New Patch at the July 7th Meeting

Bring 15 bucks to the OMC Meeting on July 7th at 6 p.m.  I won't have change so exact amount is required.  This patch will be available to the first 10 members of the OMC only.  This is a mandatory patch as the members voted this patch in at the last meeting.  It goes on the opposite side of the front of your vest from the OGRES patch.

Also, moniker and nickname patches are authorized but optional.  The above company, size and colors must be used for this patch.  The nickname patch goes above the "First 10" patch only.  The order for nickname patches must go through me per the by-laws.

See ya on the 7th.

Challenge Coins and the OMC



Original USAF Airman's Coin

Challenge coins will be presented to OMC members at the next meeting on July 7th at 6 p.m. at the Clubhouse.   Several of you have already had yours presented.  Challenges will then begin.

Origins of the challenge coin in the U.S.

Like many aspects of military tradition, the origins of the challenge coin are a matter of much debate with little supporting evidence. While many organizations and services claim to have been the originators of the challenge coin, the most commonly held view is that the tradition began in the Army Air Corps (a precursor of the current United States Air Force).
Air warfare was a new phenomenon during World War I. When the Army created flying squadrons they were manned with volunteer pilots from every walk of civilian life. While some of the early pilots came from working class or rural backgrounds, many were wealthy college students who withdrew from classes in the middle of the year, drawn by the adventure and romance of the new form of warfare.
As the legend goes, one such student, a wealthy lieutenant, ordered small, solid-bronze medallions (or coins) struck, which he then presented to the other pilots in his squadron as mementos of their service together. The coin was gold-plated, bore the squadron’s insignia, and was quite valuable. One of the pilots in the squadron, who had never owned anything like the coin, placed it in a leather pouch he wore around his neck for safekeeping. A short while later, this pilot’s aircraft was heavily damaged by ground fire (other sources claim it was an aerial dogfight), forcing him to land behind enemy lines, resulting in his capture by the Germans. The Germans confiscated the personal belongings from his pockets, but they didn’t catch the leather pouch around his neck. On his way to a permanent prisoner of war facility, he was held overnight in a small German-held French village near the front. During the night, the town was bombarded by the British, creating enough confusion to allow the pilot to escape.
The pilot avoided German patrols by donning civilian attire, but all of his identification had been confiscated so he had no way to prove his identity. With great difficulty, he crept across no-man’s land and made contact with a French patrol. Unfortunately for him, the French had been on the lookout for German saboteurs dressed as civilians. The French mistook the American pilot for a German saboteur and immediately prepared to execute him.
Desperate to prove his allegiance and without any identification, the pilot pulled out the coin from his leather pouch and showed it to his French captors. One of the Frenchmen recognized the unit insignia on the coin and delayed the execution long enough to confirm the pilot's identity.
Once the pilot safely returned to his squadron, it became a tradition for all members to carry their coin at all times. To ensure compliance, the pilots would challenge each other to produce the coin. If the challenged couldn’t produce the coin, he was required to buy a drink of choice for the challenger; if the challenged could produce the coin, the challenger would purchase the drink.

Challenging

The tradition of a challenge is the most common way to ensure that members are carrying their unit's coin. The rules of a challenge are not always formalized for a unit, and may vary between organizations. The challenge only applies to those members that have been given a coin formally by their unit. This may lead to some controversy when challenges are initiated between members of different organizations and is not recommended. The tradition of the coin challenge is meant to be a source of morale in a unit, and forcing the challenge can cause a reverse effect.
The challenge, which can be made at any time, begins with the challenger drawing his/her coin, and slapping or placing the coin on the table or bar. In noisy environments, continuously rapping the challenge coin on a surface may initiate the challenge. (Accidentally dropping a challenge coin is considered to be a deliberate challenge to all present.) Everyone being challenged must immediately produce the coin for their organization and anyone failing to do so must buy a round of drinks for the challenger and everyone else who has their challenge coin. However, should everyone challenged be able to produce their coin, the challenger must buy a round of drinks for the group.
While most holders of challenge coins usually carry them in their pockets or in some other readily accessible place on their persons, most versions of the rules permit a challenged person "a step and a reach" (particularly useful if one is challenged in the shower, a tradition in the Navy).
Variants of the rules include the following. If you are able to steal a challenge coin, everyone in the group must buy you a drink. During a challenge, everyone in the group must buy you a drink if you are the holder of the highest ranking coin. Some units provide strict time limits to respond to a challenge.

