November Meeting Recap
November Gallery
Upcoming Events
- December Holiday Party
- Officer/New member nominations
- AGM
- 50th Anniversary Banquet
From the Handle Bars of the President
- Seattle Meet and Greet
Road Captain Rumblings
- Seattle Area Day Ride
Treasurer Ramblings
- Club Finances
- Portland Meet & Greet/Day Ride
- 2020 Riding Classes
Calendar of Events
Member Birthdays
Meet & Greets
Reader’s Corner
- Yosemite Road Trip - Dave J

Welcome

The 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, and welcome like-minded guests to join us on our monthly club events and local activities during the riding months. Check the main page of the website at www.borderriders.com for additional information.

November Meeting Recap

Our November club meeting was graced with really nice weather allowing a few of the Portland area riders to ride in on their motorcycles. Our meeting location was changed at the last minute from Stan/Alan’s place over to Vancouver WA at Kas/Chris’ place. It’s a good thing that these guys have both big hearts and a big place, as it was one of the biggest turnouts in a long time with 20 members and 11 guests!

With the temperate weather, socializing was engaged both in and out of the house. Dave J rode up with his new BMW R1200RT and barely anyone noticed at first as it makes about as much sound as a singer sewing machine. This, as compared to the Valkyrie which typically would knock the stucco off the walls of buildings upon approach. And speaking of Valkyrie’s, a shinny newer model Valkyrie was on hand from Rudy, one of our guests, looking much like something out of TRON.

The club meeting was brought to order and we all huddled into the main living room and adjoining spaces to take roll-call and discuss what business matters there were. After announcements, we adjourned the meeting and worked our way into the dining room for what must be the most crowded group photo yet taken by the club. Good times!

Dinner had to be collected and transported from a remote location, but was well worth it once it arrived. Trays of tasty enchiladas, rice, beans, salad, and an assortment of goodies managed to feed everyone until our leather jackets wouldn’t fit. Following the devouring of dinner, more social time allowed a bit of settling before we all headed off to our respective corners of the Pacific Northwest.

November Gallery

Photos from members and guests from last month’s rides and adventures.

2020 Board of Directors

It is time to begin thinking about members for the 2020 Board of Directors. Club Bylaws state nominations for club officers are to be done at the October, November and December club meetings with the elections held at the Annual General Meeting (AGM). Voting is by secret ballot with the person receiving the most votes in each position assuming office beginning at the time of Annual Banquet.

Officer positions are President, Vice President, Road Captain, Secretary, and Treasurer. Please give some thought to serving as an officer of the club. Thus far the following members have been nominated:

President: Jeff C

Vice President: Alan H

Road Captain: Dennis H

Secretary: John D

Treasurer: Stan C

Holiday Party - December 14th

This year our annual Holiday Party and white elephant gift exchange will be hosted by Chris L and Richard A at their place outside Burlington, WA. The date is December 14th. Detailed directions will be provided in the confirmation email. Group social time is at 3pm, dinner at 6pm, followed by the gift exchange. Chris, with assistance of other members, is planning another fabulous meal.

Also, remember to bring a gift for exchange. Keep the value under $20. Both gag gifts (no pun intended) and fabulous gifts are encouraged. And, of course, festive holiday attire is encouraged.

Chris and Richard have invited members and guests to stay at their place. Please contact Chris L for arrangements as it is on a first come first serve basis. Also, Jeff C has a guestroom and and lots of floor space if anyone wants to stay at his place.

AGM - Annual General Meeting

The annual AGM will be held on January 18th at the Cuff Complex in Seattle. This is the time to renew club dues, elect officers for the coming year as well as conduct club business. Please remember that if your eligibility to vote has lapsed that you must attend two business meetings in order to be able to vote at the AGM. If you have questions about your eligibility to vote please contact the club secretary. Please watch your email for your ballot prior to the meeting.

50th Anniversary Banquet

It is not too early to start thinking about the 50th Anniversary Banquet. Chris L has taken on the task of helping plan and organize the banquet for the club. The banquet will be on February 15th at the Executive Inn by the Space Needle in Seattle. Chris is planning an evening full of fun so be sure to mark your calendar now.

A block of rooms has been reserved for BRMC members are guests. The room rate is $104 plus taxes with parking an additional $19. Reservations must be made by January 14th.

From the Handlebars of the President

What a great turnout for our November meeting! We had a great group of guys, both members and guests, gather for the evening social time, meeting and dinner. Thanks to Kas and his husband Chris for agreeing to host at the last minute as the location had to be changed with short notice. Stan did a great job of organizing the food and helping Kas and Chris host the meeting. Everyone enjoyed the spread of Mexican food that Stan ordered from a local restaurant.

