Blue's Angels

Just wanted you to know that Blue is not planning on riding tomorrow and I cannot get away on the bike. Hope the rest of you enjoy a safe outing.

Pat

Hi Pat,
 
Although I did send this to a couple of the Angels making the trip would you please post this on the Blue Angels site in case someone else is interested in going with us.
 
Dollar Bill and Fran, Mini Al and Sandy and The Gentleman Farmer and Gladys will be meeting in Albert Lea, MN on Sunday, August 16th at a motel to be determined.  We decided to make it a relaxing ride by spending an extra day on the road.  I'm hoping Cycleman will be joining us and maybe some of the guys traveling in their cages.      
 
Thought some of you might be interested in the next few paragraphs as several of us are trying to establish a group to ride with.  I did hear from Little Al and Marie and they will be joining us. 
 
Looking forward to Cody.
 
Safe riding,
Bill
 
 
 
 
 
In an attempt to establish a motorcycle occasional riding group with persons of similar interest several persons met at the United Methodist Church recently.  I am notifying you of our first ride and hoping you will join us. 
 
Sunday 2:00 on July 12th
Meet in the lower parking lot of the United Methodist Church at 709 W. Pine St in New London
 
We will take an approximate 2 hour ride (destination unknown) on country roads and will stop along the way as needed.  The ride will officially be over at 4 to 4:30 for those that need to return.  If others want we can ride to a restaurant and then proceed to Fremont to watch the Webfooters perform at 6:00.  If you have a favorite scenic ride let me know.
 
We will ride staggered at an approximate two second lag between bikes ( this means 4 seconds behind the bike in your lane) and we will use the WI stop for stop signs.  I learned that in some states motorcycle riders are required to come to a complete stop at all stop signs and put both feet on the ground before proceeding.  In WI it is legal to slow down, pause and proceed.  If we all ride the same there is less of a chance of an accident at a stop.  Of course you must be aware at any given time the bike ahead may have to come to a complete stop because of traffic.  We will obey the speed limit on the main roads but travel slower on back roads.
 
We hope there is enough interest that we can ride together at least once a month.  Everyone is invited to join us.  If you have not ridden as a group b4 we have experienced riders with advanced training that will give you tips and even ride with you before a scheduled ride in a group of 3 or 4 bikes if you wish. 
 
PLEASE FORWARD THIS EMAIL TO OTHERS THAT MAY BE INTERESTED, SPOUSES AND SPECIAL FRIENDS ARE ENCOURAGED TO ATTEND (please do not bring both at the same time though)  If you know of others I should contact send me there email or phone number.
 
IDEAS FOR FUTURE RIDES OR OTHER HINTS  TO GET THIS GROUP ACTIVE ARE ENCOURAGED.
 
It is not necessary to contact me before  July 12th but I would really like to know who is interested and may be attending.
 
Bill and Fran Barrington
billandfran@wolfnet.net
920-596-2034

Good morning Angels.....
You will recall that Mary recently had a crash on a motorcycle, while practicing to take her exams for an cycle endorcement on her drivers lisence. She had planned on joing the Angels in Cody this August but, obviously those plans changed. I recently wrote her Grand Daughter, Laura Forman for a progress report on her recovery.  Here are snippets of the replies.


"I did receive your email and have sent a text to Mary as to what she would like me to say to you.  We haven't actually seen her in 3 weeks now due to our being gone.  She is still recovering at her brother Eddy's house in Lansing Mi.  We do talk to her most everyday.  I know that she is feeling better and is now putting her toes on the floor without really putting weight on the leg.  She only started doing that recently up until then she didn't even allow her toes to touch the ground.
 
She will be going back to the Dr. soon for a check up to see how she is healing.  I know she is being extra careful, the doctor told her that he wanted to give her a chance to heal without surgery. But if that didn't work then they would need to remove her artificial hip and totally replace it. 
 
 I can tell you that she very much wants to ride again this winter so she is doing everything she can to make that happen.
 
I had to laugh at her. You know she always has a joke and always trys to look at the bright side of things.  Well not long after she broke her hip. She told me "the heck with the stupid bike license,  That's to dangerous,  I think after I heal up, I'll just get a pilots license"

And more recently......

