Happy Memorial Day

Thank You to the Men and Women
who are serving,
who have served,
our United States Armed Forces.

We are in debt to you.

Many Have Served for Us,

Many Have Died for Us,


So that We "All" May Remain Free...
Remember Them All.

Thank You

Note: All photos have been taken by me, Biker Betty. Please don't copy without my permission. Thanks :)

On The Road Again

I was very excited today, as I got to ride my motorcycle for the first time this year and since early October. I had to go into work for a couple of hours today on my day off. I've been off for the last two weeks since school is out. Into the first week our Christmas break the school library got flooded and it looks like over 300 books got water damaged (and that's another story, sigh).

I planned last night I was going to ride today, as the weather prediction was good for today. First thing I did before backing it out of the garage was start the engine. It hadn't been started since early October and I wasn't certain what would happen. True to my Yamaha V-Star 650 track record it started up on the 3rd attempt. Talk about a dependable bike!! I love my Yamaha ;)

When I took off it was almost 34 Degrees F. Yah, it was balmy, lol. I could see my breath, but I was soooo happy to be riding that I didn't notice how cold my hands were till I was almost to work. When I pulled out of my driveway I had the biggest smile :) After working a few hours I went home to feed my son and then planned a short ride, ahem.



After a quick bite I decided I had better check my tire pressure and the front tire was very low. I should have checked it before taking off earlier - shame on me!!! Note to readers and myself: Don't call your significant other at their work to ask questions to do with minor maintenance before going on ride. They get cranky knowing you are going out and they are stuck at work. They tend to not be very helpful with the knowledge you seek, lol.

My goal was to ride to two motorcycle stores in town. I decided to go by way of Garden of the Gods. It was such a beautiful day I needed to ride thru and take in the winter beauty. It was pretty busy with lots of visitors. Seems I wasn't the only one with the same idea.

On the way out I just had to stop and take a picture of this mountain. I learned most of my rock climbing on it and did many lead climbs to the top. It is lots of fun. The view at the top is breathtaking. I wrote about it early on in this blog.


I then thought it would be really cool to run up the pass (Hwy 24) and do a quick visit to Woodland Park. (Remember - this is just a short jaunt, lol). Little did I know how "cool" it would be. Most of the pass was in the shade and talk about cold, brrrr. It felt like the time I had jumped into a snow fed lake in Oregon. It was very "refreshing"!?!. I get up to Woodland Park, gas up, and head back to the springs.

The town of Green Mountain Falls is situated in such a way that it is in the shade most of the time. I took a detour to take a picture of the snow they still have. It was pretty cold there and I got back on the highway to get to warmer weather.

I haven't been to the two motorcycle stores I like to visit in quite a while. First stop was Apex Sports to see if anything new is out. My main goal was to see the 2009 Yamaha V-Star 950. I read a review about it in Rider magazine and was very curious and excited to see. They didn't have it, or I just couldn't find it. It wasn't thru lack of trying. I looked over everything twice, lol.

Next stop was Rocky Mountain Cycle Plaza and - Jackpot!!! - They had what I was dreaming to see. It IS very cool and I will share a picture tomorrow. I couldn't find it at first, but a salesman was very helpful in helping me locate what I was looking for. What a sweet bike. After talking with the salesman who, gave me lots of information on the 2009 V-star, I went into the accessories store to see what new things were there and to see if Sharon was in. Everyone there is very nice, but I have got to know Sharon thru the years. She works in accessories and greets everyone with a huge smile. She was there and we had a very nice chat getting caught up with each other. I was really sorry to hear she and her husband have been thru some rough times this last year with her husband health and I really wish her and her husband the best in 2009.

It was 5pm and I figured I had better hightail it back home. The sun was setting and the evening commute was in full swing. I got home safely and what a fun afternoon of playing hookie. I managed to blow out all the cobwebs from my motorcycle and get 70 miles today

What a great day and wishing you one too,

Biker Betty :)

Round Robin Challenge: Railroad

Many of you know me and photo challenges, I Love THEM!!! I found this one thru a link over at Nekked Lizard Adventures. This person is a Coloradian like myself. From there was the link to the Round Robin. Thought I'd have to try this. It's new to me. Gina at Gina’s Spacecame up with the idea for this challenge. Great idea Gina :)

Who doesn't like trains? I don't have any recent photos, but this was was taken two summers ago (2006) when I was doing the Mountain Shadow Riders motorcycle scavenger hunt. I didn't win this contest, but I was one of the upper four people. It was so much fun. The above photo was taken on the road between Cripple Creek and Victor. Talk about a beautiful drive. That train looks like Thomas the Tank Engine (which I loved to watch when my eldest was 4 years old). It's actually the Victor Narrow Gage Line. I have not had a chance to ride it, but it sure looks like fun.

