HSTA Newsletter - January 2003

January 2003

HSTA Newsletter

by Dan Hytry

Happy New

Year!!!

Features

Ų IMS Show Review

Ų Thank You to Bob and Lynne

Ų 2002 Year in Review

Ų 2003 WMRRA Racing Schedule

Ų Web Development

The Seattle Motorcycle Show was pretty good this year. Many new bikes were on the floor, but I couldn't help but notice one bike was missing - the 2003 VFR in Silver. The reason I noticed, is because I had just bought one two-days prior to heading to the show, though I hadn't taken delivery of it yet. So if you see one riding around, with the UR2SLO plate, wave back (with your whole hand).

The other thing that stood out, was the lack of attendance and the shortage of vendor booths. I would estimate that attendance was down to 50% of normal. The only thing that I could think to attribute this to was the foul weather keeping the Canadians from coming south from BC and the easterners from coming over the pass. (I was later informed that attendance was actually up 5% over last year - go figure!)

The booth for Destination Highways was getting a lot of business as well as Gerbing's heated clothing. Mike Sullivan was hanging out and signing posters at the WMRRA booth, but in my opinion, the '04 Valkyrie Rune stole the show. I'm not into cruisers, but that bike could convert even me over to the dark side of riding cruisers.

A lot of the local guys met at the show, then immediately headed to Bob's for the annual Christmas Party, which made for a full day of bikes, on a terrible wintery December day.

On the Saturday of the motorcycle show, we held our annual Christmas Party at the Kramer's in Everett. I would like to extend a personal Thank You for hosting a great party.

During the party, we watched the last WSB race of 2002 from Imola, Italy, and also the antics performed by various squid clubs in Judgment Day. We also took a headcount for Laguna and it seems that there is a lot of interest, but money is tight these days. There are a number of us planning to go, so if you are interested, contact either Jim Holzberger, or myself to get more details. We have booked our rooms in Monterey and a lot of places are selling out fast.

There was enough food to feed a small army. Speaking of which, Mark showed up with Junior which gave Tara someone to play with. The kids did extremely well, considering all the commotion of a dozen adults having a social get-together.

The festivities ended about 11pm, at which time we departed on a "Club Drive" going home proving that even when the weather is bad, we can still get together and have fun!

2002 started off in January with a meeting at Claim Jumpers where we all overate, and then headed over to Sykart for some go-cart racing.

February and March we planned go-carting as well, but only the one in March materialized.

April was our first ride of the year, and was a short, brisk jaunt through Snoqualmie Valley. Just enough to turn the wheels and get our minds back on motorcycling.

May started to pick things up with a couple of rides planned. On the 11th, we rode to Granite Falls, and then towards Oregon for the long weekend. On that ride, we witnessed how V-Twins play dominos.

June started out with a planned ride to Seaside Oregon, which was cancelled to put on an Experienced Rider Course instead. Twelve members partook in the class, enjoyed some good food, and hopefully learned something to boot.

The next weekend was the first ride to Mt Baker for 2002. The weekend after that, a few of us ventured east to Idaho to ride over Lolo Pass, US-12. Alan picked up a "green" award because he was trying to catch up after getting a late start. He didn't make the ride after that. The rest of us followed Jim's lead, down the wrong road (which turned out to be fantastic), and I balled up some rubber on my tires. On the return trip, WSDOT thought it funny to make a sign that says, "Pavement Ends" and post it just beyond a blind corner at about the time where bikes would normally be accelerating. We all had a particularly hairy moment when in fact the road turned to gravel, and Dawn subsequently earned her "Save of the Year" award.

July, as always, is a great month for riding. Some of us were California bound for the WSB races in Monterey. I had some monster-mileage days on this trip and found that Cary is VERY comfortable with his Victoria's Secret side. We discovered some great roads that were to be revisited at the end of August, on the Oregon Outing.

While some of us were in California, there were others that were riding Mt St Helens for the first time this season. The group got split up on the mountain, but eventually all came back together.

Then came the Neah Bay ride. This is where Dave Bolton joined our gang and has been a fixture since. Mike Fulfer, aka The Fast and the Furious, lead a large part of this ride at a brisk pace which drew the attention of the local Sheriff. No tickets were issued.

Completing the month of July, we set out for the Columbia River, basically another excuse to eat at the Burger Buggy, and to do some more exploring down south and also on SR-142.

In August, the Tofino ride was cancelled due to high costs of accommodations so the first ride was to Winthrop. This was the ride with no end as Marv continued to come up with worthwhile suggestions on extending the day beyond 500 miles.

The middle of August was the KOA Camp-out in Cascade Locks, Oregon. For me, it was another excuse to ride through Trout Lake. In Oregon, Tye and I explored a lot of dead-end roads before having a difference of opinion on the lunch stop. I still think Subway COULD serve salads - lots of lettuce, roll on the side!

The following week in August, on the 3-Pass ride, Marv was begging for a "green" award after the group got detained for speed. This is where he earned the Krispy Creme Award.

To close out August, we had the second Oregon Outing of the year and revisited some of those great roads around Hells Canyon. Tye got in the groove after lunch and then we witnessed what a trailer park looks like after a tornado. We finished this weekend ride by chatting with a Benton Co. Sheriff about proper and prudent motorcycling, and then another jaunt through Trout Lake. To Dave's astonishment, he had finally finished off his rear tire. Otherwise, his bike ran perfectly on this trip.

September continued to be a great month for riding. We rode an abbreviated 4-Corners tour around the state, and did our job imitating the ORKIN man by controlling the bug population in eastern Washington. We found a "bear cave" in Connell and then finished, riding back through Trout Lake, once again. (I considered taking up residency there!)

The next two weeks were the 2nd rides to Mt Baker and Mt St Helens for the year. Until now, we hadn't had a single accident all year - until Mt St Helens struck again. The rider is doing fine but his bike was not so lucky. It will be undergoing major reconstructive surgery.

October was to be our ride to Leavenworth, but due to OctoBEERfest, and the cold temperatures, we opted for something a little closer to home and rode to Rockport, by way of the South Skagit Highway instead.

In November we presented our awards for the year, Mike hosted a cocktail party in December, and we capped the year with a Christmas Party at the Kramer's.

If you are looking for more detail into any of the above references, check out the Newsletter link above and read all about it.

As you can see, this site is growing with every chance I have to add more. I'm looking at adding such things as Member Biographies, Classified Ads, and a Member Safety page that will allow you to download a form to fill out and give back to me with your personal information so as to allow me to arrange various services in the event of an accident. This form is virtually the same as we've had in the past, with a few additions.

You will not see Upcoming Events in the newsletters, since it is redundant when you can click on the Schedule to get the same information.

I welcome any and all ideas for more development, including additional Routes, Pictures, etc.