BMW Riders Association International
PO Box 510309
Melbourne Beach, FL 32951-0309
Phone/FAX 321.984.7800
Web Page Site at http://www.bmwra.orgOhio RA Spring 2001 Update
Bob Wood, State Director
4257 West 130th Street
Cleveland, OH 44135-4869
Phone: 216.252.7933 FAX: 216.251.5329
April 19, 2001Dear Ohio RA Rider,
It was a long winter! The longest one I have ever experienced since being a kid. The bikes hadn't even cooled off from the Halloween camp out, when I woke up to a blanket of white stuff and the season (at least in Northern Ohio) was over -- like a door being slammed shut. It happened so fast that we hadn't even unpacked the bikes from the last camp out when the temps in the garage went below the freezing point. It was mid-November and the ceremonial removal of the batteries got put on hold in anticipation of a warmer day. Well that day never came, and our Beemers still sit in dire need of attention. Thankfully spring is upon us.
I have sorely neglected my bikes and my duties as state director. In case you hadn't noticed, I never did get the winter newsletter out to you. Despite my slacking, and thanks to the web page, we had a rather good turnout for all the off-season brunches. This was the first year we held truly regional meetings throughout the state. (More on this below.) I guess I just needed a break from the big year we were coming down from -- things got put on hold due to traveling and the holidays, I continued to struggle with changes in my career, and I decided to deal with loose ends which have needed tending to for far too long. No excuses, just reality. If you haven't reached a point like this in your life yet, I suspect someday you will. Maybe it was just a severe case of winter depression. I can't say I'm one hundred percent back yet, but it feels like I'm on the way.
On the upside, I'll be spending time in the garage this week and thinking of the season ahead. As I write this we are less than a week away from the start of our riding-camping season and I am truly thankful this year does not have a schedule like last year's.
What an eventful year 2000 was -- probably the most active year in the history of the Ohio District. Just on the state level we had one hotel camp in, four summer camp outs, five brunches, five additional organizational meetings, and on top of that, we hosted one great national RAlly. The teamwork within the Ohio District was something to be proud to be a part of. Many new friends were made, and our presence as an active viable riders group within Ohio was seen at work. As State Director and as an RA member I want to personally thank all the RAlly 2000 volunteers and others who played any part in the production of the best BMW Rally Ohio has ever hosted. The Buckeye Beemers did a bang up job of hosting and coordinating the event and much of the praise is due them.
At the state level, our little ice sales venture netted us almost one hundred dollars for the Ohio kitty and about fifty dollars in coffee donations after expenses. We sold more than 160 bags of ice and brewed almost fourteen pounds of coffee. Thanks to my volunteers I actually got to do a few things at the rally as well. But the best part for me was watching the masses stagger over to get some of our Ohio RA coffee in the morning. I met the most interesting people, including new RA Prez, Gordan Boltz. It was interesting to watch how some folks celebrate the AM hours. I was told over and over how grateful our guests were that someone (the Ohio RA) actually thought of having coffee in the morning. Next time maybe we will add donuts to our Popsicle Stand.WELCOME NEW MEMBERS
Our numbers have grown within the state to over 320 members. That's about 50 new riders since last year. If you are new to being a BMWRA member in Ohio, I should clue you in. When you joined the national organization you also became part of a district that has a schedule of events above and beyond the scope of our parent organization. In the Ohio District we have an on going tradition of getting together on our own for off season indoor meetings and riding season camp outs. All Ohio RA members and their guests are welcome to any and all state event. Since you live in the state, you will receive several newsletters per year from me (your State Director), and be privy to these gatherings. Some are small quaint gatherings and some are full-scale rally type camp outs with door prize give-a-ways and more. If you would like more information about our full year of activities, surf over to our Ohio RA web page at the address in the letterhead or better yet, just show up at an event. You have now been officially invited.THE ONLY CONSTANT IN LIFE IS CHANGE
Sounds like an oxymoron to me, but some time into my early forties, I woke up one morning, and this dawned on me. It makes you feel kind of stupid if you dwell on the concept. Well brace up for some changes at RA headquarters and I don't mean the cover of the OTL. We are loosing longtime icon and Grand Pooh Bah, Juli Tucker, as the guard changes in Florida. Juli has been the Association Administrator for more than ten years and has decided to move on. Past RA president, Ed Jorgensen, will be trying to fill her shoes as the new administrator. The mailing address for the club will change to: BMW Riders Association International, P.O. Box 120430, W. Melbourne FL 32912-0430. I wish Juli well and thank her from the bottom of my heart for all the help she has given to our state members and me.
