Great Day Today

This morning I get up to 54 degrees F. It is a bit cooler, but still manageable with my summer mesh jacket. I can tell the sun is slowly starting to rise later as the days go by. I didn't need my darker sunglasses this morning.

When I got off work it had warmed up to 78 degrees F. and very sunny. I kept my liner in my jacket, as I was too lazy to take it out - knowing I needed it back in in the morning. The rest of this week is suppose to be pretty warm in the afternoons. Mornings are cooler these days.

Before leaving the school today I was putting overdue notices in teacher's boxes to give to kids. I'm still surprising staff with my riding gear. A teacher walks into the office while I was busy and she exclaims her surprise that I ride. The secretary laughs, as she knows, and says they didn't realize they hired a wild woman onto the staff, lol. So far all the responses from the staff have been positive and they love that I ride. I get lots of support and fun comments from them. They are surprised that I ride when it's overcast and rain is forcasted.

I will say that if it's raining real hard when it's time to go to work I will most likely wimp out and take the van. I don't worry about the afternoon rain. I just don't want yucky hair when I get to work. Hey, I'm a girl and this girl does want to look halfway decent during the day, lol. My long hair sticks out from under the helmet and what a mess when it gets wet :(

On that note, I must get to bed. I'm having to get up at 4:50am and that time comes too early.

Wishing you great rides,

Biker Betty :)

Beat the Weather Yesterday

Yesterday when I rode to work it was 58 degrees F and overcast. The ride to work wasn't too bad and there was a beautiful sunrise to enjoy. I tried to catch it in the above photo, but it didn't show much. As I rode down the road the red got more brilliant and bold, but I didn't have enough time to stop and snap a photo. I didn't leave enough margin of time to travel to work, sigh.

Boy, did I luck out with the weather. A teacher comes walking into the library in the early afternoon and declares it raining. She knows I ride to work and thinks it probably the end of the world for me, lol. I said that rain is no problem, as I have rain gear if I need it. By the time I get off work at 3pm the rain has stopped and just about everything is dry. As I walk up to my V-Star I see some signs of the previous rain, as there were water droplets not yet dried on my bags and parts of my motorcycle. There's a little pool of water on my odometer.

Guess what? After I get home and go to put my Star in the garage it starts to rain. Luck is with me today. It warmed up to 64 degrees F for the ride home. I wasn't sweating with the liner in my jacket this afternoon. There was a slight cool breeze.

A cool thing happened on the way home. At one of the stop lights a teenager hung out the passenger window of the car she was riding and yelled "Awesome bike - way to go!!" and she gave me the thumbs up. I gave her a great big smile and wave. Who knows, maybe she will be a future rider?

This morning I was oblivious to the weather as I backed my motorcycle out of the garage. It was chilly, but not bad. It was a balmy 54 degree F.

I happened to look left first and saw the above sky. I was busy maneuvering my bike, as my son's car is in the driveway, and I have to move the bike forward and backward a few times to be able to get around his car and out of the driveway. Yesterday he parked too close to the garage and I had to get my car keys and move it back a little - kids!!!

Then I looked right and saw all the clouds. I missed the news last night and was wondering what was in store for the weather today. My usual philosophy is: "If it's not raining or freezing before I get to work, it's a good day to ride." I can handle the rain going home no problem, but I need to watch out that there aren't thunderstorms about the time I get off. I have gotten caught in one a few times in the past and that wasn't pleasant at all. It also depends on how bad the rain is falling at the time I need to leave for work. If it's a light sprinkle, I will forge ahead.

I can tell it's getting close to fall. Mornings are still manageable with my summer motorcycle jacket and it's liner. Two days ago I had to start using the liner in the morning. Today it was 82 degree F when I got off, but I was too lazy to take the liner out. I did sweat some going home, but I knew I'd need the liner again the next morning.

I will hate the day when I have to put my purple jacket away for the winter. I'm on the hunt for a purple leather jacket with all the armor. I do still have my eyes on a black leather Harley Davidson winter jacket that I talked about in the spring. It has all the armor that I require. It's kind of expensive, but hey - I've got a job, lol. Shhhhh ... don't tell my husband ;) With that jacket I won't have to buy another for many years to come - till a purple leather one comes out!!! The black jacket will go well with my purple ICON helmet.

I must go and catch the 10pm news to see what's in store for tomorrow's weather.

Wishing you adventurous journeys,

Biker Betty :)

Colorado Beauty

Here's a quick glimps of some of what I got to see lots of this summer. Sorry about the spot in my pic, but my camera has something on the inside that shows when the background is light. I'm in the process of trying to get it fixed.

