We Love Our Wing

written by: Angela Ferguson

We had a very gentle entry into 2014 spending the last of 2013 with a few snacks, a leisurely walk with the dog and tv all the way through the ball drop.  Then straight to bed.  Today is the first ride of the year with Chapter V but we have decided not to go.  This is shocking behaviour for us but we both have things we want to do at home (including updating the blog!)

As is the tradition, we have developed a few resolutions for the New Year…
#1 – Ride more.  (duh.)
#2 – Plan and pay better.  While it’s great to support groups, by paying way in advance for events we ended up not being able to participate in, we used funds that could have been spent on the trips we were able to take.
#3 – FINISH BMR!  3rd year’s the charm we’re hoping.
#4 – Blog more.  We took lots of pictures to share and even drafted a few stories but we just didn’t manage to get it done when it came to posting our adventures.

Regarding #3, today is the official start of Wing WA and BMR.  While our Wing WA registration is going into the mail this week, we haven’t yet signed up for BMR.  I want to, Steve is more hesitant.  We’re trying to be realistic about what we can achieve, and with Rock better but still declining, we don’t think we’re going to be able to do many (if any) overnight trips until he’s gone.  BMR ends in May and we’re just not sure we’ll be able to get the points necessary only taking day rides. This afternoon I am starting a Google map of all the BMR locations we might be able to get and, once we have the Wing WA list, I’ll see how many sort-of match up for efficient riding.  The other weighty factor is, even if we got the points, we might not be able to attend the banquet.  Our cousin is graduating from University of the Pacific in Stockton, CA on May 10th and we’re just not sure we can turn around and make a trip back to the area for the banquet in Reno, NV. While attending the banquet isn’t necessary, we always like the opportunity to actually meet the other people we’ve been riding with (so to speak).  Time will tell what we end up doing…

As we did last year, I am including in this post all the events/tours/meetings we HOPE to do this year, just in case some of them strike your fancy, as well. For links and event descriptions, scroll down.

BMR2014 (Jan 1 – May 24)
Steeple Chase 2014 (Jan 1 – Dec 31)
Wing WA (Jan 1 – October 11)
Green Freeze I (Jan 18)
Green Freeze II (Feb 15)
Oregon Airport Tour (Mar 1 – Sept 20)
Unofficial DamTour (Mar 1 – Sept 30)
NW Wings Annual Spaghetti Dinner and Auction (Mar 1)
Green Freeze III (Mar 22)
GLMC Grand Tour (April 1 – Sept 28??)
RCMC Grand Tour (April 1 – Sept 30)
Rose City Oregon 250 (April 6) – we’ll be missing this due to a big family birthday but wanted to share because it’s fun
Hinshaw’s Ride For Kids Benefit Day Potluck (April 12)
Lemon Run (April 26-27)
Firehouse Run (May 4)
Rose City Oregon 500 (May 10)
Orting Soldiers Home Cemetery Cleanup & BBQ (May 18)
Western States 1000 (June 7-8)
GWTA-WA State Rally (July 3-6)
Gold Rush – GWTA National Rally (July 21-24) – this is just FYI; we’re not going as it’s in Michigan
Run for the Dogs (July ?)
Vampire Chili Bite (Oct 18)
Veteran’s Day Parade (Nov 8)
Wreaths Across America (Dec 13)

BMR 2014 (http://bigmoneyrally.com/2014/?page_id=5402)
This tour is in its 3rd year and continues to get bigger and better.  It is put on by a group of volunteers, as you will be able to tell from the very casual, conversational tone of web content.  BMR stands for Big Money Rally which is tongue-in-cheek.  It’s a nationwide self-guided tour that runs January 1st  – May 24th this year. Its twist is that all photos must be taken with a cell phone and submitted immediately to the website via email.  They even have an Android app now!  The photos are reviewed (surprisingly quickly) and scored online. I like that they are uploaded and reviewed quickly – if you did something wrong, you may still be close enough to go back and get it right!  Your bike and placard (provided with signup) in front of the location must be in most pictures – the instructions will be clear when it’s okay to not show the bike.  In rally format, all the locations are called bonuses.  Throughout the event different lists of bonuses will be published, containing locations within various categories, each worth a certain number of points. 144 points are needed to be a finisher for which you receive… a t-shirt!  There are additional finishing levels – as you get more points, you get more opportunity to win raffle items.  The people putting this on – and those participating – all seem in it to have a good time, which we like.  Sometimes people put together local events, like a RTE (ride-to-eat) that includes a bonus location stop.   There are 12 categories on the first bonus list this year, with thousands of locations. Check it out!

