EMERALD COAST BIKEFEST 2009

I love riding to a destination with the anticipation of good times to come. For me, it just kicks the ride up a notch. Such is the case last weekend when we went to the Emerald Coast Bike Fest.
The ride south was pretty uneventful until we took one wrong turn into Blackwater State Park and wound up on a road so twisted, I felt like a mouse caught in a maze. After we wasted 30 minutes on the "scenic" detour, we found our way out, and made our way to the rally grounds at the Holt Drag Strip. Our group was pretty easy to find because we like to park in the same area every year. Besides, they staked our territory with the camp flag that reads "Work Sucks! Let's Ride!

As we maneuvered the Glides into the circle of RV's that were going to be home for the next couple days, we were greeted by waves and woo hoo's from our pals who were already getting in the rally spirit. I didn't even get my helmet off good before Perfect Timing came up and greeted me with a ziplock bag full of jello shooters. She gave me a big hug and said, "What's your flavor?"

Woo Hoo! Let the party begin!

Last weekend's weather was perfect for an outdoor rally. We had beautiful blue skies and bright sunshine mingled with a playful breeze that would dance across the grounds keeping the 80 degree temps from being too oppressive. The warm days were followed by cool nights which provided a perfect backdrop for listening to some good music and watching "Sugar" the bull play with her scantily clad challengers.

And of course, every time you turned around, someone wanted to show you their tits. Geesh!

No stranger to bike rallies, the talented Geneva entertained us in her usual biker rock style. The crowd enjoyed the music and it seemed to play on everyone's good spirits. She was definitely warming up the crowd for the upcoming wet t-shirt contest.

Moving around the grounds became a game of imagination. I got a kick out of the different ways folks were moving around from one place to another.

Here ya go! This chick redefined the "pillion" seat.

You have to admit... he's got one hell of a beer holder, heh?

And of course, we can't forget the coolest reason we come here...
The need for speed!

I have so much more to share, but time is short. Here's a tease of what's to come...

INCOMING... HANDGRANADES!!!
BAGR4LF AND BEST IN SHOW
WET T-SHIRTS AND LITTLE PECKERS
FUN ON TWO WHEELS
BIKE FEST WRAP UP

Author's note: I'm headed down to Panama City tomorrow for Thunder Beach Weekend as well as my annual kick ass Kentucky Derby Party. Since my good friend Red Light Roxanne is this years hostess, I assure you, it will be a grand time!

Have a nice weekend everyone!

Lady R

PIC OF THE WEEK

IT'S ALL ABOUT THE DETAILS
Meet Darlin' and Details. Besides being a couple of really cool friends, Details' sexy hot Road King took 1st Place (touring class) at the Emerald Coast Bike Show! Woo Hoo! Way to go Details!

He takes excellent care of his "baby" and his meticulous attention to detail, is what landed him his name. He actually made getting ready for the show look like a piece cake.

Congratulations you guys! I'm very proud of you! I can't wait to share more of your story and this beautiful motorcycle with others.

This will be a busy turnaround week for me, but I'll try and share all my rally fun with ya'll as soon as I can. I Promise! Have a great Monday everybody! (Whew! I'm tired!)

Lady R

IF I WERE IN CHARGE...

I posted a diary page yesterday about my feelings and thoughts on HOG sponsored events being a little too expensive for my pocket book. I figured it would draw some interesting comments, and it sure did! Be sure to take a look at them if you already haven't. A lot of other riders feel the same way I do, while at the same time, there are some who are involved with HOG and are having the time of their life! For those fellow riders, I say good for you! Obviously, you found what your looking for.

I also understand and agree that all chapters are not run the same, and I realize that the people can make the difference. I read a comment somewhere on a blog this past week (sorry to the author, I can't remember where I saw this) but, the subject was about Keith Wandell becoming Harley Davidson's new CEO. The author of the comment was referring to HD having Dealerships and Stealerships. He was hoping Mr. Wandell would come in and clean up the Stealerships and get them back to fair and honest business practices. I feel the same can be said about some local HOG chapters. I'm sure there are some that are great fun and keep things real for their members, while with others, the same mentality of the Stealerships comes out to play.

This brings me to today's post. I've been challenged to quit whining and do something. Since I'm one of those kind of people that do try to make a difference, I thought this might help. I plan to write a letter and submit it to our State HOG president, but let me share my thoughts.

I recognize that HOG membership brings many advantages for many riders. My only beef with HOG was how much it cost to attend their rally, so I'll direct my ideas toward that.

