April 2009
From the Director’s Chair
April is finally here and the weather is turning into
riding weather. There are some great
tips for packing for traveling in this news letter; the tips work whether you
are traveling on a bike or planes, trains or automobiles. We have a lot of overnight trips this year
and packing light is important. None of
us want to tip over because we packed too much, too high (how embarrassing!).
We’ve also received replies from a few women we sent
invitations to (thank you Liz F. for all your hard work on that project). We will have more information on their riding
skills, where they live, etc. once we meet them; be prepared to be asked to be
a riding buddy this year.
I hope you are all as excited as I am at the thought of
getting out on the road again; ride often, ride safe.
Cindy
Chapter Director
Minutes of Meeting – March 21, 2009
Cindy called the meeting to order
at 9:35 am and read the WOW Mission Statement.
We
welcomed back MJ who had attended the last meeting. We also welcomed Suz, who rides a trike, and
husband Mike from Batavia. Nancy from Downers Grove also joined us. Nancy
doesn’t have a bike but is interested and excited about learning to ride and is
trying to get into one of the Basic Riding Courses.
Secretary's Report:
There
were no changes, deletions, or additions to the previous minutes.
Treasurer's Report:
Judy
read the current financial report.
LaVerne moved to accept the report as presented. Ginnie seconded the motion and it was passed.
Ride
Coordinators Report:
Lynn reported that there were no
rides since the last meeting. NWR
members had been invited to Movie Madness at Fox Valley Cycle on Saturday,
March 7. Only Kim attended and said it was a lot of fun and great snacks!
Committee
Reports:
The
Gathering Committee requested that everyone who plans to attend make their
reservations at Stoney Creek Inn by May 1 when the block of rooms and our
discounted rates will end. (Update:
Stoney Creek Inn is totally booked. Call CJ for local motels. – Editor)
Also,
the Committee needs a headcount by April 24 to plan for a guided ride Saturday,
lunch stop, and other activities. If you
are not sure at this point, how about giving CJ an “I may come, but not sure
yet” email now, and a more definite one by Mid-May. Make note that this is a family gathering and
significant others and family are all welcome.
Please send head-count and day you will
arrive, if possible, to cjjeep23@hotmail.com. (That’s
cjjeep23.) The headcount is important for other
chapters, also; more info to follow later.
Old
Business
Regarding
the 2009 Dream Ride, Judy and Laverne ask that members confirm to Judy (see
Treasurer’s email in the heading) that they plan to attend so that trip plans
can be made accordingly. At this time,
they plan to start the trip right after the chapter meeting on Saturday,
September.19. Judy will post a message
requesting an RSVP as soon you can.
New Business
JoAnne
wanted to let us know that she had acquired some great county maps that are
great for planning rides on the back roads.
Jan also found a good source for county maps and they both will post the
information regarding where they can be ordered.
Regarding
the WOW Ride-In at Kerrville,
Texas in July, Gigi of Wild Roses
Chapter is organizing a group ride, planning on about four days to get there.
She has booked motel rooms already so anyone planning to attend the Ride-In who
wants to travel with a group contact Gigi at gbeaird@niu.edu.
There
will be an Accident Scene Management Course held in Rockdale, IL (near Joliet)
at the American Legion Hall (I-80 and Larkin) which is sponsored by the local ABATE
Chapter. The course is Saturday, May 2nd,
and is 7.5 hours long from 9:00 am to 4:30 pm; lunch is provided. The cost is $55 and preregistration is
required. Kim is the contact.
The
Sunday, May 3, ride billed on our schedule as “FVC Mystery Ride,” is really a membership
drive ride. FVC has invited all clubs
and all new bike owners to come and introduce themselves. The idea is to get riders hooked up with
clubs/chapters that interest them and match their riding styles. We must have a count of those attending from
NWR by the April 18th meeting. Contact Kim directly (kschmitz1921@hotmail.com if you want
to go on this ride, but are not attending the meeting. The Mystery Ride has been moved to September.
Ginnie,
who is the POC for the scheduled June 20 ride, feels that the Richmond destination is too far to make on a
meeting day so she is planning another destination and will report soon.
Upcoming
rides in the area include: The Little
Angels Benefit Ride starting at Woodstock Harley, Woodstock,
IL on May 17; Wounded Heroes Benefit Ride on
May 20-25; Motorcycle Sunday at Phillips
Park, Aurora on April 26; and Mooseheart Run &
Bike Blessing on May 16. Check the
internet or March’s newsletter for more information on these events.
The
ride planned after the upcoming April 18 meeting is to Starved Rock
State Park and we will
meet up with riders from the Wild Roses Chapter on the way.
There
being no further business, a motion was made by Kim to adjourn. C.J. seconded the motion and it passed. The meeting was adjourned at 10:30.
Respectfully
submitted,
Jan S.
