acme times - Chapter L

ACME TIMES
Official Newsletter of Chapter WA-L
Tri-Cities, Washington
“The Looney Tunes”
Director’s 2-Bits
Gold Wing Road Riders Association
Region “I”
WA District
November 2005
BETWEEN THE LINES
By: Gary Oldright, Rider Ed
Chapter L:
LEARN…PRACTICE…EXECUTE
The end of season campout was a wet
success. There were about 20 people who braved
the rain , came out for the Pot luck and had a great
time. Shook’s have a new camping rig and should
be in Hawaii when you read this.
Congratulations to Gary Oldright for stepping up
to be the new Chapter Ride Educator.
Those members who ordered shirts please pick
them up.
Those people interested in riding in the
Veterans Day Parade in West Richland please
meet at Sterling’s for breakfast at 0600 on Nov 5,
2005.
On the 16th Mike and Beth went to Chapter N
in Spokane for there monthly meeting and had a
great time. It was their Brown Bag Auction; Ronnie
Lopez from Chapter S was also there.
To the people who participated in the training
on the Oct. 23rd at the Bus Lot give yourselves a
slap on the back for a job well done. The Instructors
had a good time and the riders had a good time.
District educator was very impressed with the level
of commitment and expertise of both chapter L and
M. There will be another course on the 5th and 6th
of Nov at the airport for ARC and trailering if you
want to attend contact Gary Oldright for additional
information.
The Christmas Party will be Dec. 17th at 6400
Desert View Drive, in West Richland. More
information at the Monthly gathering on Nov 12.
On December 2nd through the 4th the
International Motorcycle Show will be held in
Seattle for those that are interested.
Michael R. Messinger
Chapter Director, WA-L
mr1vette@charter.net
I’m going to share a couple of incidents that
happened to me over the past few weeks. Both of
these incidents involved having a vehicle pull out in
front of me. Funny (well? not really!) that just this
summer I was telling some friends that I’ve NEVER
had anyone pull out in front of me. I guess I forgot
to knock on wood, because it wasn’t a month later
and, I had not one, but two people pull out in front
of me. Fortunately, I was ready for what happened.
Make Drivers See You:
The first time someone pulled out in front of me, I
was on my way home from work. I was only a few
blocks from home.
Driving south on George
Washington Way, I approached an intersection to
make a right-hand turn. There’s a 7-eleven store
facing George Washington Way. I would go past
the front of the store and then drive along the side
of store, where there’s a parking lot entrance/exit,
after making the turn. As pulled around the corner I
noticed a truck sitting at the exit to the parking lot
and waiting to pull out. Immediately I made eye
contact with the driver. However, I noticed that the
driver was looking down.
Then the driver looked to his right—which was
away from me. Uh-oh! He’s looking for cars
coming the other way and getting ready to pull
out…and we have NOT made eye contact. Quickly
I checked my mirrors. No cars behind me. So, I
slowed down…almost stopped. And sure enough,
the driver looked down at his lap (again) and then
pulled out across the road to proceed up to the
corner I’d just come around. Fortunately, no
problem! I stopped easily.
……………continued on pg 2.
Mike & Beth at the WA-A
2005 Mystery Ride
November 2005
On the web at http://www.gwrra-wa-l.org/
Page 1 of 8
Now you all might think that’s the end of this story,
but it isn’t. You see I kept playing this scene over
and over in my mind perhaps because it was the
first time someone had pulled out in front of me.
But as I kept playing this scene back in my mind, I
realized that I had made one mistake. I did not
MAKE the drive see me. What? How do you do
that? I should have used my (wonderful GL1800)
horn and made the driver look up and make eye
contact with me. Consider what might of happened
if the driver would have waited another ten seconds
to pull out. I may have been right in front of him.
Sure I would’ve been going slowly, but what good
would that do when he pulled out.
