Hello, I'm back from the dead. I mean, grad school.
Now that I'm done with that two-year adventure, I can return to posting regularly again here on Two-Wheeled Tourist. Obviously, a lot has happened between then and now, and many of my long-time projects, including this one, had to fall by the wayside to ensure my success in school as well as my personal sanity in the process.
So I'll start my return to blogging with this side project. Three Women On Wheels® members from three different parts of the United States coming together in Los Angeles, CA. Thirteen hours as tourists. What could possibly happen? Enjoy.
**This series of posts recap my two-week trip to Billings, MT and back from July 1-16, 2013. For the entire list of my featured rides, click here.**
Stick a fork in me, I'm done.
Pretty much wiped after the last few days of running with my hair on fire (for a good cause, might I add) I slept in a bit and took my time leaving the hotel, saying goodbye to the friends and fellow riders who didn't leave at the crack of dawn to return home. That actually worked out quite well because, frankly, I didn't have much of a plan in place on my return route back. My strategy was more of the "keep heading east until Ohio shows up." Not a bad plan, but it wouldn't have been as fun as tagging along with my friend Rebecca for a few miles. Okay, fine...more like 1200 miles.
It turns out that she needed to return home to Massachusetts by Tuesday for work and was heading in the same direction as me. She also likes scenic roads and was cool with splitting costs on a hotel room for the night, so it was very much a win-win situation for both of us.
We headed out of Billings around 11AM and headed to the Beartooth Highway with the plan to connect to the Chief Joseph Scenic Byway. As soon as we made it out of civilization, that's when the fun really started.
That's a different Columbus, but eastbound is the general direction I'm heading.
Continuing on with the new motorcycle tour from the Cleveland International Motorcycle Show, I ride a sped-up Ferris wheel. So here's the view from up there. Whee!
After that, it was a quick scoot over to Triumph for a few of their newer bikes. I have to say, they all look nice in blue.
2013 Triumph Tiger Explorer: I have a feeling that an adventure bike might be in my future, especially after playing around with the Explorer's smaller cousin, the Tiger 800. This bike is a potential contender. I would like to ride this back-to-back with a Yamaha Super Tenere to see where they both stand.
This display unit is loaded with several options including auxiliary driving lights, engine case guards, and a skid plate.
Closeup of the front cockpit. No frills but a nice, straight handlebar for attaching those extra accessories.
With headlights like these, there is no excuse why someone couldn't see you on the road. Extra points for the aluminum protective housings on the auxiliary lights.
The other piece of eye candy parked next to the Tiger Explorer was the all-new 2013 Triumph Trophy SE. Although the name is a familiar one to many a Triumph fan, this new take on a sport touring bike is definitely a head-turner. With the large, wind-deflecting fairing, spacious saddlebags, electronic cruise control, and audio system, and a 1215cc triple-cylinder engine, this bike sprints ahead of the competition as a formidable alternative to the BMW R1200RT. I'd like to test ride this, but I might make Eleanor jealous!
And lastly, here is me and Cris doing some research on the proper seating position of a carousel horse. Who says that you can't fun on "official" business? This isn't the first time we've done strange things...remember that time in St. Louis?
Last weekend, I had the rare opportunity to join the inaugural organizing committee of the Women's Coalition of Motorcyclists. This coalition is made up of several women representing multiple female and co-ed motorcycling clubs and organizations. Along with my Women On Wheels® president, Cris Baldwin, we spent most of the weekend assembling the framework for what we hope to be a unifying group that will promote women and motorcycling in all aspects of the sport. I hope to share a bit more about this organization in a future blog post as we solidify the structure of this long-term project.
With that being said, one of our assignments was to head to the International Motorcycle Show at the I-X Center in Cleveland to scout possible leads and sponsors for our cause. After perusing the floor and realizing that majority of the booths were mostly the typical "leather and spikes" stands that you'd see at any floor, I turned my attention to the motorcycles. So here are some of the interesting finds that will make their way to the dealership floor, if they haven't already.
