Sunday picnic ride

March 25, 2012
Colorado, USA

It has been a long, hectic work week so when Tim rolled in from work today I had a little picnic lunch ready to go. We rolled out under partly cloudy skies. According to the guess man (aka the weather man) temps were supposed to rise near 80 degrees today. It did not get close to that in our neck of the woods. Still, we are grateful to ride in March at all.

We stopped at a small picnic area at the River Bluffs trail head. This is on a road where we often see eagles perched in trees along the roadside. The eagles did not put in an appearance today.

Vik - don't get too excited - it is only a couple of baloney sandwiches and chips - ha!

Tim - a little picnic ride is just the thing to do after a long, hectic work week.

After the picnic we rambled our way east to the little town of Hudson, CO where we grabbed a cup of coffee at the truck stop before rambling our way back home. We spent the rest of the evening on the patio with a couple of beers, visiting with our neighbor LeAnn who came bearing a perfect bereavement gift (movie, chocolate, six pack of Mike's) *grins*. It was after 8 pm before we finally called it a night and came in the house. We are still amazed we could sit on the patio after dark in northern Colorado in March! Today's ride was about 132 mind-clearing miles.

Smoky haze still obscuring the mountain view

Patriots Stand Honor Line for the mother of one of their own

March 25, 2012
Colorado, USA

Texas - Wednesday, March 21, 2012 - Our friends and family who are riders arrived via motorcycles and cages in Henrietta, Texas to honor the mother one of their own. About 15-17 Riders stood an honor line at the funeral of Sadie Davis (age 101), mother to Inez aka Nezzie, mother-in-law to Ted aka Frosty and grandmother to yours truly aka Vik.

Some of the riders served as honorary pall bearers while others stood by in silent respect. At the end of services Nezzie was presented with a condolence plaque which I know she will cherish always.

Our biker family was a welcome and calming presence at the visitation on the evening of the 20th. A beautiful spray of flowers emblazoned with a bright yellow ribbon arrived earlier in the day. Grandma was not a veteran but she was the proud sister to four brothers who served silmultaneously in WWII. Four beloved brothers who all returned home safely from that conflict. What a presence - a simple outpouring of care and concern and support for one of their own - Nezzie.

We humbly thank our biker family for such a thoughtful expression of sympathy and friendship in our time of sorrow.

Friends and biker family arrive at Grandma's funeral via motorcycle and cage

Standing the honor line for the mother of one of their own

Standing for Nezzie

Saturday Supper Ride

March 24, 2012
Colorado, USA

Tim just rolling in from work saying let's ride for supper

That worked for me - I was standing in the drive with my boots on anyway. So ride for supper we did. We rode for a few miles around the south end of Horsetooth Reservoir, through the small town of Masonville and west end of Loveland before we settled on Mexican food and a restaurant in the small town of Berthoud, CO a few miles south of here. We have been meaning to stop at Mi Cocina for a good while now and we are glad we did. It is a cozy spot, on Main Street (Mountain Ave) set up in an old house with patio dining, too. Today with the day waning and the wind up a bit - we chose to dine inside. The wait staff was friendly and efficient and the food arrived fast. Chips and Salsa were OK... We both ordered Chile Rellenos - crispy and smothered served with generous helpings of the traditional rice and refried beans. It has been a while since we have had a chili relleno this good - we will be returning again soon.

Chili Rellenos - Crispy and Smothered - Yum!

Horsetooth Reservoir

The rock formation known as "the tooth" at Horsetooth Reservoir

Rolling west toward Masonville it looks a little hazy. We would find out later the haze was actually smoke from a fire in Rist Canyon. After an abnormally mild winter, it is dry and windy - wildfire season is here.

Whirlwind ride

March 18, 2012
Colorado, USA

Work... work... work... kept us from getting out before mid-afternoon and wind... wind... wind... kept us from riding very long or very far. We logged about 101 miles looking for a road out of the breezes that about tore our heads off but as is typical in Colorado in springtime the winds changed direction about every 10 miles or so. When we had ridden enough like a couple of farts in a whirlwind we brought it on home and popped a top on a beer.