Lesson One:
Make other drivers see you no matter what you
have to do. Wear bright colored clothes. Paint
your ride high visibility green (just kidding). Use a
headlight modulator. And when necessary use
your horn!
trying to determine the distance to the basket or
how high the rim is off the floor. Those facts
haven’t changed in decades. When called upon to
make the free-throw with the game on the line and
the crowd waving their arms and screaming, the
muscle memory kicks in and – swoosh. Your team
wins the game! Same concept holds true when you
practice with your motorcycle. Your body learns by
instinct HOW to perform an action.
Part of the philosophy of the GWRRA is to educate
our members about safe motorcycle riding. It is the
“knowledge” part of our slogan. You don’t have to
be part of the Rider Education levels to take an
Experienced Rider Course (ERC) or the new
Advanced Rider Course (ARC). So, I encourage
everyone to take either an ERC or an ARC. At a
minimum, go practice swerving and stopping.
Optional Lesson: Be careful what you boast about!
Have Fun and Ride Safely!
Practice:
The second vehicle to pull out in front of me was a
car that had come to a stop sign in a residential
area. I’m sure the driver looked both ways. Okay,
so why didn’t the driver see me? As I approached
the intersection I saw the car approaching the stop
sign from the left. But just as soon as I saw the car
approaching the stop sign, it disappeared behind a
travel trailer parked on the left side of the street. I
thought to myself, “did that driver have enough time
to see me?” I bet not…and I was right. I slowed
down, covered the controls, and just before I
entered the intersection, the car was in the middle
of the intersection. No problem, controls were
covered and I stopped without incident.
Once again I replayed the scene in my mind. It
appeared as though I did everything correctly. But
one thing kept bothering me. When I hit the
brakes, I did not stop as fast I thought I would. The
brakes are fine. So, it must have been me; but how
could that happen?
Lesson Two:
Practice, practice…and then practice some more.
I’m riding a (new-to-me) GL1800, and I had not had
time to do some parking lot practice--which would
include practicing a quick stop. And sure enough
when I needed to do a quick stop, it didn’t really
happen. You have to practice to develop “muscle
memory” so that you can perform an action when
the pressure is on and you can only react. This is
the same concept a basketball player uses when
practicing free-throws over and over. They’re not
November 2005
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GWRRA Advanced Rider Course
(ARC)
If ridden properly and safely, a motorcycle can
provide its rider and co-rider with a very enjoyable
experience.
And, the secret to having a
comfortable and safe ride involves the skill, risk
management and mental attitude of the motorcycle
rider.
Our association is committed to the provision of
skill training for all of the members and has
developed a GWRRA Advanced Rider Course
(ARC) for instruction by qualified motorcycle safety
instructors. The ARC was first introduced for
GWRRA members in Canada and is now available
for presentation to GWRRA members in the United
States as well.
The ARC is a day-day course and is designed to be
presented by qualified GWRRA Rider Course
Instructors. This is an Advanced Rider Course for
riders who already possess a motorcycle license
with an endorsement.
Also, the presumption is
that riders would already be experienced,
competent riders to participant at a more advanced
level in their rider safety education.
On the web at http://www.gwrra-wa-l.org/
Page 2 of 8
GWRRA National Rider Education chose
Washington was as the first District, prototype or
pilot program so to speak, to teach non-MSF
members to become GWRRA Certified Instructors.
This training was conducted in Richland, WA on
October 20 through 23, 2005, under the supervision
and guidance of a GWRRA Master Rider Instructor.
Eight students, seven from Washington and one
from Colorado, were exposed to multi-unit training
experiences comprised of activities designed to
develop and maximize their presentation and
teaching skills as GWRRA Rider Course
Instructors.
On Sunday, October 23, 12 Riders and 4 Co-Riders
from Chapter’s WA-L and WA-M successfully
completed the first GWRRA Advanced Rider
Course in the United States.
GWRRA is now able to bring Advanced Rider
Course training, CPR/First Aid and informational
seminars directly to members in a cost effective
manner. Currently, there is no cost for the GWRRA
Advanced Rider Course unless there is leasing or
renting fee associated with a training site or there is
a cost for course materials.
The Painter
There was a tradesman, a painter called Wayne,
who was very interested in making a penny where
he could, so he often would thin down paint to
make it go a wee bit further.
