The very best feeling, EVER!

My ride or die

The alarm filtered dimly through my sleep crusted eyes.  My brain screamed, "NO", and I felt myself drift away again.  9 minutes later, the alarm again drilled through my consciousness and I finally rolled up out of bed.

Unlike at the Suzuki Demo truck, I rode the HECK out of the Indians!

After doing the usual morning routine things, I dressed in yoga pants, jeans, and my favorite long sleeved Indian Motorcycle T.  I looked out the window at the gray, drizzly day and wondered if we were totally wasting our time by making the hour and a half drive down to Chattanooga.  I got the coffee going as I gathered up all the things necessary not to freeze riding motorcycles, and David and I loaded up the backseat of the car.

True story; I almost dropped this Springfield!

The rain continued as we stopped into a small town breakfast joint and consumed yummy omelettes.  My heart was already beginning to race as we got closer to our ultimate destination; Crockett Powersports and host of the Indian Motorcycle Demo truck.  It was almost one year ago that my very FIRST time EVER riding on the open road was the demo truck at Knoxville.  I had test driven a Scout in the parking lot of a church, trying out the skills I learned in my MSF course, but I had yet to put tires to asphalt in traffic.  It turned out to be one of the best things I ever did, making 5 passes through the track and gaining confidence each time as I rode the Scout 60, the Scout, then back to the 60 for 3 more rides.  2 weeks after that, I got my Scout 60 and have never looked back!  Here's a link to that blog from a year ago ;)  Last year's demo truck!

Just sitting on this bike gives me heart palpitations

Today, I had a new goal.  That goal was to take out a Thunderstroke 111 bike; one of the Big Boys.  I planned to start with the new Scout Bobber to "warm up", then take the Chief Darkhorse.  The Chief DH has no saddlebags or windsield, and is regarded as the next logical step up from a Scout.  Really, Indian has no "transition" bike.  The Chief, Springfield, Chieftan, and Roadmaster all run the 111 engine, and they all weigh in the neighborhood of 850 lbs vs the Scout's lean 550 lbs.  The engine is about twice the size of the Scout, at 111 cu inches vs 60 cu inches.  So Ms. Stuck in her own Head was already freaking out about reaching for something, and envisioning falling over in a corner, or dropping the bike at the first stop sign.  I've sat on and picked up every one of the big bikes (with the exception of the Roadmaster; I will never have one of those) on the showroom floor and to be honest, I can't IMAGINE actually driving one.  The long, stiff pull of the clutch ... the fact that I'm up on tip toes ... the fact that I've never ridden a motorcycle with floorboards ... all the electronic "stuff" and the fairing of the Chieftan ... yeah, I wasn't going down that road in reality, just in my head.

Ride #1; Scout Bobber

My pulse picked up as we turned into the driveway and my eyes took in the long line of beautiful Indian Motorcycles.  They make a magnificent sight, and get my blood pumping like nothing else.  We'd barely parked before I was jumping out of the car and making a beeline to the motorcycles.  I immediately picked out the gorgeous, glittery Chieftan Elite with the 116 Big Bore kit.  I was so excited, I grabbed David's arm and blabbered on about him riding the 116 AND the Elite, and how excited I am for him.  He just pulled me close to him and laughed at my enthusiasm.  No one was outside, which was no surprise because it was cold, windy, and dry at least!  I of course zeroed in on my beloved Scouts.  I threw my leg over one with the stock "runaround" seat, which I'd never seen in person.  It felt awesome!  If I failed to ride a Chief, I'd try that one.  There were 2 Bobbers; one with pegs and one with actual FLOORBOARDS!  I was excited, because I'm thinking about ordering floorboards for Khaleesi.  I chose that one as my first ride, and we went in to register.  I looked around for an Open Road Girls windsister that I knew was going to be there, and I think I found her right away.  She shares my name, Jennifer Leigh, so I felt a bond with her right off the bat!  She was hanging with the owners, and was there helping out.  She proclaimed she's too new to demo, and we talked for a few minutes.  Super nice woman, hopefully we can ride together some day.

SUCH a beautiful sight!