Most events and rallies I have attended have been in the $25 to $30 range for the whole weekend. This seems very reasonable to me. However, if you bring in high dollar entertainment and offer more premium activities, I can understand if the price needs to be a little higher. What I don't understand, is why a nice high dollar event can't be broken down so it would be more inviting to all. Having weekend passes are great, for those participating all weekend. If a person could only come for the day, it seems a bit costly for the amount of time spent.

It's simple... When you pay your way into an event, you get a wristband, so security and volunteers know who paid and who didn't, right? There's no reason why wristbands can't be color coded. Example: weekend band passes could be yellow. Friday could be green, Saturday; blue, and Sunday; orange, or whatever. The security staff would have no problem identifying those who paid for their way and those who didn't. This way, the event would probably have a much larger turnout each day, if riders were allowed to come and only pay for the time they want to spend. Even if you keep the weekend fee at $40.00, a day pass for $15.00 or even $20.00 would be more reasonable to spend for a day of motorcycle fun.

Imagine this... 500 riders chose not to go to the rally due to cost. Under the present rules, HOG wanted those 500 riders to pay the set rate of $40.00, which would have calculated to $20,000.00. That's a nice chunk of change! But, HOG didn't get that $20,000.00 because those 500 riders did not participate. Now let's say those same 500 riders decided to come for the day and buy a pass at $15.00. That's $7,500. Am I to believe that $7,500.00 is just chump change and not worth bothering with?

If the organization sets their price higher than the average rider feels is reasonable, it doesn't take a mental giant to realize, they're targeting only the upper echelon of income earners to participate. I feel that this tactic is very effective in controlling who comes to the event. Just don't belly ache to the rest of us, that this is not their real intention. The proof is in the pudding!

I am a National HOG member and will probably continue to be one. I like the benefits I receive with my membership, especially their two publications, H-D Enthusiast and HOG Tales that comes out every other month. I have yet to become a local HOG chapter member because frankly, I haven't seen a good enough reason yet, why I should join. I still have to live within my means, and unfortunately, becoming a local HOG member in my area, is just a little beyond my means. It would be nice to join up with a fun group of others who share my passion for riding, but I think I already have that.

I'm not trying to bash anybody here, I just wanted to speak out on how this made me feel. My hubby and I have two Harley habits to support and we love riding and going places. The rallies and other events are just a bonus. My passion is still where it belongs, and that's on the road, riding free and fast. Hell, being a rub would be great! I wouldn't have to worry about keeping a budget to pay bills. But I confess, I am a wannabe, cause I wannabe riding every chance I get!

I hope my idea will not fall on deaf ears, but only time will tell. Some day, if I were in charge...

Ride on
Lady R

SOMETIMES HOG JUST "RUBS" ME THE WRONG WAY!

Dear Diary... a glimpse into the pages of a journal written by a woman rider.

April 15, 2009
Dear Diary,

I have such a rant today! I really do try to play well with others, but sometimes I think I'm better off if I just don't give a sh*t. Problem is, that's really not my nature.

I was pretty excited to learn that the Alabama State HOG Rally was going to be here, in Montgomery this year. This would mean we can participate in some of the rally activities without traveling somewhere else, and we don't have to pay for a place to stay. The Faunsdale Bike Rally and Crawfish Festival over near Forkland was going on this weekend also, so we had lots of activities to chose from. Me... I wanted to do it all and I was looking forward to a busy fun weekend.

We figured we would spend some time Friday afternoon out at the Montgomery Motor Sports Park, the venue where HOG was planning to have the Bike show and hold some biker games. I always have a good time watching these, so I went to the Harley Davidson Dealership today to inquire about getting H and I a couple of day passes for Friday.

They pointed to the nice gentleman in charge of the rally wristbands and once he realized what I was there for, he told me, "Okay, that'll be $80.00 for the two of you." WTF??? "$40.00 seems kind of steep for just a day!", I responded. He went on to inform me that, that price was for the whole weekend. When I asked again, about just paying for a day, he explained that the HOG chapter at the State level dictates the rally fees and they were selling weekend passes only.

He also proceeded to tell me a nice little story of another biker, who was giving a chapter member a hard time about the admittance fees for another Hog sponsored rally, and she promptly told that biker, "Maybe this just isn't for you." I stood surprised for a moment, because he delivered this tale with the best "if the shoe fits" attitude he could muster. I love my service guys here and some of the staff and I are pals, so I didn't want to show my ass. I just smiled and said, "I guess your right, this may not be for me." I don't think H nor I can rationalize spending $80.00 for just a few hours of fun, even if it is motorcycle related.

