News Archives 2007

Road Noise from 2007
Bits & Bytes of West Bank Motorcycle Club News

2007 Season is Here.

On Wednesday, May 2nd, 2007 the WestBank Motorcycle Club rode to Yarusso's for their popular 'First Wednesday' gathering.
This is a ride we schedule a couple of times a season. Yarusso's is one of our sponsors and Mike Yarusso is a friend of everyone in the WBMC.

On this Wednesday our club Treasure Mark Koch was the unfortunate victim of what some have described as 'a pissed off pickup truck driver'. Mark was in the process of turning left to go into the driveway north/east of the patio or street parking spot. He went behind a stopped pickup truck that looked to be ready to head away - in a forward direction.
Mark had barely got half the bike past the rear end of the pickup when the truck shot backwards, hitting Mark and almost trapping him along with his bike under the pickup. - Pictures of the bike (by Vern) are below.
Mark was knocked off the bike and his head impacted the ground with enough force as to cause a large opening with lots of blood flow.
Since the police were already on the scene for traffic control the ambulance arrived in short order.
 

Reported by Mike McCabe: Here is what I saw when Mark got hit.
Mark was in the left side of the lane, me to the right and a bit behind.
Mark locates a parking spot and U-turns to the left and drives behind a red pickup that was stopped.
The pickup reverses 3-6 feet at a rapid pace striking Mark and his bike on the left side. Mark is thrown to the ground, the bike is caught under the pickup and  leverages weight off of the pickup's rear wheels. The driver shifts to drive and tries to pull forward; tires squealing.
The bike stays wedged under the truck.
Mark is on the ground and bleeding from the head. The ambulance is there in short order and Mark is transported to the hospital.
The police asked me to ask a Hispanic person if he had given directions to the red truck to back up. This person denied ever giving such instructions.

Here are some rumors, conjectures, and a bit of overheard puffery:
 - The driver had no license and was hauled off by the Police.
 - The pickup driver was let go and walked away.
 - A Latino market worker instructed the truck driver to initially back up.
 - While backing up the pickup accelerated at such a rate as to squeal the tires.
 - Hit a bike and we hit back. [** Note: There were no actions taken by the bikers]
 - Harald is buying a round of beverages the next time we meet. [vicious slanderous rumor]


 
Mark has been at Regions Hospital Trauma Center, St. Paul,  for over a week now. The latest reports are:

5/9 Mark got his head scanned again. He did get something that made all of his head pain go away but they (the doctors) will not let him stay on it. Must have been something really good.

From DaveM on 5/7: Mark is STILL in the St Paul Regions hospital trauma center. He had his head stitched up late on 5/3 as he was past the swelling stage. He apparently has a 9mm dent (crush) in the back of his head and this is causing him Major Headaches that the doctors cannot seem to control. He gets nausea and wants to throw up everything. They were going to try some more meds today for the pain, but she thought they were still going to be there for another day.

From Kara 5/8: Mark is still in the Hospital. He will be there a couple more days. He has a severe headache and on a pain level of 1-10 he is consistently at a 9 or 10. He has been issued almost every pain med known to man, but the only thing that helps dull the pain is caffeine. He has a caffeine drip now. Due to the severe pain, he is unable to go home. The doc still wants to keep an eye on swelling and a couple of skull fragments that are floating around. Other than that, he is doing great. He is keeping his sense of humor and will be back with us before we know it.

---

This is Mark's bike:  Lucky there was no passenger - they could have lost a leg...
  

  

5/14 Noon: Jenelle called to say Mark is still in the recover stage; doing the throw up thing 3 times this morning but otherwise doing pretty good for someone that has been trapped in the hospital for 11 days. He is resting up the best he can, getting into shape for another Iron Butt run and also planning routes that will give him high mileage. Give him a couple of days before forcing him to put down the brew to run for the phone.  
 

5/14 8am Kara provides us with the latest on Mark:  Mark is Home!!!!!!!
Tracey and I went to see him on Saturday. He was in good spirits. Able to hold a conversation, make us pee a little we were laughing so hard but most of all he was very, very anxious to go home. At that time he was taking all of his meds orally but the only thing that concerned the docs was the caffeine drip.
As of Noon Sunday, they had been given the word that Mark can go home.
Tracey heard from Jenelle at about 3:00pm that they were just minutes from home in the car!
As relieved that I am that Mark is finally home, it also means that I have to give Jenelle’s bike back to her. It’s such a fun bike to ride…but I know she misses her momma. I guess I can deal with returning it. Pretty fair trade I suppose.   Mark is HOME!!!!!!!
~Kara

5/19 Noon: There has been a confirmed sighting of the tall, skinny guy hanging around Whiskey Junction before the Saturday ride. Jenelle confirmed that it was indeed Mark. In his bright white shirt, tapping the ground every so often with his new 'glass door knob'  topped cane he looked to be close to his old self. Headaches and pain are still following him around but he is working to stay ahead of them with medication. He assured us that he is in good shape, mind clear and the treasury is safe - Jenelle is watching him pretty close.

