Nov. 2011

The International Association of Fire Fighters Motorcycle Group (I.A.F.F. M/G) held its 5th Annual National Motorcycle Rally/Ride in September, 2011. Every odd numbered year, the I.A.F.F. M/G usually plans its National Rally/Ride to either start, or finish the National Rally/Ride in Colorado Springs, CO. The I.A.F.F. M/G usually participates and attends the Annual Fallen Fire Fighters Memorial Service, held on the grounds of the National Fallen Fighters Memorial, which is in Colorado Springs, CO, during the weekend in September that coincides with the events of 9/11/2001 at “Ground Zero” New York. Well…, because 9/11/2011 would commemorate the 10th anniversary of the events that took place at “Ground Zero” in 2001, the I.A.F.F. M/G changed its plans and held its annual National Rally/Ride in honor of the 343 brother and sister fire fighters we lost that day. So with that little bit of historic information, the I.A.F.F. M/G held its 5th Annual National Motorcycle Rally/Ride on September 9-11, 2011 in Newburg, NY. If you have been keeping up with my articles in the Grapevine over the past couple of years, you may remember reading that of the whole membership of the San Antonio Fire Fighters Motorcycle Club (S.A.F.F. M/C), we have a small group who have dual memberships and also are members, in good standing, in the I.A.F.F. M/G. So about 25-30 members, family and friends made the trek half-way across the country on this once in a lifetime historical event. Most of us (about 20 or so) started the trip on Monday, Sep. 5, 2011. A smaller group (about 10) waited until the following day to start their trip. I started out the trip with the larger group. For me…, this was one of the most spectacular adventures I had ever experienced, in more ways than one. You’ll see what I mean as the article progresses. My adventure started on the very first day of our trip. The group had pre-planned the trip so that Texarkana, TX would be our first stop for a good night’s rest. We were just South of Texarkana, in a small town called Winona. TX, when I was involved in a major accident on my motorcycle. I must have been so wrapped up with the excitement of the trip that I didn’t see the automobile that came to an abrupt halt right in front of me and I couldn’t stop in time. My motorcycle was damaged enough to NOT continue, much less complete, the trip to New York. We loaded my motorcycle on the trailer of one of our support vehicles, and planned to take it to the local Harley dealer, Whiskey River Harley Davidson of Texarkana, TX, first thing in the morning. This was the start of what would turn out to be the luckiest, unlucky day of my life. Huh!? What did he said!? From my misfortune, I was given good fortune. You’ll come to understand what I mean as the article continues. So there I was, with a broken motorcycle, and a broken heart, I started to make plans to get myself home. As for my injuries, I had road rash on my Right shoulder, Right elbow and Right forearm. I was wearing my helmet and heavy boots so it could have been much worse. To give you an idea how much worse, the leather of my heavy boots was scraped down to the metal of my steel toe. There was a pretty good gash on my helmet too. Oh! And I think I may have broken my little pinky of my Right hand at the first knuckle. I made good use of my tiny first-aid kit that day. So like I was saying, I was planning to make my way home. I thought my trip to New York was ruined, and on the first day out. What a stroke of bad luck I thought to myself. Right about that time, the phone to my motel room rang. I answered the phone and it was Brother Ernest “Buddy” Mass (Retired Fire Fighter) (R.F.F.). Buddy was driving one of the support vehicles, and was towing his motorcycle on a trailer. Of course his first question was how I was feeling. He asked me what my plans were and I told him I thought my trip was ruined and that I was going to make my way home as soon as my motorcycle was dropped off at the dealership. He asked, “Don’t you want to go to New York?” “Of course I do, but I have no transportation.” “Well, why don’t you go with me, I’m driving by myself and I could probably use the help with the driving.” “Are you kidding,” I yelled, “I’ll do all the driving if you want me to.” So off we went, right after dropping off my motorcycle at the dealership. Buddy with his new truck and trailer, and me in my new bandages. Buddy and I made our way to Little Rock, AK, where we were going to meet up with the rest of the 11th District of the I.A.F.F. M/G (11th D.I.A.F.F. M/G). What a grand reunion it was. Brother and Sister fire fighters we hadn’t seen since the District Rally/Ride this last spring. In case you didn’t know, members of the 11th D.I.A.F.F. M/G are members in good standing in the I.A.F.F., who have motorcycles and made up of fire fighters from all over the states of Oklahoma and Texas. I don’t know the exact number of motorcycles that made up the 11th D.I.A.F.F. M/G, but off we went the following morning. Just know this, every year that we have gotten together for a national rally/ride, we’ve had five of them now, the 11th D.I.A.F.F. M/G has more registered members who participate than all the other 18 districts of the I.A.F.F. M/G combined. That’s right; I said all 18 districts combined!! Everybody knows when the 11th D.I.A.F.F. M/G is in the house. We were about half way thru the state of Tennessee when Buddy had an idea. He made a phone call to the National Coordinator of the I.A.F.F. M/G, Mr. Michael Crouse. Buddy told Mr. Crouse my sad, sad story and asked him if there was anything he could do about getting me a motorcycle to, at the very least, ride in the procession on 9/11. Mr. Crouse told buddy that he would see what he could do, if anything. He was making no promises. I thanked Buddy for his effort but I told him that I thought that it would take nothing less than a miracle to be able to find me a motorcycle that hasn’t been reserved and put on hold. Think about it, people were coming from all over the country to attend perhaps a once in a lifetime event. How many 10 year anniversaries can you have anyway? That’s when it dawned on me, what was I going to do about participating in the memorial procession? I figured that maybe I could hitch a ride with one of the support vehicles that plan to participate. If not, then I had resigned myself to the fact that I just might have to spend 9/11 in my motel room, or the motel bar. What made matters worse, is that I had invited a family member to fly to Newburg, NY and spend the weekend with me and the club. They told me the only reason they are making the trip is to ride with me in the procession