Easter and the first day of spring have past. The month of April is right around the corner, flowers, trees, and of course the Azalea bushes are reaching full bloom all around the CSRA and the allergy suffers hate it.  We are getting some of the wet stuff falling from the sky to provide some temporary relief to the allergy suffers and to help fill our lakes and reservoirs to a decent level.  I am sure we all know Masters Week is right around the corner, we can tell this by all the business in town gearing up to host the out of town guest that will be visiting our great city to view the yearly golf spectacular.  We all know when riding, you need to pay attention to your surrounding while on your scoot, but during Masters Week please be extra careful and stay on the look out for drivers that are confused about the directions and making last minute turns, lane changes, or sudden stops trying to get to and from the golf course.  Please be courteous and cautious to these drivers at the same time minimizing risk to help keep you safe.

For those that do not know, we had a member go down Saturday March 29th in the evening.  David McGee was hit by a drunk driver that turned directly in front of him hitting him head on.  David is listed in critical condition at MCG.  It is still to early to tell the extent of his injuries.  Please keep David and his family in your prayers. 

MEETING INFO:

We have two regular scheduled Monthly Meetings, one is the Monthly Social, held the first Saturday of every month at 7:00pm at various locations and the regular Monthly Meeting held the third Saturday of every month at 1:00pm:

April Social will be Saturday, April 5th, place is "Dutch House" restaurant in Wrens @ 7:00 pm.   If you would like to ride with the group to the restaurant please meet at 5:30 at the old Winn Dixie parking lot at the corner of Belair Road and Columbia Road (please fill up your bike prior to the starting point).  The ride departs at 6:00pm and will end at the Dutch House for the meeting start time of 7:00pm.  Please check the forum for ride updates.  Those that are not familiar with the Dutch House restaurant location, it is located on the South side of Wrens on Hwy 1 on the right side of the road.

Regular Monthly Meeting - held third Saturday of the month.  Time - 1:00pm.  Location is at the Side Track Bar and Grill on Washington Road in Martinez. The next monthly meeting is on Saturday April 19, 2008.

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Are you a new rider?  There are five things every new rider should know... Full article located at http://www.amadirectlink.com/roadride/NewRider/startright.asp

·                     Do it right: Get licensed. Be legal. Be smart.

·                     Regardless how well you think you ride training is the key, and your best friend probably isn't your best teacher.

It is recommended that your dream bike not be your first bike. Why you ask?
                        1. You're going to drop it. This is generally speaking.
                        2.  What you think you want now may not be what you really want later.
                        3.  You can still get your dream bike.

·                     It's not just the motorcycle. You need gear.

·                     You don't have to ride alone.

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NOTE:

If you no longer wish to receive future emails please let me know and I will remove your name from the email list. If you would like to have your name removed from being a member of the Augusta SCRC Chapter Riding Club please let Tracy know at the following email address - tim228@hotmail.com, he will then ask me to remove your name from the email list.

Please take the time to visit our Forum web page on Delphi Forums -  http://forums.delphiforums.com/augustachapter/start there is no cost for the basic membership. There you will find the latest ride information and general discussions about events going on with the chapter.  There is also info about the mileage program and other news about the chapter.

Remember if you are joining the forum page for the first time, introduce yourself to everyone in the "New Members" tab with your forum name and your real name so the rest of us will know who you are.

ONGOING RIDE(S):

The WORLD TRAVELER ride(s) is a program sponsored by US Rider News Magazine.  Some riders have already started to collect pictures of 6 of the cities needed to meet the program qualifications.  You can get more information on The World Traveler program at this web site - http://www.usridernews.com/worldtraveler.asp  Over the next  6 to 8 months the Road Captains will coordinate rides to different cities that have names of countries.  Once an individual visited at least 6 locations, took a picture of themselves with the sign of that town and holding a US Rider News publication, you mail your application along with your pictures to US Rider News and they will provide you with a World Traveler patch. 

Here were some suggested cities to visit in Georgia - Athens, Augusta Bethlehem,  Budapest, Buena Vista, Egypt, Denmark, Berlin, Scotland, Cairo, Dublin, Geneva,  Lebanon, Rhine, Rome, and Milan pretty cool huh.  There will be more info to follow.   Hopefully I will be able to get the info out before the ride actually happens.  You can get up to date riding information by visiting our forum site at this web address - http://forums.delphiforums.com/augustachapter/start.

UPCOMING OVERNIGHT / DAY RIDES:

MAGGIE VALLEY, NC., When: 4th thru 7th of April(Friday to Monday).

Where: Maggie Valley, North Carolina

Hotel: Ramada Limited - website

Let Doug know if you plan on going, his email - dfreeman@freeman-family.net.  If there are enough people interested, he will call the hotel and see if I can get a group rate.   Make your reservations as soon as possible.  You can always cancel them if your plans change.