5/23/2007 Mark has something to trade for a new bike. See the For Sale / Wanted page for details.

 

Vern's New Toy - Space to spare; Inquire within.   [May 2007]  
   


 

What'cha doin' on Sundays     27May2007

27th May 2007 - Couldn't ask for a nicer day to go check out some roads around 50 miles south-south-west of the cities. Setting the pace for most of the traffic got us out of town quickly. Straight down 35, take a right and it's into the farm country. Finding dirt roads (it was actually hard packed gravel) was not much of a problem for me - they always seem to be the most interesting. I hadn't been in this area in over 20 years and kind of expected that there would be a little more asphalt on the roads by this time.

 No such luck - the best looking routes were still gravel washboards.
A couple of U-turns and right, left, rights us back on the hard stuff to finally make it to the future Wednesday or Saturday ride destination. Plenty of room for a large group and the food looked really good. Heck, the locals were doing more eating than drinking... Tells you something.
The plan was already in place to now head east, through Red Wing and on to the next 'Pre-Ride' starting point - about 120 miles away.

As all these impromptu rides this was no different - the plans change almost turn by turn. Looking around each turn to see what may be interesting and a stop or two to look at a map always peaks the interest to go to places like Wang... Now if a spot on the map named Wang doesn't make you want to see what interesting stuff is there you don't want to come with us. One thing we found out - Wang was founded in 1872 as were a couple of other little villages around there. For the other stuff you'll have to get your map out and head-on-out-there yourself.

Most of our travel was by the 'follow your nose' method - Never fails to get me to where I'm looking. Getting closer to Red Wing on CR1 triggered the common urge to 'stop and smell the roses'. Passing the first promising pull off and then the second there appeared the ideal gravel road heading up a hill next to a gravel pit. This one could not be resisted and me and Paul headed up the gravel road while Mike and Vern choose the road shoulder.

Relief first and then something to wet the whistle. Paul headed on to the cliff and quickly found a fairly large agate. I wandered off to take some pictures and Mike and Vern stayed on the flat ground.
Didn't take long to get the itch to get moving and off it was to twist on down the road again. We bypassed the option to detour on to a gravel road, causing us to miss the roads we were searching for - Twisting, curving stretches over and around the bluffs near Red Wing. Always ready for change most of the group decides to head back to the cities when we get to 61 just a hair north of Red Wing.
I was heading into Red Wing anyway and yelled out that I was going to head up the hill for another stop overlooking the valley.
What do you know - I got people following me. We twist through the Red Wing traffic and up a couple of side roads to get up the 'Hill'.
Once we get up the hill the first thing we see are a couple of eagles soaring right in front of us. I was too slow with the camera to get the shot but It was one of those I will remember for a long time to come. Those eagles were almost close enough to touch.
We partake in a little refreshment while looking over Red Wing, watching the people come and go. Doesn't take long and then the best idea of the day pops into everyone's mind at the same time - Prescott for Boat Drink's Jumbo Shrimp...

Now that's the way to finish off the day (and NO, it didn't matter that we had been there the day before). Paul had to split early to do a family thing (something about lots of food and drink). We spend a little more time taking in the sights and then head down the hill.

I was going to stop in to see my aunt in the nursing home but when I got there they seem to have misplaced her (or I was at the wrong one. Got to write down the address next time.)

I blasted out of there and sprinted after the others; surprising them when I caught up just as they were going down the hill by Freedom Park into Prescott. Passing the No Name we caught sight of Scarfy's bike (and I'm sure a couple of other West Bankers.)

We were on a mission and continued on to the lower side of the Pilot House.
The bartender and cook now know our names and have the refreshments out as we get off the bikes.
As we walk in Lissa greets us; she is taking a break from the campground thing she's doing - wishing she had her bike today.
We take our seats and prepare ourselves to indulge in at least 4 large shrimp each while listening to the trains squealing by, Lissa unable to stand still in that oh-so-short skirt, Mikey doing his usual story telling  (with  Lissa ready to 'clock' Mikey if he gets too graphic) and hearing parts of the other bikers stories about their journey for shrimp and oysters... 

Why does the day have to end...
Maybe next time I can keep to the route... but what fun is that...    
         << Pictures on the Photos page >>

Sat 6/23 See the great Ride Report by Ron.
Thanks Ron for taking the time to write something up.
I've got pictures up and my feeble comments below: Really great back roads. Confusion at the start (mostly about the leave time and that there would be a stop on 'U' aka exit 4) but everyone that wanted to go did make it to Irvington, WI. Temp was near 95 on arrival but no one wanted to go swimming. Many canoes and tubers on the river and a cop on patrol to keep Mikey at bay. Going back was interesting. It was necessary to introduce another of the group to 'the shrimp' - need to get Pilot House/Boat Drink's back as a sponsor... 

