March 2023 Newsletter
Contents
Welcome
Mothly Recap (Guest Author)
Monthly Gallery
M&G Report (Portland, BC, & Seattle)
Upcoming Events (2-Months)
This Month’s Birthdays
Club Business
Reader’s Corner
Day Rides
Gear Store Update
Upcoming Meeting Detail
Motorcycle Classes
Officer Reports
The BRMC 2020 Calendar of Events
Non BRMC Motorcycle Events
Meet & Greet Details
Request for Pictures & Closing Comments.
Welcome
Border Riders Motorcycle Club “BRMC” is a not-for-profit 501(c)(7), designed for gay men who like to ride motorcycles & who like to go camping on their motorcycles. Our membership spans the Pacific Northwest with the greatest participation in the Portland, Seattle, & Vancouver B.C. areas. We are one of the largest, gay motorcycle clubs in North America. We welcome like minded guest to come meet us at our Meet & Greets &/or on our Day-Rides.
Check out our website. We are very proud of it. www.borderriders.com
BRMC February Banquet AGM Recap
By Road Captain Todd McN
It's always difficult to sum up a year. The preceding 365 days that take you to this moment, with this group of motorcyclists, your band of brothers. The people you rode with, camped with, had fun with, made fun of, all covering seemingly endless miles of blacktop that takes you one year further along the road of your life to this moment.
The Courtyard by Marriot in North Portland is placed among tight winding streets towered by condominiums and townhomes giving the surroundings a European feel that seemed an ironic contrast to the past year's open roads. The banquet room opened on to an overly large terrace with a fire pit that would become a communal gathering point later in the evening.
People milled about, connecting with their brothers, bringing a familiarity to this new space. Reminiscent discussion of the previous year, expectant conversations for the next. People found their places as the banquet began. With hands over hearts they sang their loyalty to the brother nations of Canada and the United States. Special mention was made of Dale C. and Marc L., who could not attend. Be well Brothers. As the group took their seats, Richard A. rose to accept the High Milage Award for 2022. 365 days overlayed on a distance of 14,789 miles of rain, wind, and sun. Congratulations Richard!
The Banquet moved on to the announcement of officers for 2023. Stan C. entered his second term as President as Dennis H. moved to the position of Vice President. Todd McN. has taken the responsibility of Road Captain with Tom C. moving in to the Treasurer position and Justin W. Accepting the role of Secretary. Stepping down are Chris L. and Alan H. Thank you Gentlemen for being a part of the Board.
Todd McN was honored as Rider of the Year for 2022 which is a well deserve acknowledgement for everything he did & continues to do for the club. This was followed by our newest member, Lance D. getting patched into the club. Congratulations, Lance & we all welcome you into the BRMC brotherhood!
An endless supply of southern fare of BBQ chicken and pork ribs was served with mashed potatoes, mac and cheese, collard greens, and cobbler for dessert. The room became the cheerful ebb and flow of people eating and drinking. As members finished they moved out toward the fire pit. The draw of flame, cold, and the darkness of the evening pulled at our camping spirits. It was a place to stand and tell stories of what has been and what is to come. The dancing light creating shadows of our conversations that spread out to the winter night. Flickering fingers of light reaching for the coming year's adventure.
Let’s get the 2023 Camping & Riding Season started.
Monthly Gallery
Photos from members and guests from last month’s rides and adventures (or stolen from Facebook pages due to a lack of submissions).
February 2023 Gallery Photos
March Club Meeting
The March Club Meeting will be held on the 18th. Hosted by Jeff B in his Portland, OR home. Jeff will order food from Nicholas Mediterranean and Lebanese Restaurant. The menu should accommodate all dietary persuasions and will consist of chicken breast kabobs, baked feta cheese macaroni, tabouli salad, spanakopita, roasted vegetables (cauliflower, eggplant, zucchini), majadra (brown lentil jasmine rice), and pIta with tzatziki. There will also be various sodas and snacks plus a dessert.