of 9/11. Oh boy! No pressure at all, right? Well Buddy and I were about half way between Nashville and Knoxville, TN when Buddy got a phone call from home. After the phone call, Buddy told me that he was going to turn around and go home. Without going into too much detail, Bubby explained to me that San Antonio was a better place for him to be, rather than Newburg, NY. I told Buddy that whatever he needed to do was fine by me. I was just along for the ride. Buddy asked me to phone the other support vehicles to let them know that Buddy and I were returning to San Antonio and that the group was going to be with one less support vehicle, and to also apologize for any inconvenience. Jerry “Partner, Partner” Cantu (R.F.F.) was one of the other support vehicles we informed we were returning to San Antonio. Jerry asked me what I was going to do. I told him that I pretty much had to go with the flow, since I didn’t have any transportation, and that I was returning to San Antonio with Buddy. He asked me if I still wanted to go to New York. Of course I do, I told him, but reminded him of my situation. Well Jerry wouldn’t hear of it. He got Buddy to meet up with him along the highway, at a point between our two locations. We hooked up, and Jerry told me that I could ride the rest of the way with his wife and him. He even unloaded my luggage from Buddy’s truck and loaded them onto his truck. So there I was, feeling like a foster child at this point, riding to Newburg, NY, and all due to the kindness of others. The rest of the trip was running smooth as glass. We were about 2 hours short of our final destination, Newburg, NY, when my cell phone rang. It was the National Coordinator of the I.A.F.F. M/G, Mr. Michael Crouse. He told me that he found a motorcycle for me to use for the weekend. All I had to do was make my way to the local Harley Dealership, which was about 5 minutes away from the motel we were staying, introduce my self, tell them Mr. Crouse sent me, and they would hook me up. One of our Brothers from Corpus Christi, TX was kind enough to give me a ride to the Harley dealership. I found the person in charge of rentals for the dealership and she told me Mr. Crouse had told her to be expecting me. She led me to this incredible Ultra Classic Fire Fighter Special Edition motorcycle with a FOR SALE sigh on it. She removed the FOR SALE sign and said, “There she is, how do you like it?” My jaw dropped to the floor. The Ultra Classic is the top of the line of Harley Davidson motorcycles. It had all the bells and whitles that you can fit on a motorcycle. When we started the motorcycle to give it it’s routine inspection, she noticed that the gas tank was almost empty, so she asked me when I had intended on returning the motorcycle. I told her that I would return the motorcycle first thing Monday morning, on our way back home. She told me that if I could return the motorcycle with a full tank of gas that we would consider this motorcycle a loaner, instead of a rental. Can you believe that!? Not only did I get this incredible motorcycle to use for the whole weekend, all it was going to cost me was a full tank of gas. Things were really looking up at this point. I made my way to the nearest gas station, then the motel. Had a good dinner and turned in early for the next day’s activities. The next day was Saturday, Sept. 10, 2011 and it was member’s choice. What that means is, members of the club can pretty much choose any activity they want to do. There was a fundraising ride planned for any of the I.A.F.F. M/G members to participate in. The ride was being sponsored by Orange County Coppers (O.C.C.) and the ride was being led by Paul Tuttle, Sr. himself. Oh, did I forget to tell you, the motel we were staying was right next door to the O.C.C. O.C.C., some of you may or may not know, is the motorcycle building family that have a reality show called “American Choppers” for the Discovery Channel. Most of the club members decided to take the train into the “Big City”, New York, NY, and do as much sightseeing they could do in one day. After five days of hard riding from San Antonio, TX to Newburg, NY, I guess I can understand that another day’s ride wouldn’t be on the top of your list of things to do. Me.., I wasn’t about to let a perfectly good motorcycle sit in the parking lot all day long. Especially after Mr. Michael Crouse, National Coordinator of the I.A.F.F. M/G, so graciously arranged for me to use this fabulous motorcycle for the whole weekend. No Sir!! I wasn’t going to let him down. So there we go, the family member I mentioned earlier happened to by my Sister, on a motorcycle ride led by the world famous Paul Tuttle, Sr. of O.C.C. Never in my life did I think I would ever scratch that off my bucket list. Paul Sr. led us on a 2 hour ride thru some of the most beautiful back roads I had ever been on. This region, of the state of NY, has some of the lushest vegetation I have ever seen. Every home looked like its own little piece of heaven, nestled in lawns that were all postcard perfect. The weather was perfect. The ride was perfect. I don’t know how many motorcycles participated in this ride, but there were a few hundred. After we got back to the O.C.C. parking lot, Paul Sr. unveiled O.C.C.’s latest creation, a chopper paying tribute to 9-11. Paul Sr. and O.C.C. built this chopper to pay tribute to every branch of the military, police, paramedic, first responder and of course, the fire fighter. Each of the afore mentioned organization was represented on this tribute motorcycle. What a day! Memories of a lifetime. Just one year ago, I was in Sturgis, SD during the big motorcycle rally in Aug. I was lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time and attended the unveiling of Paul Jr.’s new company’s first official creation, the “Venom” motorcycle. Yes sir.., what a day. The following day was the “Big Day”, the memorial ride into the “Big City”. I can only imagine that the logistic planning of this was an absolute nightmare. We started the day by grouping, by I.A.F.F. district, in the parking lot of the local Harley dealership. The parking lot wasn’t big enough to hold all the riders participating in the ride. We made do with what we had and even managed to take a few good I.A.F.F. M/G group photos. From the dealership we rode back to the O.C.C. parking lot, in our individual District grouping. In the O.C.C. parking lot, and just before we departed for the “Big City”, we had a blessing of the bikes. So it was off we went, with a police escort, on an hour and a half ride from Newburg, NY to New York, NY. The count of motorcycles I was given by the National Coordinator of the I.A.F.F. M/G, Mr. Michael Crouse, was 3,700. No sir.., I am not kidding. 