First Two-Up Trip Colorado-Wyoming

August 31, 2008
Fort Collins, CO

Tim and I pulled out and headed east Sunday morning to echo the trip he made solo in August. This time I had no qualms about climbing on the back of Tim's Harley-Davidson Softtail Heritage. A few miles out I found my comfort zone and began to enjoy the ride.

East of Fort Collins is farm and ranch land. The landscape is dotted with corn fields and farm houses and tiny towns. Some of the towns are sprouting sub-divisions (bedroom communities) that look out of place. The farther north you get, the less you see of that sort of encroachment. The view east is of wide open spaces, the view west is a panoramic view of the Rockies.

We made the first leg of the trip without stopping until we got to our favorite donut hole in Cheyenne, Wyoming. We stretched our legs, downed some coffee and headed west across Interstate Hwy 80. I got my first ride at 75 mph. Can you see me smiling? And 80+ mph when we passed diesels (another first). We stopped at a rest stop between Cheyenne and Laramie for another sip of coffee and to take a few pics of the Lincoln Highway (I-80) Memorial.

Those were the first and last pics of the day. Storm clouds appeared on the horizon and gathered steam rather quickly as we know all too well they can do in Wyoming. We picked up some rain just outside of Laramie, where we stopped for gas. The rain broke for a few minutes, but from the looks of the sky and the rumble of thunder, we knew it wasn't over. We made the decision to head downtown, looking for a cafe, but we immediately got soft hail and it was raining so hard we pulled in the Hastings/K-mart parking lot (we've been there before), parked the bike and found a dry place in the book store. We had a cup of coffee in the book store cafe while the skies dumped. I called the folks to let them know where we were and told them if the rain did not let up, we would find a motel and spend the night. We weren't the only bikers seeking shelter. We looked sort of odd roaming the isles of the book store in leathers.

At one point, the rain let up for a few minutes. We dashed out to try and make a quick break but it came another downpour before we could get our helmets fastened. This time we sheltered in K-Mart. After a little while, we saw a break in the clouds. We decided we would either head on out of town or if it came another downpour, find a cafe (we were getting sorta hungry) and maybe a motel. As it happens, we headed on out. We were damp and a bit chilly and the horizon looked somewhat forboding. Luckily, we rode up under a break in the clouds and managed to stay in between squalls. We stopped once on the 60 + mile trip home at a rest stop.

We rolled into Fort Collins, tired but exhilirated. The trip was 195 miles from start to finish.

Thunder in the Rockies - Stunt Show

August 30, 2008
Loveland, CO

The Balls of Steel Stunt Show including a performance by Cody Ives, Guiness Record holder, in the Globe of Death was -- to use a term that resonated throughout the crowd -- awesome. At one point there were two riders in the Cage -- wow!

Thunder in the Rockies - Sky Divers

August 30, 2008
Loveland, CO

Patriotic sky divers rained from the sky at the rally.

Thunder in the Rockies - Patriot Guard and More

August 30, 2008
Loveland, CO

Patriot Guard and More...

Saturday was Military Day at the Rally. The sky rained sky divers carrying flags. Helicopters hovered over the crowds. The Patriot Guard was present in significant numbers, providing a motorcycle escort for recruits arriving to be sworn in and a standing flag line for recruits to pass through while patriotic citizens cheered their support and approval. A youthful Mime troop performed patriotic skits on stage. A youth choir serenaded the crowd with rousing renditions of patriotic songs. A local high school band played while the recruits filed in. A WWII Navajo Code talker was on stage. A satellite hookup allowed family, friends and well wishers to talk to troops in Iraq.

Thunder in the Rockies - Bike Show

August 30, 2008
Loveland, CO

The Bike Show and More...

As soon as we entered the gates at rally, we were in the Bike Show. It was not a large show but there were some really nice motorcycles. We enjoyed talking to the owner of the God Father bike. That's one beautiful paint job depicting characters from the movie of the same name.

We loved the red, white and blue beauty commemorating September 11.

