BCN: The Big Nuts Blog

As a blogger, I pay some attention to the number of visitors that come to this site.  Biker Chick News started the year with just over 13,000 visitors in January, peaked at just over 20,000 in October (that’s a record!) and will end the year with about 18,300 in December.

Some of those folks, of course, check in regularly – either through Favorites bookmarked in their browsers or by subscribing to my RSS feed. I really do thank each of you who come to this site again and again!

One of the other things I can learn from my traffic reports is which words and phrases visitors typed into the search engines to get here. Because this blog is focused on motorcycling, the search terms normally aren’t too surprising – every month there are myriad variations on the ‘biker chick’ phrase, including “biker chicks,” “sturgis biker chicks,” etc.  As August approaches, I begin to see the phrases “Sturgis pics” and “Sturgis Bike rally” appear in my results. And, each month there are usually a few readers who got here having searched for “sportster ape hangers” – apparently that’s something that needs a little research before making a final decision!

There are sometimes unusual phrases too, phrases that have nothing overtly to do with motorcycling, but that happen to be reflected in something I’ve written. I always wonder what people think who come here having searched for “Alton Brown,” the Food Network host. But by far my favorite of the many search phrases that appeared in my traffic reports this year was this:

“Big Nuts.”

This phrase appeared not once, not twice, but several times over the course of the year, in several different months. I’m not sure if people were looking for guys with big nuts, or those fake big nuts you can hang from the back of your car, or what.  But I certainly know which article people find when they come here looking for “big nuts,” and since it’s one of my favorite rides, I’m okay with that!

Wrapping up another year – where the hell’d it go?

Well I can’t say I will be sorry to kiss this @#$ year good-bye! The Picky Bitch is put away in the new garage (which isn’t heated like the old one so Santa needs to bring me a battery tender…), and we just attended our local HOG chapter’s annual Christmas party. I wanted to mention a few things that deserved mention this year, but that I never got around to mentioning:

First, a few of the gals in our HOG club organized a really neat event this year – they put together a scavenger hunt, where you were supposed to ride to various towns in Iowa (based on clues), and figure out a “theme” that bound each of the towns together. Well turns out the theme was music, so you also had to tell what each town had to do with music. While I didn’t get to participate to the extent that I wanted to, it was still a great idea and a real challenge for those who did it – and a lot of work for the organizers. GREAT JOB!!

Also, our chapter’s sponsoring dealership, Big Barn Harley Davidson, had a neat ongoing project this summer – it’s an idea similar to one I had a few years ago, and never put together. I called it a World Tour – there are several towns in Iowa that have the same names as famous Places: Jamaica, Peru, Orient, etc. Well the dealership put together a little passport booklet and the idea was for you to ride to each of these towns and snap a photo with your bike against the backdrop of a welcome sign or other town marker. We were able to do a few of these, and although those days seem really far away now (heck they were back in May!! LOL), they were absolutely the best days of this past summer. We rode with some awesome folks, including new friends Nate & Kate and Austin & Shannon. 

We also had a nice ride to Pella back in May (li’l windy, right Garry??), and of course the Toy Run closed the season for us.

Needless to say, riding took a backseat to flooding… and then moving… in 2008, so we are definitely looking forward to trying again in 2009!

More soon… for now, here’s wishing you all a warm, happy and beautiful Christmas, and a safe, healthy and prosperous new year!

Harley-Davidson Announces National Film Contest Winner

Victoria Sampson of Shadow Hills, Calif. was selected as the Grand Prize Winner in Harley Davidson’s Bikes, Camera, Action! film contest. Here’s her winning entry (if embed doesn’t work, check out the YouTube wide-screen version):

Ms. Sampson was honored at the premiere party for her film, Her Need for Speed, which took place December 11 in Los Angeles. An HD spokesperson said her film stood out for the quality and creativity of the content as well as the success she had in capturing the empowerment inherent to women riders.