3,700 motorcycles making the Memorial Ride from Newburg to New York and all the way into Manhattan and the Fallen Firefighter Memorial. 2,700 of those who participated were firefighters. The other 1000 motorcycles were made up by local riders and riders from across the country as well. Can you believe that? 1000 nonfirefighters who came out simply to show their heartfelt support to our fallen brothers and sisters. Well you can understand now why I said this must have been a logistic nightmare. We had Newburg P.D., New York State Troopers, and New York P.D. and probably all the local police departments in between, blocking traffic not only at street intersections but highway entrances as well. We had an awfully smooth ride into the “Big City”. The weather was cool enough for a jacket and the most rain we ever got was an occasional drizzle. Every small town we went thru, while we were making our way to the “Big City”, we were greeted by people standing up close to the street waving their arms and cheering. There were people with signs that read “We will never forget” and waving the American flag, both small and large alike. I saw one gentleman walk right up to the edge of the curb, come to the position of attention and render a salute. Anyone that has ever served in the Military will tell you that that small gesture is the highest honor that can be given by a member of the Military both active and nonactive alike. It brought a tear to my eye. What an old softy, right !? Anyway, you can imagine now how grand the ride into the “Big City” was. With all the people cheering us on, at almost every turn we took. It was a wonderful sight. When we got to the Fallen Firefighter Memorial, we parked the motorcycles along the street that led to the Memorial. We literally gathered by the thousands as we filled the long cement steps that lead up to the Memorial, Left to Right, and Top to Bottom. We spilled out into the street we were so many. The President to the I.A.F.F. M/G, Mr. Harold A. Schaitberger, (he happens to be the President of the I.A.F.F. as well) gave a rousing speech that not only paid homage and honor to our fallen Brothers and Sisters, but delivered the message that we.., “are each other’s keepers”. “We firefighters need to watch out, and look out, for each other when no one else will. With the political scene and the country’s shaky economic state, the “Brotherhood” is going to have to be stronger than ever”. It truly was a rousing and inspirational speech. After the memorial service, we made our way back to Newburg and started to get things ready for the long trip home starting the next day. I got together with one of our 11th District brothers, who is from, and lives in, Brownsville, TX and who drove one of our support vehicles. I made arrangements with him, Dean Gutierrez (A.F.F.), to ride back home with him. Not only was he kind enough to let me ride along with him, but he also stopped in Texarkana, TX, picked up my motorcycle and trailered it back to San Antonio and the Harley dealership off the highway that leads right back to his home in Brownsville. Have you figured out what this article is really all about? I had a terrible misfortune on our way to New York. Out of that misfortune, blossomed good fortune. Not only once, but multiple times to bless me with what turned out to be the best adventure of my life. The bottom line.., I got to experience firsthand, what the “Brotherhood” is all about. I had never been on the receiving end of what the “Brotherhood” means and is capable of. The “Brotherhood” came to my rescue and turned my misfortune into good fortune. To think that I started thinking my trip had been ruined after my motorcycle accident. The “Brotherhood” came in, swooped me up in their arms and told me everything was going to be alright. Alright!?.., that’s an understatement. Everything was fantastic!! I’d like to send out a special thanks and God bless you to Brothers Ernest “Buddy” Mass (R.F.F.) and Jerry “Partner, Partner” Cantu (R.F.F.) for making it possible for me being in New York in the first place. I want to send a thank you and God bless you to Brother/Mr. Michael Crouse, National Coordinator of the I.A.F.F. M/G, for making it possible for me to not only be able to participate in the 911 Memorial Service Ride in grand fashion, but have a motorcycle for a weekend of activities that will remain in my memories for a lifetime. And last but not least, I want to shout out a special thanks and God bless you to Brother Dean Gutierrez (A.F.F.) from Brownsville, TX for bringing me and my motorcycle home. It’s the “Brotherhood”! God Bless the “Brotherhood”!!! We are all truly blessed, and lucky, for having a “Brotherhood” that’s so alive and well in the I.A.F.F. M/G, and even more blessed to have a “Brotherhood” so close to home in our 11th D.I.A.F.F. M/G. And if you have been paying attention, you’ll see that the majority of the Brothers that came to my rescue were right from our very own San Antonio Fire Fighters Motorcycle Club (S.A.F.F. M/C). My motorcycle!? My insurance claims agent informed me that my motorcycle went down for the count. It didn’t survive its third time around (its third accident). Yeah, I said third! Strike three and it was out, 10-7, out of service.., dead. As for me.., I wasn’t hurt bad enough not to make the trip to New York and back. I am convinced now that the Good Lord has spared me once again for a part of my destiny that I haven’t fulfilled yet. What that destiny is I haven’t a clue. So with that being said, (Said!?). I’m going to be taking a sabbatical, in order to figure things out. The signs and messages are certainly there, I just have to step back and make sure I interpret those messages correctly.., or at least minimize the possibilities of making a bad choice. I’ll still be involved with the club as much as someone can, in a motorcycle club with no motorcycle, so you may not be hearing from me with the regularity that you have become accustomed. The plan right now is to eventually replace the dead motorcycle, but that notion may change way before the fact. I’m just saying that I need to take some time to myself, and carefully choose the next path I’ll be taking. Who knows!?.., He may want me to stay on my motorcycle for a reason I’m not aware of yet.., He may not.., who knows!? I do have 9 years of great memories, of some great rides with some of the greatest people I have ever had the pleasure, and blessed of knowing and travel with. It wouldn’t be so bad.., would it? Who knows!? So until next time, be safe on the road, and have a good trip home.., from wherever you are.

