Glad to hear everyone is getting a kick out of my weight loss program (lol). I've just gotten back from Boy Scout camp and trying to get caught up with everything. Spent 5 days there and had a blast with my son and the other boys in his troop. The above photos were taken at sunset on two different evening.

Monday last week Christine (from Christine's Corner) and I spent a day together on our bikes the day before I left for camp. We had a blast and I hope to post about that soon.

Safe Travels,Betty :)

Biker Betty’s Weight Loss Plan

**As with any weight loss plan, first consult your doctor.
(Disclaimer: Now I know that you understand that what you are about to read you will take in the good nature it was intended. This isn't a real plan, so be careful out there in the heat and sun this summer.)

The other day I was out riding my V-Star when this wonderful idea hit me. I need to lose some weight (and don’t most of us?) and while out and about this brilliant plan came to mind.

Here’s a list of the following things you will need:

First – you will need a motorcycle (Yea!!!)
Second – Wait till it’s at least 90-94 degrees Fahrenheit, but has a slight breeze.
Third – You need a long list of errands to do. The longer the list the better, something that will take at least 1-2 hours.
Fourth – and this is important – wear ALL your gear. Helmet, jacket, gloves, tall boots, & leathers.
Fifth – need lots of water (of course, any weight-loss program requires this)


This whole plan came to mind (maybe it was half-baked by then, lol) after about two hours of running errands on my motorcycle. As most of you know Father’s Day is this Sunday, and I still needed to find that elusive gift for my husband from his sons. So with all the listed requirements above, I headed off. I went to the two major motorcycle stores in town, in hopes of inspiration. Nothing!!! I went to another store I thought of, but can’t mention in case my husband reads this, and they’re all out of what I was looking for (*sigh and frustration*).

By now it’s been about two hours and 29 miles on my motorcycle. The sun is out and I am sweating. Early on I did crack open the full-face shield and that was a great relief. Dejected, I decided it was time to go home and try again another day. So after 37 miles I was empty-handed, but despite the heat I did enjoy the ride. (Note: You have to look for those silver liners.) I figure with as wet as I was from sweat when I got home, I had to of shed at least five pounds!!! Hey!!! A couple of more days and rides like that I can look like Barbie!?!

Side Note: I’m one of those last minute shoppers for holidays and such. So today I find something for my husband. It’s not brilliant like I wanted, but hey, it’s the thought that counts. Right? This is how bad I am with shopping. I get home and tell my youngest son I found something for his Dad and he gets all upset and declares "Today’s Father’s Day?!?"

Wishing All of You Guys out there a Happy Father’s Day,

Betty :)

Canadian Journalist Writes that Motorcyclists are "Idiotic"

Over at Motorcyclebloggers.com Retrorider has written an article about a Canadian journalist. This Canadian journalist, Earl McRae, has decided that all motorcyclists are and the following is excerpted from his article:
"In my opinion, only idiots drive motorcycles," "While to me motorcyclists are recklessness-dating idiots flirting with death..," "What got me thinking again of motorcyclists as idiots..," "..idiotically wasn't wearing..," "..he idiotically chose not to..," "..he idiotically wasn't required to," "..that idiotically doesn't have..," "..his idiot thinking..," "..motorcycle idiots nationally..," "..idiotically take macho delight..," "..idiotically take macho delight..," "..in idiotically thundering up..," "..idiotically rocketing..,"

And then Mr McRae goes on to say: "In individual-freedom-fetish America.." (and it goes on). You need to go read this whole thing for yourself at the above link. I just can't believe all the stuff I have been reading everywhere all because Ben Roethlisberger of the Pittsburgh Steelers had a serious motorcycle accident this last Monday morning, June 12th. He wasn't wearing a helmet, his choice, and went head first into the windshield of the car that hit him. He sustained a broken jaw and lots of other injuries, which you can read about at WTAE TV4.

