Will Write for Rides

Happy Holidays Edition 2011

2011-12-31T05:53:00.003-05:00

So, once again time has flown. Honestly, this entire year has been on speed. It seems like just a couple of weeks ago that I was out in Utah and that was actually a year and two months ago! Some of the days have seemed eternally long, but the months flew past this year like one of those old cartoons where the wind blows the pages of the calendar away in quick succession and you can see the seasons rapidly changing out the window next to it. So, what can you do? My best answer is to hang on tight and try to enjoy the ride- even with the rain, snow, winds, pot-holed gravel roads, and crazy drivers that don’t even notice you’re on the road with them.

There is that song- Life is a Highway. It really does seem like a highway a lot of the time. Life, death, scenery passes. Mountains rise in front of us and miles of what we’ve already passed or accomplished lie behind us. For those of us that like to ride, we crave the open road in front us, we relish the wind, the rain, the sleet, and the sun on our faces. We enjoy the curvy, scenic roads the mountains in front of us provide, and we know that the quickest route is not always the best or most interesting path. We don’t get lost, we take the scenic route. We chose to enter life with our faces front, an extra inch of throttle roll at our wrists, and a silly grin on our faces expecting that the best, or at least expecting that something supremely interesting continues to lie in front of us pulling us ever forward.

Don’t get me wrong I love the holidays, it’s one of the best scenic stops of the year. Our family gathers around, presents abound, and we reflect on our past year’s journey with one and other. I decided to help the family reflect together by creating a family gift of a calendar. Each family got their own page. Kids get additional pages, parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents are all represented and we can see each other. Even though some of us are thousands of miles apart, we can see each other and some of what we’ve been up to on our individual journeys over the last year or so. The nieces and nephews grow up so fast. It is also fun for them to see their parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents at their age, doing similar things.

All of the journeys we take may not be the same. Some journeys will be unusually short and some well-earned and long. They won’t be without hardship and sometimes pain, but they will be filled with smiles, laughs, and accomplishments that only we can have and share. Some roads will be the same, but the challenges and scenery will still differ.

Don’t forget to take time to reflect upon your journey and share it with others. Don’t forget to share in other’s journeys and point them towards some of best rides. Most of all don’t ever just leave each other behind. The road can be a lonely place by yourself, but even a bad or not so scenic road is improved with good company.

May the pavement only kiss your tires, may the sun shine on your face, may the wind make smooth your way, and may all of your trips reinforce the beauty within and around you. Happy Holidays! And may many miles of great riding be ahead of you!

A Cold Winter’s Ride

2011-12-27T11:28:00.001-05:00

Choose your todays carefully.

Now, I’m sure that I wouldn’t be considered very “hardcore” by anyone’s standards. I don’t like to ride in the rain or the snow if I can help it. Super heat, high winds, and sore bottoms are also never the funnest part of a ride….but sometimes the need to go for a ride outweighs the negatives. Sometimes you just need to say- today is a good day, because I get to go for a ride.

The fall, Michigan ride my dad and I took, really was a freak of nature this year and the last good weekend of the year. It was a golden citadel of perfectness laid before us and I’m glad we couldn’t resist its siren call. Nice riding opportunities have been scarce since that perfect weekend- we’ve had rain, bits of snow, and seriously depressed temperatures (though not as cold as many of you must face yearly), basically an almost complete lack of nice riding opportunities. I have sneaked a few chilly rides into work and a brazen, cold, wet, late run to fill my tank up for winter. Winter is so depressing when you have to wait around to ride.

Things began to look up over the last week… suddenly there was hoping budding within (even though I know darn well winter has not yet truly begun). Last week was the winter equinox, i.e. the shortest day of the year, that means that each day from there forward is getting a little bit longer, the sun hanging out just a microsecond or two more each day, in short- the road to spring has begun. To celebrate the seasonal improvement and the holidays I was granted a gift yesterday…. a ride on my motorcycle.

They had forecast a rain and snowy mix heading our way to punctuate the end of the year, but as I sat at my computer I noticed a strange light overcoming my room- sunlight. It was actually sunny outside- cold, but sunny. I suddenly felt the siren call (my room is right next to the garage) – my carefully wrapped up bike, saying “I want to ride”. Ok, resistance really is futile- I threw on some long johns, and extra flannel shirt, a cap, and grabbed the key to my bike and I went for a ride. It wasn’t a long ride, only 30 miles or so, but it was a ride. I felt the extra brisk wind chapping my face, my fingertips crying in their gloves, and I just couldn’t stop smiling. There are a lot of hardcore riders around here and I expected to see some bike out on the road sharing my bliss, but I was the only one. No one else listened to the siren, how is that possible? I got some strange looks from people as I rode, but I just kept smiling. I couldn’t help it.

Yes, chose your todays carefully, because tomorrow may be just like this.

Maybe spring is still a few months off, maybe I am more hardcore than I think, or maybe I just listen too much to the little voices in my head. Any way you look at it – spring is coming, the days are getting longer, and I got to ride my bike for Christmas- YEAH! Does it really get much better than that? Possibly, but I think the little voices in my head might argue with you. May you all be so lucky – Merry Christmas and Happy Spring is Coming!

Locking Lips for Life

2011-10-19T14:45:00.004-04:00

The Kiss of Life.

I came home from class last night and my lips were swollen and they hurt a bit. Checking the mirror I noticed that indeed my lips were swollen and I had the added bonus of bruising. Great, that’s going to look good for the next few days. More bruising had shown up this morning and I contemplated the reality that this was the best lip action I’d had in a very long time. Feeling a bit pathetic and distraught I thought-- Bummer. That’s a real shame. Then my reality chip kicked in and I remembered why my lips were actually worked out in the first place.

There is lip service & then there is lip service!

I hadn’t had an updated CPR/AED/First Aid certification in a while and I knew some things had changed and I like to be prepared. I had crammed that evening class into my busy schedule at 4hrs a shot, over 2 classes, in 2 weeks, so that I could be better prepared in an emergency. I’d done it so I could save a life if needed, not worry about some bruising and silly thoughts people (including myself) might indulge regarding my previous evenings activities.

This is not a normal motorcycle article, but I think it’s important and still applies, so hang with me for a few minutes. Having just successfully completed my course, its lingering effects still resting a bit heavily upon my lips, I wanted to share some statistics and information with you. Maybe you’ll even decide that your lips also need a good workout.

A kiss can be love & life!

There are "life lessons" and then there are "life skills". We're talking about learning some life skills now, so you will not learn really bad life lessons. Some of the vital skills you should know, that you will learn in class, are rescue breaths, rescue breathing, CPR, AED Defibrillator use, choking (not how to- how to fix!), and first aid goodies like how to take care of cuts, burns, breaks, and other emergencies. If you are thinking “gosh, that’s a lot of work to know how to save some random person having a bad day”, well, you would be wrong. One of the statistics that is not always listed, but is very real is – the odds of you using your training to save some random person? Very slim; the odds of you using your training to help or save your family and friends? Probably close to 100%!

Here is where the motorcycle bit comes in also… Who are you most likely to be riding with? Yep, your family and friends. How would you feel if you could help them? Is 1-30 minutes of possible action worth 8-12 hours of training time (with some additional time to keep updated every year)? How would you feel if you couldn’t do anything but watch?

A Little History:

Mouth-to-mouth resuscitation goes back to 1740 when the Paris Academy of Sciences officially recommended it for drowning victims. H2
Dr. Friedrich Maass performed the first equivocally documented chest compression in humans in 1891. H2
The world's first mass citizen CPR training wasn’t until 1972, when Leonard Cobb held one in Seattle, Washington. It was called Medic 2 and he helped train over 100,000 people the first two years of the programs. H2
Operated assisted CPR became a standard 911/dispatcher practice in 1981. H2

Now for some statistics:

Less than eight percent of people who suffer cardiac arrest outside the hospital survive. H1
Less than one-third of out-of-hospital sudden cardiac arrest victims receive bystander CPR. H1
Effective bystander CPR, provided immediately after sudden cardiac arrest, can double or triple a victim’s chance of survival. H1
About 5,900 children 18 years old and under suffer out-of-hospital cardiac arrest each year from all causes – including trauma, cardiovascular causes and sudden infant death syndrome. H1
At least one child dies from choking on food every five days in the U.S., and more than 10,000 children are taken to a hospital emergency room each year for food-choking injuries. (according to the NYS Department of Health) BE
Accidental injuries, including choking and drowning, are the leading cause of death in children and send over 16 million kids a year to the emergency room. BE
Sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) kills over 900 adults each day in the USA. That is about 335,000 of the 550,000 annual deaths from coronary heart disease. CD
Around 75% of cardiac arrests happen in people's homes so you will probably perform CPR on a family member or friend. CD
There is yet to be a documented case of HIV being transmitted due to performing CPR. CD, BE

Do you ever wonder if having those small AED boxes at work, school, or church matter (or are worth the $1000-$5000)?

Here are a couple of statistics from our Red Cross First aid book and our teacher:

For every second that AED is delayed in a cardiac arrhythmia emergency the patient’s chances of survival are reduced by about 10%. So, if it takes you five minutes to get and use the AED, you’ve already reduced your patient’s chance of survival by 50%. Wow! Does that give you the chills? It gave them to me.
AED use has upped cardiac emergency survival by about 70%. Again- Wow, worth it!

See how fast “it” can happen and how effective AED is…. for a 12 year old girl!

Are you concerned or even pumped up now?

Good. Here’s what to do about it.

Go forth. Get swollen lips the hard way and be proud of your bruising. Lock lips for life!

Outside of the United States?

You can still check for the Red Cross, they operate in many parts of the world. You can do online training with them and many others, but if at all possible, find a place where you can get hands on experience. It is always best.

Informational Links from above:

H1 American Heart Association statistics
H2 American Heart Association CPR history
BE B.E.CPR statistics
CD CPR Dude statistics
American Red Cross

Today’s Office

2011-10-17T14:47:00.016-04:00

Today's Office: 2000 Honda Valykrie 41,000+ colorful travel miles

(aka The Perfect Late Fall Ride)

So what happens when the planets align, your job gives you time, and the weather cooperates to its fullest? Well, you get the perfect motorcycle weekend. It doesn’t happen all the time and on every trip there are things that don’t quite seem to work out, and that’s normal, you just roll with it. But when it’s perfect, it’s sublime. Actually I was trying all weekend to come up with the right word- fantastic, great, gorgeous, and perfect were just not good enough. The best I could do was “glorious”. It was a glorious weekend. I could almost hear the Heavenly choirs singing a Halleluiah chorus.

Ah Fall!

Even though I’m a desert and mountain rat by nature, Michigan has quite a bit to offer, lots of lakes and rivers for kayaking; some beautiful, out of the way, back roads with small towns attached; a fantastic northern part; and some fun places to visit. Honestly, fall is the best part of Michigan- thousands of trees whose leaves turn beautiful colors, cherries, apples, and my personal favorite- apple cider.

We took our regular west and north route this year. Normally we’ll head west and then go north around the top of the Michigan mitten, hang out in Mackinaw City and visit the island or do some other fun things there. We haven’t been able to take this trip for about three years now. We’ve also been known to head up and tour the UP (Upper Peninsula), or take the eastern version of our trip, up around the thumb, following back up to Mackinaw. Last year we were out west and the two before that we miss timed the weather and the season – there was even snow one of the years. This trip can be risky- it can be anything from perfect Indian summer (this year), to rain, sleet, snow, or so cold your fingers don’t work in your big, bulky maximum winter gloves and you pop your clutch and drop your cold bike (the last time we made the trip). Ah, fall.

Fall in west MI on Lake

Author (Penny) & Dad

As I mentioned though, this was one of those perfect years, as a matter of fact I think it was our most perfect fall ride ever and you’d better believe that I made sure to use and enjoy every last bit of it. Knowing that the odds of it happening again this year were about million times less likely than hell freezing over this month (yes, Hell is in Michigan—Hell, Michigan is about an hour and a half away from our house.).

Bikes, Fall 2011 MI

The first trees had begun to change color the last week of August. That is unusually early (& scary for those of us allergic to winter). It was interesting to see how much color was out there, all across the state and how much it varied, even on stretches of road that you thought would have pretty much the same weather and coloring. Heading gracefully north and west (we live just north of Detroit proper), it seemed that about 50-60% of the trees had already change or begun to change color. As we headed more west (almost 2/3’s of the way north in the state), the color content rose to about 85% color with some leaves dropping or gone. There was a stretch though, for about 60 miles in the middle that jumped up to 100% colored, 15-25, already dropped. There was no wind to speak of, just a face caressing warm, late summer breeze. In a couple of areas, as we passed through, the trees rained their leaves down upon as in a fall confetti-colored storm. I just couldn’t wipe the grin from my face.

Lake MI Coast Fall

We parked it in Manistee, MI the first night. A fun place to be to head north or south from and enjoy Lake Michigan’s coast- head south and you get lake views, dunes, and dune rides, head north and you get lots of lake shore, dunes, and the potential for dune rides. We headed north and perfect continued to be our companion. Great roads, gentle fun sweeping curves through small towns dressed up for fall festivals, dotted with fresh fruit, veggie, and cider stands. Sometimes we were teased through the trees with fabulous views of blue water and sandy beaches, sometimes we were granted views of sunny blue skies with brushed streaks of clouds above in a canyon whose walls were a combination of tall thin “lodge pole” type pines and fall colored trees that ranged in color from bright green tinged yellows, to full rich golds, fiery golden-oranges to burnt oranges, and bright reds to stately burgundies. The sun’s rays seemed to come down and light their tops on fire, setting the entire forest aglow.

There were also my favorite stretches of secluded enclosure where the fall harvest trees overhung the road, closing out all but glittering glimpses of the sun and the sky, enveloping you in a tunnel of fall-colored perfection, where you sometimes came upon a curve and thought that maybe there would be fairy land on the other side. Still we road on, warm breeze, cool shade, and a color pallet only mother nature could provide, and still I couldn’t calm or talk the smile down from my face. I felt like I was on the road to heaven and if I was already dead, I was ok with it.

