Another Amazing Year

Hello, 2014! And, hello lovely readers!

Looking back on 2013, it was an amazing year filled with many wonderful people and impressions. November and December are a blur, but the year ended and started with many adventures (some with Blueberry and some without) and good times. 

So my first thoughts for 2014, besides the never-ending, fun, work related stuff, include the following:

1. Possible riding destinations.
2. Blueberry TLC.

In the past, I've just been randomly exploring small towns and different locations. We're doing things a little differently this year. I'm thinking themes! So the following themes will possibly become my obsession this year: geocaching (geocaching motorcycle adventures!), doors, and mailboxes. Yep, the photographing nut in me has developed a crush on doors and mailboxes. Soooo....suggestions? Tell me about some awesome doors and/or mailboxes!

Besides being my longest, and best, relationship, Blueberry has been a God-send these past years. From learning to be a better rider and driver, having Blueberry has honed my ability to see small details (and in record time) while providing many interesting adventures. It's high time I paid back.

What are your riding plans for 2014? Tell me about one place you'd really love to check out this year; I'd love to hear about it!

Receiving a motorcycle care package...priceless.

Chinese was the food of the day. My fortune cookie's fortune was a bit odd.

I never receive anything in the mail. Well, other than bills, but those don't count. Maybe it's because my neighbor moved my mailbox without my permission that awesome letters and postcards get lost in the mail...

Anyhow, it wasn't too long ago that the annual Women's Sportbike Rally took place at the Gap. Last year I was really hoping to be able to make the one in 2012; Unfortunately, I had to sit this year out, too.

To my delight, there was a small package in the mailbox with my name on it from a blonde from afar (Funny or spooky? I haven't quite decided). Inside I found all the goodies shared with the riders who were able to attend the rally. Another thank-you to my good friend in Georgia (Thanks, girl!).

This gesture certainly reminded me of the biker's code which can be read at this post.

This blog is brought to you by the lovely (biased opinion, we know) Stone Turtle – Lodging, a small family owned and operated hotel / lodging business near Lawton, Oklahoma, Fort Sill,  the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge, Meers and Medicine Park. Yeah, that’s right we’re a small lodging business close to all the awesomeness Oklahoma has to offer!!

You can kind of see the moon in the background. I saw the coolest shooting star while out riding.

Sometimes city folk just make me sick

So I've lived out in "the sticks" for most of my life. Out where I live, it isn't uncommon to see coyotes, bobcats, tarantulas, and snakes cross over the road. It's just a part of life.

Well, these last couple of years a lot of suburbanites have been moving out. Besides not waving, they have a lot of weird habits.

Today after riding through the refuge, I was behind an old neighbor and one of these new suburbanites. I saw old neighbor drive around something, and the new neighbor slowed down. She then swerved to the right, hit her brakes,put her car in reverse, and then continued on.

As I drove by, cow pastures on both sides, the rattlesnake, which had been cruelly run over, was rattling its rattle with the last breath of life.

My relaxing ride was ruined.

Torque won the battle

…Once again.

So I am patiently (okay, impatiently) awaiting the arrival of my new sprockets. On the last ride I determined that riding with the current ones probably stopped being safe a couple hundred miles ago. Yes, I am a squid. But, I couldn’t help it; My bike seduced me.

I had originally thought about going back to stock gearing and pitch, but I couldn’t do it. Okay, okay. I could have done it. I just didn’t want to. The sensible rider on my shoulder said to go back to stock.
That little hell-on-two-wheels demon on my shoulder screamed “TORQUE!”

*sigh*

Another Close Call

I stopped counting close calls a long time ago. I don't even consider being cut off by texting drivers as a close call anymore. I call that a fact of life.

But, today I had yet another one. So today after a nice coffee in town I was waiting for a clear window to make a left turn from the parking lot of the coffee shop. It's a four lane with a center turning lane. Turning into the turning lane didn't appeal to me since I'm pretty sure that's why I flunked my driver's test the first time.

