My Motorcycle Diaries | Peaches Prattlings

{April 4, 2021} Park…Bike…Nap…Yeah…

What a beautiful Sunday! I decided no alarm, I had done yoga four days in a row, I’m taking a day off. That means no alarm and a little lounging before I greet the world.

I got up around 8, well, I got up before then, but refused to get up. About 8, I got dressed and got the pups out of the crate and right into their harnesses and off to the park we went. They were SO excited! I dropped the top and it was the same as always, Ruby sitting up, wanting to see everything, Bee hunkering as low into the seat as possible! At the lights, sometimes she likes to look around, but as soon as we start moving…I think she’s hoping if she can’t see the world go by, it’s not moving! HA ha!

At the park we were a go! It definitely is something to take them for walks, it’s hit or miss, sometimes they’re with me, sometimes, they’re against me…going in two different directions! We took the same path and this time, came upon a photographer with a telephoto lense, I actually don’t know if she was a photographer or a birder, one who watches birds, if you weren’t in the know. I figured she was there to see the bald eagles, and she was! So I asked if she knew where they were and she did! Across the lake on the little island! I never would have seen them! I don’t have a telephoto lense, but if you zoom in on the dots, you can see them on the tree branch, they were spectacular!

On the way back to the car, we met a few other dogs, a boy who wanted to pet them, especially Bee, Beagles are his favorite dog breed. We also met a man who told me how good she looked, he had one at home. I asked if his was a little on the chunkier side, he said oh my yes! His wife takes the dog to Steak ‘n Shake and Shake Shack, among others. His beagle…100 pounds! O M G!!! Oh no! I’ll keep my girl the way she is!

After the park, the girls were ready for a nap and the weather was beautiful, so on the bike I hopped and off to Grafton, IL I went. A little highway, but then two lane roads, over the Clark Bridge, through Alton, IL and then along the Mississippi River. I’ve told you about the ride before, it’s just a nice and easy ride, the ride along the river is beautiful and peaceful and we love it. I rode to Pere Marquette State Park and saw a few bikes heading up Scenic Drive, so I did the same and it was a great, winding road with a few overlooks I stopped at to take a look at the view.

I stopped at Eagle Roost Scenic Overlook, the view was fabulous. You could see Swan Lake, Illinois River, Levee on Swan Lake, and Brussles, IL. I continued on to Flag Pole Scenic Overlook, another nice view. I continued on, but when I got to Lover’s Leap Overlook, but…I kept going. My opinion…when I looked at it, I wouldn’t have leapt from it! There might have been more to it, I just didn’t see it.

I continued down the long and winding road, thank you to anyone who got that! until I was back at the main drag. I knew there wasn’t anything in town for me to eat so I kept going. There were SO many bikes on the road and I gotta tell you…I la la la love my bike, I got so many props from other riders! Great feeling, sigh. I can tell you that Grafton was covered in bikes, I don’t think I saw one bike that wasn’t a Harley Davidson, except when I went by!

Since it was Easter, so many places that I tried to go were closed, so I decided to head home. What I did though, was detour off the main drag and went the way PSM and I had come in a few weeks ago, this time, it was sooo much better! Less dirt on the road, it was warmer, and not as windy, a really nice ride. I even did some of the navigating by gut, instead of using my GPS, which I had at the ready.

I got home about 5pm, just in time for dinner for the pups, they were happy I was home, ahhh. We had dinner, hung out and then I think we all fell asleep for a few!

Overall, it was a really good day, I’m ready for the next really good day!

Happy Easter, to those who observe.

{March 20, 2021} Waiting…Waiting…Waiting…Now GO!

The day started like any other Saturday, up too early to go to yoga, par for the course, but then…it stalled, but turned out alright, what more could you want?!