Sat 8/4/07 BlackSmith Shop               RC: KevinM
Light drizzle didn't keep Kevin from chaperoning a great ride that wiggled up to and through Osceola and then into the Balsam Lakes resort area to finally end up at the BlackSmith Shop Bar & Grill.
For the first 30 miles we had on and off drizzle which barely got the clothes wet. A little before heading north on 95 I had my 'thrill' for the week when the rear tire slid out on a left hander. The road was gloss black and the loss of traction felt like when your foot slides out on slick ice. I was holding a constant speed, not accelerating, and the bikes rear end jumped back left, right and back left. This pointed my front at a 45 degree angle to the shoulder and ditch beyond.
First (or second) thing I said to myself was 'Not today - I got things to do...). A quick look showed that the shoulder had a 'rideable curb' I could use to quickly careen off of to get back on a left track. If that maneuver failed the ditch behind didn't look that bad.
I got low on the left with left foot far out and smacked the ground like a flat tracker to keep from low siding). Ended up getting a good angle on the raised shoulder where I was able to lean far enough to 'bounced off' the shoulder to get back on track. The ditch didn't look too bad but 'Not Today...'
I'm sure if I had slammed or even touched the back brake I would have low-sided and slid into the ditch or ridden right into it with a locked up rear end.
A very interesting little 'oops' turned out OK.
Kevin, looking in his rear view mirror  thought it looked pretty funny. Me wiggling, kicking, towards the ditch.
Ok - back to the ride. We headed into Osceola without the drizzle. Had a quick stop and continued on east and then north over some very fine ridin' roads up to Balsam lake. Out I to the east and north on Bone Lake Road put us in front of the Black Smith Shop.
A very nice resort area bar with some really good food. A couple of us managed to finish off 24 wings (the full 3-piece wings and not the little individual pieces) along with some beverages. Wasn't long before Lissa shows up and pleasantly surprises  everyone with a round. She not only takes everyone's  order but serves it up in style and then covers the tab. We really appreciate it but we still had to insist you get on a bike and at least run it around a bit for ride credit.

Thanks to MarkC for loaning her his bike.
I'm sure she'll probably forget about the muffler burn she got in no time at all.
Lissa ordered up another couple of plates of wings and we dutifully devoured them (OK - mostly by me). She then said the casino turtle was calling and shortly thereafter the rest of the gang started clearing out.
Kevin was heading for Pine City; PaulM, Davey and myself tagging along. The Pine County Fair and the ever popular Demolition Derby awaited our arrival.
Kevin had a friend in the 'hit 'em 'til it hurts' event so how could I refuse (actually I had no idea why we were going before we left - it just sounded like a fun run).

On the ride to Pine City the twisting, turning back roads were ours alone. We also had a great mini-adventure traversing the dirt roads with sand traps.
Arriving in Pine City we found that the demo derby was 'standing room only' by the time we arrived.
There would be 6 rounds of cars and trucks colliding into each other until only one was moving. Our standing room was behind the fence at the corner of the pit paved with mud. And there was plenty of mud that was just begging to be slung off the spinning tires; high up into the air and finding it's way onto the hair, chest, back and down the neck. Much of the mud was able to make the zig's & zag's necessary to get onto the beers of the spectators unable to decide on what to protect - body, eyes, hair or the refreshments.
During the intermissions we wiped mud off our bodies, grabbed fresh beers and watched the local farm and resort girls getting wild.   Now that's funny.

After the first 4 crash'em up rounds were over we headed out into the darkness for the 60 mile, keep up with the high speed I35 traffic, sprint towards home.
Although it looked like rain I only got a couple of drops around 694 & 100.  Another really great Saturday.
Left at 9:10 and arrived home at just before 10. Stayed up until 2am sorting pictures and writing...
(sorry for such a long rambling. I'll make this the last one.)     ~hn

Wed 8/8/07 Sturges Park, Buffalo      RC: MikeR

If you can't make it to South Dakota then Sturges Park in Buffalo will have to do. MikeR found us a few curves between Whiskey Junction and the park to make it interesting. There were over 30 bikes making it to the shelter by the lake. It was hot and muggy but not bad as there were no bugs to deal with. Pat Cremin showed up with the flyers for the Hell Hole event that will be the destination for the August 18th ride - this ride has a 10am leave. You really will want to make it as this may be the last.
After lots of standing around in the parking lot kicking tires and trading the usual stories various groups headed for the local watering holes. As I was heading back to Whiskey on 55 DaveC, MarkC and others passed me. Couple of minutes latter I saw them all by the side of the road. I heard that DaveC had a bit of excitement - No details yet but he did pass me again so all must have been OK. While coming up on the stopped group another biker had passed me on the right and then moved to the left side of the lane right in front of me. On coming up on the stopped group he braked pretty hard which cause me a bit of excitement also. Enough to elicit very loud verbal response as I braked hard and swerved as far left as possible without going into oncoming traffic. We latter met up at Whiskey, talked this out and came to the conclusion that we all need to be more aware of what's around us and make a greater effort to ride smarter.~hn

