Friday, January 23, 2009

Photo Hunt - Chipped


Theme: Chipped ** Become a Photo Hunter

It's another Saturday's Photo Hunt and the theme is "chipped." I love taking photos and this is just a lot of fun. The only requirement is that you use only the photos you take. No copying others or using photos from some webite. Besides, using your own is more challenging. Sometimes I go out looking for something new to use and sometimes I use past photos, like this time. That is okay. So go on over to tnchick and join the fun.

It doesn't technically start till sometime Saturday morning, but I'm working very early tomorrow morning to help pay for my college books. So Photo Hunter visitors, I will be by later in the afternoon to check out your cool photos.

These photos came to mind from a trip to Beaver Creek, Colorado in September 2007. My husband and I went away for the weekend on an all expense paid business retreat. We were the only ones to show up at the five-star hotel on motorcycles. It was a retreat just riding up and back. The parking attendants made us park our own bikes - no tip there, lol.

Well, on the way back home I kind of chipped my helmet (see photo above). The duct tape fix is kind of hiding it. The whole incident broke my heart.

You see, we were on our way back home and I was on a motorcycle scavenger hunt that summer in a contest with the Mountain Shadow Riders (a chapter of Women on Wheels (R) . I got a lot of elevation signs on this trip and actually one first place!!! The above photo is one of my elevation signs. I stopped to get a scenic photo (see below) and my bike was leaning a bit more than usual parked in the dirt. I left the engine running, to get that quick photo, and left my helmet on the seat. It vibrated right off the bike and onto the ground - ugh.

I just wanted to cry. I was stomp'n mad at myself (literally). That helmet was only a few months old and it was chipped and the visor snapped at the right hinge. We weren't sure if it was going to be fixable or not. Luckily, I was able to order all new parts and I still wear it today. Yes, I know once it's dropped you are suppose to replace it, but that was one expensive helmet and I couldn't afford to do that.

I tried riding without the visor, but it had snowed the night before and it was darn cold. My eyes were tearing up bad from the cold wind, even with sunglasses on. So after a few stops of trying a few things, my husband (Sir Duct Tape) reaches into his saddle bag (with a MacGyver twinkle in his eyes) and promply whipped out his hunk'n role of "fix-all" duct tape and fixed my helmet right up. Larry the Cable Guy would be proud, hee hee.

After that, everytime we stopped somewhere that I needed to take my helmet off my husband would come over and carefully peel up the duct tape so I could get it off. We got some weird looks. Even more confused looks when he would duct tape it all back!! Life is never dull.

Wishing you a "No Chipped" and duct tape free weekend in your part of the world ,

Biker Betty :)

27 comments:

YTSL said...

FWIW, it could have been worse -- you could have been wearing the helmet when it fell down and got chipped!!! Good to know that was NOT the case!

yanix said...

oh! I didn't notice it at first!!!! that was really a tricky shot and very nice~! hope you can drop by on my site. thanks!

jams o donnell said...

Ach I would ahve been really annoyed if that happened to me. They can be so expensive to replace. Happy wekend

Anonymous said...

LOL, duct tape fixes just about everything!! Glad you were able to get it fixed.

My son used my husband's bicycle helmet for an egg-drop experiment for science class -- the students were supposed to figure out a way to drop an egg from the height of a fireman's ladder truck so the egg wouldn't break. Didn't work -- the helmet shattered as well as the egg!

YellowRose said...

I'm sorry about your helmet but I really laughed at the "duct tape" description you gave of your husband fixing it! It's those "bonding" moments that are priceless!

Rebecca Mecomber said...

At least it was only the helmet that got chipped. It's harder to fix a head or arm with duct tape! ;)

I did Photo Hunters today, too. I hope you get a chance to visit.
http://newyorktraveler.net/photo-hunters-chipped/

Pamela said...

I don't know that much about helmets, but that sure doesn't seem like sturdy protection??