Looking South down Lake Michigan (MI)

Yeah, it's fall & they fit right in.

Did I mention the smell? You would think that fall, in comparison to say spring, just wouldn’t be able to compete, but wow, you would be wrong. In the warm afternoons, you could smell the warmed wood of the trees. Anybody who works with or loves wood has smelled different woods as they’ve worked them or been around them, not quite sweet, or spicy, or flowery, just well, woody- with hints of all the other mentioned things. Gently warmed woods are comforting in the way snuggling up with a quilt, a cup of hot cocoa, and your puppy are. Then there were the mornings, when things were just a bit more damp. In areas where there were more leaves (less piney types) and more undergrowth, you got your normal damp, fall smell, where you could smell the wet richness of it all. Then there were the areas that had a nice mix of leafy and piney trees ( I love the smell of pine- oh and cedar & sagebrush too mixed with hot dust- desert love)… in those areas it was like a forest harvest smell, some of the woody smells, mixed with some sweet, really ripe smells, but very enjoyable to the nose. Like a harvest buffet. I guess technically even leaves are the fruits of the trees and you could smell them and feel of their bounty. It was again, glorious!

Oh, and then there is one of my all time favorite smells- ‘O de Hydrocarbons mixed with air, gas, tarmac, and warm tire rubber. Have you ever noticed when you come in from a ride and you can smell the outdoors and your bike on you and your jacket like a motorized perfume. Yeah, I love that smell. It’s even better on a 68-72*(F) fall day.

The Mighty Mac (Mackinaw) suspension bridge connects upper and lower Michigan

Mackinaw City is always fun and I’ve found this great little, non-fancy motel directly across the street from the Mackinaw Bridge, the Mackinaw Lighthouse, and historic Fort Michimillimacinac. The view is great. It is just around the corner from the city’s center street with fine shopping and fun, and a 20 minute boat ride away from Mackinaw Island. Also around the corner, in the other direction, we’ve taken to this little bit more expensive restaurant, where you get fresh bread and cheese, and some fun daily specials- dad and I treated ourselves to some prime rib the first night- Yummm!

Mackinaw City Lighthouse at sunset.

JoAnn's Fudge- 1lb will never do!

It's fun to watch them make it, but smelling it adds at least 3 lbs per visit.

Now, we’ve been to the island many times over the years (I’ll have to post some pictures for you from our last motorcycle trip up here a couple of years ago), so dad wanted to check out the Fort on the mainland (they have on the island as well). It was the last weekend all of the attractions and parks up here were going to be open for the 2011 season, after that, the town even pretty much closes down over the next week. The upside I found out was great weather, lack of uncomfortably too many tourists, and some excellent shopping opportunities at great discounts. I must remember this for future trips. As you can tell, I went for a bit of shopping (not one of my usual favorite things to do), while dad went to enjoy some quality break time. I didn’t leave downtown until I chatted with several other bikers, acquired about 6 lbs of fudge, a pound of cashew brittle, some new winter gear, a fabulous leather-tooled looking watch & pocketbook combo, and some treats for my mini schnauzer (who was not happy about being left at home).

Trip Historic Visit Insert- with Pictures
Ft. Michimillimacinac started as a native Indian settlement that had moved from the north side (St.Ignace) of the Mackinaw straight (the other side of the bridge into the UP-Upper Peninsula) to the lower (Mackinaw City) side. It was an important trading location and became more so over time. Later French traders moved in, built a fort and a home with the natives, only to be taken over and annoyed by the British later. The natives and the French almost got it back during Chief Pontiac's uprising, but failed by a critical 2 forts to retake the entire northeast United States (we could all be speaking French here). Later when the British were being annoyed by the American's and got worried they moved this Fort piece by piece over to Mackinaw Island, which they had determined to be more defensible and burned anything left behind. The current fort is a recreation that is ever growing, based on archaeology and historic records. You will see a current dig in one of the pictures that has been covered up for the winter.

Laundry at the Fort

Dad at camp outside the Fort.

In the Fort, on the wall, looking across the parade grounds.

1700s French outdoor oven- reminds me of an outdoor version of a Mormon "Bustle" fireplace oven.

Final harvest of the year.

Harvest is just as important is planting as it is the first step to prepping for next year, via seed gathering.

Morning cannon call. They clam that the 6 lb balls, with a full powder load, will cross at least the half-way point of the straight.

Meanwhile, back to our Office article
Coming home on a Sunday, from such a weekend, would have frankly been a nightmare of traffic on the main artery heading south, I-75 (not just Mackinaw, the UP, and hunting round and about, but everyone heading back from a final weekend at their cabins and such). So we had another great dinner at our little, expensive haunt, relaxed and headed back on Monday morning instead. It turned out to be a wise choice too, as we passed sections of road construction that would have made an ordinary nightmare one of enduring torment.

It was a wet morning. We couldn’t get the bike seats dry enough to sit on… and then as we got going the temperature dropped from mid-50’s to the low 40’s, which, as you know on a bike, can actually feel like hell is freezing you over and into a motorsicle. I must have stored a lot of warmth over the previous 3 days, because I was just fine in my Joe Rocket jacket, without even sealing it up and putting on an extra shirt, but my fingers have some arthritis and didn’t enjoy the brisk breeze flowing over them. It was that odd cold just between F’ing freezing, bring on the really big winter gloves that you can’t always work the controls well with, and almost ok with liners. One of the uses of my big flat-six engine is its great proximity to my lower extremities in cold weather- it kept my feet, legs, and knees warm, and I was also able to keep my fingers happy by dangling them in the engine’s warm air stream. Even with the true fall chill in the air – I still couldn’t be swayed from smiling and thinking – what a glorious office this is…. I love my day job today!

So, what has been your best or favorite ride this year?

I love an office with a view! (author Penny/aka Chaco_Kid)

When Life Pulls an End Run Around You…

2011-09-21T16:06:00.002-04:00

Ah, Wyoming...and now I have long hair

I cannot believe it is already nearing the end of September. First off, no, I haven’t died and no there has been no terrible accident in my recent past. This year has just been rather un-motorcycle travel worthy for me.

So, excuses/explanations first-
Winter just wouldn’t leave. We were still getting snow here and had sub-freezing temperatures and ice until the end of May this year. Within a couple of days of Hell having been frozen over (yes, there is a Hell, Michigan, and yes, it does freeze over – often) it suddenly jumped into the mid+ 90’s (F). How crazy is that? The really big down side is, 2 weeks into August, the temperatures suddenly dropped into the fall temp zone- 60s-ish (F). Now it is mid September and I’ve had to watch out for some ice a couple of mornings and wear liners in things (gloves, jackets, pants), just to go 6 miles to work. I fear that winter is trying to round the corner early and smack us in the face.

My 97 year old maternal grandmother, who has been living with us for the last 4 years, started to go downhill in a spiral of worsening unpleasantness. She rolled over one night at about 1am in the morning in late January and dislocated her replaced hip. The doctors couldn’t put it back make it impossible for her to move or get around out of bed. We had to put her in a home. My mom was with her nearly every day as she continued to hang around, probably just to be with us. Heaven knows she’d done her bit and was probably quite ready to go. The consequence of this was no real tripping. Time, need, and the knowing that we would need to take a road trip to bury her when she did pass kept us more around the house. We made that final trip with her in August.

My dad….Yeah, he’s my bud and he reads these articles. Unfortunately I suddenly have a dad that will be 70 next week. How did that happen? He still has the riding heart of a 20 year old (ok, maybe a 45 year old), but the body and ability just aren’t the same anymore. My dad is my main riding partner. It’s been sad to consider every time I go out with him that our time on bikes is winding down and could come to a close at any time. Will I keep riding? Yes. I really love to do it. It is part of me too. Will I be lonesome, yes, of course I will. Will my dad worry about me like I was 17 and just learning how to drive every time I go out by myself – yes, of course. (Dad’s can be kind of high maintenance sometimes, can’t they?)

I have been working on a couple of books I’m hoping to publish over the next year- writing one (a samurai monster fighter who races cars as a day job) and editing the other (a reluctant fairy godmother that sadly has neither a motorcycle nor a fast car, even though she’s from the Detroit area).

I still ride into work every chance I get. However, the rain has really conspired against me this year. It seems like we’ve averaged about 3 out of 4 weeks of rain, every month, since June began.

I still love Canyon de Chelley (AZ)

Bearing all of this in mind, it hasn’t been the year of the motorcycle for me. But I have had time to do some reflecting and thinking- heck, I need to start planning for trips next year with the weather closing in so fast. I am still hoping to get a fall weekend color ride in over the next month and then it will be the long winter haul once again. Until then I have been getting asked lots of interesting questions about how I got into riding, how many places have I been, where would I like to go, etc… so I think I’ll start writing some of that down and posting. I see a lot more riding in my future (did I mention I just got my new license sticker in the mail yesterday?) and some reminiscing until then. So, I won’t be waiting another half year to get back here (unless I get to go ride in South America or something) and I’ll continue to write harder for pay so I can ride more, until I can flip it and get paid to write FOR riding.

Don't forget to smell some roses!

So, you now know how my riding year has been- how about yours? Have you done something magnificent, awe inspiring, or just plain fun this year? Leave a comment and let us all share. Maybe it will help me plan out my next year’s worth of riding. Also feel free to leave any questions or fun topics you think we might like to share together. Until next time – get out there and find an excuse to ride!

Spring Brings out the New Bikes, Even if it hasn’t Sprung yet

2011-04-19T05:30:00.017-04:00

My brother just purchased a new bike a month ago, a Kawasaki Vulcan Vaquero. His weather hasn’t been much better than ours (actually they got a lot more snow than we did this year). He sent me a link to this promo-video for his bike. I liked the promo a lot. I was happy to see a company actually marketing- well, properly. Instead of some awesome, slick stunt dude power sliding their new dresser touring bike on a street in So-Cal, with bikini-clad babe cheering them on for their manliness, they actually took the bikes out touring and filmed it. What a unique concept. The video was enjoyable, especially as I looked longingly at the garage where my bike is housed, through a haze of blowing snow.

Of course both of my brothers were as anxious to go out riding there, as we were here and they got a cold, quick break and took it. Hopefully we’ll all be riding warm soon.

How do you handle non-riding weather? Spikes? Fortitude? Re-watching your On Any Sunday tape for the hundredth time?

It's been a while, maybe this year, after everything has warmed up a bit, I'll be able to take a ride with them.

You can share and show us your ride if you would like. If you send a picture, make sure to include your name, location, and type of bike to chaco _ kid @ hotmail . com (minus the spaces of course- nobody like spam).

Is it Spring or Isn’t it?

2011-04-18T16:07:00.001-04:00

It’s been a wild and wacky weather month or so. A little worse than normal: sub-zero one day, 50 the next; 30’s one day, 80’s the next; then right back down to snow, sleet and ice for the umpteenth time. Michigan has always been a bit contrary, but this is ridiculous. Everyone is sick, because we can’t seem to adapt as quickly as the local weather.

On the upside I have been out twice over the last six weeks. A 60 degree ride around the lake (which had to hold me over for almost another month while we got more snow, ice, and rain, and then last weekend, a week ago. It went from cold and rainy, to 83 on Sunday. We obviously had to go out. We would have chomped at any bit we could get a hold of. Bonus points because my nieces were in from out of town and I got to take one of them out for their first ever motorcycle ride. It was really fun. Of course then it got wet and cold again. I even had to scrape snow off of my car this morning. (Yes, picture a very sad face, not unlike my puppy when I leave to go to work.)

There have been signs of spring. Signals that winter is being politely requested to smeg off, just not fast enough. They have been holding the rider’s certification classes over at the local community college. I’ve been in that class, when it was mid-march and 30-40 degrees out. This class had it made a few weeks ago. They couldn’t have had a better weekend. However, a similar class this weekend, though devoted and in rain gear, not quite so much.

The buds are trying to burst, the motorcycle is trying to escape the garage, and I am trying to find a weekend trip in my near future, so that I can enjoy spring and relish in sunny, floral embrace.

To those of you suffering needlessly like us- I feel your pain.

To you rotten buggers in those better areas of the country that have been riding in sunny 70-80 degree weather for the last couple of months- well we salute you as brethren, with the flying finger. (Yes we still love you- really- it will pass.)

Time Flies When you Hibernate

2011-03-07T09:25:00.002-05:00

This is my desk at work. My dad just gave me this picture of me on my first big street bike, which I loved (I’d always ridden dirt before). My Yamaha Virago 1000 in burgundy and sparkling orange cocktail, my dad and brother, Ken, had matching bikes (only theirs were in pearled cream with dark green). Those were the days when we started going cross-country together, on our own bikes with dad, rather than switching off trips on the back of the bike with him. I’ve been back and forth out west and up and down the east on that bike, and then I got my Valkyrie and found out in many ways that bigger is better. My dad ran off a copy of the picture and framed it for me “for work”. I don’t know if he was trying to remind how long it had been since I’d last had a ride or if he was trying to remind how long it had been since I’d last blogged about it. Either way - point taken.

Wow, I woke up and looked at the blog and realized it has been 3 months since I last posted. That is fairly inexcusable. Besides actual hibernation up here in the winter of doom zone, I did have a bad run-in with a Michigan sinus cold from well, Hell – Hell, Michigan of course (which has been frozen over for a while I assure you). The weather has been frightful (and just plain nasty some days), and freakin’ cold. We’ve had run-in with my grandmother (97) going into a hospital and then a “home” (read as “old people prison"), because she tried to roll over one night and dislocated her replaced hip.

I have also whiled away some of my precious blog writing time working on a thriller-killer novel set in the southwest I’m tentatively calling “Student Bodies” (no I did not bury any bodies on our trip last fall, but I did get some additional inspiration for the story on the trip). I have more recently been coerced into starting a new high-powered fantasy novel I’m tentatively calling “Hot ZOMBIE Nights” where a modern-day samurai warrior, Jaz, is taking on ZOMBIES. Here’s the quick blurb: “The world’s ZOMBIE population just shifted into high gear. Chaos rages as Jaz drives into an apocalypse in the making between mankind and Earth’s ancient & modern squatters.”