We went to hot yoga, it was good, I think, to go back, I hadn’t been in almost two weeks due to busting my ankle, all good now, promise! It was my second class and just a twinge here and there and I modified what I was doing, I was careful. After yoga, headed home and while we were relaxing and waiting for the weather to warm up, we were going for a motorcycle ride…I told you, if it’s above 45, we’re on the bikes! Or the top is down on the car!

So…we’re sitting there waiting for the weather to warm up, we started watching The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, starring Anthony Mackie as The Falcon, and Sebastian Stan as the Winter Soldier on Disney+, a new offering from the MCU/Marvel Cinematic Universe: Phase 4, which also include WandaVision, if you’re in the know. We’ll get to those later, I digress.

As we’re watching and getting into it, we hear and feel the boom, the dogs jumped a little, and at the same moment, total power out. We looked at each other and had the same thought…Squirrel Sacrifice or Squirrel Suicide, this is a common occurance, not only in our neighborhood, but across the country…these would be electrical distruptions caused by squirrel. This is a quote from September 2020: “The American Public Power Association says squirrels are No. 2 this year on its “Top Causes of Power Outages.” … According to the American Public Power Association, there were about 3,456 squirrel-related power outages that cut off the electricity of more than 193,873 customers in 2016.”

I honestly had no idea this was a major thing here in Missouri, but it seems to be, especially in our neighborhood. We met a neighbor when we first started taking walks through the neighborhood who told us that squirrels are a serious nusience in the neighborhood. Apparently, they like to get into the undercarriage of vehicles left outside of houses and unfortunately, into the transformer boxes. They are rampant here, torturing our dogs, and every dog in the neighborhood, but that part I don’t think is unusual. Last year, the power went out and we were talking to another neighbor who told us that they can get into the transformer cages and…

I checked with our nextdoor neighbor, same situation. I called the power company, they put in a ticket and assured me they would try to get someone out here within an hour, ok. So…we needed something to do, it was still early and too chilly for a ride.

Let’s call and combine our cell phone bills. We both have accounts with T-Mobile, we’re a family, why not a family plan. We had gone into a store and they told us they couldn’t do it in store, we would have to call, seems simple, right? Where’s the head banging emoji? After finally getting a person on the line…we talked to her for a while and the plan changed at least once, me going to PSMs account, then PSM going to my account. After talking to her for a while…we were transfered to another person…finally…and that took another forever.

The entire process, with no power and combining the phone lines took about two and a half hours. Ugh…so…waiting…waiting…waiting…now we’re free! Let’s go! It was about 1pm, so we didn’t want to be away from home for too long since the pooches need a walk and dinner some time, ha ha. We usually take them out about 5p, a little later is ok.

We headed out toward Washington, MO. We’ve been there before, on a ride with two of PSM’s co-workers, to Sugarfire Smokehouse, not my choice, of course, but killer cornbread! OMG! Anyhall, as my grandmother would say…we went to Washington, MO and PSM mapped a fun route that wouldn’t take us on the highway too much, which we both enjoyed, it took us about an hour, which was a good length of time, only because it was ch…ch…chilly, we needed to warm up.

We parked and found a place, right across the street with a great balcony called John G’s Bier Deck, which offered a great view of the Missouri River, score! We walked up the many, many, many steps, this city is on a hill, walked in and instantly warmed to the atmosphere. There were a lot of signs telling customers ‘Do not feed the dogs’, ok. One even above the very loveable looking golden shepard. Across from the bar was an area with tables, a fire pit, and blankets, and an audio set up, looked like for live music.

Outside, we walked down to the deck, half covered and half sitting in the sun, which was perfect, because it was still a bit chilly. We ordered some food and drinks and enjoyed soaking up the rays, trying to block out other coversations, watching the current move quickly, admiring some of the muscle cars and trucks go by and occassionaly, a cargo train would go by. This was the way to spend a Saturday afternoon.

