Who We Are!
The Border Riders Motorcycle Club “BRMC” is a not-for-profit 501(c)(7) organization for gay men who like to ride motorcycles and who like to go camping on their motorcycles. Our membership spans the Pacific Northwest with the greatest participation in the Portland, Seattle and Vancouver B.C. areas. We are one of the largest and longest-running gay motorcycle clubs in North America. We welcome like-minded guests to our Meet & Greets, day rides, and to our monthly meetings and summer campouts with a sponsoring BRMC member.
Table of Contents
All the news you need to know about the BRMC
August Camping Recap : By Dennis H.
Photos : By Tom C. and Jeremy W.
September Meet & Greets: Portland, BC, & Seattle, we see you, come see us!
Plus
Members’ Birthdays
The BRMC 2024 Calendar of Events
Non BRMC Motorcycle Events
Request for Pictures & Closing Comments
August 2024 Lake Bonaparte Campout
By Dennis H.
The August camping trip was to Lake Bonaparte in the hills 27 miles northeast of Tonasket. We had previously been to Lost Lake a couple of years ago, 6 miles past Bonaparte Lake, where the elevation gain above Tonasket provided for cooler temperatures from the typical Eastern Washington summer heat. This time things were different and we had a comparatively cool weekend.
Friday’s arrivals had different conditions depending on timing. Those who arrived early were dry. Late afternoon arrivals were met with thunderstorms and huddling under the shelter to stay dry amidst setting up tents in the rain. Tom arrived after dark and avoided all the flash, boom and torrential rain – in fact so late most were out for the night. Dale and Dmitry avoided it all by staying in Wenatchee on Friday night and arriving midafternoon Saturday.
Saturday brought on better weather and breakfast in camp. We had a lazy walk to the resort for lunch, followed by a swim in the lake for many and afternoon naps. No one did a day ride as the typical mileage to get to camp was 300 miles and people were content to have a day off their bikes and hang around camp.
The evening had a scenic ride on primitive though paved roads to Chesaw Tavern for dinner. Chesaw is a spot frozen in time – seems like the old west with the rodeo grounds in the middle of town and partially ghost town from its mining history. We had dinner in the cozy little tavern after which many hung out for a while and watched the horses and people practicing in the rodeo ring.
It was practically dark on arriving back to camp. We sat around the fireless fire pit and had our club meeting followed by lively discussions and a few drinks.
Sunday morning people departed camp relatively early for their long rides home with comfortable temperatures but with some fairly gusty winds. For about half the group the early part of the trip home included a Washington State Ferry ride – the Keller ferry across Lake Roosevelt.
August Photos
September 2024 Day Rides
Seattle
Sunday, Sunday, Sunday!!! (September 8th)
Seattle day ride is mixing it up this month. We will be heading over to Vashon Island for the VME's (Vintage Motorcycle Enthusiasts) Isle of Vashon poker run on Sunday the 8th. I'll be sending out an email with all the details, so keep an eye your junk... folders. I hear you asking, "Why are we participating in another club's activities?", and I'll tell you what, until you've seen an 100 year old Harley Davidson being thrown around in the dirt like a beater KLR 650, you ain't seen nuthin'!
September 2024 Rainbow Falls Campout
…and suddenly they realized, the gold at the end of the rainbow. was them all along.
Awh… Who doesn’t love a happy ending? Especially when that ending is a rainbow? A Rainbow Falls, that is! No, no… this isn’t the “Māui fights Mo’o Kuna” Rainbow Falls, this is a lovely little State Park situated between Pe Ell and Chehalis, and will make a great place to end the 2024 camping season.
September Meet & Greets
Portland M&G
On Wednesday, September 4th, Portland area BRMC Members & guests will meet for dinner at 5:30 at Kenton Station (8303 N Denver Ave, Portland, OR 97217). We will then go to the Portland Eagle (835 N Lombard St, Portland, OR 97217) for a social hour starting at 7pm.
This is a great way to meet some club members, learn about the club, upcoming rides, and events.
We hope to see you there.
BC M&G
We are still looking for a member in BC to take the lead on this. Please let Dennis know if you are able do this.
