GWRRA Maine Chapter C
"Mainely Wings"
Last Updated 12/30/07 Home About GWRRA Contacts Newsletter 2007 Newsletter 2008 Events 2007 Events 2008 Club News 2008 Photos Sale Items Links |
Club News 2007Bangor - Music Festival weekend (August 29-30) Met at Hannaford’s at 9:00 - three couples: Claudette and Allen, Cheryl and Bob, Barb and Mushlit We rode side roads to Bangor - came upon Dixmont’s 200 year celebration parade (we seem to be making this a habit). We stopped at a shady spot (it was really hot the whole weekend) and had a ring side seat for the parade - the usual fire trucks, a few floats, the Shriner little cars that go over the top of a car, the Revolutionary Minute Men who fire their rifles, etc. Continued on to Bangor. C&A stayed a couple of hours at the Festival and headed home - they had another commitment later in the day. Claudette was the only one to buy anything. C&B, B&M had a lunch at Sea Dog - C&B watched a show and returned to their motel so C could exercise and B could go in his beloved hot tub. B&M watched a couple of shows and returned to their motel for cold showers and chilling out. At six, the four of us met and went back to the Festival to watch the Irish musical/dancing group- it could have been been better, the sound engineer was having problems. Then we went to Brewer to the Muddy Rudder to eat on the deck and listen to music from across the river. Mush decided he had to have an ice cream before calling it a night so we closed down a ice cream shop in Brewer. Part way back to the motels, the sky opened up with lightning and rain. Thank goodness we didn’t have far to go. Next morning we met at Dysart’s for breakfast. Then C&B headed back to Poland. B&M went back to the Festival and watched the Tibetan Monks (we can make one tone when we sing, they can make 3 - but admit, I didn’t really like any of them - they also play a horn that is low and deep - they did one number with a "snow lion" - sort of like the dragon thing you see Chinese use. Then we watched 3 groups who sang and recited sea songs. Finally, we watched two brothers who "thumb pick" guitar (like Chet Atkins) - we really enjoyed them. Then at 3:30, it was time for us to head back to Monmouth. Barb Mushlit Madawaska Picnic (Weekend August 17 -19, 2007) Attending from Chapter V (Madawaska): Linda and Jim Cyr/Denise and John Ouellette/Rena and Phil Thibeault Attending from Lincoln: Joan and Roger Stinson/Becky and Dick Brown/Rhonda and Wayne Kimball/Irene and Jeff Gifford Attending from Chapter C (Lewiston): Claudette and Allen Cyr/Barb and Ed Mushlit Attending from Chapter D (Bangor): Jill and Bud DeCesere Chapter C trip notes: The four of us met at 8:00 and headed north on the turnpike - stopped at Nicky’s in Bangor for breakfast - then turned off at Medway up Route 11. Stopped in Ashland for ice cream and arrived at the motel in Madawaska around 3:15. We visited in the warm sunshine with others who were there. Linda and Jim joined us and took us to the Fourth Corner in Madawaska that is under construction - ten of us headed for supper at Lakeview in St. Agatha with a lovely view and everyone had good meals. Then back to the motel - Chapter C people stayed up a while and went to bed early. Chapter D lasted til midnight. The next morning (Saturday) some of us rode along the shore of Long Lake, then to Linda and Jim’s for picnic. The guys all agreed that Jim is the winner - "he has the most toys." It was windy most of the day so Jim started a fire and some of us stayed in their lovely gazebo - they have a beautiful spot and lots of room. Late in the afternoon, we all ate a wonderful meal Linda had prepared along with some help from her Chapter friends. . Claudette and Allen left for Grand Falls to visit with family for rest of weekend. Rest of us went back to motels - Chapter D kindly invited Barb and Ed to party with them. We enjoyed hearing their funny stories about some of the cross country trips they have made. They are real travelers. Sunday morning (it was cold), some of us ate a light breakfast at the motel - headed out around 8:00 along Route 1. We ate lunch/breakfast at Grammy’s in Linneus. - we had heard tales of the large servings, but they are ridiculous. Most everyone’s plate looked as though we hadn’t even started when we were done. We stopped at MacDonald’s in Lincoln for a cold drink and to say our goodbyes. It never really warmed up until we got to Bangor and took off some of our clothing layers. Saw some new (although Mush has seen most of the county by snowmobile) country, met some new friends and had fun. Barb Mushlit Andover for Old Home Days Ride 8/4/07. Riders were: Nancy and Richard, Cheryl and Bob, Mickey and John , Annette, Mariette and Jack, Mel and