Jeff B would appreciate an assistant or two, from 3:00 on to put out the drinks and munchies, and help serve dinner and keep the service area full and tidy. If you would like to help out, please contact Jeff.
The time line is as usual, Arrive at 4, meeting at 5, dinner at 6. You are welcome to hang out for a while and chat but it would be great if things could wrap up by 10pm.
There is ample street parking in front of Jeff’s home, so parking shouldn’t be an issue. Be prepared for ample stairs, both inside and out of Jeff’s house.
Jeff has a smaller home ant there is enough floor space for a couple of guys in sleeping bags to spend the night if needed. Please contact Jeff in regard to overnighting in his home. There are numerous hotels along I-5 by the interstate bridge if you need hotel/motel accommodations.
Cost for the evening is $20 per person. Registration opens Wednesday, March 1st and closes on the 15th.
Meet & Greets
Portland M&G
Portland’s February M&G was hosted by Mark B & Stan C on February 1st. We met at 5:30 for dinner at the Kenton Station Restaurant which is located at 8303 N Denver Ave in Portland. Shortly before 7:00, we headed over to the Eagle for the actual M&G. In attendance was Mark B, Stan C, Jeff B, & Blue B. The ability to get together in this Post Pandemic society never gets underappreciated by the brothers.
Portland’s March M&G will be hosted by Mark B on Wednesday, March 1st. We really like the Kenton Station Restaurant located at 8303 N Denver Ave in Portland and will meet there for dinner once again. We will head to the Eagle around 7:00 for the actual M&G. Please join us for dinner at 5:30 or the M&G at 7:00..
BC M&G
We are still looking for a member in BC to take the lead on this. Please let Stan know if you are willing do this.
Seattle M&G
Seattle’s February M&G was at Jules Mae Saloon in Georgetown, one of the oldest bars in Seattle. John, Jin, Dale, Mike C, and Dennis attended. Was a fun evening of catching up for all.
See below in the upcoming events for the March M&G. We will be moving north once again to Changes in Wallingford.
Local Day-Rides
BC’s Day Rides
There was no BC day-ride in December.
See Upcoming Events for details about a possible Day Ride in December.
Seattle’s Day Rides
There was no Day Ride in February.
We were planning a day ride on the 4th of March, but as I write this, my front yard is covered in snow and Saturday is looking to be a high of 43 and 70% chance of rain. If the weather clears, we will send out a notification.
Portland’s Day Rides
There was no Day Ride in February.
Currently, due to weather, there is no day-ride planned for March but watch FB for last minutes details just in case. Also, watch Upcoming Events on our web-site for details about a possible March Day Ride.
Upcoming Events
Please do not come to any club event if you are not feeling well.
March 1st - Portland’s Meet & greet
See details on our website or on our Facebook page.
March 4th - BRMC Day-Rides (DOW)
See details on our website…
March 8th - BC Meet & Greet
No M&G scheduled.
March 15th - Seattle’s Meet & Greet
Changes in Wallingford, 2103 N 45th St. 6pm if you want to come and hang out for dinner (limited bqr menu) Meet and Greet officially starts at 7PM>
March 18th - March Meeting
Hosted by Jeff B in Portland, OR…
The fee for US Members & guests will be $20.
The fee for Canadian Member’s & Guest’s will be $15.
Registration opens on the 1st & closes on the 15th.
See details above.
April 5th - Portland Meet & Greet
See details on our website or in the April Newsletter.
April 12th - BC Meet & Greet
No M&G scheduled.
April 15th - April Meeting
Kas & Chris will host the April Meeting at their home in Vancouver, WA.
April 19th - Seattle’s Meet & Greet
See details on our website or on our Facebook page.
A Brothers Birthday
We have 3 members with a birthday in March. Be sure and help us make him feel special.
