Tag Archives: Women Riders

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Home!

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Hello from the very rainy Commonwealth of Virginia!

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I’m back from vacation, during which I saw very little sun, but had a wonderful time!  Luckily, I only rode in about 6 hours of rain, 2 of which were the final hours before arriving home.  If you were to visit me right now, you would see drying bike gear everywhere!

I’m anxious to catch up with your blogs and plan to visit within the next 24 hours!  And of course, soon I’ll be sharing photos and notes from my travels.  I’ll hope that some of our rain pushes west in order to provide relief to the draught stricken!

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300 Miles for A Cold One

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The text came in on Saturday night. “Meeting at 9am for a ride to Devils Backbone Brewery.  It’ll be an all dayer”

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It was indeed an all dayer, with enough stops along the way to see the big perspective …

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… and the small.

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While the ride is the reason, this day’s destination was pretty great.

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Devils Backbone Brewery, established in 2008, is an award winning craft brewpub in Virginia.  There’s nothing like pulling up, all hot and dusty, knowing that inside awaits a cold beer and a delicious plate of Fish and Chips.

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Quite simply, a wonderful day … on and off the bike!

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If you’re in the area, be sure to stop in.  Joe, that means you, too! It’s well worth the visit.

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It’s a Mystery

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Sometimes all I need is a short ride to clear the brain and lift the spirits.  That’s surely no mystery.  The mystery comes at the end of this post.  Keep on scrolling down, my friends!

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I walk in the door, drop the purse, lunch bag, and lap top.  Grab the helmet, wallet, and camera, and hit the road.

I typically choose back roads for the scenery, the farms and barns, and the old houses.  Yesterday I also added a 20 minute run along a highway.  Ahhhh …. the famed wind in the face therapy.

So where’s the mystery?

I stopped to photograph this decrepit home at the intersection of two country roads.

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As I wandered around the house, I specifically thought of Mike from Mike’s Look at Life.   How would he portray this house?

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Mike has a skill with B&W that I do not have and he might have presented the image differently.  But I share it this way for a reason.  Look what is revealed when I put the image back into color.

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A bright shiny door knob and a new propane tank.  Hmmm … what do you think goes on in this old place?

(Be sure to check out Mike’s blog … for the photography AND for the comment section!)

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Join Me on a Little Local Ride

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One of the challenges for any weekend is to somehow get all the chores on the “to do” list done, yet still find time to play.  By 3pm this past Sunday, I’d accomplished enough to be able to head out for a little local ride.  Luckily for me, local riding often means country roads, fields, lakes, and historic communities.

Dry Valley

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Claytor Lake is a reservoir of The New River, created when a hydroelectric dam was built in 1939.  I stopped for a water break and the chance to watch the geese and ducks.  It was a perfect afternoon to ride, but the bright sun made for challenging photography.

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Yes! That is a lighthouse! On the lake 🙂

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Soon it was time to ride on down to the end of the road.

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I’ve photographed this slowly decaying barn from many angles … it’s a beauty.

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From there, I rode through the community of Newbern, listed on the National Register of Historic Places.  I’ve ridden through the Newbern Historic District many, many times but somehow had missed these two structures.

The Old County Jail and site of the First Courthouse of Pulaski County

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The original reservoir for the Newbern Waterworks

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A little beauty, a little history, a little photography … all seen from the bike. Not a bad way to spend a few hours.

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Life on the Bike!

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Those of you who are new to my blog may wonder where the bike of Life on the Bike is.  Rest assurred that the original reason for the blog is back and after being sidelined for 8 months, so are my days riding!  I’ve had the bike just 3 weeks and I’ve ridden as many miles as I can squeeze into my schedule.  My first ride was with my friend Juli who took me to the dealership to pick up my beautiful new bike.

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My second ride was with my friends Dave and Michael, the two guys who taught me most of what I know about riding.  I wrote about them here almost 2 years ago.

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The other night, seeing that a storm was brewing, and thinking that the evening light might make for great photos, I headed out on the bike.  It felt great to feel the wind in my face (even with my new full face helmet).

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 I took off down a dirt road, near the train tracks, and proceeded to happily shoot the surrounding farmland.

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I couldn’t decide which of these I preferred.  What do you think?

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It was a lovely evening and the storm held off long enough for me to play a little longer.

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Even the structure of the new bridge appealed to me that evening.

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More riding photos soon!!!

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Done!

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This post was privately published April 17th

The day was predicted to be beautiful and at almost 6 months out, the time seemed to be right.  Physical and emotional recovery are not yet done.  Several procedures are in the future and the tears still flow occaisionally during anxious moments.

But the time seemed right and I NEEDED to see if I could do it.

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My friend Ruth went to the HD store with me.  The folks who work at the store have all become friends and each and every one asked how my recovery was going.  Jay arranged to have the bike brought in from another location and put it behind the store so I could make my first attempt at riding in private.

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I took one look at the bike and felt the tears come, something that happens all too often these days.  I wiped my eyes, sat on the bike, and hit the start button.  After a few deep breaths and I was off.

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It just felt right!  When the time is right, I’ll be riding again!

For the observant out there: I have promised to wear a full face helmet and I will keep that promise.  This helmet is a loaner.  Also, the photo was taken in a parking lot, hence the fist pump.

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Women Riders

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A friend of mine was the focus of a Women Riders segment produced by one of our regional television stations.  Missy and her husband own an indepedent motorcycle shop, and Missy, who has been riding for years, invited several women to come ride with her and help put the spotlight on women who ride.

It’s been 6 months since my wreck and unfortunately, I am still a rider without a bike (although not for much longer!).

Thankfully, I was able to indulge in another passion of mine.

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I’ll be posting more photos soon, but meanwhile remember this:

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The First Glimpse

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This was my first glimpse of the Smoky Mountains in Tennessee.  After a chilly, 4 hour ride, I was so excited to be getting close, I just had to pull over alongside the highway and stare.

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This is also my first real glimpse of the photos from that fateful ride.  I look forward to the weekend and an opportunity to spend more time reviewing and editing the images.

After the weekend: my first oral surgery!!

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Training For the Ride!

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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!

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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!

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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.

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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.

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