2025: A Girl, a Motorcycle, and a Gypsy Soul

1. "You are a girl who rides motorcycle. You must be a lesbian" -I hear that all the time. Just because I have a motorcycle, and have a  great group of girls to ride with, doesn't mean we are all lesbians, or anything more than friends. It is no different than a group of guys who ride together, travel together, and stay in hotels during a trip - whether motorcycles or snowmobiles - pretty sure no one ever thinks the same of a group of guys as they do girls. I am super fortunate and grateful for all the amazing ladies in my life that enjoy 2 wheels as much as I do. 2.  "That's a BIG bike for you" - Girls can handle horsepower just as well as guys. Yes, my bike is big (1750cc). No, it is not TOO big for me. I can pick it up after tipping it over. I can lean into corners until my pipes and floorboards scrape. I can do figure 8's with it. A well balanced bike means more than cc's in the world of having a big or small bike. 3. "You shouldn't...

Interstate Park - well worth a stop!!! Located on the Wisconsin side of the MN - WI border at Taylor's Falls. The MN side looks to have more established hiking 'trails', complete with guardrails and paved walkways. Not true on the Wisconsin side. While there are a few areas on the WI side that are flat - the only real walkways I saw were located well into the rock bluffs and only to guide people away from the ledge. There are several miles of trails on both the MN and WI side though, so I could be very wrong. Don't take my word for it - go explore!!! (Map at bottom of post)   The road into Interstate Park, the Wisconsin side, it just as enjoyable as the many trails to explore   Tons of trails - some flat, some rocks, some quite steep, others quick and easy - all have great views      But I safely made it out to the edge for the most amazing view!!!    Needless to say, I stuck out quite a bit in my 'hiking gea...

Scenic Tour with Quirky Photo Ops, Good Food, and Biker Hangouts   130 Miles, 4 hours with stops Click here for the route details and step by step turns  Minneapolis - Rosemount - Hampton (2 quirky places worth the stop along the way)- Miesville (Kings Burger Place, anyone?) - Welch Village - Hager Heights, WI - Nauti Hawg @ Diamond Bluff, WI - No Name Saloon/Monkey Bar @ Prescott, WI - and back to Minneapolis Minneapolis - Hampton *2 stops  off of County Rd 50 in Hampton: 1- Wat Munisotaram - Be respectful, knees, shoulders, and elbows must be covered. Remove shoes when walking in any structures, including the open air platform with the Buddha's on the upper level of the driveway. People live on site and their culture respects calm, tranquility, and peace. Please also be respectful by turning off your music as you enter the driveway, by NOT revving your pipes, and by presenting yourself in a calm, peaceful manner.    https://religionsmn.carleton.e...

Tires - two of the most important safety components of a motorcycle, yet so little thought goes into them until it is too late. Tires provide balance, traction, resistance, absorb the road bumps, and potholes. Tires can help or hinder one's riding abilities. Tire types are personal preference - based on how you ride, what kind of weather and roads you typically ride, and (obviously) what type of motorcycle you have. Tube vs Tubeless Tubed tires generally come with a spoke wheel, which allows the bike to better absorb road/terrain impact. So when you hit that ginormous pothole while going down the road, the spoked rim disperses the impact around the rim evenly, lessening the chance of bending or cracking the rim. Tubed tires are cheaper to repair if punctured, since the whole tire doesn't need to be replaced, only the tube. On tubed tires, the valve stem is part of the inner tube.  On tubeless tires, the valve stem is mounted right to the rim - but is not part of the tir...

Meet Lemon: My Dad’s 2019 CanAm Spyder LTD           Summary : 6/21/19   Bought new  Over $26,000 6/27/19   Excessive oil leak - back to Dealer-  new engine needed      7/24/19  27 days later, gets bike back with 2nd engine at 218 miles      7/27/19   Check engine light on      7/30/19   Bike died. Left stranded 4 hours from home       8/27/19  Went to pass, went into limp mode. Check engine, etc.    9/7/19  Excessive coolant leak, etc. Back in the shop. 4,753 miles on 2nd engine.     Coming up next-  a detailed timeline of being stranded, breakdowns, and time in the repair shop.    BRP CanAm Website    https://can-am.brp.com/  Disclaimer : *Lemon is MY name for his bike.* My dad has been incredibly patient with Moon Motorsports and BRP. He wants to love CanAm. He wants t...

When going from Point A to Point B, with not a lot in between, Roadside Attraction is my favorite website to go to find quirky photo ops en route. That is how I stumbled upon Cadillac Ranch, near  Amarillo, Texas. In the middle of a field, alongside a busy freeway, lies a brightly painted group of Cadillac's, face down. There are no signs indicating its existence. Blink, and you will surely miss it. We parked on the side of the gravel frontage road, walked thru the ditch, squeezed through old cattle gate (size matters - its a tight squeeze), towards the ever present spray paint fumes, through an old farm field, and thru a sea of paint cans as you reach the cars. (Spray Painting is encouraged)  A sea of cars and paint cans! Each car has layers and layers of spray paint collected over the years. Each car is a unique masterpiece.   There's basically no rules at Cadillac Ranch - you can paint, you can use permanent marker, you can climb inside of the c...

I recently had a lot going on in my family life and was mentally burnt out and needed to get away to clear my head. So, at the VERY last minute (like 28 hours prior...), I decided to pack the bike and see where I wound up. I have a running list of stuff I want to see– and after some google research, I learned that Niagara Falls, one of my top “must see” places on the list, was ‘only’ 15.5 hours away, and not even 1,000 miles. After a quick check of weather, I decided I would head east to Niagara Falls.  I made good time and was determined to make it from Minneapolis to Niagara Falls, NY in a day. The trip was a breeze – aside from the tsunami over the entire state of Wisconsin. I posted a few pics on social media along my way and then received some texts. One from Stiffy, she wanted to ride this weekend and was wondering where I was headed. I told her Niagara Falls. She said, “NEW YORK”? Yes. “I will try to catch you after work”.  (She is crazy!) Another message was f...