FEBUARY 2008
THE SAN DIEGO WANDERERS NEWSLETTER
The San Diego Wanderers…. A Family of Riders
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The superior rider observes, predicts and uses superior knowledge to avoid situations which require superior skills. ~k ;-}
PLACES WE RIDE___ Having never seen anything about this park except a picture of a big wagon and a bunch of mules, DEATH VALLEY NATIONAL PARK turned out to be a surprisingly beautiful place. At 3.4 million acres, it is the largest American park outside of Alaska, having some of the most dramatic visual landscape in the United States reknown for its colorful and 
complex geolgy. In the park, within 15 miles you can be at the lowest point in the Hemisphere…282 feet below sea level at ‘Badwater’, to 11,000 feet above sea level at Telescope Peak. Fill your tank as often as possible, as there is a serious lack of gas stations in the area. The Timbisha Shoshone Indians have lived here always, and a small band of wild horses travel the eastern side of the park. 100 foot high sand dunes and snowcapped mountain peaks decorate the day and a zillion stars show clearly in the night sky. WWW.NPS.GOV/DEVA & DVD AVAILABLE from JOHN’S LIBRARY.
ON OUR WAY DOWN FROM THE HIGH DESERT We had an invitation to stop and spend the afternoon in Lucerne Valley at “The Wolf Mountain Sanctuary”. It was a wonderful day, in touch with nature. Being with these wolves…..these rescued beauties…..gives you a different feel about parts of your life. (760) 248-7818. www.wolfmountain.com
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________THE WANDERERS 2007 HOLIDAY PARTY ! _____________ by Carole Helstrom
Oh my....what a great way to celebrate coming home! The intimacy and warmth of Jon and Carol's 
home gave us a Christmas never to be forgotten! The warmth of the fireplace, the inviting decorations with their personal touches made all of us feel welcome and at home as soon as we came in the door! THIS IS WHAT CHRISTMAS IS ALL ABOUT!
The laughter started immediately...and never stopped...even when the great food was being gobbled up! Being so close to each other in the living room enhanced the gift exchange because we could see what everybody got so clearly and STEALING kept the group alert and focused...although, amazingly enough NO ONE stole Russ's gift no matter how hard he tried to make it visible! What couldn't be stolen, and what didn't need wrapping was the never-ending laughter that was part and parcel of the gift exchange...maybe next year we should all look for white elephants to bring for the gift exchange...although, how much harder could we have laughed???
We missed those who couldn't make it, and enjoyed the time with those who did. Kudos, deep appreciation, and gratitude to Rob and Darlene...we know how much time was spent in preparations of food and all the needed stuff to serve it, and the planning of games and prizes. To Jon and Carol…we are grateful for the time spent in work with Rob and Darlene, and the love put into the preparation of your home...which you so graciously offered to your extended family for Christmas. It will be hard to top this one next year...it was so different, so personal, so special! Hope the cleanup crew did enough of the work so you don't have much to do today (except find all the things we returned to the wrong places.)
The greatest gift we received this holiday party was being with the Wanderers to end the past year and welcome the new one.... can't wait for David's ride....to end a year and begin a new one doing what you love, with the people you love assures the joy of the year ahead! Here's to friends, and riding!
Larry Weeden’s pictures can be viewed at:
http://lweeden..smugmug.com/gallery/4083204#237918180
Doc O'Connor's pictures can be viewed at:
PLACES WE RIDE__
LOSS OF A LANDMARKThe well known San Diego “Shoe Tree” in Morley Park, home to a thousand tennis shoes, sneakers, swim fins, shoes, and skates fell down in a rainstorm on January 7th. “TREE’S A CROWD”
DON’T MISS THE SAN DIEGO WANDERERS MONTHLY MEETING----------------------------
Saturday
January 26, 2008
Wanderers Meeting held at:
The Ranch House Restaurant
11510 Woodside Avenue
Santee, CA 92071
Club meetings are held the 4th Saturday of the month. Visitors welcome! Meetings are called to order at 10 a.m. Arrive an hour early if you want to have breakfast. There will be an after-meeting ride.
HERE COMES THE RAIN
By John Del Santo
The rainy season is upon us…Are both you and your bike ready for it ? Many of the drivers around you in don’t have a clue how to drive in the rain. We need to keep our escape routes open, and maintain a bunch of extra space all the way around us to compensate for their poor driving habits.
The oil and water lifting off the roadway will make the road as treacherous as an ice skating rink in Kuwait. Good tires, properly inflated with plenty of tread is what makes a bike different from a canoe…Flat-bottom boats and balding tires go sideways in the water; not something we’d prefer doing in the middle of a curve. When on slippery roads, anything that changes the smooth flow of your forward momentum can make your bike head off in a direction you had not intended. Easy acceleration, light braking and smooth steering are a necessity here. Are you ready for a good gust of crosswind? How deep is the pothole under that next puddle? Riding in the lane closest to the center divider can give you a good blast of water if the traffic going in the opposite direction hits a big puddle ! See those steel trench-plates in the construction area? If you can’t avoid them, pull your clutch in, don’t touch your brakes, don’t even breathe as you float across them in a straight line, and hope for the best. Wet brakes have a lag-time between application and grab…be prepared for that so it doesn’t come as a surprise.
What are you wearing? Can the other drivers see you in time to stop? Wearing your “colors” can have a whole different meaning on a dark and gloomy rainy day. The Songwriter said “Rainy days and Mondays always get me down”. Well, our main desire as Bikers is to stay UP ! Properly maintained equipment, decent training and a defensive attitude will go a long way towards getting us home. We may get home wet, but we’ll get home in one piece.
RIDE SAFE……RIDE STRAIGHT….KEEP THE SHINY SIDE UP !
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