I am really mystified by all the discussion on motorcyclists this has created. There has been a lot of talk around the motorcycle blogging community about how well-known athletes and celebrity motorcyclists are to blame for the bad rap of the motorcycle image. But I think we really can’t blame the well-known athletes or celebrity motorcyclists, of course when they do stupid stuff it doesn’t help.

I think it’s the day to day motorcyclists that hurt the image. I have seen motorcyclists race down the main roads, cutting between cars in traffic. I have seen a few of the sport bikes pop wheelies on the main roads and the list just goes on. We’ve had two fatalities here over a month ago, within a week of each other. One was drunk and one was going too fast. They ran off the road and died. I'm sure that some of you have seen others doing these stunts and have even gotten after them for their reckless acts on the public roads. And if the police catch them, which some do get caught, they get tickets. That's the best anyone can do at this time. Many think that those who don't wear the gear is creating a bad image, but people need to remember that that is THEIR choice. There is lots of motorcycle education now available, that wasn't before. ABATE, MSF, AMA, etc are working hard on all these issues.

I do think that the good image of motorcyclists is slowly getting better. More and more ordinary people are buying and riding their motorcycles responsibly. When I got my bike so many people told me they just NEVER thought of me as a biker. And they are very use to the idea now.

Now when you get irresponsible journalists like Earl McRae pretending to be an expert on motorcyclists you just have to ignore them. There is always going to be the "Earl McRae's" in this world. I do think the image of motorcyclists is getting better. It will never be perfect. And we just have to live with that and do the best we can to improve the image.

So there's my two cents to add to all the others, lol. I do wish Ben Roethlisberger a speedy recover.

Wishing You Safe Journeys in Your Part of the World,

Betty :)

Motorcycle Moonlight Run

On Saturday, June 10th, the Mountain Shadow Riders (MSR), which is a chapter of Women on Wheels, decided to have our monthly chapter meeting in the evening this month. Getting ready for the ride I had to switch out my dark shield for my clear shield on my helmet and wear sunglasses for the first part of the ride. Then I had to do my gear check for cell phone, money, camera, brain, etc. Once we had all geared up, my husband, son (age 11) and I left our house at 5pm. My son is riding on the back of my husband's Honda Nighthawk. First stop was to top off our gas tanks. Then we met the rest of the group behind Perkins Restaurant on Constitution Ave (not far from Powers Blvd). So much of what we do involves, of course, the motorcycles AND food, lol.

Here we are (above), lining up and getting caught up on what the others have been doing. Most of us haven't seen each other since the last chapter meeting. This is a great group of ladies. I found this group through their website when I was doing a search for a purple women's motorcycle jacket. I never found a purple jacket (including armor, if you ever find one please let me know), but I found something much much better!!!

While this is a women's motorcycle group, our husbands, men friends, & significant other's (and even our kids) can be support members and are always welcome to all the functions. We, my husband & I, enjoy every function we attend. They are an extension of our family.

It's hard to tell in the above photo, but we had many people show up for this ride. It was an awesome sight to see all those bikes lined up getting ready to ride out.

Here's a photo of a few a few of the members. We have (Rt to Lt) Paul S., Kelly S., Lee, my husband Bill hiding, and Christine F. (of Christine's Corner - link on my sidebar). Don't you just love Paul's helmet? It's behind him.

Here we are getting instructions on the route, how to drive and stay in formation and hand signals.

Here is our fearless leader for the ride, Christine E. She is showing the hand signals. Christine E. chose the route and then led us. She did an awesome job!!! At 5:30pm we headed out with Christine E. in the lead. She heads us out of town and into the countryside. We are quite a sight to behold. I should have counted, but there was about 20 or so motorcycles of all makes and models.

Along the way we even had an occasional car from the opposite direction honking their horns in "hi." We get into the farmlands and I'm afraid we scared a few cows & horses. The country roads were in pretty good condition. We had to dodge just a few potholes. At one point one of the roads got really bumpy. We were bouncing around for a good many miles. If I had false teeth, I think they would have rattled right out of my mouth (*chuckle*).

