Wishing You, Your Family And Friends

The Best in the Coming Year

All the Best,

Biker Betty

How do you bring in the New Year? We were suppose to have a new years day motorcycle ride today with the Mountain Shadow Riders, but as you can see by the pictures I have been posting that just isn't going to happen. Even as I type, I was suppose to be on that ride *sniff.* My poor motorcycle hasn't been out of the garage in about two weeks now.

So, we were suppose to do that ride and then do the party our eldest son asked to do. He asked if we could host a "Halo" party for his friends. So, we will be bringing in the new year with a house full of young adults. We have had many of them at past new year's parties when we hosted our church's youth group for the big night.

What is a "Halo" party you might ask? Halo is a video game that they will be using on the Xbox 360 game system. Some of our guests will be bringing their systems, as we only have one. They will have T5 cables going down the hall, stairs, into rooms and who knows where else. I think the plan is to use 3 to 4 systems interconnected. We've done this before, for our son's birthday, and they had a blast.

We (my husband & I) provide the food and they amuse themselves with the game. Boy are we lucky !?! So we will be ringing in the new year with a house full of young adults playing a video game, lol. My husband will be cooking quesadillas and they are all looking forward to that. Seems my husband has a reputation for making some of the best quesadillas they have ever eaten. They begged him to please make these. My mouth is watering just thinking about them. I agree with the kids, they are the best.

How are you bringing in the new year? Are you sleeping thru it? Partying at your own home? Partying at someone elses? Going crazy with a group of kids in your house? Whatever your plans are, may you have fun. And remember, don't drink and drive, we want to see you next year.

Below are a few pictures I took today on my way to and from church. I thought I would share just a few more shots of the snow that hit Colorado. So I will be leaving you with these to look at and see you next year. ;)

Now I had better get, because I have a house to clean and a party to get ready for!!!

Above and below is the same car. It got stuck and they (or someone) left the door open. When we passed it on the way to church, I thought someone was getting ready to dig it out.

But here's the same car, with the door still open, on the way home from church. It has been abandoned. Looks like they spun out and got stuck a day or so ago.

Here's a shot of the difference between the main roads and the side roads. The cleared (mainly black) part is a main road thru town. That car across from us is on a side road. What a difference.

Here's a well-used side road.

Here's some houses that haven't even begun to dig out yet. They have some decent sized snow drifts in front of their houses. This is also a shot of part of their street. The snow removal truck hasn't been thru here yet.


How would you like to be that first car on the left side? They have some digging to do to get out. This is a side road not driven much. They have a lot of snow on their road, too. A snow plow hasn't been thru here either. There are just a lot of roads to clear and the snow plows are getting to them as fast as they can. A bunch of the plows broke during the last storm and they didn't get a chance to fix them before this next storm hit.


Here are some guys helping yet another stuck vehicle on these slick and slippery roads.


Here's a person digging out. Now there's a lot of snow!!

Now this guy knows how to get around!!

Wishing you great adventures in the new year,

Biker Betty ;)

~ Colorado Starting Again To Dig Out ~

We may actually be done with the snow at the moment. The storm shifted and the Springs got spared twice during this storm. We didn't get dumped on Friday night as predicted and it looks like we aren't going to get dumped on tonight either. When it's all said and done, I don't believe this storm will be anywhere as bad as lasts weeks. It did cause our motorcycle group's New Year's run to be cancelled. It was announced today and while I understand, it's just a bummer!! :( . . . Bad Snow!! Bad Snow!!

In the afternoon the sun came out and is still out. Looks like we will actually get to see the sun set for the first time in I don't know how many days. It's an absolutely gorgeous blue sky we are experiencing right now. I just had to get out and get some pictures to share with you.

Above shows how bad some of the drifts got in my area. This truck is going to have a little work getting out. There were a few houses on this street that had snow drifts, like that in the picture above, in front of their homes. I would have taken a picture of them, but people were digging out and I didn't think they'd appreciate me taking a picture.

Here's how bad our side roads are. And yes, that is yours truely standing in the middle of the road. I have heard there are many roads in the city that are currently impassible. The north end of town was hit hard, the south wasn't suppose to be too bad, and I live in the middle of town.