"Just heard from Mary. She said to tell everyone hi. And that crashing sucks."

My thanks to Laura for the update. Please continue to keep Mary in your prayers for a complete recovery.


By the way, we are not too far away from the planned ride in Cody Country. Wanda and I will be departing here on August 17th, accompanied by Blue and Char, Ray Moore and BJ Williams.

Shutterbug

 

This past Saturday, the Angels revisited a spot we have ridden past often, but seldom stop at. It is the Roosevelt Lodge but affectionately know as the “Duck Pond”. With thoughts of avoiding the summer heat (yes, it is warmer now) we were looking for a destination with some added elevation and this was a beginning. Four bikes, and seven riders made up our contingent. Blue and Char,  Mike and Charmaine, Dennis,  Pat and Wanda all were looking forward to the morning. At departure we were already experiencing temperatures in the mid eighty’s and those who pretend to understand weather were predicting more triple digit heat. Blue decided that I would lead the group, explaining that I had been to Globe WallMart more than once and should be able to find my way again. Broker rode shotgun. The ride was enjoyable and all four bikes arrived without incident. After a short rest, we continued on up 188 to the Duck Pond. If you have not been there, it is a large facility, with a pretty view of the pond and accompanying waterfowl. We received a warm greeting from Lucy who expressed joy at our being there and concern that we had been away for such a long time. Truth is, they just don’t seem to be able to handle large groups efficiently, but did a good job with our numbers. The breakfast was good as was the conversation. Our next destination was a ride up the East Side of the Reservoir on Rt 288 toward Young. I had been up this road on two prior occasions and it is a pretty, curving road that leads to some tall ponderosa pines. We had been told that they have been working on the road and that there was not only about a mile of dirt with blacktop the rest of the way into Young. When we reached the top where the pavement ended, Broker rode on to check out the claim. In a bit, he returned saying that there was pavement a little over 2 miles on East and that the dirt was well packed and not too bad to ride. So, on we went and we did find good road again as promised. However, the road is not paved all the way to Young. There is a stretch of maybe 5 miles but it again turns to dirt and upon inquiring of an oncoming vehicle, we were told it was pretty rough, so we retraced our steps. You will find lots of pictures taken by Wanda this time, as it was all new to her. Once we reached Roosevelt Lake, the temperature had reached 100 and before we would get home, it would be 8 degrees above that. We did stop for fuel and cooling at Globe. It was about 1:30 when we rode back into the resort. All stopped for a few minutes to check out our new construction. Mike and Charmaine stayed a few extra minutes and enjoyed a cool drink. She was really hot and her face was a glowing red. The ride was a bit too long in the heat. I guess we will need to shorten the outings a bit as riding in triple digit heat really can take a toll on the body.

Ride Statistics:
Miles Ridden  191.8
Average Speed  42.4
Driving Time  04:24:02

It may be a day or two before I post this as our high speed internet service seems to be in the tank. Hope they get it fixed early next week. I miss the good server.

Shutterbug

I think the decision has been made for the ride tomorrow. We will depart at our regular hour (7 a.m.) and ride up to Roosevelt Lake, via Globe. It has been some time since we had breakfast at the Duck Pond so that is the choice and then we will ride up in the mountains East of the lake on the Young Road. The pavement ends as you near the summit, so we will turn around there. But, it is a higher elevation and should be cool up there and it is pretty. Hope to see you along for the ride.

Visit with Bob Kruse                            June 22, 2009
 
Blue's Angels from 2006 and before will remember Bob Kruse and his '05 Blue Gold Wing 1800.  Bob was blinded following a stroke the next summer, and is now housebound.  It was my pleasure to enjoy a cordial visit with him and his wife Jane this week at their new townhome in Waterford, Wisconsin.  Their phone number is 262-909-5890.  Bob remembers many Angels and times in Golden Vista, and just celebrated his 77th Birthday. Jane had recent knee surgery, and is recovering rapidly with lots of walking.
 