Fraternally,
Joel Berlanga

CLICK HERE FOR THE PICTURES!!!

June 2011

The gavel came down with a bang, several bangs actually, to bring to order the regular meeting of the San Antonio Fire Fighters Motorcycle Club (S.A.F.F. M/C) June 7, 2011. Mario Guillen (Active Fire Fighter) (A.F.F.) brought the meeting to order and Rick Bachmier (Retired Fire Fighter) (R.F.F.) started the meeting with a group prayer. Yes…! I said prayer. Prayer is alive and well in the S.A.F.F. M/C. Oops…starting this article off into another tangent aren’t I. Anyway… June 7 was the first Tuesday of the month, and as always the S.A.F.F. M/C have our meetings on the first Tuesday of each and every month. The meetings usually start at 6:30 p.m., and are held at the Frio Saloon, 801 S. Frio. In my last article, I was telling you readers what a great place the Frio Saloon was to celebrate a graduation, family reunion, or anniversary, or even have a club or office meeting (Like we do). What I neglected to mention was what a great place the Frio Saloon is to have a “Retirement Party”!! So if you are going to be celebrating any of the aforementioned, you can give them a call at 210-227-FRIO. You can even hook up on their website, www.FrioSaloon.com. I’m sure the Frio Saloon would more than happy to set things up for you. Please try to give your support to those who have been so kind to us, the S.A.F.F. M/C. Do you really want to hear what happened at our regular club meeting last month, because I would much rather write about the club rides we had last month. As I mentioned in my last article, the club’s April motorcycle ride signaled the start of the new motorcycle riding season of 2011. On May 17, 2011, the S.A.F.F. M/C had its second ride of the year, and thanks to our club’s entertainment chairperson, J.D. Rios (A.F.F.) for setting up such a grand ride. J.D. led us out the back roads of our scenic state, to the great little/big town of Lockhart, TX. We stopped in Lockhart, TX to have lunch, and J.D. took us to this great BBQ smokehouse called “Cruez”. Just recently, I read in the “Texas Monthly”magazine that “Cruez Smokehouse” is one of the top five places that have the best smoked BBQ in all of Texas. “Cruez was amazing. No plates, no forks, no knives, just plastic spoons. Try to figure that one out. Your main entrée is served to you on a fairly large sheet of butcher paper. Your side orders are served in small Styrofoam cups. I guess that’s what the spoons are for. With no knives or forks, I can give you two guesses how we managed to enjoy one of the best smoked BBQ in Texas. It’s a good thing there are plenty of rolls of paper towels on all the dining tables. After all was said and done, all of us rolled out of restaurant because we were so full. It was like swimming, we had to wait about 30 minutes before we could get back on our motorcycles to head home. Everyone had such a great time. Does taking in the sights of our great state, and sharing a great meal with good friends appeals to you? Do you think you might want to join us in one of our adventures? Believe me, all of our motorcycle rides are adventures. If you have a motorcycle, then by all means, come join us. Come check us out. We’d love to have you. The more the merrier. We have at least one motorcycle ride per month, and it’s a good time to spend with good friends. You can contact any member of the S.A.F.F. M/C for more information. Speaking of members of the S.A.F.F. M/C, this message is for you. If any club member would like to plan a monthly motorcycle ride, you can contact any of the club’s “Road Captains” for help. The club’s “Road Captain” would be happy to assist you if needed. You may know of a place that the rest of us would like to go to. The next motorcycle ride I would like to tell you about was an out of state adventure. Some members of the S.A.F.F. M/C also belong to the International Association of Fire Fighters Motorcycle Group (I.A.F.F. M/G). Because the I.A.F.F. M/G encompasses all of the United State and Canada, and the membership is so large, that it has to call itself a “Group” instead of just a “Club”. Pretty cool huh? Some of you may or may not know that he I.A.F.F. is spit up into 19 different districts, and the 11th District of the International Association of Fire Fighters Motorcycle Group (11th D.I.A.F.F. M/G) are fire fighters, all with motorcycles, from all of Texas and Oklahoma. Each year the 11th D.I.A.F.F. M/G has an annual spring ride. Our two state representatives decided that Oklahoma 11th D.I.A.F.F. M/G would host a spring motorcycle ride on the odd years and Texas 11th D.I.A.F.F. M/G would host a spring motorcycle ride on the even years. So on May 18, 2011, a group of eight of us members of the I.A.F.F. M/G rode to a lake resort at a place called “Tenkiller Lake”. If the name of the lake wasn’t eerie enough, “Tenkiller Lake” is just South East of… “Muskogee, OK”!! Off we went, on May 18, 2011, just the day right after our S.A.F.F. M/C ride, and made our way to Sherman, TX where we spent our first night. The whole trip to Sherman, TX looked like it could have started to rain just any second, but it never did. The best, or worst, we got was an occasional mist in the air. When we were packing and loading the motorcycles the following morning, we had heard on the weather channel that heavy rains, with a few tornados, had gone thru the Muskogee, OK area while we were sleeping in Sherman, TX. The second day’s ride was short and sweet. We arrived to “Tenkiller Lake” early Friday afternoon, only to be greeted by other members of the 11th D.A.F.F. M/G that had arrived before us, so we would know where the hospitality room was. While the eight of us spent time in the hospitality room, members of the 11th D.I.A.F.F. M/G kept trickling in thru and into the night. All who were in the hospitality room agree we would start early Saturday morning on our first of two full days of riding and sightseeing. Early the next morning, we all got up and had breakfast early enough so that everyone was ready to ride out by 9:30 a.m. With 68 motorcycles as the final tally for the motorcycle rally, this was a minor miracle in itself. At 9:15 a.m. the flood gates were let open. Buckets of rain came down for the next 3 hours. Needless to say, our first full day of riding was canceled. Although it only rained for 3 hours, the roads were flooded for the rest of the day. This it itself was a minor blessing in disguise. Although the first full day’s ride was ruined, this full day of staying indoors gave us all a good chance to get better reacquainted with all of our 11th D.I.A.F.F. M/G brothers and sisters. The hospitality room was well crowded all day and well into the night. Everyone had such a great time eating, drinking, joking and of course.., telling old firefighter war stories. Old firefighter war stories will never die, because they get retold so many times. Sunday was fantastic. The temperature was perfect all day long. The landscape was lush and great for sightseeing. Along winding roads and hills to ascend and descend to your heart’s content. Yes sir.., one perfect day of riding is better than two days of riding in bad weather. The 11th D.I.A.F.F. M/G annual spring ride for 2011 was a grand success after all. Monday, we started to make our way back home and we all agreed that we would ride until we just couldn’t ride any longer. If the ride would lead us back all the way to San Antonio, TX, great. If not, no big deal. We’ll just get home the next day. Just like the weather was on our first day when we left San Antonio, TX, it looked like it could have started to rain any second, but it didn’t. Once we got into Texas, the threat of rain was over. The only thing we really had to put up with was the damn humidity. I mean as soon as we crossed the Oklahoma/Texas border, it was like driving into a sauna. We decided that Lampasas, TX was a good place to stop for the night. There was no real need to over tax ourselves by going any further. As we were settling into our rooms, we learned, via the weather channel, that heavy rains and tornados had gone thru the Muskogee, OK area just 6 hours after we had left to make our way home. We got home on the 6th and final day of our ride, early enough to have lunch. No runs, no hits and no errors. Everyone got home safe and sound, and all in one piece. You might say we were lucky in escaping those horrid weather conditions, I say the good Lord was watching over us and protecting us. How else can you explain it!? Lord…, thank you very, very, very much. Does this sound like an adventure that would appeal to you? Then by all means, come join us. The next big trip we have planned is the trip to New York, NY, for the 10th anniversary of 9-11. That’s right, I said New York, NY, all the way to “Ground Zero”. There are quite a few of us club members who have plans of going and have made necessary hotel reservations. From the correspondents we receive from the I.A.F.F. M/G, there are some rooms available still. You can contact any I.A.F.F. M/G member for more information. That’s going to do it for me in this month’s installment to the Grapevine. We have our next club ride all set up, so I’ll be letting you know all about it. Until next time, be safe on the road, and have a good trip home…from wherever you are.