Anyway, all these photos were taken when my hubby and I took our motorcycles on a trip to Arapaho National Forest. We also went on to Rocky Mountain National Forest, but I will save those pics and most of the trip for later. I know there is lots of beautiful places on this planet and Colorado is one of them. Oh yea... I'm luv'n it :)

We stopped to visit my parents and my mom just had to take some photos. I'm getting a lot of practice on many miles of dirt roads. My skills are definitely improving. I was so awesome on the twisties coming up here. Two years ago my husband kind of complained that I was too slow on the turns - this year I was about running him over, lol. There were a few turns that I was frustrated and surprised that he was taking them so slowly. He was amazed at my skill and I was having soooo much fun. He hasn't had much time this summer to get comfortable with his new (used, but new to him) Suzuki Intruder. He is really liking it, though.

This is just a teaser of some of the riding I got to do this summer. I didn't get to ride as much this summer, as last, but what I got to do was lots of fun!!! We did a lot more family camping and couldn't ride as much. We still had lots of fun.

Hoping your summer was great,

Biker Betty :)

Ride to Work Full-time Now

Here is a big and long overdue ....

******* Hello *******

to all my friends out there in cyberspace. Very sorry for not posting in a while, but boy do I have a lot of adventures and photos to share from the summer!!! First thing - I now have a full-time job, and yea, I know a lot of you think I'm crazy, lol. I did get a librarian position in a school, not the original school I tried for earlier in the summer. You were right that God has a reason for things not to happen at times. This school is awesome and my fellow workers are very nice to work with and the students are great. For the last three weeks I have been riding my motorcycle to work and the staff and students have boosted my ego beyond what it should be, lol. They love my purple motorcycle and that a "girl" rides it.

The reason I haven't posted about it sooner was I was just too pooped when I got home to barely do anything. I'm getting used to the hours - I not a morning person :( !!! I have to be up at 5am to be to work at 6:30am. So in the dark hours of morning, and a time I never knew existed, I'm backing my motorcycle out of the garage and preparing for a nice ride to work. It is getting darker, but the drive is nice. Not many people on the road, I wonder why?!?!?!? For the drive home I have discovered a different route. To return home the way I get to work, the roads are very busy and take twice as long in the afternoon. I have found a different route that is no where near as busy and a nice drive home.

That's it for now. I need to get dinner cooked - speghetti with my homemade sauce. I'm going to visit most of you in the next few days and say hello. Thanks for all the nice comments and see you soon,

Biker Betty :)

Summer's Busy

Yes, I'm still here. I've been so busy that I can't keep up with the home front, but that's good. A little dust around the house doesn't hurt anyone, lol. My family and I have been camping lots this summer. My parents are camp hosts this summer here in Colorado and they have room for us to pitch our tent and we do!!! They are right by a lake and it's gorgeous. Nothing like waking up in the morning and drinking your coffee by the lake, ahhhhhhh.

We have also been hiking lots this summer. My favorite trail is Waldo Canyon. It's 6.2 miles and a 1,000 foot gain in altitude. Once you get in the back part of the canyon it's breathtaking (in more ways then one, lol). The back loop is hard and my youngest son hates it, but I love the exercise and being out in nature.

Yes, I have been riding this summer. All of June, as you read, found me riding to summer school every day. I also rode in a couple of organized rides that I need to still post. I rode in the annual "Fallen Biker" rally, Bikers for Babies, and Fallen Officer's rally. If the weather holds, my hubby and I will be riding up into the mountains this weekend after he gets off work and after I go to my monthly Mountain Shadow Riders meeting. We were just up there camping this last weekend, but by cage.

So, when things settle down I will start to tell the tales of my summer adventures. Wishing you loads of summer adventures,

Biker Betty :)

Time To Get In Shape By Doing Some Hiking

Wordless Wednesday

I really need to get in shape and lose some weight. If I'm not on my V-Star, which is some exercise, I'm sitting here at the computer. My family and I have been trying to make it an effort to get out and enjoy more of the Colorado outdoors. Well, at least my hubby and I. The kids are kind-of fighting this effort, lol. To make this as wordless as possible, we went hiking in a new area called Cheyenne Mountain State Park and the photos were taken there. This park is at the base of the mountain of the famous "Air Force Cheyenne Mountain."

I just love this photo with Cheyenne Mountain in the background. Took this while on the hike.

Looking back on a portion of the trail we were hiking. It is gorgeous out here. There is tons of wild flowers to see. We did a couple of miles today. It was lots of fun. Currently this park is only open for hiking on the weekends.

Wishing you many summer adventures,

Biker Betty

~ This Saturday's Theme of Fake ~

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When I saw that this week's theme is "Fake," I knew right away the picture I would use. The giant hercules beetle, being confined in an obviously soundly built fence, is most definitely fake. It does look like something out of a science fiction movie.

The hercules beetle is actually a marker for the locally famous May Museum of the Tropics. This museum is very popular in here Colorado Springs. Many schools and a bazillion students have been here to view the many invertebrates they have to show. Sadly, I haven't been to it myself, but my youngest son has thru a school field trip. He really liked it. Reading about it has me intrigued and I would like to go sometime. They have over 100,000 invertebrates, but as I understand it they only show about 8,000 at any one time.

They also have the Museum of Space Exploration and a Golden Eagle Ranch RV Park and Campground. What more could a person ask for?