I left there feeling just a little snubbed. It seems to be more and more obvious lately that HOG is focusing their attention on high dollar events. When I recounted my conversation with my friend, Bogus, his response was, "You should have told him, to put on their fliers next time that this is a RUB HOG Event, so we regular bikers know it's not for us!" I also asked a few others around here what they're take on it was, and I kept running into the same thing... "costs too much!"

I'm really disappointed that I will not be participating at all in the Alabama state HOG Rally this year. I was looking forward to getting some great pics and writing on my blog about all the cool happenings, but I'm afraid HOG's admission fees are just a little to steep for me. This poor girl will have to do the next best thing, and that's RIDE her motorcycle.

I may not be a HOG, but I'm still a HO!
Me

PIC OF THE WEEK

SMUT EYE, ALABAMA
I've come to befriend one of our sweet older patients who sees my dentist down at the Tooth Factory. This nice southern woman always inquires about my motorcycle adventures and one time, even brought me a Harley Davidson Calendar. Ms. D is a cow farmer, and keeps her cows on some family land in Smut Eye, Alabama. She's always after me to stop by and see her when I'm out riding, so I just wanted to take this picture of myself at the ol' Smut Eye Grocery Store so I can show her I was there. She'll get a big kick out this after she scolds me for not stopping by.

Besides, this is a good time to show you the kinds of interesting structure you'll see while riding all over our southern country highways. And yes... Smut Eye really is a place.

Have a great week everybody!

Lady R

BUG UPDATE: HARLEY-1 YELLOW JACKETS-0

Harley went to his ENT specialist today for a thorough check of his ear, to determine if the kamikaze yellow jacket caused any permanent damage. Good news is... NO! The ear canal is scarred and bruised, but all of this will heal. And his hearing should be fully recovered when the swelling goes down. He was very glad to learn this!

His doctor told him a very valuable piece of information that I felt needed to be passed on to other fellow riders...

"Should you ever encounter a lodged insect like this again... if you'll keep a small bottle of alcohol with an eye dropper on your bike, you can use it to kill the insect immediately. Then it will usually flush out before any swelling sets in." Dr. B

Cool beans Dr. B! Alcohol kills!

Some of you may have already known this, but I wanted to be sure we all did. I can assure you, we will have a small bottle of alcohol on our bikes from now on! And having a set of tweezers in your First Aid kit or dash pouch would be helpful in case you have to retrieve some ear chomping (or nose digging!) creature from hell!

I'm not going to be one to start preaching full helmets and face shields, because neither Harley or I plan to quit wearing our half lid. We are, however, going to take heed to this danger and add ear protection to our "don't leave home without" list. It's really not a big deal to make sure a couple sets of ear plugs are on the bike, or for that matter, you can use cotton.

I've had ear plugs in my ears before, and they really help block out the sound as well as provide a barrier from flying insects. But, I love the sound of riding. I need to hear my motor purr, my exhaust rumble, and not to mention the encroaching cagers around me. I don't want to cover up all my ability to pick out sounds that clue me in to all this necessary information. I like cotton because it just slightly muffles any sound. Besides, it's much softer and more comfortable to my ears.

So if your like me, you love being out on your bike every chance you get, cruising the country highways, rolling in the "high" of life. Unfortunately, country cruising means bugs, and bugs at high velocity means... ouch!

Let's just try to keep our holes covered or plugged so we can stay out of the doctor's office... shall we??

Unless of course... you like the doctor.

Lady R ;)

PIC OF THE WEEK & HARLEY'S BUG!!!

HARLEY'S BUG!!
This wasp took on a suicide mission to ride a Harley for Easter. He just chose the wrong Harley!

I decided to post the story behind this weeks Pic Of The Week as an added bonus for Monday. Come back later if you need to, but you gotta read this one! LR

HARLEY'S BUG!!

Easter weekend proved to be a great two days of beautiful Spring weather here in our little area of Alabama. Harley and I took advantage of the warm 70 degree afternoons and went riding. Both days!!

We rode to Tuscaloosa on Sunday (to visit Harley's mom and his aunt's for Easter) to help make up for feeling shortchanged for cutting our ride short the day before. Our Saturday jaunt ended up at the local ER in Tallassee for a not so nice end to a wonderful day!

Harley and I just rode through Union Springs, and we were heading North up Hwy. 29. I was following along, taking in all the lavenders and yellows and other Spring colors popping throughout the landscape, when I noticed Harley braking and shaking his side to side somewhat erratically. There was no good place to pull off, but that apparently was not going to deter Harley from pulling over. I'm thinking... WTF??