Steeple Chase (Couldn’t find a link for the Steeple Chase flyer but it’s put on by this group so you could contact them directly to receive information http://destinyridersoftacoma.com/)
We had a delightful time chasing down steeples last year.  One in the middle of cherry orchards was particularly memorable (long story, ask us sometime!)  This photographic tour, as with most, is intended to take you down some of the best motorcycling back roads in the area. You visit (chase) up to twenty churches (steeples) across Washington.  With registration, you’ll receive the list of steeples for the year and a number card.  You take a picture of the bike and card (and yourself, if there is someone else around to take the picture) in front of the church.  Each photo is worth one entry into the prize drawing which is held at the Steeple Chase Banquet in January. You get 5 bonus entries if you visit all 20 churches.  If you get all 20 steeples, there’s another 5 bonus locations you could visit for another 5 entries in the raffle. You can mail or email the photos when you’re done. Not sure what grand prize is but you need not be present to win, which is nice.

Wing Washington (This link http://www.evergreenwings.org/activities/ should take you to a page with the registration form for Wing WA, along with several others). (UPDATE: http://www.gwta-wa.org/c/WWFlyer2014.pdf)
This is our 4th year participating in this tour.  Now put on by GWTA-WA Chapter C, this is an all-Washington self-guided photographic tour that starts January 1st and ends the day of the banquet (Oct 11th this year).  Since you bring your photos to the banquet for verification, you can take photos right up to the last minute.  (Well, last hour since you’ll need time to get them printed).  After signing up, you are provided with a list of 25 locations, plus, 12 bonus locations. There are 6 categories and this year is quite an interesting collection with: Bigfoot & Big, Coffee Makers (suggested by me!), Veterinarians, Bed & Breakfasts and Thai Restaurants, with ‘Gun Ranges’ for the bonuses.  They’ve divided the state into 5 regions; each region has a location from each category.  You choose which locations to visit and take your picture in front of the chosen destination.  You print all your photos and bring them to the banquet where they are confirmed/counted.  You get a raffle ticket for each location so the more places you visit the more chances you have of winning something.  They actually have some fairly decent prizes.  It’s $40 dollars per person, $15 for the list and $25 for the Banquet.

Green Freeze XXVII (http://gwta-wa.org/v/Green_Freeze_Flyer_2014_(2).pdf)
This 3-part event is put on by our GWTA-WA Chapter, Chapter V. When you register for the event you are signing up to take part in 3 separate day rides – one in Jan, one in Feb, one in March. When you arrive at Hinshaw’s on the day of the ride you’re provided with turn-by-turn instructions which will take you on a ride lasting about 1 1/2 – 2 hours and ending at a restaurant.  At the restaurant you check in and pull a poker chip, the number of which is recorded on your registration form.  You can choose to stay, chat and eat or simply head home.  After the 3rd ride, your chip count is totaled and there are prizes for highest and lowest totals.  The 3rd ride ends at a banquet location where we provide food, lots of door prizes, hand out other prizes and pull the ticket for the winner of our $500 raffle. We also have the bloodmobile onsite to offer people an opportunity to save lives. Even though registration is good for all 3 rides, you can sign up even if you’ve missed one or two. They just have you pull an extra chip to make up for the ride(s) you’ve missed. (FYI – if anyone’s interested we’re selling raffle tickets…$1 each for a chance at a $500 cash prize!)

Oregon Airport Tour (http://www.oregonairporttour.org/)
This is the second year of this self-guided tour that begins March 1st and runs through the third Saturday in September (the 20th this year). Upon registering you will receive a list of 10 airport locations.  After visiting all the locations, you mail in your pictures and get… a t-shirt!  This is the only tour event we’re hoping to do that requires you visit all the locations to finish.  We are participating in this because we already hoping to be riding around Oregon for the RCMC rides and various Grand Tours (see below).

Unofficial DamTour (https://www.facebook.com/groups/damtour/)
We’re not the only ones who can’t let it go!  This is probably now the ultimate self-guided tour.  The dams for the year are suggested and then voted on via Facebook.  Everyone makes their own placard.  Your prize for however many dams you visit is the pleasure you had in getting there.  There will likely be meet-ups and small group rides along the way.

NW Wings Annual Spaghetti Dinner and Auction (Mar 1) (http://www.gwta-wa.org/d/)
This is the 29th Annual though we’ve only been to one.  We went two or three years ago and are planning on going again this year.  The Northwest Wings are our drill team chapter and this event helps cover some of the costs they incur (travel, lodging) while performing, free of charge, for the public. Cost is $18 pre-registered or $20 at the door – silent auction begins at 3pm, dinner at 4pm, and live auction is at 5pm.