Anyway, whining aside, you can see why hibernation would be an excellent option. During my hibernation period, I have been doing some research on what you can possibly do in winter with motorcycles; I will be posting those shortly. Meanwhile, here is what the weather has been looking like A LOT lately, and it has been so rare for my truck to be clean this winter (it has spent most of the last three months in a lazy, depressing shade of grey-white goo, infused with salt texturing). And you can’t tell in my motorcycle cover-up picture, but just outside the garage door was a two foot snow drift I had to bypass to go check on my baby. In case I’ve never mentioned it before- Winter Sucks! (But, spring is only two full weeks away now- Yeah!)

Cheer Up!

2010-12-03T12:56:00.000-05:00

The holidays are here, no matter which ones you celebrate hopefully you have plenty of holiday cheer. If you don’t or you aren’t quite sure, here are some ways to boost your cheer and the cheer of those around you. (P.S. These work any time of the year!)

Presents vs. Presence
Presents are nice, but by tomorrow after the wrapping is gone it is just another old “thing” to have sitting around. However, your presence physically and mentally is what will always remain new and last forever. It is what memories are made of. In the rush for “things” this year, remember to keep it simple by giving of your presence- your time, talents, heart, might, mind, and spirit—You, every single bit of You, in that given moment. You really can change the world of your family and friends, just by being You.

Give yourself permission to enjoy some holiday cheer!
Enjoy the smell, feel, and food of the holiday season. By this, I mean that it is never bad to have a couple of extra gingerbread cookies, or an extra hunk of that holiday bread your neighbor brought over. We all know that “being more physically fit” will show up on every one of our New Year’s resolutions lists later, so you might as well enjoy the holidays and not stress over it now!

Give something to someone and let it be anonymous.
Find a need and fill it. You will not only give holiday cheer, but you will find that you receive back ten fold the cheer you gave.

Who Says You Can't Get What you Want for Your Birthday?

2010-11-28T18:22:00.000-05:00

Today was beautiful, cold, but beautiful. There were no big patches of ice on the streets. There was no snow or rain to contend with. It was perfectly sunny with blue skies that contrasted against the lack of color caused by the loss of greenery and leaves. A quick jaunt around the lake for us and at least six others who were out to enjoy the weather break we'd been thrown. I always enjoy looking at the lake (a little too much sometimes) and the water that looked warm, blue and inviting only a few months ago was suddenly a drab, murky gray. You know, that shade of gray you get when you're doing water colors or acrylics in your rinse cup? Yeah, it was like that only with angry little, crisp, white caps. Like even Lake St. Clair was not entirely happy about the approaching winter freeze.

All I had to do was pull the cover off of my bike and start her up. Some days, you just get to grin and everything works out just perfect. Today was one of those days. I can't believe my luck. It's my birthday today and I got to go for a pre-winter birthday ride with my dad. I felt the frost nip at my fingers & nose, and I warmed my hands by my engine warm glow. What a way to begin a new year! The only thing that would have made it better would have been to go from 40 degrees [we have a sort of rule about not riding unless it's at least forty degrees Fahrenheit, we stick by it most of the time ;-) ] to 60. Oh, and while I'm dreaming maybe a week or two on the road to truly enjoy it, however sometimes life just throws you a perfect curve ball and all you have to do is reach out and catch it.

Today was just such a day. Happy Birthday to me!

So Sad, the Motorcycle Stands Alone

2010-11-27T20:28:00.001-05:00

Happier Day- coming down out of Wolf Creek Pass in Colorado '07

It's been a sad month or more. The daylight has fled for winter, leaving much shorter day time available. The temperatures have been erratic, but dropping constantly, and the wet, wind, and other weather has been a complete bother. I do believe that we are skipping most of fall this year and going directly into winter. I must say, winter is my least favorite time of the year. Holidays aside, it basically blows, because here in Michigan our riding season can seem quite unfairly short.

I went outside to the garage yesterday, knocked the dust bunnies who were trying to nest off my bike, and almost wept with sadness at the loss of time and opportunity. My best chance to take the bike out for a ride was last weekend, but I had fallen and injured myself earlier in the week and couldn't lift my bike to take it out. So yesterday, I had to start her and run her while it rained outside of the garage.

I smoothed a polishing cotton cloth over her black paint and dainty chromy bits, while speaking sweet nothings to her six warming pistons. When they say "Black Friday", I don't feel like they mean shopping. For the rest of the year, I am going to remember that I had to cover my motorcycle so that the predicted snow would not appear before her headlight and cause her to panic in despair. I keep hoping that there will yet be a December ride to sneak in, and maybe a polar bear run on January 1st... Until then I will have to amuse myself with rhumm rhumm noises, hoping that I'll get to take her out at least one last time before it goes sub-zero and I have to pull her battery out.

Did I ever mention that I really don't like winter?

Yeah, it's like that.

Fall in Michigan

2010-10-09T19:57:00.000-04:00

My Misty girl.

Ok, so I'm interrupting our previously scheduled set of vacation articles to put in a Michigan, fall, weekend, special edition: Fall in Michigan.

I love fall, it is my favorite season of the year. I especially love it in Michigan, because it is apple cider season... YUM... It doesn't get much better than this. Today was a perfect fall day, sunny, gorgeous, and about 64 degrees Fahrenheit. The trees are changing colors and the further north you go in Michigan right now, the more colors you'll see. You'll also see a lot more motorcycles.

Triumph Detroit

Speaking of which, I should say that we took a visit to our local dealership today to check out the fall clearance items and maybe grab a ride or a t-shirt. You know from my blog that I ride a Honda Valkyrie, and my dad rides a Honda Goldwing, however, our local dealership doesn't sell Hondas, they are Triumph of Detroit. They are a fun dealership and put on a good show. Today was kind of mellow: doughnuts, pop, some sales, and rides on their personal inventory of test ride motorcycles (most dealerships don't do such a thing any more). However, I have to tell you that they throw one of the best open houses you can go to around here. In the spring (this year), they had 6 huge spits going with b-b-q everything: chicken, ham, beef brisket, brats and all of the fixings with a live band, guys in kilts, and they had the big truck of motorcycles up from Georgia taking out demo rides around the clock. I've had a chance to try several of the bikes now: the America, the Scrambler, the Rocket III, and the Rocket III tourer (the Rocket III is the only bike that is close to be comparable to my own- which will require replacing eventually). I also have to say that for a dealership and dealing with a girl, I think they do a better job than most. I do have the advantage of seeing me ride up on my flat-six, chromy deluxe chick-bike, so they've never asked me if the Rocket III would be too big for me and they will come talk shop and bikes with me. Amazingly that is not show at most other dealerships around here. I practically have to handcuff a salesman to get him over to chat with me about a bike. And women riders are the fastest growing market for motorcycles and this is 2010, go figure. The salesmen will come talk to my dad, but not me. It can be very annoying. (Needless to say, I don't buy bikes from those shops, if they don't want to talk to a lady, they don't need to make a sale to a lady.)

Making the Cider

Anyway, I digress... but the day did start off with motorcycles and was surrounded by motorcycles. It's too bad fall doesn't last a bit longer, it is so much fun. After Triumph, we headed north, my niece, my sister, my mom, my dog, and myself. Off to taste the joy of fall. Off to visit the wizards of cider...nectar of the gods of fall. The first day of flannel, the first taste of warm spiced cider with warm cinnamon-sugar doughnuts, and the colors of fall. There has to be a special place in heaven that is like this year round and I want to be there.

Camero sticks his head into the picture.

So in keeping with tradition, we got much cider, ate enough doughnuts to count for a month of Sundays, the dog got to share (and mark) new special fall places, and we brought a bunch home to enjoy the bounties of fall over the next week or so and relive our yummy weekend. Oh, and we got to try something new this year- apple cider slushies. Totally awesome! They should be available year round also.

So, as I wipe the cinnamon-sugar from my lips, I raise my cider to you all. Have a great fall and more importantly... have a great fall ride to your special fall place!

September was a Blast! Here is a sampler:

2010-10-06T12:59:00.001-04:00

Note from the editor, Penny:


Chaco Canyon,NM: Pueblo Bonito

First off, let me apologize for not posting much over the last few weeks, but as I mentioned previously I was going to be out of town. It was fantastic! Here are a couple of pictures to prove it.

Barrier Canyon style petroglyph on the Rochester "rainbow" panel in UT

Penny at Monument Valley, UT

Now, this is just a sampler. We were out for three weeks, I've taken over 1000 photos (which need to be gone through, organized, and marked). I kept a fairly regular set of posts on Twitter and Facebook as time and connection allowed. Boy do I have some great things to show and tell you. I'll be taking them an area at a time. You can look forward to seeing Illinois, Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, Utah, Wyoming, South Dakota, and a few other things.... I drove a lot, hiked a bit (I have the scars to prove it), rafted, and generally tried to soak in all that we could everywhere. It was really nice and relaxing to be out and about. It is hard to believe I'm back in reality now.

Yeah, a logo for WWFR

2010-09-01T10:48:00.000-04:00

Just in time for vacation; I finally have a logo for WWFR. I have noticed that it is partially covered, shows up multiple times, and just plays hide and seek depending upon your computer settings. I will try to refine things as we go. Until then, here is the new design, so you can see it in all of its quirky glory. It is very me, so I guess I did alright with it. It's my rock art, motorcycle dude, with some Freemont influence and a lot of Penny's Chaco Kid influence. I was actually going to try to put a kolopelli guy on the back of the jacket, but sometimes accidents are happy. It came out more like a koko-rat-pelli, which was a better jacket icon and works with my whole "desert rat" motif. I see a shirt and maybe a jacket in my future. What do you think?

Weekends are Made for What?

2010-08-31T10:04:00.000-04:00


Neighbors on Bikes

Well last Saturday was a rather depressing day. It was sunny and nice outside, the temps soared to almost a hundred degrees Fahrenheit by early afternoon, and we had a company picnic scheduled for work. Bearing all of that in mind, add to it that this was the last weekend before we take off for parts of the country south and west and I have had a nagging "check" engine light showing up on the dash of my truck.

Now, I'm no newbie to the southwest or the desert and I believe in being properly prepared rather than stupid, so I want everything to be working at it's peak of performance, and after visiting the AutoZone, I figured that Saturday would still be a banner day for me. A fifteen minute fuel filter change, maybe a quick motorcycle ride to the picnic for a "hi", and then off for some more fun and food, and trip laundry. I have noticed that 15 minute jobs average an hour and had planned appropriately, but what I didn't plan on was a half-day, a complete failure on being able to release a snap-fit, and a trip to the mechanic, so he could show off and do it in 10 minutes ( I still think we loosened it up for him).

So, after a depressing, costly, loser-feeling day (although I did get to work with and spend the time with my dad, so that was cool); I ended up with a stiff neck, abs that should have been steel, no ride, no pocket change, and during a hot, late afternoon walk with my dog, I saw the above pictured neighbors taking off for a ride. My weekend was a real bummer, but seeing my neighbors ride off into the late afternoon sun, reminded me of what all of that work and time is about... It's about time spent in work or fun with those you want to be with (my dad, my dog, even building good abs, or learning a new mechanical "trick"). However, none of that detracts from the fact, that everything is a lot more interesting and fun if there is a motorcycle involved!

August has burnt out, what next?

2010-08-30T12:57:00.001-04:00

Dad at Coney, Aug 2010

Well, this month has flown past in a hurry. Trying to get work in, schedule a vacation, and then get everything going at once.

Valyk at Coney's Aug 2010

A Coney Dog at National Coney Island

So, what do these things all have in common? Well, everything and nothing. When you can't take a long trip, you take a short trip. When you have to eat and work, but can't take a "real" trip, you settle for a lunch trip. When none of that is working for you. You decide to blow off everything and go on vacation.

Now, this is going to be a strange year. It has been 2 years since dad and I have gone cross-country on the motorcycles, and the last time we went was around now (Late summer, beginning of fall), but we're going to do it different this year. Last time we hit every condition and season you can imagine within three weeks: down pouring rain that was so hard that standing in the middle of a waterfall may have given us more visibility; sun and desert so hot that our arms were turning purplish-black, and we had to stop for water and shade every time we could find a spot (that included being lucky enough to find some bits of cloud cover); a blessed rain shower that felt like icy, needled shards of desert glass that made you cry for the stinging, praise the rain, and have the desert dry you off so fast that you weren't sure if the moisture had made it actually into your clothes; and then we hit cool fall temperatures and leaves beginning to turn in mountain canyons, some late summer bliss in Utah, snow on our heels, on the way home through South Dakota, and some winds that would power a city on the move in Missouri, Kansas, and Wyoming. I couldn't tell after a while if my face, was sunburned, wind burned, frosted, or just healthfully glowing. Been there, done it, seen it, tasted it, gone back for seconds, and still made it home and back to work. I didn't realize how stressed out I'd been, until I'd been home and back at work for about a week and actually noticed how un-stressed I was driving in to work one morning. It's been two whole years of running around for work, working my butt off, being a fair piece of sick a year and a half ago, and I am "there", at that point where I may shatter into pieces if I do not indeed de-stress and have some "time out".

So, 2010.... a break from tradition, we are heading across the country, but we are taking my truck this year. Being a southwest/great basin archaeologist, far away from her archae home, I like to visit out there as often as I can, and my dad is always game for a new adventure. There is one area of the four-corners area of the United States (Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona), that we've not been able to go to on our motorcycle trips, because of the extensive off-road time needed to get there.... Chaco Canyon, where I pulled my nickname, Chaco Kid, from. The four corners area is filled with Anasazi cultural remains: Arizona has Canyon de Chelley, Colorado has Mesa Verde, Utah has Hovenweep, and New Mexico has Chaco Canyon. Now, be advised, these are just the "big" visit areas in the four corners region, there is a lot of other nifty stuff all around there. Then if you move up into Utah as we'll do after the four corners, well you get into the Freemont Cultural area. Utah is just nifty that way, old archaeology treasures and then if you are into dinosaurs, well Utah also reigns supreme for paleontology too. So prepare to enjoy some southwest and western United States with me, even if the bike is taking this trip off, it should be quite a ride and adventure. I'm planning on some hiking, camping, rafting, star gazing (yes, out there you can see more than one at a time, I fully plan to enjoy the Milky Way again out at Chaco), some archaeology, some rock art, some friendly visits (old, new, and come what may), and then we'll circle back and enjoy the more northern route on the way back.

