Who We Are!
In case you were wondering, The Border Riders Motorcycle Club “BRMC” is a not-for-profit 501(c)(7), designed for gay men who like to ride motorcycles & who like to go camping on their motorcycles. Our membership spans the Pacific Northwest with the greatest participation in the Portland, Seattle, & Vancouver B.C. areas. We are one of the largest, & longest running gay motorcycle clubs in North America. We welcome like minded guest to come meet us at our Meet & Greets &/or on our Day-Rides.
Oh, August
Here it is, The last full month of summer. The plums and apples are ripening and the blackberries are crowding alleyways and parks with encroaching tendrils. All over the pacific northwest the daylight is ticking backwards. Today, the sun will set at 8:46 pm. Tomorrow, 8:45 pm. Tick, tick, tick. The countdown to the cold and wet winter months has begun. Here we are, in this moment, the now of today. There is time yet to engage the pleasantries of seemingly endless days and warm sacred nights. To live the gift of summer as the world continues it’s axial shift. Get on your motorcycle. Come ride with us!
Table of Contents
All the news you need to know about the BRMC
The Long and Winding Road: Bull Prairie Lake : By Lance D.
Monthly Gallery : Dave J
Paul Lake Run : All you need to know about the upcoming campout
Day Ride : Come ride with us!!!
August Meet & Greets : Portland, BC, & Seattle, we see you, come see us!
Naches Pass over the Fourth of July weekend : By Tom C
Plus
Member’s Birthdays
Motorcycle Classes
The BRMC 2020 Calendar of Events
Non BRMC Motorcycle Events
Meet & Greet Details
Request for Pictures & Closing Comments.
BRMC July Group Photo Bull Prairie Lake, Oregon
The Long and Winding Road: Bull Prairie Lake
By Lance D
Effort, life requires effort and I’ve found that while great things can happen without it, putting effort into things increases the chance that great things unfold. Last weekend’s BRMC Bull Prairie Lake weekend run was worth the effort. Knowing it was a long ride from Seattle three of us decided to break the journey into a day and a half. We met in Enumclaw Thursday evening after work. While we wanted to get there in the late afternoon, traffic had other ideas. Seattle traffic can frequently be challenging but Thursday evening was more like a Friday night slog. We met at the Safeway all fueled and ready to cross the pass hoping we could make it before dark. We did, thanks to the long days of summer. We grabbed burgers at Miner’s and I would recommend if you find yourself in Yakima and need some food. The banner on the front of the building expresses their appreciation for 75 year of serving the community. There’s no wonder why they’ve been around for so long. And if you do go there, keep in mind the burgers are giant! I don’t think I’ve ever seen such a large hamburger. We overnighted at Legend’s casino. A big thanks to the organizer who knew my love of gambling. Imagine everyone’s surprise when we discovered the casino is dry. What? No booze? In a casino? Thankfully the craps table was hot and I was clear headed enough to leave when I was up a few hundred dollars. Not that I am going to make gambling sober a normal activity but it was fun for being something different. The room was massive, two queen beds and a decent rollaway bed for the gambler that returned to the room a few hours after we had checked in. The others on this ride choose to get some rest before the final push to camp.
The next day found us finishing the ride to camp. We crossed into Oregon and did some last minute clothing shopping, I mean we are a gay club so any chance for some retail therapy and new clothes just can’t be turned down. Ask Dale C to model his newest suit. The store also had groceries and this was the last sizable town before getting to camp. With bathing suites and supplies procured and packed on the motorcycles it was just a few more hours of very rural backroads to get to Bull Prairie Lake campground. Most of the ride was pretty warm and almost hot but the campground being at 4400 feet meant it was 10-15 degrees cooler and most welcome after the ride.
The campground was nice, large and the setting beautiful. Camping at a lake is always a favorite for me. A chance to go swimming during the day to beat the heat and feel refreshed is always welcome. While our group site was small, it was large enough for the 10 people that made the trek. It had a nice fire pit in the center with a couple of benches and there were at least three picnic tables. The camp hosts were AMAZING and periodically delivered free firewood to the site. Given that there isn’t a town nearby and only one small restaurant Todd M and I had decided we would try and pull off a taco night for the whole group. It worked out wonderfully. Since we each had a stove and frying pan we were able to brown three pounds of seasoned ground beef for taco meat, chopped up some onions, jalapeños, popped open some bags of shredded cheddar cheese, and let everyone build their own tacos. There were plenty of leftovers so we could have fed even more and I look forward to more Friday night meals at camp with the whole group that shows up. Saturday morning everyone but myself decided to try the one restaurant option nearby. I had a delightful morning sipping coffee and reading. One of the group returned a couple of hours later and informed me “don’t eat the leftover ground beef, we are all having nachos tonight”. I guess over breakfast it was discussed that Friday night’s meal was a complete success and now everyone wanted nachos for dinner at camp. The day ride became a run into the nearest town to pickup all the fixings.
