2011 national and Iowa biker events and rallies

Here’s a list of some 2011 bike-related events that you can use to plan your riding year. The list is focused on central Iowa since that’s where I’m based, but includes some national events as well. If you have something you’d like to add, just send me an email with complete info to janet@bikerchicknews.com. I’ll determine whether to post it here or over on our Facebook page!

Capital City Custom Cycle Show & Swap Meet: February 12-13, 2011, Iowa State Fairgrounds. (Call 712-262-8910 for info)
Daytona Bike Week: March 4-13, 2011, Daytona Beach Florida.
Indianola Bike Night: Third Friday, April – September 2011, Indianola Iowa.
Conesville Hog Rodeo: Memorial Weekend 2011, Conesville Iowa.
Sturgis on the River Motorcycle Rally: June 15-18 2011, Davenport Iowa.
Awesome Biker Nights: June 16-18, 2011, Sioux City.
J&P Cycles Annual Open House: June 25-26, 2011, Anamosa.
Abate Iowa Freedom Rally: June 30, July 1-2 2011, Algona Iowa.
Iowa State HOG Rally: July 14-16, 2011, Pella Iowa.
Sturgis Motorcycle Rally: August 8-14 2011, Sturgis South Dakota.
Hawgstock Motorcycle Rally: August 18-21 2011, Winterset Iowa.
Bikes Blues & BBQ: September 28-October 1 2011, Fayetteville Arkansas.
Rip’s BAD Ride: October 1 2011, central Iowa.
Biketoberfest: October 13-16 2011, Daytona Beach Florida.

Out with the old…

…and in with the new! I’m looking forward to a year of being employed, enjoying my family, and three seasons’ worth of great Iowa rides! How about you?

BCN Stringer Report: Inks Lake State Park

My good friend Shirley has abandoned me this winter in favor of spending four months vacationing “down south.” She has partially redeemed herself by sending in this ride report from her first month in exile Texas.

by Shirley P.

I spent most of 2010 looking forward to my retirement date of December 3rd. That date finally came and my husband Garry and I immediately headed for the small town of Kingsland, Texas to escape the cold Iowa winter. We debated for a long time whether it was worth taking multiple vehicles, specifically so we could haul the Harleys with us. With not too much debate the Harleys won.

Although the average temperature in the Texas hill country where we are staying is 64 degrees, we have seen several days in the 70’s and on December 21 – yes, the first day of winter – we hit 80 degrees. Obviously the bikes came out and we did a great ride that I have to pass along.

At the eastern edge of Kingsland where we are staying we caught ranch road 2342 and took it about 15 miles to Park Road 4 which takes you through Inks Lake State Park. This lake is fed by the Colorado River. Park Road 4 is a beautiful curvy asphalt that winds another 15 miles through the park at a slow 35 mph, which gives lots of time to gawk.

We ended up at Highway 29 and headed west back past Buchanan Dam toward Llano. Highway 29 is a wide 4-lane highway that allows you to kick the bikes back up to the speed limit. Before you reach Llano you will come to a four-way stop called Fuzzy Corner, turn left on 1431 and head back into Kingsland. Of course, once you make the turn back to Kingsland you have to stop at Pat’s Bar for a cold one before going on home!

So, the decision to bring the bikes was definitely the right one! By the way, if you travel to the Texas hill country they actually have a map of rides. Our next one will be the Willow City Loop that Garry has ridden and says is a mix of hill country curves and maybe a bit of the feel of the Rockies on a couple of blind corners. Can’t wait for the next unusually warm day!

— Editor’s note: Thanks to Shirley for this write-up! Additional fun in the area she’s writing about includes Longhorn Caverns, the Vanishing Texas River Cruise, wine tasting at Fall Creek Vineyards, climbing at Enchanted Rock, and much more. Top photo courtesy of Mike Probst, via Flickr; bottom photo courtesy of Miguel Rodriguez, via Flickr.

Merry Christmas to all…

… and to all a good ride!

And, thanks to Make-A-Gif.com for hosting the animated .gif file!