But our favorites are the classics, so that's what you see in our pics.

Following up the bike show are pics of one of Harley-Davidson's new trikes, called a tri-glide. I love it! And I've included a few pics of the biker's hearse. We're talking about one classy - last ride.

Thunder in the Rockies - Motorcycle Rally

August 30, 2008
Loveland, CO
The Rally

Labor Day Weekend was a busy one for us... mostly about motorcycles.

Saturday morning after a good breakfast at the Village Inn in Fort Collins we drove to the Budweiser Event Center (aka The Ranch) in Loveland, Colorado for the Thunder in the Rockies Motorcycle Rally.

We were there before the gates officially opened so we wandered through the Harley-Davidson Demo Bikes and watched a huge variety of bikes pulling into the parking lot. We received our first rally pins from HOG at the pin stop tent. They are really nice. The bike show was right inside the gate so we wandered though it and took a few pics... those pics are in another post.

Saturday was Military Day at the rally. As sky divers circled lazily in a clear blue sky, we watched about a dozen or more new Army recruits, and an ROTC group line up along with a Patriot Guard flag line to welcome at least another dozen or more Marine recruits (coming in on a bus) with a Patriot Guard and Fire Engine escort. Lots of other military and otherwise patriotic people, and a local high school band were on hand as well to witness the arrival of the recruits in a bus that drove through the gates down a flag-lined path to a stage where later, we witnessed a mass swearing in of the recruits.

We watched a talented youth MIME group on stage perform a couple of patriotic skits and listened to a choir group sing patriotic songs.

There was a live television feed to soldiers in Iraq who watched the ceremonies and later got to talk to family, friends and well-wishers.

Then we got to see a WWII Navajo Code Talker, Marine Sgt. Allen Dale June and his wife. His wife told the story of how June became a code talker, enlisting when he was only 16 by lying about his age. He is the only code talker among the Navajos to become a sergeant.

Military and rent-a-ride helicopters buzzed the crowd from time-to-time.

We got to see the Balls of Steel Stunt Show, young bikers in some amazing stunts, including Cody Ives. Cody holds a record in the Guinness Book of world records for the youngest rider in the Globe of Death. http://www.codyives.com/

And we roamed through the vendor booths, shopping for leathers (found a jacket), toy haulers, and we finally got to see a Harley-Davidson trike (tri-glide) conversion up close. Oh me... I love them!

We listened to local bands play classic rock tunes, had lemonade and just generally enjoyed the warm Colorado day and the whole rally experience. It was our first.

When we left there were thousands of bikes in the parking lot and more gliding in. Tim estimates about 4000-5000 bikes were on site when we left late in the afternoon.

The unofficial attendance tally - 40,000 to 50,000.

See other posts for more pics of the Rally

Lamesa's Wannabe Harley

August 28, 2008
Fort Collins, CO

Wichita Falls, TX -- OK - not a Harley but sorta cute. Lamesa has a Honda 250 Scooter. TedJr (the big one in shorts) rode it by to show the folks on the way home. Hope she has fun riding it.

A month ago...

August 25, 2008
Fort Collins, CO

Last month on this day, about this time, I sat with about 35 new stitches and a black eye with a new bruise showing every minute or two on the rest of me. I wrecked my new Harley-Davidson Sportster 883 - July 25, 2008, eight days after I took delivery on it.

I'm recovering slowly but surely. I'm sorry to report, the bike is a total loss.

The stitches are out, the eight inch gash on my right forearm is almost finished closing up, but I have a ways to go with mobility. I'm still a little scabby. I still have a few bruises here and there. I have a thumb on the left hand that's still mostly out of sorts, at least with what I'd like for it to do. I do have new specs. The cut (3 stitches) over my eye and the scrapes on my face, while still visible are healed.

At present, I'm trying to get my energy and strength back. That's my main focus. Everything else will come on-line as that happens.