The shoppers came back with bags of food, chips, cookies, more ice, snacks and all the fixings for nachos later in the evening. At the height of the day six of us changed into our bathing suites and hopped in the lake. There was even a cannon ball competition off the dock. The lake was the perfect escape from the heat and all that participated had a great time. Before dinner we all gathered around the central area and chatted. While there weren’t enough members for a quorum, great conversations were had. Everyone was open and lots of topics were covered regarding the club, camping, what brings each of us to these events, what do we cherish and in what ways could things be done differently. It was an evening of open and vulnerable conversation that felt very real and the effort everyone put into it was very appreciated. After a couple of hours of talking the conversation turned to dinner. Sheets of aluminum foil were laid out, covered in chips, cheese, meat, jalapeños and onion. Then the makeshift platter was covered with more foil, placed on the attached grill that was then pivoted over the fire and cooked to perfection! I also learned a new nacho technique that involves opening a personal sized bag of chips and dumping in the other ingredients and smashing it all up. Doritos are a great base for nachos, who knew?
Sunday morning found everyone getting up pretty early, much earlier for me than normal. The ride home was going to be long and hot. No scenic leisurely ride this time, there were miles to be put down before work the next morning. Most people took solo journeys and a two of us made a beeline for Interstate and home. A long story short, it was grueling. Hours and hours, hundreds of miles, traffic, traffic and stop and go traffic. I was asked midway through if I liked these long trips, I said yes. By 4:00pm, exhausted and still not home I had to seriously rethink my response. The effort to get home was crushing me. Was it all worth it? Could as good a time been had closer to home? Maybe I need to break up the ride back into two days much like the ride out? Can I pull off yet more time off? I had a lot of time with my thoughts on this as I didn’t make it home until 7:00pm. After unloading the bike, taking a shower, dinner and drinks downtown, I felt better again. Yes, I still like the long trips. It is effort and maybe the weekend would have been just as magical without the effort, but I’m not sure. A big thanks to all that put the effort in to made the journey including a guest that rode over from Idaho. Only two more BRMC camp out weekends this year? This summer is flying by much too fast.
Monthly Gallery
Photos from members and guests from last month’s rides and adventures (or stolen from Facebook pages due to a lack of submissions).
July 2023 Gallery Photos
Day Ride, Day Ride, Day Ride!
When: Saturday Aug 5th
Meet up: Elmers in Tacoma at 9:30 AM (7427 S Hosmer St, Tacoma, WA 98408)
Details: Come join us for breakfast at Elmers in Tacoma where you can get your fill of Dutch Babies and Crepes. After you’ve masticated to your heart’s content, we’ll head south to the Mountain of Rainier (Tahoma for all you purists) where we will marvel at the beauty and awe in the splendor and impressiveness that is Pierce and Lewis counties… The roads are pretty great too.
Paul Lake Run
What’s this? Two lake runs in a row?
The Paul Lake Run will be held in Paul Lake Provincial Park outside of Kamloops BC. This will be a bit of a stretch for the Oregon crowd, but I’m sure WA brothers will open their homes if needed. Bring your swim trunks!
As of today (July 31, 2023), Paul Lake outside Kamloops is not on fire. That being said, I am neither God nor the Devil and my predictions for the future have yet to come true. If for some reason a dragon fly in the south of France sneezes and sets off a series of seemingly unrelated events that chain reaction around the globe and render the beautiful land of my forefathers to desolate hell scape of our dystopian environmental future I will only be able to provide the advice of the late Douglas Adams: “Don’t Panic”. You are not in this on your own. You’ll have the might and grit of the Border Riders Motorcycle Club to help you through.
Meet & Greets
Portland M&G
Jeff B will host a social hour at the Portland Eagle (835 N Lombard St, Portland, OR 97217) starting at 6pm on August 2nd. Be there!
BC M&G
We are still looking for a member in BC to take the lead on this. Please let Stan know if you are able do this.
Seattle M&G
Swing on by Smarty Pants (6017 Airport Way S, Seattle, WA 98108) in the fine and dandy hamlet of Georgetown on Wednesday the 16th at 6pm for some grub, hang out for drinks, great conversation, and a taste of the BRMC Brotherhood.