Fraternally,

Joel Berlanga

It has officially started. It was the day that every member of the San Antonio Fire Fighters Motorcycle Club (S.A.F.F. M/C) couldn’t wait for. What day could I ever be writing about? The first official club ride to start the 2011 motorcycle riding season of course. On April 23, 2011, our entertainment committee chairperson, J.D. Rios (Active Fire Fighter) (A.F.F.), planned our first club motorcycle ride to the quiet little town of Shiner, TX. Even with the fact that it was a middle of the week ride, what a great turn out we had. 16 motorcycles, all owned by active members in good standing, turned out to start this 2011 motorcycle riding season in grand fashion. J. D. led us on an extremely scenic route into Shiner, TX, where we stopped to have lunch before we continued to our true destination. The “Shiner Brewery”! The first thing I learned is that it is not called the “Shiner Brewery”. The “Spoetzl Brewery” the makers of Shiner Beer, is the actual name of the plant. While we were there, we took a guided tour of the plant and its operations. If the tour of the plants operations wasn’t fascinating enough, it was the tour guide that our club will remember for a long time. Public Relations Representative, Anne Raabe, is one of those rare breed of guides with a bus load of experience in handling the public. Anyone who could handle and tame a bunch of rowdy firefighters, as well as make the tour as entertaining as much as she did, only goes to show that the people who work for the “Spoetzl Brewery”, love their job. The S.A.F.F. M/C would like to extend our heartfelt gratitude to Anne Raabe, for making our trip to the “Spoetzl Brewery” such a memorable one. But I must say, what came after the brewery tour is what I think everyone really enjoyed, because after each tour, you are given the opportunity to taste any and all the brewery’s wares. And believe me, everyone made an attempt to taste all the wares that were available. Everyone rode home with grand memories and smiles on our faces. If going on an organized group motorcycle ride sounds like something you would be interested in, come to one of our regular scheduled club meetings for more information. But before I go into that, let me tell you about another ride the S.A.F.F. M/C participated in. This was not an official S.A.F.F. M/C ride, but it was a ride the S.A.F.F. M/C strongly supports. On April 16, 2011, members of the S.A.F.F. M/C rode in what is called the “Circle For Life” motorcycle rally. “Circle For Life” Director, Mr. Charlie Gonzales, created this organization in order to bring awareness of human organ and tissue donation to San Antonio, Bexar County and surrounding communities. Mr. Gonzales, being a motorcycle enthusiast, uses motorcycles and the “Circle For Life” to help spread the word for human organ and tissue donation. The “Circle For Life” is a motorcycle ride that starts at the Javelina Harley Davidson dealership in Boerne, TX. The almost 300 motorcycle procession was San Antonio Police Department (S.A.P.D.) escorted East on IH 10 into San Antonio. Mr. Gonzales saves a special spot in front of the procession for the members of the S.A.F.F. M/C. Once the procession reaches Loop 410, we go South onto Loop 410 and ride all the around Loop 410…ergo, the “Circle For Life”. Get it? Good! When the procession reached HWY 281, the escort led us South and all the way into downtown and the Grand Central Station where lunch was served to each “Circle for Life” participant and musical entertainment for everyone to enjoy. Mr. Gonzales is attempting to make the “Circle For Life” an official Fiesta Week event, and according to the San Antonio Conservation Society’s rules, and event, such as the “Circle For Life”, must have a successful event for three consecutive years before you become eligible to make application to become an official Fiesta Week event. With the successful event Charlie organized on April 16, 2011, he’s got two down and one to go. This is the second year the “Circle For Life” was a successful event. The S.A.F.F. M/C would like to extend a special thanks to Ms. Mariluz Martinez, who is the Hospital Development Coordinator, for U.T. Allograft Resources and MS. Regina Delgado, who is the Marketing Director for Organ Transplant University, Transplant Center. These two ladies are our liaisons to the “Circle For Life”. They come to our regularly scheduled club meetings a month or two prior to Fiesta Week and ask for our club’s participation. These ladies put on such a good presentation that both last year and this, the membership voted to purchase 10 tickets for our club members to use. Now, speaking of regularly scheduled club meetings, the S.A.F.F. M/C has parted ways with the V.F.W. and no longer have our regularly scheduled club meetings there. It’s on to bigger and better things. A friend of the S.A.F.F. M/C has graciously offered his place of business in order for our club to have our regularly scheduled meetings. From now on, and until further notice, the S.A.F.F. M/C will have their regularly scheduled club meetings on the first Tuesday of every month, at 6:30 p.m. The new location of our regularly scheduled club meetings is the Frio Saloon at 801 S. Frio. Anyone and everyone are welcome to attend any of our meetings for whatever reason you can think of. In fact, you don’t even have to have a good reason, any reason will do. Seriously, come on out and attend any of our club meetings, we’ll be glad to have you. Oh!...by the way, did you know that the Frio Saloon is a great place to have your next special event. The Frio Saloon is a great place to have a banquet, because they let you bring in your own food. It’s a great place to celebrate a graduation, a family reunion, an anniversary or even have a club or office meeting. So if you have an event to celebrate and you need a place that can accommodate a lot of people, you can contact the Frio Saloon by going to Contact@FrioSaloon.com or by calling 227-FRIO. Please try to give your support to those who have been so kind to us. You’ll be glad you did. Well, that’s going to do it for me this month. I’m looking forward to our next club ride, which for the month of May will be taking us to Lockhart, TX. Some of us are going to the annual 11th District of the International Association of Fire Fighters Motorcycle Group (11th D.I.A.F.F. M/G) Spring ride to Oklahoma next week. I’ll give you full details in my next installment to the Grapevine. So until then, be safe on the road, and have a good trip home…from wherever you are.
Fraternally,
Joel Berlanga