Update 5/2: Well it looks like Make-A-Gif has gone under. Sorry folks, nothing to see here… return to your homes. (But, it was a cool photo of Kitten wearing blinky Christmas lights! *sigh*)

 

Wildlife refuge ride

Back in late August, we took an afternoon ride with Garry, Shirley and Janet over to the Neal Smith Wildlife Refuge near Prairie City. Even though it was still summer, you could definitely tell that Fall was coming as there was a distinct difference in the “coloring” of the day: the sun was at a lower point in the sky and the corn was just beginning to brown around the edges, which gave a green-tinged-with-gold glow to the fields as the sun came through the corn. Except for the fact that it meant another summer was almost over, it was just as beautiful as the vivid greens of June.

The entrance to the Preserve is a lovely long and winding road (admit it: you’re humming that song now, right?) that leads eventually to the Visitor Center, and there’s an “automotive loop” you can take into the interior of the preserve. The primary purpose of the preserve is to restore a significant number of acres to natural prairie and to house some native bison.

The ride along the entrance road looked a lot different from other areas we’ve visited in Iowa – tall native grasses swaying in the breeze, making a delightful swishing noise instead of the usual wind-roar. This is probably one of very few places in Iowa where you can get a tiny idea of what the land might have looked like as our early settlers trundled across the native terrain.

We didn’t have enough time on this particular day to take the interior loop (and besides it’s gravel – we weren’t prepared for that on the bikes), but we did enjoy the ride along the entrance road and spent some time in the visitor center, where we found a very nice interactive museum detailing the history of the Iowa landscape and its natural resources. After leaving the museum, we took a short walk along one of the many (paved) trails – again, not enough time to really explore, but another clear indication that the Preserve is worth a return visit.

We stopped for refreshments at the local Casey’s, but parked across the road at a covered picnic area that also included an eye-catching bison sculpture. Wanting a photo, I rebelled against polite society and rode my bike up onto the sidewalk and around the walking path that surrounded the statue, and Janet snapped a picture for me.

As this area is less than an hours’ ride from home, I hope we can go back when we have more time to explore. I would love to be able to park the bikes, walk out into the tall grass, and listen to the breeze.

A big sigh of relief, I’m ready to ride, and now it’s @#$ winter

Dearest readers, it has been a hell of a year. After spending 8 months unemployed I am finally back to work and SO grateful for the opportunity! And, in talking with some of my friends and new co-workers, I’ve come to realize how lucky I am that my “stint” wasn’t any longer than it was.

Here’s the thing about being unemployed and owning a motorcycle: it’s hard to enjoy yourself when you are weighted down with guilt and self-doubt, but in all reality a few more motorcycle rides were probably just what I needed to keep my spirits up. I regret not having indulged a bit more – I put a little under 2,000 miles on my bike this past season, so she’s essentially still brand new.

Photo up top is the vanity plate I got for my birthday. For some reason a couple of my close friends seemed unsure of what it meant. Come on, people, it’s only missing one vowel! It stands for “CORN DOG,” which of course is my biker-chick nickname. My first choice for a plate actually was “KITTEN,” which is the bike’s nickname (why yes those ARE ‘Hello Kitty’ screwhead covers – why do you ask?), but a snafu at the DMV resulted in getting my second choice. I am okay with that – I really like this one!

I know that I completely neglected to tell you about two rides – one was with friends to the Neal Smith Wildlife Refuge, and the other was a shorty solo ride I took on my birthday. I guess it’s a little late to tell you about them now, but I’ll still share a few details in my next post.

Okay, more soon (this time for sure!) – who’s ready for SPRING??

Have a safe and beautiful Thanksgiving…

… I PROMISE I will be posting again soon! Meanwhile:

“It’s a quarter to three…”

Okay, okay, yes it’s been awhile since I’ve updated things around here. I admit it, I’ve been a total SLUG the entire month of September. In fact, I was going to post a picture of a slug, but boy are they ugly! So I found these sweet crocheted ones instead. Because even though I have been MIA for awhile, I am still adorable. (Photo and original crocheted slugs are by Alison at Pepperberry Crochet.)