Herd of Elk feeding near the Devil's Backbone - Loveland, CO

Choppy waters on Horsetooth Reservoir

No green on this Saint Pat's Day Ride

March 17, 2012
Colorado, USA

We rolled out for a Saint Pat's Day ride after Tim rode in from work mostly to run a few errands. As usual, we took the long way between stops. Traveling around the eastern shore of a lake near Loveland, with winds out of the snow-capped west, well -- we darn near froze our butts off. We found not a smidge of green... nor a sign of Spring, but Happy Saint Pat's anyway.

Today's ride = 66 miles

Good fortune be with you on a ride today

March 17, 2012
Colorado, USA

Like the warmth of the sun
And the light of the day,
May the luck of the Irish
shine bright on your way.

HAPPY SAINT PAT'S!
CHEERS AND BEER TO YOU!

---

A Lame Irish Biker Joke

It was Paddy and Seamus giving the motorcycle a ride on a brisk autumn day. After a wee bit, Paddy who was sitt'n behind Seamus on the bike began to holler... "Seamus... Seamus... the wind is cutt'n me chest out!"

"Well, Paddy my lad," said Seamus, "why don't you take your jacket off and turn it from front to back ... that'll block the wind for you."

So Paddy took Seamus' advice and turned his jacket from front to back and got back on the bike and the two of them were off down the road again. After a bit, Seamus turned to talk to Paddy and was horrified to see that Paddy was not there. Seamus immediately turned the bike around and retraced their route. When after a short time he came to a turn and saw a bunch of farmers standing around Paddy who was sitting on the ground.

"T'anks be to heaven, is he alright?" Seamus hailed to the farmers.

"Well," said one of the farmers, " he was alright when we found him here .. but since we turned his head back to front .. he hasn't said a word!"

BTGTWR #1 for 2012

March 16, 2012
Colorado, USA

It was a Before Tim Goes To Work Ride aka a Dam ride for lunch. And it was denim jacket warm. Yippee! So over the dam we went to Vern's for a BLT and a Swiss n Mushroom Burger. Yum!

This beautiful ride is just our our back door...

And Vern's is one of our favorite watering holes...

We had wind and choppy waters on the return trip - where the heck did that come from...

Denim Jacket weather, blue skies, dam ride, and a harbinger of spring as we roll back in...

Riding to shake off the woolies

March 11, 2012
Colorado, USA

It was just a 125 mile ride to shake off the woolies (that stuff that gathers in the head and sits there until you have what a professor friend of mine calls a mental garage sale). Our woolies are usually the product of cabin fever. We had a couple of errands to run this afternoon so we simply took the long way around to get them done and get home. Mission accomplished. **grins**

We normally ride around frozen waters this time of year... but so far it has been unseasonably warm and that is not a complaint.

The Shadow Riders were with us most of the day... a welcome ride-along.

A Sunday afternoon ride

March 4, 2012
Colorado, USA

We rode for about an hour after Tim got in from his Saturday shift yesterday, but by the time we rolled out the winds had kicked up and clouds filtered the sun making the temperature break earlier than we would have it. It didn't matter though because we knew we would roll out today.

About noon-thirty we rolled out of the drive. The winds were high in some areas but we ducked behind a couple of ridges and got a great ride in just making a wide circle around the area, enjoying the sun on our faces and temps as warm as we have had them this year thus far. We rode north of the city as far as possible without committing to Wyoming, then east and south of the city rambling up and down the farm roads, finally rolling west taking the longest possible route home by way of Carter Lake. The lake road had drifts of sand on it in quite a few spots and the lake itself was really low.

We collected the first bugs of the season, a couple of honey bees that were still kicking when we stopped to stretch our winter legs and have a cup of thermos coffee.

Honey Bee hitchhiker - still kicking

The shadows were growing long and chilly by the time we pointed The Ride home so we saved the other lakes for another day. Today's ride = 154 miles. Sure feels good to be out and about. And we were not the only ones burning up the highway on two wheels... we didn't travel more than a mile without seeing another motorcycle - I am sure of it.

Shadow Riders

Carter Lake

The Windjammer (Carter Lake) had a decent collection of toys out front as we rode by

Texas: Sendoff

March 4, 2012
Colorado, USA

Dad aka Ted/Frosty rolling out on sendoff mission

Texas: Biker patriots gathered for a sendoff today today, riding escort from Windthorst to Bowie, Texas for Keaton Vietenheimer. This young man is on his way to Fort Hood where he will soon deploy to Afghanistan.

Good luck soldier and thank you for your service!

Update: About 37 bikes and over 50 patriots saw this soldier off - what a great turnout!