Secretary
Tankbag Tidbits
I know you all
are coming to the NWR Gathering in East
Peoria, so I wanted to pass on some helpful tips Pam
submitted on packing a motorcycle. There are actually many tips and I’m sure you’ll find many of them will fit your
needs. Note that she gave credit where credit was due.
Birthday
Announcements
We have two birthday girls for April:
Nancy (4/16) and Tammy (4/19). Happy Birthday,
ladies.
Happy Cruising,
Editor
Tips for Packing
Recently,
members of the WOW Chat group in Yahoo shared tips on packing their motorcycles
for long trips. Some of their ideas have been extracted to share with
everyone.
- When push comes to shove remember two things,
you can always buy something on the road if the need is great, and you can
always ship extra stuff home.
I also found that I stay cooler by wearing a jacket than when I used to
ride in just a vest and tank. I have a silver mesh jacket and the sun
reflects off it better than a dark color. If it's really hot, which it may
get in Texas,
I wet the shirt I'm wearing. Keeps me cooler for a bit longer and dries
out by my next stop. -Anne Solari
- Here's a handy tip that I learned from Marilyn
with the Northwind Riders chapter in Illinois, pack each pair of jeans in
a separate plastic trash bag (rolled) and in a zip lock gallon size bag
pack 1 pair of panties, bra, socks and a shirt. Pack one zip-lock for each
day. After you wear them, re-pack them in the zip-lock. Keep everything in
its own zip-lock bag, that way it all stays dry and organized. -Gigi
Beaird
- If you know you will probably encounter rain,
pack your stuff in plastic bags in your t-bags or duffels; your clothes
will be dry. Always, always put plastic baggies (old bread bags work or
market bags) on your feet inside your boots. Your boots may get wet but
your socks won't and you can always put bags on again in the morning
before you put on your now damp boots for the next day's ride. Your boots
should dry out slowly, not fast or they will not be pliable (leather boots
of course).
Wool is warm even if wet, so use wool socks unless you are allergic to
wool. Native Americans use wool blankets even in the heat of summer,
because wool wicks moisture away and keeps them cool. Also, make sure you
pack more underwear than you think you will need, unfortunately, when
riding in a rainstorm it gets wet no matter what you do and there is
nothing worse feeling than wet underwear...ugh.
I use my plastic bags to hold my dirty laundry in for the trip home so I
just dump it all in the washer when I get home. I sort the darks and
lights when I take them off and put them away for the trip home, easier
that way. If you have to, you can use bar soap to wash out your
undies and let them dry overnight in the room, the air conditioner will
dry them for you.
Also, for all you newbies on long rides, HYDRATE, HYDRATE,
HYDRATE!!!!!!! I take along several bottles of water to drink along
the way. I pack some in the bags for later and leave a couple out so I can
get to them as I stop for gas or potty breaks. Water is the best thing.
Also if you suffer from charlie horse cramps like I do, take a potassium
tablet daily and you will not have them. I did this both to Missouri and Michigan
and never had a cramp. If you get warm riding, you can use some of
the water on a cloth and put it around your neck to cool you down.
-Kathy, NW PA. not with a Chapter
- One thing that our group talked about was
pre-assigning "roomies" for the ride in - then each set of
roomies go through a "packing list" to see if we had
multiples of an item that we really only needed one of (per room).
Example: curling iron or hair dryer (most hotel rooms have hair
dryers now), shampoo, conditioner, lotion, toothpaste, etc. ((Stuff
you don't mind sharing with friends while you are
there)) -Carolee "Trouble" Langer
- Sometimes you can find the 2 or 2-1/2 gallon
bags and you can keep your whole outfit, including jeans, in 1 bag. The
bag is see-through and the bags slide over each other easily so you can
pull out exactly the outfit that you need. Then make the bags as
thin as possible, sit on each bag as you close it and squeeze as much air
as possible out of it. You'll be amazed by how thin they will get.
I also try not to take anything unless I can think of 2 or 3 ways or 2 or
3 times that I'll use it. Your list will change as you gain experience and
you figure out your particular motorcycle travelling style.
For hydration, last year I started using a CamelBack. It was great,
especially if you are heading to a dry destination (Moab, Utah last June). I used it every day!
Early in the day, I'd put it on top of my riding suit (you DO wear a
riding suit, right) and when it was really hot I'd fill it with ice water
and put it under my jacket. Drink, drink, drink! Even when I didn't feel
thirsty, and few big pulls of water from the Camelback tube would make me
feel better.
Practices packing your bags several times before you take that trip, make
sure your saddlebags are close to equal weight, and that you know where
everything is. It's frustrating to unpack your bike because you forgot
that you packed your heavy gloves in the right saddlebag, not the
left... -Judy Soulardian
- Hint for wetting a shirt...wear a long sleeved
shirt...and soak all but the part you stick in at the waist of your pants.