Although the bikes are whining in the garage a bit, the truck allows us off-road exclusive access to some nifty stuff, we've not been able to do previously, as well as haul a bunch of stuff back. A road is a road and a trip is an adventure. A little less wind, sand, and rain in the face, a few more options.

If things continue to go as well as expected this year, then we'll be on a fall motorcycle ride in October. It has been a long wait through the spring and summer while everyone else has been on their vacations, but I think that an early fall trek though the desert will be amazing. So, more from the road next week.

And the question of the day- what is something that you like to schedule in as a trip or special spot every chance you get on a trip?

Electric Gets Some Sex Appeal

2010-07-29T15:17:00.006-04:00

Brammo's new electric race bike, the Empulse

Well electric has finally gone mainstream sexy in my book.

I don't know about you, but I really don't like the electric cars, they are ugly (ok, there may be one really pricey exception, the Tesla), too small (definitely for hauling things - including families of more than two) and they cost more than you are going to get out of them. Just to break even on your money, those that have tested and evaluated the e-cars have stated that you need to keep the electric cars for an additional two years over regular gas suckers. And the mileage, can you imagine trying to go on a long-distance trip of any kind? You need to stop about every 100 miles and re-charge, for 6 hours from some of the reports I've read.

But wow, this Brammo may have a future, per the Wired article (that you can visit by clicking the link under the picture from their article), this baby puts out 80 peak horsepower (60 sustained) and is capable of a dyno validated 130 mph. Quite fittingly it's called the Brammo Empulse. It looks pretty sweet. If you are into "e" and being a green gear head it is also interesting to note that the Empulse is water cooled. If you checked out my motorcycle buffet article, you would have seen the Brammo dirt bike. I'm hoping they'll show us a cruiser version sometime. It would be a bike I was willing to give a go. Who knows, maybe they would let me ride for a lady's point of view on their electric masterpiece.

You can visit Brammo's web site and if you live in California or Oregon you can schedule a test ride at one of their dealers. Per Brammo's web site the Empulse starts at $9995 and it looks to come in 3 battery sizes 6.0, 8.0, an 10.0 (for 60, 80, or 100-mile range). They also mention a primo benefit: as an all electric vehicle your new Brammo will qualify for state and federal benefits and tax incentives (which may come out to a couple thousand dollars in some states). With a shorter range, it might not work as a cross-country bike, but it surely could make a nice commuting bike for work, especially someplace that is seasonally warm year round. And all-in-all the price isn't horrible and I think that this bike, as a commuter, really could cover it's cost. It almost makes one drool and think Empulsive thoughts, doesn't it?

Ooooh, I found a video too, "test ride" and Empulse at Engadget.

What do you think? Would you consider an e-bike? Have you had a chance to try a Brammo? Let us know will you? And Brammo, if you would like a lady's point of view, I'd love to take a ride on the e-side.

Of Dust and Death

2010-07-25T11:49:00.001-04:00

My motorcycle has been a bit lonely and dusty for the last week or so... :-(

Ok, I see it as horribly dusty (even though I can get thicker, more massive dust letting it sit during the day in our work parking lot), and I feel it a sad commentary on my last couple of weeks. What kind of world is it, when a shiny, chromy motorcycle with a full-ish tank of gas must be ignored and allowed to gather dust? Do you let your significant other sit and gather dust? Does your puppy grow a dust-bunny fur coat? No. Maybe that’s why I feel so bad letting my bike down. Granted it’s not an animate object; it’s nothing something that needs to be kept alive through physical and emotional feeding or anything. So why do I sometimes feel the need to go out and speak soft, loving words to my dusty, lonely motorcycle?

I’ve been out of town and mentally out to work for over a week now as I’ve worked on and participated in a series of seminars for work. Now a lot of work does go into them and it can seem kind of consuming. I do enjoy getting to go out and speak; it can be a lot of fun for me. Usually I am all but chained to my cubical at work. Understandably, I can’t take my motorcycle everywhere, much like I can’t take my puppy everywhere, however that doesn’t stop me from thinking how much more fun the little road trip would be if I were on my bike and not toting extra gear for shows.

It’s been truly hot and steamy here for the last few weeks… and we can have 1-3 weeks of dark-sky Michigan rain, including waterfall like downpours. Now, I’m not a wimp, but no motorcycle person wants to hang out or clean up after a soggy ride in the rain. Oh, yeah, and it’s not all that safe either. So why do I continue to feel compelled to go out between raindrops, under a heavy, darkly clouded sky, to apologize to my motorcycle for ignoring it over the last week or so?

Maybe, like my reflection in its dusty picture of perfection and denied love, I’m really venting my own unhappiness and denial of self. Now, I don’t really consider myself a selfish person, but there are times when we need to take time to refresh ourselves, to feel the wind, the freedom, the love, and the pure exhilaration of the ride. I guess it’s really me apologizing to myself for the lonely isolation that can occur when we get wrapped up in too many things. I need to wipe my eyes, stop whining, and take a time out. I did sneak in an extra quick ride along the lake, but then it was another week and all I saw was my reflection in the dust. I think I just need to give myself a “time out", and then maybe I can stop apologizing and start appreciating me, my life, and my motorcycle again.

“Ride or Die”, I saw that somewhere and it could just be true. For some of us that may be our time out of our boxes, a time to renew, feel, and rejuvenate. Maybe we all need to stop and take a look at our reflection in the chrome and the dust and then do something about it. Even if it means listening to “Singing in the Rain” while knocking the dust off of the bike, in the garage, whilst the heavens cry for our loss with us. Just like the rainbow, there can be a chromy lining to our lives, and it sure can make things shiny!

A Quickie Ride by the Lake

2010-07-06T18:44:00.003-04:00

Ok, so in Michigan it's not so difficult to catch a quick ride by any of many lakes (we are the "Great Lakes" state after all), but the question is how often do you take the opportunity to enjoy it?

We live within a couple of miles of lake St.Clair and Jefferson road runs right along the edge of the lake. If you've seen Grosse Pointe Blank or Grand Torino, then you've seen part of the stretch I'm talking about. Those movies show some of the road a little south of where we usually go on our quickie 30 minute ride. When you head north you get to ride though the city of St.Clair, up along the lake to Metro Parkway and Park, then as you go further north you will eventually run into Selfridge Air National Guard base. Once we arrive at the edge of the base, we usually veer back west, away from the lake, and take the highway home.

Now, a huge part of the fun of riding down Jefferson is sneaking peaks between the houses and trees at the lake, sun reflecting radiantly off of it. Also, it can be quite fun to check out the homes. Some are really large and have windows that allow you to see clear through the house to the lake (really nice views). Some are just large, interesting, and beautiful homes to look at (way out of my league). And insanely enough, in between some of these million dollar homes are some rather small, unremarkable houses, some almost small enough to be considered cabins, and some whose beauty is fading from days past.

I think fading beautys caught my eye a little longer than the others. You could tell that some were, probably even 10-20 years ago, modestly fancy, beautiful, and reflecting the grace of the lake. Now with the economy here in Michigan as it is, some looked plain ghost-like and abandoned. The siding and paint were fading and peeling off, the yard looked less kept and cared for, you could see into the windows and the lake almost wept for them in the distance. A gorgeous chandelier hung in a large room's window, showing some of what used to be and what might again happen should anyone be able to purchase and shine things up once more. Another mansion, another small park, another small marina, another boat access way, another glimpse of unfettered lake, all in succession as we road our merry way down the lake.

Now, on a good and lucky morning when we get down to the base (especially on a Saturday), we've been able to pull over to the side and watch the jets take off and land, we've also been able to see paratrooper drop practice. It can be a lot of fun to watch; a personal air show. As much as I like the planes, I was glad today wasn't one of those days. It was 84 degrees Fahrenheit by 8:30am, with full humidity, we knew that it didn't bode well for the rest of the day. We hustled back to breakfast at the Coney Island and enjoyed a cool down in the air conditioning. It was a really nice ride and made for an enjoyable day.

Don't neglect your local little neighborhood rides. They are great fillers in between longer and greater excursions and a way to get a quick, cheap thrill, and a thrill is a thrill!

Orange You Glad?!

2010-07-02T20:28:00.002-04:00

Orange is cool!

Well, for a couple of years now, I have looked at getting one of those bright, orange or yellow-ish green vests that outdoor workers wear, so that that can easily be seen. Now these colors aren't just bright, they tend to be on the brightness scale of a nuclear explosion and seem to have their own self-perpetuating glow. I know what you're thinking, totally not stylish and completely unattractive. Yes, I would agree that this is the case. I love my stylish, warm, leather coat and my nicely rain, wind, and cold resistant Joe Rocket Honda jacket with the body armor, but is there a place for neon-anything in our ever-so-cool motorcycle world?

Again, the reason I was even looking into it was because of the poor lighting and visibility that exists riding back and forth to work in the early spring and late fall when it is dark, or mostly dark when I ride in or come home. It is funny. I tried to order the vests from JC Whitney for a couple of years and each time they were on back order for months and then eventually canceled. Of course I thought, "Wow! Everyone had the same great idea- to be seen." Then I never saw anyone out riding with them on so I thought, "Why are they always on back order? Are they using them as desert anti-camouflage over in other lands?" Finally I decided that the fates were against me and apparently no one in the universe thought it was worth me having, so I kind of gave up the idea.

I don't know about other parts of the world, but here in the United States last year, they decided to extend our daylight savings time a month later into the fall and it begins a month earlier in the spring. Now I know sometimes our government here in the USA thinks its "all that” and a bucket of booze, but even they can't make the sun come up earlier (or set later), each year, just because they think it would be nifty and "green". So, I still often looked, and wondered if it would make a difference. Well, I’m here to tell you, coolness aside, that I think it definitely does make a difference.

My mom was able to get a $5 hyper-neon orange wind breaker for me. Now it has got a slight lining, but it isn’t even soft like most windbreakers, it’s a bit abrasive. (In other words, if I wore it for a few hours in the wind, riding, I might end up with a full arm exfoliation.) Now is not the time of the year I envisioned using said “eye catcher”, but I wanted to experiment and waiting 4 months or so was too boring. So, I thought if a jacket like this would stand out and catch people’s eyes at twilight or on dubiously cloudy days, would it even get noticed on bright, sunny summer days, in broad daylight? Again, the answer is YES. And having done very scientific testing (ok, I observed, that is actually scientific) over the last few weeks I can tell you that the response to my hyper-bright orange jacket has been even more than I might have anticipated in fall trials.

Can you see me now?!

Here are my observations:

People do see and notice you. They actually see you.
People tend to stay to the far side of adjacent lanes, away from you.
People tend to give more space behind you.
People 3 lanes over in opposite flow traffic will be drawn to notice your hyper-orangeness.
It does occasionally draw people’s attention from their cell phones to notice you.
You do get some strange looks from other motorcycle riders in more standard “cool” gear.
It does make a difference even on a brightly lit summer morning, when driving in to work you’ll notice that one way has the sun at your back and there’s good visibility in front, but, going the other way with the sun in your eyes the bright jackets still really “pop” and can be seen.
It can actually save your life.

I expected people to be able to “see” me and I expected to see more people notice me, but what was unexpected was how people gave me more room on all sides. This was an interesting side effect and I felt safer for it. While working on this article and prepping for our 4th of July Independence Day Holiday weekend here in the United States, I’ve had a great week of riding everyday and wearing the jacket every, and continuing to notice details and make sure that I wasn’t just “seeing things”. Two days ago, I was coming home from work, past the college where the Harley was merged with an SUV a few weeks ago and I saw her: Jill Student, coming out of the college drive. Now, when you’ve been riding for a while, you find that you are hyper-sensitive to things around you and you learn that trusting your guts will save your life. I can’t tell you how many times I got a bad vibe about an upcoming intersection or drive, slowed down, and lived to tell about it. Jill Student was one of those moments. I saw her car and had a vibe, I started to slow down a bit and as I got closer to her I could see her looking away from me, it didn’t look like she was ever going to look my way. I continued to have a bad feeling and slowed down more, then it happened; it was not unexpected, she began to pull out right in front of me to cross the lanes and head back in the direction I had just come from. As she got to where she would touch my lane, her head turned, I could she her panning her look and then her eyes popped and locked right on my orange jacket. Not the motorcycle, not my eyes, the jacket. She immediately stopped and didn’t quite get into my lane (she was coming out slowly, fortunately). If I had been a Mack truck, she could have been dead. If I had not trusted my gut and been wearing my hyper-orange jacket, I could have been dead. But I was close enough to see her, and I if you asked “orange you glad?” I can honestly tell you, “You bet I’m glad!” Orange is cool.

Does this mean I will give up my beloved Hein Gericke leather jacket or my Joe Rocket Honda jacket? No. What is does mean is that I will always keep my hyper-orange jacket with me and will use it often, because it works. I will also be getting a bigger one that I can wear over my other two jackets for when it is late fall or early spring and I really need to make sure that people know I’m there. Maybe orange or yellowish-green doesn’t make for the current version of motorcycle cool or sexy, but as I once heard “how sexy does it look to have your feet and tailpipe wrapped up around your head, with a body full of road and road rash?”

World of Wheels and World Cup

2010-06-22T21:13:00.002-04:00

Ok, I admit, I've been a bit pre-occupied with both work and well, WORLD CUP (there are so many great teams I'm rooting for, but I would have to say yep, home country USA and my second home country Portugal, and yes, I'm still a Benfica fan from when I lived there). And I absolutely love being able to get instant Google updates, online highlights, and even full games live. The internet does really make the world a smaller place. Mostly in a good way.

I'm actually in the middle of three articles. I am trying to sneak time in there to get them polished and finished off (oh yeah, and grab cool pictures as well). I've been doing an experiment with a BRIGHT orange jacket. I've been trying to put together some "what to do if the weather sucks and you can't ride" options, oh, yes, and my belated Father's Day tribute to my riding buddy, my dad (yeah having some fun trying to sneak some old pictures for that one). My brothers have been doing some light weekend tripping and quickie weekend jaunts in scenic Connecticut, I've told them that they should send me a couple of nice pictures with some location information.

