Volume VIII Issue I

Trails End Minutes by Stan Viets

January 2009

Members attended our January 8th meeting. Floyd Nunnelee, Danny and Lori Parker, Don and Teresa Hester, Jake Abrahams, Lou and Carla Nathans, Rick Totty, Billy and Hildia Max, Dan and Linda Randall, Mellissa Atkins and children, Paul and Dian Talkington, Rick Totty, Lou and Carla Nathan, Paul Romesburg and Stan Viets. Friends attending their first meeting, Nina Dickey and Sue Morrison, remember friends, visitors and guests are always welcome.

We have six January Birthdays: Dana Totty on the 3rd, Kim Pauley on the 7th, Dian Talkington on the 8th, Hildia Max on the 9th, Charlie Gibson on the 17th and Myron Coney on the 18th , Don Hester on the 31st. Elvis was not in the building but his birthday was January 8th. No January Anniversaries.
Our current bank balance is $396.00

As a note of interest, I gathered the following from our 2008 Sign in book. We concluded our 2008 rides and events, with approx 3602 miles of scheduled fun and festivities. Interesting trivia, last year we had 29 scheduled and impromptu events with 472 members and guests in attendance, quite an achievement and a substantial increase over last year. Additional we have renewed our AMA Social Charter, 02136 for 2009

We appreciate and thank Billy Max for his dedication and hard work in coming up with such good rides every year.

Billy is now working on the 2009 ride schedule and expects to have it at our February meeting, if you have anywhere in particular you would like to ride or visit, let Billy know and if possible will work into the schedule. Already set in stone. September 12th will be the date for the Burnt Burger VII cookout at Arkabutla and September 18th will be the 10 day Key West ride, this advanced notice will allow you to make early plans.

Eddie has updated our web page. Has everyone looked at the new features on our MTR web page, if not we can now offer our members two new services.

1. a bulletin board where members can post their thoughts, items for sale, rides and events or anything they wish as long as it is family orientated.

2. a private chat room for members. Members can meet online and chat with each other. It would also be possible to hold an online meeting of the entire group.
Check with Eddie or me for user name and password.

The 2008/09 Long Ranger Award for the years top mileage will end on Sunday March 8, 2009 and the winner will be announced at our March 12th meeting. You need to get your mileage to Dan no later than Sunday March 8th. If you haven’t been participating in this event and would like to, send your mileage, year and make of bike as of March 8, 2009 to Dan at venture69@comcast.net and join in the fun. Total mileage limited two bikes.

We do appreciate and thank all our sponsors for continuing their ads, all are paid to date; we value their contribution and support. As always, please visit our sponsors when you have need for their services or products.

Danny Parker, through his Life Church of Memphis located (2) in need and deserving families that MTR helped anonymously this year. This is his recap.
Card #1 $300.00 Went to a very kind widow with 8 children to care for. She never asks for anything but our Pastors are mindful of her and often help her with their needs as they should. She told Pastor Mundo Meneses, our Associate Pastor that just that morning she was praying that God would somehow provide a Christmas for her children. She had spent most of her Social Security check in December for her kid’s new coats and shoes. Pastor Mundo said she just cried and was so very thankful for the card.
Card #2 $300.00 Went to a young couple has two children aged 2 and a newborn earlier in December, both boys. The husband does granite and tile work and hasn't had any work for several weeks now due to the slow down of new home building and remodeling. They were struggling for food and diaper money as well as no money for Christmas. Since their kids were so small the majority of their money went to just help them live. It was a great blessing to them and it was right on time our Pastor said.
Pastor Mundo said that he has never had a group give to the church the way we did. He told me how appreciative he was and the kind way we did it, anonymously as well not looking for any recognition, is really God's way.
Good news, you don't have to pay for Directory Assistance.
Rather than spending money calling information, use 800-FREE-411 to get numbers without the normal charge or dial 800-555-TELL and get weather, sports scores, stock quotes and more.

Our MTR Christmas party Saturday, December 27th and Polar Bear Ride January 1st pictures and de-briefing are on the web page.

Billy reported on his encounter on the Polar Bear Ride, with a spider in his helmet and receiving 26 bites and the ole spider is yet to be found.

Dan and Linda’s daughter, Mellissa Atkins and children are moving back to Hawaii, Jake will be returning from Iraq, we will miss them, good luck and have a safe trip.

