Coming Events Sep 12 Monthly Meeting Sep 17/18 AB-A Anniversary BBQ Oct 11 Monthly Meeting Tuesday due to Thanksgiving

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September, 2011September, 2011September, 2011September, 2011

Wing WagWing WagWing WagWing Wag NEAR BRAGG CREEK www.goldwingcalgary.comwww.goldwingcalgary.comwww.goldwingcalgary.comwww.goldwingcalgary.com

What’s Inside From our Chapter Director (Cont)2 Motorcycling to Napa-Final...............3 Motorcycling to Napa-Final (Cont)4 News & Notices........................................5 Safety First..................................................5 Meetings Information ..........................5 Classifieds ..................................................6 Calgary Area Team Listing ...............6 50/50 Winner ............................................6 Chapter AB-A Anniversary ................7 Prize Winners ............................................7 Meeting Star...............................................7 Rally Sponsor & Vendor Thanks....8

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Greetings to one and all,

Here we are at the beginning of September with only two months of riding left for this year. So get out there and enjoy fall riding. Often times the Indian summers in Alberta are great! The most important thing is to have FUN and do it safely.

As mentioned in my last article the two impor-tant areas for maintaining a healthy and vibrant GWRRA club are fun and communication. I had extended an open invitation to all members for ideas about having fun; I did receive a couple of ideas which I will share with you. The first idea is to ride and meet for pizza night. The second idea is a ride with an ice cream stop. We will try and get a sponsor for these ideas and get them going. However, if you are interested in spon-soring either or both events please contact Terry Collin, our Ride Coordinator, Terry would love to

help you and get you going on the right track. I know there are a lot more ideas out there so please keep them coming. The other important area is communication. I have not received any feedback so far. Please let me know if there is something more we should be doing—good or bad—about communicating with our GWRRA family.

There are a couple of initiatives we are hoping to get going: 1) Chapter of the Year Program; and, 2) Membership Enhancement. Now that vaca-tions are over for most of us, you will be hearing more about these two initiatives soon.

2011 Region J Rally Held July 29 to August 1, 2011

The 2011 Region J Rally committee held a post-(Continued on page 2)

Wing Wag September, 2011 Page 2

Rally meeting in the middle of August. To make a long story short – the general consensus by the committee members and others was that the 2011 Region J Rally was a huge success. Some would say the best Rally they have ever been to, others saying the food was great, entertainment was terrific, and yet others saying “there was more free food at this Rally then any other Rally they attended”. We believe the Region J Director and the Alberta District Director will be very pleased with the final results of the Rally.

All the credit goes to the Rally committee, all the volunteers, participants, sponsors and vendors. Thank you once again to all who made this hap-pen.

Without the support of our sponsors and ven-dors things just wouldn’t be the same. Please refer to the back page of this edition of Wing Wag for a list of sponsors and vendors. Spon-sors and vendors are often taken for granted or seemly overlooked in the big picture. So the next time an opportunity arises, take a moment and go over to that particular sponsor or vendor and personally thank them for participating in our Rally. It will mean a lot to them.

Rally DVD – One of our members has offered to put together a collection of photos from the Rally which will be offered to those who are in-terested for a nominal cost of $5 per DVD includ-ing shipping and handling. The DVD will be available later this Fall – more details to follow.

Chapter Educator Position

This position is sometimes referred to as Rider Education and has been held by our faithful member – Alex Middleton. Alex has held this position for three and a half years and feels it’s time that someone new takes over this position. We are sad to see Alex give up this position but respect his decision.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank Alex on behalf of myself, the Chapter Staff, and the Calgary Chapter for his years of service, reli-ability and dedication to this position. He will be greatly missed.

This position is open to both riders as well and co-riders. The role and responsibilities of this position are as follows:

• Promotes GWRRA’s Rider Education Program to all Chapter participants;

• Relays information to all Chapter participants from District Educator;

• Reporting directly to the District Educator, works closely with the Chapter Director;

• Provides an article for the monthly newslet-ter;

• Submits monthly reports as required;

• Other duties and responsibilities are outlined in the Rider Education Handbook.

Alex has offered his assistance to the new Chap-ter Educator to get him or her going in the right direction.

If this is something you are interested in and have the time to devote to the position please call Ron Syroishka, Chapter Director.