The above is a sample of the views in store with the Victor train. Far out on the horizon is a bunch of the famous Colorado 14ers.

For the same scaventer hunt I also got a photo of the diner car of the train that goes to another famous Colorado tourist location: The Royal Gorge. As a family we went there in our car many years ago and really enjoyed ourselves.

So hop on the train and visit others participating in this challenge.

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

~ 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 :)

~ 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.

~ This Weeks Photo Hunters Theme is "Water" ~

I hope no one is tired of seeing my motorcycle scavanger hunt photos from last summer. It just so happens that I had another that matched this week's theme, lol. In the background is a "water"fall. This particular day I was riding with the Mountain Shadow Riders up to Terryall, Colorado. During this trip we got a little rain, almost snow, and lots of cold wind. Later in the ride most of us put on our rain gear and were quite warm. This ride, like all of them, was a lot of fun.

If you're ever looking for fun, I highly recommend taking the Motorcycle Safety Foundation (MSF) beginners course, pass it and get the motorcycle endorsement on your drivers license and get yourself a motorcycle.

Ladies, motorcycles aren't just for guys anymore. The motorcycle companies are recognizing this and making great motorcycle gear for us now. They just need to make more motorcycles for shorter people, that's my only complaint!! But they can lower some of the models, so don't let that stop you. After the MSF course you won't be intimidated by them. They do a great job of breaking it all down in manageable chunks for learning. So you gotta get a motorcycle. It is just loads of fun!!!

Wishing you many adventures,

Biker Betty :)

~ This Saturday's Theme is Empty ~

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

These pictures were taken last summer for the MSR motorcycle scavanger hunt. I had to have my motorcycle taken with the World Arena. During this time of day the huge parking lot was "empty."

It was a gorgeous day for these photos and it was the second time I ventured out on my own with my motorcycle for a long ride. When the day was said and done I had done 129 miles on August 28th of last year. I went to Penrose and back and was it fun!!!

Wishing you many travel adventures,

Biker Betty :)

~ It Was Another Great Day For A Ride ~

It was a wonderful day and I didn't get called in to work today. I have a friend who lives up in the mountains and I needed to get something to her. Seems like great ingredients to ride, but then, who really needs a reason? It was 46 degrees, but I had to wear my winter gloves and put the liner back into my jacket. Going up into the mountains always gets chilly at this time of year. On my way was the Garden of the Gods. I thought it would be neat to stop and get a few photos. This is one of my favorite places to hike and climb. It has a great visitors center that I have visited in the past. Today I just stopped for some photos and then got on my way.

It was a great drive up Hwy 24. At 10:30 am there wasn't much traffic. It was a very enjoyable drive, but I was glad I had worn my warmer gear. I was comfortable because of it. I got the stuff delivered, had a nice visit and lunch. By the time I got back to the Springs the temperature was in the mid 60's F.

I drove 61 miles, visited a friend and thoroughly enjoyed my V-Star 650. What more can a person ask for?

Wishing you travel adventures in your part of the world,

Biker Betty :)

~ And There Were Drinks All Around ~

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

A small group of the Mountain Shadow Rider's (MSR) took a ride this last Saturday after our monthly meeting. I wrote about it just before this post. We took off about 11:15am and I got back at 3pm. It was a nice long ride. While down in Canon City, we stopped at Coyote's Coffee Den for a quick bite to eat. We had rain threatening to dump on us in the distance.

The main reason for stopping at the Coyote's Coffee Den is that they were one of our sponsors for our very successful 2006 Breast Cancer Awareness Ride. I know I will stop there again the next time in Canon City. They have cozy southwestern decor and it was very pleasant to sit there and have a lunch. I can highly recommend their food. I got half a sandwich with the "works" and I wasn't one bit disappointed. It was very healthy and yummy.

Thanks to the Coyote's Coffee Den and all our other sponsors, the Mountain Shadow Riders broke all previous records by earning over $5,700. All of which went to the local affiliate of the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. This was MSR's sixth year with this fundraiser. Over 230 people registered for the run and over 100 businesses and merchants donated over $3,000 in prizes. We owe a huge "Thank You" to everyone who helped.