The ride was about to go out, so I ran to the car, added 3 layers on top, my helmet, and gloves, then claimed the Bobber with floorboards.  It was just a handful of us, David got to claim the Elite first time out.  We talked back and forth on the radios, and he was ecstatic already before he'd even shifted into 2nd gear.  He rode past me, and I awkwardly picked up my feet.  The boards dug into my shins, and I felt like I was folded in half, with my knees up to my boobs.  David was raving and glowing, while I was trying my darndest not to bi&$# and moan the entire time.  The ride was slower, on a back road with a not so good quality surface, but some good curves.  The hard seat dug into my rear, and the shifter/brake lever felt foreign as I fought the different position of the foot controls, and wanted so desperately to sit UP, but forward handlebars and short arms do not allow one to do that! Each time we stopped, it was a struggle to position my feet again because the boards wanted to catch on my boot and fold up.  The ride was short, less than 15 minutes, and all too soon we were lined back up in the parking lot.  David was sold, ready to get his 116 Chieftan in blue right then and there.  I climbed off the Bobber, said I'd never go THAT particular route again, then before I could overthink it sat on the Chief Darkhorse.  I picked it up fairly easily, and swallowed hard as my heart raced.  One of the demo truck guys walked over and asked if he could make a suggestion.  I said of course, and he recommended the Springfield Darkhorse.  He explained how the rake on the Chief and the SF are different (which of course I already knew; my concern was NOT the handling of the bike, it was the WEIGHT coupled with my inability to flat foot).  I agreed to try the SF first instead of the Chief, then went up to the head of the line and straddled the beast.  I felt the same wash of love and adrenaline flow over me as I picked her up; my mouth was totally dry as I struggled to swallow.  The bike FEELS amazing and comfortable, I was just CONSUMED with the "What IF???"  He started her up for me, then I asked David to come get the kickstand for me.  No matter how hard I tried to reach, I couldn't grab it; it was too far away.  David raised my kickstand, backed away, and I was well and truly on my own, on the Thunderstroke 111, riding an 850 lb bagger ... what the WHAT??  As I twisted the throttle, I was instantly struck with how smooth and easy the whole process was; the clutch pull felt PERFECT, almost better than Khaleesi, and the throttle sweet spot was so big, it would have been impossible to choke it.  We slowly pulled out, and before I could panic, I was moving.  H-O-L-Y C-R-A-P.  I was consumed with this feeling like I'd never felt; something like panicked euphoria.  As we pulled onto the road, I squeezed the clutch and upshifted ... or rather, ATTEMPTED to upshift.  I couldn't get the dang shift lever to move!  I don't have a giant foot, but it's not like a size 5 either.  I looked down at my readout to see what gear I was in, and there was a horizontal line.  Really?  I told David, I'm not even sure I was IN a gear!  But the bike was moving, and not in N, so I was in something.  As we pulled to a stop at a light, I fought the shifter down into 1st, and right then the check engine light came on.  OF COURSE.  It was at that moment, my 'survival' instinct clicked in, and all of a sudden I started riding.  I remembered reading on the Indian Motorcycle facebook page, that the 111's are such "torque monsters" that 1st should only be treated as a "granny gear", and to kick it up into 2nd pretty much as soon as the wheels start turning.  As we began pulling away once the light changed, I again upshifted and this time no issues.  The light stayed on, but everything was working smoothly.  David laughed at me the whole time as I whooped and hollered the entire ride.

And then THIS happened!!  Springfield Darkhorse

I had absolutely ZERO issues from there on out.  I had a BLAST throwing that SF through the curves; she felt like a beefier/cushier Scout.  Each time we stopped, I was hyper vigilant to put BOTH feet down, but I had no issues to speak of.  The rest, as they say, is history!  We stopped back in line, and the demo guy said, "You're taking the Chieftan next, right?"  Lol.   No.  They cleared the code on the SF, and I agreed to take THAT out again.  David got back on the Elite again for ride #3, and I patted the SF on the tank and we got to experience 5th gear this time.

David's future motorcycle; Chieftan Limited in Jimmie Johnson blue!  Just needs the 116 on it!