2013 BMW C650 GT: BMW's first foray into the maxi-scooter category still possesses many of the amenities of its larger tourers. Engine is designed by Kymco in a surprising partnership. Also available in a C600 version.
Until the snow thaws and I have time again, I'm trading the two wheels for a set of wings. Next stop this week is Monroe, LA, the site of the 2014 28th Women On Wheels® International Ride-In for a "workcation" with my fellow members of the WOW Board of Trustees. Along with some quick sightseeing, we'll be sitting down and working on quite a bit of organization-related businesses, as it has been for me for the last two years.
This will be my first foray into the Bayou State, and with Monroe being in the northern portion of the state I won't be anywhere near the craziness of New Orleans. So no, I will not expose my chest area to get beads. Besides, Fat Tuesday's not for another month anyway.
Pics coming soon, but while you wait, here's the brief introduction I made for the next-to-upcoming Ride-In in July 2014. Curious about this group of women I work and ride with? Visit the website at http://www.womenonwheels.org
I do apologize for the slight online absence as of late. Long story short, there's been a lot of craziness and stress to go around in my part of the universe (to say the least), and it only took a freak severe thunderstorm to knock out power at work, send me home early, and then have me camp at Barnes and Noble because I've now joined the hundreds of thousands of Ohio residents who don't have power at their homes for the next few hours. Free Wi-Fi is a wonderful thing when you have a laptop and will travel!
With that being said, the end of June heralds an event that I always look forward to (and have written about many times over the years): the Women On Wheels® International Ride-In. This year's in Greenville, SC, less than 500 miles from Columbus, OH. And for the first time in a couple years, Matt gets to join me on this vacation!
As tradition would call it on my blogs, if I don't get enough time to write about the happenings about the trip, I will, at the minimum, reveal the projected ride there. This year, Mann and I will take advantage of a few extra days off off work and attempt to fulfill a personal goal of mine that has been several years in the making: ride through all 48 continental states on Eleanor, the still very functional, high-mileage Yamaha FJR1300AWC.
As of today, I have crossed 43 of them, and the remaining five all happen to be in the SE corner: Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, and Georgia. So, to cross into all of these states, we're proposing a approximately 900 mile detour, or rather, the "long way" to Greenville, SC.
As for the straight-forward way to Greenville, it's something I've done before. In fact, I've ridden to Spartanburg, SC (about 40 miles away) for a long distance lunch and to complete my first, documented Iron Butt SaddleSore 1000 in 2010.
Here's the proposed map of the journey. We're looking at two, 550-650 mile days and a quick 300 mile jaunt into South Carolina.
It's been a rough couple weeks for me at the motorcycle store so I'm going to rant now.
I'm not a fan of being snubbed or ignored while trying to provide customer service on a sales floor. Despite my background in long-distance riding and my knowledge of many a model of motorcycle, it is usually the tendency for quite a number people who walk in to automatically gravitate toward the first male employee they see, regardless if I am the closet person in proximity to them. In ironic fashion, I find myself snubbed in subjects involving parts/accessories for sale, which is my main department. Of course, my co-workers will usually direct those questions back to me, but I wish I didn't have to depend on them to get the attention.
On average, it will usually take me about 1-2 minutes in a conversation (if I can keep their attention long enough) to convince a person that I actually know what I'm talking about. When the store's busy, that's time I really don't want to waste on establishing my credibility. There are times where I just don't even bother - if the boobs have a voice then there's a problem, right?
Sometimes to have a lot of fun, you gotta get a little dirty!
As part of the festivities of the Women On Wheels® 25th International Ride-In taking place in San Jose, CA last week, I had the opportunity with five other WOW members to take the ATV Safety Class ran by the California State Parks Off-Highway Motor Vehicle Recreation Division. It was held at the Hollister Hills SVRA (State Vehicular Recreational Area). Learning curriculum and material provided was from the ATV Safety Institute.
