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 http://borderriders.com for additional information.
September Run - Bear Hollow Camp (Fossil)
This month will see our last run of the year as the seasons are changing fast. We have one of our favorite campgrounds near Fossil, Oregon - The Bear Hollow Camp. Registration can be found on the BRMC website at http://borderriders.com, and closes Wednesday September 12th. Hope to see you all there!
Monthly Recap Goldstream Provincial Park
For those of us who were riding from the South, there were two routes for getting to Goldstream. The route most used was driving up the Olympic Peninsula to Anacortes and taking the ferry to Victoria. This route offered some country roads and good scenery. The second option was to ride north on either I-5 or Hwy 9 to Canada and to take the ferry from Tsawwassen to Swartz Bay. Hwy 9 is obviously the more scenic but it took much longer than I-5 which was the choice for those of us who were in a hurry. The ferry from Tsawwassen is much larger than the Washington State ferries, and offered many eating options. The trip from Tsawwassen took a very scenic route through the islands east of Vancouver Island.
Getting to Goldstream Provincial Park was an easy trip from either ferry. The camp ground was a short ride north out of Victoria. The camp site was at an isolated, quiet clearing in the forest not far from Canada Hwy 1. Eleven members made the trip along with six guests. Given its location, there were many good places to eat nearby. Chris L. was very helpful in arranging our meal locations not far from the camp site. The camp site was very private. The neighboring site was reserved and set up for a wedding that was going to take place after we left on Sunday. Given the fire danger, we were not able to have a campfire, but for both evenings our propane campfire did just fine with the permission of the park rangers.
There were two Saturday day rides. A short half day ride, and a longer full day ride. All but three of the people who went on day rides took the short ride. The long ride took a route north all the way to Nanaimo. The shorter ride went east on Hwy 14 along the coast. When they left the coast they took an inland route on some great twisty curvy roads back to camp. Thankfully, the air on Vancouver Island was better for riding than we experienced both coming to and leaving Vancouver Island. It was much clearer than the smoky skies on the mainland.
The Saturday membership meeting dealt mainly with plans for the BRMC 50thAnniversary week-long ride. The report was made after the hard work of Troy A., Chris L. and Stan C. The seven day run will include all three BRMC regions, Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia. The first run starts in Wilber, Oregon, and the end of the last day is in Bellingham, Washington. Members will be able to do parts of the run or can go from the beginning to the end. There will be no camping, and overnight stays will be in hotels or B&Bs. The run will start on September 14, and end on September 21, 2019. More information will be coming later.
BRMC Group Photo - Goldstream Provincial Park, Vancouver Island, BC
From the Handlebars of the President
Wow, how'd it get to be Labor Day Weekend already? We have only one more run left and that is at Bear Hollow in Fossil, Oregon. This is a favorite of many members and guests. We have the whole campground to ourselves and lots of great roads to ride with very little traffic on them.
Our run last month to Goldstream was a great weekend. For me I left the house about 6:45 to catch the ferry from Anacortes to Sidney, BC. After paying my fare I pulled up to the motorcycle staging area to discover Dennis and Dale already there waiting in line. We had an uneventful ride over to Sidney followed by a short 30 minute ride to camp. Chris did a great job of finding and selecting locations for us to eat during the weekend. The breakfast spot on Saturday morning had huge portions!
We weren't able to have a campfire but Dennis brought along the club's propane firepit and we were able to spend the evenings hanging around the "campfire". It was nice to have a fire to enjoy.
On Saturday following breakfast Tom, Iain and guest Darryl took off for a "long ride" around a portion of the island. Another group of us were led by guest Goatboy on a shorter ride through Sooke and Shirley to Jordan River and back to camp. The ride started off a bit chilly but warmed as we went. We had some great views of the ocean along the way.
That evening we had the club meeting followed by dinner in town. On the way back to camp most of us stopped at the ice cream shop at the entrance to the park.
Sunday morning found everyone breaking camp and heading their separate ways to get home. Several headed for the Blackball Ferry line and home via Port Angeles, others via the BC ferry line to Tswassan and I headed to Sidney to catch the Washington State Ferry home. We had a new guest, Brian, join us from Cortes Island, BC. Hopefully he can join us on future runs.
I only put about 250 miles on the bike over the weekend since most of the travel time to and from the run was spend riding the ferry. Even though it was a low mileage weekend it was still a great weekend.
In other news, Troy had to step down as the chair of the 50th Anniversary Committee. Chris L has agree to take on the role of chairman. I would like to thank Troy for the work that he put into the 50th Anniversary planning and for Chris in stepping up to take on the role of Chair.
A 50th Anniversary Ride has been mapped out for September 2019 beginning in Roseburg, OR and ending in Bellingham. Overnight stops will be in Bend, Hood River, Leavenworth, Winthrop, Kamloops and Bellingham. Plans are to stay in hotels. Additional information will be announced as plans are made.
Hope to see all of you in Fossil! Jeff C
Road Captain Rumblings
It’s hard to believe that another season is almost over with just one trip left this year. Only wet we had during the season was a little Victoria Day and no cancellations in spite of all the fires and smoke. We had a great turnout for Vancouver Island especially given the distance for many and the added complexity of needing a ferry crossing. Thanks again to Chris for setting up the restaurants for the weekend.
Fossil Oregon will be a dramatic change from what we had at Goldstream. Goldstream was very urban - close to many places to eat, wide open campground, and great cell service with LTE. Fossil on the other hand is like 1 gas station, 2 places to eat, and very limited cell service. The thing that makes it a favorite is lots of great curvy country roads with very few cars; can ride for a half hour and not see another car.
