Wo o d l a n d s Wa n d e r e r

Woodlands HOG Chapter #1420 - Sponsored by H-D of the Woodlands, 25545 I-45N, The Woodlands, TX (281) 681-0099 Fall 2013

Inside this issue: Directors Corner Vacation Rides 1 2

Directors Corner
Going Strong at The Woodlands H.O.G.! It seems like every time I look up its time for another Directors Corner article for the WandererI guess its true that time flies when youre having fun! Our Chapter is still thriving and growing. So far this year we have added 50 new members to our Chapter and we will soon be over 200 members strong. Its amazing to see how many of our new members become active as soon as they jointhats great and just what we want. If youre a longtime member and have not been on a Chapter ride lately you need to show up and meet all the new faces. We just returned from our Fall Vacation Ride a.k.a. The Buffalo Run. We enjoyed some great riding and awesome scenery in the Black Hills of South Dakota, the northern part of Wyoming and ultimately in Yellowstone National Park. It was a wonderful trip with 26 members and 20 bikes along for the adventure. Other major activities to plan for during the rest of the year are the Food Fight fund raiser in October, the Veterans Day Chapter Meeting in November and the Chapter Christmas Party in December. The guys and gals from Ride Like a Pro will be at our Food Fight putting on a riding skills demonstration. The Veterans Day Chapter Meeting is always a special time to honor all of our veterans and the Chapter Christmas Party is our gift back to the members with plenty of food, fellowship and door prizes. Please plan to attend all three events. As always I urge everyone to participate and be active in your Chapter. We have some great officers and members that work hard to make this Chapter one of the bestso come ride with us and join in on the activities. Its time to RIDE & HAVE SOME FUNSee you on the road!

Dealership Corner 5 Meetings Events Rides Calendars 6 9 13 27

The rest of the year will be packed with riding opportunities and Chapter related activities. As always, we will have scheduled rides every weekend and our mini-vacation in October. The Mini Vacation to the Koyote Ranch in the Texas Hill Country will be October 17th 20th. We did a Mini Vacation in the fall last year and it was very popular and a great DavidMcClintock opportunity for anyone that cant swing a Director weeklong trip.

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Vacation Rides
Buffalo Run - Fall Vacation Ride David McClintock

The Buffalo RunA Few Thoughts Ive been on numerous Chapter Vacation Rides as many of you have. Ive never been on one that was not a great ride and a great time. Everything about the 10 days of the Buffalo Run was awesome and memorablebut as I was planning what I wanted to share about the trip, I started thinking about what I really like about a Vacation RideWhat makes it special andWhy do we do it? For me, it is the entirety of the whole experience! Lets get the most obvious thing out of the way firstYes, we go to beautiful parts of the country and see and do the things that vacations are made of. I mean really, who can ride the sweeping curves of Spearfish Canyon Road or climb the switchbacks of Beartooth Pass and not be mesmerized by the awesome beauty God has created! I love all that and I go for that but, for me, that is just the tip of the iceberg. At least half of a vacation ride is getting to and from the ultimate destination and I truly enjoy that experience as well. My experience starts with the planning process months before departure. Even if you are not planning the trip agenda, you still do a lot of planning to get prepared for the tripprepping your bike, packing and deciding what you want to do to make the vacation yours. Planning is followed by anticipation and building excitement as the trip departure nears. When we get about 2 weeks out, its easy to see that everyone is excited and cant wait to get on the road. The first day of any vacation ride is special because now the anticipation and excitement turns into reality. I love getting up at 4 AM and meeting everyone for the first days ridenot kidding, the earlier the better! It doesnt matter what part of the country you are in, when you are on your bike all your senses come into play and that is what I enjoy most about being on a bike. On your bike you see more, you smell more, you feel more and you even hear more. On your bike, you see and notice things that you would never experience in a car. You notice little things like signs, a dog laying in a yard, people doing everyday things like mowing the grass or walking down the street, flags flying, agricultural crops, livestock, wildlifeyou see everything. The things you see and notice makes the day go by and is a part of the whole experience. On your bike, you smell everythingthe good and the bad. Going through a small town you may catch a whiff of the local bakery or smell garlic and onions being sauted at the local Mexican restaurant or maybe catch the fragrance from a field of wildflowers. We have all experienced the pungent, burning delightful aroma from a 200 acre cattle feedlot along a lonely stretch of highway. Sometime we smell things that are not easily identifiable and we looks around to locate the source. Regardless of the smell or the source, it all adds to the whole experience.

