President of
Illinois Prairie Voyagers |
The Ride of Life
Posted 6/9/2010
By Kevin Braddy
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Do
you remember the way the first ride of spring feels on your motorcycle?
The way fresh cut grass smells while traveling down the road on your
motorcycle? Do you have memories of the joy of having a blue sky above
you, and the sun shining down on you while you ride down the road? Do
you have memories of the sound of the engine as you travel down the
highway on your way home from your job? Time flies by but memories
remain. Memories of past rides and of family and friends.
This winter I have fallen into a Blue Funk. What is that some may ask,
it is a state of mind that is caused by a series of events or
circumstances that makes one question why things happen and exist that
is created by usually things that make us feel sad or realize that life
goes by too quickly... class="style375"> tyle375">...After a few weeks I had secured an almost
new 1995 Voyager and Bob and I made plans for his first big trip. We
rode up and down the Mississippi River and camped. It was a great trip.
We later completed the Experienced Rider Course together on our Voyager
XII’s. I will always remember us taking the class and doing the riding
portion on our Voyager’s showing the other riders what the Kawasaki’s
could do on a cone-laden parking lot...
...Riding a motorcycle is something that has
been a major part of my life since I was 4 years of age. I’m grateful
for the opportunities to experience all the things that I have with my
friends and my motorcycles. The only thing that I currently regret that
has created a Blue Funk for me is not picking up the phone and giving
Bob a call to talk one last time. Make it a point this year to attend
Chapter Club Events, Regional Events, and International Rally Events...
(see the rest of the story in the May/June issue of the Voyagers
Voice magazine.)
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Western Regional Rally 2010
Redmond, Oregon
August 24 - 26, 2010
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Pre-registration must be received by August
18, 2010 - $40 Per Person
Hidden Waterfalls, Lush Forests, Lava Fields, and Sweeping Corners
with Beautiful Scenery around each one….
Come join us for Friends, Fun, Food, & Forests
August 24- Pre rally Ride Bike, Pre rally
Potluck Dinner
August 25- Games, Scenic Ride W/Lunch,
Show & Shine, Potluck Dinner, Twilight Ride
August 26- Scenic Ride, Awards Banquet
Your Tri-Chapter Hosts
Official campground
Deschutes County Fairgrounds
Camping $20 per night
RV’s $32 per night or
No reservations needed/pay on-site |
For More Information, contact:
Don Medina
by clicking here
415-269-7998
or
Duane Ash:
by clicking here
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Official motel
Best Western Rama Inn
2630 SW 17th Place
Redmond, OR
Phone: 541-548-8080 |
Click Here for Registration Form
(New Window- Exit to return here)
An Official “See the USA With the AVA” Event
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Riding in Deer Country
By David Wirtz
AVA Marketing/Ride Director
(Complete Article)
Posted 6/9/2010
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With
July fast approaching, many of us will be traveling to the rally in
Ellicottville, New York going through Allegheny National Forest,
Western Pennsylvania, and Western New York. Allegheny National
Forest stretches for over a half million acres across northwestern
Pennsylvania, a rugged landscape of rolling hills, meandering
streams, and virgin hardwood forests. All of this natural beauty
offers abundant opportunities for deer to grow in size, bucks 150
lb. to 300 lb. & does up to 200 lb., with estimates of 15 to 30 per
square mile. Many of us have had the misfortune of hitting a deer
with a motorcycle, car, or truck. Having only hit one with a car and
seeing the damage they caused, I don’t even want to think about
being on a bike.
There are a lot of “booby traps” that we can ride into, including
raised pavement edges, railroad tracks, loose sand, sunken manhole
covers, tar snakes, and white arrows glued to the pavement. Most of
these hazards occur in the city. Out in the country on those twisty
back roads we love to ride, we can expect some different types of
“booby traps”. One major thing that can spring up on us is a wild
animal, especially a wild deer. Deer are so delicate and demure that
it’s hard to think of them as a hazard. But when we come upon the
sickening sight of a deer head along the highway, we are again
reminded of the danger, both to the animal, and to ourselves. Animal
strikes are a significant hazard for those of us who enjoy
long-distance travel. Statistically speaking vehicle collisions are
a major motorcycling hazard, but as motorcycling experience builds
and we get a little smarter, our risks of a car/bike collision
should decrease. But the risk of animal strikes remains high because
animals are so difficult to predict. Wild deer are found all over
North America, in large numbers, their population is increasing, and
they have habits and instincts that put them on a collision course
with our motorcycles. The typical deer strike occurs with the animal
suddenly leaping in front of us, often at night. The bike slams into
the deer, with sickening consequences. What’s startling is the
amount of damage even a small deer can do to a speeding motorcycle.
The odds are high that both deer and biker will be seriously
injured. What’s so insidious about motorcycle/deer collisions is the
unpredictability. To understand what to look for and what to do
about deer, let’s consider their instincts and habits. Deer are
cautious, and prefer to hide in trees. They like munching on tender
foliage. So in the summer, expect deer in forested areas where the
trees and underbrush provide lots of cover and fresh food. That nice
roadside grass the highway department keeps mowed is a dinnertime
favorite. Deer seem to prefer hiding in the shadows in the daytime,
feeding at dusk and dawn, which means the risk of deer strikes
increases during these times. It’s definitely something to think
about when you are considering a nighttime transit on a highway
passing through these scenic forests. At night, brown deer-hide
doesn’t reflect much light, but deer eyes will reflect a brilliant
white from your headlight, similar to a reflector. How do you tell
if the reflector you see is on a post, or on a deer? Easy: the deer
eye blinks. If you see a reflector winking back at you, odds are
it’s a deer and it’s facing in your direction.
Why do you think those yellow DEER CROSSING signs get put up along
certain sections of farmland or scenic forest roads? Do you think
they hire people to count deer migrations across the road? WRONG.
What really happens is that the road crews tallies the number of
carcasses and shattered grills, and if the numbers are high on one
section of road, morning after morning, they put up a sign. Those
DEER signs are a big advantage to motorcyclists, if the situation
registers between our ears. One good step is to slow down.
Decreasing speed gives you more time to spot an animal, more time to
react, and a greater ability to maneuver. OK, you may think, but
what about that car or truck on my tail. Why not be polite pull over
and let them go first. Recommend reduce your speed by ten miles per
hour once you’ve spotted the sign. Can we really spot a deer ahead
in time to react? And what should we do if a deer leaps out? Unlike
an aggressive dog, deer seem to react more to proximity than to
sight or sound. A deer may not show much interest in you until you
get close; the deer may glance up at you, and then nonchalantly go
back munching again. But when you get within 60 feet or so, the deer
suddenly springs into action, jumping first straight ahead, then a
random zigzag pattern. If it isn’t obvious, the deer’s first leaps
in whatever direction it’s facing. That’s why hard braking is a
smart evasive tactic.
What about deer whistles, there are many different versions of
ultra-sonic alert whistles available. The theory is that whistles
moving through the air make a high-pitched ultrasonic noise that
alerts animals to your approach, and warns them to get out of your
way. Given the potential for animal strikes, a passive animal
warning device sounds like a great idea. (Also keep in
mind, that when one deer crosses in front of you, there's a good
chance there are more waiting to do the same thing. Don't think that
after one or even two deer cross in front of you safely, you are out
of danger. Look for more at least until you are well past the first
one that crosses your path.- AVA Webmaster)
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