OGRES Motorcycle Club Annual New Years Day Breakfast This Coming Wednesday at 9 AM

 

The annual OGRES Motorcycle Club New Years breakfast will be this coming Wednesday, January 1, at 9 AM. 

It will be held at the Capri Cafe at McMillan and Linder Roads. 

See all y'all there.

OGRES Motorcycle Club 2024 December Meeting Report

Faithful members of the OGRES Motorcycle Club met at the Fairview Clubhouse for one of the premier meetings of the year. 

OMC members present: Bomber, Smooth, G-Man, RipCity, Gundy, Rowdy and Grim. Member absent: Duke and Slick.

Hard copies of the OMC Events and Meetings Calendar were distributed to all members along with an updated OMC members mailing list. Members were encouraged to make their reservations for next year's OMC Runs and rides.

Gifts were exchanged in a mostly random manner and there was great enjoyment in watching members open their presents, some in frenzy...some in careful peeling of wrapping materials.

Bomber announced that he was hungry so we wrapped up the festivities and headed next door to the restaurant sans Smooth, who ditched us for a different party. We were seated and then greeted by our great server, Meghan. She was a lot of fun and met our quips and teases with an equal measure of her own.

At the end of our meal, we gave her a handful of 20 dollar bills we had gathered for the purpose of adding to her Christmas cheer. She was very surprised and pleased with the gift but had to be cajoled into having her picture taken with RipCity. I don't know if her reticence was because of her being shy or if it was anxiety of having to get too close to RipCity. 

Bomber had to jam prior to the final photo op to attend a grandchild sporting event so don't look for him in the picture.

We concluded our meal and individually disappeared into the cold, clear night as motorcycle heroes should.

G-Man, Gundy, Rowdy, Grim and RipCity

Vice Prez and Meghan

 

Bomber Was Surprised by the Great Gift

Bomber All Dressed Up for Partying

G-Man Has Issues with Following Directions

RipCity is the Sharpest OGRES Member

Gundy Just Can't See Going To Work

Watch Your Fingers

Rowdy Got the Point

Grim Won't Go Hungry

Gundy and Glasses

Smooth Bright and to the Point

OGRES Motorcycle Club 2024 December Meeting This Coming Thursday, December 5th

 

The OGRES MC 2024 December meeting will be held this coming Thursday, December 5th, at 6 pm.

 The meeting will be held at the Fairview Clubhouse followed by dinner next door.

This is the gift exchange meeting to kick off the Holiday season. 

Also bring an extra $20 for a surprise Christmas gift for our server at the meal.

Ho, ho, ho...

OGRES Motorcycle Club November 2024 Meeting Report

 Members of the OGRES Motorcycle Club met at the Fairview clubhouse at the appointed time. Members present: RipCity, Grim, Rowdy, G-Man, Duke, Gundy and Bomber. Members absent: Smooth and Slick.

Runs and rides for 2025 were the first topic at the table. Members had voiced a desire for more non-mandatory preplanned opportunities to ride as a group. Rowdy, RipCity and Gundy reviewed 4 one day rides that were created at the October meeting and two were adopted and added to the calendar.

Grim presented three proposed 3 day rides to replace the Spring Run. One was adopted for the OMC Spring Run. Alternatively, the 3 day Spring Run will be called the Joseph Run. The 2 day Hagerman Run will be moved to the Summer Run. The 3 day Orofino Run will remain the Fall Run.

Members were reminded that the December 2024 meeting is the gift exchange. It was also decided each member would also bring $20 for a surprise Christmas gift for our server at our Sockeye dinner that evening.

An updated 2025 OMC Meeting and Events Calendar will be emailed in the next couple of days. Hard copies will be disseminated at the December meeting.

It was a great meeting and evening.

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