Sep. 2010

It’s either feast or famine. It’s like life at the fire house, feast or famine. You know what I mean! There are those months that very few entries go into the station’s log book, if any at all. (You haven’t gotten rid of the station’s log book yet, have you?) Then there are those months that you get writer’s cramps because you had far too many cases to log in. Well that was certainly the case with the San Antonio Fire Fighters Motorcycle Club (S.A.F.F. M/C) since the last time you heard from me. Where the month of June was a slow month for the S.A.F.F. M/C, things sure did pick up and the activity level went thru the roof during the month of July. So get a drink, grab a chair because I’m going to fill you in on all the details.

The first thing I would proudly like to write about (I’m proud of everything I write), is the S.A.F.F. M/C annual bike ride to the Texas Burn Survivors Society (T.B.S.S.) “Burn Camp”. Each summer the T.B.S.S. sponsors a one week long summer camp, custom tailored to fit the special needs of children ages 7-17 whom have been scarred by fire. The S.A.F.F. M/C affectionately calls this summer camp, “Burn Camp”. As all of you loyal readers will remember, the S.A.F.F. M/C holds a B.B.Q. Plate, with all the trimmings, sale fundraiser each Spring, in order to raise as much money as we can, to send as many children as we can to this special camp. One day of the week long summer camp has been designated as “Fire Fighters Day”. On this day, the S.A.F.F. M/C comes roaring onto the camp grounds with the thunder from our motorcycles. It’s also on this day that Fire Chief Charles Hood, San Antonio Fire Department (S.A.F.D.), brings out a fully loaded, real life Fire Truck along with a real life Fire Apparatus Operator (F.A.O.). Ron Carrillo, and family, was also there with their “Loco Motion Flipbooks” to entertain the kids. The S.A.F.F. M/C arrived midmorning with the roaring thunder of 17 motorcycles, and although Chief Hood and the Fire Truck had been there since way earlier that morning, the kids were mesmerized by the sights and sounds of all these motorcycles coming to camp just to see and be with them. To see the kid’s faces, with bulging eyes and smiles from ear to ear, makes all our hard work we do for these kids seem like a walk in the park. After we got settled in and the kids got to see the motorcycles up close, the chow bell rang letting everyone know that lunch was ready to be served in the dining hall. Into the dining hall we all went to share lunch. All the kids wanted a “Fireman” to sit with them at their table. I was proud to see the club members spread themselves out in such a way that, by God! I think we did have a “Fireman” at every table. It was amazing to see how much fun these kids have during a simple activity such as lunch. It was also amazing to see how the kids just loved having their picture taken with as many firemen they could find that would pose with them. When lunch was winding down, the S.A.F.F. M/C took this opportunity to officially present the fruits of our labor to Mr. David Jayne, founder of the T.B.S.S., in the form of a check for $6500. This was the total amount of money we were blessed to raise during our spring fundraiser, with the help of all you loyal readers. Thanks again. After the presentation, it was back outside and to the motorcycles so the kids could have their picture taken on a real motorcycle. The kids had a blast having their picture taken while they pretended to be on the open road. Some of the kids even threw in the sound effects of the bike’s engine. Vroom, vroom!! Chief Hood’s fire truck had quite a workout as well. There were kids in the cab and kids on the rear running board. Some kids were shooting water thru a fire hose, with the help of the F.A.O., while others climbed to the top of the apparatus. Don’t worry, there were plenty of staff members on hand to keep the kids safe and damage to the apparatus to a minimum (just kidding). Once again, Ron Carrillo brought his portable studio to the camp and once again was a big hit with the kids. The kids got to wear various props and have their pictures taken in a process call “Flipbook”. It’s a process that’s put motion to still photography in small book form. The kids flip thru the book, using their thumb, so that it almost looks like a video. Ron donates his time, equipment and gives the kids their “Flipbook” to take home, to have as a memento of their camping experience. Thanks Ron, the kids “flipped”… over your photo books (get it?). You can go to Ron’s website for more information about his product by going to www.locomotionflipbooks.com; I’m sure Ron would love to hear from you. Sadly enough, all good things must come to an end. It was with heavy hearts that the S.A.F.F. M/C bid their farewell to the kids of the T.B.S.S. For more information on the T.B.S.S., you can go to their website, www.texasburnsurvivors.org. They do a whole lot more than just “Burn Camp”. Before we move on to the next subject, let me take this time to, on behalf of the S.A.F.F. M/C, thank Chief Hood for not only bringing joy to the kids with a real fire truck, but also bringing members of his family to “Burn Camp” and spend the entire day with our family of bikers, and the family that is…, the Texas Burn Survivors Society. Your support over the years has been totally awesome. Thanks again Chief.