Tim and I drove down and arrived a bit early at Kas and Chris’ place to lend a hand and to finish the desserts. Everything was under control and others began arriving around 4:00. After the dinner, and helping with cleanup Tim and I went to the Eagle. Dennis and Dale also joined us there. After a couple of drinks, Tim and I headed over to Jeff B’s place for the night. We had made arrangements to stay with Jeff as had Tom C, Iain M, and Keith A. Jeff had a full house and after some additional social time we all went to sleep. The next morning we all met up with several others at Jubitz for breakfast. Tim and I then headed off to a couple of nurseries in search of plants.

The Holiday Party and White Elephant Gift Exchange is coming up on December 14th. I hope to see everyone there.

Until next time, remember to keep the shiny side up!

Jeff C

2019 President

president@borderriders.com

Chris L, Dusty E, Ron S, David B, Tim M, Jeff C

Seattle Meet and Greet

The November Meet and Greet was Seattle Meet and Greet was November 20th. This happened to be the Wednesday after our monthly meeting. This month we planned to meet for dinner at Katsu Burger before heading to the Cuff. Four of us met for dinner and then were joined by a guest and a former member at the Cuff. For members we had Chris L., Jeff C and John D. For guests we had Ron S, Tim M, first time guest David B, and former member Dusty E. Thanks to everyone for showing up. We had fun shooting the breeze. The next meet and greet will be December 18th at 7:00 pm at the Cuff. Watch your emails for the dinner location. Come out and join us.

Road Captain Rumblings

Mark B sent me a link to an article in the American Motorcyclist from August https://magazine.americanmotorcyclist.com/7907/the-rattlesnake-400/ It talks about a 400 mile loop that includes one of our favorite roads in the area —-Rattlesnake Canyon. We will be in the Blue Mountains area of Oregon next August and many of the roads they talk about are good for day rides in the area.

Seattle Area Day Ride

The November “Day Ride” was a few people showing up for breakfast at Stricker’s in Lynwood including 2 on bikes. No group ride was done, just a quick get together for breakfast. We will forgo a day ride in December as extended forecast doesn’t look promising and with the holidays sure that everyone has plenty to do. Watch for upcoming rides the 1st weekend of the month; we sometimes get cold clear days in the winter months that are good for a little spin.

Dennis H

2019 Road Captain

captain@borderriders.com

Treasurer’s Ramblings

Club Finances & Such

Club finances are healthy. Account balances are where I expect them to be. Account Receivables are acceptable and our Liabilities are practically non-existent. Briefly, everything is fine.

Portland’s M&G & Day Ride

I’m calling on all Portland members to attend the December M&G. We have a new owner of the Eagle and he is very interested in making sure we want to be there so let’s show up and support him.

Portland’s next M&G will be Wednesday December 4th, at the Eagle on Lombard at 7:00. Text me if you plan to attend and I will let you know where I am going for dinner.

Guests Blue B, Chris T, Andrew G, Larry B, & I met for dinner at Tamale Boy on Dekum Street prior to heading to the Eagle. Ron meet up with us there and got to know about the club. Many laughs were had and much sympathy sent to Larry B. :(

Keep in mind that if you decide to go for a ride you can always reach out to the club by posting something on our FB page. Hopefully, you’ll get a response and have someone to ride with.

Motorcycle Skill Enhancement Classes for 2020

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 whole 8-hour class to Portland, and the club just purchased it. Yep, the whole class is ours & ours ONLY.

To make the class easier on us, Team Oregon has agreed to break the (1) 8-hour class into (2) 4-hour classes and have both classes in one weekend. The classes will be held in Portland on August 29th & 30th, 2020. The 1st class will be held on Saturday, August 29th from 1:00 to 6:00. The 2nd class will be on the following day on Sunday, August 30th, from 8:00 am to 1:00 pm.

Saturday will be slow cornering. This is what you watch when you watch those police rodeos. Sunday will wrap up slow cornering and move onto group riding with group parking. Yeah, finally we will be able to look like pros when we arrive at our destination.

There are 9 available spots and all spots will go for $200 each. Registration for this event will only be available through the BRMC website just as you would any other BRMC event. You will be notified at the meeting prior to any announcement in the newsletter as to when registration will open. This will sell out fast so be ready to register as soon as it becomes available.

This class will be in addition to all the other events that will happen in 2020 including the August camp out.