After a bit, we walked down the street to see what it looked like, went into another bar for a drink and then it was time to head home. It took about an hour and a half, the sun finally started to warm things up, sort of, but it was a great ride. PSM, being our Ride Captain, he tries to find us routes that avoid the highways, which is nice, makes for a longer ride, and we get to see things we might not have seen before and…some of the roads, great curvy, leading to long stretches, sometimes the curvy ones are down tree lined roads, gorgeous!

We got home, took care of the pups and hung out. After the hiccup in the mid-morning, it turned out to be a really nice day. Can’t wait for our ride tomorrow!

{March 13, 2021} It’s chilly…but not too cold for a ride!

The rain was predicted, but held off! It held off for the day, it had been raining the few days before, but not today! So…what should we do?! Go for a ride! It’s chilly, but we’re in riding season!

Now…I’m not a hard core rider, I don’t ride when it’s below 48, I might put the top down on the Beetle-Bug when it’s in the high 30s/low 40s, but the bike, nope. I don’t have the fancy stuff on my bike to keep me toasty, like butt warmers in the car, you’re kind of exposed, so…bundle up. I was fine on the top, but from the thighs to the ankles, a little brrr. Next time, Cuddle Duds under the jeans. Such a chance from last weekend, when I could have gone out in a sweatshirt!

We decided to ride to Grafton, IL, I don’t think I’ve mentioned Grafton yet to you. Its a small town in Illinois on the Missisippi River, turns out it’s the oldest town in Jersey County, IL. It gets crazy crowded in the summer and it’s a known spot for bikes, motorcycles, that is. Someone told me about it as a nice ride and one of the biker bars, the Hawg Pit BBQ, it made it an easy destination to put in the GPS.

It’s about an hour ride from here, so not too bad, and a nice destination, as I mentioned. You can go by the highways, yesterday, PSM took us on some alternate roads and it was nice. We eventually connected with the main drag that takes us over the Clark Bridge to Alton, IL, the middle of the bridge is actually the state line, pretty cool. It really is a pretty bridge, I have yet to take a picture of it, we’re always on the bikes. Alton is a cute town, we haven’t explored much of the town, there is a cobblestone street where they have a few restaurants with tables set up outside, which we’ve eaten at, it’s charming.

It was a bit chilly on the ride, so we decided to stop in Alton, but inside, ha ha. We stopped at The Old Bakery Beer Company, as the name says they have beer, tee hee hee. It’s a certified organic craft brewery with food options. We were going to get lunch in Grafton, so I settled on a cup of tea. I would like to go back, they had a nice looking menu with vegetarian and vegan options. It’s a warehouse-like open space, exposed beams, streams of edison bulbs, with tables, spaced appropriately socially distant, mask mandates, hand sanitzier, just like most places. It had a nice open, welcoming feel. Everyone seemed to be having a good time.

After warming up a little inside, we walked outside to the bikes getting ready to head towards Grafton, it seemed to have warmed up a little, outside. One of the things we love about having Indian Motorcycles are the conversation starters. When we came out, a woman was in her car looking at the bikes and told us she was just sitting there admiring them, which was nice, and a guy came up to us to talk about our bikes, he’s thinking about joining the club! We would welcome him! He was wearing a great utilikilt, we’re getting near St Patrick’s Day, people were out celebrating. A utilikilt is a kilt made for every day work wear.

We got to Grafton and pulled in to the parking lot and walked into the Piasa Winery and Pub, we were there for the view, not the food. It was a seafood restaurant, they had some other things, but it was mostly seafood. PSM had a fried alligator, I tasted it, I was curious. I’ll just say, aside from the spicy batter, which I wasn’t crazy about, it still tastes like salty chicken, didn’t make me change my vegan ways, ha ha. For me, I had the grilled pear salad, it was quite tasty. A variety of greenery, grilled pears, glazed walnuts, and cranberries. We sat on the deck and there were heat lamps warming everything up, we needed it. Even the table was warm, I was happy!

