June 2020 Newsletter
Motorcycle line-up on a sun-break day in early May
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 (May)
May showers brings May flowers, and with breaks in the PNW rain, several beautiful days have opened up that has beckoned us to partake upon local rides in small groups. Yes, while the COVID-19 pandemic still rages, we are adjusting to being out of our isolated safety enclaves with various masks and social distancing measures at hand. That being said, club functions remain canceled at this time and likely to be curtailed for the next several months. So, guys, get out and ride when you can… and be safe.
Dave J
Monthly Gallery
Photos from members and guests from last month’s rides and adventures.
Stan & Alan ready to roll on a Spring day.
Stan, Alan, and Blue out on a ride
Blue and red
Lighting for the photo not withstanding, it looks like parking is not a problem these days.
Jeremey demonstrating proper mask attire.
Don and Jorge working on making the perfect pretzel. Its all about presentation, and the plate looks fabulous. Good job, guys.
Upcoming Events
June
June 6th - BRMC Day Ride. Portland & Seattle agree to meet in Raymond for lunch. Watch our Face-Book page for the most current details.
June 14th - BRMC rides in the Portland Pride Parade - Canceled / May happen later in the year.
June 26th thru 28th - No Camp out
June 27th - BRMC Booth at Capitol Hill Pride Festival in Seattle, WA Canceled
June 28th - BRMC rides in the Seattle Pride Parade Going Virtual / Canceled
Upcoming Birthdays
We have 5 members that have a birthdays in June. Take and moment and wish them a great day!
Iain M - June 8th
Ron L - June 17th
Ron V - June 20th
David F - June 28th
Mark B - June 28th
Meet & Greets
Due to Covid-19, the monthly M&Gs were canceled for May.
Club Business
At this time we are unsure of club events for the summer. The club’s board made the difficult decision to cancel Victoria Day in May. It is now looking like we won’t be able to have a club camp out until at least July. On May 1st, the Oregon governor announced that the stay at home order and shut down will continue until July 6th. In Washington, the governor has announced a revised Safe Start plan to return to normal. Rather than a statewide plan each county has to meet certain criteria to move to the next stage with at least three weeks between stages. Most counties are now Phase 2, but a few eastern counties have moved to Phase 3. There are still a few in Phase 1. Phase 3 finally allows for groups of more than 5 and up to 50 people to gather. This will put us into July before we can have a club function. At this time the board has begun the initial plans to host a Festival Camp-out at Jeff C & Tim M’s Gentleman’s Ranch near Mt Vernon. This will be like a mini-Victoria Day Weekend. The board would like to do something a little special rather than just a regular camp out to celebrate our finally being able to get together again, whenever that happens.
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
No stories were submitted for this month’s newsletter.
Day Rides
Portland’s Day Ride - We are hopeful we will be able to do something in June. Watch our F.B. page for last minute details.
BC’s Day Ride -
Seattle’s Day Ride - We are hopeful we will be able to do something in June. Watch our F.B. page for last minute details.
For details about this month’s day ride, please visit our Facebook page and seek out details for your area.
Motorcycle Training Opportunities
(REGISTRATION IS OPEN ON THE BRMC WEBSITE)
Registration has opened on the BRMC website. There is a limited number of opening so get your spot reserved soon. As a last resort, there is a waiting list available in case someone needs to cancel at the last minute. Don’t worry about the class time. Just get registered for whatever is available and I will do everything I can do get you into the class that is the most convenient for you to attend.
One of the instructors showing Dale how the S curves are done!
My goal is to give Seattle people the Saturday afternoon / Sunday morning class. That way they can ride in Saturday morning and home Sunday afternoon and not need to take Friday or Monday off work. I will ask Portland people to take the Saturday morning and Sunday afternoon class to make this possible.
I spoke with Team OR on April 17th. They, and I expect this event to take place as scheduled. However, due to the shortened season and their backlog, this will be the only motorcycle class we can do in 2020. So, go to our website and register for whatever is available. We will figure out who is in which class once we know who is attending.
If you have any questions or comments, please contact me & let us chat. Treasurer@BorderRiders.com
As Colin would say, “I can’t wait, Bounce, Bounce, Bounce"
The dreaded Cone Weave.
For those of you who were not able to make it to the Advanced Motorcycle Training class we did as part of the Rally, not all is lost. Team Oregon and I have worked out a deal whereby Team Oregon is going to bring the entire 8-hour class to Portland, and we just purchased the whole thing. No outsiders, just us.
To make the class less physically demanding, Team Oregon has agreed to break the (1) 8-hour class into (2) 4-hour classes. Both classes will happen the same weekend to make it easier on those who will travel into Portland to take the class. The classes will be held on August 29th & 30th, 2020. Which of their Portland locations the class is to be held at, is currently Y.T.B.D. It’ll be somewhere in the Portland Metro area.