A Brothers Birthday
We have 7 members for you to say “Happy Birthday” this month. Take a moment and wish these boys of summer a good one on their special day.
August 10th - Bill L
August 14th - Buck W
August 16th - Dave J
August 19th - Blue B
August 24th - Stan C
August 26th - John D
August 26th - Jack O
Reader’s Corner
A place for you, the reader, member and/or guest, to contribute.
Tell us about your travels, adventures, mishaps, etc.
To contribute, send your story & pictures to News@BorderRiders.com
Keep in mind, you can write about a trip that happened over the summer. It’s doesn’t have to be something you did last month.
Naches Pass over the Fourth of July weekend
By Tom C
One reason I like that little Honda NC700X is that it does pretty much everything, and unpretentiously (while getting as much as 70 mpg). For instance, over the Fourth of July weekend I rode over to the lower Yakima Valley for a quick family reunion, and decided on the way back to take a different, more historic route. Out of Yakima, I came eastbound up SR410 as if I was going to go over Chinook Pass (6,314'), but instead turned off on Forest Road 19 which follows the Little Naches River. This is a few miles east of Cliffdel. It's the original wagon road over the Cascades, and before that the main native trading route. The pass is right at 5,000 feet, though actually the Forest Service road crosses the divide a little to the north of the original Naches Pass, but darn close. It was scouted as 'the' route over the Cascades to Puget Sound, but by 1855 Snoqualmie Pass (almost 2,000 feet lower) had been established, and difficult as it was, was considered far superior. As late as 1943, a proposal to construct a highway over Naches Pass was written into state law and remains as the proposed State Route 168, but no highway was ever built. More info at:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washington_State_Route_168
Forest Road 19 starts out paved, but rarely has a painted dividing line, with lots of pullouts for camping and fishing. It climbs gently and steadily, then turns to decent gravel after about 10 miles. Pretty quickly it steepens and becomes rougher, but never anything you couldn't take a Subaru over - but not a Harley. That's where the NC700X, with it's 'light offroad' capability, is able to forge on even when it gets rougher. Not a lot of ground clearance, but everything protected by a big SW-MoTech aluminum bash plate. Reduction of the air pressure in the front tire to 24psi really helps, though going lower than that could risk damage of the cast wheels. Remember, 'light offroad'.
It was a beautiful Sunday, and not much other traffic. I did meet a group of riders on large dual-sports - a big KTM, Moto Guzzi and several BMW GS's. They warned of several miles of re-gravelled road farther down on the west side before returning to pavement - and they were correct. But the view on top of Mount Rainier was great, and there was even some bear grass blooming, something I associate with higher elevations.
Forest Service roads are notorious for poor signage, and this was no exception. I was navigating with my phone in airplane mode using Avenza Map, and the Benchmark Atlas Washington Landscape Map, so I knew where I was, but even so did make a couple wrong turns onto unmarked roads at unmarked intersections before double-checking the Benchmark Atlas. And those dual-sport riders were right - riding through several inches of fresh, small-rock gravel was like swimming - and I was glad to be riding down, rather than up. That deep gravel have really been difficult on a large touring bike like a Harley. But soon enough the pavement returned, and Forest Road 70 follows the Greenwater River down to meet SR410 about five miles south of Greenwater.
It definitely took longer than Chinook Pass, and was well worth the experience. Not quite a 4x4 road, but definitely rough, so you need the right sort of bike to do it safely.
Gear Store
The Gear Store was well shopped at the VD Weekend. Sadly, it is now closed until the 2024 Banquet. Feel encouraged to reach out to VP Dennis if there is something you want to make sure will be available at the Banquet so he can order it in for you.
Advanced Motorcycle Training
All the Advanced MC Training for 2023 happened the weekend of July 8, 9th, & 10th. What a busy, exhausting, exhilarating weekend it was.
In attendance was Alan H, Buck W, Dale C, Ron S, Bob R, & myself (Stan C). Alan, Buck, Dale, & I took the PMC 1 & 2 Classes (MC Rodeo Training) on Saturday & Sunday. We had several people from the general population in these classes and everyone’s skill levels was respectable. That said the instructor gave the 4 of us some freedom on the course and we were allowed to put all 4 of us in a couple of the challenges at the same time. This allowed us to learn to work together in a tight, confined space at very slow speeds. Visualize 4 motorcycles in an area no larger than 4 or 6 parking spots depending on the challenge (3-wide & 3-deep) or (2-wide & 3-deep) doing a figure 8 over & over….. We had to make sure the last bike made it into the corner before the 1st bike could ride out and into the next corner. It was so much fun!