So I found a window as soon as this car and truck (triangle) coming from the right had passed. It looked something like this:

All clear. So I lay on the throttle and am almost in the left lane behind that car when out of nowhere the triangle (truck) had slowed down and decided he wanted in my lane. No blinker, just elbowed right in. Trucks, I swear. Just because you feel like you're in a monster truck rally doesn't mean you have to drive like you're in one. And while we're on the subject a F-150 doesn't qualify for the monster rally... just sayin'.
So now my situation looks like this (yes, I can't even doodle with the help of Microsoft Word):

I've had a lot of close calls, as mentioned before, but I've never experienced any sort of adrenaline rush. I have this uncanny ability to remain calm. Time slows down a bit and the only excitement I can muster is "...Well, this isn't good."
Yup. That's about it. And, then I usually weigh my options and react. In this case I did some major leaning to my left when I noticed I was awfully close to the rear quarter panel of that monster rally wannabe truck. Braking didn't seem to fit the situation.

The best part is that the guy never even saw me.

Another Day Another Ride

Yup. I found myself (once yet again) in Cooperton.

Blueberry!

I don’t know what it is with me and this town. I always ride there and have the same damn picture. Note to self: Next time move Blueberry 4 feet to the right…
Welcome to Cooperton!

Blueberry Map

This is what my 44,000 miles of riding looks like. Yes, it's kind of sad. However, it totally puts my knowledge of the area into perspective; no wonder I know this area like the back of my hand. The pink marks are the towns Blueberry and I have invaded blessed with our presence.

 

Got some riding ahead of me!

Norway in Oklahoma

Destination: Norge
Miles logged: 80 miles



Third time's the charm (so they say), and I finally found my way to Norge, OK in the company of No Excuses Motorcycle Club. From Porter Hill, we rode out through Elgin, Fletcher, and Cyril. Got off to a rocky start in Cyril (those curves I've mentioned before). The same ones I crashed on back in April 09 (ah, the good times). Rider and bike were both fine (whew). 

Blueberry at the FZR crash site. Should've looked for that guardian bell I'd lost back in the day.

 From Cement we headed north on Oklahoma Avenue (original, no?) and took County Rd 1410 East, which will get you past Lake Burtschi (have to go back to check it out). There are a couple of fun curves on this road. It turns into HWY 92 somewhere and next thing you know you're driving past cute houses (the Norwegian style coming out, I guess), a school, and a thing that looked almost like a gas station...almost. 

Not anything worth stopping for, but before I pass final judgment on Norge, I'll have to go back.

From Chickasha we caught HWY 19 back to Cement. Well, it's not a good ride until ya get pulled over. It was a good ride...

OK History Lesson: Norge

  Norge was settled in 1907. President Roosevelt declared Norwegian immigrant Anfin Ersland the first postmaster (how cool is that?). The town was home to quite a few Norwegians back in the day. The town didn't get too big, and the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl wreaked havoc on Oklahoma's Norway. Post office closed in 1954, and Norge has a population of about 80.

2011

The Beginning of another awesome year!

Got to kick off 2011 right, so a ride was called for. I only managed to convince one other rider to join me. It was a beautiful day out. The sun was shining and for some odd reason there was very little wind. Perfect for a ride. Granted, it was a tad bit chilly...

Rode out through Lawton, Cache, the Refuge, and up Mt. Scott.

Can't wait to see what adventures 2011 has in store for Blueberry and me.

Feelin' awfully Chatty

Destination: Chattanooga



Finally, an update (kinda). Hit the road to Chatty, OK. From Chatty, continued south on 36. And, decided to check out Loveland. Good to note: just because a town has a big sign, doesn't mean a thing. Loveland is located in the midst of many cotton fields and gravel roads. Funny thing is that Loveland actually has paved roads... for its 10 (or so) people. Chatty's about 24 miles southwest of Lawton when passing through Faxon.



The town originated in 1901 and was named after the founder's hometown in Tennessee. Chatty remained an agricultural community with a steady population. Check out Chatty's website.



OK History Lesson: Loveland

Loveland was founded in July 1908 as Harriston. The name was rejected and Loveland was chosen. Loveland seemed to reach its population peak around 1912 with a population of approx. 300. The grain elevators were still in operation until the 1990s. The town had a train depot, a newspaper, and school along with its post office. Last high school class graduated in '57.

It was five miles of gravely hell to get to Loveland. My guess is that a new layer of gravel had been put on. I never thought my bike would overheat in December, but it sure did. After slowly creeping to Loveland, I was surprised to find paved roads in a little semi-abandoned community.

More pictures can be found on WGR's Facebook.

Sunday Afternoon Ride

Destination: Cement, OK

Miles Logged: 85ish

What better way to end Fall Break than with a nice ride? The idea was to check out Cement's old downtown and then take a left somewhere and head north to catch 92 somewhere. Didn't quite pan out that way...