We pulled in, and the demo guy once again asked, "Chieftan?"  I said, "YES"!!!!  Once again those butterflies abounded as I settled behind the wheel of David's Jimmie Johnson cobalt blue Chieftan (just minus the 116!).  I picked her up, and with the exception of feeling slightly overwhelmed by all the info on the screen and speedometers/tachometers in front of me, she felt very similar to the SF.  This time the demo guy got my kickstand for me, he looked me in the eye and said, "Ready?  You got this".  With the excitement bubbling up inside me, I pulled directly behind the leader b/c David wanted to be behind me this time ... NO, I WANT MY SECURITY BLANKET lol.  But the leader this time was one that hadn't led yet and he was going pretty dang slow.  We all got on the road and I felt nearly overwhelmed.  I was doing something I thought maybe I'd NEVER do.  Definitely not something I'd do weeks of my one year riding anniversary, and 2 weeks shy of owning my own.  He took us on a wonky, longer ride than we'd done so far, and we got on the highway again; this time, I kicked her up into 6th gear, and she just FLOATED under me.  Aside from the first 2 minutes on the SF, I didn't have one single issue shifting.  David and I were talking, and I threw up my arm in a victory "dance", loving the fact that I was in 6th gear for the first time!

The stunningly beautiful Elite

As we pulled back into the driveway, I almost wanted to cry.  I literally wanted to keep driving those bikes all the way home to Maryville.  If all goes well this year, maybe 2018 will be the year David gets his.  For me, it will be a 10 year venture (an Indian Chieftan is as much as a decent car).  I'm hoping by that time, the big bikes haven't changed too much; I know Harley has had the Street Glide/Road Glide for soooo long.  He plans to either sell Mufasa or trade him in towards his Chieftan.  I will be keeping Khaleesi for Colton some day; she will NOT be leaving my family.  Best part to this story?  The demo truck is at IMOK next weekend!  I get to do it all over again!  AND the demo truck goes to Bristol later in the year, so that's a for sure 2 more opportunities to ride the beasts.  I can't stress enough how blessed I feel.  David and I have been married a long time, and "extra curricular" activities have strained our marriage at times; mainly the ones involving horses.  Now that we have discovered this shared passion of motorcycles, the times of arguments are less and less.  Couples that ride together, stay together!

The big one year "M"

Coolish, but beautiful day!

It had been WAY too long since I'd felt the ache in my back and the tiredness of my neck from a good, long ride.  It was with no small measure of excitement that on March 17, 2018, we planned a pretty ambitious trip to Charlotte, North Carolina.  My destination end goal was to try and get lucky enough to find an elusive zip up Indian jacket I was coveting online.  I wanted to buy it from a store so I could try it on, but so far I was having no luck!  Saturday morning dawned overcast and cool.  I packed David's left saddlebag full with drinks, an extra jacket, and other assorted girl things.  

We roared out of the neighborhood, gassed up, and tamed the Dragon.  Literally NO cars or motorcycles at ALL.  I'll be honest, there was a section where David ran off and left me in the dust and I felt just slightly out of sorts.  It had been a hot minute since I'd been able to twist and lean through the curves, so I needed to get my "sea legs" so to speak.

Waiting it out in Deal's Gap

We pulled down into the Deal's Gap resort and our plans for breakfast were thwarted because they didn't open until 10:00.  It was 8:00.  We decided to roll the bikes down under the cover of the gas awning, and it was at that exact moment the bottom dropped out.  We killed some time inside the store, then opted to try out the Fontana Village Resort restaurant once the rain stopped.  Even though it was no longer actively raining, we got pretty dang soaked from the waist down due to all the rain on the roads.  We rolled up the hill to the main resort and enjoyed a good, hot breakfast; will do that again!  We decided to tweak our route, and opted to scratch the idea of Charlotte and shoot for Waynesville instead.  That would knock about 6+ hours off the trip.  I realized already that a day trip into Charlotte on the bikes was pretty ambitious.  I was happy with that decision, and layered back into my Steel Cowgirls pullover/fleece 1/4 zip/leather jacket.  My knees were a little cold from the wet roads, so I added my nylon "swish" pants over my jeans and tall boots.  Good decision!  Definitely helped because Hwy 28 (Moonshiner) is not a slow road for the most part; we were trucking along at a pretty good clip.  