As it happened, he got away with this for some
time, but eventually the Baptist Church decided to
do a big restoration job on the painting of one of
their biggest buildings. Wayne put in a bid,
and because his price was so low, he got the job.
And so he set to erecting the trestles and setting up
the planks, and buying the paint and, yes, I am
sorry to say, thinning it down with turpentine.
Well, Wayne was up on the scaffolding, painting
away, the job nearly completed when suddenly
there was a horrendous clap of thunder, and the
sky opened, the rain poured down washing the
thinned paint from all over the church and knocking
Wayne clear off the scaffold to land on the lawn
among the gravestones, surrounded by telltale
puddles of the thinned and useless paint.
Wayne was no fool. He knew this was a judgment
from the Almighty, so he got on his knees and
cried: "Oh, God! Forgive me! What should I do?"
And from the thunder, a mighty voice spoke.
The Washington District Educator now needs some
time to look at the best way to implement the
program, the logistics, and member training
(classroom and range) sites, multiple range kits
(cones, chalk and so forth) and training schedules.
In there entirety, this program is a very daunting
task, but just like eating an elephant, take one bite
at a time until it is gone.
Please be patient.
"Repaint! Repaint! And thin no more!"
…Thanks to Rose West via Joyce LoParco
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Plumber with a Sense of Humor
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Thank you to all
the people that worked
as Halloween Crossing Guards for the Kennewick
Downtown Association Halloween Parade for
candy. Thanks go out to Gary Domas, Bill Gilyeat,
Lloyd and Georgia Finley, Patricia LaBelle and her
friends, and Mike Clement.
November 2005
On the web at http://www.gwrra-wa-l.org/
Page 3 of 8
Identify Stroke Email:
Three Simple Questions
Summary:
Urban legend? Fact or fiction? An email forwarded
around the web since April 2005 claims that you
can help identify a stroke by asking the victim three
simple questions.
Status:
True
IS IT A STROKE?
Sometimes symptoms of a stroke are difficult to
identify. Unfortunately, the lack of awareness spells
disaster. The stroke victim may suffer brain
damage when people nearby fail to recognize the
symptoms of a stroke. Now doctors say a
bystander can recognize a stroke by asking three
simple questions:
This is something that many people might like to
have on their computer desktop. It is a program that
will convert measurements. Check it out! As far as I
can tell it seems to be free of spy ware or virus but
everyone who downloads from the Internet should
be aware that there is always a risk.
Convert is an easy to use unit conversion program
that will convert the most popular units of distance,
temperature, volume, time, speed, mass, power,
density, pressure, energy and many others,
including the ability to create custom conversions!
http://www.joshmadison.com/software/convert/
… Thanks to Tom Denny for this info.
*Ask the individual to SMILE.
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*Ask him or her to RAISE BOTH ARMS.
*Ask the person to SPEAK A SIMPLE SENTENCE.
If he or she has trouble with any of these tasks, call
9-1-1 immediately and describe the symptoms to
the dispatcher.
CLASSIFIEDS
After discovering that a group of non-medical
volunteers could identify facial weakness, arm
weakness and speech problems, researchers
urged the general public to learn the three
questions.
WANTED: I'm looking for a cargo trailer to pull
behind our trike. Prefer the color white, but if price
it right we could paint. 20 cf or larger.
Royce and Joannie Tollman, WA-R. Walla Walla,
WA - 509 522-0650
They presented their conclusions at the American
Stroke Association's annual meeting last February.
Widespread use of this test could result in prompt
diagnosis and treatment of the stroke and prevent
brain damage.
FOR FREE: Free! Come and get it! Water bed
mattress. Cal King with heater. 98% waveless. NO
FRAME. 1 1/2 years old. Call Mark Bridge (541)
449-1451.
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…….Thanks to Suzanne Kasko for this article.
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November 2005
FOR SALE: 2004 White GL1800, 11K miles. 24K
invested. Factory Warranty. $18,000. More info call Rick
Beaulieu 509-308-6566
On the web at http://www.gwrra-wa-l.org/
Page 4 of 8
Chapter WA-N – Spokane
The weekend of the 15th found Mike and Beth
going to Spokane to make the gathering of WA-N
at the Golden Corral on Sunday morning. They
were holding there Brown Bag Auction and we
gave away a free registration and promoted the
Desert Spring Fling. Also there was Ronnie Lopez
promoting Victoria Days. Good time was had by
all. We took some pictures for the Wacky tour and
came home in the afternoon.