We will be doing the 2007 Breast Cancer Awareness Ride again in October. Anyone who lives in Colorado Springs be on the lookout for the flyers all over town in late summer.

The group was very willing to help me with this week's theme. So everyone grabbed their drinks - soda's & coffee's - and gathered around so I could get a pic. Aren't they great? Thanks everyone for helping me out.

And because I was holding the camera, here I am with my drink of soda. As I mentioned in my previous post, we did manage to get back without getting rained on. It downpoured an hour after I got home, whew!! I hope everyone else got home before it rained on them. I know a few had errands to do before heading to their homes. One of the ladies had a bike that kept cutting out on her and she wanted to get it in the shop pronto.

Wishing everyone a great weekend,

Biker Betty :)

~ Nice Long Ride This Last Saturday ~

This last Saturday the Mountain Shadow Riders (a chapter of Women on Wheels) had our monthly chapter meeting. It was fun seeing everyone. We've got a lot of runs/activities lined up for the summer and I can't wait!!! The details have to be finalized, but our summer scavanger hunt has been decided on. Starting April 1st and going thru October 31st, we are to find businesses with either the words "Mountain" and/or Shadow in their title. We are to get a picture of our motorcycle with their sign. This will be a lot more difficult and some serious searching to find. But I'm up to the challenge!!

After the meeting those of us who could, gathered at 11am for a "Saddle Time Ride." We started off with, I believe, 11 motorcycles and 12 people. Added 4/7/07 - I can't believe I forgot two people, but I did. We had two of our members following in their car as back up, if anyone were to pull out and need assistance. Well, at a couple of time we did have some ladies pull out and off to the side of the road. Paula and Don stopped to offer any needed assistance. Paula and Don live up in the mountains and couldn't ride their bikes into town due to ice. But they came on the road trip and were very helpful a couple of times. Thanks Paula and Don, your help was appreciated by all.

We lost one before getting out of town. She was having problems with her contacts. The sky was overcast and threatening to rain. It was pretty windy all the way to Penrose down Hwy 115. Passing Penrose we stayed on Hwy 115 and somewhere we got on another hwy. I wasn't sure where we were going. Good thing I wasn't leading this group, lol. After a while we emerge on the main drive thru Canon City. As soon as we got on the main drive (Hwy 50), I recognized where we were.

We headed out of the city on Hwy 50, going west. A couple of miles out of town we took a right onto the famous Skyline Drive. I had never been on this road and I will never forget it. It's an extremely narrow paved road that rises 800 feet above Canon City. It's a one way road, thank goodness!! It is very steep going up and I kept hoping no one in front of me had any reason to stop before we got on level ground. I found out that this road was built in the early 1900's by convict labor chain gangs. I'm sure back then it was a dirt road.

Here we are at the top. We pulled off into a gravel pull-out and this is when one of our group had an oopsy-daisy. Her brand new Harley fell down. She's not sure what happened, but with gravel things can get squirrely. I've seen an experienced biker accidently drop a bike in gravel. It just happens sometimes. Many jumped to her aid and got her righted up. She was okay and there were only a few scratches on her Harley.



We took a little time to enjoy the view. It dropped for a long ways down. As you can see in the above photo. The above is a view to our right.

Here is the same view looking straight down!!!

Here is the view on our left side. It a great view of Canon City.

Here I am, helmet hair and all, lol. After we had a chance to look around, it was time to get going. It was raining off in the distance and we hoped to get home dry. We did stop on the way home at a coffee shop for a quick bite to eat. This particular shop was one of our awesome sponsors for our breast cancer run last year. Come back tomorrow night and I have a special post about that stop. I had my fellow comrade riders help me with the Saturday Photo Hunt.

It was soooo fun to have a nice long ride. It had been a while since I have been on my motorcycle for that long a ride. We left at 11:15am and I got home at 3pm. When it was all said and done, I had 131 more miles on my Star. An hour after I got home it downpoured. What great timing.

Wishing you travel adventures in your part of the world,

Biker Betty :)

~ It was a very nice ride to work today ~

To work in this particular school's library I have to get up at the crack of dawn. I'm not used to having to be up at 5:15 am. I really didn't know this time of morning existed till I subbed here a few times, lol. But I do love these hours. When I get off work I still have time left to do something and I'm off in time to get my youngest son from school. I like doing that.

This morning was a balmy 40 something degrees. As you can see by the photo above, it was dark when I pulled out my bike and started it up. You can just make out the lights.