Art, Sue and Mel Pierce (Vermont), Claire and Stan Pierce (Vermont), and Barb and Mush As planned, we met at Tim Horton’s on Minot Avenue in Auburn and left at 9:00. We rode to Andover (with short side trip to Paris Hill around the loop by Hannibal Hamlin’s home - there are so many beautiful homes up there) and arrived in Andover just in time to be on the tail end of the parade. Some people said that next year we should plan better and be at the head of the parade. It was hot by then and just inching along wasn’t all that much fun, but we ladies got to practice our "queen waves." There were so many people - there were not the really nice, interesting vendors some of us had seen last year and no music at that early hour. We rode by John’s great-great grandfather’s homestead (John A Poor) - he is listed as one of the Civil War participants on the town memorial stone. Some wanted a more organized, sit-down lunch so M &J, M&A and the two Vermont couples rode to Mexico and then back to Auburn. The rest of us munched on some of the food at the fair....and then rode to Bethel for ice cream. M&J headed home, B&M headed for Freeport (Arlo Guthrie concert - which was great), and N&R, C&B, and A headed to NH for another loop before heading home. It was a beautiful ride and day and we really enjoyed having S&M, C&S along ... tried looking at everything with new eyes the way they would be seeing all the sights - we are really lucky and take too much for granted. Barb Mushlit Massachusetts Rally - 7-19 through 7-22 It was a fun time and we lucked out most of the weekend with great weather. Alan and Claudette biked down on Wednesday to be there for work and set up. Richard and Nancy drove down on Thursday (weather was iffy and bad) so Richard could be there in time for the ice cream social - all reports we heard were glowing - plenty of ice cream and all kinds of toppings. Ed and Barb biked down, starting out Friday morning, Bob and Cheryl biked down starting Friday noon and unfortunately ran into Massachusetts afternoon traffic - their fellow travelers (in cars and trucks) informed them it was just usual Friday afternoon Massachusetts traffic as they inched along. It could have been worse though because there was a bad accident on the northbound lane that resulted in a huge traffic back up. They arrived 6:00 ish and R&N, E&B and B&C ate in the hotel - was pretty good, too. A&C went to eat earlier with a group to Longhorn. B&C went to their room to wind down - R&N and E&B went to try our luck at some of the games. We missed the team games cuz we were still eating - but tried finding safety pins in rice with eyes blind folded, throwing rings on dog’s tail, putting green, etc. We had fun and got points to add to our score card depending on how well we played - guess what? - none of us won the prizee for highest score presented at the banquet. Last thing that evening the six of us went to Friendly’s for hot fudge sundaes. There were several seminars - Friday afternoon E&B went to "pick up a wing demo" to be shown how to lift a downed bike properly....after being shown, E volunteered to try and found it very helpful...using the suggestions the bike was up in no time and he wasn’t huffing and puffing as he had in the past....using legs instead of arms is really the right way. When it was dark,. there was a wing light show staging/judging. There were more bikes entered than they had a Wing Ding in Montana. Our own Alan led the parade riding a new white trike....the lights were pretty, but it got pretty noisy - the horn blowing got crazy. Saturday we all ate breakfast in the hotel using free vouchers...later there were several choices of seminars - E was drafted to conduct the "pick up a wing demo" .... not sure what others did, but E&B later went to "accident scene response seminar." It was informative. Some of the others available were GPS Seminar, GWRRA history seminar, a legal information seminar (we heard it was good). During the day some of us helped Claudette sell 50-50 tickets and Grand Prize ($500). Saturday night’s banquet (food was good), there were awards given out, prizes awarded, etc. Again, the six of us went to Friendly’s for hot fudge sundaes. A&C chilled out in the hot tub - they had both worked very hard during the whole rally and were ready to wind down. Sunday morning, A&C biked and D&N drove directly home. B&C and E&B biked long way home so B could get his "P & H fix" in Wells River, Vermont. P & H is a truck stop that has really great rolls. Sure hope many of you will be able to attend the New England Rally next year at this time in Rutland, Vermont....plans have been started. Ed Mushlit The July 1st ride to Owl's Head took a turn after we discovered that the auto