Greeting Cards

If you know of any member, their spouse, or im-mediate family who would appreciate receiving a greeting card from our Chapter please contact Judy Istvan, email address: judy.istvan @ nu-cleus.com, phone number 403-278-1125. Judy will arrange to send the appropriate card on be-half of the Calgary Chapter.

Chapter AB-A 30th Anniversary Celebration

The Anniversary Celebration has become a two day fun filled event starting mid-afternoon Satur-day, September 17th through to Sunday break-fast. This should prove to be a fun event, with games, swap meet, door prizes, barbeque, over-night camping and much more. Please check the poster on our website at www.goldwingcalgary.com for more details. This is an excellent opportunity for all GWRRA mem-bers to get to know each other a little better, re-new old friendships and make new friends with people who have the same love of motorcycling and getting together to have fun and fellowship. I am looking forwarding to seeing you Saturday afternoon. Overnight camping and Sunday breakfast are optional.

Veterans Food Bank

Just a friendly reminder to bring any non-perishable food items or monetary contributions in support the Veteran's Food Bank to the Sep-tember 12th Monthly Chapter Meeting. Thank you in advance for your generous contribution to this worthy cause.

Sincerely, Ron WWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW

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W e woke to morning fog which the local weather reports assured would soon burn off. After we partook of the ho-tel’s complimentary breakfast we

walked outside to wait for our Beau Wine Tours lim-ousine. Our ride for the next six hours pulled up and our driver introduced herself as Stacy. We got ourselves ensconced in the back of the limo and were driven to the Exposition Campground to pick up Terry and Tina (AKA T&T) for our wine tour. This was to be highlight of this particular holiday in equal parts due to the company and the activity. We pulled up to T&T’s campsite and after a round of introductions and photos we found our positions in the limo and opened the complementary bottle of bubbly. Yes, at barely 9:15 a.m. we were sam-pling our first glass of wine—yeah!

We had planned the tour with three criteria. First, we did not want to have any reservation times to accommodate. It is surprising how many of the over two hundred wineries/vineyards in the area ask you to make reservations. Second, each had to have something architecturally different to make it that much more memorable. Third, we wanted to have a vineyard picnic at one of the facilities. An-other surprise is how few vineyards actually have state permits that allow you to picnic onsite. Our driver took us along the famous Silverado Trail passing vineyards all along the way to get to our first winery. Sterling Vineyards was selected be-cause of the unique way you get to the winery and tasting rooms. The bright white Mediterranean looking buildings are set high up the side of the hill and are a gondola ride away from the parking

lot. The gondola takes you above the grounds and overlooks the vineyards below. When you exit the gondola you proceed to a table where a worker tells you about the wine he/she is serving and hands you a glass of the wine in a souvenir wine glass that you carry with you to the next four tast-ing stations and take away with you at the end of the self-guided tour. The tasting stations offered three whites and two reds along the tour route with terrace views and seating to make the experience relaxing. As with most tourist activities you exit through a gift shop that was not lost on our group. While our shopping was seriously curtailed; T&T did us proud.

Our driver was waiting for us when we finished our first tasting adventure. The next stop on our tour was the Castello di Amorosa which was chosen be-cause it is a replica of a 13th century Tuscan Castle built using authentic building techniques of the time. This winery offered a variety of tours of the building but we were primarily interested in tast-ing. The tasting we purchased was a wine and chocolate tasting which included a small box of chocolates to sample with the wine. We wandered around the open grounds and building then made our way to the wine cellar, which would have been a dungeon. The tasting room in this case was also the gift shop and we surveyed the products avail-able while we waited for a space to open up at the bar where the tastings were served. In this winery you selected a flight of five wines to taste from a list which offered white, red, and sweet wines. The addition of chocolate to this adventure was a real treat. The natural affinity between dark chocolate and red wine is something that everyone should try

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Text by Lisa Miller; Photos by Colin and Lisa Miller

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and for Terry was an epiphany. Again the gift shop was the beneficiary of our visit with us purchasing a unique hot pepper infused dark chocolate bar while T&T selected a couple bottles of wine. By this time we were all feeling our tastings and very grateful to have a driver. Our next stop was to be the location for our lunch picnic and we were discussing how we were going to approach this. Our driver proved her worth once more by produc-ing from the trunk of the limo a selection of fresh from her very own garden grape tomatoes and figs, home marinated olives from her own olive trees, and gorgonzola cheese from a local cheese maker. It was all wonderful and just the thing to get us through the next tasting in a more sober state. We arrived at the V. Satturi Winery ready to taste their offerings and select a bottle of wine to enjoy with our lunch. First we located a table for our pic-nic with the help of our driver who then sent us off to start our tasting while she set the table with placemats, cutlery, dishes, glassware, cutting board and knife in preparation for our meal.