Then on Monday, Buck, Dale, Ron, Bob, & I put our bikes on a go-cart track & pushed our cornering abilities. We rehearsed how to line up multiple corners such that where we positioned ourselves when we exited one corner put us in-line to be where we wanted to enter the following corner. We started lining up 2, 3, & 4 corners at a time, increased our speed, tightened our corners, leaned more & more, thus increasing our efficiency.
I think all of us left that class a much better rider than we were going into it. The whole weekend was a blast & I will likely pick up another class just myself before the year comes to a close.
From the Handlebars of the President
I was not able to attend the July Campout & from what I hear, I missed a good one. Dang it!
I look forward to seeing everyone at the August Campout.
Stan C.
2023 President
Vice President Chatter
I won’t be riding for the season - I will be getting a new hip in July. I’ll be following all that is happening and hopefully be able to attend a few events and be ready to fully participate next year.
Dennis H.
2023 Vice President
Road Captain Rumblings
It’s August! The days are long and the nights are warm. Twilight seems to stretch over the horizon to the end of time. It’s summer and we have some great rides planned.
The Paul Lake Run is this month. We’ll be heading to wilds of Canada to a provincial campground outside Kamloops where you will get to test your third grade comprehension of the metric system as you convert KPH to MPH. I know there’s some concerns about the current wildfire situation in BC, and I am keeping a close eye on the Rossmoore Lake wildfire. I will do my best to keep you all up to date on the situation, but as of now, we are on for the 18th-20th.
Saturday the 5th, we will be hosting a day ride in the Seattle area! We’’ll meet up for Breakfast at Elmers in Tacoma at 9:30 AM and head to all points south toward the volcanic dome of Mt. Rainier. We’ll skirt around the mountain on Skate Creek Road as we make our way to the utopia of Packwood. All you brothers and others from the PDX region are welcomed to join in on the fun. It will be a great ride.
Todd McN
2023 Road Captain
Treasurer’s Ramblings
“Piggy Bank Looks Balanced”.
See everyone at the August Campout.
Sincerely,
Tom C
2023 Treasurer
Secretary Thoughts
I have to confess that the July run was the one that I was looking forward since it was announced sometime last year. Unfortunately, I was unable to make it as life sometimes gets in the way.
With that said, I am greatly looking forward to the run to the Kamloops, BC area this month and hope to see many of you there.
Until then…
Justin W.
2023 Secretary
2023 Calendar of Events
August 18th thru 20th - August Campout - Paul Lake Provincial Park, Kamloops, BC
September 15th thru 17th - September Campout - Rasar State Park, Concrete, WA
October 21st - Club Meeting - hosted by Jeremy W in Kent, WA.
November 18th - Club Meeting - hosted by Chris & Richard in BOW, WA
December 9th - Holiday Party - hosted by Todd M in Bremerton, WA.
Monthly Meet & Greets
BRMC members will be available for interested individuals to meet and learn more about the club and how to get involved. For locations and times, check out the following list of times & location. Watch our FB for last minutes details pr changes.
Portland: Meet & Greet - 1st Wednesday of the month, 7 pm at The Portland Eagle. Dinner together normally proceeds the actual M&G.
Vancouver BC Meet & Greet (tentative - Watch FB) - 2nd Wednesday of the month. 4 to 6 pm at The Met Hotel, New Westminster. (Canceled until further notice.)
Seattle: Meet & Greet - 3rd Wednesday of the month, 7 pm at someplace new. Watch the newsletter, website or Facebook for exact location.
Member & Guest Non-Sanctioned Day-Rides
In addition to the club's monthly M&Gs, local rides frequently happen on the 1st Saturday of every month. Additionally, members & guest going on an impromptu day-ride, or to some other activity, will post their plans on our FB page so others can tag along. Again, watch our FB page for last minutes details or changes.
To learn more about local event’s, impromptu events, or to check status on any event, check out our FB page or email the Road Captain at Captain@BorderRiders.com.
Hey, did you notice that trend? Yep, keep an eye on our FB page for last minute changes and details for all events.
Contributions of Photos & Stories
Please feel encouraged to send us your photo’s of our activities to News@BorderRiders.com
Also, if you do anything interesting outside the club, we’d love to hear about it. Send us a short story with some photo’s and we will try get it into the next newsletter. It doesn’t have to be motorcycle related to be interesting. We are very diverse.
If you have photos and stories to share, please send to news@borderriders.com