April 1 of every year is the beginning of the seven-month Women On Wheels® Annual Mileage Contest that goes until October 31. This is the first year that it's been posted on WOW's Facebook site, and after reading up on several responses, I decided to contribute to the list. I think Eleanor's a little bit out of place in this conversation, especially since she's earned awards from WOW for high mileage in 2009 and 2011 for our exploits together. That's what she gets for being my two-wheeled car. Here's to more miles this year!
Last month I had a visitor with me who followed me wherever me and my motorcycle traveled. Her name is Josey (a loose translation of San Jose), and she's a sea lion. She's also the 2011 Women On Wheels ® Ride-In Ambassador for next year's event in San Jose, CA. I first met her in Stratton, VT during this year's Ride-In as she was introduced during the closing ceremonies.
The Buckeye State Lady Riders received the honor of being the first shipping recipient of Josey. In the two and a half weeks she was with the chapter, she accomplished the following:
- 2430 miles on a motorcycle
- 1 Iron Butt SaddleSore 1000 from Columbus, OH to Spartanburg, SC and back covering seven states (OH, KY, TN, NC, SC, VT, WV)
- trips all over Columbus and the surrounding area
- visited the Columbus Zoo, Dublin and Easton Chiller Rinks, the Longaberger Basket, Motohio European Motorbikes, and the AMA Museum and Hall of Fame to name a few
- attended an MSF Beginner Riders Course
- visited ALL five WOW Ohio chapters (Buckeye State Lady Riders, Dayton Wright Lady Riders, Queen City Lady Riders, Ohio River Valley Vixens, and the Cleveland Rumble Pack)
So what's the deal with this traveling stuffed animal? For those new to the Ride-In Ambassador, here's a little explanation:
Every WOW Ride-In has a Ride-In Ambassador (RIA) that travels the country visiting chapters all over the United States. Chapters place their requests for the RIA after that year's Ride-In and a schedule is set up for its stopovers. Over the years, WOW RIAs (and the WOW members that accompany it) have ended up in the most interesting places, and photos taken with it are shown at the following year's Ride-In. The RIA changes every year to reflect the uniqueness of the area where the Ride-In will be held. For example, 2009's RIA was a steer (Kerville, TX) and 2010's RIA was a jersey cow (Stratton, VT). Since WOW's headed to the West Coast (San Jose, CA) in 2011, she's a sea lion.
To commemorate her trip through Ohio and a few surrounding states, I made this slideshow with some of the best photos of her stops here and there. Josey will eventually make her way back to San Jose, CA just in time for the festivities on July 5-7, 2011. Thanks, Josey, for hanging out with us in the Buckeye State!
This slideshow is dedicated in memory of Diana Thornton, our fallen BSLR founding member (and long-time San Jose, CA resident) who passed away on August 15, 2010 after a courageous battle with cancer. Josey poses with Diana's husband of 50 years, Scott, their two sons, her best friend, and grandson in the second to last photo. The slideshow closes with Josey sitting on her 2009 Honda Shadow Aero 750. Diana, you will be dearly missed...ride on, and "take the long way home."
July's coming up again, and for me and a few hundred other ladies of Women On Wheels®, that means the annual migration to this year's venue for the WOW International Ride-In. For 2010, it's in Stratton, VT. This year, the distance and conditions are in my favor because moving to Columbus has put me less than 700 miles from the event, a stark contrast from the 1300 miles (direct) through the desert and into Kerrville, TX for last year's Ride-In.
Of course, in Christine fashion, those Google Maps-based numbers are somewhat meaningless because in my world there is no such thing as a "straight route" back and home, even on a crunched schedule. When on the open road with the bike, there's always a little bit of latitude to add more miles and more scenery in between. Since this is my 4th Ride-In that I will be attending, I'll summarize the routes I've traveled to get to each one.