Major AT location; Fontana Village Resort

We took a standard route into Cherokee.  David wanted to stop at a Harley dealership he services b/c we haven't checked it out yet.  I was game!  As we hit the slow part into town, we kept our eyes peeled for elk.  Sadly, no sign of any animals other than squirrels.  Wandered into the tiny little boutique HD store and enjoyed stretching out my tight lower back.  My butt was already beginning to get "hot spots"; I felt like I was doing a long trail ride.

The Indian visits Harley Davidson

The plan was to hit BRP into Waynesville so we could avoid the Smoky Mountain Expressway; my one major gripe with my bike has been my dang windshield.  It just isn't the right height, so as I ride in high MPH situations, I feel the entire top half of my body just buffeting uncomfortably.  David takes pity on me and we try to keep it to curvy 2 lanes as MUCH as possible!  As we made the turn onto the Parkway ... the gates were closed!  What??  I felt a flash of disappointment as we pulled back onto the main highway and continued on towards Smoky Mountain Steel Horses in Waynesville.  

Khaleesi and Mufasa; "Indasaki"

Nice little dealership; they have a GREAT selection of apparel.  No Chieftan Elite, I was sad not to see the glittery disco ball bike again!  I slowly craned my head and looked at the wall hanging clothes, and I zeroed in on THE JACKET.  

Woo hoo!  Luckily, they had giant sizes in stock, and I swallowed my pride and purchased it.  IM apparel is cut quite small, ugh.  As I was finishing up, I noticed a lady's back with a Steel Cowgirls logo, and we exchanged "screen names" and a hug or 2.  Her name is Mayra, and it was so great to meet her!  She sent me a video, but I can't save it for some reason to share here.  Maybe I can figure it out, I don't know.  Didn't partake of any of the leftover food (burgers and dogs were gone) and we headed out towards the Rattler, my FAVORITE!

David let me lead and he filmed with the GoPro.  I'm very happy with my ride, but the weirdest thing happened.  My back started to KILL me, and I felt utterly exhausted about half way through the ride.  I wanted to stop sooooo bad, but David doesn't do stops and starts with GoPro rides.  My nether region was also extremely uncomfortable, and I found myself shifting around in the saddle a lot.

Jen and The Rattler, NC 209

The road has definitely deteriorated somewhat; it's been roughly a year since we last rode it, and it is needing a little TLC!  It was fun as always, though, and we finished up in Hot Springs, Appalachian Trail mecca.  We parked our now pretty hot bikes, stripped off our many layers, and dragged it all inside to a BBQ spot we wanted to try out.  Sat down with the menu, requested waters all around, and realized this place was NOT BBQ.  The menu was Ugh.  No bueno!  The waitress was understanding, and we left with our heads tucked under our jackets.  No, not really, but it was a little embarassing.  We put our layers back on, climbed back on the bikes, and drove down a few hundred yards and realized RIGHT NEXT DOOR to the not good place was an Irish pub.  How appropriate for St. Patrick's Day!  Having learned our lesson 5 minutes ago, we checked the menu before going in and deemed it worthy.

The good restaurant

It took WAY too long to get our food; the bar was semi crowded, but there was open tables, so not sure what happened.  I could feel my energy fading as we waited ... and waited ... and waited.  Finally it was delivered.  I ate a lot of my delicious Buffalo Chicken sandwich and gulped down more water.  Riding really makes you thirsty!

Managed to find an Irish Pub on St. Paddy's day!

The only good way home from there is through the National Park, so we took fun roads over that way.  I worked to keep my concentration on the curves ahead, and I got on the throttle hard as we powered our way out of the curves.  Seems like we always do that; haul ass once the "Final Destination" has been reached.  Like a horse heading home towards the barn!  We rode until I had to fill up Khaleesi's tank again, and David checked the weather.  Holy Thunderstorms in the area, Batman!  We REALLY hauled a$$ then, there were a few areas of the park that felt like a slalom course.  The clouds were mega dark and creepy looking, and all we could think was BEAT THAT RAIN. 

