September 2020 Newsletter
Contents
Welcome
Monthly Recap
Monthly Pictures
Upcoming Events (2 months)
Members Birthday’s
Meet & Greet Update, (Portland, BC, & Seattle)
Club Business
Reader’s Corner
Day Rides
The latest news regarding rider skill enhancement classes
Officer Reports
The BRMC 2020 Calendar of Events
Non BRMC Motorcycle Events
Request for pictures & closing comments.
Welcome
Border Riders Motorcycle Club (BRMC) is an organized group of guys who like to ride and camp. Our membership spans the Pacific Northwest, with the greatest participation in Portland, Seattle, and Vancouver B.C. We have one of the largest memberships of gay clubs in North America. We welcome like-minded guests to come meet us at our monthly Meet & Greets and to join us at one of our club events and our local activities.
Check out our website. We are very proud of it. www.borderriders.com
Monthly Recap (August)
September with the Labor Day Holiday celebrates the official end of summer. Kids normally are returning to school, summer vacations are over and it it normally the time to enjoy the cooler weather of fall. The only BRMC event during August was the class held by Team Oregon the last weekend of the month. More information on the class will be in next month’s newsletter.
Several members and groups of members took the opportunity to enjoy road trips during the month of August. See the article further down in the newsletter for the escapades of one group and their adventures and shopping spree in Montana.
Club activities for the month of September have been cancelled as regulations around COVID-19 haven’t been loosened up. Let’s hope for some positive change so that we can gather together again.
Monthly Gallery
Photos from members and guests from last month’s rides and adventures.
No photos were submitted by members this past month.
Upcoming Events
September - Cancelled
October - To Be Determined
Upcoming Birthdays
We have 2 members that have a birthdays in September. Take and moment and wish them a great day!
Keven S - September 5th
Jeff Booth - September 28th
Meet & Greets
Due to Covid-19, the monthly M&Gs were canceled for this month.
Club Business
September Camp out - Cancelled
The September Camp Out was planned for a campground near Grandy Lake by Concrete, WA. The club has not been to this location previously. However, in Washington, Skagit County is still in Phase 2 and groups are limited to 5 people. In Oregon things are pretty much on hold as well. The Canadian border remains closed. We still have our hopes up to somehow manage to have something this fall.
Reader’s Corner
A place for you, the reader, member or guest, to contribute.
Tell us about your travels, adventures, mishaps, etc.
To contribute send your story & pictures to President@BorderRiders.com
Our Tour of Montana
Written by Stan C
With Covod-19 making it impossible for BRMC to have a legal &/or safe function, several BRMC brothers decided to put together a “Covid-19 Safe as Possible” ride through Montana & Idaho.
A couple noteworthy things we did to minimize our exposure to Covid-19; 1) to rent a house instead of riding from hotel room to hotel room. This permitted us to sanitize our lodging upon arrival & then settle in for several days doing day rides from this home base, 2) it also allowed us to prepare our food negating or minimizing the need to eat out at various restaurants. We hoped these two measures would lead to a Covid-Safe trip & I think it did.
It ended up that our lodging cost were about the same as jumping from hotel to hotel. However, the food cost was surprisingly less expensive. We ate tastier, healthier, fresher foods & enjoyed the comradery of it all. We took turns shopping, cooking, cleaning, & agreed that this was shockingly easy & far more enjoyable than going through the hassle of finding a restaurant & eating out all the time.
We (Chris, Richard, Dennis, Dale, Alan, & Stan) arrived timely & without incident to our 1st home in Whitefish. After 5 days there, we rode to Bozeman for 4 days, & then onto Coeur d’Alene for 4 more days. The big touring items on our hit list was Glacier National Park, Yellowstone, & Bear Tooth Pass. I am happy to report that we made it to them all.
Dennis was the only person who had been to Glacier National Park so the rest of us were like big kids. Lake McDonald is beautiful, clear & I could have walked the shore & picked up beautiful rocks all day. “What do you mean It’s against the law to take rocks from a national park?” Grrrrr!
Due to Covid-19 we could not ride all the way through the park & exit on the east side, so we had to do an in & out thing. While perturbed in the beginning, it ended up being fine as we saw things on the way out that we did not get to see on the way in. Not to mention, we got to ask unnecessary questions to some very handsome park rangers. “So, what will we see if we go all the way?” 😊
The following day we did not have a plan but decided to ride from Whitefish to Kootenay Falls. It was a small hike in and well worth the effort. As expected, there was plenty of whining on the way out as that was all uphill.