March 1st - Doug H
March 3rd - Randy T
March 9th - David H
New Membership INstalled at Banquet
Our newest member Lance’s bio will remain in the members only section our the website until March. If you haven’t read it yet you still have time.
Sending Regrets, a request from the president (dONE)
I would like to ease the process of tracking regrets and your sending regrets when you are not able to attend a meeting.
Currently, members in attendance are stating regrets during roll call for other members who are not present, who have not said anything to a board members about their attendance regrets, or registered their attendance regrets through proper channels.
So, I am requesting that all regrets be made through the web-site via the registration page. This will allow the Secretary to have already processed these regrets when they are preparing their roll call sheet and will speed up the roll call process during the meetings. Not to mention, it will make the Secretary’s job easier as that work will already be done.
If anyone thinks this is unreasonable or has an issue with this request, please see me and let’s have a chat. Also, if anyone know why we even track or take regrets, I would be interested in knowing.
Thank you,
Stan C
Reader’s Corner
A place for you, the reader, member and/or guest, to contribute.
Tell us about your travels, adventures, mishaps, etc.
To contribute, send your story & pictures to News@BorderRiders.com
Keep in mind, you can write about a trip that happened over the summer. It’s doesn’t have to be something you did last month.
This isn’t so much about one of my journey’s. It about the impact of the wind chill when riding a bike. How many times have we thought, “It’s 50 degrees & momma didn’t raise a wimp?” Well, you may not be a wimp, but you might want to dress like one. If you are going 70 MPH & it is 50 degrees, the wind chill brings it down to 38 degrees & you will likely cut the ride short if you aren’t dressed appropriately.
Gear Store
The Gear Store made it’s first appearance for this year at the Banquet. It was well shopped bringing in $207 of cash flow for the general fund. A big thanks to the guys who supported the gear store. It will be making it’s 2nd & final another appearance at the VD Campout.
Also, a huge “WPW” goes out to Todd McN for his work on the 2023 T-Shirts. Those will go on sale starting May 1st for 2 weeks only.
Well, I was able to get 3 of the 6 classes I was hoping to get for 2023.
On Saturday July .8th from 1:00 to 5:30, we are taking the Precision Maneuvering Clinic #1 “PMC-1”. The PMC-1 is a half-day course for endorsed riders modeled on police motorcycle officer training. Participants improve coordination of clutch, throttle, and steering inputs to keep the motorcycle balanced at low speed while executing tight turns and U-turns with precision and control. Students also practice group riding formation, parking and signals.
On Sunday, July 9th from 9:00 to 1:30, we are taking the Precision Maneuvering Clinic #2 “PMC-2”. This is day 2 of this series. These 2 classes are sold as a set. The fee for the set is $200 per person. There are 10 spot available for this class and registration will go through the BRMC website. Reservations are non-refundable but we can sell them to another club associate up to 15 days prior to the class.
Since the club is buying these classes from Team OR, Team OR CANNOT refund your money or make any changes to this reservation.
On Monday July 10th from 9:00 to 4:30, we are taking the Advanced Riding Techniques “ART”. ART is unique, challenging, and most of all, fun. Riding exercises are conducted on a go-kart track, providing riders expert instruction on a closed course. While participants ride at more real-world speeds, this is not a high speed, racing-oriented class.
This day starts with a two-hour classroom session covering the skills taught in the riding session as well as risk management, crash causes, judgment and impairments, braking, cornering, swerving, transitions and traction. ART graduates tell us they now have more fun riding with fewer "uh-oh" moments.
This class will be purchased directly from Team Oregon. Please review their rules for cancelations and alterations before registering. BRMC has nothing to do with this reservation. Again, this is a direct purchase & this class is already open to the general population on a 1st come 1st served basis. The cost will be $179 and is a stand alone class.