Love representing my beloved Indian brand!

We got a little rain, and our ride basically ended as it began; with wet road water spray all over our shins!  SUCH a fun day; we logged close to 300 miles and it was SUPER.  So crazy blessed to do this.  So happy the hubs loves to do this with me.  Grateful I have the desire to do it!  I look at my horse "friends" posts regarding their horses, and I STILL feel nothing at all.  No regret, longing, anything.  In fact, I feel GRATEFUL I'm out of it right now.  A brand new, custom CWD saddle costs MORE than my bike did!!!  WHAT?  Horses have always been a "rich man's" sport, and in the day and age of inflation, that holds true more than ever!  Got another ride to blog from this past weekend, hope y'all enjoyed the recap of our ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY FOR HAVING THE 'M'.  I have a goal for April 17, the one year anni of owning Khaleesi that I haven't met yet, but I HOPE to.  Guess we'll see :)

Outside the Dragon

So, so, so dirty!

Wishing for warm, Spring days ...

Officially a "Steel Cowgirl"

This week has dawned cold and rainy for the most part.  This weekend was looking like a complete wash, but we stayed patient, bided our time, and squeezed out a rain free ride this afternoon!

Layering up for a ride on the cool side

My sister (in-law) gave me "tattoos" of 'Khaleesi', and my aunt (in-law) gave me a bell for my birthday.  David put on the tattoos and I put on the bell.  Technically, the bell really isn't low enough on the bike, but I don't believe a talisman is going to protect me anyway; my guardian angel ALWAYS rides with me, whether on a bike, a horse, or in a car.  I put the bell on because it's cute, and it's a kichy thing with motorcycles.

"Lady Rider"

Before hitting the open road, we jetted down to one of our favorite hole in the wall Mexican restaurants and ate some yummy food. 

Motorcycles, Mexican food, and no margaritas!

We weaved our way through Maryville traffic, cussing a few idiots out along the way.  It is SHAMEFUL the way people drive.  It truly should be a requirement for schools to teach DRIVER'S ED instead of freaking Geometry in high school.  The kids should have a comprehensive, semester long class on driving.  And adults should be required to go through it again every 5 years.

Indian girl for life!

David had his GoPro to record the Foothills Parkway.  We finally made our way out past the worst of the traffic made the right hand turn onto FHP.  LOVE that road, one of my favorites.  I never get tired of it.  David let me lead, and I smoothly shifted up through the gears, keeping my hands "soft" on the grips.  My eyes sought to seek out the curves of the asphalt ribbon, and Khaleesi leaned and floated through every corner without a single bobble.

Fontana Lake

I twisted the throttle off each curve and kept her up around 50 mph through the L shaped curves.  I always have to fight myself a little bit with wanting to be a granny through the turns, it's pushing yourself out of your comfort zone that gets you to stretch and grow as a rider.

"Gremlin" Bell

I only touched my brakes 3 times the entire trip.  The third time was as we pulled up to the stop sign at the end of the road.  David kept me in the lead as I turned down 129 and then zagged onto 72.  David directed me to a right hand side road that carved through our East Tennessee countryside and came through to 411 and then down to Greenback.

Tattoos are sexy

65 miles later, we thundered back into the garage.  There is talk of maybe "gutting" my catalytic converters in my pipes.  I'm not unhappy with the power of my bike; I WOULD like it louder b/c anything for cages (cars) to hear/see us better, the BETTER.  I don't really want to drop $500+ on a set of pipes just for sound.  I have a few things on my list that I want to do to upgrade her, and once those upgrades are complete, that's it.  Any additional money spent will simply be on maintenance and clothing (Ahem, helmets, gloves, and jackets).

Sexy siblings

This coming weekend we have rides planned Friday and Saturday, weather permitting.  My weather will is STRONG, so I'm hoping I can talk God into blessing us with sun to go along with the mid 60's temps.  Right now it's looking overcast with some rain, so we'll see!