After leaving the falls we had lunch and decided to ride north on Hwy 37 from Libby to Rexford. Dennis pointed out it ran along Lake Koocanusa the whole way & looked like a fun road. The ride north on 37 was a blast. It was 62 miles of fun sweeps; a beautiful canyon and the views of the lake were endless. We took a break shortly before arriving at Rexford and had to decide if we wanted to ride it again or continue along our planned route. After refueling in Eureka, we rode Hwy 93 back to Whitefish. While 93 was not as fun as 37, it still had its moments.
After dinner, we spent the evening playing a round of Cards Against Humanity. The highlight of the night was when Richard picked up the wrong stack of cards of which he was to choose the winning card from. After reading 3 cards he realized he was reading all his cards instead of the cards we gave him to choose from. We could not stop laughing & it was near impossible to finish the game. No wonder he almost won.
Our relocate day came & as luck would have it, there was an afternoon thunderstorm predicted for the day we planned to ride from Whitefish to Bozeman. With reservations expensive to change, we decided to continue & hope for the best. Our planned route was Hwy 2 from Whitefish to Browning, & then various roads to Augusta, to Great Falls, to Wisail, to Bozeman. Hwy 2 is a beautiful ride with stunning views & lovely sweeps. It is a road to enjoy & the fear of deer kept us at or near the posted speed limit.
After leaving Browning & getting settled into a comfortable pace, I noticed dark clouds on the left, dark clouds on the right & blue skies in the middle. Since we were heading towards blue skies & the dark clouds were on the move, I increased our pace to try get through before the clouds became one mass.
I’m not sure what happened but either we missed the turn off to Augusta or we blew through it so fast I did not see it. We made good time into Great Falls & I thank that black truck that would not move over & let us by. Not until after we passed the state trouper sitting on the side of the highway. “THANK YOU.”
We kept up that pace for the remainder of the ride into Bozeman & it was good that we did. It sprinkled on us while we found our way to the house we rented, but about 10 minutes after unloading the bikes, the black clouds let loose, & it poured. We would not have been able to ride through that mess & there were not many places to seek cover. All in all, it was a fun day & the scenery we saw was once again, beautiful.
On our first day in Bozeman we rode through the north part of Yellowstone & into the city of Red Lodge via Bear Tooth Pass. As we rode through Yellowstone, we saw more buffalo than we could count. The buffalo were not that far from the roadway & at a couple locations, they were on the roadway. What majestic animals they are & how brave some people are for getting so close to them. Luckily, Chris & Dale are fine.
After leaving the park, we encountered a lonely cowgirl with 2 useless dogs trying to herd cattle from one location to another. Somehow, she lost control or never had it. The cows were scattered over a couple miles along the highway & going every which way unpredictably. We had a couple “Oh Shit” moments but Richard was in the lead & his leading skills kept us informed, & upright. Thanks Richard.
At the top of Beartooth Pass, we almost reached 11,000-foot elevation. At the highest viewpoint, ½ of us walked out to the ledge while the other ½ stayed by the bikes keeping them safe from ___________. It was so windy & cold at that viewpoint. Luckily, my jacket was nearby, easily accessible, & on top of everything in my saddle bag.
When we headed down the mountain Richard somehow got us separated from traffic. Richard then gave us a playful ride down the mountain finishing off his turn leading with style. YAHOOO!
I took the lead after lunch taking Hwy 78 through farm country & finished off with a nasty head wind on I-90. It was a long day & we were all ready to get off the bikes when we got back to the house.
We enjoyed another home cooked meal as we planned the following day. We decided to treat ourselves to breakfast out. Chris, Richard, Alan & I had ridden through Bozeman a couple years back & we remembered these amazing cinnamon rolls at a little café in downtown Bozeman. Ok, that is actually how Bozeman ended up being a lodging point, but I never admitted that to the gang. Damn those cinnamon rolls are good. Anyway, it did not take much convincing before Dale & Dennis were on board.
Unfortunately for Dennis, Chris & I finished the cinnamon roll the 3 of us were sharing before Dennis realized it had arrived. As Chris & I licked our lips, “Oh, are you 4 having to share the other cinnamon roll? Bummer!” Chris & I told the waiter we needed 3 and those guys said 2 would be enough. How unfortunate for them. 😊
On today’s agenda was also a trip to Yellowstone Harley Davidson in Bozeman. Dale wanted to swing by the local Harley Dealership so he could buy a pump that he could use to pump up his rear shock. We got there a little early & watched them set out some used bikes in front of the store. Wow, that one is pretty. Let us go in & walk around. Oh my, look at the chrome accents on the dash of this one.
Just for shits & giggles, Dale & Dennis took these bikes for a test ride. A couple hours later they both rode way with 2 beautiful barely used motorcycles. We spent the remainder of that day washing, polishing, installing new bling, & teaching each other how to use the technology on our bikes.