105th Send-off from Wichita Falls

August 24, 2008
Fort Collins, CO

Wichita Falls, TX -- Dad and friend Kenny left at 8 am this morning to ride in the 105th Anniversary Celebration Send-off escort sponsored by Red River Harley-Davidson for riders headed to Milwaukee and the big HOG she-bang. They rode with cross-country bikers to Chickashea, OK. The route took them from Wichita Falls, TX to the top of Mount Scott in OK (elev. 2464), through Lawton, OK and on to Chickasha, OK where they made a pit-stop at Jake's Rib House.

Dad and Kenny log 300 + miles today and report they had a great time.

Mount Scott

Tim's First Mountain Ride on Harley

August 24, 2008
Fort Collins, CO

Sunday Morning 8:35 am: Tim pulls out of the drive headed to Estes Park (one of my favorite places), down through Lyons (another favorite place) and back. Yes, I'm jealous. This is one of my favorite drives. I'm trying to be good... and sensible and practical. The arm is not quite healed and I've learned the hard way over the last couple of weeks that rushing the process only prolongs recovery. BUT! I'm thinking this is the last time he gets out of the driveway without me... LOL!

9:50 am: Tim calls from the bridge over the creek at the Visitor Center in Estes Park. He's having a cup of coffee and a snack. The trip up went well and the weather is fine. He's says it is amazing what you can see on a motorcycle that you can't see from a car. This time he has the camera. We'll see what kind of photographer he is today.

10:48 am: Tim calls from Lyons. He's sitting at a picnic table in the park, having another cup of coffee. He said the trip down went very well. Still marveling at all you can see. He's on his way home.

12:00 pm: Coming back to reality, says Tim is not an easy journey. This trip = 95 miles.

Lost my motorcycle cherry...

August 17, 2008
Fort Collins, CO

I am no longer a bitch virgin (according to my neighbor, LeAnn that's a woman - ok - bitch - who has never ridden on the back of a motorcycle). I lost my cherry and I am now a bitch in training. LOL!

Tim came in from work, after three days of monsoon rains, the weather was fine, the sun was shining, so we suited up and went for a ride. Our neighbors come running out of their house about the time I got the leg up and over the bike (third try) and got some pics but we haven't seen them yet. I'll get them up on the blog when I have them in hand. We took a short drive, just over 27 miles. Tim took it easy (trying not to scare me he says) but riding with a load on the back was new for him, too. After I relaxed a bit, I began to almost enjoy it. This is gonna be fun!

I didn't want to believe it, but I'm here to tell ya -- it took the last bit of nerve I could muster to get on that bike. I knew I would have some issues... the best way to describe it is apprehensive or quaking or maybe a better word is petrified. Tim may have a few claw marks on his love handles - LOL! Honestly, I had no clue where I was at both mentally and physically. It's hard for me to admit, but I still have a ways to go in both regards. Not to worry - I'm workin' on it...

Movin' out...

August 9, 2008
Fort Collins, CO

Wichita Falls, TX -- Gearing up for Thunder in the Wichita Mountains - Oklahoma. Ted (Dad) - TedJr (Brother) & Kenny

Word is: the ride was fun, the scenery beautiful, the ice cream cold and the Texas-Oklahoma weather -HOT!

Tim and Harley Break 1000 Miles

August 9, 2008
Fort Collins, CO

Tim donned his leathers (chaps) for the first time and pulled out of the drive at 8:15 am this morning... on his first long trip on the 2008 Harley-Davidson Softtail Heritage we purchased in June.

A long trip today constitutes about 175 miles through mostly flat lands. He did not take the camera (he says we'll do all that when we are together) so all we'll have are leaving and returning pics.

The trip will take him:
East out of Fort Collins to Eaton, CO
North to Nunn, CO and eventually to Cheyenne, WY.
At Cheyenne, WY it will be west to Larimie, WY
and then South back to Fort Collins.

It's a beautiful bright blue morning in northern Colorado. The temp is about 70 degrees. The ride should be fun. He's going to have a blast. He might even see a few bikes on the road from the Sturgis Rally (South Dakota) which ends today.

