OGRES Motorcycle Club 2024 November Meeting This Thursday at 6 PM

 

The November 2024 version of an OGRES Motorcycle Club meeting is this coming Thursday at 6 PM. The meeting start at the Fairview/Cloverdale clubhouse.

We will discuss possible 2025 OMC Runs along with other topics.

Be there or you won't be there.

OGRES Motorcycle Club 2024 October Meeting Report by Vice Prez RipCity

 

OGRES MC members met at Bomber's incredible meeting room. Thanks to Bomber for his hospitality.

Members present: Duke, Gundy, Smooth, G-Man, Bomber, Rowdy and RipCity.

The meeting started out with a fiesta-style activity called taco eating, thanks to Sgt-at-Arms Duke. Initially the priority was eating so no planning was done, just small talk about ride planning.

Then the magic began. Most everyone was talking at the same time about proposed rides. After the gang wreck, club order came together.

Rowdy blew the planners away with his experience using AI to create perfect rides using ride parameters. Ironically, he came up with the rides we have already been riding. What a fantastic tool to make our rides easier to manage.

The group really came together with great ideas and rides to discuss, and present for Primary Officer approval, at our next OGRES meeting.

Rowdy and RipCity will share with the group proposals #4 new one day rides and #1 new 2 day ride. (Editors note; No clue is known what the previous sentence means but surety is held that it will be explained on November 7th.)

Thanks to everyone who participated in the October OGRES MC meeting.

Words by RipCity

Photos by Nobody

Edited by Grim

OGRES Motorcycle Club Mandatory 2024 October Meeting This Coming Thursday

 

The OGRES Motorcycle Club mandatory 2024 October meeting is this coming Thursday, October 3rd,  night at 6 PM. That's right, six o'clock PM.

The meeting will be held at the Sugarberry Clubhouse and Duke is bringing the food. This will allow the OMC members to stay on site for the work meeting.

The Vice President will be in charge and will divide the OMC members into work cohorts to work on possible OMC Runs for the OMC Spring Run and the OMC Summer Run.

Bring your maps, ideas and positive energy for a fun and productive time. This the chance for those who have been clamoring for a change to the OMC status quo.

Emails have been sent with sample formats and Run creation guidelines. 

Ride on !

Heads Up for Guidelines for Creating Replacement OGRES Motorcycle Runs IMPORTANT

 

The upcoming OGRES Motorcycle Club 2024 October meeting will be a group exercise in designing 2, 3, or 4 day rides to possible replace the default OMC Spring Run and the OMC Summer Run.

Members will be split up into 2 or 3 teams and will work on possible routes. The following guidelines shall be followed with little or no deviations:

-The Run will be no longer than 300 miles per day.

-The Run will not exclude an OMC member, from participating, by it's very design.

-The Run will have little or no freeway (no more than 60 minutes).

-The Run will minimize crossover with other Runs already on the books.

-The Run can be two, three or four days with the caveat being the above second  guideline.

-Any Run proposal shall be in the above pictured format. 

There must be one map for each day showing the miles and elapsed time. If it is a 2 day run, there should be 2 maps. If it is a 3 day Run, there should be 3 maps. Et cetera. Should be real simple. This allows all the detail to be seen including the beginning and end of each day.

The Run proposal will be accompanied by a narrative as shown above with overnight stops described. Hotels and restaurants should be researched and proposed for the overnight stays.

Any Run proposal that is not in this format will not be considered by the Primary Officers. No one likes to sift through a confusing and ill-prepared proposal.

Grim will lead any Run that has final approval unless someone else wants to lead the Run. 

If you have any questions, please call Grim. Grim does not want to waste anyone's time or efforts. That is the main reason for this blog post.

Please bring all your ideas, maps, enthusiasm and vigor to this meeting. Everyone has a lot to bring to the table. 

Grim will be in St. Louis, Missouri facilitating a Reno/COPS model training that week so the Vice President will be in charge of the 2024 October meeting. More information at this link:

http://ptoprogram.com/wp/

This exercise will be finalized at the 2024 November meeting when Grim will be present again.