It took us about 30-45 minutes of driving to get to our destination. Our stop was Tao Pacific Grill in Calhan. This restaurant is on Hwy 24. There were a few patrons there when we arrived. We were such a large group that we kind of dwarfed them, but no one seemed to mind. We got a lot of curious looks. I don't know if he was the owner or manager, but he (sorry I didn't get his name) and the waitress did an outstanding job handling such a large crowd. If you live close, myself and others highly recommend this restaurant. They serve chinese food and it is delicious!!! While eating we had our meeting and got a lot done.

Once the meal and meeting was over, it was time to go. It was dusk and I thought it wouldn't get dark by the time we got home. I was wrong. The sunset on the horizon was a sight to behold. The soft glow of red/orange over the mountains was breath-taking and we were facing it all the way back into Colorado Springs. Within 15 minutes into the ride, we were in pitch black and there was a moon.

Now this ride had been planned probably 5 months ago and titled "Full Moon Ride." We actually had a full moon!!! The sky was clear and, I kid you not, you could actually see the Man on the Moon's face!! It was a beautiful, crystal clear night with a few white clouds outlined in the moonglow. We got home full from a wonderful meal, satisfied by a great ride and fortified by the camaraderie of the friends we have made in this group. Thank you to all.

Wishing you Wonderful Journeys in Your Part of the World,

Betty :)

Tonight We Ride.

I am very excited because in a few hours the Mountain Shadow Riders will be gather for a special event. The Mountain Shadow Riders is a chapter of the National group Women on Wheels. We are a group of ladies who common bond is "We love riding our motorcycles." Whether you do the actual driving, ride the back seat, or just have a love of motorcycles, you are welcome in this group. I have a link to both organizations on my sidebar, if anyone is interested. We are breaking from the norm and having our monthly chapter meeting in the evening. We will gather at 5pm and leave town at 5:30. We usually meet the second Saturday of each month at 9am. The plan is to ride to another town, eat dinner and have our meeting and then ride back.

I can't wait to see everyone. I haven't seen them since the last meeting, except a few that I have bumped into on some other rides. This is a special group of ladies (and some gents) who care for each other. Any time we have a ride, everyone is carefully placed in the line-up, as to experience, for the ride. If anyone is new or uneasy about group formation, then someone will look out for them to ensure they feel welcome and at ease. We do a staggered formation and all signals are reviewed before we take off, just so everyone is on the same page. People are welcome to voice any concerns with this group and not fear any ridicule. I love the openness and acceptance that this group displays.

Among the people tonight will be Christine (above right) and I just bet Wendy (above left). I took this picture on a poker run on May 21st. They were hanging out together for the run. Wendy was proudly (and rightly so) showing off her new trike. She had just recently aquired it before the run.
Can you tell by the smile that she loves it? Her brother made it for her. Wow, what a great brother!!!

So, soon I will be getting on my riding gear and joining the pack for fun, adventure, and camaraderie on my motorcycle. Who could ask for anything better? A great meal?

Safe Journeys in Your Part of the World,

Betty :)

Being a motorcycle "chick," I have joined the ranks of "Blogging Chicks." This is a group of great ladies, of whom I have been really enjoying reading their blogs. If other "chicks" are interested I encourage you to check them out. Their link is in my sidebar under "Other great blogs."

16th Annual United Run.

