See ya 'round.
But seriously... it's been a long time since I joined BMWBMW in 2006. I'll never forget my first event - a tech day at Breadman's house in Chevy Chase(ish), MD. I rode my '85 K 100 up there, talked to several people for a couple hours, ate some pizza, helped with an oil change, and rode home. It was that ride home (partly in the rain) that clued me into what a terrible bike that K 100 was, and I set out on the quest to find a better one.
I think Mike Enloe was president back then, followed by Tina, Maria, Scott and now Kurtis. I met so many people and had a lot of fun, but it wasn't always joyful. We've had some downs, too - we lost some members along the way, including JB Fields, who was a character to say the least, and Paul Mihalka, who touched so many of our lives in so many ways. His muffler and wheels are on my bike, a nice visual reminder of him every time I climb aboard.
It wasn't an easy decision for us to leave this area; I've lived in northern Virginia for 32 years and BMWBMW has been a huge - HUGE - part of my life for the last 10 years. Leaving friends is way harder than leaving homes. I look forward to engaging with the Richmond BMW Riders, but they've got big shoes to fill as far as club life goes. We'll see how they do
I want to say one more thing on my way out, and it's a criticism. I've watched the club shrink and grow and shrink again in the last decade, and we're in a shrinking phase right now. A big reason for that is a simple lack of engagement. I've heard (more than once), "Yeah, I was a member of BMWBMW, but they were so clique-ish I quit attending anything." You (yes - you!) have to be the person who takes the initiative to make that new member feel welcome and included. I don't know if you've noticed, but the number of people willing to take on leadership roles is shrinking as well - and without leaders to steer the membership to be more open and engaging, BMWBMW is going to dwindle into nothingness. I'm supremely disappointed that nobody has stepped up to take over the Media Chair/BTS Editor position, leaving that work to fall to Kurtis as he tries to balance everything else he has to do for the club and his business. I was saddened by how much effort it took to goad people into taking on other Board positions, and I fear that the slate for 2017 will go forward with more gaps in it.
BMWBMW is in an enviable position in the BMW world. There are FOUR dealers in the club's area. This is more access to BMW dealerships than most BMW riders in the country enjoy. There's no reason for BMWBMW to fade away, but it will take effort on the part of far more club members than the few who make up the board and committee chairs (BTW, several of THOSE positions also remain unfilled).
I don't want to go out on a sour note, because it's more important to me to remember all the great things we've done together than to focus on the few failings. I hope to see BMWBMW grow and thrive in the future, and achieve great things in the fields of camaraderie, rider safety and education, and fun. It's all up to you!
I'm sure I'll see some of y'all around the way over the years, maybe at the Square Route Rally, maybe at the MOA National Rallies, maybe at Morton's BMW (which will be the closest dealer to me, with Adventure MotorSports in Chesapeake twice as far away), maybe at Beemers Uber Alles (I'll still be there most Saturdays) and maybe on the road somewhere.
) so its not like you are moving to some foreign country like say, Texas or perhaps OZ by way of Kansas! 