After the winery, we went to the Gold Bar Saloon, there was a bar with a few stools, but the true gem was outside, well, sort of outside. There was a building next door with fire pits, that was fabulous. We took our drinks in, took off our jackets and sat on one of the sofas and just enjoyed ourselves. There were a few other people in there, but they were each at their own set of sofas and firepits, awesome! The music was country, but classic country that everyone seemed to know, Johnny Cash, Loretta Lynn, and Boz Scaggs.

After a while, even though we had just eaten, we were slightly peckish and all I wanted was french fries. No idea why, I haven’t eaten or craved french fries in a long time, they just don’t agree with me, so I try to avoid them, but I was craving them, so off we went. We walked…next door, ha ha, to the Grafton Pub. We ordered fries, when I asked the cut, I was told they were somewhere in between steak fries and Burger King french fry. It was funny, when I asked what the cut was, she looked at me funny, so I explained the different cuts. We also ordered guacamole bites, which are a bit odd, but we were curious. We were told they were like wontons with guacamole in them, and fried. Ok…let’s just say, they were hot as all get out, to me anyway. We’ve had them before I realized, and let’s just say, not ordering them again, not everything tastes better fried…The french fries on the other hand, were tasty, if you could get past the coarse salt and pepper they put on them, seriously?! Just not my cup of tea honestly, I forgot to order them unseasoned, which would have meant fresh out of the frier, nothing extra, which would have made them perfect, they really were good fries, good size, perfect crunch on the outside, texture and taste of potato, I know that sounds weird to some, I’ll explain in a later post.

The Grafton Pub is also on the water, and Grafton itself it really is a pretty place in the Spring and Summer, especially with the trees in bloom and boats on the river.

After our snack, it was time to go. Interesting thing…until we sat at The Gold Bar Saloon, we didn’t see another motorcycle all day, then there were a few, it was nice to see some other cold weather riders like us. We got to the bikes, met another group of admirers, theses folks were slightly closer to inebriated, they were getting into the St Patricks Day mood, but still admirers of our bikes, which we definitely appreciate and welcome the conversation. After that, on the bikes and head back down by the river, over the bridge, on the highway this time and hello puppies.

The sun pretended to try to peek out, but aside from that, a great day overall. What could be bad, motorcycle ride, good company, laughter, the wind in your face, as I’ve told you…wind therapy! Wonder where the road takes us next…

{March 7, 2021} First group ride of the year…ahhhh

I think I told you last week, while I was in Colorado, that there was a group ride on Sunday, and here we are! I told you that PSM and I went out on the bikes to get some dinner last night, after we both got home and it was brrrr…chilly! Today, the official group ride. Wah to the hoo!

We belong to the St Louis Indian Motorcycle Riders Group, or IMRG. When we lived in Hawai’i, we joined the IMRG HoloHolo chapter, well, we actually still belong to the group, we have the 2021 patches to prove it! Man, I still need to get a vest to put my patches on! At this point, I need two vests or something to put the patches on. I absolutely LUV my motorcycle vest so much, I don’t want to put anything on it! Is that terrible?! I’m looking, I’ll do it eventually, promise!

We got up, took the pups for a walk, had some breakfast, geared up, well, you have to put your gear on, every super hero does! ha ha. Because we’re riding, we start with jeans, I’m sure you’ve seen people wearing shorts on a bike, not me, ever. Ok, I can’t say that…the last staycation we had in Hawai’i, we went to the Big Island and rented motorcycles. The last morning, when we were returning them, we both wore shorts the 2 block ride to return the bikes, but I promise, there is no way I would ever ride in anything by jeans. Short sleeves, definitely, especially when it’s hot, and I’m usually wearing a vest that helps protect my chest, but my legs, no way! I have to tell you, I was so happy to be completely covered the day I wrecked my bike, years ago! Wow, digressing now! You wanted to hear about our lovely ride!

