To New Jersey… For a Big Surprise!
By Dianne
May 31, 2009
Hi Ladies and who knows… maybe we are attracting some attention from some of the gentlemen riders too!!
Just before our Harley-Davidson Rider project hit the website I took a whirlwind trip to my home state of New Jersey. Unfortunately, it was not on my bike but the reason for the
trip was well worth it. As I told you in my introduction I will shortly become a Grandma for the first time. My trip was centered around my daughter’s baby shower!!
I flew out on the red eye on Friday night at 11:30 pm… and the excitement began as we started boarding the plane suddenly a group of police officers and sky marshalls arrived and
escorted the man sitting behind me off the plane. Flying is not my favorite thing to do but I tolerate it. I would much rather be on my bike and in control of my own destiny with the wind and the
road ahead of me! The rest of the flight went just fine and I arrived in New Jersey at 6:40 am.
I was trying to hide from my daughter until noon time but she happened to be at my in-lawshouse and walked in their bedroom as I was trying to keep
hidden from her until she saw me at the shower. She knew something was up but she was extremely surprised and happy to see me there. The shower went smoothly and it was quite the party. All plans
went well and the baby is well on his way to having all he needs when he arrives at or around July 5th!! We sure do keep riding in the family… baby’s dad also rides a Harley-Davidson and we
of course bought a bunch of Harley-Davidson items for the little guy… bibs, shirts, infant caps, and of course the infamous t-shirt… “MY GRANDPA IS A BIKER”!
It was a great trip as I was able to spend good quality time with my family. My younger daughter, Kim, came to pick me up to go to the shower. Jess was surprised and all had a
great time. We loaded all the gifts with the rest of the family in several cars and drove to the kid’s house to drop them off. After the shower we went back to my in-laws’ house. They had
to order pizza that night as that is my one request whenever I go back to visit!! You just can’t get pizza like that in Arizona!!
I woke up refreshed the next morning and prepared for my return trip back home to Arizona. All in all I think I was gone for only 36 hours!! Now it’s time to recover from jet lag
and the time difference!!
It Truly is About the Journey
By Natalie
May 28, 2009
How appropriate I start my blog right after completing a 3-1/2-day, 1,700-mile trip (1,683 miles, to be exact) over Memorial Day weekend. Being what I call a “working snowbird,” riding my bike to
Minnesota in the spring and back to Arizona in the fall is the mode of transportation. Even though I’ve done this trip many times, it’s never the same and is truly about the journey. So,
I’m starting my blog by highlighting the trip to inspire others to someday do the same.
The journey started the Friday morning of Memorial weekend. My husband Terry, our friend Mike and I left Arizona early in hopes of making it into Colorado for the night. We started riding in the
rain and never took off our rain gear that day. One thing you learn after a few rides, short or long, is to expect the unexpected. Even though Arizona is the land of perpetual sunshine, it does
rain here.
Riding across the country brings even more of the unexpected. We rode through mist, rain, downpours. The brief periods of no rain were much welcomed. Even so, we enjoyed our ride!
It’s amazing how the scenery comes alive after a rain. Colors are brighter, smells are stronger. I can still smell the scent of fresh pine.
The highlight of the trip was crossing Wolf Creek Pass in Colorado. We stopped in Pagosa Springs, Colorado, to ask about the conditions at the pass. Given a positive weather report from some
locals, we headed over the pass to South Fork for the night. But one soon remembers how fast weather conditions can change in the mountains. At the top of the pass (elevation: 10,857 feet), the
sleet started and the temperature was in the low 40s. There was still snow on the ground, and travel was slow. In some areas, the downhill grade was steep (7 to 8 percent in some spots), but we
arrived in South Fork safely. We immediately checked into our cabin and hung our wet and damp clothing up to dry. Of course, the weather gave us much to talk about at dinner that night! Looking
forward to bluer skies tomorrow…
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