No Full-Time Ride to Work in the Fall

I'm pretty bummed right now. A few hours ago I found out I didn't get the librarian job I had hoped to get. Not sure what went wrong, but oh-well, not much I can do about it. I will still get to work there when they call me to sub and I sure hope they still do. The staff there is real nice to work with and they have a really nice library.

I have an excellent reputation as a library sub and I'm the first called at all the schools I have worked at. That's a nice feeling, just doesn't pay as well as a full-time job. Word is slowly getting out and toward the end of this last school year I was getting more and more calls. This last school year was the first year I opened my availability to all schools and I was surprised by all the calls.

So, I still have the best of both worlds. I will continue to be a librarian sub and get to motorcycle around on my days off. In between all this I have just recently looked into going back to college. I was pretty stupid in my younger days and never even got my associates degree and it keeps coming back to haunt me. I did one year of college and then joined the United States Air Force. I have to admit that I really enjoyed the eight years I served, but things are very different in the services these days. The lack of a degree is probably why I didn't get this last job. I'm real interested in an Associate of Applied Science Degree in Computer Information Systems. My husband is encouraging me to get off my behind and get over to the college and get all my courses transferred and see where I'm at.

So I'm wallowing in the disappointment of not getting this job, but I will try not to for long. It's done and not much I can do about it, sniff. It's just kind of hard to let go, as I was just doing a librarian job for a month in summer school. I really enjoyed that job and was looking forward to doing it full-time. Well, I need to get over to the community college like my husband has been bugging me to do.

Wishing you a better day then mine,

Biker Betty

Week 3 & 4, Adventures in Riding to Work

This is the weather that usually greets me. In the last two weeks I haven't even needed the liner in my Joe Rocket mesh jacket. I couldn't ask for nicer weather, but the road conditions are a completely different story.

The above sign is what seems to greet you on almost every turn. I can't tell you how many times I changed routes to get to work and mostly to get home. I found a nicer way to get to work after they closed a major bridge I needed to cross to get to work. They did me a favor with that one.

Here's a dreaded sign by most bikers. You can kind of see the difference on the road condition, which are both going in the same direction. The darker pavement is brand new and the lighter road right next to it is full of grooves, as they just recently scrapped up the old road. Driving on that is really weird, as most of you know. A couple of times I got caught in that for more then a mile and couldn't get out of it due to the very uneven pavement.

Trying to avoid road construction is like playing Russian Roulette, lol. Getting to work wasn't usually too bad. First thing in the morning the roads are quiet and the workers are just starting to show up to work. Roads are still open and not reduced to one lane, like they are later in the day.

Driving home is such a different story. I've really tried to find a way home that would avoid road construction, but the best I could do is find the path of least resistance, lol.

Here is a view of my drive to work in the morning. I drive toward the mountains and what wonderful views I have!!! Sadly, this last Friday was my last day of my summer school job. On a good note, I have the next six weeks off.

I did get called to do a job interview this Monday for a librarian job at one of the schools and I'm pretty excited about this. I subbed at this school quite a few times this last year and I really like the staff there. One advantage to working in the school system is I'm usually off when my youngest son is off and I will have summers off with him, unless I work for summer school. I have been a stay-at-home-mom for 18 years and I'm looking forward to a full-time job. With this job I will still be off before my son gets out of school. What more can I ask for?

To my dismay I will miss the official "Ride To Work" day. It's July 18th and summer school was only for the month of June, Augh!!! I would love to be able to ride to work in support of this day. At least I was able to ride to work the entire 4 weeks of my summer job, YEA!!! Everyone at work thought my purple V-Star is very cool. A few even envious that I got to ride a motorcycle to work.

During these last four weeks of work I have done quite a few rides on the weekends, but I would get home and be too tired to post about it. I have put on about 500 miles on my motorcycle during this last month. I will try to get caught up this next month. I do have another ride I'm doing with my husband tomorrow. We are doing the Pikes Peak Fallen Officers' Memorial Ride. The route is covering some of my favorite roads. We're glad to be able to support this, but sad for the reason of the ride. It's to honor two of our fallen police officers that were killed in the last year or so and it would be great to have another reason for this ride.

I will try not to let too much time pass between the next post. My summer is busy with activities and I get lazy in the lulls, lol.

Wishing you great summer adventures,

Biker Betty :)

Week 2, Adventures in Riding to Work

I have now logged two full weeks of riding to work and loving it!! I have made the decision that as long it's not raining when I need to go to work, I ride. I have been caught in afternoon rains, but that is no big deal. I just don't want to get to work a drowned rat, lol. These two weeks have been fun and what experiences I have had.

This last Tuesday I have to label "Stink and Spit," LOL. On the way to work I took a turn and a horrible smell assulted my nose. I'm talking "diaper gone bad!?!" smell. Looking around I noticed new digging going on and figured it was that. A mile down the road I was still smelling it and wondering where in the world was that smell coming from. I was wondering if it got trapped in my helmet and opened wide the face shield. No dice - still the horrible smell.

