No one knew how long this thing (pandemic) would last and we should be optimistic that normalcy will continue to improve.

On a little different note, it has been brought to my attention that we have many folks that need to renew their membership and I would like to request that you do so please. Dues and raffle revenue is the life blood of the club and I understand that the last year has been trying for all but now that we are becoming active again as a club please make sure your membership is up to date! Thanks to all!

I could go on but, I won’t. I hope to see many of you tomorrow and together we can start to get the RCB train back on the track! See Ya!

Mike

I know, May 10^th and here I am with May’s Prez Corner. I have waited a bit this month cause times are a changing for the first time in 14 months of pandemic lockdown. YAY, it’s about time! So let’s get right into some good news for a change!

We will see our first official club meeting this next month with an actual raffle! That’s right, a meeting and raffle followed by a club ride. Sounds weird I know but, you are reading this correctly. The light at the end of the end of the tunnel is becoming clearer and I am hoping it continues to do so. We all need it. I am looking forward to seeing you all, and getting this train back on the track. Or, at least closer.

We will also have a BOD meeting this week at the usual venue. We have many things to discuss to include our pretty much non-existent events calendar. At this time the only event on the calendar is Manchester Beach. So, we have some work to do. As always, the meeting is open to all members.

The MOA needs a guesstimate as to the number of RCB campers attending the International at Great Falls, Montana. They need this information so they can properly cordon off an area that will be the proper size for our tents. I will create a new post on the forum so we can get a tally on who is attending. Even if you are hoteling it please post that you will be at the event as we would like to compete for the “ Most members of a charter club in attendance”. So look for that post on the forum.

So, here we are. Easiest Prez Corner in over a year! Great news for a change! It will be nice seeing everyone and, getting the club rolling again!

Mike

I am sitting at home going through the latest  BMW ON mag realizing that things are changing in this pandemic and a new riding season is upon us here in California and beyond, as I have read a couple of articles in regard to the upcoming MOA event in Great Falls, Mt. Everything I am reading points to all systems “GO”!, and I couldn’t be happier. Granted, we are still operating under covid restrictions but, things are improving. We need to be patient in regard to returning to being able to gather in large groups as we do with our club meetings but, I hope that will be soon. We did actually go on our first official club ride this last weekend to Gott’s Roadside burger joint in St. Helena. That is over a year with no club ride. See? We are making progress! Gott’s has extensive outdoor seating so sticking with protocols was very easy. The ride there and back was spirited and we all had fun far as I could tell. We were gonna stop and take pictures for the newsletter but sadly, as usual, we failed. My wife is always complaining we never stop for the flowers. When you're right, you're right! Good day, great ride, and it was nice to get out with 10 other club riders for our first ride in a year! Things are improving. If you know of a restaurant with extensive outdoor seat that would accommodate a group of riders, please bring it up so with can plan a ride around that restaurant.

Back to the BMWMOA in Great Falls. If you are going, “and I hope you are” start thinking about preparing now. June will be upon us before we know and this is not an event you don’t want to not be ready for. If you are camping, I recommend you are ready for dealing with rain. I worked in Montana for 14 years in all seasons and the weather can go off the rails in a heart beat. Usually it doesn’t, but it can snow anytime of the year. When it rains, it is in HUGE buckets as in, you can’t see worth a darn and you can be soaked quickly. Be prepared. If you are gonna camp, bring a good tent. I would bring a sleeping bag rated at 30 degrees at least. Will you need it? Hopefully not, but sleeping cold is not a great time to figure out you brought the wrong bag. If you are not camping and you plan on motel glamping I suggest you make your reservations sooner, rather than later.

As far as your bike is concerned, take a good look at tires. There are tire vendors at the event and there can be a looooong wait to buy and have tires installed, so I would leave home with pretty fresh tires. Why spend your time at the event dealing with tires. There probably will be a bunch of vendors there that will want your hard earned money as much as the tire guys. Also, check your tire repair kit. Worst time to figure out your tube of glue is dried out is on the side of the road. I ain’t waiting for a tow truck!

Enough for now! So hopefully next month all things will continue to improve and we can keep moving on. Until then, everyone take care, ride safe, and keep your bikes up to snuff!

See ya soon! Mike

Been about a year now since we started our journey down the pandemic path we have been on and I’m not sure whether I wanna cry or laugh about it. Some counties have moved to the red tier, whatever the hell that means, and others, like Placer County remain in the dreaded purple tier, whatever the hell that means! My travels recently have been that there is inside dining in many places, albeit at reduced capacities. Still, a huge improvement in retrospect of 6 or 7 months ago so, we will take it right? All the numbers are showing things are going in the right direction, so I am optimistic that we will  begin resuming club activities very soon. Looking forward to a full blown club meeting, so keep your fingers crossed.