Kudos to all that persevered to the end of this President's Blog post. You are rewarded with this photo from the 140 mile motorcycle ride Grim enjoyed today.

Walter's Ferry

OGRES Motorcycle Club 2024 Fall Barbecue President's Report

OMC Murderers Row

Never a Dull Moment

Biker Belles

Full Tummies

Thanks To All for the Food Contributions

Too Much Fun

Special Thanks to Our Hosts

Door Prize Winner

Door Prize Winner

 

Photos by RipCity and assistants

OGRES Motorcycle Club Annual Barbecue with Spouses This Coming Friday, September 6, at 6 PM

 

The OGRES Motorcycle Club Annual Fall Barbecue is this coming Friday, September 6, at 6 p.m.

The gala will be held at Bomber's crib and valet parking is available.

Assignments were made at the OMC 2024 Fall Run and an email was dispatched detailing those assignments.

If you did not receive an assignment and feel slighted, feel free to bring whatever you desire for OMC consumption.

If your spouse is not able to attend, do not feel shy about showing up solo. In fact, your attendance is expected either way.

Please contact Grim if you have any questions about this soiree.

Changes in Starting Time for All Future Meetings and Events

 

Be advised all future meetings and events will be at 6 p.m. Events include the Valentines and Barbecue soirees.  

Contact Grim if you have any questions.

Important Updates to New Replacement Rides for Spring and Summer Runs - A Must Read

 

Recent discussions among OMC members has spawned updates in the OMC policy for designing replacement rides for the OMC Spring Run and the OMC Summer Run.

As you know, the routes currently on the books, for the aforementioned Runs, are default routes that are completely open to be replaced temporarily or permanently by Runs brought forth to the Primary Officers by any member.

The Fall "Orofino" Run is permanent, for now, and not eligible for replacement.

In the past, the Prez. has stipulated that the presenter of a new Run would be expected to lead the Run. 

Grim is rescinding that requirement and WILL lead any Run that is accepted by the Primary Officers. 

The following guidelines are to be followed by the designer(s) of any Run:

- The Run will be no more than 300 miles per day.

- The Run will not exclude any OMC member by it's very design.

- The Run will have little or no freeway.

- The Run will minimize crossover with a Run already on the books.

- The Run could be two, three or four days. The caveat being the second above guideline.

The above are only guidelines and any derivations from them will be considered by the Primary Officers when a replacement Run is presented.

We will have work meetings in the next few months, probably October and November. We will divide into work groups and create possible Runs. Bring your ideas, brains, cooperation and creativity to the meeting.

'Nuff said.

OGRES Motorcycle Club 2024 Fall "Orofino" Run Report.

The Beginning of the Exodus

The OGRES Motorcycle Club 2024 Fall "Orofino" Run began at the appointed place and time. Members present: Slick, Bomber, Rowdy, Gundy, Grim, and Smooth. Guests: Joy and Lee. Members absent: G-Man and Duke.

Due to Highway 21 being closed by wild/forest fires, a different route was adopted to make our way to Salmon. The plan was to go:

Boise-Mountain Home- Fairfield-Carey-Arco-Howe-Leadore-Tendoy-Salmon.

The Start

So we left our rendezvous spot and headed towards Mountain Home completely unaware of the "adventure" that awaited us. The freeway ride to Mountain Home was fairly uneventful as soon as we cleared the post Boise chaos. 

We made a quick stop in Mountain Home and then continued towards Fairfield. The traffic was light and the ride was smooth and peaceful. We rolled through Fairfield and traveled onward until we stopped at Timmerman Hill for a break. It is always a nice stop at the Hill.

Soon, we climbed back aboard and headed on through Picabo, Carey and the Craters of the Moon. The ride was mostly traffic free and very nice even though we had some cross winds that surprised us from time to time.

Pickles Fine Dining

We were able to stop in Arco for fuel and then to Pickles for lunch. It had been a long time since we sojourned at this fun cafe.