Then I suspiciously eyed the truck in front of me with one of those nets on the back that roll down over the bed of the truck to keep debris from flying off. I decided it was time to take action. I couldn't roll up the window to get rid of it. Checking the left lane, all was clear and I decided it was time to pass that stinky bad boy!! Once I got passed it, the air was nice and clear again, thank goodness.

Then on my way home that same day I was at a stop light when all of a sudden this lady just slightly ahead of me in the right hand lane sticks her head out of her window and spit right in front of my bike!?!?! Ewwwww..... I was so glad there wasn't a wind or she would have most likely sprayed me.

These were two experiences I really could have done without, lol. So sometimes riding a bike gets you a little too close to natures smells and bodily functions.

I have only two weeks left of this job, but I have just applied for a full-time library position in one of the schools in the fall. Wish me luck.

Wishing you "nice" adventures in your part of the world,

Biker Betty :)

What a motorcyclist wears on their feet can be as important as their helmet, jacket & gloves. Flip Flops, sandals and tennis shoes really shouldn't be worn when on a motorcycle. I wear a good, solid pair of motorcycle boots and that's why I chose these for ...

~ This Saturday's Theme of Shoes ~

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I had a pair of boots before these, but the tread was just about worn out. Then I went on the search for another pair of boots. I love the above boots. They are River Road motorcycle boots and they are very comfortable. When I bought them, I ended up getting a half-size too big. They didn't have my exact size. I'm glad I bought them a little big, though. Sport and motorcycle socks are pretty thick and with them my boots fit just right. With these boots, my feet stay dry even in a hard rain. They have the special soles that stick great to the ground. My feet feel very solid on the ground with these. I feel great confidence and security with these boots.

Here is one of the reasons I wear a good, solid pair of boots. One day, two years ago, I parked in front of a friend's house in the gutter. I had no problem parking, but when I went to leave the slope of the gutter caught me off guard and I tipped over when I lifted my left foot to get into gear. My right foot got caught between my 500 pound Yamaha V-Star 650 and the cement curb. My ankle smarted for days. I'd hate to think of what might had happened if I was wearing tennis shoes or sandals, like I have seen some lately.

I also have to tell you. The extra cost of sport or motorcycle socks is well worth it. They do a great job of wicking away the sweat. I've tried the Harley socks, REI skiing socks and another brand for skiing and they all work great. I use them even in the heat of the summer. My feet get too sweaty (ewwww!) with regular socks.

Wishing you happy feet,

Biker Betty :)

Hit and Run Motorcycle Crash

Talk about an unusual motorcycle story. I was reading my local newspaper, when I stumbled upon this story title:

"A hit-and-run suspect in a motorcycle crash...."

Naturally, I'm thinking someone hit a motorcycle and caused a crash - WRONG.

Here's the story out of The Gazette in the Metro section:

Report: Hit-and-run suspect swam away

GRAND JUNCTION - A hit and-run suspect in a motorcycle crash that broke a 16-yearold boy’s leg was captured after apparently trying to swim away on the Colorado River, The Daily Sentinel reported.

The man eluded police for about three hours Saturday night before swimming to shore, naked, bloody and screaming, the newspaper reported.

About 5 p.m. Saturday, a man on a motorcycle was accused of rear-ending two teens on a bicycle.

So here's my question: "How did the man end up naked?!?" Weird story.

Be safe out there,

Biker Betty :)

Love Those Rearview Mirrors

For the month of June I work in summer school. It's only a four week program and I'm riding my motorcycle to work. It's amazing that one way is only 13 miles, yet the commute thru the city takes 1/2 hour. The only positive thing is I'm having a blast doing it, usaully.

Today I had an incident where I had to decide that the truck was much bigger then me and I immediately braked, as I didn't want to be his hood ornament. As I'm traversing the city to get to my destination, it's time to turn right onto the next street change. I'm coming up to the intersection, look in my rearview mirrors to check traffic behind me (nobody close to worry about), turn on my right turn signal and prepare to move right into a short turn lane. As I'm about to move, I check my right rearview mirror and there's this white truck roaring down and trying to cut me off. It was real obvious the speed he was doing and you could hear the roar of his engine. My first thought is "A## &!%#" and that he's much bigger then me. I immediately swing left, brake (I could brake, as the light was red and I was real close to that intersection), and swing my head in disgust. Needless to say, I was very surprised when he made an abrupt stop and then signaled me to go in front of him. I would have liked to wave thanks (even though he tried to run me down and changed his mind), but my hands were too busy with the clutch and brake.

This last Friday was my first day on the job and my rearview mirrors once again served me well on the drive home. I don't know what it is in my city about changing lanes, but I have seen it often even in my car. Someone signals they are changing lanes, there is an opening, and then suddenly the car behind speeds up to cut you off. I see someone needing to change lanes and I back off and leave them room. Well, on the way home Friday I wanted to change lanes into the (once again) right lane. I look for a nice opening, see it, turn on right turn signal, check mirror (all clear) and move. By the time I had moved into the lane I wanted, some stupid car tried to cut me off. This time I didn't realize it till after I had moved and saw the bumper right on my tail. That car had been way back there just moments before!!

