connecting colorado july 2018 connecting colorado€¦ · connecting colorado july 2018 page 1...

Connecting Colorado July 2018

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Directors’ Details By Bryan & Emma Lape, District Directors

I N S I D E T H I S I S S U E 1 Directors’ Details

5 Residential Driving

7 Wing Ding and Other Rides

9 Help Us Survive the Ride

11 Goodbye

12 Fun

July 2018

“Friends for Fun, Safety and Knowledge” Gold Wing Road Riders Association, Region F, Colorado District, www.coloradogwrra.com

Connecting Colorado

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Janet & Randall Drake, Farewell Friends A couple of weeks ago, I had the opportunity to visit with Janet & Randall Drake, our current Colorado District Treasurer. Janet and Randall have held several positions within GWRRA including Chapter L Directors, Rally Coordinators, Colorado District Directors, Region Directors for Region F, and currently serve as the Director of Finance on Team GWRRA with Anita Alkire.

After much deliberation and many years enjoying the state of Colorado as their home, Janet and Randall have made a decision to move to Arkansas sometime in early August. They are in the process of finding a home, which I am sure won’t take much time at all. They will be joining Fred & Linda Fisher, who retired this past month. As I have visited


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that area of the country several times, they will enjoy all the great riding through the hills of Arkansas and Missouri. All the support and sharing of knowledge they have given me over the years has been truly appreciated. We will miss them dearly, but we wish them all the best in their new adventure as they move and get settled into their new home and new life in Arkansas. I guess we now have someone the visit on a road trip! Wing Ding Knoxville, Colorado Volunteers Needed With Wing Ding just around the corner, it will be here before you know it. As part of this, every year each District is assigned certain opportunities to provide support for this event. This year Colorado, in conjunction with the Nebraska and South Dakota Districts, has been asked to support the Greeting duties on Wednesday, August 29th, from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm. In the past, when I have done this with several friends, we had a blast. All we did was to either check armbands at the front door of the vendor area or check appointment slips at the back door for those bringing in their bikes for new bling. This is a pretty easy gig! We are looking at setting up three (3) shifts, each shift being three hours each. If you would please take a look at the schedule below and let us know if you could assist, it would truly be appreciated. We are looking for eight (8) people for each shift to make this easy on everyone. Wednesday, August 29th

Shift 1: 8:30 am to 11:am Shift 2: 11:am to 2:00 pm Shift 3: 2:00 pm to 5:00 pm

For scheduling, please contact: Bryan Lape, Colorado District Director, at

[email protected] or (303) 902-8570. Your support would truly be appreciated. First Aid Kits Following is an article I wrote on July 11, 2016, for our Chapter Newsletter after being part of an accident scene. This date, for whatever reasons, has stuck with me and is one of those things that brings up memories each year. Take a read through this and I will have some comments at the end.

ALWAYS BE PREPARED Believe it or not, when I was a kid, I was in Boy Scouts, if only for a few years. During that time I actually learned several life skills that are useful today. Their Motto was “Be Prepared.” I remember it as “Always Be Prepared.” Hang on to that thought and we’ll come back to it shortly. Four years ago, a friend of mine had the opportunity to retire at the age of 56. When he did, he learned to ride a motorcycle for the first time. I remember I stopped by his home on the way back from an ERC class in Ft. Collins, CO one Sunday. He answered the door, looking all worn out from a hard day’s ride. When I asked how long he rode, he told me “50 Miles” followed by a big sigh! Heck, I already had almost 175 miles in, plus an ERC class and I still had another 30 miles to my home. I had to laugh. That friend has always been after me to ride with him so today was the day. We were heading north of Ft. Collins with a bunch of his Harley friends to ride the Poudre Canyon. We met at his home, nine bikes total, five helmets, one BMW 1200, and one Durango Red Gold Wing 1800. The one rider I was really concerned about was Dan. He was the guy in tennis shoes, shorts and a tank top. He looked at me in my chaps, jacket and gloves and said, “You’re a little over dressed today aren’t you. It’s going to be a hot one.” My only response was, “All the gear, all the time.” He laughed and we all mounted up.