I love Macgyver and the duct tape.

bonggamom said...

Awww, I feel bad for you. That sucks -- you take such good care of stuff and then one little accident and it's hosed. But duct tape fixes anything :)

I hope you have time to drop by my photohunt post this weekend -- I'm teaming up with Quaker Oats and Share Our Strength in their campaign against childhood hunger in the US.

Anonymous said...

Sorry to hear about your chipped helmet,.... but thank God for duct tape! (That stuff comes in very handy)

PowersTwinB said...

Hi Betty! It's been a long time since I have visited you...I had some tough times and some personal tragedy...but I was so happy to be back and see you in my comments! I loved your duct tape story...thats one special hubby you have...I mean, seriously, who travels with duct tape? Thanks for visiting me today Betty! Becci

Anonymous said...

You're "chipped" was probably a little harder on your wallet than mine was. I didn't have to replace a helmet. :0) It's also good to know that duct tape is an important part of other people's essentials like it is mine.

Daisy said...

Ah, I am very sad that your pretty helmet got chipped!

Carver said...

That would have been annoying. I'm glad it wasn't your head that got chipped though.

Anonymous said...

LOL! and yet one more use for a duct tape...thanks to your own MacGyver (I've watched this show growing up and loved it)!

I would have been mad at myself too being in your scenario and I have had that happened to me a few times- I get TOO excited about things and then something breaks or just something happens that could have easily been preventable- my own doing! Ugh!

What stories you have! My first time at your site and I enjoyed reading your entries! I like what your profile says: not living "too dangerously- just enough to keep me happy" because I was just thinking that- motorcycles are one of the things I have been afraid to pursue. I attempted to ride a scooter once and I fell hard and bad!! That was the end of my 2-wheel motor adventures unless they're bicycles I'm not riding!

You make it fun and exciting and less dangerous! Thank you for sharing your adventures... :-)

Leslie said...

Do you know, the word verification was "mustride" - that is TOO funny!

Well, you did an excellent post today! I really enjoyed reading that.

I have a 20 yr old son too, and one who is 18.

You asked what program I use for the digital scrapbooking - it's PSE6, Adobe Photoshop Elements 6. And I get all my kits to work with from The Digital Scrapbook Place.

jmb said...

Well for a moment I had a horrible feeling that you had chipped while wearing it, in an accident. Glad that was not so.

Good post Biker Betty.

Anonymous said...

Be careful the next you have your trip, good thing you got a helmet. Nice post

Betty said...

Hi Betty,

I am so glad you visited me tonight. I like your choice for Saturday's Photo Hunt. You are brave to be riding a motorcycle.

Have a good rest of the weekend.

Betty

Marites said...

awwww...too bad as your helmet looks quite cool! can imagine the people staring at you while you both are at your duct-taping moments:)

TAB said...

Sorry about the chipped helmet. It's really funny, though, how your husband had to peel away the duct tape and then re-tape you back into your helmet. Fun post for this week's hunt!

Liz Hinds said...

At least you weren't wearing it when it got chipped!

Looks like a great trip.

Anonymous said...

I suppose it could have been a lot worse, but so annoying all the same. I'd never dare ride a motor bike myself.

Thanks for visiting today!

PS my word verification is safers :)

Anonymous said...

Thank heavens for handy husbands and duct tape. I would have been bummed, too. I'm glad your trip was salvaged by some quick thinking.

Thank you for visiting my photo hunt this week!

TorAa said...

I can understand your feelings right there and then.
But alls good that ends well.

Beautiful sceneries

Anonymous said...

I guess a 'chipped' photo is never a good memory... But anyways, cheers and wonderful post :)

Anonymous said...

Do you know the chicks name at the Legion Post called "Bar hag". She had a thing going on with these dude Steve Love and her husband beat the crap out of him.

What was her name?

altec bucket trucks said...

Adventurous and exciting I must say.You are sure having some fun.It is good to go trekking with bikes sometimes wild in nature.