Bob's son Ken suggested a trip to the Harley Davidson Museum, only 30 miles away in Milwaukee on Monday, and it was a thrill, even for one who doesn't ride Harleys.  The Museum has a huge variety of Harleys and remarkable display panels.  It is always a work in progress, with constant change and additions.  There is a Reserved Parking Lot marked "No Cages", taken straight from John Kelty's talk on the CB.  There were about 40 bikes lined up from Prince Edward Island in Canada that day.  As we walked thru the displays, a lady was heard to remark, " For a Harley Rider, coming to this Museum is like going to Church."  If you go there, ask for the Chili and Cheese Fries at the Cafe Racer-it's served in a tin hog trough!
 
Phil Parsons

This is just to test the system. With luck, you will receive notification that the posting has happened and you will log on to see yesterday's ride report......

shutterbug

Test Email

Today, we took a different route for our Saturday journey. I am not certain that it was one that everyone enjoyed, but apart from the parts where I got us lost, I really liked it. (Should I go on, or just let it go?)  Aw, what the hell, you might as well know some of the details.

Blue asked me last week to suggest somewhere to ride to and I guess I am a little tired of riding the same routes every week, so suggested that we ride around the Phoenix Metropolitan Area. I used the GPS program to draw out a proposed route and delivered it to him. Being the nice guy that he is, he agreed, called me on Friday night and said that I would be leading the group. Now, please understand that for the most part, these are roads I have not been on, but having said that, I transferred the route from the computer to my GPS and was certain there would be no problems……. (Mistake #1)

There were four bikes assembled at the station for our 7 am departure. Blue, Char, Mike & Charmaine L, Dennis M, Wanda and I with arrangements to meet Jack P up near Fountain Hills made up today’s riding party. The weather was very nice. Some high clouds with a bit of a breeze and a balmy78 degree departure temperature contributed to some very nice riding conditions. I led the contingent and Broker rode shotgun. Now, I have been to Fountain Hills and almost remembered where Denny’s was, so that was not a problem. We found Jack where he was expected to be so all was good to this point. Breakfast was an enjoyable morning activity. Good service and good food always make us happy and after about an hour of conversation and face feeding, we were ready to make our departure. I am not certain why, at this point, that I did not just say to Blue that as I was pretty unfamiliar with the upcoming route and that maybe he should lead, but I suppose my pride stood in the way. (Mistake #2).   Those of you who followed me when we were on our way to Bartlett Lake will remember the little side road I took us on. Well, that was almost part of our itinerary today. Thank you Blue, for calling out that I needed to make the turn. About this time, my GPS began to play games with me. It was showing me two (and sometimes three) roads that I was to follow and then, with no prompting had me turn around to make a turn that I went by. I made the U-Turn and headed back (mistake # 3) and followed the GPS directives. Before long, Broker and Blue were inquiring as to where I was going and it was about at this moment that I decided that I had best relinquish the lead. I can say that Blue was very happy to pull into the front and get us straightened out. While he was not 100% sure of all the roads to travel, his many years herding that big truck down the road served him well and we were soon on the West Side of the City, looking for the 303. It took a couple of stops and some time in the shade looking at maps to figure out which route to take and after the last stop, Dennis led us through the countryside South of the city while I rode shotgun.  I had been on the 303 before it was so designated and at that time it was a “secret” route of a travel companion who used it as a shortcut from Yuma past Phoenix and on up Route 60. He told me “no one knew about this road” but I suspect that was not entirely true. After all, someone had to build the damn thing. It does carry more traffic today and we did hit a lot more red lights and stop signs that I know this group likes to encounter. And it took us over well over 4 hours to ride just a tad over 200 miles and it did get a little on the warm side (in the high 90’s on our return) but as I indicated at the beginning, it was an enjoyable ride for me. It is amazing to see how things have developed in areas that I have not seen much of in the past years. It was also interesting to see the dramatic difference in the homes up near Cave Creek as compared with those down near Luke AFB. We rode past an airport where they refurbish airplanes either for the airlines, or ones that the airlines are getting rid of, but that may be used by Federal Express, or other companies. We also saw a group of children enjoying a rainy day in the playground as a local fire department aimed a stream of water high into the sky and onto there hot little heads.