2007 (Springfield, MO): My first Ride-In was on a whim. A fellow member from the LA Iron Angels decided to ride there and I, along with my brand new FJR1300, took off and turned it into the first (and still craziest) long distance roundabout way home. You can read about the whole adventure here.
2008 (Boyne, MI): This is the only Ride-In (and hopefully the last) that I had to arrive in by car. With crunched time and a short budget, Matt (my boyfriend at the time and freshly recruited WOW Support Member) and I flew to his mom's house in Columbus and borrowed the car to drive to Boyne for the second day of festivities. We had a fun time testing out BMW bikes and bumping into familiar faces, but I was also there on a mission: to return Frieda's the Frog's travel journal. That summary is here.
2009 (Kerrville, TX): The Ride-In to Texas marked my return to Columbus and final one as a tourist. With a lot more time (losing your teaching job can do that to you) and some free lodging on the way courtesy of the future mother-in-law, this ride was the most extended distance adventure I have done to date. This also marked my first unofficial Iron Butt with a straight shot home from Roswell, NM to LAX totaling 1,004 miles. Not as much time to write about it as I was used to, but this was the first experiment at using Facebook for blogging, as shown here.
Now with over 86,000 miles on my FJR1300 and still many more to follow, I'm on a quest to seek more paved roads to ride. So now for this summer's journey, two goals I will accomplish will be riding through every single state in the northeast United States and reaching the East Coast on two wheels. The fun part? I have exactly one week to complete everything. Here is the tentative itinerary. Yahoo.
Sunday (7/4): Ride straight to Albany, NY.
Monday (7/5): Ride from Albany, NY toward Stratton, VT by way of Providence, RI, Boston, MA, and Kittery, ME, entering VT by way of NH.
Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday (7/6-7/8): Ride-In time!
Friday (7/9): Ride to Freehold, NJ by way of New Haven, CT and travel via bus to NYC to hang out with a friend.
Saturday (7/10): Straight shot back to Columbus by way of Baltimore, MD, crossing Delaware in the process.
Harley-Davidson has named March as "National Garage Party Month" in which numerous dealerships across the country host a women-only evening event filled with seminars and opportunities to network with other ladies that share an enthusiasm for motorcycles and riding. I, along with three other members of my Women On Wheels® chapter, met up to see what this event was all about.
I was one of a handful of riders to brave the 55°F weather (yeah, it was "that" cold) and take the FJR on down to Centennial H-D in Pataskala (just outside of Columbus) to join about 100 or so other women to socialize, learn about the Harley motorcycle lineup, and take home safety tips such as picking up a fallen motorcycle. The event was very well organized, with free food and drinks provided by the dealership. The event opened with a social time in which we had to meet other ladies by matching pictures of various H-D bikes with another person holding an identical image. After that, we all gathered in the main showroom for a small introduction and then split up into three separate groups to partake in three various workshops. Here was the breakdown of the workshops.
Workshop 1: Harley-Davidson bike customization for fit and style. Speakers went over various options women riders have in terms of fitment (i.e. seats and suspension) and accessories for aesthetics and comfort.
Workshop 2: Introducing the Harley-Davidson bike line. Speakers went through a rundown of H-D's bike lines from the Sportster to the touring series. Guests were then able to break into groups and sit on various models. I was mostly interested in the V-Rod Muscle bike and the XR1200; more so on the former because I've already test ridden the XR.
Workshop 3: How to pick up a fallen bike. Speakers played a DVD demonstrating how to pick up a fallen motorcycle by yourself. The technique was then demonstrated live and several women tried it themselves. This was probably the most useful workshop of the evening. I hope I never have to use the technique, but at least I have an idea on how to use it.
Overall, the evening was a great success and very enjoyable. I wish other motorcycle makers would make an attempt to reach out to women riders as H-D has with their Garage Party campaign. I truly believe that social events such as this increase brand loyalty and sales in the product. But as a female, I'd like to take a potential woman rider to a Garage Party just to show her that yes, you're not crazy; there are other ladies who are interested in motorcycles just like you.