In addition to the premiere party, Sampson received $5,000 in cash, a new High Definition video camera and a Harley-Davidson leather jacket. Already a rider, Sampson will also have the opportunity to fine tune her riding skills with a gift certificate for a 5-day bike rental through Harley-Davidson’s Authorized Rentals.

“We know there are thousands of women dreaming of hitting the open road,” said the emcee of the evening, Karen Davidson, great-granddaughter of one of the Harley-Davidson founders. “The Bikes, Camera, Action! films captured the powerful visual of women embracing their independence and we hope they will inspire those still dreaming to take life by the handlebars.”

Melissa Kosar of Orange, Calif. and Marta Masferrer of New York City were selected as First Prize Winners, each receiving $1,500 to use toward their next project, a Harley-Davidson leather jacket and the opportunity to learn to ride through Rider’s Edge(R), Harley-Davidson’s rider training program.

Dozens of female film makers answered the contest’s challenge, to create original short films that capture the freedom and control that riding offers women. The three prize-winning films can be viewed at http://www.facebook.com/harley-davidson.

Yes, I’m alive and kicking…

…and I wish you the warmest, loveliest Thanksgiving!

Ride for the Cure: A blast-and-a-half for a great cause

Hey Biker Chicks, have you had your mammogram yet? October, as you know, is Breast Cancer Awareness month, and every woman over 40 should have this annual exam. Mine came back normal, but there are two women in my life who have either survived it, or are currently battling it. It’s a concern for every woman, regardless of age, family history or background.

One of the largest benefits this year (if not THE largest) was Ride for the Cure, benefitting breast cancer research. Ride for the Cure was held October 4 and in Iowa it consisted of several ride routes all converging on the Iowa Speedway in Newton, where thousands of riders gathered and got to blast around the track. The Des Moines group took off from Big Barn HD; Carole, aka Pinky, attended and shared TONS of photos. Here’s what she told me:

Hey, Janet, I just wanted to let you know that the first annual Ride for the Cure was a tremendous success!  As soon as the final totals come in I will let you know what was raised but as for turnout there were 1200 registrants at the Newton Speedway alone!  A group of 330 bikes left Big Barn Harley Davidson being escorted by the Sheriff’s department to Newton.  Other riders left from other dealerships across the state to meet us there.  When we arrived at the speedway everyone had the opportunity to ride around the lap which was invigorating to say the least!  I wasn’t able to make the pitstop to the winery but heard it was really great too.  Everyone converged at the Val Air ballroom for the big nightcap with a great dinner, silent auction, live auction, and a live band which rocked!  I encourage everyone to plan on registering for next year’s event which will be bigger and better (if that is possible)!!

The photo above and this Flickr album tell the whole story – if you have pictures or stories to share from this ride, please hit the “Comments” link and tell us about it!

 

Final opp to support ABATE 2008 Toy Run, this Sunday 10/19!

Well this was a good week, because I learned something! In my previous post about the 2008 ABATE District 4 Toy Run, I said that the event was a benefit for the Toys for Tots Program. That’s actually incorrect. Here’s the real scoop, and an opportunity in case you missed the run this year:

Laura from ABATE District 4 tells me that although the event in the past has donated the toys to Toys for Tots, these days the group sorts and distrubutes the toys themselves for needy families throughout Polk, Dallas and Warren Counties. And that’s the opportunity – ABATE District 4 will meet this Sunday, October 19, at the Waveland Fairgrounds Cafe, 304 E. 30th in Des Moines, at 2 p.m. and will be able to collect toys at that time if you would still like to donate.  Thanks, Laura, for the corrected info!

 

Toy Run 2008

Well as you know it has been a long and difficult summer for this biker chick – but, we did make sure to take part in the 2008 Toys for Tots Toy Run sponsored by ABATE District 4 here in Des Moines. The ride was held October 12.

