RCB 2019 Calendar of Events

January	5	Monthly Club Meeting/Ride
February	2	Monthly Club Meeting / Elections	8 AM Susie's Cafe
	2	Greg Peart Talk	A&S after member meeting
	14-17	Airheads Death Valley	Furnace Creek – Death Valley
March	2	Monthly Club Meeting/Ride
	1-3	Whale of a Tour / Mendocino	Sea Gull Inn - Mendocino
	30	Proposed Tech Day	Rancho Murieta
April	6	Monthly Club Meeting/Ride
April	26-28	Coast Ride / Hwy 1	Morro Bay
May	4	Monthly Club Meeting / Memorial Poker Run
	24-26	49’er Rally	Mariposa
June	1	Monthly Club Meeting/Ride
	7-9	Spring Fling	Lewiston
	13-16	MOA National Rally	Lebanon, Tennessee
	21-23	Nevada Outback GS Camping and Ride	TBD
	28-30	Chief Joseph Rally	John Day, Oregon
July	6	Monthly Club Meeting/Ride
	18-21	Top O’ The Rockies Rally	Paonia, Colorado
August	3	Monthly Club Meeting/Ride
	16-18	Tahoe Chill	Camp Richardson, South Lake Tahoe
	30 to Sept. 2	Range of Light Gypsy Tour	Must ride it to know.
September	7	Monthly Club Meeting/Ride
	6-8	Mt. Lassen Camping	Lost Creek Group Campground, Mt. Lassen National Park
October	4-6	Monthly Club Meeting Manchester Beach	Manchester Beach KOA
November	2	Monthly Club Meeting/Ride
	17	2020 Planning Meeting
December	7	Monthly Club Meeting/Ride
	TBD	Christmas Party	A & S

 

Proposed Rider Skills Improvement Day – Thunderhill Raceway Park

It’s appropriate I finally am getting round to writing Thanksgiving morning. I take a minute to get on the soapbox. The Club only is as good as members are willing to volunteer to organize and run events. Similarly, if the Club is not doing an event you would like to have happen, speak up. We are open to almost anything.

Many thanks to those who have volunteered this year.

Greg Peart for the Mendocino B&B Ride.

Marv (for storing our trailer and stuff) and Ken for the Memorial Poker Run, and Bob Highfill for hosting the feast after the Poker Run.

Rick and Mike for the Spring Classic.

Scott for the Nevada Outback GS Ride.

Gordy, Lynell, Steve and Jenny for the Tahoe Chill.

Ralph for cooking at Mt. Lassen.

Just Bob for cooking Saturday dinner at Manchester Beach (for about 80 people). Ray Trujillo for coffee and b’fast fixins’ over the weekend.

Capt. Ken for monthly rides.

Bob Brown for membership and Karl for keeping Club finances straight.

Ray T. and Steve for the raffles.

Officers and Directors for their time and help behind the scenes.

Personal thanks to Mike for filling in for me when work interferes with Presidential duties.

We had a great turn out for Manchester Beach. The weather was perfect.

A special thanks to Just Bob and Terri for smoked brisket, chicken and fixins for dinner Saturday for about 75 people.

A special thanks to Ray Trujillo and Nancy for coffee, fruit, bagels, etc. in the morning (early morning).

A personal thanks to Larry Campbell for his Shake n' Bake.

Cheers!

Jack 

The Annual Fall Colors Ride for 2018 is this Sunday, October 21 and will include Ebbetts, Monitor, and Sonora passes, with a lunch stop at the great Mountain View BBQ.

We'll meet at the Ihop at 2525 Iron Point Rd. in Folsom. Arrive by 7 or earlier for breakfast before departing at 8 AM.

It'll be a 350 mile day and take about 8 hours, with stops for breaks and lunch.

Ride Often, Ride Safe

Jack

We are closing in on the 2018 Fall Classic aka Manchester Beach - the club's biggest event of the year. Our member meeting for October will take place Saturday evening after Fred's Bloody Mary's and an awesome dinner planned by Just Bob, followed and upstaged by a raffle (over $700 spent on raffle prizes) and beers around the campfire. 

Please sign up so we can have an accurate count for food and beverages.

Cheers,

Jack

A few intrepid RCB’ers elected to camp at the Lost Creek campground in Mt. Lassen National Park. Many thanks to Ralph for treating us to tri tip, bakers, corn on the cob and salad for dinner Saturday. Thanks also to Bob Highfill and High Road Rentals for sponsoring (paying for) dinner Saturday.

Friday dinner however was an eat what ya brung affair. After a smorgasbord of freeze dried meals were consumed, critiques of the meals were exchanged. The rating system became: (1) Pretty good; (2) Decent; (3) Its fuel; and (4) It’ll make a turd. MRE’s also were debated. For the uninitiated, a MRE is a Meal Ready to Eat developed for the military. While select MRE’s are reported to taste pretty good, I’m advised and now warned they cause a concrete plug after a week, requiring a jackhammer to do your business.