Started out in Elgin and rode through Fletcher and Cyril. Took Old 277 to the new hwy (some nice curves, but watch out for that stop sign, it can sneak up on ya). In Cement to get to the old downtown, just turn left at the stop sign. From there the plan was to ride North. Didn't really workout, and we rode east and toured the...lovely town of Cement. Stayed on 277 and took 81 north to Chickasha.  Rode through Verden and Anadarko on the way back.

  

Note, that by visiting downtown Cement on a Sunday you will draw attention to yourself. It wasn't long before the Cement Cop felt like questioning our motives.

Today's OK history lesson: Cement.

The Keechi Hills (naturally formed mounds) can be found in Cement. There's even a museum in downtown dedicated to the Jesse James legend that his gang buried some of their loot in the Keechi Hills (Buzzard's Roost)....

A cement mill was built in 1901 by Acme Cement and Plaster Co. The town's reputation of being "no man's land" gave it a pretty rowdy rep until the prohibition in 1907. It's alleged that Frank James lived in Cement before moving to Fletcher. The town peaked in 1930 when it had a population of over 1100 (wow- I know).
 
For more pictures, check out WGR's Facebook album.



Another Summer Ride

Destination: Hinton, OK

Trying to catch up on some of the many miles I've logged. A friend came out from LA and we rode up and met a friend up in Hinton, OK. Cruised down the winding road into Red Rock Canyon State Park. Fun road. But, as most fun things Oklahoma has to offer, it comes in small bite-size increments. Nevertheless, the ride up going past Fort Cobb and Lake Fort Cobb is pretty nice. And, the road into Binger, OK has is a grade 8%. Too bad the speed limit on that part is about 25 mph...

From Porter Hill to Hinton, it's about 60 miles. Red Rock Canyon is on the East side of the Hwy 8 going through Hinton.

Silver, No Name, and Blueberry

From Red Rock, we all drove back down to Binger and then headed out towards Union City. From Union City we hit 152 going out to Mustang and then OKC.

Hit up Bricktown and the Memorial. Eventually, we ended up in CycleGear (what I imagine Heaven to look like).

Talimena Drive

Destination: Talimena and Back

Miles Logged: 350ish

Okay, so things are getting a little (understatement of the year) disorganized. But, I guess the shoe fits.

This ride was awesome! Even though I was expecting something better. I guess I've been watching too many YouTube videos of Deals Gap (aka the Dragon's Tail) and was expecting something of the sort. Nevertheless, it was still pretty a great way to spend a Monday.

It was Labor Day weekend and after some brainstorming, a rider buddy of mine and I came up with a great idea. We thought it was the perfect weekend to do the Talimena Scenic drive. So my friend came up from Louisiana with his lifted pick-up truck and his bike on a trailer. I was currently chain-less due to the fact that somewhere between the 20,000 -24,000 mile mark, my stock chain began making awful noises. The racket it was making, it sounded like my sprockets were missing a couple teeth. So since my friend was a little more mechanically inclined, we tackled my chain/sprocket problem with only a couple minor complications. Two master links later, we were ready to go.

Due to the distance from his tailgate to the ground, he had to pull into a ditch to be able to use his ramps. I felt my heart stop as Blueberry began to lean a little too far to my side as we gently rolled it up the ramps. I used the only tie-downs I had, some heavy-duty tie-downs left over from my old man's army days. We trailered the bikes up to Talihina. Depending on how you drive from the Lawton area (the route and the speed) it can range from 4-6 hours. Got a kind of late start and took a right instead of a left (taking a detour over Lake Texhoma- awesome lake, by the way). It may have been my fault. Right seemed like the logical direction according to Oklahoma signage. It's all Oklahoma's fault. Sounds about right. With our little detour, we made it up to Tali around 2:00ish. The rider from Eufaula (I always want to say U-fa-lu-fa) we were meeting in Talihina was already there waiting on us. After grabbing a bite at Pam's Hateful Hussy Diner --is that a name or what? Definitely my kind of place-- we filled up our bikes and found a parking lot to unload the bikes.

Talimena Drive

Hwy 1 from Talihina, OK to Mena, AR runs about 60 miles one way. Almost guaranteed to see many bikers since the Talimena (hopefully not all are prone to my blonde moments and get the name at once) route is pretty well-known.