The tasting room at V. Satturi also serves as the gift shop with the notable addition of a deli in an adjacent space. We stepped up to the tasting bar and were given a list of available tasting flights. We started tasting wine and discovered that the couple standing between T&T and us was from Red Deer. Alberta was definitely well represented in the Napa Valley. This was the only winery we visited that also offered Madeira and Terry and I are defi-nitely fans of this libation. At the first sip I went weak at the knees and somehow I had to have a bottle of this nectar of the gods. Fortunately once again T&T came to my rescue and agreed to carry a bottle home for me, and Terry decided he aught to have one for himself too. Together we selected a bottle of wine to share over lunch and then we went out to our table. Tina and I then went to the deli to select olives, cheeses, meats, bread, and

mixed fruits. We sat down to one of the nicest pic-nics I have ever enjoyed. With the help of our driver we packed everything back into the limo and headed to our final stop for the day. At this point we realized that we were not going to have time for our last stop unless we added an-other hour or so to our excursion and we unani-mously agreed that it was indeed the thing to do. Our final stop for the day was Darioush Winery se-lected because the architecture of the buildings. The winery was designed to evoke, Persepolis, the capital of ancient Persia. The tasting area at this winery is in a large segmented lobby area with wa-ter features, fireplaces, private seating areas, and

the gift shop is intermingled. Our host was help-ful, informative and very friendly. He placed a dish of pistachios on the table for us to enjoy with the wine tasting and this was a bit of a surprise pairing and quite delightful. The owner of the winery is originally from the Shiraz region of Iran (once a wine-growing area) and the winery offers what is probably the best Shiraz we sampled in the Napa Valley. Our personal opinion is that the Napa Val-ley produces some absolutely fabulous Cabernet Sauvignon and many other wines but generally the Shiraz leaves a lot to be desired; we will stick to Australia and Chile for our Shiraz. Darioush had provided a cultured high note to fin-ish our day of touring and tasting. We all agreed that a limo tour was definitely the way to go and Stacy, our wonderful driver did much to make the experience fun and memorable and we tipped her accordingly. Back at our hotel we opted to revisit Cuvee, the restaurant we had enjoyed so much the previous night. I at least had exactly the same meal and enjoyed as much the second time as I had the first night. Well fed, the four of us ad-journed to our hotel room to share a bottle of wine we had bought during our day of touring and recap our favorite parts. Eventually we called for a cab to take T&T back to the campground after a very en-joyable day. WWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW

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Monthly Meetings Monthly meetings are held on the 2nd Monday of each month. This is a time to share informa-tion and to meet old and new friends who like to ride together for FUN, Safety and Knowledge. See you at the next meeting at the Fox Hollow Golf Club, 9th Street and 32nd Avenue N.E. Dinner @ 6:30; Meeting at 7:00 PM.

Rain, snow or shine, we meet for breakfast every Sunday morning about 9 AM. This is a great year round way to stay in touch with your GWRRA friends. So, if you have missed the op-portunity to join us for breakfast recently, why don’t you come on over to the Fox Hollow Golf Club, 9th Street and 32nd Avenue N.E.

MEETING SCHEDULE

DAY/DATE

September 12 September Monthly Meeting September 17/18 AB-A Anniversary BBQ October 11 October Monthly Meeting *Tuesday Due to Thanksgiving

“Friends for Fun, Safety, and Knowledge”

Come ride with us.… …..Everyone Welcome!