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“…XX…”


I immediately hit my horn to get the front runners attention and turned around when it was safe. When I came back across the scene, Dan had just walked up to the road and others were talking to him so I took up position to marshal traffic down the road about 100 feet. When I realized the EMT in the group went downhill to call 911, I went up to check on Dan. He appeared to be going into shock and I saw he had an 8-10 inch gash in his right calf, along with two others between one and three inches each. Initially he refused first aid, but I finally got him to lay down with his leg propped up on the rail and his head on a backpack. I immediately got my first aid kit out to try to treat his wounds. It wasn’t long afterwards that the EMT guy came back and took over dressing the wound. That was good because I was getting a little wheezy myself from that. I also had a small umbrella in my trunk that we were able to shade him with to keep the sun from beating down on him. A bottle of water was also helpful to keep him from overheating. Now, back to the motto. As stated earlier, the Scouts motto as I remember it was “Always Be Prepared.” I can’t say that I am “always” prepared, but on this day I was better prepared than most, at least with this group. I was the only one in the group to have a first aid kit and an umbrella. No one else was watching Dan’s condition enough to recognize the signs of someone going shock. Others took positions to handle the traffic while someone else called 911. We worked

On our way north, we stopped at a dealership so that everyone could “drool” over the new Indian Road Master motorcycle. I have to admit it is a good looking piece of machinery. However, after about 30 minutes, no one was going to buy anything so we headed for the parking lot to move on up the road.

We arrived at the head of the canyon, went into single file and started into the curves. I was in fourth position, comfortable with my ride and enjoying the curves. At about six miles into the run, we came upon a blind horseshoe curve to the left where we were in the outside lane. This was one of those curves that felt like it was never going to end. As I was not familiar with the road and could not see oncoming traffic, I was positioned in the middle of the lane to give myself some room should I need to adjust. I was just over halfway into the turn when out of nowhere a white semi-truck appeared hauling hay and he was on the line, if not slightly over. I was able to lean up, reposition and get back over into the turn and come through cleanly. Dan, the guy in shorts, shoes, shirt and no helmet, was directly behind me. He was running closer to the line then I was. All I can guess is that when he saw the truck, he stood on his brakes, which many of us know, stands the bike up, making it straighten out. I looked in my right mirror just in time to see the bike ricochet off the guard rail at about 45 degrees, ejecting Dan in a floppy cartwheel type move over the rail and down the embankment towards the river.

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together as a team until the rescue team showed up onsite. In the end, Dan had 29 stitches or staples, three broken bones in his foot, bruised kidneys from hitting a rock and two days in the hospital. That rock probably kept him from rolling down into the fast-moving river. While this scene was not life threatening, it was a situation that could have changed on a dime if Dan had been 6” closer to the line, if the bike had hit the rail head on, if he had hit his head on the rocks or gone into the river. Overall, he was lucky to have as few injuries as he did, especially seeing that he was not exactly dressed to ride! The last time I was part of a similar accident, the one that went down lost his leg.

GWRRA offers a lot of training for its members to handle situations just like this. They prepare us for crash scene management, first aid and CPR. GWRRA first aid classes provide all of us the opportunity to be trained to recognize the signs of shock, i.e. rapid shallow breathing, dizziness and weakness, how to dress a wound and address the needs of the injured. We as riders need to Always Be Prepared for an emergency. We need to know how to handle the scene safely and how to handle the injured until the EMTs arrive. We need to carry a first aid kit to handle some serious wounds until Emergency Responders arrive. We are lucky to have an organization that trains and teaches us these skills. If you have not taken advantage of any of this training, reach out to your Educator Staff at any level of the organization and get involved. You never know, you may have an opportunity to save a life someday. Better yet, take a friend, he/she may be the one to save your life! Note to our Members Emma and I have always taken riding seriously while still being able to enjoy ourselves and friends. As part of this we have always


carried a First Aid Kit (FAKit) with us. The more we learn and experience, the more we have stepped up our FAKit or emergency response kits. Two years ago, we purchased a more extensive kit from MyMedic.US. This kit allows us to better cover burns, sutures if needed, and other injuries we may come across. Over the past several weeks, we have supplemented our FAKit with portable splints, additional bandages, and tapes along with other items that we feel are necessary. Our goal in any emergency has been to only treat a person until Emergency Service arrives. If you do not travel with FAKit, please consider it. Whether we take two-wheels or four-wheels, we have our FAKit with us most of the time. As stated above, you never know when you will need a FAKit to assist others at an accident scene to save a life or if someone needs it to save your life! It should be noted that Dan has never returned to riding from what I have heard. Maybe that is the right decision for him! New Colorado GWRRA Members We would like to welcome several new members to the Colorado District GWRRA Membership Chapter A: Curtis Johnson Chapter B: Darrin Bevel, Shawnel & Nathaniel