Bummer! Oh yeah -- I'm jealous because I'm stuck in the house with a gimpy arm recuperating from the tumble I took on my bike July 25th. So, I'm living vicariously through Tim's adventures for now. My Dad, my brother and friend Kenny (Wichita Falls, TX) are off on their bikes on another adventure today as well. They are riding Thunder in the Mountains in Oklahoma. More later!

9:45 am Cheyenne, WY. Tim calls from Dong-King Donuts (Boston Donuts). Yeah our pet name for the place is politically incorrect. It is derived from the fact that the place used to be a Dunkin Donuts but was bought out by Eurasian (maybe Chinese) who apparently has no qualms about passing Dunkin Donuts recipes off as his own - the donuts are the same.

11:20 am Laramie, WY. Tim calls from a gas station in Laramie. He says the trip across Wyoming went well. He stopped once at a rest stop. He had to pass several diesel trucks and says the bike runs well at the speed limit (75 mph). This is allegedly the first trip at that speed for the bike. Apparently, it runs well at 80 mph plus (just when I'm passing - he says - yeah right). 80 West out of Cheyenne is a major truck route. It can be a bit treacherous in adverse weather conditions especially in winter. The wind is kicking up (hey- it's Wyoming) so he won't tarry on the trip back into Fort Collins. He's beginning to regret not taking the camera along. We've been on the Hwy 287 route between Fort Collins and Laramie a couple of times but it's been at least a couple of years.

1:20 pm fort Collins, CO. Tim arrives home after a drive of about 205 miles. He had a great time. He saw three crop dusters, Lincoln's head at a rest stop in Wyoming, the wind turbine farm, and too many bikes (on the road from Sturgis) to count, not a bad one in the bunch. He fed PB&J crackers to the ground squirrels at a rest stop just inside the Colorado border on 287. He stopped at the Harley-Davidson in Laramie and bought me a great Skull t-shirt.

Total mileage as of today 1053 miles.

Oh hell! I've been blogged says he...

Licensed to Ride!

August 3, 2008
Fort Collins, CO

Tim successfully completed his Rider's Edge Motorcycle Safety Course August 3, 2008. He did very well on both the written and riding course. The really tall guy in the group photo is 6 foot 9. It was like watching Lurch ride a tricycle. We celebrated with burgers and beer at Sanford's Grub and Pub. First thing on tomorrow's schedule is a trip to the DMV. Congratulations Tim!

August 4, 2008 - Tim Logs 750 miles on his Harley!

Bruised Harley Gal

August 1, 2008
Fort Collins, CO

Where to start?

Last Friday - the 25th of July, 2008 - my new Harley and I had a difference of opinion (and we were getting along so well) about how to negotiate a curb in the parking lot of the High School where I was practicing. Just for the record: I usually steer pretty well clear of curbs whether in a car or on a bike. End result - no excuses - operator error resulted in a crash - neither one of us [me or the bike] came out of it very well.

Not to worry - both of us are going to survive - to ride again.

Details: I was setting up for a fairly tight left turn, unintentionally grabbed (instead of squeezed) the hand brake, accidentally rolled on the throttle, clipped the end of a small curb which sent the front wheel into a wobble, couldn't find/reach the kill switch, can't recall if I grabbed the clutch or not, no time or space to recover, I nailed the next curb dead on which resulted in what is known as a high side crash meaning I went over and in front of the bike.

Long Story Short: After giving Tim a near coronary... He was sprinting from clear across the large parking lot from me... as I rolled off the curb and sat up. Three good Samaritans arrived on the scene pretty quick. A man called 911. The other (a mother and daughter learning to drive in another part of the parking lot) helped Tim set the bike upright so it wouldn't leak gas and cause a fire. I got a ride in an ambulance (my first - no siren) with a really nice EMT name of Jay to the emergency room. Tim called a friend and neighbor who arranged to have the bike picked up and brought to the house while he was grabbing a clean shirt and calling my folks. I have three stitches (first stitches ever) over my right eye, a bruised cheek and a chin with road rash, an eight (yes, I said - 8 -) inch gash that wraps around my right forearm, a sprained left hand and wrist and significant bruising in assorted other places.