~Birthdays and Anniversaries~
James Sanders
Gary Domas
Santana Denny
Joyce Didway
Gayla Bard
Tom Marak
Rollin Mackintosh
Sondra Dixon
Tyler Shook
Gene & Pam Myers
Mark Bridge
Lloyd Smith
Nick Mandell
Mark & Sheri Bridge
Russell Akers
Danny & Nancy Sanders
Bill & Beth Green
Duane Shults
Mikelle Cook
Jocelyn Shook
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Something Different!
Your Gold Book contains information that will help
you ride like a seasoned member of the group,
trailer your bike with safety, and know who to call
in an emergency.
Read your Gold Book and keep it handy!
November 2005
On the web at http://www.gwrra-wa-l.org/
Page 5 of 8
ARC
Getting Older
---My memory's not as sharp as it used to be. Also,
my memory's not as sharp as it used to be.
---These days about half the stuff in my shopping
cart says, "For fast relief."
---Don't think of it as getting hot flashes. Think of it
as your inner child playing with matches.
- --THE SENILITY PRAYER: Grant me the senility
to forget the people I never liked anyway, the good
fortune to run into the ones I do, and the eyesight to
tell the difference.
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2005 Scheduled Rides & Events
Nov 11
WA-M
Veteran’s Day Parade
Nov 12
WA-L
November Breakfast Gathering
Nov 19
WA-P
Birthday Party
Dec 3
WA-Q
Puyallup Santa Parade
Dec 2-4
Non-GW
Dec 10
WA-L
International Motorcycle Show
Qwest Field & Events Center - Seattle
December Breakfast Gathering
Dec 17
WA-L
Jan 26-29
2006
Non-GW
Christmas Party
6400 Desert View Drive, West Richland
Vancouver Motorcycle Show
Abbotsford, B.C.
Recently GWRRA adopted an Advanced Rider
Course (ARC) from our Canadian friends, fairly
similar to the old MSF course. It was accepted for
use in the U.S. by GWRRA and the Northwest is
the first to train GWRRA people as certified
trainers.
On October 23, 2005 non-MSF coaches were
trained in the ARC, they are;
• Bill Agnew, Region F Director
• Bruce McMahill, Chapter C/E, WA Dist. and
Region Educator
• Eric Carlson, WA-I
• Thomas McCollim, Chapter Director, WA-N
• Eddie Dunn, Asst CD, WA-V
• Gale Nickel, CD, WA-G
• Mary Scott, Asst CD and Chapter Educator,
WA-G
• Gary Pavone, CD WA-H
On November 5, 2005 MSF instructors were trained
by GWRRA for the ARC they are;
• Tom Reynolds, WA-B
• Jim Mitchell, WA-L
• Phil LoParco, WA-L
On November 6, 2005 GWRRA certified trailering
(TC) instructors are;
• Jim Mitchell, WA-L
• Bruce McMahill, WA-C/E
• Eric Carlson, WA-I
• Phil LoParco, WA-L
As you can see the Northwest is well covered and
you should see a lot of training classes available in
the future. You can also see the dedication of
GWRRA members because Bill came all the way
from Colorado to become an instructor. Bruce
McMahill deserves a BIG THANK YOU for getting
this all set up. If it wasn't for his efforts none of this
would have happened this soon. The above
classes will and can be used for your Rider
Education levels.
Show your GWRRA card for a discount!
Full Throttle Winter Hours
See you on the range!
Phil LoParco
Monday – Friday..........10:00 AM to 6:00 PM
Saturday .........................9:00 AM to 6:00 PM
Sunday..........................12:00 PM to 4:00 PM
November 2005
On the web at http://www.gwrra-wa-l.org/
Page 6 of 8
Chapter L Meetings
We meet on the 2nd Saturday of each month at the
Country Gentleman Restaurant in Kennewick, WA
on the corner of Clearwater and Hwy 395.