I think I seriously need my butt kicked, need some motivation, some direction. I can read the writing on the wall, and right now it says “If you don’t change direction, you’re going to end up where you’re headed.” Which is no-where, man.

SO, in the interest of establishing the fact that yes, I still exist, I still ride, I still blog… here are some quick updates, and then I am officially “back in the game” when it comes to all of those things!

It has been a difficult summer on the job front, but I am determined to fix it SOON, one way or another. I’m currently unemployed, diligently searching in my longtime field of endeavor but not having much luck, so thinking about starting my grocery career. And I don’t mean that in a derisive way at all – I mean I am seriously considering switching gears career-wise. In fact, I am feeling another line of work “sort of” beckoning to me, but I’m not sure if it’s really a new calling or just another distraction that will lose its lustre in six months. Anyway, I’m working on that issue.

I have only taken a few rides, but one in particular was a LOT of fun – rode with Steve, Garry, Shirley, Janet & Gerry down to Prairie City (southeast of Des Moines) back at the end of August and we stopped at the Neal Smith Wildlife Refuge. This place is seriously awesome – an interactive educational museum and many, many acres of beautiful restored prairie land. (It deserves its own post, and I’m going to write one to go up this weekend.) I also took a couple of solo rides. They were awesome attitude adjusters, as always!

I had two more articles appear in regional motorcycle magazines – a profile of Fat Baggers, Inc. in the August issue of Throttler, and an op-ed in the August issue of Thunder Roads Iowa. My thanks to both of these pubs for the opportunity to write and connect with their readers!!

This blog topped the 30,000 visitors mark in August – wow!! There’s always a surge of interest in the days leading up to and immediately following the Sturgis Rally, so I wasn’t surprised by the jump in traffic. But I WAS pleased and surprised to finally surpass all previous traffic records! THANKS for lurking, reading, and commenting here!!

My birthday was back on September 17 and my dear hubby Steve gave me a gift certificate for a vanity plate for the bike. I’ve sent in my application and am awaiting arrival of the plate itself. I’ll certainly post a picture as soon as it arrives!

Two friends who were in accidents and hospitalized this summer are now both home and recovering well. I am SO thankful!!

I do not like “Sons of Anarchy.” There, I said it. I’m sorry, I know it’s the Sopranos of the biker world, and I really loved The Sopranos. So it should’ve been a shoe-in. But, as interesting as it was to see Peg Bundy in a totally dramatic role, it wasn’t enough to carry the show. And for whatever reason, the rest of it just didn’t grab me. (There’s still hope – “Seinfeld” didn’t grab me til it had been off the air for five years and was only available in re-runs.)

I also do not like that Taco Bell commercial where the bikers ride up to the restaurant in the middle of nowhere. I mean seriously, do you SEE that dude dragging his foot as he skitters to a stop? (Maybe I’ve been watching a smidge too much TV…)

Okay, can you tell it’s 2:30 a.m. and I’m FINALLY getting tired? :) More soon – really!

Dog days ride to Lake Red Rock

I don’t know about you, but the second half of this summer has been brutal for us. July was hot, humid and horrible… I tried not to complain too much just because I remember what the winter was like… still, it sure made it unpleasant to ride, so we didn’t for much of the month.

Then in early August we had a sad distraction of a different type: my mother-in-law, Betty, passed away unexpectedly. Although my husband Steve has three sisters to share in the tasks associated with final arrangements, there was so much to do. We got it all done, but the sadness remains – Betty was a really neat lady and I loved her a lot. It really zaps your energy, and breaks your heart, when something like that happens.

We did manage to make it to the Harley Owners Group (HOG) meeting in mid-August, which doesn’t really count as a “ride” because it’s just up to the dealership and back.

BUT, aside from that, we took a really pleasant ride back on August 8 that I wanted to mention.