Sat 8/11/07 Depot Bar & Grill, Faribault  RC:DaveC

Threat of storms didn't stop Dave from leading the 13 bikes on an interesting ride down to Faribault  for some good food and beverages at the Depot. Special of the day was $1 taps when the train went by - as luck would have it during the 2 or so hours we hung out there we did not see one train.
Other than the laughter generated by my new chaps style it was a pretty quiet afternoon lunch.
As most scattered back towards the city a couple of us found the first dirt road and squiggled through the gravel and dirt to find the blacktop that would take us towards Prescott (for shrimp of course).
On the way I found the old bridge on cr7 to Afton (only two back-tracks required). Feeling frisky I just had to see if the old BMW could again make it across the old bridge. Up, over and back - the old bridge stayed put. Had it given out Kevin would have had a winning video for Stupid Stunts. After cruising through Afton it was a straight shot to Prescott and Boat Drinks. The shrimp were excellent as always. The weather was moving in - we tried to out-guess the weather but only Vern got it right by leaving just shy of 7:30. Me and Kevin left at 8 and got a good shot of rain and a bit of hail.
With most cars pulled over to the side of the road we shot by at highway speed plus; tucked tightly behind the fairings. Entering St. Paul the rain left up and by the time I got home the jacket was barely damp.
For Sunday we've planned a trip up to Hayward...  ~hn

Sun 8/12/07 Almost to Hayward       Leader: KevinM

Some great twisty roads, a number of very fine stopping places by rivers, lakes & streams, an Artesian well in the middle of nowhere, fiddler at the watering hole, tractor pull (hopped up lawn tractors) on main street - and all on one 250plus mile jaunt towards Hayward and back. And the cop nabbed the speedy guy behind us. Doesn't get much better than that... ~hn

Wed 8/15/07  Marine on the St. Croix      RC: DebraB
Riding out 94 east to 694 north and then 36 east Deb then got us on the 'good' roads we like so much for the rest of the way to Marine on the St. Croix.  Starting off to the north on 15 we swing left to find CR 9 where we pass by the Withrow Ball Room. Back to the east on 7, a left on 55 and then it's on to 4 where we go through the small tunnel and on into Marine on the St. Croix.
Just across 95 is the Brookside Bar & Grill where we all settle in for conversion and refreshments.
For those with the wandering spirit Deb provided a write up on the route map of some interesting places within a short walk of Brookside.   (repeated below)

Marine on the St. Croix has some interesting things besides the Brookside Bar & Grill.
First off there are two monuments near the parking lot.
The first one is about the history of the Flower and Grist Mill. The other has a bell on top and the story of the First Commercial Sawmill in Minnesota.
Across from the Bell Monument is the General Store which still has the original wooden floors and on the north inside wall there are pictures made of puzzles.
Just behind the General Store is the Ice Cream Shop which has some of the best ice cream I've tasted.
Just to the left of the Ice Cream Shop you will find a path that goes down to the St. Croix shoreline.
Take some time to go to the south side of the falls, walk down the path and read about some of the historical things related to Marine on the St. Croix.
I'm sure you'll enjoy your visit to this small town.  ~deb

Sat 8/18/07 Hell Hole Lake PartyRC: Milo
Drizzle, more drizzle and a little rain dogged the 3 riders that made the official club ride to the 27th  Annual Hell Hole Club ride (I missed them at the Junction by 3 minutes and detours forced me up 94 to 694 and 35 for the rest of the way. I entered Hell Hole about 30 minutes before the ride arrived).
Pat already had every thing ready with the the beer and root beer tent already up and fully stocked. A fire was keeping the cold away from the 3 WBMC riders already on site - Harry, Richie and Vern. There were also a number of other members who came up in cars and they were hiding out in their tents and vehicles parked in the back area. As people started milling around the fire Pat brought out another tent to keep the on and off again drizzle off of our heads.