We also have a new Club Coordinator at HQ's as well. If your local club hasn't renewed their charter for 2001 yet, please send your renewal form (from the January OTL) to George Young as soon as possible.MORE CHANGE IS IN THE WIND
One of the things I told you I would do as State Director is listen. Well, I heard you when you said we should have regional meetings that are truly regional. So, I set out to do just that and feel we have finally got the off-season eating-meetings ironed out. This year's schedule will remain the same, but the locations will change as follows for 2001. The November Brunch will become the Northeast Regional Meeting and be moved to a new location (to be announced) somewhere in the Cleveland-Akron-Youngstown Area.
I am currently looking for a place to hold our November brunch. If anyone has a suggestion for this new NE location, please contact me. A couple of years ago someone recommended Gulliver's Travel Plaza on I-77. I'm not saying no, but somehow this doesn't seem like an RA kind of place and is a bit too southerly for a good northeast location. Mid-quadrant would be good or even a little north or east of center might be better.
The SW December (Dayton), SE January (Marietta), and NW February (Toledo) brunches will remain unchanged for the most part. The March Brunch will become the Central State Regional Meeting and still be held at the Pioneer Restaurant in Utica.
We had our first truly northwest regional meeting this February and the new location was a pleasant surprise. It was easy to get to and had a quiet, secluded, back room that could seat about 30 people. The service and food was top notch at Wally's Restaurant. I am planning a repeat for next year, however some of the locals who attended thought the Bowling Green Area idea might provide an even a better location -- so, it may move a little, but will remain close to Toledo in any event.
Since change is my theme I can't leave out that our host (Randy) and hostess (Kris) of our RA Ohio summer camp out have made a change. They have tied the knot and become Mister and Misses Phipps. Congratulations and best wishes for a prosperous future and harmonious life together. I hope you will spend much of your time together on your Beemer.
Oh, and one last change to this upcoming season. This pertains to the Mount Gilead Camp Out that we have done for the past two years during the AMA Vintage Days Weekend. It will be put on hold this year so our masses can journey to the "Great Northwest" and rendezvous in Redmond, OR for the MOA national.
So much for changes -- some things have remained the same. In case you haven’t heard, our RA national will be held September 20-23 at the same site the MOA used in Morganton, NC. The RA has been pretty consistent with having their national in the fall for some time now. Additionally, they have focused on excellent riding areas close by their sites. This year is no exception. If you haven't ridden in North Carolina, this one will be a real treat for you.
And finally, a big "thank you" to Eric Nyrop and the Buckeye Beemers for donating a Mister Coffee Pot to the Ohio RA, exclusively for hot water. We can now provide hot chocolate and tea for our members at camp outs. Maybe next year we can add a Cappuccino machine.
