Variety

August 5, 2013 by LB

Everyone knows what it’s like to come home from vacation with a ton of digital images to sort through, delete, edit, and post. Well, add to that my ignorance with technology and getting photos from camera to tablet and back off tablet. Ah well … lessons learned (and still to be learned in terms of patience).

Part 1 of the 2013 Bike Trip involved a 550 mile ride to Urbanna, Virginia and back. It was a glorious 3 days on the Rappahannock River and on the Middle Peninsula. I’m home for 24 hours before heading back out. Lots to do, including figuring out that technology problem, before getting back on the bike early tomorrow morning. Can’t wait!

For now, know that I enjoyed …

Sunrises….

The beauty of the water …

The elements …

The wildlife …

A whole lot of fun with the GOAs (Girls of August; friends from grad school 20 years ago; this was taken with someone’s phone; I’m in the VT cap) …

And a little history on the way home … Appomattox, Virginia … the old jail house

Hope you enjoyed these! More to come!!

It’s All Good!

August 1, 2013 by LB

Waking up to thunder and lightning at 3am had me wondering if I’d be pulling out in a downpour. By the time I got up at 6am, the rain had stopped, and now that I’m ready to go, it looks like I’ll stay dry … for at least awhile.

I’ll be posting along the way. Thanks for your enthusiasm about the ride – I’d love to hear from you!!

(this is me on the old bike from the 2010 50th Birthday Ride)

WOOOOO HOOOOOO!!!!

Washed, Waxed, Ready!

July 29, 2013 by LB

One of the things on my pre-trip “to do” list was clean the bike. All those rides in the rain had left my motorcycle pretty much a mess. As yesterday afternoon headed toward a beautiful evening, I gathered the necessary supplies and headed outside. To be honest, I would have preferred to just ride, but there was work to be done!

I’ve never named a bike that I’ve owned, nor have I assigned a gender to one. That’s just not my thing.

Somehow though, “it” just doesn’t sound right for something this pretty!

I know you all may be getting tired of my pre-trip excitement, but I just can’t help it!!!

Now … if I could just figure out how to save photographs from my camera SD card to my borrowed Samsung Galaxy Tablet, I’d be a happy woman!

2 More Days!!

Ever Present

July 28, 2013 by LB

The everpresent rain

has challenged me in my trip preparation

to focus on the positives

of this constant moisture

3 More Days … Hoping for sun but will ride no matter what!

What is it About Water?

July 23, 2013 by LB

No matter where I am, if water is near by, I am in it!

Whether to swim, float, stick my feet in, walk over, or sit by.

Soothing, restoring, fulfilling, and just plan fun!

During my ride last weekend, I had the chance to walk over an old steel bridge, to play in a bubbling creek, and to get soaked in a short downpour. More bridge shots will come in a later post, but for now … enjoy the rejuvenation of water. I sure did!

9 Days ’til Vacation and the Annual Ride!!!

For the Love of the Ride

July 21, 2013 by LB

You ride in the heat and the cold; the sun and the rain.

But sometimes you pull over and wait out the storm.

All for the love of the ride.

Training For the Ride!

July 15, 2013 by LB

My friend Dave likes to tell me that it’s important to train for big summer rides. He’s joking of course (well, he’s sort of joking). Dave & Martha are heading out west this year, so they have a long and wonderful ride ahead of them. While they’ll be covering thousands of miles, I’ll be heading to Maryland and Delaware, for a total of only 1200 or so.

I’m so excited about my upcoming trip and I’ve been riding as often as time and clear skies permit. So many things about riding my motorcycle make me happy. The joy of the wind in my face, the thrill of the sweeps and curves of the road, the towns, historical sites, and people along the way, and absolutely, it’s the adventure. You just never know what gift the road will give you.

Two weeks ago, I took a short 80 mile ride through the back roads of Floyd and Montgomery Counties, and for a good 45 minutes I was worried that I’d run out of gas. By the time I came across a gas station that actually had gas to sell, I was down to my last 10th of a gallon. Phew! I have never been that close to running out of gas!

Then while outrunning the rain, I managed to end up on a road that had recently been flooded and provided some challenging riding. And all of this, my friend Michael always tells me, is part of the ride. I agree!

This past Sunday, a glorious day sans rain, found me riding through Pulaski and Montgomery Counties. I just could not keep myself from stopping to photograph the beautiful scenery.

And the reward at the end of the day (like the ride isn’t enough of a reward?) … a lovely single malt scotch on the deck over looking the river.

My new luggage rack came in the mail today and this year’s adventure begins in just 2 weeks!!

Southwest Virginia: Big Sky Country!

July 1, 2013 by LB

I know … you thought that Montana was Big Sky Country. Well, we’ve got a little bit of that going on right here in Southwest Virginia, too!

You pull the bike over to take a few shots and you fall in love with the close up …

and then you marvel at the colors of the various grasses in the field.

You look up and notice how beautiful the grasses look against the clouds …

And then it hits you … you are indeed in big sky country!

Hangin’ With the Big Dogs: A 500 Mile Weekend

June 26, 2013 by LB

I just LOVE the first long rides of the summer!

Those who truly love riding motorcycles, will ride all year long. Even on cold winter days, as long as the sun is shining. Winter rides are incredibly satisfying but they’re often shorter in duration, with far fewer miles covered. So when the warm weather arrives, the long riding begins, and there is nothing like it!

This past Saturday, during the middle of an early morning hair appointment, I got the call to ride. My two favorite bikers, Dave and Michael (My Guys) are great friends, awesome mentors, and have taught me so much about riding these past 5 years. They told me I had 10 minutes to be ready (I made it in 15) and off we went!

We rode 350 miles, through 8 counties, and on too many country roads to count.

This bridge was built in 1896 and was just closed to traffic this past year.

I’m told that this tower was used to measure river water levels.

It was a glorious day for riding!

Lunch at Devils Backbone Brewery offered much needed fuel for our bodies, and then we turned and headed for home.

We hit the Blue Ridge Parkway (BRP) and pulled back into Radford around 8pm that evening.

Sunday morning found us back on the bikes, this time joined by our good (and fun!) friends Cherie, Tim, Diana, and Jeff. Dave always leads the way and while I may not always know where we are headed, I am always confident that the ride will be a blast!

Total mileage today was 145 miles.

After a brief stop at Tuggles Gap, a restaurant and motel serving BRP customers for over 70 years, we took off in earnest.

Wide sweeping curves on the BRP and much tighter curves on Rt 8 in Floyd and Patrick Counties, eventually took us to Squirrel Spur.

Our final stop was the Kanawha Valley Arena. The arena “was formed in the interest of Equestrian Enthusiasts” and in addition to the professional arena, barn, and corrals, Kanawha has a Carriage House Museum and a Carriage House Saloon.

And a covered bridge!