OOPS!

April 17, 2009
Fort Collins, CO

Wichita Falls, TX -- I was so involved posting a picture of Dad getting ready for the Tea Party in Wichita Falls on the 15th - I forgot to mention the new sissy bar and luggage rack he installed on the Dyna just a few days ago. Kool huh? They look great with the lines of the bike. The new accessories are an early birthday present from Mom. Having been properly chastised by Mom for the omission... I am posting the pic posthaste! Thanks Mom for keeping all of us in line and grounded in reality... what would we do without you?

A girl's got to have her standards

April 17, 2009
Fort Collins, CO

It's a snowy day in northern Colorado. We are getting hammered with a late Spring snow storm... again... no riding for a couple of days so as we suffer from PMS, we are hanging out by the fire, surfing the internet and swapping emails with, well... anyone who is out there. LOL! Tim was sort of bummed earlier as he learned that Thunder Mountain has canceled the Bikini Bike Wash scheduled for tomorrow. Ha! I received the following joke from the folks this morning. Before you read it, you should know if you don't ride a Harley we won't hold that against you. Actually, we don't care what you ride... but being Harley owners we found it amusing...

A little 10-year-old girl was walking home, alone, from school one day, when a big man on a black motorcycle pulls up beside her. After following along for a while, he turns to her and asks, "Hey there little girl, do you want to go for a ride?"

"NO!" says the little girl as she keeps on walking.

The motorcyclist again pulls up beside her and asks, "Hey little girl, I will give you $10 if you hop on the back."

"NO!" says the little girl as she hurries down the street.

The motorcyclist pulls up beside the little girl again and says, "Okay kid, my last offer!

I'll give you 20 Bucks "and" a Big Bag of Candy if you will just hop on the back of my bike and we will go for a ride."

Finally, the little girl stops and turns towards him and screams Out... "Look Dad" "You're the one who bought the Honda instead of the Harley"! "YOU RIDE IT!"

The Ride Goes to a Tea Party

April 15, 2009
Fort Collins, CO

When you saddle up on a Harley - destination Tea Party is not what springs immediately to mind. But that's where The Ride brought Tim earlier today. He joined me at the park where the Fort Collins Tax Day Tea Party was held. We met many like-minded people today, including several bikers. About 2500 attended our local Tea Party, from all walks of life and all age groups. It was a good day to be an American. But... aren't they all?

Wichita Falls, TX -- This is Dad (Ted) getting ready to attend the Tax Day Tea Party in my hometown. He and Kenny were among five to six hundred patriots on the court house lawn of Wichita Falls, Texas. Of course, they rode to the festivities on their Made in the USA Harleys. Says Kenny: Went with GIF's hubby to tea party today didn't get no tea but got apple cobbler and ice cream later mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm If patriotism were the disease that some folks think it is -- well, I reckon this [good ol' Dad] is where I got it.

Gray Tuesday Ride

April 14, 2009
Fort Collins, CO

We had blue skies early, but they were fast receding as we rolled out the Harley for the BTGTW ride. This morning we had a mini-mission, locate the park where folks attending the Tax Day Tea Party in Fort Collins tomorrow will gather and organize.

After that, we rode north to Ted's Place and down a couple of new country roads on the way back.

BTGTW ride = before Tim goes to work ride

Monday After No Easter Ride

April 13, 2009
Fort Collins, CO

Finally! Blue skies! Some sun! Warmer temps!

Our before-Tim-goes-to-work-ride took us over the dam of course, down into LaPorte where we stopped for fuel at Vern's. We rode a wide birth around Fort Collins on the semi-rural roads that criss-cross the area. We rode as far and for as long as we dared before heading back to reality. While temps were still in the sixties, the riding conditions were darn near perfect and neither one of us wanted to call it a day.

We startled a small herd of white-tail deer on the dam part of the ride.


And from a high vantage point on the east side of town, we could see the Rockies got a nice new blanket of snow overnight - we were just up there, Saturday.