Also, due to the demand from Seattle and BC, I will try to schedule a class of some type, likely a rider review class, to happen in the Seattle area earlier in the summer. I predict people from Portland & BC will converge on Seattle and I expect Seattle people to register en mass. The results, I expect this class in Seattle to fill up very fast as well. I will announce this date for this class in the same manner as I will Advanced Motorcycle Training class.

BTW, these motorcycle training events I put together are not normally sanctioned by BRMC. 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 anything I am dealing with, please feel encouraged to contact me & let us chat.

Sincerely,

Stan C

2019 Treasurer

Treasurer@borderriders.com

2019 Calendar of Events

January 19 Annual General Meeting - Seattle, WA
February 16 Anniversary Banquet - Portland, OR
March 16 Club Meeting - Don W, Lynnwood, WA
April 20 Club Meeting - Dan S, Oakville, WA
May 17-20 Victoria Day Weekend Camp - Pine Flats Campground, Ardenvoir, WA
June 14-16 Bear Springs Group Campground, Maupin, OR
June 16 - BRMC rides in Portland Pride Parade
July19-21 Lewis & Clark Trail State Park, Dayton, WA
August 16-18, Willows Campground, Lillooet, BC
September 14-21 50th Anniversary Ride - OR, WA, BC
September 21 Club Meeting, Bellingham, WA
October 19 Club Meeting - Surrey, BC
November 16 Club Meeting - West Linn, OR
December 14 Holiday Party - Burlington, WA

2020 Calendar of Events

January 18 Annual General Meeting - Seattle, WA
February 15 50th Anniversary Banquet - Seattle, WA
March 21 Club Meeting
April 18 Club Meeting
May 14-18 Victoria Day Weekend Camp - Pine Flats Campground, Ardenvoir, WA
June 14 Portland, OR Pride Parade
June 26-28 June Campout (note moved from the third weekend)
June 28 Seattle, WA Pride Parade
July 17-19 July Campout
August 14-16 August Campout
September 18-20 September Campout
October 17 Club Meeting
November 21 Club Meeting
December 12 Holiday Party

Birthdays

We have 2 members with a birthdays this month. Please take a moment to wish them a great day.

Peter L - Dec 2

Richard A - Dec 14

Meet & Greets

BRMC members will be available for new and returning guys to connect and learn more about the club and opportunities to participate. If you are interested, check out when and where in the cities listed below. Also, in addition to the club's monthly events, local rides may be organized, weather permitting. To lean more, email the Road Captain for specific details, or to ensure a member to meet you, 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

Reader’s Corner

A place for you, the reader, member or guest, to contribute.
Tell us about your travels, adventures, mishaps, etc.

Yosemite Road Trip - By member Dave J

It all started with a text message on my new cell phone (yes, it’s almost the year 2020 and I finally gave in getting one) from a buddy and ex-Border Rider Kerry K, who told me that he had some time off from work and was looking for a riding partner on a road trip. Myself, recently retired from corporate life just two months before, and had immediately jumped into starting up my own photography studio business here in town, was looking for some sort of fun to be had. It took all of a nanosecond for me to buy into this adventure.

Given the changing seasons here in the Pacific Northwest around October where motorcycle riding can get a bit testy, we decided upon a route to take us into a climate that our chances for decent weather were favorable. This pointed us south down into California and Nevada, and there were plenty of new places for us to see along the way.

We agreed that for the 10-day trip planned that Yosemite would be a good destination for our southernmost descent. A route was plotted that took us down the eastern mountains of California to Yosemite, then head further east and north up through Nevada until we again entered southeastern Oregon to head home once again.

Screen Shot 2019-11-12 at 7.32.31 AM.png

Kerry came down from Federal Way, Washington, to my place in Molalla the day before our launch date so that we could get an early start to Klamath Falls the next morning. Jumping on the ever boring I5 down to Eugene to get some quick miles behind us, we targeted Crater Lake as our first venue. It was here, at the park entrance, that I got to exercise my first ‘privilege’ as a senior citizen by purchasing a lifetime national park pass! My excitement and enthusiasm, not withstanding, was only superseded by knowing that on this trip alone, the cost would be compensated in park fees savings.

Crater Lake is beautiful and spectacular in any weather, but on this day, it really stood out as the air was warm and clear. Being late in the tourist season, only a smattering of people were found at the main lodge and viewpoints, making our short time there relaxing and enjoyable. Then it was onward to Klamath Falls where we planned on our first night.

