Blood, Mud and Gears??

Well, we seem to be in the monsoon season here in Wisconsin. Every day the forecast includes the wet stuff with calls of storms, scattered storms, or heavy rain. Luckily, many times it is just light sprinkles or humid showers but sometimes we get an inch or two in those all day or night soakers. I am surprised that the mosquitos are not worse than they are, but maybe they are looking for the season to dry out before they start hitting us hard. With that I have been able to get out and ride, but I am making sure my rain gear is packed in the tour pack ready to use.

The 2024 Summer Hummer is in the history books and even though we did have rain showers every day it was, in my opinion, one of the best I have attended. The people that worked all year and more to get this up and running did a great job. The music and games kept people occupied along with the loud pipes, the bike show, and the Taste of Summer, let us hear, see, and talk bikes and other things. We had fewer food vendors, but the food was good and reasonable. I did not hear complaints from the vendors about lack of support. I did not hear anyone complain about anything out of the ordinary. It seemed all were having a great time. I was able to have Krissy Bowe give me some golf cart driving lessons during the evening rains as we went out selling raffle tickets. And luckily Saturday I did not have to mud wrestle someone due to Krissy oversleeping. Score one point on my scorecard.

For whatever reason, I think the rain got us all talking under the pavilion or in the bar area, telling jokes and stories. We got to talk about the past and the future with what we are doing in our personal lives and in our ABATE of Wisconsin lives. I talked with many about the 50th Anniversary and hopefully, many people will be attending this event. I would like to thank again those that won “money raffles” that donated most or all of the winnings back to ABATE of Wisconsin. That was an awesome gesture, and we appreciate it immensely.

If you were there and have any comments or suggestions for changes or ideas to keep growing the event reach out to Worm Grasse or attend the committee meeting at the monthly Board of Directors meeting to share your idea or to offer to help out.

Election season is in full swing, and the District Director’s election is over. Now on to the Board-at-Large and Officer election of the organization. Hopefully, many are considering running to get on the board and share their ideas to move forward. If you have thoughts about making the jump, reach out to me or to your District Director to get your questions answered. We would love to have choices available for filling all of the positions open. Reach out to those in your area and invite them to your regional meeting to meet and share your thoughts with them.

Speaking of elections, Wisconsin is entering the election season, it seems for everything from President of the United States to the dog catcher in your village or town. Talk to those that want to represent us, get their thoughts on our issues of safe and legal fuel, autonomous vehicles, vehicle motor or engine type, and the black box issues. Invite them to a meeting or see them at the local fairs, parades and other events. Make sure you mark the box next to the name of someone that will listen and work for what you want.

Next up, Steve Panten and I are meeting with several people within the Wisconsin DOT about getting some answers and what we can do about getting the roadway side grass cut back to a reasonable length, so we can see the wildlife coming into the roadway. In the interim slow down, keep a sharp eye out for deer, and expect the unexpected. During the evening and night hours don’t overdrive the headlights, keep your attention on the road, and signs of deer crossing. And if you see that one deer crossing, remember there may be a fawn or two along with other full sized bringing up the rear. The deer population is getting larger, and they are roaming for food and territory.

Some of the board members were able to get a weekend together and take the BRC2 course at Saferider on the Fort McCoy base. We always say that you lead by example so Steve Panten , Mikey Mueller, Mike Halvorson, and me, gave it a try the same weekend as the BOD meeting so we could save some travel time. I had taken it a few years

ago and I am sure I can use the tune up to make sure I am riding correctly. We got to the base all a little nervous. I was warned that they were going to try and make me cry by the end of the day, but it was all in jest and we had a great time and learned a lot. Dianna and Devin did a great job explaining and demonstrating the activities that we were going to build off of throughout the course of the day. Krissy was there taking video so I am sure you will see all of us making errors as we learned the correct way to maneuver our bikes on the training course. While doing this course I kept thinking about how what I was doing would help my skills on the road with the pitfalls that we could encounter, such as debris, deer, another vehicle, or all the other things we see in the course of the ride. I would recommend any rider to take this or any of the advanced courses every few years to make sure you keep your skill levels where they need to be to make you as confident on the road while riding.

Ride Your Own Ride,

 John