Wring out lightly...yes...you will be doing the wet t-shirt contest...but
it feels SOOOO good when your vented jacket (Joe Rocket, for example)...or
the vents in your jacket (First Gear Kilamanjaro) are open...and
you're heading down the road.
+1 for camelback. Only use H2O in it...or you'll have to be doing
extra cleaning... (I tried to use the emergency-C packets for flavor...and
I ended up having to scour the tube using a heavy cotton cord to clean the
"growing things" out.
Every other stop (or every 3rd stop)...have a Gatorade or other
electrolyte balancing fluid (make it every other stop if
you're riding in 95F+ weather)
Make sure you set up now for towing service. AAA now has an
RVPlus...which covers bikes. Hog Tow and Motorcycle Towing Service
are two others that I know of.
Go through your wallet...and remove the stuff you WILL NOT NEED on the
trip. (local credit cards, pictures that couldn't be replaced, etc.)
Plan to take 2 major credit cards or 1 major credit card and your debit
card.
Make photocopies of the contents of your wallet....leave it at home...if
you need to follow up on something that you lose, you know exactly what
you have in your wallet.
Take business cards with your name & email/phone (you may want to
exchange info with some of the other gals at the ride in).
Contact your credit cards and let them know you will be traveling out of
state and for how long...so they don't put a hold on your account....if
you take any gas cards...let them know too.
If you are traveling with others, exchange keys...just in case you lose
yours, someone has an extra copy of your key so you can get on the road (a
friend of mine lost her keys down a toilet once....she now wears a necklace
with the spare key on it (you can do that too...)
Remember, if you use a debit card at most grocery stores, you can get
cash...if you need it...without a fee.
Other things I've found useful
* Leatherman
* StopNGo Tire repair
* loctite (small tube)
* flipflops/swimsuit/shorts
* corkscrew....for after you stop
* premoistened makeup removal towelets...great after a ride
* AC plugs for Cell phone/ipod/mp3/or any other item where you need a
charger.
* bandana or 2...you never know when you might need it for a neckerchief
or a rag!
* Flashlight (if you're camping...one of those LED lights that you can
wear on your head work really well.
* put BO stuff, toothpaste, shampoo, conditioner, hand-body cream in
individual ziplocs...If you go to a higher elevation, (I think) they
may have a tendency to leak.....
I have a t-bag that can zip open to take more stuff....on the way out of
town, I keep the bag zipped into its smaller configuration and I line it
with a large trash bag...and load in the ziplocked bags inside the large
trash bag. On the way home I've been known to ship
dirty clothes home by US mail...and also I unzip the bag to its
largest configuration...(for the additional t-shirts I buy)
Make sure you refresh your phone with the latest call tower
list....Verizon tells you to dial *228 on a monthly basis and then select
option 2 to get the most current list.
Also!!! Make sure you turn off your phone when you are on the
road....and turn it on when you get to your destination. Otherwise, it
will spend the time while you are traveling, searching for cell
towers...AND running down your batteries!!!
Oh yeah...for every week on the road...take at least 1 extra complete pkg
of undies and socks. You’ll be glad you did...
Lastly...I've found that if I get some of the mini-pads (without wings)
and change them out at every stop where I take a bathroom break, I just
FEEL a lot cleaner!!! (I figure 4-5 a day...or more)
Also, If you're adding a t-bag, try packing it up and attaching it to your
scoot...and going for a ride. See how the added weight may or may
not affect your riding. –Jodie, SCW, AZ
- “Things you may need when packing” used by Mountain Shadow Riders Colorado Springs Chapter -Sandra
Seidell
o Bungee cords, bungee netting, zip-lock
bags (quart, gallon, two-gallon), zip ties, and blue tape for directions (won’t
hurt your paint).
o Always look at what other people
use and compare what might work for you and what might not. Ask them about
their bags, what works, what doesn’t. Do this before purchasing an expensive
bag. There is not one bag that works for everyone. Each of us has personal
likes and needs.
o Consider your own needs:
§ Bike model and size, sissy bar,
length of trips you are considering, budget.
§ Have a tool kit, however minimal
it is. It should have stuff specific to your bikes needs.
o Think minimum!
§ Almost anywhere you travel has
Laundromat facilities
§ You almost never need everything
you think you do
§ If your time is limited, put a
load in the washer, grab some dinner and eat while it’s drying.
§ Consider event t-shirts
previously ordered at conferences you plan to attend and leave home with one or
two less t-shirts.
§ Minimal toiletries are needed.
They can always be replenished at hotels for free. But don’t forget your medication!
§ Most hotels provide hair dryers,
irons (did I say that! Heck we’re bikers!), shampoo/conditioner, soap and even
lotion.
