Fort Jones here we come...

October 10th

We are riding to see our southernmost
members of Wind & Fire State of Jefferson,
Bill & Gwen Lloyd

Great bar-b-que and libations await.

Weather looks perfect, as of now look's like high in the 70's

In The Wind,
El Capitan Del Camino

"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover." - Mark Twain

Brookings, Oregon

A beautiful day in Brookings, Oregon visiting with the Sharps....

to view more photos click here: Coast Trip

Maybe you should think about staying at a Best Western?

Best Western and Harley-Davidson have joined together to make Bikers happy. The two companies announced they have extended their exclusive partnership to reward motorcycle riders with “enhanced” travel benefits. Best Western’s are all along America’s scenic roads, and cater to the unique travel needs of motorcycle enthusiasts.

Harley-Davidson owners can register for Best Western Ride Rewards HERE or calling 1-888-BW2BIKE. Upon registering there is an assortment of rewards, amenities and status upgrades. Check the site for qualifying details. Our posse will often stay at a Best Western property because they’re “rider-friendly,” and we have access to a host of amenities, such as complimentary wipe-down rags. Some offer access to a washing station and many have reserved parking spaces which makes unloading easier.

And speaking of rides, if you’ve not used the H-D Ride Planner to help map out a ride I suggest giving it a go. Due to the exclusive partnership with H-D the tool makes it easy to book a stay at a Best Western property as the locations are embedded into the trip planner.

Relay For Life Ride

For many more shots of the
Relay Ride and the Relay go to:

Greater Works Photography

then to proofing and enter RFL as your password!

GP Fire Department "Burn to Learn"

If your interested in checking out the "Burn to Learn" pictures that I shot of the Grants Pass Fire Department last Sunday, go to my website:

www.greaterworksphotography.com

then to the proofing section, enter 7300 as the password.

Local Biker Events

On June 6th D&S Harley-Davidson is hosting their annual Spit Shine Ride-in Bike Show it's open to the public around 10am, and is held in their parking lot, with vendors, food, games and live music from noon to 4pm by Hog Wild. admission is free, and there are going to be hundreds of custom bikes on display. Here's a link…http://dsharley.com/whats_new.html

On June 14th the VFW post 4116 is hosting it's annual Summer Wine Run to benefit local projects and charities. Music, 50/50 drawing, ride raffles, and vendors $15/rider $10/passenger. Includes breakfast and poker card. Registration is from 9-11am @ 410 E. Main St, Rogue River. Katy 541-582-1129.

A great 3 day event coming up this month is the 17th annual Iron Horse Rodeo, June 26-27-28 at Lake Selmac just outside of Selma OR. Sponsored by D&S Harley-Davidson, this event has been a staple of Southern Oregon bikers for years! This year the live music will be provided by local bands Mercy, featuring Linda Morrison, and Hog Wild. Link…http://www.ironhorserodeo.us

And for all you women riders out there, on June 27th the Wild Rogue Chapter of Women in the Wind is hosting their annual Corset Cruise. Here's how it works: They provide a 100-mile poker run with a party at the end. You show up dressed in your Mardi Gras finest! This event is open to men and women who like to ride motorcycles and want to raise money for a good cause. The Corset Cruise has raised over $20,000 for mammograms & breast cancer treatment for local women since it began in 2005. The ride is a poker run that will begin at D&S Harley-Davidson and end at the Grants Pass Truck & Motorcycle Festival at Riverside Park. We'll join the community party there, with live music, drawings, food, beer and more. Link… http://www.corsetcruise.com/

info courtesty of Rogue and Poet

Free Weekends at National Parks

America’s Best Idea – the national parks – gets even better this summer with three fee-free weekends at more than 100 national parks that usually charge entrance fees.

Mark your calendars for fee-free weekends this summer:

• June 20-21, 2009 (Father’s Day weekend)
• July 18-19, 2009
• August 15-16, 2009

Click here for a list of Oregon National Parks

So where are we riding to?

Let's Ride..........

Who's ready to hit the road again this Saturday?

A Shout Out....

To our Wind & Fire member Charlie Chase who can really jump jive an' wail with the best of them when he performs live with a local band called The Mixers.

Here are a few pictures from a recent performance:

Charlie was also mentioned here: Rogue & Poet

Bend, Oregon

So the Earth Day ride turned into a May Day ride, Which then turned into a road trip in the car due to typical Oregon weather.

We stayed in a McMenamins, which is always an adventure...

The McMenamins in Bend is called the Old St. Francis School. The Old St. Francis School, conveniently located in the center of downtown Bend, has undergone a transformation from 1936 Catholic schoolhouse to lively destination hotel complete with classrooms-turned-lodging rooms, a pub, brewery and bakery, a movie theater, and a truly fantastic soaking pool.


Ok, so we thoroughly enjoyed this soaking pool.....Karaoke has nothing on the acoustic sounds we created while visiting the pool. It was a mosaic of artistic tiles and sits on what was once the school's former stage. Very relaxing and yet the slight breeze that we could feel and the pictures on the wall were a bit haunting.

The cottage we rented was a charming 4 bedroom house called the "Nunnery", each room featured painted quotes and pictures of nuns on the walls. The living room featured a painting of Nuns playing baseball. The art work around St. Francis was quite unique and great for late night discussions. To view a bit of the art work click here: Art

Saturday we enjoyed walking around down town, shopping and visiting the Bend Brewing Company.


Our choice for dinner was recommended by a "good eater" who worked at the Brewery. She was a fit young girl who suggested we try the Typhoon Thai Restaurant.

"Typhoon’s menu is inspired by both the pushcarts of peasants and palaces in Thailand. The perfect balance of bitter, sweet, salty and sour flavors will burst in your mouth. " - Typhoon Website

Not one of us was disappointed! Our dinners at the Typhoon were exquisite. In fact it was the best Phad Thai we've ever eaten.

