The Spring
Naturally Beemers Meeting is Coming!
Mike Wingfield
Please plan to attend the Naturally Beemers annual club meeting, scheduled for March 19, 2005. The meeting site has been changed from previous years so please take note! This years meeting will be conducted at the Oasis Renewal Center in Little Rock. Club member Steve Hitt is the proprietor of the Oasis, and he has graciously extended an invitation for the club to have it’s meeting there. Attached to this newsletter, please find a map which will lead you to the Oasis. The meeting will begin at 12:00noon. Lunch plans are being discussed, but given the Oasis’ location, it’s likely that we will order takeout from Corky’s Barbeque or some other venue that is close by. Additionally, if anyone is interested in camping the night of March 19th, just bring your tent and sleeping bag and other camping gear. Camping is available around the two lakes on the 50 acre property. Please plan to attend this important meeting!
Oasis Renewal Center
14913 Cooper Orbit Rd.
Little Rock, AR 72211
NATURAL STATE RALLY INFORMATION
Where:
Corps of Engineers Sequoia Park
Lock
and Dam 9
Please
accept this announcement that the Natural State Rally is scheduled for May 13-
15,
2005 at the Sequoia Park at Lock and Dam 9 on the Arkansas River, which is
south of Morrilton, AR with easy access from I-40. Take Arkansas hwy. 9 south.
Go over the Arkansas river bridge.
The park entrance if five miles south of the intersection of U.S. hwy.
64 and Arkansas hwy. 9. There is a sign
designating the park entrance. Just
look for the BMW roundels. This is a no
frills rally. Registration is six
dollars per night to cover camping fees.
Rally patches and t-shirts will be for sale separately. Facilities and showers on site. There are plenty of restaurants in nearby
Morrilton. Great riding is close
by!! For information, contact: cmwingfield@ualr.edu
or by phone at 501-664-6016.
From Barry
The Art of the Motorcycle is being presented in Memphis, TN. The dates are from April 22, to October 30, 2005. The location is the Pyramid, North Entrance. 100 motorcycles will be displayed. Tickets are $15.00 for adults. More information can be found at www.wonders.com
Barry Gordon
The fall campout held this year at Village Creek State Park was a resounding success. We had about thirty attendees for the event, with 20 camping out and 10 coming in for the day on Saturday. Tim Hendrickson did a great job, preparing the barbeque dinner for us. The weather was perfect so we all had good riding to and from the campout.
By Charlie Bishop
Fred and I were motoring west on I-40, returning from the Fall Campout. As is usually the case, we were hindered by an 18 wheeler in the left lane. The trucker hit his brake lights a few times without slowing down, which was a clue to Fred. Sure enough a large chunk of retread passed directly under the truck and Fred was able to counter steer around it. It (the tire chunk) was large enough to put a biker down or wreck a low clearance vehicle. With other vehicles in the right lane, 4 wheelers would have a tough time avoiding obstacles. I’m fortunate that Fred was in the lead as my reflexes are a bit slower. I for one intend to leave a bit more space for the unknown spoiler. I could avoid the interstate, but then there is Bambi and Grannie pulling out on secondary roads. Have you read about the new Honda Tank?