So…back to our apparel. Jeans, long sleeve shirt, thin sweatshirt I got last summer at the Looney Bin Bar & Grill. I will be telling you all about it this summer when we go on our annual motorcycle ride with the guys in New Hampshire, cannot wait! Then, I have a heavy denim Indian Motorcycle jacket, it’s quilted on the inside, so it keeps me warm, but it’s not too warm to sometimes wear in the summer. Yup, I wore my Chucks, and got grief from our Ride Captain, it was awesome! I showed him the picture I shared with you from KN, “How to spot a biker chick”, he still rolled his eyes at me! I had my black gloves with red trim that I got at Harley Davidson in Seattle, WA, I had to go a long way to find those and those…saved my hands when I wrecked, I will never give them up! Neck sleeve that I got with sunflowers that got at the Van Gogh museum in Amsterdam, headphones, goggles, and helmet…we were good to go!

We met the group at the designated QuikTrip, gives us a chance to greet each other, this is the first time a lot of us have seen each other since the last ride in the Fall, I think it was October, get something to drink or a snack, gas up the bikes, and get our riding instructions. When you’re riding in a group, it’s important to know the rules and hand signals, all that good stuff to keep everyone safe. There were about 25 of us, it was great! There are male riders, female riders, as you might guess, couples, Indian motorcycles and two Can-Am Spyder Roadsters.

After all that, we were off. We ride side by side to get started, then we ride in staggered formation, you’re on the left, I’m behind you on the right, and so on, and in some places, depending on the road, we ride single file. It’s quite the site to see a line of bikes coming down the highway. We try to stay together, when we’re at stop lights and stop signs, acting as a tractor trailer, so to speak, trying to keep any cars from getting in the middle of our group. That’s common for most group rides.

We rode to Sandy Creek Covered Bridge Park, a beautiful park with, you guessed it, a covered bridge. It looked like a great park for walking, together, with the dogs, a picnic. There were signs telling you the history of covered bridges and where to find Missouri State Parks and Historic Sites, something to strive for. And every ride…a group photo, have to commemorate the ride!

After the ride…lunch! We rode to Cafe Smok N Pi in De Soto, MO. I always look up the restaurant we are going to go to that day to see if there is anything I can eat, I finally got smart! This time, I really got smart, I had made myself a sandwiche to bring with me. It was a cute place with character and everyone seemed to enjoy it. Cafe Smok N Pi was our final destination and some people took off after lunch. The rest of us went to the Dew Drop Inn in Bloomsdale, MO, PSM said they were known for their bloody mary‘s, but did he have one? Nope, but the ones I saw, wow, they were like a whole meal! Celery, bacon, pickles, olives, pulled pork, really? Wow!

We had a great time, drinking, laughing, telling stories, getting to know each other, making new friends. The biker community is like no other, when you have a bike, you respect each other and look out for each other. If a biker is on the side of the road, other bikers will stop to help. I remember one day, I was coming out of a gravel parking lot and my bike dropped, immediately, bikers pulled out and stopped traffic in each direction and two bikers helped me pick up my bike and made sure I was set and the bikers stopping traffic waited until I was back on the road before they started moving again. It really is something.

After the Dew Drop Inn, we got back on the road and headed home. I have to tell you, it was a little chilly in the morning while we were going to meet the group, then it started to warm up when we got to the Park, some people started taking off their jackets as we were heading to lunch, and progressively, it headed up to almost 70 degrees, it was fabulous! It started to even out my sunburn!

How fabulous, skiing on Thursday, convertible Friday and Saturday, riding a motorcycle on Sunday, my life is full! I can’t wait for the next ride!

{October 2, 2010} My Motorcycle Diaries

Well… It’s October 2nd and I have been riding my motorcycle now exclusively for about 3 weeks. It’s been fantastic, but I really need a car… Let me explain.