Sadly, I was not able to secure the much anticipated High-Speed Emergency Braking Class. I know this will be a big let down for many of you. I cried too! Team Oregon is already aware that we want to try get this class on the schedule for 2024. Who knows, If they are able to get the Woodburn Drag Strip on the morning on Monday July 10th, I’m sure they will grab it and call me. They know we want it & I am leaving that time slot open just in case.
Also sad, I was unable to secure any of the mid-range skill level classes I was hoping for. To those of you I had in mind for these classes, I will see if we can put together some practice sessions just for you. The core group of us who take a lot of these classes are not instructors nor do we profess to be, but we are willing to work with you, give you some pointers, and maybe even help you be better prepared for these classes in 2024. Contact Stan if you are interested in some of this coaching & are willing to practice on your own regularly.
Questions
If you have any questions regarding these classes or any other classes offered by Team Oregon, please feel free to contact Stan at President@BorderRiders.com
From the Handlebars of the President
Well, I didn’t get through all my cow jokes during the banquet but I tried. I had a wonderful lime at banquet and while it was a smaller than usual crowd, it was a wonderful crowd. Thx to all those who were able to make it.
I hope to see you all at Jeff’s for the March Meeting.
Stan C.
2023 President
Vice President Chatter
I am happy to pass the torch of Road Captain to Todd. There have been some successes and failures with the campsites chosen over the past few years while in that position, but what never failed is the camaraderie of those attending the trips. I had no control over when 110 degree weather would occur.
As Vice President the major job of the year is putting together the annual VD run. I’ve been closely involved with it over the past few years and know a lot of the ins and outs of the event, but uliimately the success of the weekend is based on the support and participation of the people attnding. Looking forward to another great weekend in May
Dennis H.
2023 Vice President
Road Captain Rumblings
I would like to thank Dennis for doing such an incredible job as Road Captain. I have ridden with him for about 8 years, and in that time I have come to learn one essential lesson; Follow Dennis. It doesn't matter if it's a walk through the woods or building a dock, Dennis is the man with the plan. If I can do half of what he accomplished as Road Capitan, I will call my time a success.
In keeping with the "Follow Dennis" theme, I would like to take some time to whet your appetite for upcoming riding season that Dennis has put together for 2023.
Victoria Day, May 18-22: This is our annual ceremonial kickoff to the riding/camping season. It will once again take place at the US Forest Service Pine Flats Campground near Ardenvoir, Washington. We have been doing this run for decades and it is always a hell of a lot of fun. The campground an excellent basecamp for day rides and excursions. At night you can sit around the campfire with your brothers, gaze at the heavens, and discuss the ebb and flow of human existence.
Fun Fact: Ardenvoir began as a logging/mining camp and was built up during the Civilian Conservation Corps era. The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) was a voluntary government work relief program that ran from 1933 to 1942. It only hired unmarried men ages 18–25... you can imagine how that turned out.
Willamette Mission Run, June 16-18: We're heading out to Willamette Mission State Park. At 1300 acres, this state park just north of Salem along the Willamette River will offer a comfortable campsite for those who just want to hang out and explore. It also affords the opportunity to ride around some twisty backcountry roads. I'm currently eyeing a route out of Willamina on Willamina Creek Road to Nestucca River Road. Bring a couple bucks for the ferry.
Bull Prairie Lake Run, July 14-16: Ah, the heat of the summer, sometimes there's nothing better than cooling down in a mountain lake, ant this one should fit the bill. Bull Prairie Lake sits around the 4200 foot elevation and for those of you who want to hang around camp, the lake offers some fantastic swimming, but why hang around when some great day riding is right at your feet.
Paul Lake Run, Aug 18-20: August takes us up to Paul Lake Provincial Park outside of Kamloops BC. This should be great long ride for most members and guests. This can be a bit of a stretch for PDX brothers, but I'm sure SEA area members will open their homes for an overnight stay.
Rasar Run, Sep 15-17: The last camping run of the year will be at North Cascades Highway toward Concrete, WA. The North Cascades Highway alone offers some fantastic riding, but this should also afford the opportunity for a trip up to Mt Baker.