And, speaking of locations outside of here (in Michigan), better yet out there in the big world at large, if you have a great local (to you) place that you like to ride, snap a couple of pictures, tell me about it and I'll post you up as a guest Will Write for Rides blogger. All of us are always looking for new places to see, and sometimes we all long for far away places to see and dream about visiting. I'd love to see pictures and hear stories of some of your various state and country's shiny places for motorcycles.

So, now that we've entered the world of motorcycle and world cup futebol... What are your thoughts? Favorite Teams? And, better yet, if we did world cup motorcycling where would the best rides, motorcycles, and local eateries be? Leave some great comments.

A Motorcycle Buffet

2010-06-04T10:46:00.004-04:00

Honda v4 concept bike

Ok, I was accused of being a slacker because I hadn't posted a new article in a couple of weeks, so I thought I'd better get on it right away. So, I'm offering a smorgasbord of moto-treats and eye candy this week while I get my act together (and get the bike waxed).

First off: Kicking it at the Isle of Man TT... I would recommend you stop by their web site and take a lap with John McGuinness. They have a 1:23 minute video where you get to lap with John on helmet cam. It really is very exciting.

Or, you might want to dream about trying it yourself on the Ferrari v4 concept bike.

Second: If you purchase a new 2010 Agusta Brutale 990R or 1090RR, you can receive a free trip to the Agusta factory in Italy. Oh, and tickets to the Milan Motorcycle show.

Third: Just in case you thought you knew it all, how about some motorcycle terms like: Yard Shark, Ape Hangers, Pavement Surfing, or even PMS (Parked Motorcycle Syndrome...Yeah, what were you thinking?).

One of my favs was SQUID - "Acronym for Stupidly Quick, Underdressed, Imminantly Dead. Reckless and inexperienced motorcycle riders who ride without proper gear and beyond their abilities, endangering themselves and others."

Click here to expand your vocabulary further.

A functional electric motorcycle for moto-treehuggers. Who'd have thought.

Fourth: If you would like to take your bestest buddy pal (dog) for a ride with you... there is a whole group of bikers that does. Check them out at http://www.bikerdogsmc.org/

Finally to finish holding you over until next week, I'm leaving you with one of my favorite cartoons (Freakazoid). A motorcycle classic: Bear on a Motorcycle.

And last, but not least (ok, I found one more thing that just had to be seen), a for those that really can't take their hands off their bikes, there is the faucet:

Hey, maybe slacker weeks aren't so bad.... I'm kind of liking that Honda v4, and it was a lot of fun to look around. Until next time...dream big (with lots of chrome).

In the Pit of My Stomach

2010-05-20T09:27:00.006-04:00

After an almost solid month of rain and colder temperatures again, this week has finally shaped up to be not only warmer, but sunny and very green to behold. I am working to get my bike waxed right now and have had some errands that required my truck, so I hadn't ridden to work this week, even with the nicer weather. I was starting to pay the price for it yesterday on my way home from work when everything was so warm and beautiful and I was thinking, "today would have been a great day to ride, if it wasn't for the ice cream in the back".

Just as I was thinking it over for the umpteenth time in as many minutes, we were suddenly being routed off the road, on one of the last turns to my house. As they re-routed us (the traffic) around, through the college parking lot at that corner, and suddenly I could see why: It was an accident. I saw and SUV in the middle of the road pointing opposite to the direction of traffic going in either direction. Then I got far enough around the bend to see what the SUV had collided with; it was a large, black, full-dresser Harley.

They were a matching pair, the car and the Harley, side by side, parallel front to back, only the Harley was embedded into the side of the SUV about as far as the depth of a saddlebag and a leg. I only saw the results, not the accident, nor the victims (thank heavens), but I suddenly had a big heavy lump land in the pit of my stomach. I felt instantly sick in body and heart. And suddenly I thought, maybe I'm not so sad that I didn't ride my motorcycle in today. Maybe it's ok.

Now like any of you that ride, I do know that accidents happen, that's why we are all on double-watch duty when we ride. I know it's not the safest way to travel. Honestly, I know unless I am sealed in a padded room, that life isn't safe (I was hit by a mini-van a little over a week ago while walking my dog in the morning, as they were backing out to take their kids to school.). All of this still doesn't mean that I don't worry about all of the crazies around me that are not seeing me because they are on their cellphones, fixing hair and make up, or just plain oblivious, but it is still sickening to see the reality of it. Hopefully it was just the vehicles that were fatally damaged.

All I can say is: be careful out there and wear good gear. Motorcycling, unfortunately, is only as as safe as the most distracted driver around you. Please make sure that that rider or driver isn't you. And as they say "keep the shiny side up". Tomorrow will be another beautiful day.

125 Years of Motorcycling and the Possible Beginnings of World Peace

2010-05-07T11:03:00.007-04:00

Great River Road, East side of the Mississippi River, Illinois

Wow, we're legacy babies now... Motorcycles, since 1885, has it really been so long? The state of Michigan actually put out a press release on their website this week about 125 years of motorcycling and I thought I was getting to be mature. I hadn't really thought about it before, because I've been around them since before I was born. We have slides that show my mom, pregnant with me on the back of a Honda, with my dad smiling. Motorcycles have always been a constant in my life, even before I officially started riding them. Now even the State of Michigan article says motorcycling may be older... 1885 for Gottlieb Daimler's gas-engine powered wooden motorcycle, but 20 years older than that if you can accept a steam powered motorcycle by Sylvester Roper (1869).

They call Daimler's creation the first "true motorcycle", but what does that mean? I was curious what a dictionary would say, so I looked up "motorcycle" online at The Free Dictionary. They give a couple of definitions: basically a stronger than average bike frame, generally powered with a petrol engine. It can have 2 seats, and it can also have a side car with a third wheel. They also give the engine capacity as between 125cc - 1000cc. If this definition is definitive, then I don't have a motorcycle any more than Mr. Roper.

How and why we define things have a great deal to with how we choose to see the world. Part of why we define things is to organize and understand things, and this is reasonable and good, because we can then share understandings and have common ground upon which to stand and grow. However, definitions can also be deadly when they give us boundaries that are too rigid and inflexible to grow. When definitions begin to define us, rather than being tools of understanding and growth, we can lose the true definition and ourselves. Instead of making things clearer and brighter, a stale definition can muddy the waters and bog us down in the mire.

So, Part 1 here is to have you re-exam your definition of a motorcycle. Let's look at the object we want to define for our common ground and growth.

First off, we would need to expand that cc rating. Motorcycles have grown a lot since the 1800's. I know that the highways don't like you driving on them, with anything under 125cc (some post higher cc limits), however, I still personally consider those on smaller bikes, dirt bikes, scooters (Vespa scooter for my die-hard friends), even mo-peds as fellow motorcycle sojourners. As you've seen in my previous Virginia article, I will even expand my two-wheeled love for die-hard bikers with their engines of muscle, bone, sinew, and blood. Certainly over 1000cc is a must, my bike is just shy of 1600cc and I consider it a real motorcycle. And then you have to consider those who go to the extreme by putting v8 corvette engines in a bike frame with some huge tires to hold it all up.

Utah/Arizona Boarder, looking at Arizona (& the one above this)

Next, what about having more than two wheels? How about our fellow bikers who've gone trike with their big Aspencades, are they really much different than a side-car with a third wheel? And what about those Can-Am Spyders, two wheels in front and one in the rear. I've seen one up close, fairly sexy, and I would consider them one of my motorcycle brethren. Would you? I like a more open definition, it allows me to be more inclusive, rather than exclusive. It also allows for new innovations, growth, and future development. I mean, did you see the new Star Trek movie with the axel-free motorcycle and the cop's rocket bike with no wheels... Yeah, I want that!

And now, Part 2: How do we manifest our definitions?

I'll give you a classic example, the "motorcycle wave".
I've always liked the wave; it shows solidarity, friendship, acknowledgment, and general joy that I share with my brethren on the road. Occasionally I do see poor manners, but for the most part if riders "know" about the wave, they do it. It always increases my joy to share the joy of riding with others as I'm on the road. The wave is like a great inside joke that makes me smile every time. And no, it does not matter whether you raise your hand, give a low couple finger salute, or even a head nod (we all know there are times when your hands must remain where they are at).

Natural Bridges Park, Utah

I have noticed over the last few years though, that either "new guys" don't seem to know, or again, bad manners. I hate to become a Missy Manners, I'm no perfect Miss, but in some areas of the country and often with some types of motorcycles there is this lack of good "wave" manners. Amazingly it's not often between cruisers and rice rocket racers, I see it most often between Harley riders and others. There are some areas where Harley riders won't wave at anyone other than other Harley riders: I say “poor show”. Then I've seen others get just as biased about not dealing WITH Harley riders.

My fellow riders, if it's a bike, salute! I don't care if a dirt rider crosses my path; they are my motorcycle brethren too. I've always loved the "motorcycle wave", I hope that we can save it and pass it along to others. Can you imagine what would happen if all pick-up truck drivers started to wave to each other?, what about those silly little "green" cars?, what about all of the soccer/baseball/football moms? If we all found more reasons to stick together and share the wave, well, what can I say world peace would ensue. Cool huh?

The top of the Great Divide Southern Colorado

Now for those of you that think the "wave" is still a bit silly or outdated, I will let you in on another of my riding secrets. I use the "wave" as a way to check on my alertness and attention to my surrounding environment. If I notice a bike too late to wave, especially more than one, I know it is probably time for me to take a break because my mental acuity is down. So, even if you want to use it as a check up from the neck up and not to be super friendly, do it. No one will know but you and you will still increase overall motorcycle safety, and share in the combined efforts for world peace. You might even find that you like it after a while, and you may even catch yourself smiling like a fool: a cool, joyous, motorcycle fool. There is a particular grin for that you know. Ah, perhaps a discussion for yet another time.

Take care, keep riding, and if you have a fun story or idea... share. Again, you never know, joy and world peace may follow.

Happy Earth Day! I love you Earth!

2010-04-22T10:59:00.002-04:00

Range Creek Canyon, Utah

I love the Earth. Even today, when you would think that things are too overcrowded, overdeveloped, over-explored, etc. That there wouldn't be much to say... Well, talking is for wusses, riding is for those that appreciate the Earth in all of her multi-faceted, colorful, varied, and sometimes completely off-the-wall glory.

That's one thing that I really love about riding motorcycles, especially traveling across country. There really is so much to see, feel and experience. There are really never two days that are the same. And every time I'm on a new road for me, I am an explorer and I like it!

If you love the Earth, get out there and show some more appreciation!

Virginia isn't just for lovers, it's for riders too!

2010-04-19T21:45:00.009-04:00

I'm not just talking about motorcycle riders either, I also feel inspired to share the light with our fellow two-wheeled, without motor, brethern... the bicyclists. My flat-six pistons have nothing on the bikers I saw with their killer calves, thighs, and everything else. I saw some true iron-everythingers. Cheers two wheeled brothers and sisters all!

Before I go into any details of the Skyline Drive or associated scenic byways in the extended area we should have a chat about mountains. Now what people expect and consider as mountains can be different from location to location, depending on what you've seen or gotten used to. For example: On our way home, instead of taking us back across southern Pennsylvania, I took us lower, on scenic byway I-68, it went across Virginia, Maryland, and West Virginia. We got to go near Boonesboro (my dad is a big Daniel Boone fan), and through the Cumberland Gap in that area. It was beautiful and a wise choice (I think it was much more scenic than I-76 across Pennsylvania, less traffic, and a generally smoother, nicer ride.). However, I kept seeing signs for this mountain or that mountain. Such-n-such a mountain 1647 feet. Now, I'm from out west and have spent much time out in the Rocky Mountains, Unitas, and other areas, for something to say "mountain" to me I expected to see a zero at the end of that number (i.e. 16,470) or some such. Consequently many westerners think of eastern mountains like the Alleghenies or the Appalachian, or Smokies, as "hills" rather than mountains. It is a matter of perspective to a large degree. But if they neglect the eastern mountains because of their biases, they will be missing out on one of the great treats in life and that’s what I want to tell you about today.

Mountains in the west and east are VERY different in nature and character, and it is far more than just a matter of height. The Rockies and other big western chains, are very tall and for the most part sparsely vegetated (again a matter of perspective from those of us that have seen more than a few sets of mountains), extremely tall, tough looking pieces of sculpted rock. The colors and types of rock as well as the vegetation depend upon not only your altitude, but your latitude. They are beautiful in their starkness, and fantastic in their geology. If you ever get the chance, scratch that, make sure you take the chance to go out and spend some time out in the "big" mountains, you will never regret it. And that is not even going into fun stuff out west that is more desert related with huge, towering, expansive mesas and large tracts of desert, the colors and variety of desert rock, dust, plants, and animals are unique and beautiful, sometimes like visiting another planet. However, the eastern United States mountains, wow, sooooo different and unique, with such a feel of ancient and primeval times.

You can feel almost insignificant and lost when you're out west in a deep canyon, walls towering walls around you, but not so in an area like the Appalachians or surrounding mountains. When I get ride in the bottom of the canyons in here I feel safely secured like a babe in it mother's arms. I feel a sense of security and a level of serene comfort that I don't quite come across out west. As you get to the tops of the Appalachians, like you get a chance to on the top of the skyline. It is like flying and then you get a peek out of the side or pull into one of the look-out stops on the Skyline and you can see down right into the Shenandoah Valley. What a lush, beautiful sight that is. You can almost imagine how early pioneers and country men and women felt as they crossed the mountains and went into the valley below. People like Daniel Boone. Being on my motorcycle and climbing, then dropping, then crossing and seeing all of the greenery, feeling the swell of the land, and loving the area... part of you says, wouldn't you like to stay, and then the other part of you says, if it is this awesome and beautiful here, what is the next valley like. I can see why many would continue to build and then expand west again as the wonder of new lands and places stirred their blood and moved their feet. Maybe that’s why some of us ride. Generations of wander- and wonder-lust that just won't subside. A chance to experience the magnificent and have it be your own, even if only for an hour.