OMC Meeting on Thursday July 7th at 6 p.m.

Please note the changed time for the next mandatory OMC Meeting.

We will meet at 6 p.m. and have a short business meeting.  We will then ride to Marsing and have dinner at the Sand Bar Restaurant.

If you want to invite a prospect, this might be a good ride.  Have them show up at the Clubhouse at 6:30 p.m. as they won't be invited to the business meeting.

If you don't want to invite anyone, I am okay with that too.  I am not on a membership drive and am ambivalent about the OMC getting bigger.

Be there or be square.

OMC Spring Run Report

Side of the Road Between Baker City and Ontario

G-Man's Alter Ego....Moonbush

Smooth's Card Instruction

The OMC members met at the Chevron at I-84 and Eagle Road.  Present were Smooth, Chrome Pickle, Bomber, Grim and belatedly...G-Man.  We rode to Caldwell and picked up Rip City and we were on our way.  Big Easy caught up with us in Baker City.  More about that later.

As we winded our way towards Baker City, Bomber's FLH's charging system began to act up.  We made it into Baker City and to the Suzuki Dealer (the closest thing to a MC shop in the area).  They put in a new battery and we continued on our way.  We stopped in Haines Oregon where we had the best breakfast in recent memory.  The rest of the ride the first day was restful, relaxed and we stopped to tell stories (lies) often.

We made it to Joseph before the shops closed and made it to the "old" tin sign shop where G-Man was in heaven along with Chrome Pickle and Smooth.  We also stopped at a chocolate shop where G-Man spent a buck on a piece of chocolate about the size of a nickel.  So much for me thinkin' G-Man was so tight that when he blinked his feet lifted off the ground.  (I bought enough chocolate for everyone.)

We headed out to Wallowa Lake to check out the sights.  As we got to the business end of the lake, Bomber's bike began to have charging problems again.  Bomber, Rip City and I were able to get the bike back to town, however.  We hooked the bike up to a battery tender and hoped for the best in the morning.

Dinner found us across the street to our regular restaurant for a meal.  Everyone had a good meal and dessert.  Another walk around Main Street and then in for the night at the Indian Lodge Motel with the OCD female owner watching over us.  (There may have been a card game where Smooth taught us how to play cards.  I am not sure how the game went, but the OMC President's wallet was a little fatter the next day.)

We took off the next morning after a big breakfast at the Cheyenne Cafe.  We thought we found a Harley mechanic in Lostine but he turned out to be a little crazy and we didn't stop.  We headed straight for the Suzuki dealer in Baker City and almost made it.  However, a short electrical transfusion on the edge of town got us the rest of the way into Baker City.

We ate at the Oregon Trail cafe in Baker City while waiting for a new regulator to be fitted on Bomber's bike.  There was a mother - daughter waitress duo that was a "hoot" and we dined below the large elk, deer and fish mounted on the wall.  They had no Ding Dongs, so pie and ice cream was the order of the day.

Then we hung out at Baker City's very nice downtown park where there may have been some more card playing and definitely some attendance at the museum across the street.  We then went and picked up Bomber's bike and headed on our way.

We got about halfway between Baker City and Ontario when we found out the problem with Bomber's bike wasn't the regulator or the battery.  Unfortunately, Bomber's bike finished the journey on the back of a flatbed truck.

Bike problem's notwithstanding, all expressed having a great time and it was fun to have the time to talk, laugh, make fun of each other, tell stories (lies) and generally hang out together.  It was the best trip I have experienced since I caught the MC Bug.

More photos on the OMC website.

I can't wait for the OMC Summer Run and the next meeting on July 7th.