The Talimena Drive takes about an hour one way. Time flys as you're going through the curves and before you know it, you've reached the end. Lots of bacon in Mena. I had the pleasure of having my debit card declined in Mena. Thank you, USAA. Thank God for Discover card since someone never carries cash mainly because someone never has cash.

From Talihina, we all went our separate ways. I headed back to Stone Turtle Ranch, and the boys went back to their homes. I loaded up my heavy-duty tie down straps, the finance book I packed for the trip and never read (it's the thought that counts), and rode back to Lawton around 6:00. I ended up taking the back highways since I didn't take a map and GPS/cell phone use is beyond my capabilities. No smartphone for this rider. The original plan was to take backroads up to the interstate that eventually goes through OKC, but somehow that just didn't workout. The road from Tali to McAlester is pretty awesome. From McAlester to Ada seemed to take forever since that's when my pack really started feeling a little heavy (it probably weighed a good 30-40 lbs). It was like a ruck march- just not. The ride was definitely enjoyable since there was still sunlight to enjoy the views, the curves, and the towns. From Talihina to Ada it's about 125 miles. It was shortly before Ada when I started to get worried. My gas light was blinking furiously and it was getting dark very fast. Once I got to Ada, I wasn't worried. I've ridden through there enough to know my way around. I also knew that I wanted to head to Chickasha and not Duncan because the darker it got, the more I was begging for the nice, fast interstate. I was wearing down on my 11 reserve miles by the time I got to a small town that had fuel. I stopped in Allen, and all they had was 87. I grew up near a gas station in the middle of nowhere. I know the quality of the gas usually sucks. So low-fuel and darkness be damned, I continued on to Ada. I stopped in at their bigger gas station, got gas, and looked for a payphone since my cell phone had been roaming for a while. It was my luck that the payphones weren't working. I had been expected back home an hour ago with three more hours of traveling to go. A gentleman at the gas station offered to let me use his phone. I must have been some sight for a stranger to offer me his phone. I was so glad to make it to Ada, I could have cried. Anyways, from there I got on Hwy 19 and went up to Chickasha before getting on the interstate. I pulled into a gas station just as they were closing. I was able to talk them into staying open 5 more minutes so I could refuel. Thank you! At that point, I was happy to see an interstate. Finally made it home by 11:00p.m. passing only two black cows on the side of the road. That s-curve by Stoney Point Rd always has cattle out at night. 
Over all, my adventure was a blast. And, Hwy 19, even though it may not seem frequented much, actually has a pretty decent amount of traffic on a Monday night.

More pictures can be found on WGR's Facebook.

Big Loop

Destination: Ada

All in all, this loop is pretty cool. It goes through some small towns, where there is really nothing, yet they still have a cop (Bradley and Roff). Mostly all two-lane hwy with a speed limit of 65. This route has some nice sweeper curves. From Elgin back to Elgin, it runs about 240ish miles.

I drove through Fletcher, Cyril, got onto HWY 19. This brought me through Cement and some awesome scenery with sweepers. Hwy 19 goes right down to Ada. Easy to remember. From Ada, I took Hwy1 (goes down to Sulpher through Roff). Roff.What kind of name is that? Well, I guess it's better than Chitwood... From Sulpher I just stayed on Hwy 7 until Duncan, than took 81 up to Rush Springs back over to Elgin. No refueling worries, there are plenty of gas stations. Roads are okay, and currently undergoing construction

Paul's Valley was established in 1857. Paul picked a nice valley.

   

Ada has some really nice undercover black chargers. Good to know. In Ada, I met up with some riders. We rode down to the springs in Sulphur. The spring water tastes,well, a little like sulphur.

I got off to a late start for the Ada meet-up due to a "You're not possibly thinking of riding out there alone" discussion, so I wasn't able to take pictures. Therefore, I had an excuse for a small picture-taking road trip...

More pictures can be found on the Facebook album.

It's not Sin City, it's Cox City

Destination: Cox City

So, while I was studying (okay, maybe procrastinating) I came across a road that looked like it had *awesomeness* potential on GoogleMaps. So, of course, I had to check it out. It's boiling hot out, and I laced up my boots grabbed my mp3 player and hit the road.

Route:  Elgin, Sterling, Rush Springs. Drive through Rush Springs on Hwy 17 (aka Cox City Road- original eh?) out to Cox City, Marlow, and finally Lawton. All in all about a 100 mile trip.