Then she backs way off. I mean "waaayyy off." I don't know why she even sped up, other then she just wanted to cut someone off from changing lanes. Further down the road I'm happy when I see she's more then a quarter of a mile behind me. Till..... you guessed it - I needed to change lanes. It was time to get into the right turn lane and take the most fun curve in the city. I go from one major blvd to another blvd on one of those huge highway turn lanes. I love the lean and the angle of this turn. It's more fun then a carnival ride, lol. I look in my rearview mirror and she's a ways back, so I'm thinking "No Problemo." Wrong!$%&! I turn on my turn signal, check my mirror and move left. In the meantime this girl (young teen) has some problem with this and speeds up and rides my butt ALL THE WAY TO THE NEXT BLVD. I WAS PISSED!! Nothing I could do about it, but watch myself and try to keep some distance. As soon as I'm on the next road she backs off (hmpf!!). So I'm wondering what is her problem, but like I've said this is a problem in our city.

I rely heavily on my rearview mirros, as I know you do. I alway make one last check before changing lanes and that has served me well a few times. I have done many miles in my city with no problems and suddenly in a week....?

Keep safe on those roads and have fun this summer,

Biker Betty :)

Saturday Photo Hunt - Art

~ This Saturday's Theme is Art ~

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The above photo is of a turf maze in the village of Hilton in Huntingdonshire, England. We were very happy to live in this village for three years. Our neighbors/friends in this village were so nice. I didn't want to leave when it was time to head back to the states. The United States Air Force had assigned my husband to RAF Alconbury and this village was about 15 minutes from there.

The village of Hilton is very proud of this maze, as it's only one of barely eight left in the country. This maze was cut in the ground by William Sparrow (age 19 yrs at the time) in 1660. I would say he truly is an artist.

The village has maintained it since then, wow!!! My eldest son was just 4 years old when we moved here and we would walk this maze from start to the center and back again. It's one continuous path weaving to the center. We would have so much fun doing this.

I enjoy making miniature quilts and the above photo is my creation of the maze using hexigons that measure 1/2" in size. I drew it out on paper first, just to make sure it would work. Aside from it being in a hexagon shape, and not round, the turns in the path turned out right where they needed to be. My quilt measures 18 1/2" from side to side and took about 1, 684 hexagons. It was completely hand made (10-12 stitches per each hexagon side) using the english paper piecing method. Needless to say, I was very happy with the outcome.

This last March, when my husband and I flew to Las Vegas for a friend's Air Force retirement ceremony, I found this wonderful art on the walls of our airport here in town. They were made by kids in our local schools and I think they did an awesome job!!! The above photo and the two below were all done by kids. Well Done!!!

Wordless Wednesday

Saturday Photo Hunt

~ This Saturday's Theme is Cooked/ing ~

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Ahhh, here's one of my family's favorite dinners (minus the beer for the kids, lol). It has affectionately been named "Taco Mama." Tonight I didn't make the homemade flour tortilla shells that I quite often make, but I did make my own special taco sauce that we all love. Yummmm Yumm.

This photo hunt is being posted late as I slept in this morning and then I really needed to do some work in the front yard before the afternoon thunderstorms came in, shuttle my youngest son to a school activity, wash my filthy dirty motorcycle, and then cook dinner. I slept in because I stayed up till 2:30am this morning playing Clue and Phase 10 with my 18 year old son and some of his friends. My kids have wonderful friends. They are so amazed (well not anymore, because they now know me) that I love to play board games, card games and some video games with them. I just recently got to try Guitar Hero 2 for XBox 360. That is soooo much fun. My youngest son's friend brought it over and was so surprised when I wanted to try it.

Tomorrow I get up early because my husband and I will be doing the motorcycle run I talked about in the previous post. The weather man has predicted the best weather of the week for tomorrow, so hopefully it is. Anyway, we have our rain gear and are prepared.

Wishing you a great weekend,

Biker Betty :)

~ Ladies of Harley Annual Mother's Day Run ~

This last Saturday a few of us did the Pikes Peak Harley Owners Group #405 Ladies of Harley Annual Mother's day Run. Yes, I still own a Yamaha V-Star 650 shown at the top, lol. The PP Harley Owners Group here puts on some very fun rides and they welcome all motorcycles on most of their runs. I've done a few runs with this group now and they are very nice. I have enjoyed every run I've done, this one definitely included!!

In the morning, before the run, we first had the montly Mountain Shadow Riders meeting. The meeting was rather sparcely attended, as it was a beautiful day and I'm sure a few were already out on rides somewhere. The meeting business was quickly attended to, so those of us who wanted to do the Mother's Day Run could hopefully get there in time.