GLMC Grand Tour – NOT YET ANNOUNCED (UPDATE: GLMC website: http://www.glmc.org/grand_tour.php   Blog post: https://weloveourwing.com/2014/01/17/double-down/)
GLMC stands for the Glacier Lake Motorcycle Club and this will be our second year participating in this groups tour.  Last years theme was “A Trip from Z to A” with the objective being to visit towns which start with the letter Z or end with an A.  We had a great time and visited some very interesting locations.  This is a nationwide annual self-guided tour with a changing theme. I don’t yet know what this year’s theme will be but we plan on participating!  If it goes like last year, you just need to take a picture of your bike and provided rally towel in front of a building with the name of the required item on it. It runs from April 1st to sometime in September and to be considered a finisher you need 25 points for which you’ll get – drumroll, please – a t-shirt! Plus, entry into a first prize drawing. There are other drawing levels for other point levels. All photos are submitted through the mail but you can choose whether to print them or send a cd, thumbdrive or SD card.  More info will be provided when more is available.

RCMC Grand Tour (http://www.rose-city-mc.org/RCEventfliers/GT.html)
Also starting April 1st is the Rose City Motorcycle Club’s (RCMC) Grand Tour.  The RCMC is a large motorcycle group based in Portland – they are not a “chapter” and they are not bike specific, just a group of people who like to ride.  This will be our 4th year participating. This is also a self-guided tour, but no pictures this time! Registering gets you a “passport” – a booklet that lists each location with name, address, hours of operation and other notes of worth.  There is a box on each page for the location to stamp for proof you were there. I think there are about 15 locations in Oregon, and 4 or 5 bonus locations in neighboring states.  They are all restaurants but they’re in out-of-the-way locations and/or along good roads to ride.  There is no requirement to eat at the restaurant – you can show up, get your book stamped and leave.  We tend to get at least a little something.  This runs through September 30th, at which point you mail in your passport (unless you finish sooner). You need 10 Oregon locations to be considered a finisher.  You get a pin for finishing this one, and raffle tickets for each location visited. They have a banquet at the end of October (costs extra) with good food and really good prizes (the best of any event we’ve been to).

Rose City Oregon 250 (http://www.rose-city-mc.org/RCEventfliers/250.html)
This annual RCMC ride event is April 6th.  You show up in the morning, are given a list of instructions at check-in, then you follow those instructions to the next location where you’re given a new instruction sheet.  The days ride totals around 250 miles and you end at a location where they hand out prizes for the closest guess to actual mileage, and some other awards.  Pre-registration cost is $15 per person and you will get a participation pin and year bar (or just year bar if you have participated before).
They also do the Rose City Oregon 500, which is similar to the 250 but this time you’re riding about 500 miles in a day (http://www.rose-city-mc.org/RCEventfliers/500.html). This year’s 500 is on Saturday, May 10th. Pre-registration cost is $19 per person and you will get a participation pin and year bar (or just year bar if you have participated before).  There’s also a mileage guess and other prizes for this ride.
Over the first weekend of June RCMC also hosts the Western States 1000 (http://www.rose-city-mc.org/RCEventfliers/WS1K.html) which is now in its 26th year.  This is a 2-day event with each day covering about 500 miles.  These routes all tend to take you by Grand Tour locations which is great if you’re participating in that as well. 2014’s event will take place on June 7th and 8th.  Pre-registration cost is $29 per person. I believe for this one also, you receive a participation pin and year bar (or just year bar if you have participated before), as well as the mileage guess and other prizes.

Hinshaw’s Ride For Kids Benefit Day Potluck
Our Chapter has traditionally done a Rootbeer Float Fundraiser outside a couple grocery stores for the Ride for Kids charity but this year we’re changing it up.  The Chapter is hosting a BBQ and potluck to provide food to those who come by Hinshaw’s in Auburn on April 12th.  All donations will go toward Puget Sound Ride for Kids, a charity supported by motorcyclists dedicated to finding a cure for pediatric brain tumors.  We’ll provide more details when available.

Lemon Run
Though this event is being put on by our chapter we have absolutely no idea what it is about.  We missed the December meeting where we think it was discussed so I guess we’ll just have to wait and see.  I do know that the April ride event is typically the Lime Run put on by GWTA-WA Chapter S but their doing a Firehouse Run in May instead.  So Chapter V wanted to provide an event for April and the Lemon Run was born.  Get it?…usually Lime Run, instead it’s the Lemon Run.  Anyway, will share more when we know more.  All we can say for now is it will take place over Saturday and Sunday, April 26th and 27th.