Bill & I took part in the 16th Annual United Run on Sunday, June 4th. All proceeds going to the Rocky Mountain Motorcycle Museum and future Fallen Riders Memorial. This run was sponsored by Bikers United For America and they did a great job.
Just before 11am Sunday morning we drove up to the starting point (above) The Rocky Mountain Motorcycle Museum and Hall of Fame. It is located at 5865 N. Nevada (in front of Pikes Peak Harley Davidson) in Colorado Springs, CO. There were lots of people there when we arrived. This annual ride is very popular and there was a constant stream of people coming and going. Once again, we couldn't ask for a nicer day for a ride. We parked our bikes and went to sign in. This contest was very interesting. We have the given start and stop places and then there are five other places in between. They give you the addresses of those five places and you decide which order to drive to them. There are two ways of winning. First, if you pick the right route and second, how long it takes you. Someone has already driven the route in a certain order and kept track of how long it took them. So we try to match it. What Fun!!!
We depart the museum and head north for the first destination. We I-25 to get to the truck stop, but that is the only time we use the highway. After that, it's all side roads. I leave it up to Bill to decide where and how to go. Luckily, he had grabbed a detailed map of the area and surrounding towns (that's why he leads). First stop: Monument Truck Stop on Baptist Rd, NW side of I-25. I should have kept track of the mileage between stops, but didn't (sigh). We get there and quite a few had decided this as their first stop too. We also bump into two people from the Mountain Shadow Riders, Bucky and BJ. We chat a few moments and share thoughts on the route. They have plans for a different route. We check in and then hit the road!!! On our way to our next stop we drive the famous (to locals) Rollercoaster Rd. Luckily, we were heading north on this road. Going south were hundreds (no exaggeration) of bicyclists. Yea, those contraptions you must actually pedal (aghast!!). Many of them looked ready to pass out from heat exhaustion. I was very glad to be on my motorcycle.
Bill chose for our second stop the Sufferin Bastard Tavern on 632 Peterson Road in Colorado Springs. After reading the sign I thought I was back in England (lol). England's taverns have really interesting names. We lived there (England, NOT the tavern) for three years and loved it. So we stop at the tavern and check in. A few of the participants, at this point, decided to partake of the refreshments. It was hot and we were sweating. Some day I need to get an armored mesh jacket. There's a cute dark pink one I'm eyeing (hey!! I'm a girl and love it! Of course, purple would be better, lol!!). Bill insists his black leather armored jacket is great for all climats. I just look at his handsome drippy, sweaty face, smile and say "Yeaaa ... rrright honey." At this point I pull out my water bottle and drink a good portion of it. I did offer to share, but my husband had his own.
We get on our bikes and Bill has us heading for the cutest of all the stops. Our third stop is the Cowboy Expresso at 105 S. Santa Fe in the town of Fountain. This is a quaint little coffee shop and I would love to come back here sometime. The drive to it is great. If we weren't worried about taking too much time, I would have loved to stop here for a soda. But instead we sign in, I drink more of my water (it's really getting hot now) and we head off for our next destination.
Our fourth stop is the Mill Hill Saloon, 1668 S. 21st St. in Colorado Springs. That is a neat place. We go check in and by now a lotttt of people have decided to partake of refreshments (lol). I am now getting hungry, but instead drink water (*laugh*).
I thought the bucking horse on the roof of the Mill Hill Saloon looked pretty cool and here is a close-up (above).
From the saloon parking lot, we can see Cheyenne Mountain, home of NORAD (North American Aerospace Defense Command).
The above is a close-up of NORAD.

Part 2 of the United Run.

Our 5th, and next to the last stop, is the Veteran's Memorial at Memorial Park off of Union Blvd in Colorado Springs. That is an awesome place. It had something there for every branch of the service. We couldn't linger long. I did notice the main memorial was finished November 11, 1968.
Since I served 8 years in the United States Air Force and Bill retired after 20 years, I did manage to get a quick photo of their memorial.
Here's a memorial (above) for all Purple Heart recipients.
We checked in and then headed off for our last stop (food!!!). By now it is 2ish. Our last stop is the American Legion Post, 6685 Southmoor Dr. in Fountain. A lot of people were already there. Above is a shot of the right side of the parking lot.

Above it a shot of the left side of the parking lot. There were also lots of bikes around the corner and in front of the American Legion Post.