As it turned out, by the time we got to the Pikes Peak Harley dealership, the last group had left about 15-20 minutes earlier. There was Mickey, Travis, Taunya, and myself. We were told we could still catch up to the group if we wanted to. Well, it was a beautiful day and we had really wanted to do this run, so we got the route and bought our poker cards. Then Taunya realized she had ran out of time due to a birthday party she was attending in a few hours and we wouldn't be back in time. So sadly, she decided she needed to opt out.

So three of us set out, instead of four. Travis was kind enough to take the lead and head us down I-25 South, bypassing the Garden of the Gods that they had drove past. Our first destination was Pueblo and the Do Drop Inn. It took about an hour and it was a pretty nice ride, considering it was interstate driving. The interstate wasn't too busy and we made good time. We got there to find out the last group had already left. We chose not to have lunch here and were mounting our bikes when one of the people in the chaser group came out to us. She had saw Travis' poker card in his hand and wondered if we were a straggler group. Yep, that us - The Straggler Group - LOL. So we went back in and they were very nice. We chatted just a bit, got our second punch (the first was at the dealership), and hopped on our bikes for the next destination - Canon City.

We took off, with the Chaser Group behind us. We caught Hwy 50 west toward Canon City. This is a very nice road. There was hardly a wind and it was a beautiful ride. We were having a blast!!! About 30 minutes later we arrived in Canon City and our second stop - Cold Stone Creamery. We got our 3rd punch there. We also decided it was time to eat, as it was about 1pm. There was a place right next door and we went in and had lunch. The Coyote's Coffee Den who was one of our sponsors for our breast cancer run last year. As usual, the sandwiches were awesome.

After lunch we rode back to the springs and our next stop - Patsy's Candies. We rode back taking Hwy 50 to Hwy 115. We had the Chaser group behind us. They have two custom Harley's and it was fun riding with them. We were actually two groups, but for most of the ride we were one.

The above photo was our next to the last stop. Here we got our last punch at Patsy's Candies. We left with the Chaser group, but at the light they took a short cut back to the dealership and we took the more scenic route past Garden of the Gods. Just past Garden of the Gods Mickey had to peal off for previously planned activities. So Travis and myself ended the ride at the dealership.

Here we ended the ride in hopes that our poker cards had won. But, alas, that was not in the stars, lol. There was also a motorcycle competition for the women riders and Travis kept telling me I should enter it, lol. But I don't think a plain Yamaha V-Star 650 could compete with custom painted Harleys. The one that won was custom painted pink with white flames. She was part of the Chaser group and we had been admiring her motorcycle already. I should have got a picture, sorry folks.

So ended a wonderful ride. A huge Thank you to Travis for leading our fearless group. He's a support member of the Mountain Shadow Riders and, like all our support members, more like a member. Thank you Mickey. She had just bought her Honda Shadow and really enjoyed the ride. A year ago she and her husband got in a serious motorcycle accident when a semi did a sudden U-turn in front of them. We are grateful they are healed and able to now getting back on motorcycles. Taunya, we missed you and hope the birthday party went well. I arrived home just before the downpour that was threatening us since we got back in town.

My next planned run with this group my husband and I will be doing. We will be riding the annual 5 in 1 run that is a lot of fun. This is their 8th year doing this run and my 2nd time. They do 5 mountain passes in 1 day. And then this Sunday a few of us have plans to do the 19th Annual Colorado Springs Touring Club Poker Run to raise money for the El Paso County Search & Rescue. My husband and I did this run last year and wanted to definitely do it again this year. I just found out tonight that it is about 186 miles of beautiful riding. I also found out tonight that due to lots of snow this last winter the Search and Rescue are rather strapped for cash. They were kept very busy rescuing folks stranded by unexpected snowfall a couple of times. So I look forward to this event and hopefully it raises a lot of money for this worthy organization.

Wishing you wonderful journeys in your part of the world,

Biker Betty :)

~ This Saturday's Theme is Five ~

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

WoooHooo I did it again!!! At first I just couldn't think of anything for this Saturday's theme. I was going thru my photos when I found my file of the Harley Davidson 5 in 1 run I did last July. Above are the batches (now on my vest) I got for going on the run. We did 5 mountain passes at 10,000 plus elevation in one day. I did a post on it after the run.

There was a LOT of people who went on this run. The above photo doesn't do justice for ALL the motorcycles that went on this run. They divided everyone into groups of about 18-22 motorcycles. There must have been at least 12 groups participating.

The above picture show my motorcycle with my bags. Most of us spent the night in Leadville that night. The run ended at a reststop about 1/2 hour away from Leadville. It would have been about a 2 1/2 to 3 hour ride back home and most elected to spend the night at Leadville. It was so much fun.

Here is my Yamaha V-Star 650 at Kenosha Pass. It was our first stop. Needless to say, I plan on doing this run again this summer. It is on my calendar already!!