I no sooner got my kick stand down, when Harley was already off his bike and making purposeful strides back towards me while yelling, "You've gotta get this bug out of my ear!!"
I'm thinking, holy sh*t, did he say a bug is in his ear?? I get him to calm down for a few seconds so I can take a look. I don't see anything!
I ask, "Are you sure it's still in there?"
He looks me straight in the eyes and I see his panic setting in as he says, "I was looking around, when all of a sudden it hit, and I felt a sharp pain immediately. Now I hear this thing in there and it's eating it's way through trying to get out!"

Okay... I start to understand the urgency now. We have a real emergency here! I'm standing there watching my husband of 28 years, suddenly act like he's been infected by some horrible brain eating body snatcher. This bug, whatever it is, is also causing extreme pain in his ear canal, and he is getting more frustrated that we can't find something, anything (like a fricking tweezers!) that we can use to try and pull it out. To top that off, once I convince him to let me call for help, I realize we have no service!

Another 10 minutes of dogging cars and cursing cell phone technology brought us to game time decision. We pulled ourselves together and rode! Harley said, "Get me to the nearest Dr.!"

I led the way. We had our flashers on and throttles open as we sped up the highway, flying toward anyone who would be able to help. I noticed a Police car at a Gas Station convenience store as we came into Tuskegee. We whipped in and explained to him what was happening. He didn't have anything to help us, but the store clerk tossed me a bottle of Isopropyl alcohol. We poured a little of that down Harley's ear and suddenly he went berserk! Seems we just pissed off the bug!

Well, our cop pal couldn't help with the bug, but we did get the blue light treatment through town to the nearest Fire Station. I was hoping they would be able to retrieve Harley's bug before it took up permanent residency, but again, we hit a dead end. They didn't have the proper kits or tools to extract a bug deeply lodged in someones ear. It's finally concluded, that a Hospital is going to be Harley's only hope. We have to go to Tallassee, about 20 miles away. All the while, Harley is riding himself around, enduring intense pain and pressure, trying to find someone to get this bug out of his ear. The only good thing at this point is... the alcohol seemed to halt the intense activity of the bug. We figured it's either dead, or just passed out and is going to be really pissed off when he wakes up!

By the time we got to the Tallassee Community Hospital ER, Harley's bug has been in it's new home for about 45 minutes. It has stopped "chewing his way out", but was still emitting an enormous amount of pressure and was starting to cause a headache. While we were waiting our turn to see the ER Dr., I took the opportunity to look into Harley's ear with that ear magnifier thingy that hangs on the wall. I carefully inspected the area, letting my gaze follow the canal down close to the ear drum and way back as far as I could see... there it is! I saw just a tiny little bit of the ends of two hairy legs. Boy... that sucker is in there!

We sat around and fulfilled the obligatory two and a half hour wait for treatment. Finally, Dr. Young (he barley looked old enough to vote!) was able to flush and irrigate the bug out of the canal far enough, so he could reach it with an alligator forceps... a long narrow pliers like thing. After about three very painful attempts, the nice young Dr. finally retrieved this very large wasp that just simply wanted to ride on a Harley for Easter. My hubby was extremely relieved to be rid of his unwelcome passenger, I can tell ya!

When we got home Saturday evening, we reflected on the million in one odds, that a wasp could land a hole in one like that. Still, we packed the First Aid Kit back on the bike and made sure we had Q-tips and tweezers in it. I don't think I would've been able to get this particular bug today, even if I had the tools I needed. This bugger was deep, deep, deep!

As riders, we can learn how to prevent problems like this by sharing our experiences with each other. Reading this post may cause some of you to reconsider what kind of lid you wear, if one at all. Maybe... maybe not. Or, you could be like us and just add one more piece of gear to the list of things you don't leave home without... and that's cotton! Even after this terrible fiasco, I'm not going to stop wearing my half helmet and neither is Harley. But we can promise you this... there will be cotton in our ears from now on!

Lady R

MAKE UP YOUR MIND!!

Just a short and sweet post, to give you all an idea what we southern bikers get to have fun with. Our weather is absolutely crazy this time of year!

Going to work yesterday morning, it was 32 degrees. Coming home in the afternoon, it was 72 degrees! WTF!

"Dizzy... my head is spinning. Like a whirlpool... it never ends!"

Ride safe!

Lady R

BADASS BIKER BOB

It's Friday! Woo Hoo! I'll be enjoying my weekend with my friends, Earth Mother and the Marvelous Ms. M, while Harley takes off and has a couple days of riding with the "boys". It will be nice to have company and we gurlz never have a problem finding stuff to do!