First off, we got to ride with Kristin and Howard – had not got to do that for a LONG time! And, also met a great gal named Diane who is friends with both of them, and she went along with us too.

Second, it was HOT – we’d had a few days of fairly decent weather leading up to the 8th, but the 8th itself was one of the hottest days of the year. (Fortunately, the humidity wasn’t as bad as it could have been so we didn’t actually MELT. But, I’m pretty sure you could’ve cooked eggs on our gas tanks…)

Diane had to be at work by 4, and we didn’t get going out the driveway til around 2, so we decided to just head toward Lake Red Rock for an hour, then turn around and come back. Lake Red Rock is southeast of us, another lake in the chain of Army Corps lakes and dams that runs through central Iowa. We don’t get down there as often as we get up to Saylorville to the northwest, but we’ve had a couple of nice rides in that area.

We took Vandalia Road in Des Moines to the southeast to Highway 318 (same route we took to Swan the day Janet almost got forked in Columbia), then south to Highway 5, and took the turn-off through Pleasantville, which connected us to a county road called G40 – very pretty, but hot… we rode over the Lake Red Rock Mile Bridge and on to a Casey’s General Store in Monroe, where we stopped for a break.

I’m pretty sure after this stop that I never want to be on Diane’s bad side, because she almost kicked the Casey’s Guy’s butt because he wouldn’t give her back her nickel deposit on the soda she bought right there in the store. “We’re not a redemption center,” he told her, and added that for him to give her back her nickel she’d have to buy five bucks more worth of merchandise.

Now I am not certain what Iowa’s bottle deposit laws are, but it sure seems to me that if you sell the soda and take the nickel deposit, you should have to give back the nickel without requiring additional purchase – especially if the soda is consumed right there in the store, while-you-wait. Casey’s Guy even boldly pointed to a uniformed officer in the checkout line (we were just down the road from the women’s state correctional facility) and said, “He’s in corrections, he’ll tell ya.” This was extra funny for a reason I won’t go into, but suffice to say that for him to point to a womens’ prison guard and imply that said prison guard was a bottle law expert was particularly funny given what Diane does for a living.

Anyway, Diane good-naturedly avoided a confrontation with Casey’s Guy and with the prison guard, and it was time to head home. We took the quick way back along US 163, which becomes University Avenue once you hit Des Moines, had a quick cold one at one of our favorite watering holes, then rode the last few blocks home.

Just a couple hours’ worth, but very nice to be out and about again on the bike. (Thanks, Diane – it was great to meet you, and I hope we get to know you better!) I’ve got to get back into some sort of regular riding – holy crap, it’s almost Fall!

Sturgis pictures to celebrate the 70th rally!

Hope you are continuing to have a wonderful summer! I haven’t been on the bike for a couple of weeks (except to take Kitten in for her thousand-mile service), but have been finishing up a couple of freelance projects, and job-hunting. I CERTAINLY hope to take a few more trips around the state before Fall!

ANYWAY… just because I haven’t ridden much for a few days doesn’t mean there’s nothing going on. In fact, the “mother of all rallies” – the 70th Sturgis Rally – is coming up next week, August 9-15! Yep, it’s time for Sturgis again (already!) and although we are unable to make it this year, we DO have some pretty awesome pictures from two past trips – so, thought I would share them!

Here are some samples, and links to the albums… and by the way, some are decidedly NSFW so BEWARE!!

From 2006… our first day at the best biker party on earth!

Our trip to Mt. Rushmore and the amazing Iron Mountain Road!

A side trip to the giant nipple of Wyoming. Plus, the middle of nowhere!

Another sidetrip to Deadwood and Spearfish Canyon!

And a visit to the awesome Rat’s Hole Custom Bike Show!

And, from 2009, pictures which look remarkably similar even though it was just as wonderful a trip!

And, just in case you REALLY want to read about our Sturgis adventures, here are links to the ride reports!

Sturgis 2006
Sturgis 2009

Finally… this website continues to knock at the door of 30,000 visits per month. I’m AMAZED!! Thanks for reading, commenting, and coming back!

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