§ One word Zip-lock (does it count
as one if it’s hyphenated?)
§ Most bags will leak, regardless
if they say the bag is waterproof.
§ Zip-lock bags will help you
organize supplies (use a sharpie to label)
§ Zip-locks will save room by
squeezing the air out of the bags
§ You can always put dirty clothes
in separate zip-lock.
o Consider weather needs:
§ If warm weather is expected have
a tank top or two with you.
§ Know that the weather is cooler
in the morning and evening so have a long-sleeved shirt with you always.
§ Always have a rain suit!
o Other thoughts-
§ Bring a comfy pair of shoes,
flip-flops or sandals for when you reach your evening destination depending on
the needs and circumstances of trip.
§ Don’t leave home without a
swimsuit! Consider a cheap Frisbee, heck it’s flat! It helps enormously to get in a hot tub or
swimming pool and cool down or heat-up and to stretch out your sore muscles
after a long ride.
§ Always make a list!
§ Practice… Spend a night living
out of your packed bag. You can’t have anything else unless you go on your
motorcycle and get it from the store.
§ If you get carried away with
souvenirs, you can always ship a box home.
Share items with other travelers if you have similar needs (like Honda
cleaner).
Rusty's Ramblings…
March’s
By Rusty H.
WOW Illinois
State Ambassador
My visit in Effingham was worth the trip. The Girls Gone Biking was a first time event for
Legacy Harley Davidson and I think it went very well. At the beginning of the
program, they asked the attendees three questions: How many have been on a bike
as the rider, how many have been on a bike as a passenger only, and how many
have never been on a bike as either a rider or passenger. Of the 35 ladies there, about one quarter
raised their hand for being a rider, most raised their hand for passenger, and
4 or 5 raised their hand for none of the above.
I’m glad they had the courage to attend and see what it’s all about.
While I was there I got to meet with
two new members. One who had just
received her membership packet and one who wrote a check and filled out the
application which I put in the mail the next day. Let’s hope they can convince a few friends to
join. I was able to leave W.O.W.
information at two dealerships who had never heard of Women On Wheels®. Getting a couple Chapters started in the
middle of IL will help bridge the gap between the northern Chapters and the one
Chapter in southern IL and open up a whole new area for rides and charity
events.
Because I have someplace to stay for
free, Springfield
is my next target for posting W.O.W. information in dealerships.
The schedules are getting busy in
June. First on everyone’s schedule is
the Peoria Gathering, June 5-7th.
This is the Springfield Campout moved to Stoney Creek Inn in E. Peoria. The
hostessing Chapter, the Northwind Riders, have moved the event to Peoria and I am looking
forward to riding some new roads. There
is also camping available nearby.
Contact the NWR’s for more information.
Next on the NWR schedule is a Meet
& Ride with the Indy Ladies June 12-15th and a June 13th
ride to Lacon along the scenic river roads for those not making it a
weekend. The meeting on June 20th
includes
a ride to meet with the NCI Wild Roses and the IL Red Hawk Riders. They have June 20-21st listed as
Sturgis on the River in Davenport,
IA, but the dates for this are
actually June 17-20th. June
28th they’re going to Turkey
Run State
Park in Indiana.
The NCI Wild Roses are planning on
going to the Gathering, but also have a chance to go to Fox Valley Cycle Dirt
Days on June 7th. They’ll be
meeting with the NWR on the 20th or going on the Illinois Freedom
Run from Joliet to Marseilles.
On June 21st they’re going to the Rock River Hill Climb in
Polo and June 27-28th is the JP Cycle Open House in Anamosa, IA.
The River Riders Chapter has at
least a couple members who plan to attend the Gathering and then on June 11th
their Ice Cream Dinner Ride will be to The Depot in New Windsor. Sturgis on the River is June 17-20 at the
Mississippi Fair Grounds in Davenport,
IA. This event has grown and moved several times
since the first one 15 years ago.
Although the Davenport
river front was a great location, the river forced a last minute move to higher
ground last year. The new location has
prompted the promoter to increase the number of days for this event and to
bring in new activities. For more
information go to www.sturgisontheriver.com June 25th the River Riders are
going to meet at Wild Cat Den State Park for their June meeting and on the 27th
they’re off to the J&P Open House.
The Shawnee Riders have a meeting
June 4th in Herrin and on June 11th plan to attend Bike
Night at Mike’s Drive-In in W. Frankfort. On June 14th they’ll all be
attending their W.O.W. Family Picnic.
A last minute reminder, send in
those mileage forms. IL only had 11
entries last year! And 5 of those were
from the River Riders Chapter which is probably the smallest Chapter in the
state! W.O.W. needs these numbers to
send to the manufacturers so even if you don’t have a shot at “winning” the
mileage contest, the survey is important and with that information we’ll all
“win”.
Ride
Safe,
Rusty