Hoping to have another good turnout for this last one of the year, and you won’t be disappointed by the riding that is available. Dennis H
Treasurer Treads
I’m going to change a gear for this newsletter. I will quickly say kudos to Mark & Dennis & to RC Buddy Chris Livingston for finding and executing another wonderful weekend, which it was. Good job gents & thank you. However, for this newsletter I want to talk about a conversation I had with Randy at the August campout on Vancouver Island.
Randy & I were conversing on Saturday afternoon and Randy stated how he thought the club was in a wonderful place. Not physically although it was but the club itself. Randy stated he was enjoying the club and the experiences he was having. I have been feeling the same way and I couldn’t help but get excited to have someone else say it. Unfortunately, my first reaction was that he was paying the board a compliment. I was certainly more than willing to discuss how much work I have been putting into the club and bla bla bla.
Then on the ride home we (Alan, Kas & I) got stuck behind several cages going less than my speed limit and I reviewed that conversation in my mind. I very quickly concluded that Randy wasn’t paying me or any other board member a compliment. Instead, he was talking about the quality of the members we currently have in the club. To that statement, I couldn’t agree more.
I, or any other board member could work ourselves silly and if it wasn’t for you people, it wouldn’t matter. The club is at a wonderful place in its evolution and it’s because of the members & guest that the club is what it is.
It’s because you come and participate in the camp outs. It’s because you come prepared to have fun, laugh and enjoy each other’s company. It’s because you leave your baggage at home and contribute to the comradery & brotherhood. It’s because you come to the meeting with ideas instead of complaints. It’s because you come to the meeting to see how you can participate instead of what you can take from the club. It’s because you are the wonderful members and guest that you are, and you share that wonderfulness with everyone else and the club.
To all of you, members & guest alike, I sincerely thank you for being the reason the club is at such a wonderful place. To Randy, I thank you for recognizing the progress the club has made and for saying it. Thank you, thank you and thank you, to all of you for your individual contributions to this club.
Back to Work Highlights
The club is still financially healthy so no concerns there. That said, the last camp out did not break even. We were 2 people shy of that benchmark. ☹
The application for our Not-for-Profit status has been submitted to the IRS. We are now in a waiting pattern. I hope it gets approved on the 1st attempt but I am expecting a letter asking for additional information. Once I get a final letter of determination I will let you know.
I’m continuing to work on our e-mail list. If you want to 1) update your information or 2) opt out of receiving a newsletter, now is a wonderful time to do it. Send an e-mail to Treasurer@borderriders.com and I will see what I can do for you.
If you stop receiving a newsletter in the future it might be because I have reached out to you and I have not received a response. This leads me to believe our communications are probably marked as junk mail or you are no longer interested. Check your junk mail folder or contact me if you are concerned. We hope to have this finished before the end of the year. Your help and understanding are appreciated.
Not Club Sanctioned Stuff
Due to the lack of participation/interest, I have cancelled the Advanced Riders Training “ART” Class schedule for 9/17/18. Team Oregon has stated they will find a date in 2019 for the ART class that will work well for us. They will also give us a couple weeks to register before they open it up to the public. I am considering Monday June 17th, 2019 for the ART Class. Additional information about the class can be found here, https://team-oregon.org/training/advancedridertraining/
I am looking at this date because this is a tentative Oregon camp out weekend. It is also Gay Pride weekend. It seemed fitting to just make it a full weekend of merry men and mayhem. I am thinking we could camp on Friday, Saturday & then on Sunday we could ride to Portland and ride in the parade. I’m guessing we could do dinner together Sunday night as well. Then on Monday we could meet for breakfast, do a small warm up ride and then go to the ART Class. I will work out housing options for those who want to participate. Again, this is all very tentative because Dennis is trying to get the camp out details worked out before I schedule this event.
Additionally, I had a member request that I schedule another Rider Skills Practice “RSP” Class like the one we did this summer. I am considering June 1st or 2nd in 2019 for this class. Again, I will work out housing options for those who want to attend this class. Additional information about this class can be found here, https://team-oregon.org/training/riderskillspractice/
You will see more information regarding both events around the 1st of the year so be on the lookout for that information. Mark your calendars in pencil since these are tentative dates.
BTW, this is open to guest as well as members. If you are an interested guest. don’t be shy. Stan C
Queer Biker Invasion of Death Valley
The Queer Biker Invasion of Death Valley will be over Columbus Day Weekend, October 6th to 8th. This is the 25th year of the event and is organized by Michael Bettinger. Several of our members have gone on the ride in the past. For more information contact Michael at mcpsycle@gmail.com
Calendar of 2018 Events
January 20 Annual General Meeting – Seattle
February 17 Anniversary Banquet – Vancouver, BC
March 17 Club Meeting
April 21 Club Meeting
May 18-21 Victoria Day Weekend Camp
June 15-17 Milo McIver, Estacada, OR & Portland Pride
July 20-21 Evans Group, Kettle Falls, WA
August 17-20 Goldstream Provincial Park, Vancouver Island, BC
September 14-16 Bear Hollow Camp, Fossil, OR
October 20 Club Meeting
November 17 Club Meeting
December 8 Holiday Party
Birthdays
We have 2members with birthdays this month. Please take a moment to wish them a great day.
Jeff B - Sep 28
Kevin S - Sep 05
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 Tuesday of the month, 7pm at The Portland Eagle
Seattle: Meet & Greet - 2nd Wednesday of the month, 7pm at The Cuff
Vancouver BC: Please contact the Road Captain for arrangements
Contributions of Photos & Stories
If you have photos and stories to share, please send to news@borderriders.com