We check in at 2:35pm and see how we did. Well, we got 1/5 stops in the right order (yeaaa!!). It took us 3 hours and 21 minutes. We missed the time by about 10 minutes and plenty of people were closer. We found a table and stayed for a couple of hours. We shared a table and visited with a few of the fine folks in the Soldiers for Jesus MC. We didn't notice when we first sat down that we were right in front of one of the band's speakers, so talking was somewhat limited. There was a band and they sounded really good. Everyone enjoyed and laughed over a bunch of the songs. They chose some really good songs. We also got a free dinner, Garfield the Cat's favorite, lasagna. It was really good and we got a salad and roll. The people of the Bikers United of America did a great job organizing and working all the stops along the way. Very nice people and I can't wait to do this again next year.

Today was another great ride and, as most of you have said, anytime on the motorcycle is a great time. Having taken back roads to all but the first stop, we got to see wonderful and diverse scenery. It was everything from the mountains in the distance to dry, open fields. Businesses and homes in the towns/city and farms and barns in the countryside. We got to see it all today. We rolled up to our driveway at 6pm and I really didn't want to park my motorcycle for the day (sigh). I chocked up another 102 miles of riding adventure. Yep, it was a great day.

Wishing You Great Motorcycle Adventures in Your Part of the World,

Betty :)

9/11 was a horrific day in our history. One of our fellow bloggers and come up with an idea of how to honor that day as it is approaching fast. I think it’s a great idea. I signed up yesterday and received the name of the person I am to remember. Check it out and see if it’s something you want to do. See some info and link below:

D. Challener Roe
Of The Blogger "Rough Draft"
Is in need of 2995 bloggers to participate in an online

Gift Of Rememberance
To those who died in 9/11 and there families:
Please visit these link and volunteer
http://www.dcroe.com/blog/?p=132#comments

Colorado Springs Touring Club Poker Run on 5/21/06

Life has been so busy with both sons graduating (one from elementary school & the other high school) and then school ending and all the activities involved with that (whew!). I need a summer vacation after all that!!! My husband & I did the above run that benefited the El Paso County Search & Rescue. Some of those folks manned tables at the D.A.V. hall in Colorado Springs all day. They looked pooped by the end of the day. It was a great day for a ride and we were excited to be a part of it. We met and chatted with a few very nice people along the way. We even saw some fellow Mountain Shadow Riders. The DAV hall was Check Point #1 on the run. We checked in, payed, signed waivers, got the map and etc. and then we were off. They were offering a breakfast, but we were anxious to get started. We get our card's first punch here before taking off. The card is in an envelop, so we won't know how we're doing till it's all over.
After leaving the hall, we weaved through Colorado Springs and eventually came out onto Hwy 24 and headed west. The above picture is of Check Point #2 which was our next destination. It's Jackie's Sports Bar & Grill, 11115 W. Hwy 24 in Divide. As always, the drive on Hwy 24 from Colorado Springs going west to Divide is a bikers favorite. It has wonderful twisties and beautiful scenes to drink in and enjoy. We stop at Ck Pt #2 and get our card punched. We pause a few minutes to chat and laugh with others.

After leaving Ck Pt 2, the directions tell us to go down Hwy 24, west, for 1.7 miles and then turn left onto Teller County Rd 42. We have never been on this road before and discover we love it. It's paved and in pretty good condition. There are lots of ranches along this road.

We've followed this for a ways and we round a turn and I can see the intersection for our next turn when I ride right through a dust devil. At first I had no idea what was happening. The first thing to happen was I was wrenched a couple of feet to my left and at the same time I can feel the wind trying to swirl me. It's going in a counter-clockwise rotation. My face shield gets bombbarded with dust and mini gravel. It gets flung up under the shield and into my eyes. I'm just praying to keep upright and not crash. Then I get flung to the right and it's all over and I'm still up and going. Whewww, I couldn't believe that brief moment. I'm not too much into swearing, but that was definitely an "Oh Sh*!*t" moment. I hope to NEVER!! go through that again. Later I tell my husband about it and it had caught him too. As we were just coming out of a turn and he was far enough ahead, I wasn't sure if he went through it. I'm glad we weren't close.