Mufasa just celebrated his one year anniversary in the Bishop household!

Daytona bike week is happening this week.  Sure do wish we could pop on down for a few days.  In the mean time, I'll be stalking all the videos and fun things going on.  Maybe next year!

Love making my bike my OWN.

9030

I MIGHT hit my goal of 10K miles by my 1 year anniversary!  Was surprised on my eldest son's birthday (4-17-17) with my amazing Khaleesi :D  We've averaged about 1000 miles a month in the warmer months, and right now it's still very erratic, weather wise.  So ... at 9030 miles here on 3/4/18, it will be close.

We've passed this house about 3 times; this time we finally got a pic!  Silos built in!

Not a bad year for it being my first year!  Ridden in TN, GA, NC, SC, AL, and VA.  Named roads include the Tail of the Dragon, Rattler, Back of the Dragon, Devil's Triangle, The Snake, The Blue Ridge Parkway, Cherohala Skyway, and the Copperhead.  Thousands of other non-named roads that were just as awesome, or MORE awesome than the named roads!  I have absolutely ZERO complaints, except that I wish I'd hurry up and win the damn lottery so I can quit my job and ride my bike every day!

Dang dude, could you please take ANY longer?? ;)

Today dawned clear and cool.  I procrastinated as long as I could until David finally gave in to my pitiful faces and we thundered out of our neighborhood around noon.  I was wearing 5 layers on top, 3 layers on bottom, face shield on the helmet closed.  My wonderful hubs kept us off Hwy 411 as much as possible, as it's just a long, boring, straight road.  We took side streets down to one of my favorite roads, Hwy 307 down into Athens.  It's just a curvy road through picturesque farm side, but there's not a lot around us like it!

We motored through Athens, Charleston, and down into Cleveland where we stopped for lunch.  After our refueling, we hit Hwy 64 in Ocoee that winds next to the river that is used liberally for rafting and kayaking.  The waters were swollen and loud, and we actually saw a few kayakers shredding the rapids!  I tell ya, those peeps are crazy!  You'll never catch my butt doing that ;)  Stand up paddle board on a calm lake, or kayak down a class 1 is my only speed, lol!

I'm grateful my bike practically drives herself because I was NOT looking through my curves, I was looking all around at everything!  We came up out of the river area, and followed Hwy 68, snaking our way up and over a mountain or 2.  David challenged me today; he lays into curves like they're nothing ... as he approaches a turn where he SHOULD be Slow, Look, Press, and Roll ... he SPEEDS, looks, presses, and rolls harder, lol!  I felt myself get a little bit tense; I was gritting my teeth as I twisted hard to catch up to him.  He got so far ahead of me, our radios lost each other, which does NOT happen often.  He did that last time on that road!  Apparently we have ridden that road before, but it's been long enough for me that it was like the very first time.  A fire was burning on the mountainside, and we actually went RIGHT past open flames, CRAZY!!

Pit stop!

68 took us into Tellico Plains, and the start of the Cherohala Skyway.  We touched the Skyway again, then turned off onto Hwy 360, which dumps us out on 411 up in Vonore.  I had adjusted my attitude, my expectations, and changed my style a little bit.  I moved my hand further up on the throttle, so that when I twisted it, I wasn't "breaking" my wrist, which makes me feel like I'm not working as hard.  360 has some LOOOOONG sweeping turns, and we flew through it 55/60 mph unless it was a "suggested speed" curve of 30 or less.  I'm pleased to say he did NOT run off and leave me this time, and I think just adjusting my hand position made a HUGE difference.  We took our side streets back to the house in just under 200 miles and 6 hours.

GREAT ride today, I thank God EVERY DAY for my husband, our bikes, and our ability to ride together.  It has been SO nice to not have to worry about upsetting the hubs over spending a weekend doing horse things.  Confession ... STILL not missing out!  When I get a spare dollar or two, all I can think about it is what I can buy for my motorcycle (cue laughing emoticon here).

Down by the water in Ocoee!

Hopefully more ride updates soon!  This upcoming week is going to be freaking cold again :(

Let's break it down ...