Mack from Craig who are part of starting Chapter C

Chapter G: Francesca & Willie Cowgill Chapter J: Paul Osborne II Welcome everyone to the GWRRA Family of Friends. What we have all seen is that you will get more out of the organization the more you get involved and have fun! Build good memories and ride safe so you can ride again!


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Residential Driving By Earl Edwards, District Rider Educator Motorcycle safety is important anytime you are on the motorcycle, whether you are in a parking lot or on a highway. However, residential areas require you to be even more careful because there are often children and other members of the neighborhood walking, playing and riding bicycles. Many people are harmed or killed every year by people who are speeding or not paying attention when they drive through residential communities carelessly. Ride safely in residential area by staying alert to your surroundings, obeying the speed limit and not getting distracted while you drive. Be aware of your surroundings. Make sure to frequently check you mirrors to see what might be beside or behind you. Be alert as your surroundings can change quickly in residential areas. It’s crucial to keep your head on a swivel when driving through a neighborhood. You should be applying S.E.E (Search, Evaluate, Execute) when coming across these obstacles in a residential area. When traveling through residential areas, here are a few ideas to look out for: • Use your horn if you think others nearby are

dangerously unaware of your presence.

• Watch for children who might be playing in or around the streets.

• Look for pets that may be running near the streets and pedestrians who may be walking or running on the sidewalks or in the road.

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Consider these facts from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration: • Most speeders on local roadways

live right in the neighborhood.

• If you hit a pedestrian: 1. At 20 mph 5% will die 2. At 30 mph 45% will die 3. At 40 mph 85% will die

• Pedestrian fatalities increase three

times when moving from 25 mph to 30 mph zones.

• Local roadways, including residential streets, have a fatality rate per miles driven over two times higher than on highways.

So when riding your motorcycle through residential areas, watch out for children, pets and pedestrians. They appear out of nowhere. Be safe and keep the rubber side down.



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Wing Ding and Other Rides By Joyce & Rick Elmore, District Ride Coordinators

Are you ready for your trip to Wing Ding in Knoxville, TN? Are you riding with a group, just one other couple or by yourself? Do you have a route planned with lots of stops for gas, food or just seeing silly things like the largest ball of twine? There are a lot of resources out there for planning a trip like this, and you can always ask your friends for advice on a route or fun places to stop. We were talking about the ride to Knoxville at breakfast this morning with some Chapter G friends, who just got back from driving that route to have their bike triked, and they commented about how hot and humid it was. So, the general consensus was, that it's a good idea to plan to start each day early and end early to avoid being in the heat too long. Whatever your plans, I hope the weather is good and you have a safe ride. I hear that Chapter J has been doing a bit of riding trying to cover as many mountain passes as they can in a weekend. If you're interested in learning more about their Grand Pass challenge, please email Chris Toomer, the Chapter Director, at [email protected]. Chapter G is having their Howl at the Moon ride at the end of the month, Saturday, July 28th. I mentioned this in my last article, but just wanted to talk about it again since the ride is coming up soon. You don't need to have a park pass because the ride will enter the park at 9:00pm, which is when no one is manning the booth. You can have dinner at one of the many restaurants in Estes Park, and then join them in the parking lot of the Town Hall/Library for the ride up. When you get to the top, at the Alpine Visitors Center, there will be silly

“…Howl at the Moon

ride…”

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games, yummy cookies and you can all howl at the full moon. Do you have a favorite one day ride or weekend ride you'd like to share with everyone in the District newsletter? You can send it to me at my email address, and we'll share it in the next newsletter. Here is an example of a ride Rick and I took recently with one other friend, on a Friday. We left Loveland, went to Estes Park for breakfast, then up and over Trail Ridge Road through Rocky Mountain National Park, down to Granby. Then up Highway 125 to Walden, where we found a new BBQ

place, All Smoked Up, very good food and there were a lot of local folks there taking advantage of the daily specials. The special was $6.95 for a pulled pork sandwich, a bag of chips and a drink, and it was yummy. We talked about which way to go home and, since it was still early in the day, we decided to go west towards Saratoga and then over Snowy Range into Laramie and down Highway 287 to home. It was an all day trip, over 300 miles, and we couldn't have asked for better weather.