So after that wonderful (?!?) adventure of nature, we come to the cross-sectioning intersection and then turn left onto Teller County Rd #1. Once again, in farming country. It's just beautiful out here away from the major highways, us and many other motorcyclists (lol). I never realized how popular llamas are. It seems they are everywhere in Colorado. Riding all these country roads this last year has really enlightened me.

I wanted to stop at a ranch that was snuggled in at the bottom of two mountains and get a picture. It was beautiful and they had llamas, but Bill was far enough ahead I didn't. There was no way to get word to him. I want to drive this again sometime and will stop then. Bill did stop a few miles after we started to climb into the mountains. Above is a view of some of the mountains. Bill thinks he's far enough to the left to not be in the picture (HA!!).

Here he is again. He recently bought the beads you put on car seats and attached it to his motorcycle seat. He had to cut, and not sure what else, to get it to fit. We had been reading a lot of emails on the Yamaha group yahoo about how great they are. This is his first venture out since attaching them. Later he couldn't tell if it helped him or not. If he keeps them on, he plans on painting them black to blend in. He was going to try them on his bike before buying another to put on my bike. I'm actually the one complaining of the hurting tush after many miles (lol).

The rest of the drive up to Cripple Creek on Teller County Rd 1 is breath taking. Lots of trees and periodic views of the mountains. Above we are at Ck Pt #3. It's in Cripple Creek in front of the Womack's Event Center. I look at my watch and it's 11:20am and lunch time. Quite a few people park their motorcycles and go find lunch. We are hungry, but decide to press on to the next check point and maybe get a bite to eat there.
We leave Cripple Creek, following their directions, and get onto Hwy 67. Above is a bridge that we are told is the highest bridge of Colorado's 8,479 state bridges.
We cross over the bridge and stop again. The above is taken from the bridge. I wish my camera could convey better the breath-taking view we were privilaged to see. You can kind of see how the mountains just keep on going.

Colorado Spring Touring Club Poker Run - Part 2

While still on the bridge I take the above photo. It's a view of the Cripple Creek & Victor Gold Mining Company. It was formed in 1976 and is still running, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Following the directions, we come into Victor. Above is a photo for my Mountain Shadow Riders scavanger hunt. It's in front of the welcome sign of Victor. One of the items is your motorcycle in front of a welcome sign of any city.
We enter Victor on Victor Ave and then go to 2nd St. Turn left onto 2nd St. and go to Diamond Ave. Leave Victor via Teller County Rd 81. We go a few miles and stop to take a picture of this old gold mine (above). Most of the mines in the area date back to the turn of the century. This area is rich in gold mining history.
We travel till 81 intersects State Hwy 67 and then turn right onto 67, heading back to Divide. Along the way we stop and get the above photo of the mountains.
Above is Check Point #4. We are now in downtown Woodland Park at their Rest Area. It's very pretty. I didn't realize it till now, but the two on the motorcycle to the left (one with yellow jacket) are with the Mountain Shadow Riders. Of course, we saw them, but I didn't realize I had taken their photo. We take a brief break, get our cards punched and chat with others. We decide to head back into town, Colorado Springs, for lunch. My husband suggested Taco Johns, and I thought that's a perfect ending to a perfect ride. I absolutely LOVE!! Taco Johns and their Super Potatoe Oles (YumYummm..)
Here is a view of the mountains at the rest area. While it looks a little nasty that direction, we continue to have beautiful weather.

After lunch at Taco John's (YumYummm), we head to our final destination and see how many millions (lol) we have won. Here is another scavanger hunt photo of "my motorcycle in a group of 50 motorcycles." As usual the clouds are coming in, as they usually do in the afternoons. We go in and find out our cards are useless(sigh), but Bill has won a door prize (success after all, yea!!). He won a model of a chopper. It's pretty cool. We hang around a while, he gets a beer and I a water. Then it's off to home.

Another great adventure on our motorcycles and I clocked 135.5 miles.

Wishing you Wonderful Journey's in Your Part of the World,

Betty :)