I'm standing in a field and where you see the wind blowing snow is actually the top of a 6 ft fence. I'd say they won't be out in their backyard for a while, lol.

Here's a very powerful picture of the mightly Pikes Peak. If you look close (or click on the picture) you can see the wind blowing snow around. There is actually a small group of people heading to the top to hopefully set off fireworks at midnight on New Year's Eve. It's a tradition for this group to do it every year. I was looking to see if an article was in the newpaper about them, but I don't see it. It will probably be in tomorrows paper. The paper prints one every year and it's always interesting to read. If I can find it, I will link it in in the next few days. Actually, I'm wondering if they will be able to get to the top this year.


Here's my son enjoying the snow, gusts, cold, . . . did I say enjoying, lol?

Here's a shot up a street. I'm attempting to walk on the sidewalk? I'm actually knee deep in snow.

Here's a shot from the same spot, looking in the other direction. Right in the middle, toward the back, is Pikes Peak.

I can't believe someone shoveled this walkway. The highest point of this drift is above my waist. I'm just glad I didn't have to shovel it, lol.

Ooops, here a car has gotten stuck. It's hard to see, but there is a lot of snow under the car preventing it from going anywhere. I had helped to push it, with two other people, just a few minutes earlier, but then a bunch of guys came along and I thought little 'ol me would just step out of the way and leave them to it. It took 5 minutes of pushing and shoveling to get that car out. This picture was taken after it had been pushed 20 feet toward a main street.

Here's what happens when you try to take a picture near your husband shoveling. Just as I shot the picture, he heaved a shovel full of snow. No, this actually wasn't staged, but I love how it turned out. It wasn't headed toward me, either, lol.

So, Wishing everyone out there a warmer new year then we will have, lol.

Biker Betty ;-)

I am now a "Photo Hunter." The weekly Saturday Scavenger Hunt has changed names, but the purpose is the same. Each week we are given a theme and then we must interpret that with a photo we have taken. We can't use someone else's, clip art, or whatever media there is available. It's really fun and I've been doing this for 4 months and loving it.

This week the theme is "New." Considering I just celebrated Christmas, this was a no-brainer. I only had to choose from what I got and take a picture. So scroll down and see what I picked.

Theme: New ** Become a Photo Hunter ** View Blogroll

There are a few "new" things in this photo. First, I'm standing in "newly" fallen Colorado snow. We have gotten so much snow that our governor has declared a state of emergency, so the National Guard can help the harder hit areas. The roads in my city of Colorado Springs are passable at best. For a while today the snow quit falling. But it has started back up, so we will see what happens next. It all depends on how the winds blow, lol.

The motorcycle sweater is "new" and my Biker Bunny is "new." The sweater has a great story behind it. The giver was embarrassed to tell me at first, but I finally got it out of her and, to me, it makes the sweater more special to have. It seems this sweater was first received by one of the girls in my youth Bible study group. She got it as a white elephant gift exchange at her dad's work family Christmas party. She herself had to go to our church's youth group Christmas party the next day and still needed a white elephant gift for it. She decided to use the newly acquired motorcycle sweater. Then my giver, another girl in my youth Bible study ended up with it. She knows how much fun I have with my motorcycle and how I love motorcycle related items and gave it to me as a Christmas gift. You can bet this sweater is no longer being passed on to another person. It fits great and I love it!! I'm just wondering a few things: how long has this wonderful motorcycle sweater been passed around and how many previous people had received it, lol.

Above is Biker Bunny. He is new. Santa brought him to me this Christmas and I love him. He will go on a few trips with me in the new year. He is as cute as can be, but ..shhhhh... don't tell him I said that!! After all, he has a biker bunny image to maintain, lol. And yes, he is wearing a Harley Davidson biker jacket.

Wishing Everyone a Healthy and Prosperous New Year, Biker Betty ;)

~ Noon - Colorado Time - Road Conditions: No Motorcycling Today ~

Above is a photo taken not long ago. As you can see, no sane motorcyclist would venture out today. Now my scooter friends just might. It seems scooters do much better under these conditions. On my sidebar is Rush Hour Rambling who does get out in the snow with his scooter.