Firehouse Run (UPDATE: http://gwta-wa.org/s/FHRunRegis14.pdf)
This new event is taking place May 4th and is put on by GWTA-WA Chapter S, the Skagit Valley Wings.  All we know for now is “A ride thru Skagit & Island counties starting with breakfast at the Cedardale Fire Hall, 19746 E Hickox Rd, Mt Vernon, WA 98274.”  Again, we’ll share more when we know more. We know more! Follow the link to a flyer for this event.

Orting Soldiers Home Cemetery Cleanup & BBQ
Not a ride event but something in which we feel it’s important to participate.  On Sunday, May 18th, our Chapter and anyone else who is interested in attending meet at the Orting Soldiers Home with shovels, rakes, weed wackers, gardening tools, etc. to give the cemetery a much-needed spruce up in preparation of Memorial Day.  There’s breakfast items and coffee served in the picnic shelter prior to everyone being shuttled to the nearby cemetery where we go to work on whatever is needed.  Some prune bushes, others pull weeds, plant flowers, mow, weedwack, raise sunken headstones…whatever needs doing to make sure our soldiers final resting spot is treated with the respect it deserves.  After the spruce-up, we head back to the shelter for a bbq picnic.  A very fulfilling day.

Washington State Rally (http://www.gwta-wa.org/rally.htm)
No real info yet, other than the rally is being held in Omak again, July 3rd – 6th.

Gold Rush (http://gwta.org/upcomingevents/gr/gr_info.htm)
This is the annual national GWTA rally, taking place July 21-24 at Boyne Mountain Resort, Boyne Falls, Michigan. As I said above, we’re not planning on going to this but thought it might be good to share the info.  Apparently the resort is a popular Michigan destinations as named by AAA. It has a Swiss-Austrian theme and features  Avalanche Bay, Michigan’s largest indoor waterpark. The resort’s varied terrain provides four seasons of recreation and entertainment with two beautiful mountainside golf courses, mountain biking, sandy beach, Zipline Adventure, kayaking and canoeing, scenic chairlift rides, and more.  As if that weren’t enough, Solace Spa, named among “Best Spas in the World” by Spa Magazine, offers the latest rejuvenation and wellness practices, salon services, and fitness facilities. Sounds great – it’s just too far for us.

Run for the Dogs
Not sure yet if this event is happening again this year but I sure hope so!  It’s always a struggle to find information and, this far out, I wouldn’t really expect any to be available.  This event is a fundraiser for Guide Dogs of America and is hosted by the local IAM&AW. The staging area is at the Tacoma AMVETS Post #1 at 57th & Tyler.  Last year, along with the ride, was a mileage guess, 50/50 drawing, and door prizes and an awesome high dollar grand prize (can’t remember exactly how much now). If you’re interested you can contact organizers Sam Stuart at 253-221-5378 or Robin Stuart at 253-377-1610.  (more info from 2012 at
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lbYxqwoeJpk)

Vampire Chili Bite
This is a free event our Chapter hosts at Hinshaw’s in Auburn.  We bring lots and lots of crockpots filled with a variety of chili’s, all the fixin’s, and a variety of cornbread and other desserts (including my famous Crud).  The bloodmobile bus is onsite and, our hope is, people will donate blood, but we’re just as happy to have you come by, sample the goods and chat with us awhile.  This event helps the blood bank, lets us spread the word about GWTA, and Hinshaw’s might even make a sale or two 🙂

Veteran’s Day Parade (http://www.island.us/veterans/)
We participated in this fairly new parade for the first time last year.  Traditionally, Oak Harbor folks joined us at the Auburn Veteran’s Day Parade – the largest such parade west of the Mississippi.  When Oak Harbor decided to begin their own, we decided to support them.  2014 will be their third year.   It’s a much smaller event but we had a lot of fun last year.  We took a nice ride up – including a trip on the ferry – the morning of the event, had lunch, decorated our bikes, rode the route, then headed to a nearby hotel with some of the rest of the group and had a little parking lot picnic before heading across to a restaurant for dinner (in case you hadn’t noticed, this chapter eats A LOT). The next morning we chose our own route home.  Life permitting, we will definitely be joining them again this year.

Wreaths Across America (https://www.wreathsacrossamerica.org/)
We’ve participated in this event for the past several years and plan to do so again in 2014.  For more information follow the link or read our past post here (https://weloveourwing.com/2012/12/15/paying-our-respect-to-those-that-served/)

I’ll try to remember to post a screen shot of our map designating all the points we might visit over this year, once I get our 2014 Google Map done.  Enjoy your rides!