Last year, cold/rainy weather kept a lot of folks away from this event – but this year, it was a beautiful if slightly overcast Sunday. I keep saying I’m not a good judge when it comes to estimating crowds, but there HAD to be 2,000 bikes at this thing. At one point when the group was traveling down E. 14th St., there were three entire columns – two in the left lane and one in the right – as far ahead and behind me as I could see.

We traveled from the State Capitol down E. 14th to Army Post Road, then simply turned into the Eagles Lodge just south of Army Post. It was an easy ride – the hardest part is always at the beginning, when the entire group leaves the Capitol and tries to get into formation.

The neatest thing about the ride, other than the sheer size of it, is that it’s escorted by the Des Moines Police Department – they block every stoplight intersection along the route to allow the column to remain intact for the duration of the ride. And of course, the donation of a toy to the Toys for Tots program created by the US Marine Corps makes you feel like you’re riding for a good reason.

As for me, it was great to be out on the bike again. This wasn’t the kind of cruise that clears your head – too big a crowd for that – but it was great to meet up with folks we hadn’t seen for most of the summer. Our daughter even went along for the ride, and she’s almost 15 – much too cool to be hanging out with her parents, so we were honored that she joined us!

What I’ve been up to…

Summer has mostly passed – hubby and I did take a brief ride up to Ames last weekend (lunch at Hickory Park – YAY!!)… but that has been about it for bike stuff. On the housing front, we are ALMOST at the end of our flood journey. This week we received the proceeds from the sale of our house and we are getting ready to close on the purchase of our new home. I hope we will be moved in within two weeks, and then this long horrible odyssey will be over. And, I recently headed down to Lasting Impressions, where Laura created this absolutely perfect peacock tattoo using just some pictures I had printed out for inspiration. I obviously still need to finish it up… I got through 2-1/2 hours’ worth of work on the tail, then the ol’ adrenaline ran out and I couldn’t stand it anymore. I will be going back to finish up in a week or so.

More soon… I sure hope there is something bike-related to talk about soon!

 

Sturgis news: be part of an historic photo shoot

Canadian photographer Edward Burtynsky is attempting to capture the spirit of the Sturgis Rally by shooting a large-scale photo that shows bikes and riders lined up and down along the entire length of Main Street. 

Burtynsky is known world-wide for his photos depicting natural landscapes changed by industry – quarries, urban mines, housing developments, and railroads have all been subjects in his photos.

The Sturgis photo will be used as the cover of a forthcoming book of his work that will focus on oil as a natural resource, an industry, and a social and cultural “force” that fuels our modern lifestyle. The image is intended to show the celebratory spirit of people with a common bond – in this case motorcycles – that is affected by the availability of oil and the industries that have grown up around its use. (The photo above is part of the same forthcoming book and depicts the Trucker’s Jamboree at Walcott, Iowa in 2003. Click the picture for a larger view.)

If you’re headed to Sturgis and want to be in the Main Street shot, staging begins on the street at 5 p.m. on Tuesday, August 5.

Ooo, right there, right there… right, no wait… yes, right… oh just give me the @#$ thing! National Orgasm Day is July 31

I just could not pass this up – a new study of British women has shown that 46 percent of them rarely have orgasms. This sad news is sure to put a damper on worldwide celebrations of National Orgasm Day, coming up July 31.

Fortunately for me, I own a pre-2004, non-rubber-mounted Sportster so I do not have this problem.

In reading about the study, however, I was surprised to learn that we’ve all probably been doing our Kegel exercises wrong – unless we learned them personally from Dr. Arnold Kegel.  These exercises actually serve two purposes: they help relieve stress incontinence (if you pee when you laugh or cough, do your Kegels), and they help women achieve vaginal orgasm.  Kegel, it seems, was pretty sure that to be effective, his exercises should be done “against a resistance.” This part of the Kegel puzzle seems to have been largely forgotten, however, so they’re often taught incorrectly – unless, of course, you own a pre-2004 Sporty.

 

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