05/01/2026
Hello Everyone!
Happy May Day to you all. In the US, May Day is celebrated on May 1st to honor labor rights and the fight for an eight hour day. May 1st is also Silver Star Service Banner Day in recognition of service members who have been wounded in combat, are sick or are dying. I thank our family members that have come before us to allow the right to work in safe environments, gather together to share our passion of riding motorcycles and enjoy the scenic beauty this country has to offer.
Many of us were able to enjoy the scenery of Louisiana last month when we attended the Cajun Country HOG Rally in Lafayette. We didn't have one bad meal on the trip but did find one place that had tea so sweet that it made my eyes pop. The rally had a challenge to visit different historical locations or places of interest and we divided up into smaller groups as each of us wanted to see different places. Mark, Vickie, Dale and Jane visited a Veterans home for one of their stops and had the privilege to visit with some residents. Adam, Paul, Mark and Jamie visited the dealer in Lake Charles then had a delicious po' boy before being soaked on the way back to the hotel. Chad went solo to see as much as he could and found some places nobody else had gone to. Jason and Shannon took the scenic route around the area to visit some historic homes, an old sugar mill and found an oak tree that looked 10 feet wide. They even stumbled on a Jambalaya contest and helped to pick a winner. Most of us went to the Tobasco factory on Avery Island and enjoyed learning about the local history along with having a taste of some ice cream with a Tobasco twist. Many of us rode to Port Arthur to get our picture taken for the Grand Tour of Texas then took the ferry across the river to start our journey on the Cajun Scenic Byway. We all gathered each evening for a meal to close out our day and listen to the adventures others had.
I talk about all of the places we were able to visit not to brag but to give thanks to people I consider friends. More importantly, what we experienced was fellowship in it's purest form. We shared experiences, food, raindrops, laughter and time. These are the times that make me the happiest and I'd like to think others may have that same feeling. Gatherings like this is what bring people together to strengthen our community. Looking forward to future rides we have coming up and hope others can join our community along the way.
If you're able to join us for the GM ride on Saturday May 2nd at 1pm then please come on down. Mark L has a great route planned and looking forward to seeing who will be riding with us.
Our first Running with the Herd event was last weekend but unfortunately the weather didn't cooperate in the morning but we did have a good lunch ride to Treno's in Temple. Our next event will be June 27th.
Last month, we spoke about check rides for new members and it's worth a reminder to all of us. A check ride is where the new member goes on a short ride with experienced chapter members and the new members riding style is checked out to make sure they are safe. The same goes for the new member checking us out. The goal is to make sure we're comfortable riding with each other. There have been enough experiences where we have riders doing their own thing and that doesn't work well riding in formation. A short debrief takes place when the ride is done to talk about any concerns if any. This is intended to be constructive to help others notice what may be fine on a solo ride but an issue when riding in a group.
Almost half of our chapter has gotten at least one mileage reading this year and encouraging the others to get that first reading. If you haven't gotten your first mileage reading then this weekend would be a great time to get that taken care of.
The Texas Rattlesnake Rally in Walnut Springs is May 14th-17th and coming up soon. If you are interested then check out their FB page at https://www.facebook.com/p/Texas-Rattlesnake-Rally-61572899431225/. Some of us have talked about heading up there to listen to one of the bands and check out some events. Let me know at the meeting if you're interested.
Upcoming Events
Saturday May 2nd - Lunch Ride to Gus's Deli in McGregor. KSU at 11.
Saturday May 2nd - Ride with the GM. 1pm at the shop.
Saturday May 9th - HOG Chapter meeting. 10am in the HOG room
Saturday May 9th - Lunch ride to Blackie's Gas Stop - Stephenville
Texas Rattlesnake Rally - May 14-17
**Hill Country Ride - May 22-24
**East Texas Ride - June 6-7. Will get 4 Grand Tour stops
Saturday June 13th - HOG Chapter meeting. 10am in the HOG room
Saturday June 13th - Lunch ride TBD
Saturday June 20th - All Day Ride - Airport Diner in Fredericksburg. Diner at a working airport.
Saturday June 27th - Riding with the Herd. 10am at the shop
**The Hill Country and East Texas rides are overnighters. If you are interested then please let me know so we can start looking for blocks of hotels.
The tentative routes are:
Hill Country - Kerrville / Camp Verde / Ingram / Hunt / 83 south to Leakey
East Texas - Rusk / Joaquin / Jefferson / Gladewater
Looking forward to seeing you at the meeting!
-Adam
Motorcycle Rally held in Walnut Springs TX .
