April Meeting Notes:

Our Monday night meeting attendance was pretty light this month and I am guessing one of the reasons is that Hickory Hollow may seem difficult to find. Let me try and assure you that it is quite easy to get to from both I-10 or I-45 (exit Memorial). If you are unsure call the restaurant or me and maybe I can help.

I have procrastinated and not gotten the money to our regional rep for the rest of the renewals. We have 40 more cards coming and those will be out before the next newsletter. Notice that we will again have a state Retread rally in Hico. The date is Sept. 7-9, the week before the National rally in Coffeyville.

I have included the up-to-date phone/membership list in this newsletter so you will know how to call Vince Hefley to find out where he is riding so you can join him. Have you noticed his Concurs for sale in the Chronicle. Yes, Vince is trading for a Honda ST1100.

Did you realize that Retreads has a real-live Iron-Butt rider in our midst. Morris Kruemcke was at breakfast Saturday and said he has his new black 1800 GoldWing broken in now and is converting it for his endurance riding. He said the new 1800 gets better gas mileage than the 1500 and he is adding an additional 4.4 gal. tank to bring him to the allowed 11.5 gallons for competing in the iron-butt

Gary Emmons has his HD back after a problem on the Concan trip. Even though Gary�s �99 was out of warranty, Harley paid for the rental truck, motel and his complete repair. Plus � I understand that his new cam has bigger bumps on it than the original.

Wow, what a month April was!! David and I have been out of motorcycle trips for so long that this past month has brought back the beauty of riding on two wheels.

It had been a few years since we�d been on the Concan ride but it just took a few miles for us to agree that this should get back on our annual calendar.

John and Sandy Lawrence gathered 16 of us at the Brookshire Truck Stop. John handed out detailed colored maps of our intended route and told us our next stop would be in 100 miles. We knew from that intro that John had done his homework and had it under control.

After peeling off I-10 John had a delightful route planned, just the right mix of wildflowers, sweeping curves, a few twisties and a lunch stop in Gruene. Dewey was already waiting for us there as was another couple. The rest of the way to Concan was packed with more beautiful roadside flowers and some terrific roads. Well, terrific roads except for some roadwork about five miles from Concan.

Were we ever surprised when we checked into Neal�s Lodges. They are in the middle of renovations of the store and we were fortunate enough to stay in lodges that have been completely redecorated. What a nice improvement!

Saturday morning we woke up to a light mist but that didn�t keep us from striking out for 337. Dewey showed us a shortcut so that we could avoid the roadwork on 83. The low water crossing just added a little excitement to it. We met Lou and James in Leakey and learned that Gary was on his way back to Houston with his Harley in a Ryder truck due to losing cam bearings. After getting out to 337 David and I decided to pull over and go play our favorite game of outriding rain. We twisted and turned everywhere we thought we wouldn�t get wet. Had a great time�and stayed dry. All the rest reported having a good time even though they had to ride in the mist. There are sure some outstanding roads, every turn brings more fun and adventure and John had certainly laid out a splendid plan. We were sitting around Saturday afternoon when Dewey enticed us to go with him to the "Big Tree." He�d told us we could get right up to it, he�d talked with the people from the ranch before and they�d said it was ok. We hesitated when we got to the locked gate and no trespassing sign but followed him the quarter of a mile down to the most enormous tree you can ever imagine. It is a Cypress that must be a diameter of 10 feet. The whole way John kept saying "I can�t believe I�m doing this." But when we saw it we all decided it was worth it.

Saturday night held more camaraderie just sitting under those big oaks, telling stories and enjoying being with friends. We did have some other motorcyclists come over and talked with us for a while. One of them rivaled May Bell in telling funny stories. He told us the ultimate in being lost on a trip, he said he�d filled up at the same gas station twice. Now, that�s lost.

Sunday morning we were disappointed when the mist started again just as we were getting on the bikes to leave. John changed his route a bit to get out of the mist but found some fabulous roads anyhow and kept us dry. He took us for a quick scenic stop at the Stonehenge replica in Hunt, TX. Did you know that the replica is 60% as tall and 90% of the diameter of the original in England? All the way home we could have just had our left arm extended waiving at all the bikers out. The roads were loaded with them.

We really appreciate the organization and planning that John and Sandy put into the ride. Join us the next time.

By David Beverly

As I look back at all my bike adventures, the ones that make me smile are the ones I shared with my wife and/or others as we faced the elements and saw this beautiful county. My experiences with the full-face helmet are usually single sided events, often competitive, maybe only with myself, but I have an attitude. This is so unlike the open helmet where everyone on the trip was a winner and we all gloried in the beauty and even the victory over Mother Nature�s vengeance when we overcame the weather together.

May 25-27: 31^st Annual Texas Hill Country Tour

June 1 - 3: Republic of Texas Rally, Austin, TX

June 4 - 9: Americade, Lake George, NY

June 9 - 17: Laconia Motorcycle Rally, Laconia, NH

July 18: National Ride to Work Day

August 6 - 12: Sturgis, South Dakota

Sept 19-21: Golden Aspen in Ruidoso, NM

October 11 - 14: South Padre Island for Bikerfest

October 18-21: Biketoberfest in Daytona FL

5/8 Doyle Keeling

5/9 Sue Harris

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