Seattle M&G
This month’s Seattle area Meet and Greet is on Wednesday September 11 at The Cuff, 1533 13th Ave. Seattle, WA . Yes, we are returning to our old stomping grounds, hopefully weather is good and can ride as parking in that area has become difficult and expensive. Dinner if desired at 6pm, Meet and Greet officially starts at 7pm.
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.
Dennis h. - i changed from 2 wheels to a trike!
It was something that had claimed would never do as we bad mouthed trikes and joked about proper way to wave to a trike was to flip them the bird. The purist in me said the only way to ride was two wheels, but …….
I basically had a two-year hiatus from riding. 2022 was cut short with the accident resulting in a blood clot, blood thinners, and a weeklong hospital stay for a leg infection. 2023 also had little riding with reduced mobility and pain from a bad hip and subsequent recovery from a hip replacement. I was looking forward to getting back into riding this year. I did a couple of day rides and a camping trip. I also did a roundtrip between Burien and the Yakima house that included wind from Yakima to Ellensburg and rain from Cle Elum to Seattle – and I was not deterred. I was also hoping for a fall trip to California.
All changed with the weekend trip to Bruceport and the Team Oregon classes.
In class the instructor would say grip the tank with your legs, my right leg liked to splay out.
I dropped the bike in a U-turn. I had the turn made, just needed a little more throttle to straighten out from the turn. Battling the little part of the brain that is saying don’t want to get injured and the right thing that a little more speed is more often the right thing to do. Parts of the class I did well at, but I was not consistent.
Coming back from Bruceport the trip was an hour longer than needed with traffic between Lacey and JBLM at a crawl – move a little bit, foot down, repeat. By the time I got home I was tired, and my turns were sloppy. I see more of the crawl mode in the future with the typical backups by JBLM, Easton, Marysville and Sultan. I realized my days of riding 12 hours in a day and still being on top of my riding are gone.
I’d never considered or even looked at trikes. But my desire to continue riding with the club and friends took me over the spot of being a never trike person. I found a used trike I liked and traded in the Road Glide. My final ride to the dealership was great, solid turns and a perfect U-turn in the parking log – was giving me second thoughts.
Here’s what I can tell you from my little time on the trike:
The first time I came to a stop I tried to put my foot down.
It has its own set of challenges from two wheels - more steering effort is required rather than light input and letting the gyroscopic action lean and turn the bike for you. Also, depending on the turn you can feel the inside rear tire start to lighten up.
It’s not a couch on wheels. There are three wheels, not in line so multiple points to feel the bumps. On the forest service road going to dinner at Chesaw during the Bonaparte Lake trip all of you on two wheels were able to navigate the potholes like a cone weave; I was rarely able to miss at least one of them.
It’s not a U-Haul on wheels. Yes, it has a trunk, but the space in the trunk is about the same as having saddle bags.
You feel the camber of the road. On two wheels when you’re going straight, you’re vertical. On three wheels (at least after being on two) the camber of the road gives you the impression of being in a turn.
So far, I’ve only tried to counter steer once – on my way to dinner at Chesaw. Guess that’s good as sometimes on two wheels the tendency in an uncomfortable situation is to direct steer like in a car.
It doesn't have the get up and go that the Road Glide did for passing – weighing 400 pounds more.
I will miss being able to ride “high and tight” with Dale as we did for many years rolling through the corners (but he is interviewing for my replacement 😊) I will continue to ride my 650 on 2 wheels (though not good for long trips) I look forward to my adventures on 3 wheels with the club.
Dennis H.
Gear Store
The Gear Store was open Victoria Day Weekend. The next time the gear store will open is the banquet next February. Reach out to VP Lance if there is something you want to make sure will be available so he can order it in for you.
From the Handlebars of the President
It’s hard to believe we are ath the end of another camping season already. Thanks to Todd for making the arrangements for the year.