OGRES crew

No butts about it

Pickles

We were lucky to have a great, fun guy as our server and we enjoyed a very nice meal. After the obligatory rocking chair pictures, we climbed back on our bikes and headed down the road towards Howe.

Having never gone this way, Grim followed the map he had printed. We turned left on Highway 33 and rode into Howe. Grim took a right but was unsure if it was the correct turn. A short reconnoiter was held and we u-turned and went down "Highway" 22 instead. The roadway first was paved but then turned to chip and seal and then to gravel. We continued down the gravel for a couple of miles until Grim became alarmed and stopped. 

Middle of No Where Just Clear of the Gravel

We were discussing our options, when a pickup rolled up pulling a trailer. We stopped the vehicle with our waves and inquired about the route. The guys in the truck were very nice and friendly and seemed familiar with the area. The choices were to turned around and go the way we first turned or keep going as the gravel would eventually turn back into pavement and take us to the Challis-Salmon highway. 

We decided to keep on going in the same direction. As we traveled down the gravel road, and we moved forward around 25-45 miles per hour, the gravel seemed to stretch onward forever. At one point, four elk ran across the road right in front of us, while two antelope were running parallel to us on the right, held to their course by a barb wire fence.

Grim could see the fence would shortly intersect with the road so the echelon slowed down even more to allow the antelope to cross pell mell in front of us.

We continued on until eventually our tires found pavement again. The road did in fact T into the main highway and we turned north.

We made a short stop at the Dusty Mule as we had not had a bio break for a long time. Grim has wanted to stop there in the past but had not due to its close proximity to Salmon. We met some real characters there but pushed on in a timely manner.

We arrived in Salmon, gassed up, and headed for the hotel. We were glad to have reservations as the hotel was completely full due to the Wapiti fire.

Shady Nook

After cleaning up, we headed to the Shady Nook for dinner. After a nice meal and great company, we retired to our rooms for a restful nights sleep (for some).

The next morning, after a logistics/safety briefing, we headed up the road towards Darby. It is hard to beat this stretch of road, between Salmon and Darby, due to the great curves, vistas and general fantastic riding conditions. 

Darby, Montana

We rolled up to our usually parking area and enjoyed the shops and the break. Gundy and Grim checked out the local restaurants and motels to investigate whether to move our overnight stay from Salmon to Darby. The jury is still out.

Next we headed up the Hamilton-Lolo corridor. The temperature was cool and the traffic was light. It was a pleasant leg of the ride.

Emergency personnel came by and headed up the road while we were getting gas at the Lolo junction. It was noted that is was deja vu from an earlier trip. But as we headed up toward Lolo pass, we passed the scene and couldn't tell what the deal was. It was a great ride up the mountains towards Lolo pass although we crossed up with another group of riders just as we crossed the apex. We were able to avoid a gang wreck and headed on down to Lochsa Lodge for our usual lunch break.

The server was a little miffed, at first, by our group but warmed up as our visit transpired. Everyone seemed to have a nice lunch and we soon pressed on.

The ride down the Idaho side was as nice as the ride up the Montana side. We did encounter a very light shower of rain but it was short lived. The roadway was wet and it appeared we had just missed a downpour. This condition did not hamper our travel and we had a great time on the twisty roads.

Our next stop was in at the Three Rivers motel and cafe. Ice cream, water and other treats were enjoyed along with a bio break.

We rode on down the highway until we passed by Kooskia and found our way into Kamiah. 22 miles to Orofino was shown on the highway sign. About ten miles in, we encountered some kind of lumber on the road. Grim came upon it so fast he was lucky to just nudge the log/branch but Rowdy and Bomber had more direct hits. No one went down, however, and another gang wreck was avoided.

We narrowly missed the storm as the wind was rising and the rain was falling as we approached Orofino and rolled in to park at the hotel. 