After conversing with the neighbor, we followed his recommendation, & rode to the Big Sky Ski Resort. As bikers do, we took the long way via Ennis, MT & around the south end of the mountains. The ride there was much more impressive than the destination itself but that is the reason why we ride. It is not always about the destination. Sometimes, it’s about the journey.
Before we knew it, it was time to move again. We loaded up the bikes that evening & headed west early the next morning. I had not said anything, but I was secretly excited for this day. I was riding straight to one of my favorite BBQ places, the Notorious Pig in Missoula.
I could not wait. All the way there I thought about what I would have for lunch. Hm, Pulled Pork or Brisket? Collard Greens or Mac-n-Cheese? Oh, and corn bread. Yes, I am definitely going to have some corn bread… Heck, I’m even going to buy a shirt or maybe a jersey. I am so excited….
The little voices in my head, “Go Faster, Go Faster.”
The little voice on the com-system, “Damn-it Stan, slow down. We don’t need to go 90 MPH.”
The little voices in my head, “Did you hear something? Not me.”
I knew they opened at 11:00 because I had already looked. I was watching the clock like a hawk and pacing it perfectly. It was 10:58 and we roll up and parked in front like Doris Day. I heard the birds chirping, a little song playing in the background, and my belly growl. As I get off the bike, “WHAT! They’re closed on Monday’s, NOOOO!”
After I ate a pile of Nachos from the Mexican place next door, we rode to Thompson Falls so we could ride Hwy 471 back to I-90 & on to Coeur d’Alene. Hwy 471 was a slow mountain road. The road was in wonderful condition. The twisties & sweeps were at a leisure pace, relaxing, and the scenery was, once again, beautiful. We even saw a moose. Well, what we saw was a large ass of some large animal and Alan convinced us it was a moose. So, a moose it was.
We were only in Coeur d’Alene for a couple days & we were getting tired. I still had one more ride on my list and I had been looking forward to this ride the whole trip. I wanted to ride Hwy-56 between Kootenia Falls & Noxon.
I’ve had 2 neighbors tell me this is a very scenic ride with meandering curves that would be a blast on a motorcycle. As a bonus, there is a wonderful little hole-in-wall bakery where Hwy-56 ends at Hwy-200. OMG, a beautiful ride, and a bakery at the end of it like a Millennial Participation Trophy. You just got to show up and you win. I am so excited I can barely wait. I can already hear the faint sound of those little voices in my head plotting and planning my pace.
After a lengthy discussion that evening I was over-ruled 5-to-1. Dale & Dennis would lead us on a day ride around the lake next to Coeur d’Alene. Not too long, not too short, but scenic. It was an opportunity for Dennis & Dale to play with their new GPS systems and it was their turn to lead.
If only everyone could have heard all those little voices in my head bitching up a storm. WHAT! Nobody wants to go on this ride and get our tasty participation trophy? Who the hell are these people? There was an internal revolt going on in my head and mutiny was being discussed. Can anyone operate this bike without Stan? My Belly, “I’ve been looking at the map for 2 weeks and I know the way.” It was a sleepless night as I regained control.
OK little voices, settle down. I promise, we will come back next summer and ride this ride & get our tasty trophy then. My Belly, “I will only agree if you promise to buy an extra loaf of bread from the bakery and then the next day, we get to go to the BBQ place in Missoula for lunch. You also have to buy extra BBQ so we can have leftover Bread & BBQ when we get back to the house that night?” The little voices “Yes, what Belly said. We want leftovers, promise leftovers.” I agreed to those terms and enjoyed Dennis and Dales ride around the lake.
Dennis and Dale must have mastered the GPS because the ride went off without a hitch. There was only 1 U-Turn and by my standards, that is a good day. The scenery was as beautiful as expected and I must say, that lake is huge.
Coeur d’Alene itself was an odd town. On one hand there were a lot of pro-Trump signs. More so than anywhere else we visited. On the other hand, the local boys were rather cruisy and Richard was the chosen delight. He might not be the youngest guy in the group, but he was certainly the most popular in Coeur d’Alene. It was fun to watch him turn so many shades of flattered.
So, that was our trip for the year 2020. It was so fun to spend that time on the bikes with such wonderful guys and good friends. It is for memories like these that we ride. I hope you enjoyed reading about our adventure and I look forward to reading about yours.
Day Rides
Portland’s August Day Ride - No plans for September. Watch our F.B. page for last minute details.
BC’s Day Ride - No plans for August. Watch our F.B. page for last minute details.
Seattle’s Day Ride - As of this writing the Labor Day weekend looks good. We will be planning a day ride for Saturday September 5th. Look on Facebook or watch for an email with details.