Now, for those of you wondering what could be wrong with my GPS, I probably hit a button incorrectly. And for those of you who might be worried about my leading the rides in Cody, well, you can certainly ask for a new leader, but I think I can find my way without the aid of today’s technology. After all, I was lost there as a child.

GPS Data:

Miles Ridden:   209.2
Average Speed:  46.1 mph
Driving Time  04:32:19
Maximum Speed   79.3 mph
Swear words recorded…. None
Swear words uttered…. None of your business

Shutterbug

Hi Pat,

Several years ago Don Eggen, myself, and several other bikers began a tradition of going for a ride every Tues.  This has generally worked out quite well, except for this year when mother nature has forced us to change this plan more often than not.  This past Tues. we did organize a ride with Don Eggen, Vern Chrestensen, Phil Parsons, Jim Shumaker (a friend, neighbor and frequent riding partner) and myself to visit the Arcadia War Memorial Park in Arcadia, Wisconsin.  As has been the case on several Tues.'s, the weather was not perfect (heavy overcast with a threat of rain) but we elected to proceed with the risk of getting a little wet.  We've all done
that before, right?  Our day began by all meeting at our home in New Richmond @ 0900 for coffee, muffins and some good conversation.  We then proceeded to head towards the mighty Mississippi and follow it downstream to Fountain City, WI.  Other than a detour around new road construction, all went well.  Our first stop was a rest area in Pepin, WI, a very scenic river town, where we decided to have lunch at the "Pickle Factory" sitting outside and enjoying a panoramic view of the river.  Our next "stretch break" was at a popular bikers hangout "Hanson's Hangout".  Unfortunately it is closed on Tues and does not open until 4:30PM except on weekends.  Note all the kick stand pads in the parking lot as well as their version of "Boot Hill".  The view to the South over the valley is awesome!  We then proceeded to Arcadia
to visit the war memorial.  Arcadia is a typical rural Wisconsin town of approx. 3,000 people, one's first question would be; how can a town this small support such a large and impressive memorial park?  The answer is that Ashley Furniture has a huge plant there and contribute very generously to the park.  Although Don, Jim and I have been here several times, it is always an enlightening experience and certainly renew one's patriotism.  There is some type of recognition for every war this country has participated in plus the latest; a tribute to the World Trade Center disaster.  There are also statues of several well recognized Generals, i.e. MaCarthur, Eisenhower, Patton, etc.  On our return home, we made our last stop as a group at Durand, WI for a quick beverage.  Phil and Vern then proceeded West to their destination, the rest of us to the Northwest to our homes.  Not sure about Phil and Vern but I think they ended up riding through some significant showers, our contingency only an occasional shower.  It was great to ride with the Angels again. We hope we can get together again before our season ends.  Take care and best regards, Geno. 

I had a message from Blue this evening and it is my understanding that Karin called to report that Lorryn is scheduled to have a valve replacement procedure performed on July 7th. He will be at Mayo Clinic in Rochester. We hope that you will keep him and his family in your prayers. As I have additional information, I promise to pass it along.

Hi Pat

Don & Karen Eggen and Mary and I have been invited to a MN Gold Wing gathering for the last several years at an absolutely beautiful place called Whiskey River Inn located in St. Peter, MN.  This year I invited Vern Chrestensen, and his wife Audrey as well as Phil & Jean Parsons to join us.
Unfortunately, Phil was unable to attend due to previous commitments.  Of significant importance, this was Audrey's first ride ever on a motorcycle. She said enjoyed it but would have to take a few more rides to build up her confidence, we may just have another co-rider next winter!  I have attached
a few photos of the Angels which I thought may be of interest.  Please pass on our regards to those Angels still remaining in AZ.  Please keep sending your reports, we enjoy reading them and look forward to our return next winter.

Take care,

Gene & Mary

Note from Shutterbug..... How wonderful to receive these separate reports. Thank you Geno. And our congratulations to Audrey Chrestensen on her first outing. We look forward to your being with us in Cody and enjoying that beautiful country from the best seat in the house.  And how nice to get some pictures of our Angel friends Don and Karen Eggan. I do hope they return to AZ one day to share time with us. Finally, I hope that more of you will share some of your summer rides with us is a similar fashion.