It is nice to see Terry Lee leading the resumption of the Coastal Classic in Fortuna on April 23^rd -25^th. Info for this trip is under Rides and Destinations. They still have reduced capacity for dining but as Terry said, that could change by late April and I hope it does. Everyone have fun!

Get your camping gear together or make motel reservations, cause things are ramping up for the MOA  Int’l in Great Falls Montana. I received an e-mail, as a few other club members have from the Norcal BMW club in regard to sharing a 20x40 Pop up if you will. These are very nice shelters in my experience. My riding group last weekend which included 3 board members all agreed, ”That’s a no brainer!” So I contacted Norcal’s contact Michael and secured our half of this shelter. Montana is a beautiful state but the sun is very intense even when not hot and it can rain buckets in a flash. You want a shelter for these reasons, and we have that. One less thing to consider. This will be a great event. If you haven’t been to one you need to go to this one. No regrets! Thanks to Jack K. for being RCB’s point of contact with the MOA. In regard to this event! There are many great routes to Great Falls, so if you are interested in leading a group there, then post it and see who wants to ride along. Make sure you bring rain gear or wear Goretex in this country. Afternoon rain showers are totally possible.

……….This just in from Michael at Norcal! It is confirmed that our Chartered Club campsite will be right by the shelter per the Rally Chair!  Nice!

With spring upon us the weather improves, and the days grow longer, keep an eye open on this forum for Wed. night dinner rides. Marv knows the good places to go so check this forum often.

As a club we are beginning to look at ways to get activities rolling again. The last year has in many ways just plain been a disappointment for everyone. So look at it this way. The Coastal Classic, the MOA Int’l and The Stofer Memorial at Manchester Beach are on the calendar, so compared to 2020 that is mucho better and 2021 is gonna be ok for RCB. Not perfect maybe, but heading in the right direction!

See ya soon!

Mike

Here we are in early Feb. and the weather has been outstanding here and there. It will be darn near 70 degrees today. It has been a fairly mild winter and I hope and expect that many of you have been able to get in some good riding throughout this time.

It has been almost a year since this stinking Pandemic changed ALL of our lives possibly forever. The ups and downs have been aplenty this last year. We’re closed, we’re open, we’re closed, we’re open etc….. stay at home orders and curfews not to mention the mindless hoarding we tolerated.  As stated in past columns riding has not been an issue during the pandemic. Oh, to be sure, protocols affected camping at most all campgrounds but, it could be done and we did and still enjoyed ourselves in spite. Even tho’ some restrictions are lightening up a bit, it may be some time before we get to normal if ever. I hope so as I’m weary of it as I am sure you all are. I understand the reasons for some of it but still yearn for returning to maskless times. Hopefully the vaccines will help brighten the bit of light we are seeing in this tunnel. I know some folks believe in vaccines and some don’t and that is a whole nuther Dr. Phil show which I will not address. We may have never thought this situation would  last as long as it has but one thing is for sure, until we can gather as a club en masse for our regular meetings we will continue on until protocols relax to the point where we can meet without restrictions. Sad but the reality.

Now, on to what I think is great news! YAY!!!! The news from the BMWMOA is that the plans are on for the Great Falls BMWMOA International June 24-27^th in Great Falls, Montana. If you have never been to this event, it should be on your bucket list. These are a ton of fun and you need to attend at least one. I really enjoy the vendors at these events. About anything that relates to motorcycles is available for purchase. The MOA really does a fantastic job with the Internationals. I will contact the Club Camping Chairs to ensure RCB has a site to pitch our tents. According to Tom Moe, our RCB Montana Ambassador at large, motel rooms are filling fast, so if you prefer that route then you should reserve a room soon. This brings up another subject. If you taking your RV to Great Falls it would be fantastic if you could maybe carry a couple of pop ups and ice chest for the club campsite. You would forever be our hero if you would do this for the club! I am sure there will be many route discussions before June but I would recommend including LOLO pass in Idaho as part of your route. RCB won MOST MEMBERS ATTENDING FROM A CHARTER CLUB at the International in Salt Lake City during Pres. Klauschie’s tenure and I think we could do it again in Great Falls.

So, it seems as though things are improving and I hope they continue to do so for the common good, not only for the club. Everyone stay healthy and I hope we can have a good ol’ RCB monthly meeting complete with a raffle sooner, rather then later! Stay tuned as things WILL change!

See ya on the road!

Mike