Quotation:

Thanks to all that brought door prizes, win one bring one.
Our next regular meeting will be February 12th. Here at Fox Ridge Pizza. Eat at 6:00 PM, Meet at 7:00 PM, gone by 8:00 PM. Take your time, have fun, ride safely in 2009
Adjourned at 7:39 PM…………Stan

You cannot do a kindness too soon, for you never know how soon it will be too late…………………………………….

Ralph Waldo Emerson

Door Prizes
Win One Bring One
Donated by	Prize	Winner
Floyd Don and Teresa Stan and Nina Stan and Nina Stan and Nina Danny and Lori Billy and Hildia Dan and Linda Dan and Linda Dan and Linda Paul and Dian Paul and Dian ??	1800 filter 3 candy's Mouse Pad Box pop com Box pop com Detail towel Microfiber cloth Trail mix Turtle wax Absorber Monkey butt powder Monkey butt powder Shull ashtray	BJ Lori Floyd Dan Paul T. Stan and Nina Dan Danny and Lori Rick Stan and Nina Danny Dan Rick
50/50 Jackpot	$55.00	Stan and Nina

The MTR Christmas giving spirit is alive

Danny Parker, through his Life Church of Memphis located (2) in need and deserving families that MTR helped anonymously this year. This is his recap.

Card #1 $300.00 Went to a very kind widow with 8 children to care for. She never asks for anything but our Pastors are mindful of her and often help her with their needs as they should. She told Pastor Mundo Meneses, our Associate Pastor that just that morning she was praying that God would somehow provide a Christmas for her children. She had spent most of her Social Security check in December for her kid's new coats and shoes. Pastor Mundo said she just cried and was so very thankful for the card.

Card #2 $300.00 Went to a young couple has two children aged 2 and a newborn earlier in December, both boys. The husband does granite and tile work and hasn't had any work for several weeks now due to the slow down of newhome building and remodeling. They were struggling for food and diaper money as well as no money for Christmas. Since their kids were so small the majority of their money went to just help them live. It was a great blessing to them and it was right on time our Pastor said.
Pastor Mundo saidthat he has never had a group give to the church the way we did. He told me how appreciative he was and the kind way we did it, anonymously as well not looking for any recognition, is really God's way.

The Greatest Oxymoron Of All "I laid down my bike to avoid a crash"
By: James R. Davis

I had to take a plane from Houston to New York City today and while 1 was waiting for my flight to depart I struck up a conversation with another passenger who happened to be interested in motorcycles. The man confessed to having had three motorcycle accidents in the past - though "I almost avoided one of them", he said. "I dumped my bike in what turned out to be an unsuccessful attempt to avoid hitting a truck." That sounded like three crashes to me, no matter how you slice it. With the sole exception of electing to do a 'low-side' rather than allow a 'high-side' to occur (that is, AFTER you have inadvertently locked your rear wheel and cannot keep up with correcting the slide), I can think of no good reason to cause an accident in order to avoid an accident. I mean, if a CRASH is virtually certain to happen then it seems to me that one should do everything possible to minimize the severity of that event rather than abandoning the effort and settling for a different form of crash.

This man told me that he and his wife hit the ground at 45 MPH about 1 second before they 'T-boned' the pickup truck that had stopped in the intersection ahead of them. He was convinced that the road rash and a couple of 'minor broken bones' they got from the impact with the street was far less than what would have happened to them had they hit the truck first. (I'm convinced the man didn't have a clue.) That makes no sense to me at all! If they had been able to stay on their brakes for a full second before impact they could have, at a stopping rate of I g (32.1 ft/sec"2), scrubbed off almost 22 MPH before the impact. In other words, they would have hit the car moving at a speed of about 23 MPH instead of hitting the street at 45 MPH. When I asked him HOW he dumped his bike his answer sounded a little less than likely: "I stood on the rear brake and slid the tire out from under me." While I don't doubt that this is exactly what happened, I do doubt that it was deliberate - and, more to the point, I think that action was as far from reasonable as it was less than deliberate.

One more time: Locking your rear wheel is an invitation to high-side your bike - it NEVER makes sense to aggressively use your rear brake - NEVER! Dumping a bike is a CRASH. Staying on your brakes until you actually impact something will reduce your speed at the point of impact far more than will sliding on the pavement before you hit an object - and there is no pain or damage done to you or the bike until you do impact. Finally, it should be clear that hitting something at 23 MPH is more survivable than hitting the asphalt at 45 MPH before you then hit that something at a speed still greater than 23 MPH.