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

While Stiffy and I were rolling into Loretta Lynn's Ranch for Motorcycle and Music Revival weekend, ScooterTrash and FinneusNewChaps were still on the road south, battling tornado warnings, fierce winds, and torrential rains for another 14+ hours. I have always said life is about WHO you know, not what you know. While the motorcycle world is HUGE - it is also very small. Bikers just know other bikers. We are all attracted to the same events, the same roads, the same places.  The first people we encountered upon our arrival were a couple of ladies from Texas that I hadn't seen in quite a few years. I had no idea they were going to be there - it was an awesome surprise to see them and catch up!! What are the odds of being in the same place, at the same time on a 3,000 acre ranch???     The excitement of getting to TN was fierce - it kept us going ALL night long as we rode straight through from MN. By the time we waited in line to check in, standing in the direct sun and s...

Half of the fun of motorcycle trips is the ride TO wherever I am headed. Whether it's bugs, meeting cool people, or quirky roadside stops, I always try to entertain myself.  Thanks to websites like Atlas Obscura https://www.atlasobscura.com/categories/roadside-attractions  and Roadside America https://www.roadsideamerica.com/ , its not hard to find some way to giggle while on the road! We rode from Minneapolis to Hurricane Mills, TN overnight - nonstop - for the Tennessee Motorcycle & Music Revival Weekend!!  Stiffy and I left after work, raring to start our long weekend. We planned to ride until we just couldn't or didn't want to anymore. Turns out, that point never came! We just. kept. going! Sometime before sunrise, I saw a sign for Dix, IL. Since I have a childish mind, you bet we made a quick gas stop in Dix!  And naturally had to play around on this guy, probably named Dick.  Every gas stop, we thought we would be tired and need to stop. We ended up ri...

 Summer is upon us and I have had a lot of questions and heard a lot of fears around getting a motorcycle license with zero experience ahead of time.  I went from riding on the back of my dad's Honda Goldwing to taking the motorcycle class and getting my license. I didn't "study" ahead of time. I didn't try to get on someone else's bike ahead of time to know what side the clutch is on vs the brake. I just went for it and signed up for the class and let the skilled teachers do their job and teach me how to do it!!  I was nervous to take the class - thinking everyone else will already know how to ride, or they will know how to use a clutch, or that I would be the 'dumbest' one there and hold the rest of the class up. There were a few moments where I questioned what I was about to do, but yet I really wanted to ride my own someday, so I really had nothing to lose. Worse case, I don't pass the class. Either way, I will learn stuff and come out ahead. I...

 Daytona Bike Week is incredibly spread out - it is nearly impossible to see it all in one trip! Here are a few spots GO TO spots to people and bike watch, catch some live music, and mingle with a variety of bikers from across the US! Iron Horse Saloon in Ormond Beach:  Home of David Allen Coe concerts (and others), The Wall of Death, the burnout pit, and a ton of food vendors.                       Get a mug for $20, drink free daily from 4-5pm. Don't drink and ride! 2020 - Sadly, our annual photo of my favorite Floridians didn't happen in 2021 :( The Beaver Bar: Home of Free Parking, $3 beers, live music, vendors, and rocking chairs to watch bikes go by on the US 1 Broken Spoke Saloon - Home of Miss Intent, Hairball, Sloan the Bartender, and many bike shows throughout the week My MN homie, Sloan                                     ...

 So we stopped in Macon GA on the way back home from Daytona Bike Week- quite the trip itself with Stiffy's massive slamming of the pothole that bent her front rim REAL good. When we finally found a place to park the bikes and (supposedly) sleep for the night, we called a cab to go hear live  music. We could HEAR the cab far before we identified what the sound was. The sound of metal scraping pavement repeatedly, interrupted only by a loud THUD, a squeal of grinding metal, and a driver on the phone yellin up a storm at whoever was on the other end. Then, the conglomerate of sounds came into our view - low and behold, it was our cab.  SOUND ON! (There's nothing to see - I just had the phone to capture the sound effects) (Video clip is the actual sound footage while in the cab..)  So off we go in a white crown vic, the rear end following along solely because it was still attached to the frame of the car, not because it was attached at the correct points. The right...

Leaving Daytona Bike Week we headed north towards our truck and trailer. We got a late start out of Daytona - mostly because we didn't want the sun and shenanigans to end, but also because of late nights turned into early mornings. We met the boys in town at the 'campground' they were staying at - soaking up every last ray of wonderfully warm sunshine we could before having to hit the road.  The riding in Florida is boring, at best. While there are some amazing ocean views and a handful of fun roads, the majority of Florida is kind of like Nebraska, only with nicer weather and prettier trees and flowers. No offense, Florida. Running low on energy, low on sleep, and high on adrenaline from the crazy short time spent in Florida, we were somewhat happy to get some open road ride time - versus stuck in traffic, at red lights, while holding in the clutch with the left hand, and trying to soak in all that was happening around us. Sometimes, hitting the gas and hearing the sweet s...