No-Host Breakfast: 8:00 a.m. with business at 9 a.m.
Chapter L Staff Meetings are held on the 1st Tuesday of
each month at 7:00pm. Watch your email for notices on
the location of each meeting.
Join us for Social Breakfast at the Old Country Buffet in
the Columbia Center Mall on all other Saturday
mornings at 8 a.m. unless informed via email of a change
of venue, rally or chapter ride!
Join Us!
NEWSLETTER PUBLICATION
We welcome your contributions. Deadline for newsletter
submittals is the 25th day of each month. Please email
Della Heideman at magentamomma@direcway.com
Washington Chapter “L”
http://www.gwrra-wa-l.org/
Updated Nov 2005
Gold Wing Road Riders Association
Friends for Fun, Safety and Knowledge
http://www.gwrra.org/
Don Brock
Executive Director
Region “I” Staff
http://www.bigskyregioni.org/
Don and Eleanore Beyeler
Mike & Bijou White
Bob Schrammeck & Terrie Swanz
John & Cami McQuade
Marty & Mary Ann Zakrajsek
Donna and Doug Deskin
Bob & Thess Thurgood
Twila Miller
Frank & Lynnette Layton
Doug & Ann Fox
Vern & Dawn Harvey
Judy & Greg Wallace
Senior Region “I” Directors
Assistant Region Directors
Assistant Region Directors
Rider Educator
Membership Retention
Newsletter Editor/Webmaster
Couple of the Year
Individual of the Year
COY/IOY Coordinators
Region Trainers
Trike SIG Reps
Treasurers
Washington District Staff
http://www.gwrra-wa.org/
Roy & Pearl McKenzie
Lou Murkowski &
Nai-jeanne Busick
Lloyd & Georgia Finley
Don & Marlene Weikart
Darrell & Leslie Meade
Bill & Nancy Cordray
~Open~
Bruce & Sandra McMahill
John Zwosta
Mark & Larraine Epperson
~Open~
November 2005
WA District Directors
Asst. WA District Directors
Asst. WA District Directors
District Treasurers
Membership Coordinators
District Stores
Leadership Trainers
District Educators
District Webmaster
District Couple of the Year
District Individual of the Year
Mike & Beth Messinger
mr1vette@charter.net
Chapter Directors
509-582-4560
Mike & Suzanne Kasko
alitup617@yahoo.com
Assistant CD
509-585-2129
Mike & Cheryl McKnight
cmcknight9319@charter.net
Assistant CD
509-531-3811
Gary Oldright
cougprof@charter.net
Rider Educator
509-375-1353
Mike & Suzanne Kasko
alitup617@yahoo.com
Couple of the Year
509-585-2129
Cathy Stephens
Bikerbelle2000@hotmail.com
Individual of the Year
509-735-7617
Cathy Stephens
Bikerbelle2000@hotmail.com
Treasurer/Chapter Store
509-735-7617
Joyce LoParco
jloparco@charter.net
Phone Tree
509-582-6994
Della Heideman
Newsletter Editor
magentamomma@direcway.com 541-422-7166
Dona Edman
edmans@eoni.com
Sunshine Coordinator
541-481-3482
Georgia Finley
lloyd.finley@verizon.net
Historian
509-783-9789
Lloyd Finley
lloyd.finley@verizon.net
Membership Chairman
509-783-9789
Gary Domas
gadomas@charter.net
Ride Coordinator
509-582-7214
Tom Didway
Bigred1800@msn.com
Tech Coordinator
509-946-0878
Mike & Beth Messinger
mr1vette@charter.net
Webmaster
509-582-4560
On the web at http://www.gwrra-wa-l.org/
Page 7 of 8
This is a photo of David Messinger’s science project. If you ever have an urge to identify
the bugs on your windshield, call on David. Did you recognize the OCB bee?
GWRRA Chapter L
Mike & Beth Messinger, Chapter Directors
P.O. Box 6361
Kennewick, WA 99336
NOVEMBER 2005