Now I have to warn you as you look at the pictures, you are seeing the mountains and the valley there as they are just barely beginning to come out of hibernation from winter. You will see that the grass is green and the buds are ready to burst. What you will normally see when the Appalachians are arrayed in their full finery is green...lots of trees, grass, fern-looking bushy plants and a depth to that greenery that is astounding. You look, and you just know that if you walked off the road, in to the well greened woods that you could easily disappear. I don't mean hide, I mean disappear. I think you could walk 10 yards into the woods and if you got turned around, you wouldn't be able to find your way out. The eastern mountains are soooo like that, so green, so lush, so packed, that you can almost image the world the way the dinosaurs may have seen it. Between the mountains, the valleys, and the forests, I think whole tribes and groups of people could have lived without being found. It is so alive.

The speed on Skyline Drive is 35 miles an hour. Needless to say, you need a good, solid day to drive the entire length of 100 plus miles, if that is your plan. Some might think that this is ridiculous or obnoxious but far from just allowing you to experience something uniquely beautiful, it is a safety measure; there are many blind turns and fun sweeping curves to enjoy. But you are enjoying them with many other vehicles, including bicycles. I was often glad I was at the head of our pack of us and many cars behind us, because I could see and ride next to our bicycling brothers and sisters safely, where I think some of the cars would have posed a risk to them, because the cars always want to go faster and they think it is safer in a car for them to pay less attention to the road and others riders sometimes. And wildlife, of course there’s wildlife, lots of deer, birds, and supposedly bears (even though I’ve never seen any there). The deer are so used to people that they just stand calmly in the middle of the road and wait for you to either go around them or stop and pet them.

Now, you have to be diligent and lucky to enjoy the full gifts that the Skyline has to offer. We have been out to the Skyline more than a dozen times over the years, and including this year, I can only remember two that were perfect: perfect weather, perfect sky, perfect riding, and perfect viewing conditions. Many times we have been swamped by rain. Heavy down-pouring, crazy soggy rain, that is dismal, depressing and tough to drive very long with. Sometimes there has been heavy fog. A fog so thick and heavy that you couldn’t see any of the valleys, and when combined with killer rain, really kills a ride. However, early morning fog can be ok and burn off on a good day with awesome effects. You can feel like you are on a path winding through the clouds, while you get intermittent glimpses of the valleys and the world below. Fantastic!

If you get lucky and have that perfect opportunity, harness your patience for slow, turn up your joy of beauty, and keep on going, go ‘till you drop. Feeling really lucky? Full of time and butt-ability? Don’t just stop with the Skyline Drive. You can continue your journey as you head south by partaking of the Great Smokey Mountains, and then you can go even further down into North Carolina and enjoy one of a kind pieces of road like Deal’s Gap with its infamous 318 curves in 11 miles. (We’ll talk about the Smokies and Deal’s Gap in another blog, suffice it to say here, that I definitely consider is a MUST RIDE!)

If you are a wine aficionado, you may also be interested to know that there are at least half a dozen wineries in the Shenandoah Valley area, and you may want to do a little research for some additional trip fun.

The Appalachians and some of their sister ranges are unique and special, reach out and explore them. In a million years or so, the Rockies may be much smaller, just like the Appalachians. It is thought that the Appalachians are really, really ancient, like the great grand-pappy of the Rockies, worn down and old. I can guarantee you that even when the Rockies wear down, they will never have the greenery, or depth that you can see in the Appalachians.

Now that your riding bug has been awakened, and you are primed to go, let me also tell you that you should make your trip sooner than later. Soon the Appalachians, or large portions of them may no longer exist, at least not if coal mining companies and President Obama have their way. President Obama has apparently opened up and cleared the way to not only using, but destroying these magnificent marvels. There is a mining practice called mountain top mining, it is akin to strip mining. I have seen strip mining out west in Nevada, they literally use a power hose and blow away chunks of mountain to obtain minerals and metals. What is left are huge, ugly scars in the mountainside and pools of caustic and toxic sludge, with mountains piles of garbage tailings. Now in the Appalachians, with the mountain-top mining, it is just as ugly, and I would say worse considering the plant-life and greenery in the east. They use explosives to blow chunks off of the top and sides of the mountains, sift through the detritus and debris for what they want and dump the overburden wherever they can, which is often the nearest valley or riverine area. They not only destroy the mountains, but all of the plant life, animal life, rivers, valleys, and ecosystems in the area, with repercussions for hundreds of miles around the mining, and for hundreds and thousands of years into the future. Not to mention as causing permanent destruction of the mountains that have been there for millennia.

Get out there and ride while you can. Love the environment you’re in, and fight for it as often as you are able. And definitely take the time and opportunity to visit the Skyline Drive; I can’t imagine that anyone would be disappointed.

If you would like more information on the Obama (and others) Appalachian mountain removal
and relocation program, check out some of these links:

Coming next time: If you get stuck with a rainy day, there is always Luray

A Comedy of Errors, or This IS Supposed to be an Adventure

2010-04-09T20:58:00.009-04:00

There is this older movie that I like called "The Mountain Men". Charlton Heston and Brian Keith are mountain men and they run into each other in the middle of the west somewhere and they have a conversation about traveling. One says to the other "Have you ever been lost?"

The other one tilts his head and thinks things over a bit and responds, "Nope, I've never been lost. Fearsome confused for a month or two, but never lost."

When we go out on a trip, especially on motorcycles, we are out to have an adventure, to explore strange new places, to seek out new roads, and to visit scenic areas less traveled by. Of course doing so means that you have to be open to unplanned options; things don't always go according to any set plan and that is part of the journey.

Bearing that in mind, it looked like it would be tough to take an Easter Trip this year, with funding and work being what it is. However, when the temperature suddenly heads for the 80's and the promise of perfect weather exists for the weekend, and your riding buddy calls and reminds you of that a day before, strongly suggesting that it would be a perfect, long, riding weekend. Well, a person starts to entertain bad thoughts.

I took one look at my computer wallpaper for the week, a sign that said "You are a victim of the rules you live by", and obviously I decided not to be a victim any longer. I immediately signed up for a long weekend, went and reminded my boss how much he wanted me to have some time to refresh and come up with new ideas, and then I was home to pack. I took the next day to complete as much as possible at work and then looked into making some motel arrangements, oh yeah and convincing dad that we weren't going to head to Mammoth Caves this year, but down and over to the Skyline Drive instead.

We hadn't been to Skyline Drive since the whole 9/11 incident. Last time we headed out for Skyline and Washington D.C. we saw signs on the highway telling us not to head into New York (and this was at the west side of Pennsylvania, as we just entered heading east). We had no idea what had happened until later that night when we had arrived at our motel. You don't get news, or phone calls, or weather on a motorcycle; you are truly in the moment, living it.

So off we went, bright and early on Friday morning, looking forward to a long day, but a great weekend abroad. The weather was nice, not too hot or cold, a little windy, and very sunny, we made it through Detroit and Toledo without any undo ado and felt well on our way. The next 100 miles or so was getting warm fast, but Ohio was melting quickly into the background with Detroit, and then things started to go wonky. We reached the end of Ohio and had to pay our tab for the toll road (and boy had the prices gone up, $10.50 for a few hours to cross their sacred blacktop). Now, I don't know about you, but toll booths and toll areas are not my favorite places to be, especially on a motorcycle. They can be hot, the cars and trucks are chomping at the bit to get in and get out, so they often don't pay attention to those around them, and the toll booths themselves are dangerous with fluid buildup like old oil and grease. Then on a motorcycle you have to park it, generally put your kickstand down, take off your gloves, rummage through your pockets for your ticket, rummage deeper for the cash, pay, re-dress, and re-engage. Now we've been nearly hit in toll areas (my brother and sister-in-law were hit), we've slipped and tipped over bikes that needed to be picked up, we've dropped money, etc., but there is one thing that had never happened to us... the toll gate bar has never dropped in on our party and wacked us, until this day.

Dad had paid for both of us, I gave them my ticket, and as I was following him out I caught movement in the corner of my eye and ducked my head down. The darn gate-bar came right down on top of my head and my windscreen. Wack! I was sure glad that I had my helmet on and ducked. Fortunately the bar seemed to be lightweight plastic and even seemed slightly padded at the far end, it also broke away forward. I tried to get my dad's attention (he was waiting for me to get through, just up ahead) so that he could check the front of my bike and make sure nothing was broken, I couldn't see all the way down myself, but he took off before I could get up there. I was a little shaken, but everything seemed ok. I couldn't believe I'd been wacked in the head by a toll gate bar. I didn't know whether to be worried or laugh my butt off, so I chuckled and dutifully caught up.

Within a couple of miles, having just crossed into Pennsylvania, I was fully expecting another toll road, but usually it is well marked and you pick up a ticket and carry on until you want to get off. As the toll area got closer, dad and I seemed to have a different understanding about what the toll gods wanted. I kept trying to get him to come over into the "pay" area but he was headed for the pre-paid area, which looked like freedom, straight through, no waiting. My heart told me it was way too easy and I was worried about getting split from him; surely he would hearken to my horn. Nope. He zoomed right on through while I got stuck behind a couple of other sad looking vehicles. I got up there and there was no ticket to collect, it was a pay now thing. I explained what had happened to the lady at the booth and asked if I could pay for dad too. She said that it was unfortunate, but not possible, the cameras would have taken a picture and he could expect to get a citation in the mail.

At this point I was wondering if I would ever be able to catch up with him. He seemed to be going quite fast on the freedom path and I didn't see him slow down. I didn't even know if he knew I wasn't with him at that point and I was now at least 5 minutes behind him, at highway speeds. I took off and hauled buns at unapproved of speeds hoping to catch up with him. I got hung up in a wretched pack of road hogs going 75 mph and had to work through the lollygaggers on my quest for my advanced riding partner. I kept increasing my pace while furiously looking for any sign, when I suddenly caught a glimmer, a glimmer of black with some bits of chrome. I hurried faster hoping to get a better look and to gauge how my luck was running. I caught a glimmer of candy red helmet and knew I was going to be ok. Heck, I was nearly caught up. Suddenly the glowing cherry topper veered to the right and took off on an unknown highway, highway 60. I was thinking, "what the heck!?" and "if I'm wrong about this, I'm never going to catch him", as I cut four lanes quickly to hit the wrap-around highway exit. I was rushing a bit more, when he pulled over... yeah! I caught him. Talk about a lucky break, thirty seconds further ahead or behind and we could have been in for two completely separate trips, but here we were back together again.

Not being sure where he had gotten off, we just wanted to get back on. We went down the highway a couple of miles to the first "off" we could find, it cost us seventy cents to exit, we turned right around and it cost us seventy cents to get back on. Talk about double charging, they really do get you coming and going. We got back down to about where it seemed we would get back on, but I wasn't really happy with the signage. I didn't have extreme confidence that I was taking the right direction. And I'm not too proud to admit it. I would rather stop and look at the map or ask for directions than get miles and hours off track. So we stopped so I could check out the map and verify. I was just getting down to the fine print when a small, dark SUV pulled over by us and asked if we were ok.

A good-looking, tossel-haired, outdoorsy, brunette, college guy was asking. He had a tie-died rice-rocket attached to the back of his SUV and he was heading back to state college. I would have stayed to finish my PhD, if they'd had guys like him on my campus. Being a bit older and wiser I remembered not to blush, but was extremely grateful and impressed by his willingness to help. I asked him about the exit and the direction, and he was able to confirm that we were on the right path. We waved and he went on his way. We always do seem he nicest people on motorcycle trips.

The rest of the day was fairly uneventful until dinner. It was getting late and we knew we still had about a hundred miles left and only about an hour or so of sun left. We decided we needed to eat anyway. We stopped at a steak house, the steak looked good, but it had all of the texture, character, and taste of a piece of fake, grown protein. We were glad that we had chosen to split the steak, and we still left about half each.

Amazingly, being within two hours of a national park, and a pretty fantastic one at that, we couldn't find anyone that could confirm a direction for us. Everyone we spoke to had never heard of Skyline Drive. We were ready to pick up our next road, a major interstate, and we couldn't find it. We tried following the couple of signs we saw and just ended up more lost and confused. Everything seemed to be heading in the wrong direction. We tried asking and checking for directions a couple of times, but had no luck. Then we found a gas and convenience station right next to a motorcycle shop. Needless to say, they had a couple of motorcyclists there and they were able to get us turned around and talk me through to where we could catch our road. Not to mention we thought we were heading south (the road on the map did head directly south), but in these parts it was "east". Again, nice folks, and lovely fellow motorcyclists.

When you are not sure of where you are or where you are going the road seems longer than usual and more ominous, but it was a fairly fast moving piece of smaller highway and we still had some twilight to work with. We were working our way through some nice, scenic hills, with gentle curves. Frankly, it was exactly the kind of road and reason we were down here to enjoy. By the time we made it to our final piece of road for the day, it was pitch-black and I was having a really hard time seeing. There were no streetlights, and occasionally there were not even lines on the road. No centerline and no edge lines (which was just plain unfair). I got good at using passing cars lights to help me progress, and dad's super-duper Goldwing lights also helped a lot when he got in the right area behind me. I think his Goldwing headlight is about as close as you can get to car quality lighting, and it was like having a good headlight.

A strange thing happened as we traveled in the silent darkness, with only passing airflow for sound most of the time. It felt like I was in a sensory deprivation tank a few times and it worried me. Granted we were tired, it was dark, the temperature was just so, and my motor was purring right along. I had some thoughts that said: Are you leaning over?; Would you know it if you were going to fall?; Where do my feet go if I have to stop? Very weird and disconcerting.

Finally we got into town, Front Royal, VA, and then we had to find our motel, no sign, and the street signs were hard to read also. I kept leading along the road we had been on as it worked its way into and through the city. Finally I got to a light and saw a Wendy's over to the left. I figured there would be a gas station next to it, but I had no such luck. I went into the Wendy's to inquire about the motel or the road it was on. I ended up speaking with a worker who seemed to speak primarily Spanish, he went over to a customer and tried to ask them, and they told me we were on the right road, we just had to follow it around a bit further and we would be there. See what I mean about nice folks.