Orofino, Idaho

Aerial View

Shortly, we rolled into Orofino to find shelter for the night. The rain really started to come down after we had unloaded our bikes and had gotten indoors. We checked into the hotel and the adventurous hit the pool and the hot tub. Adventurous because we had avoided the competing motorcycle clubs and car shows but it appeared we had invaded a family reunion. There were about 25 kids in the pool and they all had a clear family resemblance. Luckily, one mother was high in emotional intelligence and shooed the kids out of the hot tub so we could have access to it. Very nice of her. 

Finally, we were summoned from the pool, by our guests, and we went to change for dinner.

Dining at the Edge

We actually ended up with a much nicer seating area than usual and our server was awesome. Everyone ordered and a nice meal was had after a comparatively short wait. Angel food cake topped off the meal in a fine way. Rowdy almost ordered a shrimp melt, in memory of G-Man, but decided on getting some real food.

We trundled off to bed after dinner as the hotel lobby had been overrun by the family reunion. Grim was disappointed some socializing was not enjoyed post meal.

Motley Crew

Bottles Galore

Morning found us down in the lobby for breakfast and other preparations for departure. The staff had left us bottles of water by our bikes as is their custom. What a great hotel. We had our customary balcony photograph taken and we climbed aboard our bikes and headed back to Kamiah to get on Route 162.

After fueling, we headed out on 162, up the grades, and out onto the rolling plains. This is a great ride and it did not disappoint. 

Grangeville, Idaho

We stopped in Grangeville for a short break before heading down to Whitebird Hill. It was a nice ride and we braced for a temperature increase at the bottom of the Hill that we had experienced on past trips. To our delight, the temperature barely changed and we continued to enjoy cool weather. 

Near Riggins we came upon G-Man who had ridden north from Boise to meet up with him. He was appearing to film us as we crossed a bridge but he was probably using his fake action camera. The myth is that the camera is fake because no one has seen any film footage from it.

We went through a little rain but it was mostly smooth sailing down to New Meadows where we stopped for lunch.

New Meadows, Idaho

Interesting Graffitti

The barbecue place was pretty busy but we found a large square table that fit everyone in. It's a great place to eat and some of us ran into old friends and family.

We ran into a little construction delay just north of McCall but were sent on our way in a timely manner. Grim had thought about taking a route around McCall but decided we had tried enough routes that were unfamiliar and he hadn't been through McCall for a few years.

We cruised on south through Donnelly and stopped at the Chevron in Cascade for one last potty break and also to give anyone opportunity to put on rain gear as the sky had been threatening for a bit.

As we proceeded the clouds did unleash some drops upon us. It continued to rain as we proceeded down the road, unabated, until we reached Horseshoe Bend where it stopped. It did not quite reach the threshold of forcing us to stop for more rain gear. Unfortunately, the temperature increased as the rain decreased.

Ultimately, we arrived in Eagle at the Chevron Station where we had one final photo opp and we said our goodbyes.

'Nuff said.

Words by Grim

Photos by RipCity

OGRES Motorcycle Club 2024 Fall "Orofino" Run This Coming Thursday, August 22

Darby, Montana

 The OGRES Motorcycle Club 2024 Fall "Orofino" Run is upcoming on August 22, 23 and 24. See more information at this link:

http://www.ogresmotorcycleclub.com/events.html

The Fall Run will begin at the Chevron gas station at I-84 and Gowen Road. Safety/Logistics briefing at 7:45 a.m. with departure at 8 a.m.

Rock on...!

Slow is Smooth, Smooth is Fast

New Plymouth, Idaho

 

What a great day for a ride! We met at the Capri Cafe at McMillan and Linder. Present: Gundy and Joy, Smooth and Pat and Grim.

We made sure to sit in our favorite server's area and she was as gracious and great as always. We had a nice breakfast and then were on our way.

We rode through Star without incident and then through Middleton. There was a storm cloud over Middleton and we were lightly rained on while passing through. Smooth lost his hat and had to reconnoiter back to retrieve it. 

It was only raining in Middleton although the roadway was wet all the way to the Wilder overpass just outside of Parma. We continued through Parma and followed the road until we reached the Highway 52 junction. We proceeded east until we reached New Plymouth where we stopped briefly to shed some gear and take advantage of a photo opps.

