Illinois GWRRA

We had the opportunity to join the Gold Wing Road Riders Association Illinois Chapter state rally in Pontiac, IL, last weekend.  Interesting crowd.  Very friendly but distinctly different from out usual outting with BMW riders.

First thing we noticed was that almost everyone there were couples, either two-up or convoying to the show.  Take a look at the video of their parade and you'll see what I mean.

Second observation was that their indoor activities pretty much replicate a senior center, with picture puzzles, WINGO (Wing-bingo), frizbee competition and others.  And... not much alcohol... no beer tent (no tents nor camping at all) to be found.

Pontiac was a nice visit.  The two restaurants on the square offered wonderful entrees with VIP discounts offerec by the Chamber of Commerce.  We checked out the Rt 66 of IL museum and picked up some destianations for day trips.  One of the "Hall of fame" gentlrmen was the father of s kid Donna had dated in high school... small world.

The Friday evening event was a parade and balloon release, honoring anyone's family and friends who had passed on.   Video attached.

The local theatre guild hosted the Saturday night pizza and show, "Life Is a Hoghway" with songs and dances with highway themes and 50's hits.  Gret fun!

Here's the video:

2Hot4Golf?

August 12 & 13th camp.

August 14th Picnic.

Carterville, IL.

Make it a lakeside weekend with Friday/Saturday camp and ride and Sunday picnic or ride at Crab Orchard Campground and The Haven on Rt 13 in Carterville, IL!

Look up the event on Facebook or www.WhereDoesThatRoadGo.com for details.  Some organized road rides and ADV dual-sport rides… or just head out and enjoy the Suwanee National Forest and Southern Illinois’ Wine Trail!  

We’ll have grills and coolers and firewood at the campground and at The Haven.  Campground doesn’t take reservations, but if you are interested, call and we can anchor a site for you.  Camping is $10 with senior card.  The Haven is $2/person cover charge on Sunday.  

Family friendly, RV’s welcome, any marque welcome.

Link to Details page <<<

Jeff Kurtz organizer.  717-620-9676

Ride leaders wanted!  Lead a group for us, please!

                            ADV Loose Nut 2014 loops are a definite possibility!

Printable Poster <<<

A community tradition

3:09 AM.  Sunday morning prior to the MOA.  Can't sleep and realizing it's the 5th (4th for me) year of a new (to the world) community tradition...   Did the pilgrims feel this way at their fifth thanksgiving?  Have we created a celebration without a vote of congress?

Earlier this week, one person at a time, people started packing and charting and then two guys got on their bikes...   Randy in California headed north and east, and then Dimitrios from Denver...   and the momentum started to build.

With no reports on national TV about a movement...

Let me digress:

from Arlo Guthrie's Alice's Restaurant, "
 And the only reason I'm
singing you this song now is cause you may know somebody in a similar
situation, or you may be in a similar situation, and if your in a
situation like that there's only one thing you can do and that's walk into
the shrink wherever you are ,just walk in say "Shrink, You can get
anything you want, at Alice's restaurant.". And walk out. You know, if
one person, just one person does it they may think he's really sick and
they won't take him. And if two people, two people do it, in harmony,
they may think they're both faggots and they won't take either of them.
And three people do it, three, can you imagine, three people walking in
singin a bar of Alice's Restaurant and walking out. They may think it' an
organization. And can you, can you imagine fifty people a day,I said
fifty people a day walking in singin a bar of Alice's Restaurant and
walking out. And friends they may thinks it's a movement."

Back to the story:

So Dave Corel starts posting about doing 175 miles with a bunch of dirt roads and his bike taking a "nap" (MC speak for 'he

dropped it") and Roy Hedman posts that there's one bike is his drive waiting for others and guys  (kyle) are posting pics of two bikes at some checkpoint where there are supposed to be four bikes and stories keep poping up on the internet about tires and packing and route charts...   and the BMW motorcycle community event of the GS Giant Gypsy Tour is under way!  Year Five! (emphasis added because I'm a blogger and I can do that!)

In a parallel universe, earlier this week, Jack Riepe started talking about a secret society of secret letters about secret bikes... and hundreds of peeps started chimeing in...   now is that a movement or what?

My first movement (not to be confused with ... N/m...) was from

Suches, GA, four years ago.  I arrived at a baren campground on a Sunday afternoon, popped open a 6-pack only to awake the next morning to find three other motorcycle riders camping around me on a mission to get lost for four hours in the 17 miles of fire trails between there and Blairsville...   Four days later we regrouped in Ashville to celebrate one bike over the side, some harry guy in a kilt and a crazy dudewith a stuck horn launching his bike out of a mud trench.   BeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeePPPPPP!

And we do this for What?   

(Later this week you can hear part of my story about introducing my motorcycle 'side'/culture to my non-rider girlfriend...   stories about her friend (and she didn't know it mut also MY m/c friend) Gary Zerang who was headed our way from Florida.  We weren't going to be home but he said, "That's OK.  I'm just going to Moonshine for a burger."  (943 miles each way) , when I speak at the BMW MOA in Hamburg, NY.)

Stories like this one and one about why I am going to sit at the computer for 48 hours on Thanksgiving weekend watching a thing called the LA-B-V and a bunch of dots creeping across the screen while guys throw themselfes and $20,00 motorcycles against rocks and blogging the whole thing on facebook...

So, the GS Giant Gypsy tour is underway.  I think the official number is over 200 people, men women and probably youngers (never to be considered children) traveling across our country to meet up in Nowhere'sville, PA (zipcode 15860) only to engage in meriment, bike adventures, story telling and more bike adventures...

and this is just the GSG intro adventure to join up at the BMW Motorcycle Owners Assn Das Rally weekend in Hamburg, NY!  Beginning in PA where they started this tradition five years back.  

As of this writing, there's not much more to report, although there will be much reported.  You can see the minute-to-minute updates on the GS Giant (GSG) facebook page HERE <<<

OK, so I'm turning in (again...) to wake later and begin my own entry to the celebration.   Unfortunately, not to the Gypsy Tour but as a vendor at the BMW MOA this year.. and a speaker.  Look me up to her the story about "Two-up in a Toy Hauler" later this week.

Please join myself, the GS Giants and brother blogger/writer Jack Riepe at the rally to hear more of the stories behind/within the stories!

Happy Trails

Jeff