Bucket List: Check Mark=Done
Mary Slater #11550
Ocean Springs, MS
Who would have thought that a simple telephone call from a WOW member in a neighboring state would lead to a ride of a life time? I’m Mary Slater, currently living in Ocean Springs, MS, and I’ve been a WOW member for 15+ years. Linda LeDoux, is from Denham Springs, LA, and is a member of Louisiana Lady Cruisers. We connected by telephone to collaborate a meeting of lady riders for International Female Ride Day in May, 2011. Since that day, we stayed in touch by email and phone calls regarding the LLC Chapter and personal rides or trips. My Donald and I joined Linda and her friend, Bill Foster, as well as two other couples on their Sturgis/Colorado trip in August, 2011. So when she decided to do some Leaf Peeping in October, she called me.
The Blue Ridge Parkway and Skyline Drive is a 700+ mile drive with spectacular scenery anytime of the year, but getting to ride it on my motorcycle during the changing of the leaves was one of my top Bucket List items. Since I had traveled these interstates from Maine/Rhode Island, south as a snowbird and been on different parts of the parkway through the years but never from start to finish, we decided that I would lead the interstate route and Linda would be the point woman on the scenic byways as well as finding the hotels. Then we planned on a certain number of days and miles to ride each day, key points of interests that we wanted to make time for, and the day we planned to return home.... needless to say, that plan was blown in the wind by the third day. We adjusted the schedule and regrouped our focus of the trip each night once we were safely settled in the hotel.
We found out how difficult it was to pass up a scenic overlook, visitor information center, or lunching with fellow bikers who were also enjoying the Parkway or Skyline Drive, and visiting with the park rangers, to try and stay on a schedule. Another obstacle we encountered was buying souvenirs. Linda was more interested in unique vest patches and I tended to buy unique items for family members, which in turn caused a storage issue, and since I don’t have any saddle bags...
See page 20.
Sample Content:
- Cover Story: There's No Place Like Home
- Angels on Motorcycles
- Mountain Shadow Riders: Saving the Twins
- Bucket List: Check Mark=Done
- Motorcycle Road Legal in the United Kingdom
ALSO IN THIS ISSUE:
Page 4 - Spokeswoman ~ CRIS Baldwin
Page 5 - Cross-Country Connections ~ REBECCA cross (president elect)
Page 6 - J.P.’s Primary Cover ~ JANIS perfetto
Page 7 - Bikes & Bytes ~ MJ Allen
Page 8 - *Ride-In Information ~ LOIS wyatt
Page 9 - *WOW MEMBERSHIP CONTEST!
Page 9 - *30th ANNIVERSARY!
Page 10 - *Ride-In Logo Contest
Page 11 - *Nomination Form
Page 18 - *Notice of Trustee Election
Page 19 - *Trustee Nomination Form
Page 24 - *Financial Report ~ PAM rusk
Page 25 - *RIDE-IN REGISTRATION FORM
Page 15 - SALE! WOW Merchandise
Page 15 - Mid-Atlantic Women’s Motorcycle Rally Info
Page 22 - Heart of Iowa Cabin Fever Rally
Page 27 - Do you YAHOO!®?*Time Sensitive
IN THIS ISSUE
January/February 2012
Angels on Motorcycles
Donna Schoenfeldt #16541
Randolph, WI
It was called the President’s Croozapalooza, by Cris Baldwin, who took us to God’s country Alma, Wisconsin. It was just a girls’ ride, but little did she know the healing power it would have for me. I got to ride with the angels of motorcycling. The angels who helped me get my passion back didn’t wear white robes, but came dressed in black leather, adorned with helmets and patches in place of wings. Little did she know my son who had passed five months prior was a Railroad Photographer. The sounds and motions of the trains were everywhere and in some of his favorite areas to shoot photography, so as my angels were there so was he in my heart saying, “Mom go for it. I had a Passion too, you need to return to yours.” Thank You Ladies for the laughs, shopping, great food (deep fried pickles,) and great hugs with kind words.
See page 13 for the rest.
Mountain Shadow Riders: Saving the Twins
By Carolee Langer #14685
Fountain, CO
When you are passionate about something, the hard work doesn’t seem so hard. That was the philosophy behind the 11th Annual Mountain Shadow Riders Breast Cancer Awareness Ride held October 1, 2011 in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The 100+ members of Mountain Shadow Riders (MSR), Colorado Springs chapter of WOW, have been hosting this annual charity motorcycle ride since 2000 to raise funds for the Southeastern Colorado affiliate of the Susan G. Komen For the Cure® Foundation. MSR has adopted the “Save The Twins” battle cry and are determined to make a difference in their community.
What started with approximately 60 participants in 2000, has grown by leaps and bounds to over 600 riders that showed up for this year’s “Save The Twins” fundraiser. The chapter printed up and sold all 750+ ride T-Shirts and handed out 600 ride pins that reflected this perky and fun play on words. Regardless of the booby jokes and light-hearted nature of promoting the event, the Colorado Springs biker community has taken this first Saturday in October to heart, and have established this ride as one of the “must do” rides in Colorado.