The pots for boiling the corn were soon place over the fire and as they heated up a number of people started the corn shuckin' task. The corn was already cooked before I got the hint that I'd better start cooking up the brats, hamburgers and hot dogs. With the light turnout it wasn't too hard to keep up with the demand for the hot stuff. I didn't have to fight for a bit to eat this year.
Pat started the tractor rides early so as to get a couple of run in between light spurts of rain. There were plenty of people to fill up the hay bail seats for each ride and everyone totally enjoyed the rides and stories.
As evening and then night slid in the fire hosted and toasted all those gathered under and around the tent.
West Bankers, friends and neighbors of Pat and his kids showed up throughout the evening. Hopefully some of them took some pictures that they will send in for posting. I put down my camera very early (missing photo opportunities of the hay rides and the late comers around the fire) and decided that a night of sipping brew and mindless babble was healthy. Seems that many others also had the same idea.
In the wee hours of the morning with only Andy and myself left to stoke the fire I gave in and let him have the last watch over the fire.
Sunday dawned with enough bodies gathered around the fire that their voices awoke all but the dead.
Pat got strong coffee brewing and the awaking was complete. The rumor was that it would be nice in the morning but it was not to be. An early leave would have kept me dry but it's too nice of a place to leave (and Pat is such a good host). Besides, someone needed to uphold the tradition ...
About noon I finally hit the road and added about 60 miles to my trip home by doing a couple of loops around the local roads before making tracks west to get on interstate 35 for the run home. It was early enough that I was able to stop at Dennis Kirks to finally get a new helmet. Really nice to have a new Nolan for the run through the rain. New face shields shed the water very nicely and the visibility was so much better that the old scratched up AGV. With the shield slightly up the wind noise is about the same as the old AGV but with the shield down it's much quieter. I didn't get the anti-fog insert installed so fogging was expected.
I stayed dry from the waist up (I didn't bother to put on rain pants or boots) and most of the wetness was absorbed in the last 10 miles. Waiting another hour would probably have gotten me home much dryer.
Well that's it for another year. Lets all keep out collective fingers crossed to ensure that we can have another Hell Hole Party next year - can't have rain two years in a row can we ? 
Now how about some others sending in some notes or articles of your adventures about your trip or stay at Hell Hole (especially the first timers) and send in your pictures for posting so others can see what they missed out on.            ( Ride report for Hell Hole Lake)
  A Heartfelt Thanks to Pat for all his hard work and hosting another great event.
Pat Sez: Don't miss next year; it may be the last - you just never know.    ~hn

Wed 8/22/07 Dayton Port ParkRC: Smoker
Followed Dayton River Road on the west side of the Mississippi and then swung over the river on 101 to head back down river on Hwy 10. Dayton Port Park (aka Mississippi West Park) is posted as a rest stop that has a very large picnic area right on the river.
With almost 50 bikes spread out around the large crescent shaped parking lot the group must have looked like a regional bikers gathering.
A short walk took you down to the river that was so low that walking to the other side looked possible.
A few took advantage of the river view to gaze on the colorful sunset of reds with a bit of gold thrown in.

The usual tire kicking and biker related gab continued to well after dark at which time many found some of the local watering holes on the way back home.    ~hn

Wed 8/29/07 Twisted Road Ride. RC: Mike McC
First off I hope everyone noticed that there was a newsletter passed out before the ride. Thanks go out to Jan for stepping forward and agreeing to take over the Newsletter Editor duties. It's also great that we've saved a bunch of dollars by being able to hand them out rather than using the costly 'snail-mail'. Hey, A buck is a buck.
Those that were not on the ride will get the newsletter in the mail within a day or three. Discussions have also come up on publishing the newsletter on the Web site. What'cha think about that - good idea, bad idea, who will add the words and how will it be edited?. Any input from the masses will be heard, mulled over and a final decision will be made by unnamed parties. Send us your input if you want to be part of the process.

Now on to the ride which left promptly near 7 or so...

Mike was good to his word - it was a twistey-turney (or was it corner & corner again) ride. Either way you came you ended up at the pop stop 2 minutes past closing. Mike did find another pop stop close by and it was back to the pavilion by the lake - you did know there was a lake on the other side of the pavilion. Didn't see anyone heading that way but there may have been.
I suppose you'd like to know where we ended up.
North of 694, take Victoria north, right at Snail Lake Road - 1st pavilion parking lot.
Most everyone hung out in the parking lot. Large turnout. Didn't get the count from the 'official bike counter', Milo, but it looked to be around 50 (+/-10).
'Old time' members (or was that long ago members) Mike and Marilynn 'Big Red' Pantera were up from Florida to partake in their yearly ride with the WBMC. OK, so maybe it's their second one this year.
Good to see you'all again. PatC and Marlene also made it down from Hell Hole Lake for a ride again.

Not too long after the full moon passed the tree tops a number of riders headed over to the Green Mill on Lexington. How was it?.

It was 10:08 when the park patrol chased the rest of us out of the lot and we headed in various directions. 

Sun 9/09/07 Red Wing Hill Climb  <No pics yet>      About the Hill climb by Mike McC: 
<A Sunday ride promoted and organized by Mike McC>
A small cadre of die-hards assembled just north of Newport and headed to Prescott, WI.
It certainly is nice to roll on the throttle and not have to worry about a lot of weekend biker pozers lining up to roll into a Western Wisconsin town. Over 65 to Red Wing amidst a residential neighborhood and less than a mile from downtown and next to a baseball diamond is the Hill climb. A petite young teenage girl takes our 8 bucks and we find seats on the bleachers. This same teenager we later learn is a top contender in her class.
Jim (Suzuki 850), Jim (New Road King, no little doggie), Mike (FZR), and Mike (FZ) sit back just in time to see the littlest climbers start. Barely able to straddle the 2 strokers these 4 year olds crank on it and let it fly. Some make it 15 feet others, the older kids, make it further. Extended swingarms, huge knobbies, paddle tracks, big twins, one gear:
Mud flies, bike, sans rider, takes off into the woods and the EMT gets a scrape; it is a perfect day.
Sun shining, great temp, Mike leans against a dumpster; Jim misplaces a glove; Steve (Kaw) shows up.    It was a real family event.
Soccer moms, cheap bratwurst and 350 feet of stair stepped hill.   --- Couldn't ask for anything more. ~MM

Wed 9/12/07 RC:AndyP - Putnam Gardens
Not the usual route down East River Road - we cut off at Summit for a quick paced 'parade' style ride through the lavish neighborhoods and once around the capitol.
Lots of people stopped to watch us pass by.

