December 2010 Newsletter

New Newsletter Format

Welcome, Coastal Carolina BMW Riders Club members. Going forward, I plan to start "publishing" our member newsletters here as a blog. The blog format should allow including more graphics (photos, maps, etc.). I welcome everyone's feedback on the new format. If there are things your especially like, please let me know. If there are things you would like to see added or changed, let me know that as well.

Meeting Reminder

Our next club is scheduled for Saturday, December 11th (weather permitting), at the Boundary House Restaurant, which is located at 1045 River Road in Calabash, NC [GPS coordinates:N33.88965 W78.56796]. See this Google Maps link if you are not familiar with the location. Some of you may remember we enjoyed some great food at the Boundary House Restaurant last February. We are planning to meet there starting around 11:30 a.m.

An RSVP is requested, so I can make a reservation for group seating. If you are plannign to come, by Thursday, December 9th, please send me an email at ccbmwridersclub@gmail.com.

Remember -- we have shifted to our winter meeting schedule, which means we will be trying to hold our monthly get-togethers as lunch meetings, on either a Saturday or Sunday, for the months of December through March.

Upcoming Events

Winter may have finally arrived and be slowing your riding, at present, but it's not too early to start planning your rides for 2011. We are already adding rallies and events that have been announced for 2011 to the club's Google calendar. The calendar already includes the upcoming International Motorcycle Shows (the closest being in Washington, DC and Greenville, SC), the BMW Motorcycle Owners of America International Rally scheduled this July in Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania, the BMW Riders Association National Rally in Chippewa Falls,Wisconsin, a new Spring rally being sponsored by Morton's BMW, the 2011 BMW SportTouring-sponsored UnRally being here in North Carolina, and more. I invite you to spend a few minutes browsing the calendar to start planning your 2011 riding season.

Club Challenge Rides

In 2010, we provided two challenge rides for our club members -- the North Carolina Four Corners Challenge Ride and the North Carolina State Historic Sites Challenge Ride. One club member -- Jerry McCumby -- successfully completed the North Carolina Four Corners Challenge Ride . Please join me in congratulating Jerry on this accomplishment.

These challenge ride were begun to give everyone a destination to seek out, or a place to stop and visit while travelling throughout the state. For 2011, we will be continuing several of our challenge rides. In addition, we are going to provide some of you a little recognition for your efforts. For 2011, the first three members who complete either the County Courthouse Challenge Ride, the North Carolina State Parks Challenge Ride, or the North Carolina State Historic Sites Challenge Ride will receive a copy of the BMW MOA's 35th Anniversary Book. The BMW MOA has graciously made a few copies of these books available to our club as recognition awards and I thought awarding these for a few 2011 challenge ride finishers would be a great way to reward their efforts.

To remind everyone, the County Courthouse Challenge Ride involves visiting each county courthouse in the state, stopping to take a picture of your bike and the courthouse in the photo. Some of you may recall that club members John and Joan Bower completed this challenge ride on their K1200LT back in 2008. The North Carolina State Parks Challenge Ride involves visiting each of the North Carolina State Parks and Recreational Areas, taking a picture of your motorcycle and the state park sign. The North Carolina State Historic Sites Challenge Ride involves visiting each of the twenty-seven state historic sites and, you guessed it, taking a picture of your motorcycle and the site's sign. Visiting some of these locations provides an opportunity to see some interesting locations and enjoy some nice roads along the way. I look forward to seeing some of you add to the challenge ride destinations you have already visited.

Trip Report

We have a new trip posted on the club web site. Club members Paul Winter and Jerry Dockery attended the Savannah 2010 Rally during the weekend of December 3-5. Paul has written a great trip report, including some photos. You can find Paul's write-up under the Ride Reports page. Thank you, Paul, for the write-up and photos!

BMW MOA Superstakes Contest

If you are a BMW MOA member (something I highly recommend), you hopefully know about the BMW MOA's 2011 Superstakes II Contest. The BMW MOA is selling tickets to provide a chance to win a very special R1200GS bike as a grand prize. For every 10,000 tickets sold, another R1200GS will be added to the prize pot. And, for each additional 1,000 tickets sold, an additional $1,000 shopping spree will be included. The contest is only open to BMW MOA members. For more information, check the BMW MOA's 2011 Superstakes web page.

Upcoming Club Rides

Keep your eyes on your email inbox during the next few weeks. If my time and the weather permit, you may see one or two short-notice announcements of club rides during the holiday season. I hope to be able to enjoy some time off from work during the next few weeks and, if the weather cooperates, may send out an invitation for a lunch ride or two to anyone who is interested in joining me.

Acknowledgment

Finally, I want to thank everyone for their interest in the club this past year. I have really enjoyed seeing everyone who has had time to attend our club meetings and ride, and staying in touch with those of you who have not been able to join us in person. I am looking forward to sharing new adventures with you in 2011, and I want to wish you and your families a great holiday.

Ride safe and ride far!