MN District, Chapter O

 November 2009

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From the Chapter Director

By: Jerry & Marcia Sands

Kickapoo-II - An adventure and more!

There are times when you wish you could control the weather; and the first weekend of October would have been at the top of our list this year!  First, we truly lived up to our name the minnows!  Maybe, frozen minnows would have worked even better!  The weather reports were getting worse not better and this was to have been a highlight ride in our season.  So using the technology resources we've tapped into we began talking on Friday afternoon / evening and making adjustments, and once again Saturday morning, additional plans were changed & options were weighed.   There was an overwhelming strong desire to make this ride happen.  We decided to meet an hour late in Stillwater and make the call from there after everyone had a taste of the conditions.

 Bill & Betty Boelk rode down from International Falls on Friday in the cold to get to our home to go on this long planned ride.  The temp was about 43 degrees when the four of us pulled out from Princeton in the rain, and the first half mile for us was very challenging as our dirt road had turned into a greasy rut filled mud run that is difficult on four wheels and almost impossible on two!  However, Jerry must have really enjoyed this part as we had gotten through the worst two blocks when he realized that he had forgotten his wallet.  So we got down to a place where we could safely turn around and left Bill and Betty to watch and wonder if we would make it through and back again.  Well we did made it back, but we sure wouldn't want to try that very often.  It reminded us of our Pike's Peak adventure a few years back riding the gravel road down from the top after a heavy snowfall. 

 So the four of us headed out in the cold and rain we thought that maybe about eight or so die hard members would be there to meet us.  We arrived late and to our amazement when we arrived at the designated ride point there were eleven bikes & a whole bunch of well dressed MN-O's waiting for us!  It was simply overwhelming to have this good of a turn out on such a crappy day! 

 So thirteen bikes, four with solo riders and nine with co-riders headed out to meet our guests Gary & Pat Holland from Austin, (with our delay in getting to the designated ride point from Princeton, the group had decided to head down the Freeway to make up time) and connect with them Ellsworth, WI.  Then with the weather being so miserable we decided to continue on the faster open road until we headed south.  So with a stop for lunch and to warm up we headed onto the motel, cutting out a fair portion of the first day's ride.  This did not however dampen the spirit of these motorcycle enthusiasts!  We found that between cheering on the Twins, shooting the breeze, eating, and playing some games we all had a great time together despite the wretched weather!

 On Day Two we moved up our breakfast and walked over to the restaurant and had a great time as usual!  The weather was better and warmer with less rain, so we salvaged what we could from Day One and rode a southern loop, which we modified on the fly when the weather again did not cooperate.  We wound our way back up the heart of the Kickapoo River Valley enjoying the twisty roads, and the sprinkles of color in the trees on the hillsides.  Every once in a while we could see a patch of blue that would give us hope that maybe the thick blanket of clouds would dissipate, but alas in the next minute we would have the clouds spitting on us again!  However, true to form the MN-O's did not complain at all, they just settled in turned up the heat an enjoyed the ride!  Gary and Pat Holland said they now understand why we love riding in this area so much!

 Everyone was enjoying the ride and roads, but then as we were heading along when yet another unexpected event occurred and once again we found some dirt roads. We were rolling along one of our pre-ridden roads when we ran out of pavement!  This was not supposed to happen, not this trip!  So Scott decided to check out the ride-ability of the road vs. making an O turn and opting for a different route.  When he determined it was good hard pack, we all diligently followed, and there wasn’t a complaint heard!  When it happened a second time, well that was amazing and frustrating!  What possessed these folks to pull up asphalt when they knew we were coming back, how very rude!  We hope the new tar will be worth it on our next trip!  We think Marcia's title of Dirt Queen will be really tough to shake now. Scott was merely leading on her routes, so he respectfully declined any labels associating dirt and his name!

 With such a cold summer most everyone wanted to get in as much riding as we could so we just had to ride cool 108.   Alas, we found the wet slippery road surface was a deterrent to really enjoying this stretch. Making a group decision we decided to forgo a lunch stop and continue on winding back roads towards home. 

 Then just to make it even more of a memorable trip we had an event which made quite an impact, so to speak.  Three deer jumped out in front of Scott who was leading, after missing the first two deer the third one ran into his front wheel and fairing on the left side and then spun around and clipped his saddlebag on that side too.  Scott demonstrated his exceptional riding skills, he kept the bike up and maintained control, showing his "pilot's composure" the whole time!   The bike did get a fair amount of damage to the front areas (not as much as Pat's) and the deer died quickly.  We got off the bikes and looked over the damage, took pictures, and breathed a sigh of relief that it turned out as well as it did.  It was good that the deer hit wasn't the largest in the group and that no one else suffered any damage or problems.  Actually, with all the riding this group had done over more than a decade this is the first "accident" that has happened during one of our trips, and we have ridden a lot of miles together over the years.

 It was interesting when Marcia was relaying the dear story at work, one of the guys said he had "almost" hit a deer on his motorcycle and it psyched him out so bad that he had a hard time riding the mile or so he needed to ride to get home.  He was hard pressed to do over 15 mph!.  Not only did Scott get on and ride to check out his bike, but once confident his bike was OK, he also continued to lead.  Now that is one exceptional rider, and aren't we fortunate to have him in our group!  So we have another survivor award winner in our Chapter! 

 As the day drew to a close some of the group headed on home, and others stayed and enjoyed a meal together and some final discussion about a trip that will be long remembered for lot of reasons!

 Jerry, who was in charge of the weather, just wanted to mention once again that he didn't hear any complaints about the weather at all the entire weekend from anyone!  Tom, you may want to reconsider giving him this assignment in the future!

 Well there you have it, and it is a ride that will live on in our memories.  We have an exceptional Chapter whose members and friends rose above the weather to enjoy a ride and spend some time together!  We can't thank you all enough, for making this another memorable Kickapoo ride!  We hope all goes well and Scott's bike will be all better soon!  Next year, plan for sunshine and warmth on twisting roads!

 MN-O's you ROCK!

P.S. The damage to Scott’s bike came to a little over $4600.

Defensive Driving

Stopping with a Flat Tire

By Pat Beck

If you have the misfortune of having a flat tire, the most important thing that you want to do is stay calm. Panic will only cloud your thinking. Here are some steps to consider on a regular basis so you are mentally prepared before a flat occurs:

 1. Hold the hand grips firmly and keep your eyes forward

2. Ease off the throttle

3. Attempt to turn on flashers or turn signal when possible to get the attention of any vehicles behind you

4. Keep a straight course while determining the safest place to stop

5. Apply the brake gradually to the tire that is not flat (braking too aggressively could cause you to lose control and/or be struck from behind by another vehicle)

6. As the motorcycle slows, ease off the road while squeezing the clutch and come to a stop

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