Motorcycle Training Opportunities
(August 29th & 30th)
Due to the deadline for the September Newsletter & the dates of the class, I am not able to give a report in this September Newsletter as to how the class went. Be sure and look for my report in the October Newsletter.
Registration has CLOSED. Be sure and watch for possible classes next summer.
From the Handlebars of the President
Jeff’s parents arriving at their 60th Anniversary Celebration.
September is here and fall is approaching. However, looking at the weather forecast we still have some warm days ahead of us. In fact looks like Labor Day Weekend and the following days are forecast to be in the low to mid 80s. As I write this, I am at my parent’s place in Montana. Tim and I came over to help my parents celebrate their 60th Wedding Anniversary. On Saturday their neighbors to the north hosted a party for them with about 50 guests. My brother and I both drove horse drawn carriages to give the guests rides from the field where everyone parked to the yard where the party was. I drove a team of Belgian horses on the vis a vis and my brother drove a single horse on a two seated buggy.
Tomorrow Tim and I are headed to Yellowstone National Park for a few days before heading back home. I am really looking forward to spending some time in Yellowstone as I haven’t been there since the summer or 1988. That was the year of the big fires in the park and in fact I was there the weekend that the fires really took off. I didn’t have a chance to see much of the park then. It is also nice to have a few days off from work.
I hope that this newsletter finds everyone doing well and I hope that we can gather soon as a club.
…… keep the shiny side up!
Vice President Chatter
Howdy,
Well August has come and gone with no events.
I wished I had more to share this month but COVID keeps getting in our way.
I hope everyone is finding the time to get out there, ride and finding ways to keep yourself sane!
Be well and hope to see ya’ll soon!
Road Captain Rumblings
Not much to report as Road Captain as no club trips and a little early for next year’s planning. With September cancelled too no previews for that to write about. Even though September is cancelled I would encourage those that can to meet up in smaller groups for a safe weekend away or a day ride – I know of and have participated in some events with members that aren’t club events and are a lot of fun. There are plenty of cabin or house rentals out there where could have a small group and not have to deal with restaurants; and being past Labor Day should be reasonably available.
Stay healthy, shiny side up and hoping to see you all soon
Treasurer’s Ramblings
All amounts owed to us have been collected. All the bills I am aware of have been paid. All our account balances are where I expect them to be. Briefly stated, “Piggy Bank be balanced”.
If you have any question, comments, or suggestions about anything I am dealing with, please feel encouraged to contact me & let us chat.
Secretary Thoughts
No thoughts for the month of September
2020 Calendar of Events
January 18th - Annual General Meeting - Seattle, WA
February 15th - Anniversary Banquet - Seattle, WA
March 21st - Hosted Club Meeting - Michael C home - Seattle, WA
April 18th - Hosted Club Meeting - Dan S home - Oakville, WA - Cancelled
May 15th thru 18th - Victoria Day Camp-out - Cancelled
June 14th - BRMC rides in the Portland Pride Parade - Cancelled
June 26th thru 28th - Camp-out at TBD Campsite (Seattle Area) - Cancelled
June 27th - BRMC Booth at Capitol Hill Pride Festival in Seattle, WA - Cancelled
June 28th - BRMC rides in the Seattle Pride Parade - Cancelled
July 17th thru 19th - Camp-out at Jeff and Tim’s outside of Mount Vernon, WA - Cancelled
August 14th thru 16th - Camp-out at Union Creek,OR - Cancelled
August 29th & 30th - 2-day Advanced Motorcycle Training in Portland, OR
September 18th thru 20th - Camp-South Grandy Lake by Concrete WA - Cancelled
October 17th - Hosted Club Meeting - TBD Location
November 14th - Hosted Club Meeting - TBD Location
December 12th - Holiday Party - TBD Location
Meet & Greets
(September’s M&G have been canceled due to COVID-19)
B.R.M.C. members will be available for interested individuals to meet and learn more about the club and how to get involved. For locations and times, check out the cities listed below for your area. Also, in addition to the club's monthly events, local rides may be organized, weather permitting. To lean more about local event’s, check out our F.B. page or email the Road Captain at Captain@BorderRiders.com.
Portland: Meet & Greet - 1st Wednesday of the month, 7 pm at The Portland Eagle.
Vancouver BC Meet & Greet - 2nd Wednesday of the month. 4 to 6 pm at The Met Hotel, New Westminster
Seattle: Meet & Greet - 3rd Wednesday of the month, 7 pm at The Cuff
Non-BRMC Motorcycle Events
Contributions of Photos & Stories
If you have photos and stories to share, please send to news@borderriders.com