Arriving at K-Falls just before dark, we were anxious to get into a room and relax from a long day riding. As it were, not so fast. The hotel we booked had not yet prepared the rooms for arrival (it was after 6 pm already). So, we ended up waiting almost an hour in full gear before they got one ready. Apparently, they were short staffed and decided to have a staff meeting instead of getting rooms prep’ed. Needless to say, they got a big thumbs down from me for this lack of customer service. On the positive side, we found a nice trendy restaurant within walking distance and enjoyed a good meal in a classy environment.

The next morning, we took a walk down to a park next to a lake as we waited for the morning frost to warm up before we headed onward. There, we found a caged steam locomotive that you could not photograph or interact with due to the security measures in place to keep people away from it. It seemed pointless to have it there as such. Found a piano in the park (wish I could play), and got some nice sunrise photos across the lake.

Our next leg would take us around Mt Shasta. We were glad to find the traffic very light (if any most of the time) and the day clear and relatively warm. The mountain was looking magnificent, and from a couple of locations around it, already had a dusting of snow on the peaks that highlighted its form. After a bite to eat, it was onward to Mt Lassen National Park.

Lassen is amazing. Neither of us had been there. With the light traffic, the twisty roads up and down the mountain were a lot of fun. Lots of little places to stop and grab a photo of some interesting view or geologic formation. The elevation gain took us up over 9000 feet where I found that the 6 carbs on my Valkyrie were not as happy as they are at sea-level. Still, my trusty steed worked and did not fail me, though keeping up with Kerry on his fuel injected BMW was not going to happen.

Getting up to nose bleed elevation at Mt Lassen

Next stop: Susanville, where I was forever banned from choosing the next motel. Yes, I managed to select a place what was so bad, even third world countries would have burned it down to the ground to save potential travelers from the horrors of spending the night in this retched infestation of mold and grime. There is a down side to pre-booking on a no-refund reservation policy. This place had no lights in the bathroom area due to no bulbs. The fan did not work and black mold grew along the ceiling and walls. The AC/Heater did not function and looked as though the grill/filter had never been cleaned. The floors had more dirt than the ground outside. Handles were broken on everything. Fortunately, no bed bugs were found, and we were not brutally murdered by the scary looking front desk attendant. I guess it could have been worse.

And it was not over. A walk down the lovely old town main street at sunset, the moon was rising above the horizon. It was looking pretty good as we found the most popular place in town, The Pioneer Café. While not a sole on the street as far as you could see, the place was cavernous and packed with people. A happening place, apparently. We got a table and ordered, then waited and waited. After over an hour and several inquiries, it was finally revealed that our dinner had been served to someone else who maliciously claimed it. Back in the queue, we finally got served before having nearly died from starvation. Fortunately, the beer was really good there, and our glasses were never empty. Staggering back to the motel, the room didn’t seem that bad (LOL).

Reno saw our next stop, and it was fantastic. The day was not only beautiful and warm, but an Italian street festival was being held right downtown. Lots of people, music, and food to be had. We stayed at The Nugget, which is 10 minutes out of downtown, but newly renovated and not so expensive. Kerry showed me how to get my new cell phone all signed up for Lyft, and we welcome me, again, into the 21st century. Visiting a host of casinos, we did no gambling, but did enjoy many adult beverages and food. If you’re ever there, I can attest that The El Dorado is the most fantastic venue to explore, with its amazing structures, fountains, and restaurants.

Onward to Yosemite with stops in South Lake Tahoe, Mono Lake, Lee Vining. The temperature definitely cooled a lot by Tahoe. Down right chilly. Still, the air was clear and we found the town very trendy and built up with a uniform look and feel. It looked expensive. Mono Lake was in full sun when we passed by, and Kerry didn’t know that this was a photo opportunity, so didn’t stop at the best viewpoints and didn’t get any good photos there. Gassed up at Lee Vining before our dive into Yosemite.

As our next hotel was at El Portal, the other end of Yosemite, we drove through stopping along the way at the many vistas to get a view of this amazing valley. The temperature was warming up from the chill of Tahoe, and still the traffic was almost non-existent as we made our way through the narrow twisty roads. It was a very good day’s ride. I’d not been to Yosemite since a child, back when the park service still did the fire fall over Bridal Falls (yes, they did that with flaming embers from a giant pile of coals pushed over the cliff at about dark-thirty).