We jammed on down the road and passed through Emmett as the smoke thickened somewhat. We cruised up Black Canyon road until we reached Wild Rose Park where we stopped for a breather.

What a great park! Quiet, shady and picturesque. We checked out the dam hoping for much water falling but it had been dialed back for irrigation.

We cruised back on the road passing through Horseshoe Bend and back to Boise. It was pleasingly cool the entire ride until we reached the first subdivision on Highway 55. The rise in temperature was palpable.

We ended up where we started and Smooth treated everyone to ice cream at Delta's. Free ice cream just tastes better!

Stay tuned for more impromptu rides.

P.S. Stay tuned for details on a Yellowstone Park, Beartooth Pass run the second week in September 2024.

OGRES Motorcycle Club August 2024 Meeting Report

 

The OGRES MC August 2024 meeting was held at the appointed time and place. OMC members present: Rowdy, Bomber, Grim, G-Man, Gundy and RipCity. OMC members absent: Duke, Smooth and Slick.

A discussion was held reference the OMC schedule of events for 2025. Different variants were read, perused and discussed. A final draft was adopted, after a vote, and will be emailed very soon to all OMC members so plans for next year can be make with plenty of time to spare.

A door prize drawing was held and Rowdy was the winner.

There were discussions about Runs and variants of Runs. More to come after some research by the Road Captains and the Prez.

We adjourned to the restaurant next door for a nice meal.

It was a very nice evening in total.

OGRES MC 2024 August Meeting This Thursday at 6:30 PM

 

The OGRES Motorcycle Club 2024 August meeting will be held this coming Thursday, August 1st, at 6:30 PM. 

We will meet at the Fairview Clubhouse for a short business meeting and climb aboard our American made motorcycles for a ride to dinner. 

See all y'all then.

OGRES Motorcycle Club 2024 Summer "Joseph" Run Report

Sunrise at the Start

Highways 44 and Old 30

Logistics and Safety Briefing

 The decision to move the starting time back an hour, from 8 am to 7 am, turned out to be a great move. It was nice watching the sunrise as we waited for everyone to arrive and allowed us to miss much of the afternoon heat.

OMC members present: G-Man, Smooth, Bomber, Rowdy, Gundy, RipCity and Grim. We had one guest. OMC members absent: Duke and Slick.

Grim covered the logistics for the day and our two Road Captains did a good job of covering the safety reminders before we started out. G-Man had checked the route and he warned us of possible fire activity between Vale and Unity.

We headed out and traveled through Notus, Parma and Nyssa. It was smooth sailing with very little traffic. The temperature was very nice and lasted quite a while. We encountered a little construction at the turn to Vale but it was pretty tame.

Vale

Unity

We stopped in Vale for a quick break for supplies and rest room needs. Shortly, we moved on and it was a nice ride to Unity, where we stopped for a much needed ice cream break. Yes, on OMC runs you can eat ice cream whenever you want.

We climbed back on our bikes and headed up over the twisty Blue mountains. The temperature was perfect and the road was very fun. We only encountered one vehicle and it turned off just as we overtook the pickup.

Baker City

Baker City

Our next stop was in Baker City for gasoline and human snacks. It was clear the temperature was starting to rise. As OMC members were slowly mounting back up, Gundy's bike horn encouraged us to move fast and to get going in the heat. So we hammered on up the road through New Powder and over towards Union. There was fresh chip and seal between the aforementioned towns and riders quickly lengthened the spacing between bikes to avoid fine grit spray. The construction thickened as we got closer to Union and then had to be led, by a pilot truck through the town itself. Luckily, we turned off towards Cove and avoided part of the construction chaos.

We cruised through Cove and over to Elgin to stop for lunch. Traffic remained light or non-existent.

Buckhorns Cafe

Sprinkler Fun

G-Man and Rowdy ?

We stopped at the cafe in Elgin formerly know as Cowboys and Angels. The owner/server was a real gem and we really enjoyed her humor and interactions. The food was good and the company was great except RipCity could barely be seen as he was sitting so far away.