Message from Bomber and Rip City:

Hey Grim
In spite of the challanges, it was an awesome ride.  What a great group of guys that made a stinky situation a lot of fun.  My thanks to everyone for hanging in there and coming to the aid of a fellow OGRE.  Special thanks ought to go to Rip City and "Chrome" Pickles for being real "scouts" and being prepared with a charger and jumper cables that saved the day more than once and kept us on the road and moving.  I would love to have everyone up to my house for a low key BBQ one night soon just to say thanks, if I can get "Presidential" approval for an unofficial OGRES event.  Let me know what you think.
Also, attached are the pics I said I would send to you.
Thanks again.
Bomber  

Guys

I had a rare experience this weekend.  It was refreshing, relaxing, glutonous, restful, fun, funny, cool, reflective, and enjoyable with a group of very compatable men. Thx.  So sorry that Drew had to pay all that money to not fix his bike.  Looking forward to July meeting.

Rip City (hop sing) yaaaaaaamaaaaaaaaahaaaaaaaaaaaaaa-----

'Nuff Said....

Change In Venue for OMC Summer Run

Billingsley Creek Lodge

Miracle Hot Springs

The OMC Summer Run will still be on July 15 and 16, 2011.  The venue has changed.  As I was following the tow truck, carrying Bomber's bike from Baker City-ish to Boise, I had an epiphany about how much fun I had enjoyed the last two days and how I did not think about work and stuff at all.  This sentiment was shared by all 7 club members who made the ride.

The Iron Butt ride we had planned for the OMC Summer Run was cool but not as conducive to socializing, inviting prospects and just plain hanging with the club guys.  We will still try to do an Iron Butt ride but it won't be one of the three annual OMC sponsored runs.

So, here is the new OMC Summer Run:

We will leave the Chevron, at Highway 55/Beacon Light, no later than 7 a.m. on Friday July 15th.  We will go through Banks - Lowman - Stanley - Ketchum - Bellevue - Shoshone - Twin Falls - Buhl and end at Hagerman.  Google Maps says this ride is 317 miles long and should take 7 hours and 22 minutes.  The lunch stop will be decided on the way.

We will be staying at Billingsley Creek Lodge (208-837-4822) or the Hagerman Valley Inn (208-837-6196).  They are only about a mile apart.  There are two rooms/cottages left at Billingsley Creek Lodge.    You can camp out at Billingsley Creek Lodge.

When Billingsley runs out of the two rooms, the remainder of the party will stay at the Hagerman Valley Inn.  It is very nice and right next to the Snake River Grill where we will dine Friday night and have breakfast Saturday morning.  It is a very nice restaurant.

http://www.billingsleycreeklodge.com/Billingsley_Creek_Lodge_and_Retreat/Welcome.html

http://www.hagermanvalleyinn.com/contact-hagerman-valley-inn.php

http://www.snakeriver-grill.com/

That evening we can soak in the natural hot Artesian Mineral Water at Miracle Hot Springs or 1000 Springs Resort.  We can decide when we get to Hagerman.

http://www.mhsprings.com/

http://www.1000springsresort.com/

Saturday morning we will leave at a time designated by the Road Captain after having breakfast at the Snake River Grill.  We will then travel Hagerman - Bliss - Glenns Ferry - Mountain Home - Grand View - Murphy - Marsing - Homedale - Payette - Emmett and back to Boise.  We could stop at Givens Hot Springs, between Walter's Ferry and Marsing for another soak.  Google maps says this portion is 247 miles and should take about 5 hours and 16 minutes.

So there you have it.  Cancel your reservations in Coeur d' Alene and make them in Hagerman, Idaho instead.  Each member is responsible for making their own reservations.  I would make them right away.  This ride is only open to OGRES MC members and whoever they invite.

I have reserved the largest cottage at Billingsley Creek Lodge for socializing, card playing or whatever comes our way.  We can also hang out next to the Creek.  It is very beautiful.

More information will be covered at the mandatory Club meeting on July 7th at 6 pm.  Please note that change in time.  Six p.m.