Website:  PotomacAreaRoadRiders.org

June 2009

Issue 003

Age Not a Factor

by Mike Wascak

   I bowl on a league every Monday night.  My four teammates know that I’m am a motorcyclist and enjoy my stories about weekend rides and overnight  motorcycling adventures. They all wish that they were able to participate in the sport, but because of their personal situations (age, finances, family, etc.) they feel they can’t at this point in their lives.

    One of the guys, Steve, does own a motorcycle, or I should say "many motorcycle parts" that he hopes to put together soon to create one operating motorcycle.  One night he wore a shirt with a phrase on the back that I thought answered the question why many motorcyclists keep riding even when they become senior citizens.  The words were: "You don't stop riding because you get old; you get old when you stop riding."

   I'm not a young man any more, nor am I an old geezer, except maybe to my kids.  I do feel that motorcycling keeps me young in many respects.  It's a hard feeling to describe.  Only those who ride really know the feeling.

   I cherish these years of prosperity and good health that enables me to enjoy the sport to its fullest.  I enjoy the friendships that I have with my motorcycle club members.  What a great bunch of people who love to ride!

   

Annual Dues Now Overdue

 

     Your annual PARR dues came due in April and are now overdue.  To those who are paid up, we say “thank you” for your continued support of the club and the sport we love so much.  Dues not paid by the end of June result in your name being purged from the PARR membership roster beginning July.  Ouch!

      On a related subject, if you have been an applicant for more than 6 months, your name will also be purged from our roster in July. Making the transition is easy.  For further info, you can call PARR President, Ed Bugash on 301-948-1014 or myself at 703-963-1860.

PARR MEETINGS AND RIDES

 

Monthly Meeting:   Second Tuesday of each month at 7:30 pm

Location:  JCC  8900 Little River Turnpike, Fairfax, VA.

Note:  Go to front desk to sign in and you will be directed to the location of the meeting room.

1st Sunday Ride:  Breakfast Buffet between 8-9:00

Location:  Masonic Lodge  999 Balls Hill Rd

                      McLean, Virginia

3rd Saturday Ride:  Meet for Coffee at Starbucks at 9:00

Location:  Colonnade Shopping Center

                      5722 Union Mills Road, Cifton, VA

Contact Info:  PARR President, Ed Bugash 

                                  Phone: 301-948-1014  Cell: 240-793-2991

Newsletter of the Potomac Area Road Riders

Graves Mtn Lodge Ride

 

   The Graves Mtn Lodge Ride was rained out in May and will be rescheduled for a later date.  An email will be sent to all when the date has been decided.  The date may not necessarily coincide with our normal Sunday or Saturday ride.

New Members

 

     PARR is very pleased to welcome three new members to the club.  We all look forward to not only getting to know these individuals but also getting to ride with them.  

 

Lou and Artilissa Dunn

 

     Lou and Artilissa have been married for thirteen years and live in Centerville, Virginia.  Although he was born in New Jersey, Lou considers himself a D. C. boy having spent the majority of his life in Washington. He is the National Maintenance Manager for the Navy Federal Credit Unions.  Artilissa is a Mississippi girl and the Director of Contracts for the Apptis Corporation.  Lou rides a BMW K12LT and has been riding for 20 years.  Artilissa  is a relatively new motorcyclist riding a Kawasaki Vulcan 1500 and has been riding for three years. 

 

Mike Critchfield

 

     Mike retired from the federal work force as a Steam Plant Manager. He lives in Vienna with his wife, Tomie, who retired from her position with Bank of America.  Mike has been a motorcyclist for over 40 years and currently rides a Honda ST1300.

    On one of the Endless Mountain Tours that I led a while back, one of the guys said, "These are the good old days and these are the days we'll be talking about.  Isn't it great to enjoy them now?” He's right.  Hopefully all of us are appreciating these days as they happen.

   Our day trips and overnight adventures over the past several years have probably been the best that we have ever experienced. The points of interest we've seen, the variety of roads we've ridden, the beauty of the areas we've traveled have added immensely to our enjoyment of motorcycling.  During these road trips, not only have there been skills developed and enhanced, but also friendships created.  This is what keeps us young.  Age is not a factor in the enjoyment of motorcycling.

   So when someone asks me:  “Does your motorcycle club have any "old" members?”  My response is:  “Not really.”