It was at the El Portal hotel that my motorcycle developed a fuel leak in one of the six fuel lines to the carburetors. We had been smelling gas all that day, and when I inspected the situation again, one of the plastic lines was found to have deteriorated and started draining fuel over the hot engine. Not good. I was not able to get the fuel to stop leaking as there was enough in the floats to keep it flowing in spite of the fuel shutoff (design issue). I notified the management and requested assistance (like a fire extinguisher), but they were of little help. With little to work with in terms of tools and parts, Kerry saved the day by riding me on the back of his BMW to a town 30 miles away to find an auto parts store where these nice motorcycle ladies got us what I needed.

This was a decisive moment for me riding for 60 miles as a passenger on the back of the BMW R1200RT. First, I’ve not been a passenger on a bike since my training days back in the early 80’s. Second, I had not ever been on such a very awesome modern bike such as the RT. Third, Kerry can drive much more aggressively on this machine, even with me as a passenger, than I can on my much heavier and older Valkyrie. I was thrilled.

Back at the hotel, Kerry got the plumbing fixed on my bike (yeah, his dad owned a motorcycle shop), so me having a mechanic on-hand was nice to take advantage of. Though jerry-rigged, the fix worked and no further issues with my steed were encountered for the rest of our trip. The next day we spent back in Yosemite in the main valley. It was warm, fresh air, and in spite of being the hub of the tourist concentration, it was just pleasantly populated this time of year. Many fine photos were taken.

The next day, back through the valley east to the Ancient Bristlecone Pine forest. It was getting pretty cold now, and I was glad to have some heated gear. Still, very envious of Kerry having heated handlebars and seats on the BMW. I was thinking about that a lot by this time. Anyhow, the roads to the forest were amazing. The BEST twisties seen as we climbed to over 10,000 feet elevation. The forest, itself, was only marginally interesting. It was interesting to learn these trees were thousands of years old, making me feel young and sprite!

On the descent down the mountain, Kerry had a great time cornering on the BMW, while I struggled to keep up on my slower and harder-to-turn Valkyrie. After a while, I finally caught up to him as he relaxed on the side of the road waiting for me to catch up. Yeah… thinking about that BMW a lot on the way down.

The journey from that point was relatively un-notable with the exception of stopping by Devil’s Post Pile. This time of year we got to take the bikes along the narrow twisty mountain road to get there, otherwise it is by a shuttle bus. Beyond that, miles of long straight backroads through Tonopah, Winnemucca, Denio, and finally Burns. Long periods of road and saw no one else. Glad we did not need assistance for anything. By itself, the vast openness was something to see, even though not much there. It was good Zen for motorcycle riding times.

Neither of us had been to Burns, our last stop before the last leg for home. As it were, we found nothing in Burns other than the one bar/saloon where we could get something to eat and a beer. It seemed to be the central hub in town, and not much else there. We arrived just one day before the weather changed behind us. Lucky timing. The next morning, we found our bikes covered in frozen water, and again, I’m eyeing Kerry’s heated seats to melt the ice, while I’m pouring hot water on mine to sit on it and to see the gauges/mirrors, controls.

This ride was the single bad day of riding to be had in the 10 days out on our journey. The weather had turned to wind-blown rain and only just above freezing. I had to use my battery powered heated gear all day, which was unfortunate, as it would be needed over Mt Hood, where it ran out of juice at the coldest elevations. Anyhow, just to add to the stress of this leg, it is noted there are NO GAS STATIONS between Burns and Bend. My bike in wind/rain gets about 130 miles on a tank, so I was getting very concerned by the time we rolled into the outskirts of Bend into the first gas station. I had been on reserve for the last 20 miles. Broke the fueling record with 4.92 gallons in a 5.0 gallon tank. Whew!

We were not able to take the Santiam Pass through Sisters as it was now snowing there. Checking ODOT, MT Hood was still open with cold rain. We made it over the pass safely and was appreciative of the warmer temperatures down by Sandy where we parted on our different paths home. In all, I put on some 2,200 miles and Kerry a bit more with the Washington leg for him to get home. A great ride, if not one of the best I’ve ever had.

In prolog, it should be noted that this adventure cost me a lot of money, as that very week found me in the local BMW dealer eyeing a used 2017 R1200RT fully decked out with all the options and only 9000 miles. By the next week, it would be mine.

Looking forward to many more rides with the Border Riders. And now, I won’t be consigned to the back of the pack due to the very loud six pipes of the Valkyrie. The BMW is about as loud as a Singer sewing machine. Nice… no ear protection required.

Dave and his new 2017 BMW R1200RT about to drive off the lot

Cheers! Dave Jackson

If you have photos and stories to share, please send to news@borderriders.com

December 2019 Newsletter

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