Putnam gardens is expanding again and well worth strolling through. The view of St. Paul was great.
With lots of snacks and a nice fire to take the chill off it was a great time.   ~hn

Sat 9/15/07 RC:Scarfy - Fall Flood Run
Photo's by:DaveMcC,   Harald, <others as they come in?>
The weather was beautiful. Scarfy was at the Junction by 9:15 - ready to ride. By 9:30 there was already a crowd in the No Name for 'Happy Meals'. I was in the group that needed to get ahead of the crowd and have a Happy Meal. We ran down towards Nelson and Alma by the round-about way (to avoid the crazies) and enjoy the cool, clear, sunny weather for riding on the twisty roads before running into the straight line crowd again.
After a few stops, one of which was in Eau Galle for lunch we flew by Scarfy and Scott south of Maiden rock - we were going in opposite directions. We did meet up with DaveMcC at Maiden Rock. We had just parked when a group of WestBankers were heading out for the next stop south or running back to Prescott and home. 

As the sun was getting low in the sky we headed back up to Prescott for shrimp and oysters - again. Milo make it up for a signin with a 'ride around the block'.
After the sun dropped below the horizon and the darkness settled on us we called it a day, mounted up and headed back into the cities. What a great day. ~hn

The Flood Run, where you meet the nicest people (WBMC of course). Truly, it was a great day.  ~dave
   <Send in your pics & notes for newsletter and web page fodder>

Sat 9/22/07 Princeton RC:GaryZ - Mystic Inn
Smooth ride with sweeping curves <map>. Mystic Inn is a great stopping place for food and/or beverage. Great seating inside but much better outside where the view is great - Farm country. We only lost a couple of people after the gas stop but everyone finally did show up at Mystic. While waiting for some of the latecomers (to signin) I got a moment to see if I should trade the BMW in for a horse -  Nope; they are too big and seem to have a mind of their own. I had to climb up on the hitching post to mount this king sized beast. ~hn 

Wed 9/26/07 RC:JimS - Into the Storm (towards Mound)
It looked like a storm was brewing and before we got around Lake of the Isles the lightning and thunder, not to mention the very dark clouds low to the ground, indicated to Jim that it was best to cut the ride short.
Pulling over to a side street Jim got out the sign in and everyone scrambled for the pen. After signing in most split  in various directions. I'm pretty sure that those going south and east were able to find shelter, with some refreshments. I do know that going north a a bit west made for a few minutes of very heavy downpour with half-inch sized rain drops and very high winds.
So ended the last Wednesday ride for this season - Wet and wild. Hope everyone made it home OK so they can try for the last official club ride for this season this Saturday (rain scheduled.)    ~hn 

Sat 10/13/07  WBMC Year End Party - 2007
The Year End party was again hosted by none other than Dick Snyder at Dick's Porting in Andover.      Thank's Dick...
A few people showed up on late Friday afternoon and evening to help with cleaning, setup and the all important wood cutting and stacking. Beverage tasting was also included.
Just a few of the people I remember are Vern on the hydraulic cylinder valve of the wood splitter; Milo & Kevin loading logs into the splitter with Loretta and the kids helping out.
Paul showed up with the canned beverages to supplement the tapper provided by The Junction. Besides hosting, Dick Snyder was also on the broom getting the large pieces off the floor and then motored down to the fire station where we picked up the tables.
Cleanup and setup was close to done when Mark & Jenelle showed up with snacks and the 107lb piggy.

Lets not forget to thank both Mark & Jenelle for all the hard work they have done with both the beginning of year and end of year parties and the many in-between 'getting and hauling' they do - Thanks Jenelle and Mark.

After Dick got the Pig Roaster in place Wade got busy with the cleanup of the roaster basket. Scarfy, Paul and Mark made like horny monkeys stroking the rods with the brillo pads to get them shiny and clean.
The final step was for Wade and Paul to get the spit rod down the center of the pig - not an easy task when you start from the mouth end - but brute force and a big sledge hammer got the job done.
On Saturday Paul ran up in the early mornings hour to help Wade get the coals started and the pig in place.

Around noon people slowly started showing up and the rest of the inside setup was completed. Most of the afternoon was spend schmoozing and watching the few fire bugs load up the fire pit with every loose piece of wood within reach - and then someone lit it up when no one was watching.

After the fire was well underway the pig was cut up and everyone started gobbling up the many extras provided by some of the members to go along with the pork sandwiches. I especially likes the abundance of sweets on hand - along with the many others I had to fight off...