We limped into our motel at 10pm, having been on the road that day for thirteen and a half hours. That was a long day. The weather had been perfect, I had sun on my arms and face to prove it, we'd met a lot of nice people, been bopped in the head, got a wee bit confused a couple of times, and had a swell ride. Even though we were tired, we were smiling, and laughing at our comedy of errors. It was pretty funny and a lot of fun. More than that, it was an adventure.

Take Aways from this trip?

Don’t be afraid ask for directions, even if you can’t get any, you’ll still meet nice people either way.
There is no such thing as lost, just creative adventuring.
If the toll road looks too easy and too cheap, it probably is.
All steaks are not created equal.
If you think the worst thing that can happen to you is to get hit in the head with a toll bar, well, it’s not.
Have a plan and wear a bright, colorful helmet, in case you get separated.
Motorcycle people are the best!
Oh, and don't let your dad take your picture with his gloves and face shield on.

This picture came out much better than the first one (you thought that first picture was cropped, didn't you?!). Dad did have to take off the gloves and the helmet to sight it in properly.

Coming next.... Virginia isn't just for lovers, it's for riders too!

You Can Never Be Too Careful or Too Visible

2010-03-26T09:41:00.001-04:00

I just read an article this morning about a horrific motorcycle accident in Phoenix, Arizona (http://my.earthlink.net/article/us?guid=20100326/b7a7627b-f469-4a43-9073-a3a2c4d966d4).

I'm sure most of you are like me, very careful when we're out there on the roads. Heck, I know from driving in a truck that people don't see my in my big, honkin', 4-wheel drive truck at least 30% of the time, so I'm sure they're going to ignore me on my motorcycle 65-70% of the time.

Worse, I feel that my loose stats reflect those drivers that are actually paying attention to what they are doing and are actually DRIVING. Daily we are bombarded by crazies on their cellphones, talking, texting, getting directions, web surfing, or even watching movies. They have actually had statistics come out over the last year that show that people using cellphones slows down their reaction time even more than that of a drunk driver. Even those nifty built-in car system phones, rather than cells phones, have shown no real difference between the abilities of drivers on hand-held devices over the built-in phone systems, which means it all comes down to what you, as a driver or rider are doing. Are you driving,riding, or doing something else. If it's "something else" you shouldn't be driving, period. My dad was on a business trip over in Germany a few years ago and had a chance to be on the autobahn with his escort; when they need to be on the phone, they pull over to the side (don't even get me started about how they pull over from the fast lane if anyone wants to pass).

Anyway, back to safe riding, most of us dress appropriately, are paying attention to our ride, and as motorcyclists we are even more aware and develop skills to pay attention to those around us, trust our gut, and keep alert with our guards up....but it's never enough is it, nor will it ever be. This Phoenix accident was mid-day, in broad daylight, in good weather, they were in a group of nearly a dozen bikes, stopped at a light. A dump truck not only plows into them from the rear (pinching them between the dump truck, themselves, and the vehicles in front of them), but it doesn't seem to notice or stop, and is going fast enough to plow into them, trap several underneath and drag them for almost a football fields distance, until it runs out of momentum. They claim the driver wasn't impaired, well if he wasn't impaired he either had an unusual hate for happy motorcyclists, or he was distracted. The accident cost three people their lives and put a half dozen in the hospital.

Now this is not the kind of article I want my mom to read or anything, then she'll just be worried, however, it scares the crap out of me. I'm out there, often with my dad or brothers, sometimes with a niece or nephew along, and it scares me to think that I can be sooo careful, observant, and do everything right and still get wiped out in a heartbeat by a crazy. So I say to you, fellow riders, drivers, kids by roads, you can never be too careful. Always look out for yourself and others. Know where you are and always be extra observant and extra careful, and make sure that when you're riding, driving, or cell-phoning that you are only doing that one thing, because your life and the lives of those around you depend on it.

As they say, "keep the shiney side up" and remember as you go forth this riding season that you are not the only ones out on the road.

Public Service Announcement: Get Out There and Ride to Work!

2010-03-23T15:20:00.005-04:00

You know how good it makes you feel to get out there and ride. Every day you can ride is just a little more adventurous and joyful because of the opportunity. Did you know that it can make your co-workers happy also?

It may seem a bit strange, but when I ride to work, it doesn't just boost my morale, it boosts the morale of those around me as well. I feel like some sort of messenger from the gods every spring when I break out the motorcycle for the first ride of the new riding season and year. Often this first ride is just taking a quick, cold trip into work on my bike. (I was actually able to ride in to work all 5-days last week. I believe it's a good omen for this year .) As the the conquering winter hero arrives on her mighty steel steed, all praise the gods and goddesses of spring. This praise is quickly followed by rejoicing, upcoming trip plans, and smiles almost as large as my own among the hard working, winter weary masses. As I walk through the office, back to my desk, helmet in hand, face red with cold and windburn, I received pats on the back, cheers, and handshakes as the work masses exclaim: "spring must be here, Penny has her bike out, all hail spring." If they grew here, I may have actually been offered a laural-wreath crown. You could actually almost believe that I was the goddess of spring and not just another spring worshiper if you were an outsider looking in. It has the same feel to it as when you change your clocks over to Daylight Savings Time knowing that longer, sunnier days are soon to come.

Don't just stop with being a harbinger of spring, be the face of joy to those around you as often as possible. Even on a good summer day, or a perfect, colorful fall day, everyone around you has a happier day when they see you on your motorcycle: "Oh, it must be a really good day, Penny has her bike today." On occasion, I've even had a boss or two give me a day off to ride because I shared the joy and it must have been catching; spring fever flu, who knew?

There is also the side perk of getting by on less than a third of the expense of driving in my truck. Another perk is simply being a happy, joyful person that shares that joy with all around her. So, contribute to world peace, a cure for depression. Worship the sun, the rain and the roads, and get out there and ride!

Wind River Canyon, Wyoming

Yeah, I'm smiling on the other side! And in case you're wondering, in a perfect world, no, my office wouldn't even bother with windows. Who needs 'em with views like this?

Who Doesn't Love Mystery Meat?!

2010-03-17T16:13:00.001-04:00

Ok, so this won't exactly be your regular motorcycle article, but it may garner a laugh or two. I participated in a fun writing exercise this year, a contest sponsored by the public library in Centerville, Ohio, which hosts the Erma Bombeck Writing Contest. Well, I didn't win exactly, and alas mine wasn't the only one left out in the cold, but I found a term for my condition: "Adjacent Winning" or "Leftovers: Failed Entries from the Erma Bombeck Writing Contest" as coined over at the "Life Just Keeps Getting Weirder" blog (where you can go for some additional chuckles at others expense).

I figured that my entry would be most appropriately labeled as "mystery meat", so here goes:

Dust Off and Get a Life!

When did I become middle-aged? Was it when the songs on the radio became noise? Was it when my pre-teen nieces started using the term "back in the day"? Was it when 80's bootleg alternative music became classic pop rock?

I think I started to get concerned when two of my nieces, both under ten at the time, asked me one of the all-time dreaded questions: How old are you Aunt Penny? I'd never been ashamed of my age. I thought I was still quite youthful and very active. I don’t believe my sell by date had gone off yet (I tried looking for it, but even with a hand mirror I couldn’t tell if I was Made in America, Made by Mattel, or Made for Purchase & Use Before 1999). Heck, my parents were middle-aged, not me. So I smiled serenely and answered truthfully. That was a mistake. They looked at me wide-eyed, and the older of the two exclaimed "Wow! You're older than dirt!" She didn't realize it yet, but she had just nosedived off my "favorite" niece list. I was stunned. I may have even caught a fly while I slogged through, wallowing in self-denial. I was officially in crisis. I did the quick, logical, thing; I took my deer’s headlight spot and deflected it over to my dad. "Well", I stammered, backpedalling like crazy in my own mind, “if I'm older than dirt, then Grandpa is older than cosmic dust!" My dad smirked, giving him an instant facelift. My nieces then asked, "What’s cosmic dust?" I looked at them, innocent faces looking up at me, "really, really old dirt" I replied. Then I pouted like a proper 30-something.

They usually attribute mid-life crisis to men, not women. What do men have to cry or be in crisis about? Men get some wrinkles, grey hair, and a few scars, and they are handsome, dignified, and manly. When a woman gets the same, she is haggish, old, and unsightly. In mid-life, men are expected to blow money, drive fast cars, and seek after younger companionship. In mid-life women are expected to stay out of sight, drive mini-vans, and seek to enrich others lives. I think men get a mid-life and women get a mid-life crisis. I am an archaeologist and you aren’t “historic” until you’re fifty. Heck, you’re not worth collecting until you’re over 100. I’ve earned my gray hairs, the wrinkles are from joy, and believe me, you haven’t seen fast until you’ve seen me on my motorcycle. I refuse to cry. Mid-life, I’m coming at you at well over 55 mph, you can come along or get out of my way!

Author Bio:
Penny is an aspiring novelist, educated southwest archaeologist, and avid cross-country motorcycle rider. She has officially decided that mid-life is just a wider than average bump in the road and if you ride fast enough, you may get to see the other side, via air, effectively skipping the entire “over-the-hill” thing. Currently Penny resides in Michigan with family, friends, her motorcycle, and faithful poochy pal Misty, the mini schnauzer, at her side. She currently works as a writer, editor, and communications person for a medical billing software company. Sometimes they even let her out to speak at events and seminars. Public beware! Penny has always been an avid reader and was hooked on Erma Bombeck books by the time she was 10. Perhaps that is why her own life seems so amusing to her. As she says, “If you can’t laugh at yourself, you’ll be pretty bored!”

(Entry #352 Erma Bombeck Writing Contest 2010, Humor Category, Global)

Spring Erupts

2010-03-09T09:04:00.005-05:00

I love the smell of motorcycle exhaust fumes in the morning!

I wrote a haiku last spring and it suits today perfectly:

spring erupts
chrome pipes boom
motorcycles gleam brightly

Yeah, only twelve more days until spring, officially that is. A week short of spring is the newer, bumped up, daylight savings hour changeover. Over the next month it will make mornings just a bit darker and perhaps even a bit more miserably cold for just a short while longer. It may well be sub-freezing again next week, but today is supposed to be 50 F. It sure wasn't 50 F this morning, but I have faith that it will be later.

Boy is my face red. It hasn't seen any happy speed winds in about three months. There hasn't been much more than dirty shades of gray around here for weeks. Now I have rosy cheeks and smell like exhaust fumes: O'de Valkyrie. My hair's a bit fuzzier and less controlled, and I feel like a real person again. It was only short ride into work, and I don't know about anyone else, but that ride back and forth to work is usually a boring onerous thing, like a duty with an extra side of drudgery tacked on for good measure. When I get a chance to ride my motorcycle back and forth to work, suddenly it's not such a horrible day or assignment. It becomes an adventure and a taste of better things, what some of us might call the sweet life.

I hope spring continues to erupt. I want more chrome pipes to go boom. And I want my grin to gleam as brightly as my motorcycle does in the sunshine.

Here's to spring, "Cheers Mate!"

*Picture location: Mackinaw, Michigan (on the pier), looking towards Mackinac Island.

Hard-Core Buns of Iced Steel

2010-03-04T21:19:00.001-05:00

This morning was sunny, a really beautiful day, the kind of day that would lead one to bad thoughts of turning the truck around and calling in sick, if it was say 60 degrees or so. Just as that thought was filling my head and I was beginning to think spring-like thoughts I looked ahead of me, at the intersection and there was a fella on his Harley, making a right. My butt warmer was finally starting to warm my butt, my hands were still cramping in my fuzzy little gloves, and I glanced up at my temperature gauge 27degrees. A chill ran down my spine.

My dad and I have this unwritten rule that we don't like to ride under 40 degrees because with wind chill you feel like an arctic polar bear without the fur and a naked face. That's not to say that we haven't written cold we've been in the polar bear club every year but for the last one, because of the ice that was too prevalent. But I've also been desperate and nearly frozen on the downside of 40 before.

We like to take our first long-weekend trip of the year on Easter. We used to head to up to Niagara Falls in Canada and we were often cold. As I started riding next to him, instead of with him I discussed the fact with him that up north is cold and it may be smarter to head south for our premier yearly trip. He decided that I was fairly smart and not just a smart ass, and that trip became a yearly trek to Kentucky instead.

Often, spring hits Kentucky three-six weeks before it hits up here a real taste of spring to tide us over for a few more weeks. But there was this one year, we'd made it down there ok, had a pleasant trip, and were heading home. We got up in the morning and there was frost on the seats and icicles on the mirrors. We waited until the sun came all the way up that day, the temperature finally reached 40, so we took off. I was on an 1100 Yamaha Virago at the time. I had some face coverage, but nothing over my legs, feet, and hands (well, when I say "nothing", I mean other than everything I had in my saddlebags, including my rain gear). My dad had his standard super-duper Honda Aspencade. I was soooo cold that when my feet and hands weren't in severe pain, they were nonfunctional, or frozen numb. I'd never been so glad to have rest stops about every 20 minutes in Ohio.

We stopped at each and every rest stop on the way home that day. We had to spend enough time at each for me to get feeling back into my extremities, and then we would carry on. I've been cold before, but never so miserable. I was so glad to get home with all of my fingers and toes that year.
I must say that I still enjoy that trip though and I highly recommend it. It starts to get really nice down at the bottom of Ohio, and in to Kentucky. The hills get larger, the road progresses southerly in sweeping curves, and up and down those hills, and they're covered in flowers, purple, pink, white, and yellow, just like you would expect. We head straight down for Mammoth Cave. It's a fun ride into the National Park and a lot of fun to hike around deep down inside the earth. There is also our afternoon float down the river on the boat. We usually spend a completely full day enjoying the caves.