Months of preparation go into hosting this annual event, and MSR collected door prizes and donations from over 200 local businesses and individual contributors. “It is a true testament of the love and support the Colorado Springs area has for our event. They know all the money we raise stays local and helps women and men in our area that need assistance from Komen,” stated Event Coordinator Carolee Langer. “We put on a really good party at the end of our ride and this year we gave away approximately $5,000 worth of door prizes. None of this would have been possible without the dedication and passion that our chapter members put into organizing and hosting this ride. We work harder every year, because we know that we expect to have 75-100 more riders than the year before. We always try to raise the bar and do something fun and new to entertain the crowd.”
As the sun rose that perfect and perky Colorado morning, the parking lot quickly became packed and bikes were lined up for blocks away around the Western Omelette, the starting location for the event and a favorite breakfast spot for Springs bikers. “Not only is our ride for a very worthy cause, people know the route is going to be beautiful and the celebration at the end of the ride is always a great time!” stated MSR member Paula Creamer. “I was asked to lead the sweep team this year and when we rolled into the parking lot at Stargazers Theatre, where we hosted our end of ride party, I was overwhelmed. I would bet there were over 550 bikes in the lot….it was amazing!”
See page 16 for the rest of the story.
Cover Story: There's No Place Like Home
By Cris Baldwin, #7180
Wentzville, MO
The weather-worn combat boots I wear when I ride might not be as bright as the ruby slippers Dorothy wore in the “Wizard of Oz,” but they are almost as magical.
Alma, Wisconsin, the destination of this year’s “President’s Croozapalooza,” was my home for 22 years. This 19th century river town, built in the style of a European village, is situated on a narrow strip of land on the Mississippi River less than two hours southeast of Minneapolis/St. Paul.
For years, I had been promising the Heartland (St. Louis) Chapter of Women On Wheels® that I would take them to Alma. So this year, for my second “Croozapalooza,” Wisconsin was the logical destination. Joining the 12 members from Missouri, were 65 others from Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin.
The “crooz” started with gentle hills and curves through beautiful farmlands and soon turned to challenging “twisties and shifties” as we made our way to the tops and bottoms of the 500-foot high limestone bluffs. About 45 miles into the ride, we slowed down so that riders could view the dairy farm where I grew up. A few miles later, we diverted to Buena Vista Park to take a group photo at the scenic Mississippi River overlook where I married my husband, Thomas, 25 years ago.
We enjoyed lunch at the Pepin (Wisconsin) Pickle Factory. This lake-front restaurant was once the home to “The Pepin Pickling Company” built in the early 1900’s to process pickles and sauerkraut. After lunch (with birthday cake*), participants were free to explore the area on their own or return to the hotel in Winona, Minnesota. Not to be outdone by the beauty of the Wisconsin River Road, Minnesota’s offered sailboats and a glimpse of the “Pearl of the Lake,” a genuine replica of an 1800’s paddle wheeler which offers riverboat cruises.
The ideas behind this year’s “President’s Croozapalooza” were to accomplish the following:
1. Thank the members of Women On Wheels® for their support of my presidency. I cannot begin to share the dozens of heart-warming, grateful thoughts that went through my head and heart.
2. Honor my motorcycling role model. My mom rode in the 1970’s, and she has inspired me to devote my energies to promoting motorcycling to women.
3. *Share with my friends my history and bring together the different periods of my life. This meant sharing my dad’s 74th Birthday with my WOW friends. Only a few people knew that my dad had been ill. Less than ten friends knew that he mentioned (while still in the hospital) that he “would do whatever he needed to be home before the motorcycle ladies visited Alma.” I wanted the ladies (and gentlemen) who helped shape his recovery to share in it. Thank you all for your touching rendition of “Happy Birthday.”
I am a believer in the healing powers of Women On Wheels® and the magic of those badly scuffed boots. Those boots will always take me home—wherever that may be.
See page 12 for the rest of the story.
Thanks To Our Advertisers: |
| * Harley-Davidson Motor Company |
| * Progressive Insurance Company |
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Motorcycle Road Legal in the United Kingdom
By Tina "TEE" Beadle #17747
North Yorkshire, UK
There are complicated variations away from this regarding dates, what happens if you fail any part, when you acquired other driving licenses, etc. But assuming that you are age 17 or above and starting from scratch you need to:
1. Get your provisional license. Approximate cost £50.00
2. Take your online theory test. £31.00
3. Complete your CBT (compulsory basic training). Generally around £120.00 day one, £70.00 thereafter until they’re happy with your standard (incs. bike hire, etc)
4. Take a provisional motorcycle test (up to 125cc/14.6bhp), continue to use L plates, no pillions and no motorway riding.
5. Take the motorcycle theory test.
6. Take one of three further motorcycle tests:
a. Light motorcycle – up to 125cc/14.6bhp, no restrictions on pillions or motorways.
b. Standard motorcycle – up to 33bhp for 2 years, then any cc/bhp, then your ‘full’ test.
c. Direct access (if 21 or older) – any size motorcycle – known as a ‘full’ motorcycle license.
Points 6a, b & c are split into 2 modules:
1. Module One (off road practical test) £15.50
2. Module Two (on road practical test) £75.00 on weekdays and £88.50 on weekends
Training for Modules One & Two of around £780.00 up to first test, £130 a day thereafter until both are passed.
If everything goes to plan, that’s a minimum of £1071.50 from zero to an unrestricted license. Google says that the current exchange rate makes that $1716.97 – how does this compare? Is there much difference between your States?
See page 23 for the complete story.
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