Doug will post more details on the forum soon.  The tentative schedule is to leave on Friday 5/4 during the morning, take the scenic route up.  Two separate rides, one on Sat and one on Sun (Dragon/Cherohala and BRP/local roads).  The main group is returning to Augusta on Monday April 7th.  Check the Forum there may be a group leaving to come back on Sunday.

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Macon Chapter Dice Run - April 12, 2008.  One of the Road Captains is putting a ride together.  More details will be posted on the Forum.  If you would like to make this ride please check the forum. The actual Dice Run ride starts at the Marathon Gas Station located at the intersection of Interstate-16 and Hwy 96 which is located at exit 24, the ride is ending at Benton Lee's Steak House.  Our ride may go straight to Benton Lee's in Uvalda, GA. 

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Georgia Guide Stones Ride: Saturday April 26, 2008 - This is a breakfast ride!  The start time will be at 8:00am leaving from the Shell Gas Station in Evans located on Hwy 28 (Fury's Ferry Road) at the corner of North Belair Road which is across the street from CVS and Wife Savers Restaurant.  Updated announcements will be posted on the Forum.  We will have breakfast at Grits & Groceries (FYI - no Plastic accepted, cash or check only).  They are located at Saylors Crossroads close to Belton, SC.  Web site is http://www.gritsandgroceries.com/ please check the Saturday Brunch Menu on the web site to get an idea what is on their menu, don't forget the items listed under the Starters section. After breakfast we will drive to a location north of Elberton, GA where the Georgia Guide Stones are located. Web Site is - http://thegeorgiaguidestones.com/stones.htm.  Return back to Augusta, estimated miles 175.

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THUNDER BEACH SPRING Rally: May 01 - May 04, 2008

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AIKEN'S MOTORCYCLE AWARENESS DAY: May 03, 2008  Scavenger Hunt - Starts at Aiken Motorcycle Sales & Service on Wiskey Road and Ends on Newberry Street in Downtown Aiken.  The Bike Show starts @ 1:00pm on Newberry Street, All Brands Welcome, 6 Categories, $10.00 Entry Fee.  For more info contact Bruce Moyer @ (803)648-4142

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MYRTLE BEACH Bike Week: May 09 - May 18, 2008

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SOUTH CAROLINA SCRC State Rally: May 9 & 10, in Spartanburg, SC., keep an eye on the forum for the latest info. This is the 1st South Carolina SCRC State Rally. No one mentioned going overnight but I am sure there will be a day ride to this event. The South Carolina SCRC members are putting together some nice rides.

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TENNESEE RIDGE RUNNER Rally (SCRC event) and Honda Hoot: There are several members planning overnight rides to both of these events. They both take place in June. More info to follow.

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GEORGIA SCRC Rally: Third Weekend in July. The location changed to Cartersville, Georgia. The host hotel and overflow hotels are filled but there are a lot of hotels to stay in the area. More information available at the Georgia Forum Site -  http://forums.delphiforums.com/gascrc/start

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Road Captains are working on plans for other day, weekend, and even week long rides.  Randy and Mike are working on a week long trip to the Blue Ridge Parkway. Time will be announced on the Forum, anyone interested should keep checking the forum for latest info.

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MONTHLY HEALTH TIP:  by Randy Taylor

Psyllium ( Lowering Cholesterol )

Last month we addressed supplement to help with Heart Health. This month supplement is (Psyllium) to help in lowering cholesterol numbers.

The higher amount of cholesterol in your blood, the higher risk for heart damage. Steering clear of cholesterol rich foods like whole milk, ice cream and butter is a good place to start. Weather your diet or your genes are working against you, psyllium supplements can help lower cholesterol numbers.

This is how it works. Psyllium is a soluble fiber made from the husk of psyllium seeds. Inside the stomach, it attaches to bile acids, which are made with cholesterol, the entire compound is eliminated from the body. When the stomach realizes it's out of bile, it grabs cholesterol out of the blood to make more and cholesterol numbers drop.

Psyllium may also help people on other heart medications. A study in 2005 published in ARCHIVES OF INTERNAL MEDICINE, researchers took two groups of people with high cholesterol. One group dropped 29% in LDL on 10 of milligrams of Zocor. The other group took Zocor and 15 grams of psyllium, their LDL dropped 36%.

Psyllium capsules are in most stores on the supplement aisle, or in drinkable form such as Metamucil and seratan, 10 grams a day, take with meals (when bile acids in the stomach are abundant). Psyllium may bulk up the stool so take it with at least 8 oz of water if you are doing capsule form.

If you are taking cholesterol medication, ask your physician about supplementing psyllium, to help lower it more. Thanks, Randy

Hope to see you out on the road.

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Ken "Ax"
Augusta SCRC Chapter 62