Out stay was short but sweet. The weather could have been better, but we're all use to making lemonade out of lemons. We enjoyed ourselves so much that we plan on doing the very same ride again as soon as the weather clears up...

We look forward to more of you joining us as we take on Bend, Oregon again this summer.

Earth Day 2009

Just stop and Think about things for a moment...

Mountain Lakes and Sunshine...

We couldn't' have asked for a better weekend for riding.
Friends, food,clear blue skies, warmth
and twisted mountain roads....


Click for more Pictures

April

abundant sunshine

on an april day

basking in its warmth

is where I lay

Sunday Sunshine...

Sunday, Sunshine, 70 degrees, Good Friends and a Motorcycle Ride,
I don't think life gets much better than that!

Extra, Extra, Read all about it....

Wind & Fire members Brian Robinson
and Brian Pike helped move two antique
fire engines into their new home at
the Parkway Fire Station this morning.

The trucks pictured above are a
1911 and 1927 American La France engines,
the first and second fire engines
to be owned by the City of Grants Pass.

Earth Day Motorcycle Ride

"The bees are buzzin, the flowers bloomin,
Birds are chirping, an hogs are roarin.
Lets get ready to rumble. Got the pipes warmed up
and ready to fly like the wind.
Or is that fly in the wind"
quote from our very own Bill Sharp/Fireyladd

We were thinking of getting some folks together for an "Earth Day Ride", where we celebrate by filling up our motorcycle tanks.... Unplugging, taking off and enjoying some of this great Big Earth!!! Being that it falls on a Wednesday, I figure we better shoot for riding on the 25th....

Sit back for a moment and reflect on all the details and complexities that went into the process of the creating this big 'ol world.

In my view, God specifically penciled out the shape of each of the millions of flowers on Earth, blended the watercolors and matched the leaves to the petals. He decided which varieties should grow in the various climates, how they should group themselves on the edge of a hill in early spring, and how they should lay a carpet across a meadow. He added trees and shrubs and brushed in hundreds of varieties of grasses. He strategically placed waterfalls, rivers and underground springs to bubble over the rocks and provide sustenance to the delicate plants.

And that is just the beginning....

Ok, so I got a little caught up with my inner-treehugger. Truth be told motorcycles are the original green machine. Although motorcycles have internal combustion engines, we have reduced congestion, pollution, and energy consumption as compared to cars and trucks.

But you already knew that...

Thinkin possibly a overnighter? What are you thoughts?
Route ideas?

First Club Ride of Spring....

We saddled up our bikes and headed out on the first Club ride of spring. Although we didn't have as much sunshine as we wanted, it turned out to be a pretty great day for riding.

The roar of the bikes really gets one back into the spirit of riding. Below are some pictures from yesterday's ride. Here's to many more rides and great times this season!!

Click here for a slide show of more pictures.

Happy Spring Equinox day!!

Otherwise know as the first day of spring.

Let Riding Season Begin!!!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

click to enlarge

Sunday Ride?

Sunday, March 15

High: 61 °F

RealFeel: 66 °F

Mostly sunny

Looks like a great day to hit the road again, who's in?

HD & Barbie!

Brian tells me fifty years is a long time! Even longer in the toy business, but next week is a birthday party for everyone’s favorite Harley-Davidson doll, Barbie. She’s “more mature” these days and reflects the motorcycle company female demographics, but she is certainly not looking her age!


The motorcycle Barbie completes the rider image with an edgy black leather and orange flame ensemble accented with silvery chain, boots, helmet and sunglasses. You go girl!!


OR


Below where Barbie teams up again with American icon Harley-Davidson , wearing a classic logo tee and faux leather chaps in her signature pink!

Oh the choices!!!

more on my brain...

I'm not sure who actually reads this blog, but this update is for JJ and Bill Sharp, thank you both for checking up on me and thinking of me. The neurologist has ruled out tumors and a stroke, so we will begin testing for Multiple Sclerosis. The first test for that happens to be a lumbar puncture otherwise known as a spinal tap.

I can't imagine why I would feel any hesitation about having a needle longer than this one being stuck in my spine?

I mean it could be fun right?

And even more fun than that is the idea of them puncturing my spinal cord and collecting some of my spinal fluid.

I mean again who doesn't want this to happen to them?

I'm feeling very privileged at the moment, really I wont lie. I'm downright ecstatic!

I joke.

I'm scared.

Half Chaps for the ladies...

The Half Chaps are an interesting take on a riding chap designed to protect a rider's shins from flying rocks and debris that often kick up while riding. They also stop wide leg jeans from flapping around or riding up in the wind.

They're made of top quality 3 oz. thick Italian leather for durability. Road grime and dirt washes right off. Looking for a different color? TrishaDehall.com has a Design-Your-Own page so you can customize almost every style to match your bike or your mood. Love that!

The Half Chaps are available for $150. Too much money for this bargain shopper but a great idea.

Harley-Davidson Introduces New "Iron 883"

So I'm thinking about buying one of these bad boys...

With a defiant attitude embracing the pure essence of riding, the new Iron 883 model is the latest Harley-Davidson Dark Custom motorcycle.

The Iron 883 model continues that rebellious tradition with responsive handling, smooth clutch effort and durable carbon reinforced drive belt while pushing the styling of motorcycling minimalism to the edge. Decked in black from fender-to-fender, the new Harley-Davidson Iron 883 motorcycle brings the beat of an 883 Evolution® engine backed up by a combo of gritty, old-school garage features like front fork gaiters, drag style handlebar and side-mount license plate holder. A ticket to ride the Iron 883 starts at just $7,899 MSRP, leaving plenty of freedom for customization.

so dreamy.....

Sam