I did get out in my van this morning just as the snow started. At first it was nothing to write home about, but then the big flakes started flying. In the first store I arrived at the store clerks were worrying about the weather as I was checking out. When I got to the second store the clerks there were starting to get hostile. I could over hear them saying "We'd better get off early," "I'm not getting stuck in this," "What do these customers think their doing shopping in weather like this." Then the "looks" started coming from a few clerks. It's like - getting your business done and get out of here! - sort of looks, lol. Now the weather had only just started, but everyone was getting highly wired and weary of what was to come. All thanks to last weeks storm. This is good, though, as most people will be more cautious and get home as early as they can. A lot of people got stuck going home in last week's storm.

In the last storm the snow plow drivers' biggest complaint was that people were in their way. Mostly the vehicles that got stuck. Which put huge piles of solid snow into the streets, such as the picture below.



The above snow pile is almost as tall as me and I'm 5ft 2inches tall. It's going to be there for quite a while, as it's very solid and will melt very slowly.

As I was leaving the last store to come home, I ventured a gander at a passing clothing store. Two clerks were looking out their store window and one had a hand over her mouth and one on the window, the other one had both hands on the window glass. They gave me the impression that all mankind was abandoning them in their store - to be trapped forever in the snow storm. It was really kind of weird.

Now it's 1:30pm and the roads are very slick. Most vehicles coming up my street are laboring under the process. It's a slight incline and many slipping their way up it. I witnessed a near-miss of two vehicles almost crashing. A truck was coming down another street and couldn't stop and would have plowed into the car, if the car hadn't stopped in time. It was a close one. Actually the truck driver was an idiot!! I saw another car come down the same street and had no problem stopping at the stop sign. Even as I type, I hear vehicles slipping on the road. I can hear wheels spinning and cars getting no where. I can almost smell the burning rubber this is causing. The main roads are probably not as bad, but will be soon enough.

The weather stations are saying there is no avoiding this storm. One station called it "Winter Storm Part 2" and I'm wondering if that is the official name they are giving this. Many places have closed or are closing soon. Of course, not Walmart, Target, etc. Heaven forbid if they must close early to let their employees get home safely!! The wind is starting to pick up, so it's only a matter of time. The worse of the wind is suppose to be tonight and into tomorrow morning. The snow is expected to tapor off by sometime Saturday morning.

For tonight, they are telling everyone to pick a spot and expect to have to stay there for quite a while. If this is like last week's storm, people will most likely be there till sometime late Friday or Saturday afternoon.

I have bird and squirrel feeders in my back yard and the squirrel below has the right idea and that's to stock up. Awwwe, isn't he a cutie? And later he will be heading for his home to weather out the storm.



So, keep safe out there. I hope the snow storm hasn't hit you first or that it's not coming your way next.

~ Winter Storm (Not Yet Named) To Hit the State of Colorado Later Today ~

Okay people, the snow storm is now predicted to start at 10am today, Thursday. They have yet to name this one. They are probably waiting to see how bad it gets. They are saying it very probable to be a two day blizzard!!! Yikes. They are predicting high winds (higher then last week's) and whiteout conditions. My city in Colorado is predicted to get anywhere from 10" to 16" of snow. Not far north they are predicting 15" to 30" of snow and south 3" to 9". So how much will I get, only time will tell. It's suppose to be pretty much like lasts week's, but maybe a little worse. So I will be needing skis instead of my motorcycle pretty soon to get around the city. Don't get me wrong, I love snow, but I'd like to see the storms a little farther apart!

Last week's blizzard was so bad it closed closed Denver's Airport for 45 hours, the longest in their history. It's reported that it is very rare for Denver airport to close at all. They are hoping for the best with this next storm. They haven't had time to get the proper equipment to prevent what happened last week. People are already either getting out early or planning on staying later to avoid the airport.

With this upcoming storm, it's the first time that I have heard the Red Cross announce in advance where their storm shelters will be located. The stores are reporting that they are running out or running low of essencial supplies. Some stores are reporting that they haven't had a chance to get fully stocked from the last storm. When I went to buy milk at the base commissary, they were almost out of milk and it sounds like their not used to that. The TV channel is showing people what to put in their emergency kit for their cars, in case they get stranded or stuck.