Saturday, June 13 and the normal temperatures this time of the year are in the triple digits. This June has been an exception and today was beautiful. When you look at the pictures, you will see high clouds with ample blue behind them and I can tell you that it was very comfortable for our 7 am departure. I checked as we rode over Usary Pass and it was 79 degrees but dropped 5 degrees as we rode up past the Salt River. This, of course, was the route we took to get us up to Rye Creek. Our initial grouping consisted of 4 bikes with six up. Dennis McKinney took the lead for this ride and Blue assumed the Back Door responsibilities. Wanda and I were in the Rocking Chair and Mike & Charmaine LaGrange made up the rest of the group. We would soon grow by two more bikes as Jack and Linda Parsons were waiting for us where the Bush Highway intersects with the Bee Line. Blue commented a couple of times on the nice tight formation that this group maintained. It was a little difficult at times as there was a good deal of traffic headed North and we had some infrequent separations as a result. Broker maintained a quick pace and it was not long before we were exiting the Bee Line in anticipation of a good breakfast at the Rye Creek Restaurant. With smaller parties, we do not usually call ahead and today there was no problem in being seated and served promptly. It had been a good while since we had made this a morning destination and it was good to be back.

You will see some pictures of Linda’s daughter and son-in-law and their children. Her kids have been visiting from the Denver area and were on their way back home. They stopped at the restaurant to “see the gang that their mother rode with”. That was a quick hello and goodbye. They were soon on their way back home and we were not long behind. Wanda and I opted to return directly back to AJ while the remaining bikes took the scenic route past Roosevelt Lake and Globe. I have not talked to any of them since returning, but see that Blue was home, so I assume that was a trip without incident. Wanda and I took a little detour before returning to the park. We had been told about a Leather & Accessories shop in Mesa that we wanted to check out. The name is Del Mar, run by Joe and Denise Del Mar and we found it to be as advertised. I wanted to check on some new riding gloves which would have been an affordable purchase. Mike, you will not be surprised to learn that Wanda found some other items that pushed the bill up a bit more. (Sound familiar?). I also found a barber shop that specializes in flat tops and I was really in need.

The ride was fantastic. We are noticing that the desert is beginning to dry out. The fire danger is extremely high and the beautiful greens that we have been enjoying these past months are not getting a bit on the brown side. I have been disappointed this year in that there has not been much of a cactus bloom. The Saguaro’s are at the tail end of their blossoming period but the other cactus just has not done much.

Ride Statistics (for the Alsup’s)
Miles Ridden…. 148.3
Average Speed….  54.4 mph
Driving Time…. 02:43:35
Maximum Speed   78.8 mph

Hope you enjoy the pictures. I have included the family photo’s as well.

What can be said.... Comfortable low 70 degree weather at 7 am.  Light breeze and blue skies decorated with puffy friendly clouds! A decision had to be made between trying it with just shirt sleeves or would a light jacket be better? Most opted for light jacket going out. Three bikes showed up for the ride with five riders anxious to enjoy the time on the ride and the wonderful breakfasts at the Cafe in Kearney. Golden Girl was absent, as following the cataract surgery she cannot have wind in her eye for about 3 weeks. However, she is seeing well, so Blue had best be on his toes. The "Top Gun" pair of Maverick and Goose rode in the rocking chair. Blue let the procession and it was my responsibility to be sure EVERYONE was toeing the line. Tough job!!!!  It takes us about an hour to complete the 50 mile ride and we were ready for our breakfast break. Obviously, no reservations were required and we were seated immediately and the food arrived promptly. We took about an hour to complete our morning repast and then organize ourselves for the return journey. Blue opted to ride shotgun and, fortunately, I had Wanda to help me lead the way home. It was a safe and uneventrul return, coming right back via Florence. We arrived back at the resort at 10 am, having ridded a total of 102.4 miles at an average speed of 54.6 mph. If you do the math, that reduces to an hour and 52 minutes of riding time. ( I let the GPS do the math)  My maximum speed today was 71.8. It was a great ride and now is time for me to head to work.....

Shutterbug