A great honor was bestowed upon the S.A.F.F. M/C this past month. “The Honor Network” invited the S.A.F.F. M/C to participate in The Honor Tour of the United States Honor Flag, as it made its way thru our community. Right about now you’re probably asking yourselves, “What in the heck is he talking about”? I’ll put in the words of “The Honor Network” to try to explain. And I quote, “The United States Honor Flag pays tribute to our Heroes in public safety and our nation’s military and honors those Heroes who made the ultimate sacrifice protecting our communities and country. This one flag flew over the Texas State Capitol during 9/11/2001 and made its way to Ground Zero where it flew during the recovery efforts in support of the victims of 9/11. Since then, this one flag has traveled with our military overseas and across our Nation to funerals, state and national memorials, presidential libraries, the Pentagon and other places to honor our Heroes who have made the ultimate sacrifice. “The Honor Network” was formed to continue this mission and is the entrusted caretaker of the United States Honor Flag. We must never forget our Heroes who bravely answered the call of duty and gone before us”, end quote. Early on the morning of July 17, 2010, we gathered and the Cavender Chevrolet dealership 30700 IH 10 W. along with a host of other motorcycle organizations such as the Blue Knights Texas Chapter 12, VFW Motorcycle Group Unit #8, the Iron Guard Motorcycle Club and the Reguladores LEMC. From there, the United States Honor Flag entourage would be lead by the official U.S. Honor Flag vehicle in procession to a place called Frio Canyon Motorcycle Shop aka: “The Bent Rim” in Leaky, Texas. The role that the S.A.F.F. M/C performed was that of advance party. The S.A.F.F. M/C would drive in advance of the U.S. Honor Flag procession in order to ensure the U.S. Honor Flag’s safe arrival and to further ensure “The Bent Rim” was ready to receive the U.S. Honor Flag, its procession and entourage. A “Raising of the Colors” ceremony was conducted immediately after the arrival of the U.S. Honor Flag. A “Retire the Colors” ceremony was conducted shortly thereafter, in order for the U.S. Honor Flag to be properly folded and placed on display inside “The Bent Rim” so everyone could get a chance to see it up close and perhaps have your picture taken with the United States Honor Flag. The S.A.F.F. M/C felt extremely honored and deeply privileged to have taken part in this perhaps once in a lifetime opportunity. It was a genuinely warm feeling in our hearts to pay tribute to our Military Service members, and our brother law enforcement officers. That’s right, I said it!! Brother, law enforcement officers. It’s with the help of the law enforcement officer that we, as a group, protect the citizenry of our community. End of story.

Lastly but not leastly (leastly?), the S.A.F.F. M/C is always ready to help out a worthy cause, especially is there is a motorcycle ride involved. Such was the case on Aug. 1, 2010. “Patty’s Taco House” on S. Hackberry, was sponsoring its third annual “Motorcycle Run” to raise money for the Cristus Santa Rosa Children’s Hospital. That’s sounds like a pretty good cause to us, so we prepaid for 10 slots and 10 club member motorcycles showed up early that morning. We found out that during the first year this “Motorcycle Run” was held, a total of 40 motorcycles participated on that ride. During the second year, due to rainy conditions, only 20 motorcycles participated. This year, hold onto your hats ladies and gentlemen, there were ONE HUNDRED SEVENTY TWO motorcycles officially registered to participate in this ride. Isn’t that great!? There we go, in one long, very long procession from the South side of San Antonio to the heart of the big city of Lytle, Texas. There, we took about a thirty minute break to rehydrate and it was back on the road to the point of origination. Once we got back to “Patty’s Taco House”, it was live music and free liquid refreshment of various kinds. BBQ plates were sold to raise funds, as well as a raffle. Our members represented our club in grand style.

Before I leave you, I would like to remind everyone that the regular club meetings of the S.A.F.F. M/C are always on the second Wednesday of the month. Our meetings are always held at the V.F.W. Post 76 near the intersection of 10th Street and Broadway. Our meetings are held, not so promptly, at 6:30 p.m., and anyone and everyone are more than welcome to attend. For whatever reason. So until next time, be safe on the road and have a good trip home…from where ever you are.