Including Sunday, FOUR RIDING DAYS this week!  Tuesday I left at 7:00 and went up and over Foothills Parkway before work.  It was a bit cool; I said BRRR!  Lol, it was a fabulous ride, NO complaints.

Foothills Parkway

Wednesday was rain, Thursday was RIDE!  It was a bit warmer; I finally broke out my mesh jacket (with the liner in it) and rode up 411 TO work, then came home Chapman Hwy to the backroads that dump me out on 321 almost to Walland.  This morning was same ride as yesterday, up 411 to work, but then afterwards David and I met up and we rode about 120 miles.

Ride #1; Cherokee, NC!

I rode 25 miles solo from work into Knoxville to meet up w/ David, and we headed out Northshore road into the "Hardin Valley" section of Knoxville.

Ride #2; Khaleesi and I tame Foothills before a way too long day at work

LOVE that area!  Great school system, nice houses, close to everything, and David had managed to find some AMAZING quiet, winding country roads with breathtaking mountain views.

Love talking bikes with my patients at work

I had never been on the majority of the roads we took today.  The temps this morning were chilly enough that my windshield/face shield/mirrors were fogging up from my breath.  Like yesterday, I was wearing just a thin "tech" layer under my mesh jacket with the liner ... BRRR!  This afternoon, however, I came out of everything except my T shirt and the jacket with OUT the liner.

Ride #3; just back and forth to work, but I didn't go home the way I came!

We twisted the throttles out towards Oak Ridge and hit an arm of "The Devil's Triangle".  We rode that SEVERAL months ago, and neither of us particularly enjoyed it.  Quite frankly, it scared me a little.  Of course, I have WAY more miles under my belt now (close to 9000), and the arm of it we did today was easy peasy.

Began and ended my day today in the dark

We ended up rolling up to a cool little log cabin restaurant called "The Golden Girls Restaurant" and enjoyed a fish dinner in Clinton.  I enjoy the few times the hubs and I can steal away together.

He rode in a T shirt up until the sun went down!

Ended up motoring along Clinton Hwy, and hit Northshore again to literally come full circle.  FABULOUS ride, had a blast!

Ride #4; about 160ish miles counting going to work and then driving out to meet up

Here is our Tail of the Dragon Video.  I was pretty pleased; my ride looks smooth and controlled.  In some stretches, I felt stiff and tense, but I try to always shake out my arms so I don't make any stupid mistakes.  It was slower than David usually leads out on, but he NEVER pressured me to ride any faster; LOVE that man!

Get ready to ride the Dragon with us!

Jen and David ride the Tail of the Dragon

Let's discuss song selection.

1.  "Thunder" by Imagine Dragons.  There is something about this song that just makes me dance and sing along EVERY time.  I just love it!

2.  "Happy Dance" by one of my favorite Christian bands, Mercy Me.  This song selection is TOTALLY self explanatory; riding is 148% my "happy dance"!!

3.  "Invincible" by Christian hard rockers Skillet.  This song is like my "fight song".  Jesus Christ is my co-rider, and He gave me the skills and the desire to ride motorcycles; when I'm flying along a curvy road, I absolutely feel INVINCIBLE.

4.  "I am Free" by my MOST favorite Christian artist, Jeremy Camp.  This song is the epitome of how I feel.  Unencumbered, unburdened, and like I can just fly.  One of the facebook comments on this video is that "It looks like she's riding to Heaven".  Gave me chills.

5.  "Stars" again by Skillet.  This song doesn't much pertain to motorcycles, and is more obviously a Christian based song, but it is just awesome.  Reminds me to pray continuously as my family is out and about not just riding, but also driving in our cars.

6.  "Lifer" again by Mercy Me.  This song is also pretty overtly Christian, but I can relate it to motorcycles because now that I'm hooked, I'm a LIFER on the bikes!

7.  "Try Everything" by Home Free.  This song is actually originally by Shakira off the Zootopia soundtrack, but I like this version better, so this is the one David put on.  SO appropriate because I like to think I'll "try anything" once!  Sometimes it's a fail, but sometimes it's a win!  Considering I dropped my bike 4 times in my MSF course, this song is SO appropriate to close out the video!