Once the snow starts to fall, the city has asked that if you don't need to be out, please to stay at home. I have to snort at that. Many people would love to stay home, but their bosses have something to say about that. My part-time job is on winter break, since I work for a school system. If this storm is true to form, most people will be let off early and be home by about 3-4pm. This storm is starting later in the day then the last one. Most people were home between 1-3pm on the day that storm started.

So here's how I feel about this whole thing:

I can only hope that when the storm is over, it dries up fast and the roads are clear with decent warm weather. My poor motorcycle is very upset in the cold garage, where it’s been parked for way too long *sigh.*

I hope the weather is better in your part of the world, Biker Betty :)

Oh Man, Not Another Blizzard!!!

I can't believe it. I just heard that we will be getting hit with another winter storm. The worse of it is to hit after lunch on Thursday, with whiteout and blizzards conditions. They said we are lucky if we get one of these once in three years. Here we are getting our third one in three months, with the last one just a week ago. I'm still having problems getting to my trash cans, as they are behind a rather high snow drift, lol.

The Mountain Shadow Riders, which I am a member, have plans for a New Years Eve day ride. This storm will most likely put the kibosh on that. They traditionally have a ride on New Years day. But this year decided to do it on New Years Eve day, to avoid riding with a hangover. Last year we couldn't participate and they had a beautiful day for a ride. This year we made sure to keep our calendar empty for the day. Well there's always next year.

I do look forward to a new year with great rides already planned, or in the planning stages, with the Mountain Shadow Riders. This last year I enjoyed every single ride I participated in. They are a great group of people whose main goals are to ride safe and have fun with others. We also like to do things for the community. We had a very successful Breast Cancer Awareness ride, that raised just over $5,000 to give to our local Susan G. Koman Foundation and we have adopted a nursing home. We have adopted a part of a highway to take care of. We look for other opportunities as they arise. While this is a group formed for women, we do have men in our group. The ladies are "Members" and the guys & family members are "Support Members." We are a chapter of "Women On Wheels" and there are chapters in just about every state in the United States. I hear about some of the other chapters having a great time riding, too.

I hope everyone got what they wanted for Christmas. I had a great Christmas and will post pictures of some of the neat things in a few days. I hope the weather permits you to get out and ride. :)

~ Day 12 of "Biker Betty's 12 Days of Christmas" ~

Wishing You, Your Family & friends

A Merry Christmas

&

A Happy New Year

In honor of the holiday season, I have come up with my version of

"The Twelve Days of Christmas."

"Biker Betty's Twelve Days of Christmas"
~ Day Twelve ~

On the Twelfth day of Christmas my true love gave to me

12 roaring mufflers (Can you hear me now?)
11 GPS's (which way do I go?)
10 pieces of luggage (I'm a heavy packer)
9 bungee cords (all assorted lengths)

8 Kuryakyn floorboards (see 6th day)

7 heated vests (one would be awesome, but the song calls for seven)

6 chrome brake pedal covers (they have been known to fall off my bike, so extra is a good thing)

fiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiive gallons of gaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaas!!!!! (worth gold these days!)

4 shiny chrome crash bars (that stick out so far I can't fall over, lol)
3 years of insurance (full coverage, mind you),

2 heated hand grips (Ya Baby!!!),
And a horn for my motorcycle (made of chrome).

By Biker Betty

Come back each day to see the next verse. I came up with this all by myself. I didn't copy this from anywhere and I would appreciate it if you don't copy this without asking me first. Thanks.

~ Day 11 of "Biker Betty's 12 Days of Christmas" ~

In honor of the holiday season, I have come up with my version of

"The Twelve Days of Christmas."

"Biker Betty's Twelve Days of Christmas"
~ Day Eleven ~

On the Eleventh day of Christmas my true love gave to me
11 GPS's (which way do I go?)
10 pieces of luggage (I'm a heavy packer)
9 bungee cords (all assorted lengths)

8 Kuryakyn floorboards (see 6th day)

7 heated vests (one would be awesome, but the song calls for seven)

6 chrome brake pedal covers (they have been known to fall off my bike, so extra is a good thing)

fiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiive gallons of gaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaas!!!!! (worth gold these days!)

4 shiny chrome crash bars (that stick out so far I can't fall over, lol)
3 years of insurance (full coverage, mind you),

2 heated hand grips (Ya Baby!!!),
And a horn for my motorcycle (made of chrome).