I landed in the edge of a bed filled with red cedar pine bark chips, that had to be washed out with the ER equivalent of a miniature fire hose and dug out of the gash with tweezers like the ones I use to get to hard to reach spots on the dolls I make. Ouch! Infection was/is a concern. So far. So good. The gash over my eye was caused by the impact of the helmet hitting my glasses. There's something to be said for spending the bucks on titanium frames (they bent but did not break) and shatter-proof lenses (cracked but did not shatter). As far as we know, the cut on my arm was caused by the edge of the windshield. Twelve stitches on the inside, about 22 on the outside. No major muscle or nerve damage. I know - YIKES! It's a miracle I have no broken bones.

Most people find it amusing that when I arrived in the ER, a nurse with scissors eyed my Harley t-shirt and asked how partial I was to that shirt. My answer was - pretty damn partial. The shirt is one of my favorites, chocolate brown and gold with an American eagle motif. My Dad bought it for me on a trip to Red River Harley Davidson in Texas. I pretty much said if I could get that far with bark hanging out of an eight inch gash in my arm I could manage to get the t-shirt off and on. With a little help, I did.

I've been asked: Did it hurt? - I can't say I was in real pain. Call it shock I guess. I looked at my arm when the medic took it out of the t-shirt and wrapped it in gauze for the ambulance ride but all I remember is thinking in a rather detached manner that my arm was FUBAR. For those of you who need a translation... F****d Up Beyond All Recognition. When asked in the ER -- I said my pain level was a 2 (and that was mostly a complaint about my eye and bruised cheek). A 2? Are you sure? The nurse and my husband looked at me like I was out of my mind... Of course, I didn't have the same visual they had - I didn't see myself until a trip to the rest room on my way out of the ER. Granted, that was a HSM - Holy Shit Moment.

I've been asked: Did you cry? - NO.

I've been asked: Was I scared? - Not really, Tim wrapped my arm in his t-shirt before I got a good look at it. He removed my helmet and broken specs. I saw the blood on the ground and my arm when the EMT wrapped it in gauze. I was slightly more concerned when the EMT's started talking among themselves about possible skin graft. The idea of that was scary.

Mostly I'm pissed... still. Rookie Rider I am but I could have done without making such a huge rookie mistake.

With that said - the most recurring question is: What will you do now? -

Meaning - What will I do in regard to the hare-brain idea I have about riding a Harley for the first time at age 52? Well, I'm going to get it repaired of course and I'm going to give myself time to heal. I'm not saying there won't be a few fear factors to overcome... but I'm getting back on the bike as soon as I am able. I told Tim he might want to take out a bigger insurance policy - 'cause me and the Harley are gonna get it together -- one way or another. LOL!

Overall, it wasn't as bad as it could have been. Call me Lucky... or perhaps a better word is Durable. Whatever.

Today, the stitches over my eye came out and I'm very colorful what with all the stages of bruising going on. Perhaps next week, the stitches in my arm will come out and the swelling in my face will go down enough to get my eyes checked and new specs ordered. I've had well wishes and encouragement from all the people whose opinions I value. Our neighbors, such good people, have fed us for a week, brought me books to read and movies to watch. I received a cute get well card in the mail just today from Mom. And, the leather biker hat I ordered just-for-fun a few days before the accident arrived today.

Yeah... my first biker experience has proven to be a bit more of a challenge than I bargained on... I am bruised and battered and slightly frustrated with the delay of healing and repairs... I still have so much to learn... but I have no doubt that in the long run - that first real ride out on the highway all on my own will prove worth all the fuss and bother. I'm counting on it...

There are no shortcuts to any place worth going.
-- Beverly Sills

Broken Harley

August 1, 2008
Fort Collins, CO