We did not get an Easter ride in this year. The weather was just too cool and unsettled. We did drive the Peak-to-Peak highway and know from the looks of it that while Ol' Man Winter is still in residence, he will clear out before long. And, I think we will not be sorry to see him go this year.

Bunny Day Greetings...

April 12, 2009
Fort Collins, CO

With any luck... Mother Nature will cooperate today and we will be somewhere... anywhere but in the house sitting at a desk... running down a great road... shaking off cabin fever... clearing our heads...

May you find fair skies and clear roads wherever you choose to ride today...


Click for larger view...

Good Friday Ride

April 10, 2009
Fort Collins, CO

What's this? What's this? Today was supposed to be warm and clear according to the knucklehead weather people! We finally hit 50 degrees long about 1 pm - not really warm - not really the weather we were hoping for, but better than it looks for the rest of the weekend. It wasn't the Good Friday ride we were hoping for either as we thought to ride much further afield than our general area. We rode to Lyons, stopped in the park as usual to warm up and stretch our legs. After that, we attempted the run to Boulder, but turned around when we rounded a hillside and saw a snow squall coming over the ridge. We ambled our way back to Fort Collins, criss-crossing country roads until we declared it to be officially beer-thirty. We stopped for said beer and called it a day.

First April Ride

April 7, 2009
Fort Collins, CO

It was only a short before-Tim-goes-to-work ride, but it was great to get out of the house and go somewhere even if it was only over to Loveland, around the south end of Horsetooth Reservoir and back. It was also a let's see what the roads look like ride as well. Parts south and west of Fort Collins received over a foot of snow last weekend. There are still a few drifts along the roadsides and up in the hills and draws, but the sun and wind are doing a good job of melting it off and there wasn't too much gravel on the road. However, we cut the dam ride short because the wind was howling.

The forecast for Easter weekend is iffy at best - maybe rain, maybe snow, maybe not... but that didn't keep us from planning a maybe this route, maybe that route and if all else fails -- just get on and ride anyway route... stay tuned...

Patriot Guard Riders Honor Medal of Honor Recipients

April 4, 2009
Fort Collins, CO

Gainesville, TX -- Ted (Dad) rode from Wichita Falls, TX with fellow Patriot Guard Members to a medal of Honor Celebration and parade in Ganesville, TX.

There are 98 Medal of Honor recipients living. I believe 24 of them were present at this celebration, one of which will reach the age of 100 in July 2009.

To see so many people, especially veterans like my Dad, riding with flags flying in honor of America's heroes is an awesome exhibition of true patriotism that makes me proud... of my Dad... of the Patriot Guard... of fellow bikers who show their patriotism and support of the military... of Americans who are not too busy or wrapped up in their own little world to spare a moment to remember how to be AMERICAN.

Great slide show of the parade:
04-01-2009 - http://www.flickr.com/photos/seannholly/sets/72157616194263759/

Eat Dessert First

April 3, 2009
Fort Collins, CO

So, what do bikers do if Winter is loitering outside the door and The Ride is parked indefinitely?

Well, you sit around with your coffee and the road atlas and dream of sunlight on chrome and days warm enough to ride without getting frost-bite. You live vicariously through friends vacationing in Arizona...

With that said, friends Linda and Claude from Ohio who just celebrated their 42nd wedding anniversary are vacationing in Sedona. They posted a couple of pics to their blog I just had to share. First of all Sedona is a beautiful area. I remember some of the places L&C have been from a Grand Canyon vacation with the folks when I was barely a teenager. They have dined at some kool places including Crusier's Cafe 66 (Williams, AZ) and the Haunted Hamburger (Jerome, AZ). Tim says no hamburger picture so the hamburger must be the ghost! They say the food is so good they did not have room for dessert so they took pictures of the desserts. Now, I'm thinking that's just wrong... course I do love dessert! Here's my advice, you are on vacation... what happens in Arizona - stays in Arizona. Live dangerously! When pies and cakes look like these I'm thinking I would EAT DESSERT FIRST!