So, if you have a route you'd like to share, please do.

Safe travels!



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Help Us Survive the Ride! By Peter Keppler, District Motorist Awareness Officer

The title of this article is the title of one of the brochures for the GWRRA Motorist Awareness Program. This is one of the more important messages of our MA Program and worth repeating. The following are the main points in this tri-fold flyer. There is a small part of our eyes that process high definition images, the rest of the image may be fuzzy. Without getting into the science of eyesight, when a driver’s head moves quickly from left to right and left again, the driver likely is not actively focusing on what he sees. A small image, like a motorcycle, may fall between the pulses to the brain and not be processed properly. The driver needs to actively focus on images near and far in order really perceive what he is seeing. As we stress in our Motorists Awareness presentations: - Motorists are not looking for motorcycles on the road;

they are looking for cars and trucks. - Motorcycles are smaller than other vehicles, which

makes judging speed and distance more difficult. - Because they are smaller, it’s easier for motorcycles to

be hidden from view in a vehicle’s blind spot or behind another vehicle.

Most accidents with motorcycles can be avoided by: - Drivers looking twice and focusing on the images

(vehicles) around them, particularly at intersections. A common mistake is a driver making a left turn in front of the motorcycle.

- Follow at safe distances three (30) seconds when road conditions are good and five (5) seconds when not.

“…Watch out for new

riders…”

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- When passing a group of riders, make sure you have a safe place to merge.

Watch out for new riders who don’t have an experienced rider with them. They may slow down when entering a curve or stopping, or leave their turn signal on long after making a turn. They may ride under the speed limit or swing wide to avoid road hazards or other vehicles. Drivers need to be courteous and patient. New riders represent the highest number of injuries and deaths among all riders. As we’ve said many times, distracted drivers causing accidents are becoming an epidemic. In five seconds at 55 mph, your vehicle covers the length of a


football field. Turn off the cell phone, don’t text and drive, don’t look at your laptop, don’t eat and drive, etc. All of us have to remember to avoid these distractions and concentrate on the safe operation of our vehicle! All Chapters should have a number of copies of the MAP flyers. We ask that everyone take some and distribute to friends, co-workers, family, and especially other riders. We all need to get the message out – “Look Twice – Save a Life” and “Watch Out for Motorcycles.”

Ride Like Your Life Depends on It!


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Goodbye! By Randall & Janet Drake, Outgoing District Treasurers

To all the Colorado GWRRA Members, Over the last 11 years, Janet and I have been privileged to meet and associate with many of you, to work side-by-side with many of you, and to serve you in various capacities as officers in our wonderful organization. It has been an honor to have served you. So, it is with mixed emotions, we are now saying “So long” to you as we have sold our home in Littleton, and will be moving to Bella Vista, Arkansas on August 2. We will surely see you around during future GWRRA events, maybe in Colorado, maybe in Arkansas, maybe in other locations, and surely at Wing Dings! If you ever pass through northwest Arkansas, please be sure to look us up. Though we do not have a house to move into, yet, we plan on having at least two extra bedrooms always at the ready for our GW family members! Please remember that our organization depends on the service of our volunteers! If you have an opportunity, step up and help in any small way to improve the delivery of services to our members. It is only with your contribution of a little time that we will continue to grow. Remember, we hope to see you down the road! Regards, Randall & Janet Drake


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Fun By Paula Campbell, District Membership Enhancement Coordinator