We all know proper hydration is critical for good health. Water with malt and hops is a campfire staple to assure full hydration. What is one to do when at 2 am one’s liver and kidneys have put that water to good use. The unimaginative will do a Lomcovak to get out of their tent to make room for further processing. The seasoned camper however will make use of a modern indispensable tool – the zip lock bag. An added benefit is it makes a warm pillow. Forgot a zip lock bag? A Gatorade bottle will work in a pinch. Just don’t buy lemon lime or you might grab the urine bomb by accident.

Camp often, camp smart mi amigos.

Thoughts / Suggestions / Insults / Welcomed / Appreciated

Jack

RCBers:   The 2018 mileage contest will be ending soon.  If you are NOT planning to be at Manchester, then I will need your final mileage by October 1.  Send me an e-mail with your closing mileage so I can calculate your total.  If you ARE coming to Manchester, you can give me your mileage when you arrive.

We will announce the winners at the club meeting on Saturday.  You do NOT have to be present to win.

Remember:  If you do not get me a final mileage I will not be able to calculate your total mileage.

Good luck to all!

Cheers, Gordy

I was thinking about the “wave” motorcyclists have been exchanging for decades. Some can barely be perceived while others make Gomer Pyle seem restrained. I always have wondered why the wave started. Way back before paved highways and interstates and motorcycles were less dependable than today maybe it was a way of saying all is good, You? - as you passed going in opposite directions. In the Hells Angels bad boy era, perhaps it was a way to signal affiliation in the same way today’s gangs have colors.

Whether you ride alone or in a group, riding a motorcycle is a solitary act. As we ride, we are exposed to the vagaries of weather, road conditions and our own sense of awareness, strength and vulnerability. All of this is unique to each of us based on our own perceptions and psyche as the ride unfolds in front of us.  

A motorcycle is just a static object until a motorcyclist puts it in motion. A motorcycle must be in a relationship with a rider to fulfill its design purpose. More than any other form of locomotion, a motorcycle, once in motion, becomes a part of who we are in that moment. So as we approach on the road as motorcyclists, I wave and have for five decades. For me, the wave is a sign you are not alone, we are part of like-minded individualists, and we have each other’s back as we engage in the triumphs and hardships of our ride.   

Thoughts / Suggestions / Insults / Welcomed / Appreciated

Jack

July has been a quiet month for RCB by design given the MOA National and other Rallies around the US. RCB events pick up at the end of the month.

First, A&S is celebrating its 50^th anniversary this weekend. Members are encouraged to participate, and thank the folks at A&S for their support of the club over the years.

Tahoe Chill is August 17-19 at Camp Richardson. We have the same campsites as last year, and dinner will be served Saturday night. Rumors have been spreading that dinner also may be served Friday. You will have to attend to find out. The event is free to members, but we may pass the hat round Saturday morning for libations Saturday night. Please sign up on the web site so we can get an estimated number of people who plan to attend.

Lost Creek camping is September 7-9 in Lassen National Park. RCB has reserved a group site, and this is free to members and guests. This is motorcycle camping, not glamping, so you are on your own for food and adult beverages. There is potable water at the campground and very nice, clean vault toilets. Grab your camp stove or Jet Boil and join us for a great ride and camping.  A National Park entrance fee of $20.00 must be paid when entering the park and before one can camp. Senior passes and yearly passes can be used in lieu of the entrance fee. Go to the events page on the web site for more details.

Thoughts / Suggestions / Insults / Welcomed / Appreciated

Jack   

There have been a few good articles lately. The most recent I read was by Carl Parker, Publisher of ADV Moto magazine. Mr. Parker commented about what you and I already know; few things in life are more exciting than new experiences and tackling new challenges. He observed there is a fine line between well intended encouragement, and pushing others too far out of their comfort or safety zone. Riding motorcycles is exhilarating. However, people get hurt riding, and our sense of acceptable risk is different based on our individual skills, experience, and personal circumstances. Each of us bears the responsibility of our own actions and decisions, but the rest of us need to be aware when good intentioned encouragement pushes someone over that fine line. Often, it is difficult to determine our own limits, and that certainly may vary in the course of a ride, much less those we are riding with. As we get excited for our next ride, let’s be supportive while being respectful of the wide variation in the abilities and desires of those who ride with us. As I have preached many times, ride your own ride and do not worry about being too slow or too whatever. We all are heading to the same place. Being safe and having fun while getting there is paramount.  

Thoughts / Suggestions / Insults / Welcomed / Appreciated

Jack