That was the theme for the Women in the Wind Summer International Conference held at Fort William Henry in Lake George NY. It was wonderful seeing what women from all over the country devised as costumes to fit the theme. Among others, there was Lady Liberty, NY Yankees, NY Pizza, New Years Eve Celebrants, I Love NY Tourists, characters from Sesame Street and Seinfeld. Sue and I, both from the mid-Hudson region, dressed as Woodstock Flower Children. |
Born and raised along the Hudson Valley's Shawangunk Ridge, New York is more than a "State of Mind" for me. It's home. My primary riding companion here is my brother, Alec. Sometimes we traverse half a dozen counties on our explorations; other times racking up a couple hundred miles searching out those back roads we've never ridden around home. Firetower Road turned into a washed out rain gullied, steep, rocky, dirt trail well before access was blocked. We hiked the remaining distance to the tower and were rewarded with a view across the top of the ridge. Lakes, mountains, castles, derelict hotels, waterfalls, caverns, and mansions ... I love NY! There is such a variety of places and things to explore. Rosie and I covered more than 2100 miles in July and barely traveled through the central eastern part of the state.
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There's something to be said for being home. Home as in where I grew up and raised my children. Home as in where the grandparents of all four of my grandparents grew up. There's a familiarity here, a connection, that I don't have any where else. The Minnewaska Trail (aka 44-55) is a road I've travelled since I was old enough to remember. My grandmother's brother owned what is now Minnewaska and Awosting State Parks, a good chunk of the mountain including two "sky lakes". When I was very young, I remember my father stopping for a bad accident just below the hairpin turn. He wouldn't let me get out to see because the old fashioned steering wheel had snapped off the column and the driver was impaled. I don't remember who else was there, just talk of them doing what they could.
There's a Hannaford now where the Thruway Supermarket used to be. It's down in a hollow at the foot of the falls. The River Road leads over to Montgomery, and Valley Central Schools. From there I followed my old bus route, remembering friends' phone numbers from 8th grade as I passed by where they used to live.
Around and down Lakeside Road with memories of family, the Bakery, O'Malley's, Halloween, "the Greeks", some of the happiest days of my childhood. Retracing the steps I used to walk with Patty and my younger half-siblings to her mother's, our ride finishes at my brother's on Frozen Ridge. Home, for me, encompasses two counties. My mother's family settled in Ulster, my father's in Orange. As many beautiful and interesting places I find while I travel, my roots run deep here, nourishing my spirit.
As tempted as I had been to register for Women in the Wind Winter Nationals and take the cruise from Fort Lauderdale, family obligations had me in New York at that time. Still, I loved the logo with “Windy” dressed as a pirate and ordered a shirt! The pirate theme seemed to run very strong this winter, continuing through Daytona Bike Week.
While in Ormond, a stop at Rossmeyer’s H-D finally gave me the opportunity to test ride a new Iron 883 and a “72” Sportster. Ren had let me ride his Iron when I was in Louisiana, and I thought “maybe”. I took the one at Rossmeyer’s across the parking lot and knew it was definitely not for me! It was really the “72” that has been flirting with me since its introduction in 2012. The fit with forward controls was over all better than I had anticipated, but the vibration was terrible! Whether it was the road surface (since ruled out with Rosie), that bike, or the model design I can’t say. If that is “reduced vibration” with rubber motor mounts, I’ll stick with the older models! The salesman told me Harley designed it as a “bar hopper” and didn’t concern themselves with long distance comfort. BIG mistake, Harley! I keep giving Rosie TLC, with the help of Venom 2 in Hudson FL. I first stopped in there last year when I was down that way for the winter and was impressed with the respect they gave me as a woman rider, rather than just a woman customer. One visit was an oil, filter, and primary oil change. The next trip south brought Rosie a new clutch cable and rear brake light switch (again!). Coming back from Maddie’s I had felt the clutch lever “let loose” a little on one shift, and it didn’t seem to return properly, though it didn’t give me any grief shifting. Rosie broke her throttle cable back in 2010, and now at 20 years old, changing her clutch cable just seemed prudent! Sean adjusted it for me until they could get a new cable the next day, and by time I got back there the next morning, it had “let loose” some more. We both think the cable strands were snapping one by one. All in all, we managed to rack up over 1700 miles for the winter season!
Dee's '96 883 and Rosie - my '95 993
Rosie got to ride with her Irish Twin (for those of you not familiar with the term - it refers to siblings with the same birthday, one year apart!) Saturday on the Women in the Wind Annual River Run. We had a nice ride, and lunch together at the Gilded Otter in New Paltz. Rosie and I escorted her twin and Dee across the Mid-Hudson bridge, then continued on to LaGrange to check out a truck and some of the back roads on that side of the river. I've broken a long held standard of mine ... to ride independent. This month, I have joined with a handful of local ladies in a new chapter of Women in the Wind. http://www.womeninthewind.org/#!about "Has motorcycling fever grabbed you tightly leaving no space for anything else in your life? Looking for other women motorcyclists to share your love of the road and wind? Look no further. Founded in 1979, Women in the Wind now has over 90 chapters with members in the USA, Canada, Great Britian and Austrailia. Join to socialize, raise funds for excellent causes, and of course, RIDE, RIDE, RIDE! Our Purpose: To unite women motorcyclists with friends of common interest. To promote a positive image to the public of women on motorcycles. To help educate its members on motorcycle safety and maintenance. " For me, it's about socializing and networking. So far, WITW FreeBirds Chapter feels more to me like a coalition of independents. I hope it stays that way. |
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I've been riding now for over 40 years, beginning in the dirt on a Honda SL-70 when I was 12. I always leaned more toward trials riding than racing, but also loved riding the tracks (flat track and motocross) with the guys I came up with when they'd practice (on a Honda Elsinore 125). Our motto then was "If you don't go down you're not riding hard enough!" ... not finding your limits. Archives
February 2018
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