Now I must get to bed. I need to get up early for the Mountain Shadow Riders montly meeting. It's going to be a quick meeting as many of us plan on doing the Pikes Peak Harley Owners Group #405 Ladies of Harley Annual Mother's Day Run. This will be my first year in this run. Last year I thought it was for Harley riders only, but I found out this year that it is open to all motorcycles. So I plan on sneaking my Yamaha in amongst all those Harleys *smile*.

Goodnight,

Biker Betty :)

~ Hello? Anybody Out There? ~

Wordless Wednesday

Here's a photo from last year's Mountain Shadow Riders photo scavanger hunt. I had to find a red telephone booth. I enjoyed some of the goofy stuff we had to find.

~ This Saturday's Theme is Childhood ~

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

With the photo hunt theme "childhood," I needed to dig through my photos of when I was growing up. I actually had in mind a photo of when I was pretty young on a bicycle. I was pretty excited when I came across this photo I forgot I had.

This is the first time I was ever on a motorcycle. I'm in the white helmet riding the motorcycle by my dad, who is sitting on the tailgate of his truck. We are at Clear Lake, California and it's April 1970. I'm 11 years old.

It was a lot of fun going through old photos.

Words to the Wise: Don't show your kids your photos of when you were younger, say around 20 years old. They look at you, they look at the photo, they look at you and they look at the photo. Then they get this horrified look like some accident has happened to you, because they are wondering where's the pretty person of 20 years old. My eldest didn't mean to do that, but by golly, he sure did, lol. Then he stammers out, "This is YOU!!!?!?" Yep, I'm an old fart now, sigh.

Have a great Saturday,

Biker Betty :)

PS: In rereading this I discovered an error. I was 10 years old in the photo. It was written 11 on the back of the photo, but I couldn't have been in 1970. It was written there by my dad's girlfriend at the time.

~ Joe Rocket and Icon I love you ~

This is also a Wordless Wednesday Post

Pictures taken at Garden of the Gods, Colorado

For those interested, the info is below Mister Linky

For over a year I have been on the lookout for purple gear. Or even any gear made for women. More and more the motorcycle industry is recognizing that they need to meet the needs of women. There are many of us out there who ride and don't want to wear gthe unisex gear that fit us like a box. Over the last year I have been amazed at how the industry is stepping up to the plate in designing boots, jackets, helmets, gloves, etc for us and with safety in mind. I applaud them and really appreciate the slowly growing choice of gear to choose from for women.


I recently bought the Joe Rocket - Womens Cleo 2.0 Jacket in purple. I was sooo excited when I saw this mesh jacket and how beautiful it is. It's reasonably priced and it has hard armor in the shoulders and elbows and a substantial armor plate for the back. It also comes with a liner that works pretty well in chilly weather. I was equally happy when it fit so well. Some of the women's jackets have designed their arms so they fit too tightly, but not the different women's Joe Rocket jackets I tried on.


So now I am set for the summer. This is a mesh jacket, which allows air flow thru it and it's significantly cooler for summer use. Because I love this jacket so much I wore it to work in 34 degree F. weather with my REI One jacket underneath and it kept me pretty warm.

Then I went looking for a matching helmet and found this ICON - Women's Hooligan Helmet. I love this helmet so much more then the red HJC LOOK CS-12. Mainly because I can now wear sunglasses with the helmet on and I love the violet color of the ICON. Whenever I tried to wear sunglasses with the HJC helmet they would pop up at a weird angle and I was constantly adjusting them, distracting me from the road. But that is no longer. My solution with the HJC helmet was to buy the tinted shield, but the plastic hinges broke a few times when changing out the different shields due to day/night changes. We were getting frustrated having to buy a new shield just because of stupid plastic hinges breaking.

My criteria when looking for motorcycle gear (in order of importance)

1. Safety - jackets must have armor, gloves must have decent protection

2. fit - It really must fit right and be comfortable

3. Looks - I look for something that I think looks nice for me as a woman

I was then able to find a very cool pair of ICON black/Purple gloves that fit nice and has good protection for the hand and fingers. They are for summer. For winter I will use my black leather gloves that I love and have already.

Now I need to find a winter jacket to go with my new helmet. If I have to, I will wear my red jacket with my violet helmet when the cold weather hits, but I sure hope not.

Introducing......

(drum roll please...)

Winky, Blinky, & Nod!!!

(from Left to Right)

Here are three of our many fine support members in the Mountain Shadow Riders. They, like our other support members, are quite the characters, lol. Of course, we love them all.

Blinky, bless his heart, was the first to get his nickname. I'm betting you can guess how. A couple of weeks ago he and his wife (one of our members) went on a group ride to New Mexico for lunch. (I would have loved to go on this ride, but I had obligations that day that I couldn't get out of. But I'm crying in public here and need to get back to why I'm writing this.) They all had a good ride and a few came home with nicknames, Blinky being one of them. He kept (you guessed it!) forgetting to turn off his turn signals. He'd go for miles with his blinker on and, as I hear, did it most of the day.