I hope each and every one of you can make to all the campouts this year. You are what makes this club. Without you, it's nothing.
Todd McN
2023 Road Captain
Treasurer’s Ramblings
A big thanks to Alan for giving me such a large jump on things. I do appreciate your going the extra mile for me.
Well, this seems to be working so my first statement as Treasurer will be briefly stated, “Piggy Bank Be Balanced”.
I look forward to seeing everyone at the March Meeting.
Sincerely,
Tom C
2023 Treasurer
Secretary Thoughts
Back in the saddle again. It is great to jump back into the Secretary position that I held 8 or 9 years ago.
As tedious as the business side of the club is, it is important to ensure that we keep all the I’s dotted and T’s crossed. It is an honor to perform this duty for the club and I look forward helping make the club continue to operate smoothly.
Now be quiet and listen for your name during roll call.
Justin W.
2023 Secretary
2023 Calendar of Events
March 18th - Club Meeting - Hosted by Jeff B in Portland, OR.
April 15th - Club Meeting - hosted by Kas C in Vancouver, WA.
May 18th thru 21st - Victoria Day Campout at Pine Flats near Entiat, WA
June 16th thru 18th - June Campout - Willamette Mission State Park, Keizer, OR
July 8th thru 10th - Team OR & BRMC Advance Training Weekend in Portland, OR.
Saturday afternoon will be the PMC 1 (Police Rodeo part 1)
Sunday morning will be the PMC 2 (Police Rodeo part 2)
Monday will be the Advance Rider Techniques (Go-Cart Track)
July 14th thru 16th - July Campout - Bull Prairie Lake, Heppner, OR
August 18th thru 20th - August Campout - Paul Lake Provincial Park, Kamloops, BC
September 15th thru 17th - September Campout - Rasar State Park, Concrete, WA
October 21st - Club Meeting - hosted by Jeremy W in Kent, WA.
November 18th - Club Meeting - hosted by Chris & Richard in BOW, WA
December 9th - Holiday Party - hosted by Todd M in Bremerton, WA.
Monthly Meet & Greets
BRMC 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 following list of times & location. Watch our FB for last minutes details pr changes.
Portland: Meet & Greet - 1st Wednesday of the month, 7 pm at The Portland Eagle. Dinner together normally proceeds the actual M&G.
Vancouver BC Meet & Greet (tentative - Watch FB) - 2nd Wednesday of the month. 4 to 6 pm at The Met Hotel, New Westminster. (Canceled until further notice.)
Seattle: Meet & Greet - 3rd Wednesday of the month, 7 pm at someplace new. Watch the newsletter, website or Facebook for exact location.
Member & Guest Non-Sanctioned Day-Rides
In addition to the club's monthly M&Gs, local rides frequently happen on the 1st Saturday of every month. Additionally, members & guest going on an impromptu day-ride, or to some other activity, will post their plans on our FB page so others can tag along. Again, watch our FB page for last minutes details or changes.
To learn more about local event’s, impromptu events, or to check status on any event, check out our FB page or email the Road Captain at Captain@BorderRiders.com.
Hey, did you notice that trend? Yep, keep an eye on our FB page for last minute changes and details for all events.
Non-BRMC Motorcycle Events
The One Motorcycle Show is coming up in April. This is just a heads up if you are interested in attending. It’s always a lot of fun.
If you know of anything that we might want to post here, please let is know at News@BorderRiders.com
Contributions of Photos & Stories
Please feel encouraged to send us your photo’s of our activities to News@BorderRiders.com
Also, if you do anything interesting outside the club, we’d love to hear about it. Send us a short story with some photo’s and we will try get it into the next newsletter. It doesn’t have to be motorcycle related to be interesting. We are very diverse.
If you have photos and stories to share, please send to news@borderriders.com
Is it spring yet?