Hey Gang
This week, we have seen some rain that just would not end, but our weatherman is predicting a nice Saturday this weekend. Just in time for all of us to head over to Athens for Wind Down and give our support to Marvin and Vicki as they compete for DISTRICT COUPLE OF THE YEAR. They have worked hard this year representing Chapter L, traveling to chapters in every state of Region A, and promoting the legend of “L”. We will be leaving from the parking lot of Fuddruckers in Rome at 8:00AM. We should arrive in Athens a little before 11:00AM. The Seritts will be leaving early to get there by 10:00. The competition should begin after lunch. Remember lunch is free and is provided to us by the district staff. So make plans to come and support the future District Couple of the Year and enjoy the last big shindig of the year for GWRRA. You are welcome to come in cars as well for this trip. Just come any way you can.
The address of the Wind Down location is: Tuckston United Methodist Church, 4175 Lexington Road, Athens, Georgia. See you Saturday!

David and Denise Newby Chapter L Directors Cell: 770-547-8763
www.chapterl.gwrra-ga.com
CHAPTER L: GEORGIA’S GWRRA 2008 CHAPTER OF THE YEAR

Karen,

Hello Everyone!!!! Sorry I am so late getting this follow up out regarding our weekend trip. I had to work 14.5 h,ours and Monday and 12 hours on Tuesday, and in the middle of that I got a terrible migraine that required a trip to the ER...so it's late, but here it is. To all those brave souls that tackled the challenge of the unknown weather.....thanks for making the mountain trip a memorable blast.!!!!!! First, let me take this opportunity to thank Mr. B for always being so willing to adapt to change due to unknown weather changes, for always going with the flow and for being my chauffeur. I love you dear!!!! We headed north and east for the Tennessee mountains, but of course our first stop along the way was to eat. We enjoyed good BBQ from the Rib Country in Blairsville. You know we can't pass one of these by along our travels and not stop to partake of the great food. And on this trip we had great company too and for some it was their first Rib Country meal...yes some even had the wonderful blackberry cobbler with ice cream. As we traveled north we took a side step to the main road to Wayha Road. What a great ride. I do believe this road would qualify for the title of "long and winding road". Everyone enjoyed this road. If you have never traveled this road before please put this on your list of roads to ride, for you do not want to miss this one, and the best part is that it's close enough to home that you could do this in a day trip. We arrived in Johnson City. I felt that everyone was pleased with the accommodations. We took the opportunity to get to know each other more as we conversed as we waited for the late arrivals. We walked across the parking lot where the large group enjoyed a meal together at Logan's. I must say dining with this group was an 'event' trust me. Afterwards we were off to our rooms to recover from the travels of the day and rest for the next day's adventure. As we hit the road on Saturday....hummmm was in the air...weather???? it was so unsure, but we hit the road anyway. It started okay, but as the day progressed so did the rain. We were able to conquer the NC 194 in Banner Elk and a visit for brief shopping at the historic original MAST General Store. Mast was an adventure in itself, for this store is unlike shopping in the modern technologies of today...it was an experience enjoyed by all. After this a decision was made to cut our day's ride short due to weather, so we made trails back to the hotel. The guys were happy, for they got to watch to game on the big screen. Saturday evening we enjoyed a catered dinner from FATZ and a DJ with karaoke. We enjoyed good food for dinner along with good friends, good music and another opportunity to get to know everyone more. After dinner....well ..... what a surprise.!!! Chapter L has members that have been keeping secrets in a closet. The closet door opened and out came some incredibly talented members.....who would have known. I was certainly surprised. All enjoyed the opportunity to experience first hand all the talent within Chapter L. I am sorry that those of you that did not make this trip missed all of this, but hopefully you guys will have another opportunity. After an evening very full of conversation, laughter, fun, and excitement we all drug ourselves to our rooms for some well needed and deserved rest to recover from our day and to prepare for the next day's adventure. On Sunday, we arose very early so we could get in a few more sweeping winding roads before heading back to Rome. We headed for the snake US 421 in Shady Valley Tennessee. WOW....awesome. As we adventured along and up the mountain our ride was challenged with foggy misty roads. A challenge that was conquered by all. I must say I enjoyed the foggy misty mountain roads....they were simply breathtaking, and a first for me, just breathtaking. We ended up in Boone NC where we ate lunch and made the decision to change our route due to, yes again, the weather. Because we changed our route home we had to take the looooong way home because of the rock slide on I-40. Needless to say our ride home was very long, but I do believe that all would agree that it was worth it.....what a great weekend of awesome riding. This weekend we rode in Georgia, Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginawow can Chapter L cover some ground in a short time period. When we arrived at home our odey showed just over 1000 miles. WOW..... Thanks to Ellen Austin for being a great sport. She was thrown into adventures she had never been challenged by before, so in one weekend I think she has now conquered curvy, sweeping, bumpy, wet, foggy, misty mountain roads both going up and down, and let me not fail to mention the incredible cold and driving with so many layers that she could hardly move. Way to go girl.....you are now a big biker chic for sure. Thanks to Chapter L for always being up for and adventure, so until next ride.
Keep it safe whether on 2 or 4 wheels. --
"Unshakable faith is faith that has been shaken."