Our treasure is quite healthy with a whopping $315 in the kitty. I am always listening for suggestions to enhance our Spartan ways. Grab my ear if you have an idea.HALLOWEEN CAMP OUT REAR VIEW
Our fall campout was excellent. The Ohio RA Halloween Camp Out held near Cadiz, Ohio is billed as a no frills, rustic facility with coffee available. Doesn't sound like much, does it? Well this year as in the past, RA members took it upon themselves to pull together and have great food for all both days and enough firewood for the community fire ring to keep us all warm during the below freezing nights. On Friday night we had Chile, complements of Mel and Debbie Harbour. In the morning RA member, Russ Davis broke out a chain saw to cut up about a cord of fallen black walnut to feed the campfire for the weekend. On Saturday, we rode to the Motorcyclists Memorial to view the Hopedale location and honor our fallen brothers and sisters. It was the first annual Sam Hill Memorial Ride. Sam's engraving and one for Gary Paine will soon be on the wall of stone at the memorial. On Saturday evening, Roger and Susie Schoenberger put on a bean feed for all while Mel and Debbie baked fresh cornbread in a Coleman oven. Oh, and did I mention we had hot coffee and a delicious breakfast gruel in the morning. I'm not saying it's like this every year, but if you didn't make it this year you really missed a first rate one. It was good weather and great friends working together in the tradition of the Ohio riders who started it all years ago.INTERNET NEWS
The BMW Riders of Greater Cincinnati started their own eGroup, joining the Buckeye Beemers and the Cleveland Club on this Yahoo Internet service. Interestingly enough, they sent more messages in their first two months than the Buckeyes and Cleveland did combined. Seems to be a chatty bunch of riders. The topics however, are quite interesting and they have found the bulletin board useful in sparking heightened interest in their club's mileage contest. It is good to see they are getting good use of this service.
The Buckeye Beemers eGroup had quite a surprise for me one morning this past winter as one subscriber sent the Anna Kournikova Virus to everyone. Thankfully, I had my cyber-condom on and didn't catch anything. There is no substitute for a good anti-virus program. I haven't heard how everyone else fared, but this is something to keep in mind of you are on the net. This is another new twist to our thinking about starting an Ohio RA eGroup.
I have been polling members at the regional meetings and the response has been favorable to starting our own group. I am a bit reluctant, but will be starting one next month for us. I have had relatively good success as a moderator with the Cleveland Club's eGroup, which is restricted to fellow members only; however, the sentiment so far has been to make ours an open forum to all. I'm not to crazy about this idea, but will do it and see how it goes. Once in place, I will invite all the folks on my Ohio RA mass mailing list to join, since I can put automatic event reminders in the eGroup calendar. If anyone would like to share the moderator's job with me, please step forward.
The RA Chartered Canton Motorcycle Club has entered Cyber-space with their new web sight at http://www.geocities.com/dweinreb1631/. Dave Rienreb has done a nice job posting this new site, complete with a picture of their club house, club information, a calendar, and a photo album.LOOKING AHEAD
Our season opener is just a few days away. Mark your calendars for April 27-29, 2001, which is the Mount Vernon Spring Camp Out. There will be continuous coffee, hot chocolate or tea, evening campfires, a new restroom with flush toilets, and a RA membership give-a-way on Saturday night. Camping is free (as it is for most of our events) and there is a near by YMCA if you want a hot shower. We have again invited the IBMCObservation loop ride maps will be available for the asking. I hope you are planning on this one this year.
Our big bash this year will be our summer camp out in Peebles, OH -- an Appalachian Foothills Adventure, complete with a pig roast, free camping, a pool, a hot shower, and some of the best roads Ohio has to offer. What better way is there, to find out what kind of organization you are a part of, than to get together with them? I anticipate seeing many new faces at our summer camp out this year.
This will be an interesting year as many riders plan to journey to the northwest states this summer. Our national headquarters will be adapting to new people and procedures and we in Ohio will continue to chime along doing our spring, summer, and fall campouts as usual. I will continue to tie up my loose ends and try to hold our helm steady through this sea of change.Ride with the RA,
Bob Wood
Bob Wood
Ohio State Director
BMW Riders Association, InternationalPS. Recycle BMW Parts in Lithopolis, will be holding an Open House each "First Sunday of the Month" 9:00 AM-3:00 PM from May through September. Mark invites all BMW riders to stop by for coffee and pastries and the deal of the day. bw