For the latest updates on what we are doing and where we’re going,

check out our website:

www.goldwingcalgary.com

1. Nothing new this Edition

WWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW

If you are interested in attending any courses please contact Alex Middleton at rider education @ goldwing calgary.com to express your interest or for additional information. Scheduled Courses: • No courses scheduled at this time. WWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW

Wing Wag September, 2011 Page 6

CALGARY AREA STAFF Chapter Director Ron Syroishka (403) 256-0912 Chapter director @ goldwing calgary.com

Assistant Gary & Susan Premech (403) 238-8478 Chapter Directors assistant chapter director @ goldwing calgary.com

Quartermaster Barry Lammle (403) 938-2287 quartermaster @ goldwing calgary.com

Newsletter Editor Lisa Miller (403) 288-0845 editor @ goldwing calgary.com

Treasurer Eric Roberts (403) 256-7683 treasurer @ goldwing calgary.com

Ride Coordinator Terry Collin (403) 288-8467 ride coordinator @ goldwing calgary.com

Rider Education Alex Middleton (403) 274-4223 rider education @ goldwing calgary.com

Rider Course Terry Burrell (403) 333-9914 Instructor rci @ goldwing calgary.com

Social Coordinators Carol Myers (403) 254-1649 social 1 @ goldwing calgary.com &

Susan Premech (403) 238-8478 social 2 @ goldwing calgary.com

Webmaster Darryl Minsky (403) 286-9711 webmaster @ goldwing calgary.com Membership Tracy Boyda (403) 279-0383 Enhancement mec @ goldwing calgary.com Coordinator

Classified AdsClassified AdsClassified AdsClassified Ads The Classified ads are free to all members and associates of the GWRRA. While advertised items do not have to be Gold Wing related, we do insist that all ads pertain to motorcy-cling. Ads will appear on a space available basis for one month. Should you wish to continue to run your ad for a sec-ond or succeeding month, you must resubmit or renew your ad. Deadline for submission is the 25th of the month pre-ceding publication. To post an ad or if the item is sold or the offer withdrawn, please contact Lisa Miller at: editor @ gold-wing calgary.com

GWRRA TOLL FREE NUMBER (CANADA & US) 1-800-843-9460

NATIONAL LEADERS

Executive Director Mike Stiger (623) 581-2500

Asst Natl Director Rider Ed Milt Sorensen (403) 346-0756

Region J Directors Phil & Margaret Craven (250) 353-7108

District Directors Ross & Audrey Woolsey (780) 922-2670

NOTE: Email addresses in this publication are displayed in a manner that will deter automatic address harvesting programs. This step is taken to reduce unsolicited email to any email ad-dresses we post. We regret any inconvenience caused for our legitimate visitors. REMOVE ALL THE SPACES IN THE EMAIL ADDRESS TO MAKE IT WORK.

AugustAugustAugustAugust 50/50 Winner50/50 Winner50/50 Winner50/50 Winner

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Wing Wag September, 2011 Page 7

Dunbow Road East on the Bow

Thanks to Terry Burrill for his safety moment regarding safety and practices for group riding positions. WWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW

Art Armstrong Brian Hooker Ron Myers

September 17 & 18, 2011 (SATURDAY MID-AFTERNOON THROUGH SUNDAY BREAKFAST)

$12.00/PERSON CONTACT HARVEY MATTHEWS FOR TICKETS

BY PHONE AT 403-285-8514 BY EMAIL AT DOR.HARV@TELUS.NET, AT SUNDAY BREAKFAST

LAST CHANCE FOR TICKETS SEPTEMBER 12TH MONTHLY MEETING

Wing Wag September, 2011 Page 8

Gold Wing Road Riders Association

wishes to thank our Sponsors & Vendors

2011 Major Sponsor

Rocky Mountain Honda Powerhouse

Friends of GWRRA AMEC Americas Limited Alberto Culver Avenida Art Gallery Blistex Limited Boutique of Leathers/Open Road Burt’s Bees Bush Beans Calgary Co‐operatives Limited Clorox Company Concord Sales Copper Point Golf Course Cottonwood Golf & Country Club Destination Cycle Good Time Party Rentals Jarden Brands McCormick Foods Melitta Canada Novelis (Alcan) Smitty’s Restaurants Turple Bros.

Gold Sponsors Danone Dr. Oetker Lees Food Products Old Dutch Foods Maple Leaf Foods South‐Way Equipment Rentals Woodridge Ford Lincoln Ltd WTS Manufacturing & Sales Inc

This event would not have been possible without the support of our sponsors and vendors. Your contribution is truly appreciated.

Rally Vendors Andre’s Motorcycle Accessory Centre Ardri Maintenance Consultants Inc (Amsoil) Boutique of Leathers/Open Road Cyclemania Artworks Isobel’s Designer Jewellery Lazy Dawg Motortrikes Rocky Mountain Honda Powerhouse Streamline Custom LED WTS Manufacturing & Sales Inc (HitchCaddy)

Silver Sponsor Crowfoot Dodge