The 1st class will be held on August 29th from 12:30 to 5:30. This will be slow cornering, U-turns, and weaving. This is what you watch when you watch those police rodeos. I’d love to put together a team to challenge the police someday.
The 2nd class will be on Sunday, August 30th, from 8:30 am to 1:30 pm. Sunday will wrap up day 1 and move onto group riding and group parking. Yeah, finally we will be able to look like pros when we go out to dinner at the campouts.
There are 9 available spots for this class and all spots will go for $200 each. Registration for this event will only be available through the BRMC website. It’ll be just like any other BRMC event only with limited availability.
BTW, these motorcycle training events I put together are normally not a BRMC sanctioned event. This is just me organizing these classes because I keep getting request for it, I love them, and I learn something every time I go.
If you have any questions, comments, or suggestions about these motorcycle training opportunities, please contact me and let us chat. Treasurer@BorderRiders.com
From the Handlebars of the President
We are already in June. The past few months have been interesting to say the least. 2020 is definitely not a year of normalcy. It will be interesting to see what the remainder of the year brings. I am looking forward to being able to gather again as a club and to have club events.
As is mentioned in the club business section, I am hoping to host the club here at my place for a camp out in July. The difficult part of trying to plan something is knowing when we will be able to do something, what will or won’t be open and trying to make reservations in advance.
I hope that each of you are taking care of your self, staying home and staying healthy. I am looking forward to the time we can again gather as a club.
…… keep the shiny side up!
Vice President Chatter
Greetings Everyone
It appears that yet again we will have another month of no or limited club activities. Hopefully we will be able to do the mini VD thing soon.
It is unfortunate we had to cancel VD, I was looking forward to contributing some fresh ideas for the 2020 VD Campout. Maybe next year! That said, I am hoping we can pull off a mini VD at Jeff’s house soon. I plan to support him with food prep and organizing some volunteers to help with the cooking and clean up chores.
Dan S, if we do get to gather at Jeff’s house, you will need to work with Jeff on the fire, if allowed.
I hope everyone is finding some peace with all what is happening in the world today and I look forward to seeing everyone soon.
Be well,
Alan
2020 Vice President
Road Captain Rumblings
I don’t know how many of you looked at the weather for Victoria Day, but like so many years it was a mixed bag - a little bit of rain around and a little bit of sun. We will be due for a sunny Victoria Day next year!
So, what do you do without riding events? Dale, Todd, Tom and I replaced the water line that was broken by a tree to Dale’s house; Dale did the mini excavator and kept the shiny side up the whole time :) Should have put a wheel on his bike with cutting flaps on it to dig the trench, but his bike was on the lift in his garage getting the clutch replaced.
To celebrate the successful completion the 4 of us did a day ride to Wynoochee Dam near Montesano the week later. Not a perfect day for riding, a little wet here and there, but good to get out. Not much in the way of places to eat or restrooms.
Stay healthy, 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
I’ve been thinking about what I want to write about in my report for several days now. I’ll have to admit that it hasn’t been easy. I’m sure that all of you are having some of the same feelings. First, it was the Covid 19 pandemic that has kept us from meeting, socializing, and riding together. Then this last week happened and now the only thing we can see on TV is cars burning in downtown streets all over the country.
Despite all of that, I am sure you all are doing like I am and trying get out safely to get some exercise. Suddenly FaceTime and Zoom have become important ways of communicating and seeing each other. I find that I am not losing my cell phone as often as I did in the past because I never know when someone will be trying to get in touch. I am so thankful for my close friends and relatives who do keep in touch.
It is these contacts that keep me thinking positively about sometime this summer being able to see you all face to face, and to be riding again. I am thankful for you my brothers and I hope you are all safe and that we will be together sooner than later.
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 - Tentative
August 14th thru 16th - Camp-out at Union Creek, near Phillips Lake between Sumpter and Baker Oregon
August 29th & 30th - 2-day Advanced Motorcycle Training in Portland, OR
September 18th thru 20th - Camp-South Grandy Lake by Concrete WA
October 17th - Hosted Club Meeting - TBD Location
November 14th - Hosted Club Meeting - TBD Location
December 12th - Holiday Party - TBD Location
Meet & Greets
(May’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
Members Chris and Richard are planning to host a barbecue on July 4th, weather dependent, at their place. They will provide a Russian Chicken dish with potluck for the other items for dinner. Arrival time is 4:00 pm. Please let Chris know if you are interested in attending bmwinbow@live.com
Contributions of Photos & Stories
If you have photos and stories to share, please send to news@borderriders.com