Fraternally,

Joel Berlanga

Click here for all the pics!!!

June 2010

There are two reasons why the San Antonio Fire Fighters Motorcycle Club (S.A.F.F. M/C) even exists.  Sharing the call of the open road with good friends is the primary reason.  Feeling the wind on your face and the engine under your back side.  Seeing new and wondrous scenes of this great country of ours and adding to our list of adventures.  Whether it’s a club ride, where a group of our membership will group together and ride to “Big Bend National Park”, or a ride at the International Association of Fire Fighters Motorcycle Group (I.A.F.F.M/G) level, where we meet and ride with other fire fighters from across the country.  This year’s rides are in Ennis, TX and Fayetteville, AR.  To be able to share this with good friends is truly and wonderful thing.  After about a year or so, a non-profit organization came to one of our regular meetings and asked the membership if we would help send a few kids to summer camp.  A union, and the second reason, was born.  The S.A.F.F. M/C adopted the children of the Texas Burn Survivors Society (T.B.S.S.).  Once a year the S.A.F.F. M/C holds a fundraising event in order to raise as much money as we can, to send as many children as we can to a special summer camp sponsored by the T.B.S.S.  This summer camp is custom tailored to fit the special needs of children, ages 7-17, who have been scared by fire.  These children live with a disfigurement that other children may or may not understand and this summer camp gives the opportunity for these children to enjoy the whole camping experience without the stigma of their appearance getting in the way.  As I am writing this article, the membership is busy making final arrangements and preparations for this year’s fundraising event.  Unfortunately I am not going to be able to give you any information on the outcome of our fundraising event until the next issue of the Grapevine.  Although the membership voted the children of the T.B.S.S. would be the only organization we would raise money for, that doesn’t mean the membership won’t support another good cause when it comes along.  Such is the case with The Circle For Life organization.  The Circle For Life organization was founded in order to bring “Organ and Tissue Donation”, and “Organ and Tissue Transplantation” awareness to San Antonio and all local communities.  Mr. Charlie Garza, president of The Circle For Life, Ms Regina Delgado, Marketing Director, of the University Transplant Center and Ms Deborah Ramirez-Cotter, Procurement Coordinator, also with the University Transplant Center, came to our March regular meeting and explained to the membership that they wanted to bring “Organ and Tissue Donation” and “Organ and Tissue Transplantation” awareness to the community by using “motorcycles”.  Well, did they ever come to the right place.  The goal of The Circle For Life organization is to create an annual “The Circle For Life Motorcycle Ride”   and make it an official “Fiesta Week” event.  Apparently, an event, such as this, has to take place for three consecutive years in order to be eligible to make application to be awarded the status of an official “Fiesta Week” event.  Our membership voted to give full support to the The Circle For Life in the form of purchasing four entrees in the “The Circle for Life Motorcycle Ride” of 2010.  I am proud to report that on the day of the “Ride”, April 24, 2010, we had a total of seven motorcycles and nine members participate in this ride.  The Circle For Life organization was so impressed by our showing, that they put us up right in front of the procession, just behind the “Rides” royalty.  Allow me to explain.  The “Ride” started at the Javelina Harley Davidson dealership in Boerne, TX and went East on IH 10 into San Antonio.  Once the procession reached Loop 410, it went South and went all the way around Loop 410 until we came back to IH 10.  Getting back onto IH 10 East, the procession went into downtown and the “Sunset Station” where we were met with a lunch buffet for all participants and great music from a live band.  I think the fact that our members were in front of the procession was a lot of great and positive exposure for our club.  Thanks guys.  Mr. Garza told me that he considered the “Ride” a huge success by the sheer fact that there were over two hundred motorcycles that participated in the First Annual “The Circle For Life Motorcycle Ride”.  Congratulations Mr. Garza, Ms Delgado and Ms Ramirez-Cotter.  We look forward to participating next year.  The 11th District of the I.A.F.F. M/G held its 2010 Spring Ride in Ennis, TX last weekend.  Six of our members were able to go and represented our club in grand fashion.  Thanks guys.  Until next time, be safe on the road, and have a good trip home…from wherever you are. 

Fraternally,

Joel Berlanga

NOVEMBER 2006

23 Motorcycle Club Members rode out to Koyote Ranch on November 11th and spent an afternoon and evening around the campfire, laughing, storytelling, tossing a football, playing Texas Hold 'Em, and some folks even got a good night's sleep in the heated hill country cabins. On Sunday morning a few others arrived and joined us as Larry Davis led the leather-clad riders through Kerrville, Fredericksburg, Luchenbach, Blanco and back home to San Antonio. Check out the photos

On Wednesday, December 20th, we will be holding our monthly club meeting at the Frio Saloon. The meeting will be brief so we can celebrate our annual Christmas party immediately afterwards. More details on the event will be posted soon, but be sure to mark your calendars for the third Wednesday in December. We always have a great time when we come together with good food and cold beer. You won't want to miss it.

As the year 2006 comes to a close we have much to look back on and be thankful for. We had our most successful fundraiser ever and were able to present the Children's Burn Camp with a $6000 check. The club took several rides and trips together, including Las Vegas, a couple of IAFF rides, Big Bend and South Padre Island, just to name a few. Norm Collins voted yes on a motion this year. We accepted several new members, firefighters and prospects alike, and we hope for an even more successful year in 2007. Dues will be collected in January and the '07 coins should be in at that time. Preparations are already being made for our fundraiser this summer. If our club can continue the great comaradarie, dedication and teamwork we've experienced in the past then we can only achieve greater things in the coming year.