After the food came a short intermission where most everyone loosened belts and took a moment to fill up on the refreshments before the awards were presented.
First year members got their patches and 20 riders and road captains received their rockers. There were a number of patches for 100, 200 and 400 rides.

The plaques for rides went from 30 rides to the the yearly total of 45, That's 13 plaques given out for 2007.
Jan ('Lefty') picked up a Touring Trophy for getting on all the rides < she also managed to max out last year> and the other to some character that rides a BMW and probably bribed the ride counter...
Awards photo's are up now and the set I took from Friday and Saturday will be up by Friday.

<< I don't have time to finish up right now but I will get the rest of the stories out and more pictures posted 'real soon now'.  If some of you would send in some stories, articles and/or pictures then I'm sure I'd get back to this much sooner. >>
I forgot my notebook so if I forgot to mention your name I apologize for my lack of memory and/or recall.   ~hn

Sat 10/20/07 Lead:JohnW - Klinkers Korner; Osceola; Eau Galle;Maiden Rock, Prescott

After a week of rain we finally get a day of sunshine.
The clear sky's, sunshine and mild temperatures  also brought out a number of people for breakfast at the Junction.
With a dozen riders in tow JohnW gets us on the road towards Klinkers Korner for some 'Apple Pie'. Don't know what it is? - Get on over to Baldwin and find out. Klinkers Korner - 3 blocks east of Hwy 63 on Main St.
After some libations and small talk the group split up with some going to Osceola for a visit to St. Croix Leathers  (and presumably PY's or the Cascade.)  <reserved for Osceola details -- if/when I get them>
The others, myself included, headed towards the twisty roads to the south and east that would lead us to or near Eau Galle - We were heading into some of the few remaining areas that still had some of the more vibrant fall colors..  
We headed south out of Baldwin on 63 until we got just south of 94 where we went east on CR N.  Next was a long stretch south on BB where I was paying more attention to the ups & downs & curves of the road and watching the scenery than to road signs.
Getting to Eau Galle has never been a problem - in fact  I've gotten there many times when I had no intention of making that a destination.
It was such a nice day we decided to head to the Eau Galle Dam (just down the street from the bar) for a rest/refreshment stop in the fresh air. It's a great place for lots of nice pictures of the waters rushing over the dam and trees with the colorful leaves hanging on to the steep hill sides.
 From Eau Galle it was on to Maiden Rock for a stop by Lake Pepin to see if the boaters were also out.
The lake looked cold and the clouds were covering most of the sky by now. The light breeze pushed the boats through the wavy surface without leaving a trail.
Seeing that the sun was getting low in the sky and having used up our quality time by the lake it was time to head for Prescott and Boat Drinks  for the evenings topper of Giant Shrimp - with lots of butter of course...sary to put on extra clothes or put on the electric garments it was back on the road for a safe trip up Hwy 61 and back into the cities.
Hopefully this ain't the last nice, rideable day for the year.
 Hey, guess what - I just saw the news and ...
Sat 10/27 is scheduled for partly sunny and mild... Looks like another good riding day so go find your woolies and then come on out to the Junction and join us for breakfast around 11 and a ride after.    ~hn

Wed 10/22/07 Junction; Moose Country        <no pics>
The weather was perfect for a bundled up late evening ride under an almost full moon.
The Junction is all dressed up for the 7th Annual Monster Mash Halloween party this Saturday. There will be a costume Contest with Giveaways along with some great 70's & 80's dance music at 8pm.

There was a small WBMC showing tonight; Fred Jr stopped by on his way to the meat raffle at The Cardinal; SteveF; Jason; PaulM; Tracy & Kara; Mikey; MarkC; Scott - just to drop a few names...

A couple of us decided to head on down the road to Moose Country (on 13 just east of 35E). We didn't put on many miles, they were all on the freeway of course, but the crisp, cool air felt really good and the pace was spirited enough to make it fun.
The food at Moose Country was fantastic. Salmon; a fancy sandwitch; hot wings for me - we all got our fill. With the full moon following us we made a quick stop at the VFW for some fun and games. Steve, Jason & Mikey had fun turning the bathroom lights off on each other and then venting CO2 tanks into the bathrooms.
Around the midnight hour we hit the road for home  --- the cool crisp night air with the large bright moon following each of us home made for a goodnight.     ~hn
    That's all that's fit to print...

Fri 10/26/07 Milo's Place for his birthday < Harald's Pics>

Chili cooked over an open fire - Yum; Yum. Plenty of people to fill up his back yard and enjoy the fire stoked by none other then Jimmy.
A few showed up on bikes but most figured the 4 wheelers would be best as it would be quite chilly before things broke up and there would be no ride credit anyway.

Lots of snacks and other food of sustenance consumed along with the canned and bottled refreshments.

As we rolled over midnight and finished looking at the very bright full moon the music was turned down and the last bike finally roared to life and putted down the road
I'll be getting the pictures from Milo and myself up soon.