When I was previously Road Captain one of the big criteria for selecting camping sites was that they had showers. Another criterion was proximity to food. Both of those limited the choices of campsites. Since then, showers have become less critical, though nice. Food being close since the pandemic though nice, has become less critical since we’re doing more food in camp. One thing that hasn’t been on the list is shelters – I urge anyone to look at Jeremy’s posting on Facebook to see just how important it was for us to have had a shelter during the thunderstorm on Friday night at Lake Bonaparte.
I hope to see many of you at our season finale of camping at Rainbow Falls!
Dennis H.
2024 President
Vice President Chatter
We’ve got one more camping trip this season as summer comes to an end. It’s been a great year. We’ve got a couple of prospects who have asked for membership so perhaps I won’t be the newest member next year. Nothing special to report from my desk but I hope to see y’all at the final campout.
Namaste,
Lance D.
2024 Vice President
“A man, a snail, and a priest walk in to a bar…”
Road Captain Rumblings
A man runs through the jungle while being chased by two tigers. He emerges from the jungle foliage to find himself sliding down a cliff. In a panic, he rakes and claws at the dirt as gravity pulls him down. He catches a branch protruding from the cliff face, pulls himself up, and sits on the branch. He looks up to see the tigers pacing at the cliff’s edge. He looks down and sees jagged rocks poking up from the misty depths. He sighs as he contemplates his situation and catches a glimpse of red from the corner of his eye. He looks over and sees a perfectly ripe red strawberry growing on the cliff face. He reaches over, plucks the strawberry, and eats it. It’s the best strawberry he has ever eaten.
If you find yourself in need of an explanation this parable; the tigers represent the past, the jagged rocks poking from the mists represent the future, the branch is the now. I rarely have moments like these. The moments where I truly appreciate and am fully focused on the now. My brain has a hard time working that way, but when it does, it's magical.
This last campout, I had one of these moments. We were in a small town named Chesaw and the group had just finished dinner at the Chesaw Tavern. I walked outside while others stayed behind. Across the street was the grounds for the Chesaw Rodeo where a couple of kids were riding a quad runner towing a pink mechanical calf being chased by a man on horseback. The stands were empty so I went over, sat down, and watched. The man on the horse was trying to rope the pink mechanical calf. The sun was setting, the corral was dusty, that late summer quiet began setting in, and it happened. I was completely in the moment. I wasn't thinking of the long ride the day before, or the even longer ride going home. I wasn't thinking of the potholed road back to camp in the waning light. I wasn't thinking about anything. I was just watching the kids on that quad having the time of their lives. The cowboy sometimes catching the pink calf, sometimes not. The success or failure of the act playing out before me didn't matter. Just the act of existence was all that was important at that moment.
This month, we're heading to Rainbow Falls outside Pe Ell. I'm looking forward to seeing you all there.
Todd McN
2024 Road Captain
Treasurer’s Ramblings
“Piggy Bank Looks Good”.
I hope to be able to attend the September Campout.
Stan C
2024 Treasurer
Secretary Thoughts
A Brothers Birthday
We have 2 members for you to say “Happy Birthday” to this month., the holidays must take its toll on September birthdays. Take a moment and wish these boys of summer a good one on their special day.
September 5th - Kevin S.
September 28th - Jeff B.
2024 Calendar of Events
Sunday September 8th Seattle Day Ride - Vashon Island, WA
September 20th to the 22nd - Rainbow Falls State Park, WA
October 19th - Club Meeting - hosted by Dennis H and Dale C in Yakima, WA.
November 9th - Club Meeting - hosted by Todd McN and his amazing husband Christian B in Bremerton, WA.
December 14th - Holiday Party - hosted by Chris L and Richard A in Bow 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 minute details or changes.
Portland: Meet & Greet - 1st Wednesday of the month, 7 pm at The Portland Eagle. Dinner together normally precedes the actual M&G. Dinner location moves so watch the newsletter for last minute details.
Vancouver BC Meet & Greet - The club is looking for a host for this event, please contact Dennis if you are interested.
Seattle: Meet & Greet - 2nd Wednesday of the month, 6 pm at someplace new. Watch the newsletter, website or Facebook for exact location. We usually meet for dinner at 6pm.
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 minute 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 photos 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 photos 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