show was actually the following week. Four bikes and eight people, ( Richard & Nancy, Bob & Cheryl, John & Micki, Ed & Barb ) then headed down to Moody's Diner for a great lunch. From there we travelled down to Pemaquid Point to enjoy the harbor views. A pleasant ride from there to Damariscotta and more back roads ending back in Gardiner. All in all, a very pleasant day as always with good friends and a safe ride. Our thoughts throughout the day were with Dennis Libby. We are all > pulling for you Dennis and we are praying for your speedy recovery. Ed Mushlit Our ride on Saturday, June 23rd was enjoyed by 10 chapter members. ( Richard & Nancy, John & Micky, Art & Mel, Ed Barsky & Carol, Ed & Barbara) We were three trikes and couple of two wheelers. We began the ride from Hannaford's in Gardiner and traveled down a variety of roads to Woolwich and then up Rt. 1 to Damariscotta. From there we went down the River Rd. to Boothbay and out to Ocean Point where we stopped to enjoy the beautiful ocean view. A hearty lunch was enjoyed by all at The Harborside Restaurant in Boothbay Harbor. One more side trip after lunch through Southport Island and we headed down Rt. 1 as folks departed seperate ways for home. Except for cloudy skies and a little chill in the air it was a wonderful day to ride and enjoy the company of good friends. Ed Mushlit The weekend ride to Grand Falls, N.B. was thoroughly enjoyed by Bob & Cheryl, Ed & Barbara, Dennis & Sandy, Earl & Dottie, Dennis & Bonney and Bob (Hoppe). The trip up on Saturday was great except for very windy conditions in the county. We ate supper at the motel (very good) and at two other restaurants recommended by Claudette. The Pizza Boy was excellent :-P . The Hilltop was not as good :-( but the view from the dining room was wonderful. On Sunday, we all took time to view the Grand falls (spectacular) and took a leisurely ride down one side of the St. John River and then back up the other side. The remainder of the day was spent enjoying each others company. The girls did some walking exercises and swimming in the pool. There was the usual :-D teasing and joking around by all. Monday morning breakfast at the hotel and then we travelled down Rt. 2 to Woodstock, N.B. and over to the border station at Houlton. Half the group unintentionally got seperated :-[ between the border and a coffee stop at Houlton. Hope there were no hard feelings as a result, and a lesson learned for future rides. All in all it was a very enjoyable and relaxing weekend together. Ed Mushlit On Saturday, May 12th, 5 wings travelled to the Kittery Trading Post, Kittery, Maine. We met at the Irving Station at the Auburn Exit 75. First stop was Reynolds Sports Center where we met Richard King and Earl & Dottie Weaver. While Richard was there he spoke with the owner, Scott Lyons. Scott will be posting our poker run flyer and Scott also gave us 3 door prizes: one helmet, and two $25 gift certificates. A big thank you to Scott and Reynolds Sports Center. We proceeded on to Kittery Trading Post where we roamed the store for an hour and a half. Then we crossed the street at enjoyed a delicious meal at the Weathervane Restaurant. From there we travelled route one heading back home. A cool, clear, enjoyable day for riding with friends. (Richard) Here's my contribution to the next newsletter (Ed Mushlit) Saturday, May 5th 11 bikes traveled to Venco Wing's open house in Louden, N.H. on an absolutely beautiful spring day. We were treated to a delicous barbeque lunch and some of us even won some prizes. Earl & Dottie went home with a nice new riding jacket. Other winners presented their gifts to Richard for the upcoming Poker Run raffle. A short meeting was conducted during a rest (Ice cream) stop on the way home. Volunteers are needed for the poker run to sell raffle tickets, register participants, man poker stops and the hot dog stand. Please contact Richard, Allan or Ed to sign up. The Chapter will also soon have GWRRA Cook Books available to sell as a fundraiser. Let us know how many you would like to have to sell or buy. We ended the ride at Cole Farms in Gray where it became an issue trying to get tables for 17 people. Some of the group chose to continue on their ride home rather than wait since it was getting late. Next time we stop to eat with a large group I suggest we split into smaller groups in order to get tables. Don't forget to make your reservations for the Memorial weekend ride to Grand Falls N.B. Also, you need to get your registrations in for the All New England Rally in WestSpringfield, MA. if you plan to attend. We are hoping for a good turnout to represent Maine. Remember, that this is your district and your chapter. Participation makes it all happen. |