First things first. Since Cox city isn't Sin City, It's best to get gas in a town where they actually have a gas station (in this case Elgin).

The ride out to Rush Springs through Sterling is pretty nice. Hill country with a couple of sweeper curves. Note that the speed limit through Sterling is like 20mph (also note that the cop out there is...um...nicely put very active). Rush Springs is well-known in the area for it's annual Watermelon Festival which is coming up in the next week or two.

Just stay on the main road through Rush Springs and eventually you'll wind up in Cox City. It's a two lane rural road with, believe it or not, curves. Now, before you get excited, Cox City road is in oil country (who would have thought) and the road is horrible.

However, after the farm scenery outside of Rush Springs, the scenery changes and you can see oil pumps, curves, trees, and hills. Pretty Nice. Half way through the curves, you'll see:

This sign is something I never thought I'd see in Oklahoma, but there it is. The roads are extremely bumpy. Taking the curves at speed limit is impossible (on a bike). It's a nice cruise, though. I knew that on the map after the last curve turning south Cox City should be right there. After a couple of miles, I began to wonder if I'd passed it. I mean, I did blink a couple of times. Until I saw this:

That's right- it's Cox City. Good thing I didn't blink at that moment. The road's name changes into 13 mile Rd. Once again, very original. This road, however, is smooth and an easy ride.

After a while, you'll find yourself at the Hwy 29 intersection (turn right, west, to head to Marlow). Okay, some important things to know for this hwy. County Sheriff is omnipresent. Also, drivers (including many 18-wheelers) are speeding idiots. After passing through Bray I found myself with a line of trucks and 18wheelers riding my ass (speed limit's 65). Note,also, that there is no shoulder on this road. There seems to be a junk car transport facility on the left at some point. Watch out for the loaded 18-wheelers that pull out of there. Yeah, this is where my ride gets good. One of these loaded trucks pulled out infront of me. It had about 9 crushed cars on it. At first, only little metal dust flew off in my direction. But, as the truck started reaching 65-70 mph more shit flew off. Great. No shoulder and a line of tail gaters on a two lane hwy with no shoulder.

As more crap started coming off the semi, I looked for a window in traffic so I could pass. I found it, with some cars heading my way on the horizon.

End of Story: I now have a $350 ticket.

Good to know: after that last little hill, the highway has a shoulder.

More pictures from this ride can be found in Wandering of a Girl Ryder's Facebook album.

The Beginnings of a Blog

Hi! And, Welcome!

First off, I'd like to introduce myself. The name's Dani. I'm a college student at a university no one has heard of in Oklahoma, USA. This is my first blog ever. Yeah, I know, what kind of 20 year-old am I? I'll tell ya, one that has no technology savvy. I do, however, usually manage to find the power button.

Anyways, I have two...um...addictions. I'm a coffee addict. And, motorcycles are my obsession.

Motorcycles + Coffee = Bliss

^that right there is as good as my math gets.

When I was 13, I saw two idiots doing wheelies down a main road in town. I bought my first bike magazine that day. Took me a year of convincing my mother daily that I wouldn't kill myself on a motorcycle. On my 14th birthday, I found a motorcycle helmet sitting on the table. After a year of searching for a bike, one that was in my price class (cheap), I found my bike; it was a 1998 Yamaha fzr600. I was so excited!

Unfortunately the bike wasn't as excited about me. I spent 2 years fighting with it (with my budget) trying to get it running. '07 was my year,though, and that's when my riding career started.

The yami was...a...um...problem child, a pain in the ass, a piece of...sh...work (to say the least), but that's a story for another time. I bought a 2007 cbr600rr July 1, 2009. And in that year, I've put 18,000 miles on it. My cbr goes by the name Blueberry because every good vehicle needs a name.We've had some amazing times. I've found over my riding time, that you can find the neatest roads, towns, and places when you get off the "cruise" in town, and just ride. I've also found that most people don't know of the awesomeness we have in the area. I've taken it upon myself to find out by putting down the map and getting wonderfully lost by wandering.

I'm finally coming to the point of my blogging: to record the rides and maybe inspire others, when in the area, to ride some of these neat routes (okay, okay maybe I just needed something to justify my gas-guzzling hobby...). Or, maybe even inspire other dedicated riders to do the same.

So, follow Blueberry and me on our adventures as we wander!