The
December Wesson Oil Ride
Bill Swartzwelder
Many of us can look back on our childhood and see that there are some characters that we still have fond memories of. For me, it was my uncle Carl. I was always glad to go to his house. I am not sure what it was, perhaps his deep drawling voice that boomed, and sounded just like John Wayne. Perhaps it was all the deer heads on the wall around his pool table, or the smell of pipe tobacco that always permeated the air wherever he went. He was one of those guys you just enjoy hanging with. The Arkansas Naturally Beemers has one such individual. Fred. He always a hoot to be around. Several times a year Fred packs up his chuckwagon load of supplies and picks out a fantastic campground that you may never have known existed, and invites the club to hang out with him around the campfire. Having experienced one of these events before, there was no hesitation in modifying my schedule to attend. Once I received the e-mail announcing the event, Jerry and I made plans to leave on Saturday after he fulfilled his obligation to the University, and his students to attend graduation ceremonies. We departed around 4:30pm with the sun dropping toward the horizon and temperature falling fast. Horsehead Lake is about 160 miles away, so we opted to burn the interstate and hopefully get to the campground before the chili was gone. About 60 miles from my home, by Gerbing vest lost power and cozy comfort turned to just bearable riding. The air was dry and cold as evidenced by Nuclear One’s cloud of steam dissipating in the sky almost immediately, usually there is a cloud for a mile or so in the sky; above the huge concrete silo shaped chimney, produced by the water used to cool the nuclear reactor that produces electrical energy. But tonite in the sunset there was just a wisp of condensation in the air. Brrrr! We arrived at the campground in the middle of nowhere, around 6:30pm after crossing thru a 6 inch deep stream. There was a huge bonfire with lots of friends and aquaintences huddled up and enjoying one anothers company. The warm chili washed down with cold beer was like ecstasy after the cold ride in. Aftere some time around the fire, we began discussing plans for our nexts years club rally, which we do in affiliation with BMWMOA. Soon the topic of which rallys were the most enjoyable and why became the topic of discussion. One member began talking about a rally in the southeast that was not advertised very much…and you had to go through an initiation…but he said the event was big fun, but he had to remain silent, about what the initiation consisted of. As the night wore on, and temps began to get colder, people began to wonder whether to stay up by the fire or to head for their frigid sleeping bags. Jerry made a smart ass remark which was out of character for him, that brought complete silence to the campfire. “Well, since it’s so cold, I guess we will all have to strip down naked, rub “Wesson” cooking oil on our bodies and all pile into one tent to keep warm….after a brief pause, comments ranging from leaving the organization, to questions regarding the initiation rites of the aforementioned rally in southeast….I let Jerry know in no uncertain terms that I used to be a HSTA member and I could sell my BMW and buy another Honda post haste! I’m sure Jerry will be the “butt” of more than a few jokes due to his remarks, but it was all meant in fun amoung friends. We all called it a night and woke to a brisk morning that revealed ice and frost patterns on our seats and windshields. Fred was up early with hot coffee and donuts served up next to a roaring campfire. I think Fred’s wife does much of the work behind the scenes, and she is always at Freds side. She is a dear. The sunrise was as beautiful as the previous sunset. The infinitely artistic hand of God seems to paint across the sky attractions that we seem to miss on a daily basis. For those of us who are not afraid of sleeping under the stars….a motorcycle can be a magic carpet ride away from the busy maze of life, to something much different….called living.
From the Editor’s Desk
by Mike
2005 Dues
Please Pay Your Dues!
The rates are still the same bargain at $10 per individual and $15 per
family. Send to:
Jerry
Reynolds
1200
Donaghey Ave
Conway, AR
73034
Newletter
Editor Wanted: I’ve been working with the
newsletter now for two years and I’ve lost my office assistant, my printing
capabilities and my zeal. Each
newsletter gets harder for me to produce which causes them to be late. Someone needs to step up and do a turn with
the newsletter!!
Volunteers
Needed: Volunteers are needed to run the
Naturally Beemers Rally. Please
consider volunteering for all or part of the responsibilities of the rally.
Wanted Newsletter Material: Always
We are
always soliciting for newsletter articles.
Send that article you have always intended to write. Many thanks to
those of you; who have submitted material already. You are allowed to
send in more. Send the materials
to: Mike Wingfield, 2402 S. Taylor,
Little Rock, AR 72204, or e-mail
to: CMWINGFIELD@UALR.EDU.
Activities
The
29th Annual Wilderness Rally, First full weekend in May. Contact Steve at SHR80GS@aol.com
FLEA MARKET
There is no charge for the ad; we
only ask that you be honest and fair. Naturally Beemers is not responsible for
the quality of the items or any transactions made because of the ad. Ads will run for two issues of the newsletter
unless extended.
Don’t forget the 10% Club Member Discount at Bentonville
Cycle Sales
Don’t forget the 10% Club Member
Discount at BMW Motorcycles of Little Rock
Charlie Bishop has Rock Straps for
sale. Contact Charlie at charliediane@aristotle.net
Naturally Beemers
The BMW M/C Club of
Arkansas
http://www.pcfa.org/clubs/naturally_beemers/
BMWMOA CLUB #181 Chartered 2/88
BMWRA CLUB #74
Chartered 4/91
Steering Committee
Otto
Ising…..........................President
Barry
Phillips…..............Vice President
Elmer
Sveda…......................Activities
Jerry
Reynolds…...................Treasurer
Mike Wingfield………………Secretary
Annual Membership
Dues:
$10.00 for Solo
$15.00 for Family
Send correspondence
to:
C. Michael Wingfield
2402 S. Taylor
Little Rock, AR
72204
cmwingfield@ualr.edu
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