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Vacation Rides
Buffalo Run - Fall Vacation Ride David McClintock

Your sense of feeling is totally heightened on your bike. We dont have much protection from the elementsno AC, no heater (except from the motor in the summer when you dont want it) and no overhead cover. You feel everythingthe least sprinkle of rain that hits your skin, a cool spot in the morning as you go through a low area, the building heat in the summer, cooler air as you gain altitude, the wind in your face, the vibration and buffeting from a passing truck and occasionally driving rain, hail or even snowflakes. You feel it all and it is part of the whole experience. Even on a motorcycle, even with loud pipes you hear more. As you pass a car on the interstate, you hear the car tires humming, the whistle from a passing train and all sorts of sounds when you go through small townsit all adds to the whole experience. The people you meet along the way are all part of the whole experience. Practically at ever stop we make along the road, total strangers come up and ask, Where are you going or Where are you from? Most people we encounter along the way are easily engaged and are a great source of information. Regardless of where you are, meeting and visiting with locals and enjoying the local culture, eating the local foods and partaking of the local beverages is a neat way to enjoy the trip and adds to the whole experience. You will remember a vacation ride like the Buffalo Run for the scenery and sights we go for, but the other things that happen along the way will stick with you longer. If you get hammered by a rain storm and you thought you didnt need to stop and put on raingearyou will remember and talk about that. If you get caught in a monster traffic jam for hours, you will always remember just where it was and what the conditions were. If you or someone has a mechanical issue or has a flat and has to be towed, you will always associate that with the trip. Any other noteworthy event or something funny that happened will always be remembered. (Who can ever forget Missing Mikes Purse and Rufus IIIs Tampons?you had to be there!) It all becomes part of the whole experience! Finally, what makes any trip special is the people you ride with and the experiences you share with them. Weve said it before, but when you spend 10 days on the road with a group of your fellow Woodlands HOG members, you will get to know them better, sooner and likely make a few lifelong friends. On your next Chapter Vacation Ride dont forget it is about the whole experience not just the destination! Its time to RIDE & HAVE SOME FUNSee you on the road!

