Who We Are!
In case you were wondering, The 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, & longest running gay motorcycle clubs in North America. We welcome like minded guest to come meet us at our Meet & Greets &/or on our Day-Rides.
Table of Contents
All the news you need to know about the BRMC
November 2023 Meeting Recap : By Lance D.
December Meeting, Holiday Party Extravaganza®, and Gift Exchange™
December Meet & Greets : Portland, BC, & Seattle, we see you, come see us!
Plus
Member’s Birthdays
The BRMC 2020 Calendar of Events
Non BRMC Motorcycle Events
Request for Pictures & Closing Comments.
November Meeting Recap
By Lance D.
Rolling with change is something we need to do, as motorcyclists, campers, humans. Life always has a chance of tossing a curveball our way. Many of us thought we would be heading to Chris and Richard’s but sadly that had to change last minute. There was a mad dash of trying to find a place to gather but with just a few days during the Holiday season nothing panned out. The message was broadcast to the group, we shall hold the meeting over Zoom as it as it was done in the pandemic times. I was personally very unamused. I couldn’t make a full gathering happen but I could open the doors to my little abode and invite those in the Seattle area over for bites, sips and a shared Zoom experience.
I quickly crafted a message and hit the member’s roaster to gather the emails of those who lived in the general Puget Sound area. The first hurdle was how far to cast the net. If you didn’t get an invite please know the only reason is I questioned if you were too far for a drive to Greenwood for a couple of hours before I kicked you onto the street for your drive home. That and the fact that I live in 600 square feet, space for visitors is limited. I must confess that I don’t generally keep my place ready for company. In fact inviting people over is the main trigger for truly cleaning my place. What have I just agreed to? Invite sent out, now to clean, shop and prepare for visitors. Thankfully everything went smoothly and I was ready when those able to come by started showing up. As a bonus not everyone invited was able to attend and there was just enough seating for those that could make it.
A delightful social time was had and it was really great to connect in person with some of the members. I was able to setup my laptop and use its camera and speaker for the meeting and even stream the video to my TV. The setup wasn’t perfect, I don’t live in a conference room, but it worked well enough.
We dialed into the meeting for social time before the business part. While we weren’t all together it was nonetheless very nice to see people as they connected to the meeting. A special thanks to Stan for coordinating the electronic part and Todd for messaging the particulars. I felt like it was the best we could do and while not perfect there was still a nice sense of camaraderie. After catching up and giving everyone ample time to connect we moved on to the monthly business. I thought it was particularly positive that we even had enough members present to have a quorum, well done everyone. There was more socializing after business and then slowly people started disconnecting. When everyone else had dropped off I too disconnected from the meeting. Slowly my guests started departing and when only a few were left I declared the evening over and sent the last away. All in all the club pivoted when needed, we had our November meeting, friends got a chance to catch up and club business was properly conducted. A resounding success for everyone involved.
December Meeting / Holiday Celebration
It's time once again for the BRMC Holiday Party Extravaganza® and Gift Exchange™. This year the celebration will take place December 9th at the country estate of your Road Captain, Todd McN and his loving husband, Christian B. Registration is open but will close on Wednesday, December 6th at Midnight, Yes, this the odd event that happens on the 2nd weekend of the year, not the third. Register now so it doesn’t slip your mind.
December Meet & Greets
Portland M&G
On Wednesday, December 6th, we will meet for dinner at 5:30 at the Kenton Station (8303 N Denver Ave, Portland, OR 97217). We will the move over to the Portland Eagle (835 N Lombard St, Portland, OR 97217) for a social hour starting at 7pm. We hope to see you there! It is a great way to learn about the club and meet some of the guys.
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 able do this.
Seattle WAshington M&G
We’re all heading down to Jules Maes Saloon (5919 Airport Way S, Seattle, WA 98108) for our December M&G. Swing on by at 6pm on the 20th. Eat, drink, and wish everyone a happy holiday.
A Brothers Birthday
We have 2 members with a birthday this month. Please take a moment and make them feel special on this special day.
Peter L on December 2nd
Richard A on December 14th
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.
Gear Store
The Gear Store is closed until the 2024 Banquet. Feel encouraged to reach out to VP Dennis if there is something you want to make sure will be available at the Banquet so he can order it in for you.
From the Handlebars of the President
The December Meeting is really not a meeting. It’s our Annual Holiday Party. The meeting will be short so we can maximize time socializing.
We still need someone to help with decorations and set-up at the 2024 Banquet in Vancouver BC. Please contact me if you are able to help with this.
Stan C.
2023 President
Vice President Chatter
Wishing everyone a great Holiday Season!
Dennis H.
2023 Vice President
Road Captain Rumblings
Oh, what madness is this? 2023 has come to an end; the days have shortened, and darkness has descended upon the land. But fear not, brothers, for there is light on the horizon. As we race toward the winter solstice, we will gather and feast upon the memorial relics of the receding year while raising a glass in proclamation! Prost, Prost, PROST! Prost for the year to come, Prost for the bite of adventures yet tasted, Prost! To all of you who join this journey, who do not sit idly by while the rancor of existence chips your souls but stand in firm defiance to the ennui and Weltschmerz of this mortal coil. Rage, my brothers, rage as the sun sets! Rage to the dawn of the new year. Temper fury to the folly of the bedlam masses. Be a being of substance and light, embracing the chaos of your own design with open arms!… Oh, that reminds me, don’t forget to come to the holiday party on the 9th. It should be a lot of fun. email me if you have questions.
Todd McN
2023 Road Captain
Treasurer’s Ramblings
“Piggy Bank Looks Balanced”.
See everyone at the December Meeting.
Sincerely,
Tom C
2023 Treasurer
Secretary Thoughts
Well it is dark all the time and the riding season is over for the year… or is it???
It seems like El Nino has blessed us with seasonally abnormal weather with more sunny days than a typical April. It has allowed me to get out 5-6 times this month for some nice rides. I hope that you were also able to take advantage of the weather !
I am looking forward to the club holiday party this month and hope to see many of you there.
Justin W.
2023 Secretary
2023 Calendar of Events
December 9th - Holiday Party - hosted by Todd M in Bremerton, WA.
2024 Calendar of Events
January 20th - Annual General Meeting - Location YTBD.
February 17th - Annual Banquet - hosted by Doug H in Canada.
March 16th - Club Meeting - hosted by Jeremy W in Kent, WA.
April 20th - Club Meeting - hosted by Kas C & Chris M in Vancouver, WA.
May 17th to the 20th - Victoria Day Campout - Pine Flats near Ardenvior, WA.
June 14th to the 16th - June Campout - location YTBD.
July 19th to the 21st - July Campout - location YTBD.
July 20th - RSP Road Riding Tactics with Team OR - Astoria, OR.
July 21st - Highspeed Emergency Braking with Team Oregon - Astoria, OR.
August 16th to the 18th - August Campout - location YTBD.
September 20th to the 22nd - September Campout - location YTBD
October 19th - Club Meeting - hosted by YTBD
November 9th - Club Meeting - hosted by YTBD
December 14th - Holiday Party - hosted by YTBD
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. Dinner location moves so watch our FB Page for last minute details.
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.
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