2007.11.12 Then there's a note from Steve about a little incident 7th Nov:
Sorry to arrive at the Whiskey and find nobody else there. Gary and his wife did show up in their coffin, unfortunately they were just in time to see me inspecting my KLX as it had been smacked in a hit & run.
A maroon Saturn had obviously decided they needed more than two car lengths to back up. The front brake lever took most of the force but there is a hardly noticeable dent in my tank and some other scuffs that don't make me happy. I will be keeping my eye out for that vehicle and although I consider myself lucky regarding the damage that did occur...        Happy trails, Steve
[I think Steve would like to have a 'talk' with the person that knocked over the KLX]

   Update from DaveM about the oops  --   Nov 13, 2007

Some of you may have heard I’m back in Minnesota.
Crashed the '07 Busa while attending the CMA National Rally (10/19) in Hatfield Arkansas. It was a real no nothing road and we had already just had another bike go down and thus we had slowed down more.  We were headed to some wonderful roads and apparently I came up to an 'S' curve and went down.
    I don’t remember a thing!
Apparently there were two bikes behind me that also went down.  The guy and his wife right behind me, he broke his shoulder. The road was not technical and we were not in a hurry.  I’m still trying to get the Arkansas State Police report to see if that will help?
This happened on 10/19/07 and they helicoptered me out to Hot Springs and then kept me there for 8 days.
Apparently I broke nothing (PTL).  I Bruised some ribs (yes, they hurt a lot) and I must have landed on my tailbone hard.....  So ANYTHING I do that involves sitting or standing, is very painful and after only 2 or 3 minutes I’m looking for a place to lay down.
I think it will cost over $9M to fix the bike and I've only got around 9 thousand miles on it.
While at the accident scene the paramedics proved their worth by removing my 3/4 length jacket in less than 10 seconds;   now there's not enough left of it to make a sleeping bag for a field mouse :).
At night I’m only able to sleep, at best, for about 2 hours and then my body says it’s time to move - and this will hurt a lot.
I make up for this by taking 2 or 3 naps during the day.
I pray the rest of you are doing better :).
  Your servant, dave
Hey, Dave - Look to the right and slightly up to  see how many days you've got left to get into shape.

2007.11.14 -   I sent Dave an email to ask what shape he's in. Here's his reply:

Shape?  Well; for an old fart, not bad I guess.
Sore tail bone from a hard landing and bruised ribs from something.
Sure you can post all the info you want:)
I’m doing better; Although I did lose 20 lbs in the hospital in Arkansas!!!
Sitting down hurts the MOST and standing up comes in at 2nd place.
I do a lot of naps as that is the only position that doesn’t cause some body trauma :) I go out very little and when I do I get pooped!
     Say “Hi” to every one for me.   God Speed,  dave

2007.11.20 - ChadK sent the following email detailing Jac's getting nailed at an intersection by a hit & run driver blowing a stop sign:

Dave is not the only one who has taken a bad fall recently; my dad (Jac) was on his way out to Blaine on Tues., (11/20) afternoon riding his Honda 100 when he was hit by someone who blew a stop sign. He has a broken arm (in more than one place) and some broken ribs. As if this guy (Jac), who has currently been going through some very intense Chemo treatment needs another thing to think about! He has been in Methodist Hospital since the accident but does not care to have calls by anyone wishing him a speedy recovery.
He is sore and wants (and needs) his peace & quiet -
Please be understanding of this.
To put the icing on this mess, the driver who hit and ran over him, decided it was in his/her best interest to split the scene!! That's right; Donna was behind him and took chase but was eventually proven to be too slow for this looser. No license plate, only a color and perhaps a Chrysler? We'll see everyone soon, I hope.      Chad

2007.12.05  Heard that there were a few people that have better memories than myself. I totally forgot that it was the first Wednesday of the month and one of the requirements of WBMC membership is to meet at The Junction.  My excuse is that I was working hard to re-learn all the in's & out's of web coding so I could get this site cleaned up and looking better on Fire Fox.
From the background noise of the phone mail I got it sounded like the place to be. For the next couple of months how about we start the Wednesday meetings on the first Wednesday of the month and make back down for "No Bones Tuesday" in the third week of the month... anyone got another idea.

2007.12.10  The web site seems to be pretty stable, all photo's have been replanted on the site and should be available for viewing. I'm now in the process of correcting lots of markups, typo's and then updating the web site pages to provide a better display for those that are using the FireFox browser. There will most likely be a number of broken links in the next week or so but hang in there - I will get it all fixed up before the end of the year. Well, for sure by the time the riding season starts up again. For sure before the year end party...

2007.12.15 We're heading into the '10 Days of Christmas' which includes lots of shopping and other running around.
I you have any 2007 stories or pictures still laying around please send them in soon. As for the rest of you - Please help me out with some ride reports and pictures during the 2008 season.  ~harald
 

 That's it for 2007. I'll be finishing off the year with some clean up and prepare for next year.