In 2004, I bought a motorcycle, a 2001 Suzuki Savage 650, she has a tag “THNG2″ this is in reference to ‘Thing 2” from Cat in The Hat. When I was married, we always said if we each had a motorcycle it would be Thing 1 and Thing 2, ta da. So… I have been riding THNG2 for quite a while, I stopped briefly between 2008 and 2010. I have ridden with other people, but not on my own. A few months ago, I had the bike serviced thinking I was going to sell it, then when it was up and running again, I got on it and it was like a light switched on, I LOVED RIDING!

I started off on small journeys around my neighborhood and then ventured a bit farther, I had never ridden solo [and I mean not tandem, with another rider beside me] but still nervous, thinking that I wasn’t ready for the major roadways or highways, but I knew I wanted to ride her to work at some point. Someone asked me to go to the movies, I thought this would be the perfect excuse to see what I was made of. We met at a movie theater about 25 minutes from me and I had to take a local highway, RR Pkwy. The speed limit is 50, I was perfectly fine with that. The other reason I wanted to take this road was that it was on the way to work, how would I do going to work in the mornings. I had been on this roadway before and I was a little nervous, I got on it, and away I went, and it wasn’t too bad, I started to feel my confidence building with each turn I took and the nice thing about this road is, it has a bunch of turns, I learned a lot about the bike, the road and myself that day. It was fantastic! I only hope that you can imagine what I was feeling as I rode that day, the exuberance, the exhilaration, I know I wasn’t taking on the “Tail of the Dragon” or a race track, but I was winning!

A while later, it was time to take on a major roadway, my senses were alert and I my nerves were tingling, but I got on that major highway just like I would any other road, I was aware of all that was going on around me, checked my speed and went forward, I didn’t have a choice, either get on the highway or don’t go out with my friends, not an option. As they say, “I put on my big girl panties and dealt with it!’

I started riding to work every once in a while, about 1-2 times a week, it is something when people you know find out you ride a motorcycle. Someone actually thought I rode a scooter the other day, throwing my head back and laughing heartily, you silly fool! ha ha [you must, at this point, imagine a hearty, throaty laugh of a cheesy villain from a Disney movie] I tried to get a scooter first, a Vespa, specifically, but dear readers, I was too short to fit on one, hence, the bike was better for me, ain’t that a hoot?

It’s even more interesting to encounter the reactions from co-workers. They see you one way, as a professional, I would hope, and here you come, all decked out as a motorcycle momma [well, if you’re a guy… you get the point] apparently they are impressed. It seems that people, and I think I am probably in this category, are impressed with a woman who can ride a motorcycle, even in 2010, there seems to be an air of mystery surrounding that concept. Some women just don’t “look” like they ride and conversely, there are some that do.

So, back to my story. I have been riding for a few months and then, sadly, my beautiful baby beetle, another post coming, caught on fire after an accident [hankies needed] and I don’t have renters insurance on my insurance policy, so it was motor city for me! I am not complaining, by any means, it has been FANTASTIC! the weather was perfect, I will admit that there were a few days I thought I would melt, as evident by the wet seat of my jeans when I would get off the bike, but that was still all good! Even riding in the rain is not terrible, if you are on your way home…

I have been riding to and from work for a few weeks and it’s been fun. I wear jeans and a jacket, I think it’s funny, people at work have asked me how I wear a skirt and ride the bike… I have saddle bags, the skirt and “grown-up” shoes go in the saddle bags and then I change at the office. I go to lunch with my old boss on occasion and it’s fun when we can both go on bike.

The best part has been watching the odometer change, I bought the bike with 4000 miles on it and to date, it has about 7500 on it! I think the first year, I put about 1000 miles on it, but since I’ve had to ride it, it’s been bliss, I watch the odometer change each time I get on it and I think it’s a great goal I set on my list to reach 12,500 miles by next year, piece of cake!

The other best part, is that possible… is what it has done for me, I know there are times that I have a different walk when I am bike mode, someone said a swagger, but riding has given me a new sense of confidence and freedom that I thought I had, but had no idea. Look out world, here comes motorcycle momma!

Email Subscription

What was I thinking?