How many ways can I write about fun? As the Colorado District Membership Enhancement Coordinator, that’s my challenge. Fortunately for me, this article is for the GWRRA, and if you’re not having fun, you’re not paying attention! Saturday, June 30th, found Dave and me at Laramie, WY for the 30th Annual Wyoming District Rally. The rally actually started June 27th, but we weren’t able to slip away from work that week to go up earlier. We made the decision to ride up across the Gore Range, from Walden into Laramie. Little did we know that pass had been closed the previous day due to a forest fire that had flared up! We had a beautiful ride, and an up-close look at the effects of a fire of that magnitude. (Latest word is that this fire has now burned over 21,000 acres.) Dave spent a good deal of time in Laramie as a child, since his grandfather retired from the military there. He enjoyed showing me around the places he remembered, including the neighborhood where his grandparents lived, the University of Wyoming where Grandpa worked, and the area around Albany where they had a cabin. We spent a few hours poking around town, (and found a great little yarn shop, yay me!) even managed to get rained on a little bit. We were beginning to wonder if we knew what rain looked like! Laramie is steeped in history, and one of the attractions is the Wyoming Territorial Prison. Closing ceremonies were held in a gathering room at the prison, and what a treat that evening was! District Director Steve Hodges

“…don’t discount the

southern part of Wyoming…”

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practiced his auctioneer skills, raising money for the District selling off some creative items. (Wyoming fireworks anyone?) We were all well fed with the catered dinner, including to-die-for blackberry cobbler. The highlight of the evening though, was Kip Attaway, a talented musician and comedian. Let me just say that I thought Dave was going to fall off his chair laughing! Our trip home took us over the Snowy Range into Saratoga for ice cream, with a stop for a photo-op with a

moose, then across Battle Pass into Baggs, and home. I can certainly say that I have a new appreciation for the beauty of Wyoming. If you get a notion to get out for a ride to somewhere new and beautiful, don’t discount the southern part of Wyoming. The views and the people are worth it! Stay safe and have fun!



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2018 District Calendar

July 21: Chapter J Hummer of the

Summer July 28: Chapter G Howl at the Moon Aug. 2: Chapter A Weekday Picnic Aug. 18: Chapter Q Fundraiser Oct. 13: Chapter L Fundraiser Nov. 3: Chapter G Turkey Bingo

2018 Rallies July 20-22: Washington District Rally July 27-29: Nebraska/South Dakota

Rally July 27-29: Montana District Rally Aug. 28-Sept. 1: Wing Ding Oct. 26-28: Arizona District Rally

2018 District Officers

Directors Bryan & Emma Lape (CO-J) Assistant Directors Jim & Olga Wyman (CO-I) Rider Education Earl Edwards (CO-I) Ride Coordinators Joyce & Rick Elmore (CO-G) University Training Inez Scholbrock (CO-G) Membership Enhancement Paula Campbell (CO-B) Motorist Awareness Program Peter Keppler (CO-L) Treasurers/Store Randall & Janet Drake (CO-L)

2018 District Staff COY/IOY Coordinators Andy & Sherry Smith (CO-L) Webmasters Jim & Janet Wohlford (CO-A) Newsletter Editor April Hansen-Keppler (CO-L) Photographer Donald Redline (CO-L) 2017-2018 Couple of the Year Dave & Paula Campbell (CO-B) 2017-2018 Individual of the Year Jacques Perron (CO-A)


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Colorado Chapter Directors Chapter A – Littleton Ron & Deann Fagler [email protected]

Chapter B – Grand Junction Dave & Paula Campbell [email protected]

Chapter G – Fort Collins Steve & Inez Scholbrock [email protected]

Chapter I – Colorado Springs Steve & Jacque Callicott [email protected]

Chapter J – Aurora Chris Toomer [email protected]

Chapter L – Lakewood Tami & Steve Bender [email protected]

Chapter Q – Montrose Bill & Nancy Pierce [email protected]

Wyoming B – Cheyenne Larry & Barbra Kuzma [email protected]

Gold Wing Road Riders Association Colorado District

Web: www.coloradogwrra.com

GWRRA CO-G ANNUAL MULTI-CHAPTER RIDE

July 28th 2018

You may purchase a

‘HOWL AT THE MOON” pin and year hanger at

the event.

July 28th, 2018

Dinner: Each chapter is encouraged to have dinner together at a place of their choosing.

Meet: 8:45 pm We will meet in the NE corner of the Estes Park Town Hall parking lot.

Kickstands up: 9:00 pm For our ride into RMNP, (admission is free after 9PM), up Trail Ridge Road to the Alpine Visitor Center where we will enjoy fun and games as well as howl at the moon!

Questions -‐ contact: [email protected]

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