After our meal, we played in the sprinkler to cool off for the ride and went walking with Sasquatch. Although I think G-Man was having an after meal prayer and Rowdy was posing for GQ Magazine.

We mounted back up and headed up the road. Again the traffic was light or non-existent. After a stop in Enterprise for gas, we rolled into Joseph at 2:40 pm.

Since we arrived prior to the official check-in time, our emailed door codes were not in operation yet. The manager was quick to get with us and speed up the process of getting us in our rooms. Some members commented that the staff was ill-prepared and not ready for our arrival. That sentiment could not be further from the truth. We brought any confusion on ourselves by checking in before the 3 pm check-in time and the staff was trying to accommodate our early arrival. 

Black Angel

We dropped our gear and readied our rooms. Some OMC members changed some clothing and headed downtown to check out all the shops and get haystack and nutted chocolates along with lotsa water. Others hung out in their rooms or whatever.

Grim made the reservations at the Stubborn Mule and was chagrined to find out there were 3 twenty person groups already on the reservation list. He then knew the evening meal could be gnarly with so many guests.

Stubborn Mule

OMC members did convene at 6:30 pm for dinner. We had to sit in the dining room instead of the patio. We ordered our food and began a 2 hour vigil before we were served. Phew. RipCity ordered an appetizer to tide us over but it was not enough and too delayed. Our food finally arrived and many found their meals to be overcooked and greatly wanting of taste and quality. 

G-Man Making Their Dinner Cold

Runs in the Family

G-Man has never met a stranger he didn't like and soon was enmeshed in a conversation with the adjacent table. We hoped the couple's dinner was not getting cold.

Note to Grim: Due to our earlier departure and arrival, make dinner reservations for 5:30 pm instead of 6:30 pm. Also possibly make reservations for two 4 person tables instead of one 8 person table. 

As we were leaving the restaurant, the electric power went out the entire length of Main Street. Several of the members had already left for the lake and the rest of us headed for the grocery store for ice cream sandwiches. 

Upon arrival at the grocery store, we found it open but found their ice cream inventory to be, well, rather lousy. We passed on the ice cream and headed back to the Indian Lodge Motel.

We chatted for a bit outside but then retired for the night. The power came back on around 11:30 pm which made it better for some and worse for others.

Morning came early bright and early as breakfast commenced at 6 am to allow for a 6:45 am logistics and safety briefing. Breakfast was great and we had a really nice lady serving us that insisted on giving us a hug when we left.

Bomber and G-Man departed back to take the freeway home as family obligations were calling. The rest of us headed up the mountain towards the Hells Canyon overlook. The traveling to that overlook was especially smooth and refreshing. It was Grim's best experience on that road thus far.

We stopped and enjoyed the lookout and the view for a bit. It was smoky but still beautiful and quiet. We were the only ones there.

We departed and headed down the mountain towards Hells Canyon. This stretch of road was just as cathartic and beautiful previous in the morning. We rolled down past Scotty's gas station and over along the reservoir, dam and power plant. We continued to roll over into Cambridge and into the heat. We made a quick stop for gasoline and then headed to MidVale.

Note to Grim: Skip the stop in Cambridge and go the 8 more miles for the stop in MidVale for lunch. Everyone had plenty of gas.

Lunch at MidVale was nice and fun as usual. The salad bar never disappoints and the peach pie a la mode was scrumptious. RipCity was able to score his ice cream as Gundy took the cherry pie off his plate.

Grim tried his "cool vest" for the first time and is a convert. Again, traffic was light and we passed quickly through Weiser and then on to Payette. It was hot but smooth running over the countryside from Payette on old Highway 30/Sand Hollow. We sped on into the valley and ended up where we began the previous day. Heartfelt hugs and well wished were exchanged and all headed their separate ways. It was about 2:30 pm when we split up.

The earlier starting times were definitely a boon for the trip and will be repeated in the future. New challenges arose due to the schedule but those will be overcome for the future Runs on this route.

Special thanks to RipCity for the great photos.