By Biker Betty

Come back each day to see the next verse. I came up with this all by myself. I didn't copy this from anywhere and I would appreciate it if you don't copy this without asking me first. Thanks.

~ Day 10 of "Biker Betty's 12 Days of Christmas" ~

(Note: Saturday Scaventer Hunt below this post.)

In honor of the holiday season, I have come up with my version of

"The Twelve Days of Christmas."

"Biker Betty's Twelve Days of Christmas"
~ Day Ten ~

On the Tenth day of Christmas my true love gave to me,
10 pieces of luggage (I'm a heavy packer)

9 bungee cords (all assorted lengths)

8 Kuryakyn floorboards (see 6th day)

7 heated vests (one would be awesome, but the song calls for seven)

6 chrome brake pedal covers (they have been known to fall off my bike, so extra is a good thing)

fiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiive gallons of gaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaas!!!!! (worth gold these days!)

4 shiny chrome crash bars (that stick out so far I can't fall over, lol)
3 years of insurance (full coverage, mind you),

2 heated hand grips (Ya Baby!!!),
And a horn for my motorcycle (made of chrome).

By Biker Betty

Come back each day to see the next verse. I came up with this all by myself. I didn't copy this from anywhere and I would appreciate it if you don't copy this without asking me first. Thanks.

This is one Saturday that has come way too fast!!! With Christmas Eve tomorrow night I'm in a panic as to whether I'm ready or not? I didn't think I was going to be able to participate in this week's scavenger hunt, till I remembered about a motorcycle trip I took this last summer and there were long "lines" involved. Read Below.

Saturday's Scavenger Hunt

Grab the Scavenger Hunt code. Photo Theme.

Join the blogroll. Visit participants.
Come and join the fun!!!

This Saturday's Theme is "Lines"

Above is a picture of my motorcycle in a long line. There were actually many long lines that morning. You see, I was about to embark on a really cool motorcycle ride and I had no idea what was to happen. This was my first time riding in the Harley Davidson 5 in 1 Run. That would be 5 mountain passes in 1 day. I was a little nervious as to whether I was up to it and I had just cracked my toe a week before. So, gased up and Tylenol in hand I was ready.

Here was our first stop, Kenosha Pass, Elevation 10,000 feet. The entire day all the groups riding in this event stayed in lines. I was toward the back of my group and it was awesome riding down the road in a group of about 25 motorcycles and riding in formation. Everyone in my group did really well and the ride went without a hitch. I'm not sure how many groups total there were, but it was at least 10 groups of about 20-25 motorcycles each.

Here we are at another stop still in our lines. You can see my motorcycle lined up. We are at Tennessee Pass, Elevation 10,424 on the Continental Divide.

This picture was taken the next day. After the ride a lot of us spent the night in Leadville. I roomed with four other ladies in the Mountain Shadow Riders. We didn't ride in the same groups, but we all had fun. We roomed next door to another 4 people from the Mountain Shadow Riders. Sadly, my husband couldn't do this ride, so please don't tell him I had a blast (Shhhhh).

Wishing You a Wonderful Holiday Season,

Biker Betty ;)

~ Day 9 of "Biker Betty's 12 Days of Christmas" ~

In honor of the holiday season, I have come up with my version of

"The Twelve Days of Christmas."

"Biker Betty's Twelve Days of Christmas"
~ Day Nine ~

On the Ninth day of Christmas my true love gave to me,

9 bungee cords (all assorted lengths)

8 Kuryakyn floorboards (see 6th day)

7 heated vests (one would be awesome, but the song calls for seven)

6 chrome brake pedal covers (they have been known to fall off my bike, so extra is a good thing)

fiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiive gallons of gaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaas!!!!! (worth gold these days!)

4 shiny chrome crash bars (that stick out so far I can't fall over, lol)
3 years of insurance (full coverage, mind you),

2 heated hand grips (Ya Baby!!!),
And a horn for my motorcycle (made of chrome).

By Biker Betty

Come back each day to see the next verse. I came up with this all by myself. I didn't copy this from anywhere and I would appreciate it if you don't copy this without asking me first. Thanks.