Then there is Nod. He has actually been wanting a nickname for a while. He actually had a "plan" to get his nickname, bless his heart. People would pay to suggest a nickname and "he" would choose the one he liked best, hehe. The first part of his plan wasn't bad. All money raised for this fine endeavor would be donated to our annual breast cancer awareness run in October. (We raised a record breaking $5,700 to donate to the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation at our run last October '06). So...

The members of the Mountain Shadow Riders were happy to oblige. But he wasn't going to get to pick his nickname and first we needed to be on a few rides with him to see what fit best, lol. I wasn't on the ride that finally sealed (errr.. chose) his fate. It's not all bad. They came by "Nod," because it's an anagram of his name - Don. Not so bad, ehhh?!?

Then there is my husband, Unsupported. Seems he sealed his fate (err... got chosen his nickname) on our last ride to Bent's Old Fort two weekend's back. (I will report on this ride soon). He got caught quite a few times by other members (and Blinky's wife - specifically) leaving one of his blinkers on, LOL!!! He'd go for miles, & miles, & miles . . . with that darn blinker on, bless his fun loving heart. Well "Blinky" was already recently taken. So Blinky's wife came up with "Winky." Partly because it went so well with Blinky and Nod. So Unsupported now has two nicknames.

Many members of our fine group either already had their nicknames from earlier days or they are acquiring them from things they say or do on our group rides. One of the ladies just recently was christened "McSpeedy" on the same New Mexico journey that Blinky took. Maybe I'm glad I didn't take that ride *chuckle*.

The Mountain Shadow Riders is a fun-loving, caring group of people and I'm honored to be a member of this group. I always look forward to future rides with them and we have many planned this summer, not to mention the riding contest we started in April.

Wishing you fun adventures,

Biker Betty :)

~ The Mountain Shadow Riders Have Been Very Busy ~

The Rocky Mountain Motorcycle Museum and Hall Of Fame celebrated their 17th Anniversary and 2nd Annual Open House this weekend. Many motorcycle groups/clubs were invited to set up tables and let the public know what they are about. As you can see by the above photo, we accepted the invitation with gusto.

The above photo is also one of my first photos taken for the annual Mountain Shadow Riders yearly riding competition that kicked off the first part of April. Last year we had the wonderful scavanger hunt with over 350 items to search out. This year is a scavanger hunt with a totally different twist. I will post the rules later this week. In the above photo I just earned 5,000 points!!! (WooooHoooo!!!) To earn those coveted points I needed to get a pic of me, my bike with our large banner and a minimum of three Women On Wheels (R) full or support members, including me (mandatory). Poor Blinky (far left and affectionately named by MSR members) was complaining I was covering his face with my hand (See Blinky, I didn't, lol).

The Pikes Peak Harley Davidson was having their own special activities all day Saturday, too. Can you say "free food?" They were offering free hotdogs, popcorn, and canned soda all day long. The museum is in their parking lot.

Much to my husband's distress (didn't I say that a few posts ago, lol?) I have picked out a 2007 FLSTN Softail Deluxe. A girl can window shop can't she? Of course, I have no idea how it actually rides or even costs, but I sat on the motorcycle and it fit real nice. I didn't stand it up, as no sales person was around (can you believe it?!?). But I can tell the height was most likely right on. The seat was much nicer then my V-Star.

We are actually looking at replacing the stock V-Star 650 seat with a mustang seat. My husband has one on his Suzuki Intruder and loves it. After an hour on my bike, even at the end of a summer of riding, and my legs/hips (NO COMMENTS!!) hurt. We should at least be able to afford the new seat as it looks like I got a part-time job for the month of June as a librarian for summer school. I wasn't even looking and that job just fell into my lap, yea!!! Money is tight when you're putting a youngster thru college. I about had to rush my hubby to the ER when we got the first bill. Holy Cow it's expensive.

I helped all day Saturday at the Mountain Shadow Riders table, escaping occasionally to look around. It was lots of fun getting to meet so many people and getting to know fellow MSR members better. We have a great group of people. Walking around I bumped into a few people I haven't seen for a while. We had great weather all day and it was just a fun way to spend a Saturday.

Wishing you great adventures in your part of the world,

Biker Betty :)

PS: Want to learn how Binky got his name AND want to meet Winky & Nod? That's my next post. Be watching for it soon.

This is just way too cool. I found it over at Skittle's Place . Check out the link below and see what your Daemon is. Now I'm intrigued about the movie coming out in December 2007.

~ This Saturday's Theme is Rare ~

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

Today I was at Pikes Peak Harley Davidson dealership. They are now the 5th dealer in the world for Orange County Choppers. For me these photos are very rare as I have never seen Orange County Choppers in person. This is the first time I have ever seen these awesome choppers in person and they are very impressive.

Here is the OCC 2007 T-Rex Softail Chopper

Here is the OCC 2007 Splitback Chopper

Aren't these very cool? My husband and I enjoy watching their show. Of course, the family drama they have while building these are a bit over the top at times.

Wishing you travel adventures,

Biker Betty :)