Anyway!  Sorry for the novel (as per usual).  Hope you enjoy the pics and the video!  Not much riding to be had this upcoming week with rain and colder temps back in the picture.

Happy birthday to me :)

It was SUCH an awesome weekend.  I wish I had 2 more days ... then 2 more days after that ... then 2 more ... you get the point.  Yesterday was raining and miserable, so we drug the teenager to the range and he FINALLY got to shoot for the first time.  Now ... my son has been into/out of a lot of things, and guns is one of them.  He has watched videos of how to clean them, load them, shoot them, what brands/models are for what ... he's definitely a Youtube expert on such things.  We rented a 9 mm Beretta cop issue.  He shot the first round beautifully, then the 2nd bullet jammed.  Instantly, I felt a small panic rise up inside me, but oh so calmly he ejected the bullet, lined up his next shot, and pulled the trigger.  That round fired off fine, but then the next bullet jammed.  Again, he super calmly ejected it, then shot again.  His entire "turn" went like that; fire, jam, fire, jam.  I took the gun for my turn, and same thing happened to me.  Head scratch, the range officer had no problem, and David had no problem, so I think the issue w/ Kody and I was that our wrists were moving too much.  We traded that one in for a "civillian" issue of the same gun, and had no more jamming issues.  I am so proud of Kody; he shot like he'd been doing it his whole life.  He loved it, thanked us profusely for taking him.

3 Muskateers

Today, we sent the baby with his grandparents for "their week" down in GA, and we headed off to Cherokee, NC!  We were eating at the Casino to celebrate all the fun February things; Valentine's Day, the 20 year anniversary of our engagement, and my birthday (which is next week) and the 1 year anniversary of owning Mufasa.   It just so happened that today was the first warm and non rainy day in a week, so of course we hopped on the bikes!  Khaleesi was purring like a kitten and rode as smooth as a baby's bottom.  Last week she got an oil change and a new front tire, both of which were sorely needed.

We hit 321 and rode through the National Park up and over the mountain to Cherokee.  It was a slower and uneventful ride as there really was a LOT of traffic out and about today.  We barely saw any bikes, it was 98% automobile traffic.  I swear all I have to do is look where I want to go, and Khaleesi takes me there.  Every curve felt like it was on rails, and the slower pace meant much of the ride I actually rode with one hand, b/c when I'm like that I can sit up straighter and relieve some of the pressure on my back.  All too soon we arrived at the casino and parked in the garage.  We locked our helmets and jackets to the bikes and went in to stuff our faces.

After rolling ourselves out of the casino, we decided to head back through Bryson City and down 129 to go home.  This way was a bit higher speed, as there was hardly any traffic!  I practiced holding different lines as we swept through turns at 60+ mph; it was exhilarating!  Once we got into Deal's Gap, both the resort and Killboy were closed off completely until next month; we took a super quick break, and David let me lead down the Dragon.  He was wearing his Go Pro for the first time, and he filmed me as we drove down it!  As per usual, my arms and upper back got a little tight.  I ALWAYS respect the Tail; I know there's plenty of highly experienced riders that have accidents on that road, and I never want my confidence to put me in a dangerous situation.  Thankful to God as usual, all was well and I SLAYED those 11 miles!  Despite consciously pulling my heels up in some of the steeper banked turns, I still dragged one on the ground, and as usual, that gave me a quick little scare!  It was cool watching myself drive it!  I'll post the video once we get it uploaded to Youtube.

Upon arriving home, found out my birthday present had arrived!  David bought me a Daymaker headlight for Khaleesi.  The Daymakers are the fancy LED type lights instead of the more yellowish halogen lights.  Took all of 10 minutes to install it!  Yipee!  I'm happy b/c the white light shows up a little better in the day light, and ANYTHING to make myself more visible makes me happy.  

Tuesday is supposed to be BEAUTIFUL.  It's also my later day at work.  I may just head on up and over Foothills Parkway on my way to work :D  So excited, it'll be my first day of the new year riding to work.  It's beginning to look a lot like riding season!!!