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Vacation Rides
Koyote Ranch - Mini-Vacation Ride Steve Coxe
Guess Where We Are Going! This is a test. You leave home for a long weekend on your bike with some good friends. When you get back Sunday afternoon, you have seen camels, giraffes, gazelles, Stonehenge, a motorcycle museum and a naval museum. You have been through communities where the food, beer, architecture and music are influenced by their Czech, Swiss, Austrian, Polish and German populations. Now this will give it away. While at one of the favorite hangouts of Willie, Waylon & David Allen Coe, you have been tempted to pay an outrageous price for a one of a kind hat that only a Harley rider would appreciate. If you guessed the Texas Hill Country, you got it right. A couple important attractions I left out are some of the world's best motorcycle roads, great friends (I said that, but it deserves repeating) and apple pie like grandma makes. Bikers from all over come to our backyard to see the Hill Country Scenery and ride the famous Three Sisters (aka The Twisted Sisters), Texas Ranch Roads 335, 336 & 337. Plenty of hills, curves and great scenery with the Lone Star Motorcycle Museum right in the middle of it all. But very few gas stations. And, don't forget one of Willie, Waylon & David Allen Coe's favorite hangouts, Luckenbach. For those that need a break from the bike, there is always a stop in Fredericksburg for some shopping and a visit to the Admiral Nimitz Museum. We leave Thursday morning, October 17th. Lunch is at the El Chaparral Mexican restaurant in San Antonio. This is where the scenery starts to change and you get a taste of the Hill Country. The next stop is where we'll be spending the next three nights, the Koyote Ranch (www.koyoteranch.com). If you have stayed there before, you'll notice some changes. The Koyote Ranch has been bought out. The new owners have started the name change process and you'll see some new construction. But, bikers are still welcome and the ownership will continue to cater to them. The Koyote Ranch restaurant is closed Thursday nights. But, we have made arrangements for BBQ from Buzzies in Kerrville. Friday and Saturday mornings you have several choices. Some will ride the Three Sisters, some will ride the Hunt Loop and some will spend the day in Fredericksburg. The opportunities are endless. These won't be Chapter Sponsored Rides, but you'll be more than welcome and have every opportunity to join a group headed for a great ride. We won't leave you without something to do. After the ride on Friday, its back to the Koyote Ranch for their famous Fish Fry and entertainment by a local band. After Saturdays ride, the Koyote Ranch will be celebrating Octoberfest with plenty of music, beer & brats. Sunday morning, we are headed for home. There is still time to sign up. See me at the next chapter meeting, or send an e-mail to TheHeadRC@gmail.com.

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Dealership Corner
Dynamometer Seminar Frank DiMenna & Miguel Macias

Before the September Chapter Meeting, a Road Captain Meeting was held at the Dealership, where a seminar was given on the Service Departments Dynamometer. A Dynamometer (or Dyno, for short), is a device for measuring force, moment of force (torque), or power, by an engine, motor, or other rotating prime mover, by simultaneously measuring torque and rotational speed (RPM). The Dyno is used to determine the torque or power characteristics of a machine under test., to maximize all aspects of the motor to achieve machine power and efficiency. A Dyno session enables to determine if the motorcycle is running properly, wasting fuel, or is not up to full potential. It permits the technician to pinpoint what areas are in need of adjustment and then accurately make the required adjustments. A series of tests or runs are done to create a set of results which are analyzed to determine a course of action. We thank Frank DiMenna, Service Manager, and Colin Wilson, Service Technician, for their support in giving the seminar. We also thank our Head Road Captain, Steve Coxe, who provided his Road King to be used in the Dyno.

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Meetings
Chapter Meeting - Papas Ice House July 13, 2013

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Meetings
Chapter Meeting - Papas Ice House August 10, 2013

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Meetings
Chapter Meeting - Papas Ice House September 14, 2013

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Events
Christmas in July - The Woodlands H-D Dealership July 13, 2013

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Events
HOOT - Main Event July 26, 2013

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Events
Grill'n & Chill'n - The Woodlands H-D Dealership August 10, 2013

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Events
Grill'n & Chill'n - The Woodlands H-D Dealership September 14, 2013

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Rides
Magnolia Diner - Magnolia July 14, 2013

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Rides
Dobbin Saloon & Grill - Montgomery July 20, 2013

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Rides
Harris County Smokehouse - Tomball July 28, 2013

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Rides
Sams Boat - Conroe August 3, 2013

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Rides
ABCs Magnolia Diner August 4, 2013

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Rides
Walden Yacht Club - Montgomery August 11, 2013

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Rides
County Seats Ride August 17, 2013

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Rides
Repkas - Brookshire August 24, 2013

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Rides
Yankees Tavern & Grill - Carlos August 25, 2013

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Rides
Farm House Caf - Huntsville August 31, 2013

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Rides
Southern Flyer - Brenham September 7, 2013

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Rides
ABCs Ride - Kountze September 8, 2013

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Rides
El Toro - Baytown September 15, 2013

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Rides
McKenzies BBQ - Conroe September 28, 2013

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Calendars