Our next day, we generally take the 50 additional mile trip farther south to the Corvette Museum. The museum is different every year. The beauty of having artifacts on wheels is that they come and go so the displays are different every year. One year they had movie corvettes, you know classics like the Corvette Summer corvette, or the dino-lizard vette that David Carridine drove in the original Death Race 2000 (it seemed much smaller in person). And while you're down there I would also recommend a tour of the corvette plant. You can walk the line and possibly even help in the birth of a brand new corvette (be the first person to start it up and rev the engine). It looks like they might charge a small fee to take the tour now (they never used to), but I would still say that it's worth it. Even if you're not a "corvette person" (which is probably un-American by the way), it is an interesting experience.

Anyway, I digress, if I hadn't been headed to work today, even with the cold, I think I would've been tempted to put my battery back in today and go for a ride myself. High-five to my Harley brother and good riddens (pronounced ride-ens)!

Wide Open, Wondrous Wyoming

2010-02-25T20:46:00.002-05:00

Wyoming is a place of stark contrasts and wonderful, spacious treasures. Anyone who has “cruised” thru Wyoming on I-80 only, has not only done themselves a great disservice, but has passed by as one who has walked right by Aladdin’s cave of wonders. Wyoming gives, to those who give of themselves.

My dad and I first discovered this when crossing thru Wyoming about a decade ago on I-90 (northern), only slightly more interesting than I-80 (southern). We were heading west and had planned to shoot on over to Yellowstone Park, hit the Tetons, and Jackson Hole- all of which are beautiful by any standard, and fairly well known. However, in this particular year we had begun to hear horror stories all the way east into South Dakota about the long lines and evilness awaiting us in the form of massive road construction. We got bold that year, gave ourselves to the great, unknown interior of Wyoming and discovered much of its true hidden beauty and treasures when we shot down at an angle through the center of the state. Now I plan that route in to as many trips out west that we take, as I can. It is always one of my favorite rides.

The next year, we took that interior trip backwards, beginning in mid Utah, heading back east. There are a couple of ways that you can go: if you are short on time you can hop on to I-80 and pickup 191 at Rock Springs, Colorado, or, if you have the extra time you can take 40 east across Utah and get on 191 at Vernal, UT. Once you get on 191, you head north. If you can get on 191 at Vernal, UT you will have the pleasure of riding up through Flaming Gorge on your way out of Utah. If you know much about the Utah countryside, you will know that the name gives you a fairly good idea of what might be awaiting you, especially in the early morning or late evening light. It is a gorgeous gorge, appearing to be in flames.

Don’t despair if you can’t catch Flaming Gorge, there is still so much to see you head north. You will still see beauty to overflowing. Make no mistake, it can be desert in some areas and rather hot, it also is so open that you can get really tough, high winds trying to drive you away from your chosen path, but go forward undaunted.

Notice and stop at some of the markers along the way, as you will be passing locations and areas that most might not think about now, but they were once the major roadways to the west as our country was opening up and expanding across, from the plains. You will go by South Pass, the main passageway west for the Oregon Trail, to the Great Salt Valley, and to parts of California. If you’re sharp, you’ll notice a marker for the Willie and Martin handcart companies. The Willie and Martin companies got stuck while heading west to Salt Lake late in the season. Caught in severe early winter snows, they lost most of their company. When word reached Brigham Young in Salt Lake, he happened to be speaking before the collected number of Mormons that day and told them that his sermon was for them to be on the road that afternoon with wagons and supplies to aide the handcart company stuck in Wyoming, near South Pass (on the eastern side).

As you cross county so open that it looks like you could ride forever, the highway works its way from heading north, to heading more easterly. The winds can be very powerful as you travel in Wyoming, from the west, the countryside is all washed out shades of whitish-grey, highlighted with pale creams when suddenly, in stark contrast, you enter Red Canyon.

Red Canyon is as advertised, its dark, blood red. Coming from the southwest you enter in at the top of the canyon and you work your way down and thru it. I’ve been through many canyons and often wondered at the mighty upheavals of earth that made them. Red Canyon is geologically intriguing and I suggest you take a quick stop at the overlook, on the topside (heading west to east), before you go into the canyon. The earth looks like a giant “wave” of earth, rather than water, you can see the build of the wave, the almost crest in some areas, and where it spilled all the way over and crashed into others. Red Canyon’s wave crest is green, where the foam and froth from the wave would have been if it was water, and the rest is blood red rock, which comes from the depths of the earth, rather than the ocean. Leaving Red Canyon, you feel rewarded, but not sated.

Continuing northeast, in the distance, you can see some mountains. They stand tall and aloof to your left. You can just feel that the road is going to take you there and you ride on. You keep looking over at the distant mountains mesmerized, like a sailor caught in the throws of a siren’s song. Your excitement grows mile by mile as you head towards your next mountain destiny, knowing that it is “meant to be”.

Suddenly you are there, entering the Wind River Canyon. The only thought that comes to mind is “ah, beautiful”. The canyon has tall stony walls, enclosing you, making you feel comfortable and secure in this secret passageway through the interior of Wyoming. There is a river, some train tracks, and a great piece of riding road winding enjoyably through the canyon. For all of its great beauty, Wind River Canyon has a special feel, one of quiet reverence, like you are treading on sacred ground. If you were to speak to the tribes that have ownership of the canyon (Northern Arapaho, Eastern Shoshone), you would find that the canyon was always sacred, but to keep it cost much precious blood. Have you ever hear of the Sand Creek massacre? It was here.

Just when you think you may have seen all of the gemstones on your path across Wyoming, you find out that it wasn’t a couple of loose gemstones, but a carefully crafted necklace of gemstones winding across the entire state, with Yellowstone being a diamond pendant. It’s not all one continuous road though, you have to pay attention as you wind your way across, from one small piece of highway to the next, continuing north and east. Your next gem is Thermopolis, Wyoming the self proclaimed “World’s Largest Mineral Hot Springs”. It doesn’t matter if you’ve been riding for just an hour, or all day, I strongly recommend that you take time to go soak in the Thermopolis hot springs. It is like a gift from the gods, and boy what it can do for aching joints and muscles!

Several mini water park businesses take advantage of the natural mineral hot springs at Thermopolis, although I have never tried any of them. According to the locals, as part of the agreement between the government and the Native Americans there has to be designated free access to all. The free access exists through the State of Wyoming “Bath House” in Thermopolis.

You can bring your own bathing suit and towel, or rent one for a truly nominal fee (less than a $1). I always rent a suit and towel myself, rather than carry wet, sulfur-smelling gear in my bike bag. They have a small indoor pool, or you can go outside and enjoy the day and the hot springs in the much larger, covered pool. High water temperatures (they do cool it down) allow you to be in the pools for a limited amount of time. It is very relaxing, you literally feel like royalty. To coin Mel Brooks, “It’s good to be the king.” When you are soaking up Thermopolis’ warmth, you definitely feel like “the king” (or queen as the case may be).

The Bath House and the hot springs are all part of a lovely city park. Don’t forget to take time to walk around behind the Bath House and explore the hot springs themselves it is a peaceful and an enjoyable short break from “bike bottom” or “numb bum” as some might put it.

As you leave Thermopolis (heading east), you are heading towards the border end of Wyoming, but there is one more gem, another world class ride on the way out. As you depart Wyoming, you have the privilege of riding through the clouds themselves on the Cloud Peak Skyway. Be prepared for winter temperatures and snow, even in the middle of summer.

After you say goodbye to Wyoming is sad, in either direction (heading east or west). However, now that you know where Wyoming’s jewels are, you are free to come back any time. Going in either direction is a special day, and each way yields a fresh experience.

So, Are You a Closet Biker Witch?

2010-02-16T16:15:00.001-05:00

Ok, some crazy, indoor, bad weather motorcycle fun...

Angie Fox is the author of the Accidental Demon Slayer series. Book 3 "A Tale of Two Demon Slayers" just came out at the end of January.

I stumbled across Angie's first book in the book store a couple of years ago. The cover mentioned something about a biker witch grandmother with a "kiss my asphalt" t-shirt and a talking dog named Pirate. How could I refuse? I bought the first book and have been a fan ever since. Angie, and her Demon Slayer, have an infectious sense of humor. (Angie was kind enough to send me my own "kiss my ashphalt" t-shirt too. So, if you see me on the roads this year, definately say "hi!").

If you have the time, the books are a blast. If you only have a little time, you might want to swing by her web site and find out what your Biker Witch name is, or if you are part Demon Slayer, or possibly even what your Demon pet preferece might be.

Love ya, Angie! You are the epitomy of "Will Write for Rides".

P.S. My Biker Witch Name is: Chesty Drawers No Brakes, what's yours? Visit Angie's web site and find out.

Summer Means One Thing: Road Trip!

2010-02-12T10:55:00.005-05:00

In my personal book of life, few things are more all-American than mom, apple pie, and road trips! And summer, that sacred season of “summer vacations”, is the prime road trip season. As small children we were piped the dream of endless adventure via road trips. Remember that little ditty “over the river and through the woods to grandmother’s house we go”? Notice that you don’t just go to see grandma. You go over the river and through the woods—adventure, via a road. Every kid returning to school in the fall for decades has been asked the eternal question: “How did you spend your summer vacation?” The expectation is always that you went somewhere and did something. Again, I submit to you that going somewhere to do something generally entails a road trip adventure. Whoo hoo, road trip! For me a road trip most often includes my motorcycle, and it is an excuse for me to get out and ride.

It is said that the popularity of the bicycle in 1880s-1890s spurred the beginnings of national interest in a road system. The year 1893, brought out a new Office of Road Inquiry (ORI) here in the United States, which began with a budget of $10,000. I guess before this time, we were a country of trails, paths, a few bridges, and some well worn compasses. Detroit's Woodward Avenue holds the distinction of being the first concrete paved road in America. At a cost of $13,534, Woodward Avenue was laid down just outside Detroit in 1908, and is still thoroughly cruised and enjoyed to this very day. (If you want to be picky, asphalt paving came before concrete, and that would make Pennsylvania Ave. in Washington D.C. and Fifth Ave. in New York slightly older than Woodward Ave.)

As we all know, that was really just the beginning. The 1920s-1960s saw the evolution of America through its roadways. The roads were increasingly funded and their number grew with aid from the Federal government in money and manpower. From Detroit in 1908, up through the ALCAN (Alaska-Canadian Highway) in the 1940’s the US expanded the possibilities of mobility, travel, and adventure across the entire country. Once we got started the pavement just kept on rolling. The American road system is an expression of our national interests at their deepest levels. We live to travel to new places, seek out adventure, and to be free. The open road holds a sacred allure for most of us that can only be equaled with personal air travel (balloons, helicopters, planes, hang-gliding, etc.).

I submit to you that NOT taking a road trip sometime this summer is not only a waste of summer, but it is un-American. I know that gas prices are already going back up. I know that time is a luxury that is hard to come by, and that times themselves are equally tough. However, I also know that that a road trip can bring back the adventure and excitement to your soul. See new things, become an explorer, and feel young again. We live in one of the biggest, most diverse and interesting places in the entire world: geologically, historically, pre-historically, ethnically, and with bonus points for some extreme originality. I challenge you to rediscover yourself, to rediscover your country, and to share it with those that matter most, your family. In return, I can promise you that the best family bonding can occur on a road trip, even a bad one. Friendships are forged, stress relieved, and miles re-lived for years to come. Celebrate your all-American heritage: the open road, a vehicle of your choice, and possibly the adventure of a lifetime awaits.

Pictures:

Canyon de Chelley, Arizona
The Great River Road, Illinois, along the Mississippi River
Badlands, South Dakota
Wind River Canyon, Wyoming
Wall Drug, South Dakota

For More Information:

“History Lesson On A Century Of Cars: A look back at the defining device of the 20th century.”
By Scott Oldham. Published in Popular Mechanics, January 2000 issue
www.popularmechanics.com/automotive/new_cars/1269391.html

Automobile History: The History of Cars and Engines
By Mary Bellis, About.com
http://inventors.about.com/od/cstartinventions/a/Car_History.htm

Originally posted in Genius Solutions, Inc, Summer 2009, Newsletter
Written by Penny Henriksen, newsletter writer and editor
*Penny is chaco_kid

We Can Survive

2010-02-10T14:22:00.009-05:00

As I dug out of the snow this morning and hopped into my 4-wheel drive truck (the little black darling with the killer new Goodyear Fortera Triple-tread tires I purchased just before snow season hit). I felt confident and reflected about the time I spent last fall giving my baby a complete set of new brakes and roters. I almost found the ride in refreshing this morning, because as we approach mid-February, I know that time is on my side and that mother-sunless, evil inbred sun of a winter bearing cold streak is on its way out! The days are getting longer. I actually see bits of light now on my way in and out of work.

I might have only felt the pummeling of snow-blown ice and snow on my face this morning, but it again reminded me of sun and sand that will be giving me a facial in a few short months. And I smiled.

As I parked the snow blower and whispered a few sweet nothings to my Valkyrie, giving her a affectionate pat on the way out of the garage, I wondered how many others had done the very same thing this morning. Fellow 2 (and 3) wheeled brothers and sisters, I salute you!

I challenge you to smile, wax your helmet, and smell the leather. Now is the time for all good riders to prepare to ride.

Welcome to Will Write for Rides

2010-02-10T14:20:00.006-05:00

Everyone keeps telling me I should have my own blog. Not just to "write for the man" (of course "the man" pays, free blogging doesn't), but I wondered what I could possibly say. Then I looked up girls, bikes, biking, and found tons of motorless bikes- ewwwh- and then I knew.

I always thought it would be fun to write motorcycle wisdom (you know those deep thoughts that occur to you while you're riding) and travel articles for magazines. I got tired of reading the magazines though as they still had the same men writing for them that they did when I was a kid on the back of my dad's bike (yes, my dad is retired now). The result is this blog: Will Write for Rides.

My goal is to some day have my writing pay for all of my riding. Until then, I hope to have a place that I can call "my happy place" where I can share laughs, pictures, and adventure along the way. Maybe it will become your happy place too. I would be honored.

P.S. I hope that all of my Wiffer buddies over at www.willwriteforwine.com won't mind me being a shameless double wiffer as I just realized Will Write for Rides will make me WWFR here too!