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Prez Says - April 2026

Jeff Ricker | Published on 4/12/2026
Hello fellow club members.

We have had several days of spectacular weather for this time of year. I hope you were able to get out and ride. I’m just returning from a loop through Taylor’s Falls. Boy, is that a nice ride! Also I’m recently back from a ride through Patagonia with two club members on Royal Enfield Himalayans. The tour group had six bikes that included Daniel Maki and Rod Schmidt. Great traveling companions.

With limited international travel experience, that trip, at least for me, was the ride of a lifetime. The landscape and environment, the roads and the people we met were all very special. A dramatic change from riding in the Midwest. There will be a presentation at the April 9 club meeting about this ride and our experiences.

McKay’s Moral states that “Our lives basically change in three ways: through the people we meet, the places we travel, and the books we read.” This certainly has been true for me, and the Patagonia trip stretched my experience and comfort zone. I really enjoyed Chile and Argentina and their people and cuisine. The people in our group and the tour guide were great motorcyclists and we immediately formed a connection; I do miss them.
Here are some of our trip pictures:
Dan, Rod, and I show off our club banner at the southern-most tip of South America. I call it the End of the World.
We might have been trying to decide which way to go next.
Enjoying the majestic mountainscape.
Celebrating at the end of our trip with the club banner.
Thoreau said that the purpose of travel should be to better appreciate home. It’s good to be home and I certainly have a better appreciation for "paved" roads and how bad potholes can be. I find that sometimes a gravel road is much better than a paved one that needs maintenance.

At this beginning of the riding season, I’m looking forward to summer travel to visit new and familiar places, while meeting interesting people along the way. Also, meeting our new members at club events, perhaps at the Hiawatha Rally.
I have recently signed up for the Team Strange Grand Tour of Minnesota, which is sure to include places I’ve never been or thought about going. Maybe I’ll find good ice cream (the photo at the top of this emailis from a trip to Missouriwith Dan Maki in 2025). Or maybe I'll find an interesting library or a unique motorcycle shop along the way.

Enjoy the good riding weather and hope to see you soon. I hope you can attend our April 9 club meeting at Leo's South, which starts at 6 p.m.
Jeff Ricker
BMWMOCM President