This past weekend was one of the most unique Chapter L events that we have ever had! It started with 18 riders traveling to Northeast Tennessee on a Friday with threatening weather. However, the rain held off as everyone made it into Johnson City. But the old weatherman was promising rain for Saturday’s forecast. After eating a hearty breakfast on Saturday morning, we headed down the road for a few hills and more curves. We made it to Mast General Store before the light rain fell. Mast General Store is an historical but fully functional general store that sells everything from Swiss Army knives, to Merrill hiking boots, to Vienna Sausage to gloves to corn cob peelers to just about everything else. They even have a website where you can order goods from them. The store was alive with customers. A few of our ladies had their husbands to pull their motorcycle trailers so that they could load up on some unique goodies! Bobby Bradshaw was found standing near the door sipping on an Orange Cola that had been chilled by an antique cola cooler. The bottle even had the cap that required a true bottle opener. While still drizzling just a bit, we left the Mast General Store and headed to Boone, N.C. to eat at Golden Coral. The restaurant gave us our own private dining room and we were blown away by the large selection of food. Again Bobby was seen hanging out near the dessert bar. He was heard to say, “If you can’t find something that you like to eat here, you are in a world of hurtin!” By popular vote we selected the chocolate pie as the best dessert and it was “out of this world!” After the rain died down, we headed back to Johnson City to catch the Georgia/Florida game. Later that night we gathered for a catered meal and then became involved in some of the best entertainment that we have enjoyed as GWRRA members as Karen had hired a DJ complete with Karaoke. We found out the Chapter L possesses a lot of talented individuals. Tuck was our first brave soul who did an impressive Elvis and Porky Pig impression of Blue Christmas. Steve Chambers showed his familiarity with a microphone by singing several songs including some country hits. The ladies did several “group” songs. The looked sooooooo cute doing them. A surprise hit, Russ Rucker, serenaded the ladies with a wonderful ballad. The man can really sing! With the night being Halloween, David Kleist brought forth his unique talents and did a perfect imitation of Boris Karloff as he sang/narrated the cult hit, “The Monster Mash” It was awesome! David then put on his choreography hat and taught us the Electric Slide dance. It was the dance that never ends! By the end of the night, everyone there agreed that we had had the best Halloween ever…..at least in Johnson City, Tennessee. We left the hotel on a very chilly (low 40’s) Sunday morning and headed to the infamous HWY 421, otherwise known as “The Snake”. I must admit that it was the best set of curves that I have ever been on. Allen, (aka Alien) carved the curves as smoothly as a seasoned racing pro. The only thing slowing him down was me in front of him. This piece of highway is far better than the more highly publicized “Tail of the Dragon”. There was a store at the bottom of the mountain that sold “Snake” paraphernalia. We warmed ourselves inside the store and purchased stickers to later brag about our Snake exploits. Because of the road closing on I-40, we had to take the long way home. As we rode into the evening, the sun finally broke through the clouds and we were treated to some spectacular prism colors against the clouds that remained. It was a worthy tribute to the time we had together. There were some breathtaking sceneries that we witnessed as we rode through mist covered mountains and autumn colored valleys. Despite the rain, we all realized that it had been an extraordinary event. We were able to ride our bikes through some beautiful country, have time to spend getting to know each other better, enjoy the entertainment provided by our own members, eat some great food, and to slow down from our busy lives for just a few moments and to cherish the friendships that we have made through GWRRA. I want to thank Bobby and Karen for getting this trip together. Thanks to Karen for making the hotel arrangements, for having the food catered, and for arranging some unique and unforgettable entertainment. Thanks to Bobby for selecting our riding routes and for leading them. And thanks to all who braved the weather, the microphone, and the curves. It was a delightful weekend! Denise and I truly enjoyed the event. For a little while we escaped the business of everyday life and relished in the circle of friendship that is Chapter L. We are already anticipating the trip for 2010. You will not want to miss it!!!

David and Denise Newby Chapter L DirectorsCell: 770-547-8763
www.chapterl.gwrra-ga.com
CHAPTER L: GEORGIA’S GWRRA 2008 CHAPTER OF THE YEAR