Ann over at Random Thoughts posted a really funny story about Poor Dumb Bob. I came across this little story about Badass Biker Bob, and I'll have to say, he fared a little better than Poor Dumb Bob did. What do you think?

Badass Biker Bob wakes up at home with a huge hangover. He forces himself to open his eyes, and the first thing he sees is a couple of aspirins and a glass of water on the side table.

He sits up and sees his clothing in front of him, all clean and pressed. Bob looks around the room and sees that it is in perfect order, spotless, clean. So is the rest of the house.

He takes the aspirins and notices a note on the table: "Honey, breakfast is on the stove, I left early to go shopping. Love you."

So he goes to the kitchen, and sure enough there is a hot breakfast and the morning newspaper. His son is also at the table, eating.

Bob asks, "Son, what happened last night?"

His son says, "Well, you came home after 3 A.M., drunk and delirious, broke some furniture, puked in the hallway, and gave yourself a black eye when you stumbled into the door."

Confused, Badass Bob asks, "So, why is everything in order and so clean, and breakfast is on the table waiting for me?"

His son replies, "Oh, that! Mom dragged you to the bedroom, and when she tried to take your pants off, you said, "Lady, leave me alone, I'm married'!"

Looks like we've just found our Husband of the Year! Hahahaha! He's got my vote!!

Have a nice weekend everybody! See ya Monday!

Lady R

LADY R GOES DRAGGIN!!!

Hold on to your pants, boys and girls, I have some good news and bad news! I usually prefer to hear bad news first, so here goes.

Something I have been considering for a while has just been realized. Regretfully, it may cost me the spare time I usually have to put into my blogging and other writing projects. We've all said before, that it's so hard to keep up with all our favorite blogs and I'm finding myself moving in fast forward to time crunch chaos. Even though I still plan to post as much as possible and keep up with all my blogging friends, I may seem a little scarce once in a while, which brings me to my good news.

Some of you may remember me mentioning, my beloved mechanic "JB" at the H-D shop, is a three time champion drag racer. Well, the opportunity has presented itself for Harley and I to be able to buy our own drag bike and start racing. Woo Hoo! What do you think of that Fasthair! This is right up your alley! Oh by the way, Harley is not going to be the one running this demon down the track. It will be me! I'm going to start Drag Racing!

Yes, you heard it right here! I am going to pursue another ambition I have, and that is to race! You all know I love racing and anything to do with speed. I'm just a girl that likes to go fast! I know this new endeavor doesn't come without plenty of obstacles and hurdles, all of which I hope I'm ready for. I understand very little about the mechanics of the engine, but I do understand an S & S 113 Big Twin Evo with 150 hp.!! Oh.. Oh... Ohhhh!

I'm the type of person, that when I am interested in something passionately, I will become a sponge for information. I'll be running in the Super Gas Class and this bike makes consistent passes in the low 9.90's, but getting used to running with an air shifter will be interesting! Putting together a team that can take care of the mechanical aspects of running a drag bike will be quite a challenge too, but we're very blessed with great pals and generous offers, so I'm sure we will be able to persevere. I just want to concentrate on the runs! I think this has to be the most awesome thing we've ever done. I may be fooling myself, but I plan to give it my best effort and go for it.

Shirley Muldowney, the first lady of drag racing, is an inspiration for any woman to confront adversity and pursue their dream. I fell in love with her years ago when I watched the movie about her racing career, "Heart Like A Wheel". Karen Stoffer was also inspired by Shirley Muldowney's story and she's now become a Pro Stock Motorcycle Drag Racer. I've always wanted to be a race car driver, but I never imagined I would actually become a Drag Racer!

When we go to Holt at the end of the month, I will be looking at that drag strip in a whole new light. Next year, I'll be racing. I'm so excited, I could just pee myself! Someone asked me why I think I can do this and all I could say was, "Cause I want it!" The most important thing is, I have a few folks around here who think I can do it, and their encouragement is all it took for me to take that first step. My number one supporter is Harley and even though he thinks I'm crazy, after 28 years of being married to me... not much surprises him anymore!

See ya at the strip!

Lady R


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Oh, I almost forgot... APRIL FOOL'S DAY!!!

Yeah, this is my bike alright. In my dreams!!! Truth is... "JB" really is trying to sell his beautiful custom built drag bike and I thought it would be fun to come up with a clever way to help him get the word out. So all of you out there that felt that little pang of jealously, that you didn't have your own drag bike to race, here's your chance!

Check out the link here to see everything you'd want to know about this beauty. I really wish it were mine. It could have some serious fun on it!

Have fun today and don't be fooled! LOL!

Lady R