First off, I feel the need to apologize to my brilliant readers and followers. It’s been a pretty crazy year so far and it makes me wonder if that’s just going to be what it is like every year as we get older. I remember thinking that, “geeze, I’m so ready to have a new year begin” and suddenly I’m thinking that every year. I am not wishing my life away, just asking for a bit o’mellowness before carrying on with whatever is next. Anyway, I do apologize for not being as resourceful as I have been in the past and ask that you all bear with me, as I attempt to resurrect my once active blog!
Many of you remember that I got a Miata from my lovely husband last Christmas, and I have been enjoying the comfort and fun factor of it while my poor BMW R1200R has sat deserted in the garage on a trickle charger. I’d look at it as I’d get in the Miata and take off for the local wineries, a quick trip to Portland to visit my mom or whatever fun I had in store. It’s always warm or cool inside the Miata, I don’t need any protective gear and it’s still loads of FUN!
Well, I knew I needed to break the spell of this black beauty and get out my other black beauty, my Beemer, Hugo. Well, I’m back in the saddle again!
My less than totally comfortable saddle is as fun as it ever was. Proceeding through the routine checks, like oil pressure, tire pressure, nuts and bolts, I then rolled it out and got on. I had to allow for all the “not quite lost, but rusty” skills to return by taking it easy and practicing my slow speed U-turns, quick stops and California’s ever-present lane splitting. After a couple of hours of riding, I was again feeling one with my sexy bike.
The time had come to pack it up and ride into the desert!
Last January I joined in my first rally, The Big Money Rally. It’s much like a scavenger hunt that begins in January and ends in May. The categories are as diverse as they are fun and this season is a true delight with diversity found in match words, film sites, county court houses, town names, the many ways to spell BBQ and a really fun category about everyone’s favorite subject, themselves. The self-portrails include “me and my bike”, “me and my blacksmith”, me and my barber to name a few.
Last winter, I had an early January start which encompassed riding the entire Southwest gathering points. This year, I was a late starter but am working my way up to some higher points through dedication and team spirit. I highly recommend this rally to all that have access to winter riding, for it’s truly fun with an end goal of simply satisfying oneself. There are not really any prizes except the solid respect of your fellow riders and team mates! Also, at the end, there is a big banquet and gathering in Minden, NV so everyone has the chance to meet the others involved in the rally personally!
Here are a couple of examples of BMR rally points. Mine are not the best examples, as the idea is to fill the frame of the photo with the bonus, have some placard and your bike in there as well. This is not always easy!!
The varied spelling of the word barbeque.
One of my favorites…Officer appreciation!
I was trying to receive credit for the town name Ely in this shot. The post office in Ely is fairly new and they have yet to post a permanent sign. The postmistress decided to help me out, although, by definition of “permanent signage”, I didn’t get credit. It was still a fun attempt.
This example served as my first attempt to use a mirror in a complicated shot. The outcome is ok, although the attempt was golden. I did get the points and managed a fairly decent shot, but as I mentioned earlier, it’s not always easy!
From the me and b catagory…me and my barber. 😉
One of the courthouse points…love this catagory!
Well, the riding season is upon us. I’ll be doing some more of the elusive BMR points search, but also just riding for riding’s sake. Hope to see some of you out on the roads. Anyone have any amazing or even not so amazing travel plans?? 😉