On the way to work I stopped at a shopping mall to get a picture of the sun starting to rise. It was very pretty. There were lots of people on the road this morning, but it was still a lot of fun riding to work. I kept a careful watch of the other cars and chugged along like the rest of them.

The above picture is a photo taken at the same mall from another direction. I love the colors on the horizon and the moon above. Talk about a nice time of day. I get to work safe and sound and even found another motorcycle in the parking lot. Of all things, the helmet is on the ground next to the bike. I find this curious. I take mine in the building, carrying my lunch in it, lol.

Now this is the same school that I did a post on March 3rd. Some of you had asked me to report if the office lady still treated me with apprehension as the last time. I walked in this morning, certain she would remember me, with a smile on my face and a cheery good morning. Well, she squelched that pretty quick. I have since learned she's just not an outgoing person. As soon as I walk in it's just about the same routine. She asks my name - I tell her. She asks who I'm subbing - I tell her. At first she seems not to believe me. I'm thinking "Oh man, here we go again" and brace myself.

The whole process in the office went much quicker this time and I get my sub badge and hightail it out of the office and head to the library. I'm now used to the curious stares of the students. If I sub here enough, they will get used to me, lol.

I find that kids at the elementary level so much more outgoing and excited about motorcyclist. They give me thumbs up and talk excited to me about motorcycling. You can tell they love motorcycles, both the boys and girls. The girls are especially excited to see another "girl" riding something that only boys seem to get to do. The girls love the purple motorcycle.


Like all the other schools I have worked at, I really enjoy working in this school. I have a friend working in the library. Her son and my son went to the same elementary school together and that's how we met. Now I have made quite a few friends at this school and enjoy the day. The day once again went by very fast.

The next thing I know I need to hop on my bike and head for my other school that I do afterschool math tutoring for. By now it truly is a balmy 70 degrees and a very nice ride. I get to the other school. When I walk into the tutoring room with my gear on, as I'm running a little behind, a few of the girls in the other group are giving me the thumbs up. This surprised me, as they have never done that before. The smiles on their faces said it all. The boys followed suit and we shared a fun moment together. Then it was time to get down to the business of math for the next half hour.

What an awesome day and awesome ride. I'm so glad my husband and I took the Motorcycle Safety Foundation beginner's course and got motorcycles two years ago. My purple V-Star 650 custom is very cool and fun to ride.

Wishing you great rides to work,

Biker Betty :)

~ Sunday Riding ~

I get up this morning expecting to drive my van to church. My husband has to get there early and goes on his motorcycle. I actually don't feel envy this time, as I know there are times when one or the other of us can ride our motorcycles when the other can't. I get the youngest son up for him to eat and go to church with me. There was just one little hiccup. Yesterday evening he went to a birthday party that also went to the theater. He got home late and now I can't get him to stir. So I wake up the eldest to bring his younger brother to church when he goes to Sunday School."

Suddenly I'm the only person going in the van. Well, gosh, that's a waste of gas, isn't it? I had decided earlier this morning I wasn't riding today with my youngest on my motorcycle. There are spots of gravel on the road and I didn't want to take a chance with him on my motorcycle. You see, yesterday after dropping my son off to his party with the van I skidded on gravel. The backend of the van fishtailed a little. I know that if I had been on the bike, it might have gone down. But I also know I would have been a whole lot more careful and it probably wouldn't have happened like in the van.

So now it's just me. I can manuever around the spots of gravel, there was just no way I wanted to chance anything with my younger son on the back. So I change to "Travel Plan B." I quickly change my shoes to my motorcycle boots, pull my motorcycle out of the garage and get all my gear. Yahoo, I'm riding my Yamaha V-Star 650 to church!!! It's a gorgeous morning and I can't wait to get out and on my way.

The above picture is of my bike at church. I get there with no problems. There were patches of gravel to steer around, but nothing scary. As you can see, the sky is a beautiful crystal clear blue and a great day to get out on the bike.

After getting back from church, my husband and I decided there were errands to be done. First stop was Wally World (Walmart). After getting what we needed I snapped the above photo. How can you beat a view like that?


Or a view like this? Look at that sky. We had a few more errands that (oh darn!!) took us a couple of hours and 37 sweet glorious miles. We drove up into the driveway at dusk. We got everything needed and huge smiles on our faces with the fun of riding. What a great Sunday it was.

Wishing you great travels in your part of the world,

Biker Betty :)