Bye Bye Birdie

May the little bird that met my front tire at 65 mph rest in peace. It certainly took a dive at the wrong time.
Otherwise, it was a lovely afternoon for a ride! Three other riders showed interest in getting out and putting some miles on the bikes. When the time came to meet up, only two other riders showed. The 5 minute wait policy was long up, so we decided to head out. Of course, we took a major detour to our not specified destination of Altus. We rode the lake road to Medicine park a couple of times before riding up Mount Scott where we happened to meet up with our missing rider. Funny how life works out sometimes. Since we had our four and the detours out of our system, we made our way over to Altus via HWY 115 and Hobart. I just hung back and stopped here and there to take some pictures for the blog (have to justify my fuel bill somehow, right?).

Pictures from this ride can be found on WGR's Facebook page.

Kevlar Lined Jeans

 I bought some Red Route Kevlar lined jeans a little while ago when I saw them online for $70. The denim is pretty thick. The stitching isn't that great. Some of the stitching in the front is already coming undone. The heat difference between wearing these or regular jeans is minimal (if there is a difference at all). Sure, they're not as thoroughly lined as Sartso Jeans (see below), but for $70 they're not that bad. I usually wear a Juniors' size 5-7, but after reading reviews on fit I ordered a women's size 8. They're kind of big which is okay since winter is approaching and I'll be able to wear some layers underneath.

Girl Squid

So I met this girl the other day while working at one of Lawton's two annual festivals. Turns out she rides, so, of course, I'm excited.

Hey! A possible riding buddy. I think.
"How long have you been riding?" I ask.
"About a month." The girl with the bright fake fingernails and a lot of make-up replies.
"So what do you ride?"
"A ninja 250."
"That's cool. I ride a cbr600."
"Well, I thought I'd start out on something small that I can learn on."
I tell her that was a smart idea.


So I'm riding down Cache road running errands the other day when I see this little 250, the bright nails, and a girl rockin' some fancy shades, and no lid. Only riding for a month...

To each their own, I guess.

I'm not completely free of squid tendencies, but if you hit your head on concrete while standing around outside, and that can do a good job to your brain-holder then I don't want to know what will happen when you fall off your bike going 25 mph and hit your head on the curb. No sirree, Bob!
I think there's a greater risk of something happening the first couple of years one rides because there are so many other things going on around you while you're still learning to ride, getting used to your bike, gaining experience, and learning just how much you have to pay attention to others that I think I'd wear a helmet just to have one less thing to worry about.

Another Ride to Hinton

So I haven't had much of a chance to ride lately. But, I'm thankful to have found an opportunity to get away from Lawton for a little bit. However, before the next ride, I need to remember to tighten my chain...

Destination: Hinton, OK...again.

Miles logged: 200ish

Stopped in at Red Rock Canyon State Park in Hinton. The road down to the State Park is fun! But, like all fun things in OK, it's short-lived. So, this was the first time I actually drove through the town of Hinton. I have no clue why I was actually expecting something...

The beginning of HWY 37 in Hinton. It's got some nice sweepers, but I like HWY 115 better.

Oklahoma History Lesson:

Hinton was founded in 1902 by a representative of the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railway. It was a town that thrived from its agricultural nature and the railway. In 1931, the Kiwanis hosted a rodeo. It remains an annual event to this day. The newspaper, the Hinton Record, was first printed in 1904 and is still the current paper. That's kind of neat. In the 60s, they built a nursing home. Hinton is also the home of a nice 18-hole golf course and a prison...

Ah, we also passed through Binger, but I didn't get a chance to stop. On different motorcycle note, I finally bought a copy of Twist of the Wrist!

More pictures of this ride on the Facebook album. 

September!

So, it's the loveliest day in September, and I had to get away from my evil homework. I rode through the refuge to enjoy the strong smell of burnt cedar and out to Cache. The Wichita Mtn Wildlife Refuge is under construction (at least the roads are) so the speed limit is 35. And, there are like a million extra stop signs (okay,okay only 4).

 

My dorky self.

Procrastinating

It's the day before my business strategy paper on Dr. Pepper is due, and, of course, I found something better to do than actually sit down and write my paper. I had the opportunity to meet up with another rider who was staying in the area for a week. Paper Schmaper, I thought. I can start, write,and finish that 4-5 page paper in the wee hours of tomorrow morning. As I left the house, I'll be damned if I didn't see what appeared to be rain clouds rolling in over the Wichita Mountains. We met up at the gas station, and rode up Mt. Scott to feel the wind kick up and the rain clouds draw nearer.

It looks so cold in the pictures that you'd never believe it was 108 degrees. Yes, it was a tad bit warm and sweat began rolling down one's face just from the exertion of breathing. We rode back down Mount Scott and parked in the picnic area so we could check out the boulder field near the bottom of Mt. Scott. I finally was able to convince someone to jump through those boulders with me. Sure, a day with a temperature of 108 degrees may not have been the brightest idea, but I never claimed to be the brightest crayon in the box. My riding buddy even took some pictures of me riding. Impromptu rides sure do rock!

About 5 raindrops fell from the sky. Oklahoma is a weather tease. On a side note, I haven't seen Mt.Scott's Parking lot empty in a long time.

More picture on the Facebook album!

I feel like riding out to visit Nowhere again. It seems like it would be therapeutic at this moment in my life. What a better place to ponder life's funny jokes than Nowhere?

No, you can't have my number

So, as my you-need-gas-soon-light came on, I decided I'd fill up before heading home. I pull into the gas station, and find myself in a conversation with a stranger. Don't get me wrong now, I'm all for random conversations with strangers and even a little flirting, but if you're 15 years my senior and do not ride AND you start the convo with "Where's your man at?" then there is no way in hell you're getting my number. As a matter of fact, a snowball stands a better chance surviving hell and maintaining its snowball-iness than you stand a chance of getting my number.

Also, mentioning your income level is not a selling point. In fact, I find it kind of vain.

Pervert dude: "Where's your man at?"
Me: *looks around.* *shrugs* "Hmph. Guess he must've fallen off..."

That reminds me of that shirt which reads "If you can read this then the bitch fell off" on the back. I really ought to buy that shirt.

She thought I was a guy

So I was riding through town on my way home from a ride through the refuge, and as I'm approaching a light that ought to turn green, this chick and two guys were crossing the street between my bike and the light. I guess sportbike to most people evokes the notion that the rider must be a guy because she tried to flag me down.

She ought to know what happens when one assumes. You find yourself flagging down a pink-bootlace rocking female rider.

The Ride That Never Was

Yeah, I totally stole that from a book. In this crazy heat wave we currently have, I was pleased to find that there are enough crazy people who are still riding. I think, I'll take this moment to define riding. Riding = at least 25 miles of being on a bike moving in a certain direction (preferably not down). Riding does not mean riding the streets of town (riding the cruise) or "riding" to a car wash. Unfortunately, most riders who ride (as defined) have cruisers (no offense intended). Looks like I need to find some cruisers to ride with because finding someone with a sportbike who rides and doesn't belong to a club is a challenge which I am tired of. Guess I'll be riding solo for the most part.

I found a couple of riders who were interested in going to Lake Altus with me. You know what they say about the best laid plans. We got off to a late start and after the boys were happily fed, there wasn't really the time. So a 200 mile ride turned into an 80 mile ride. It was a little warm, and my face received a free sauna from the brainbucket. Speaking of motorcycle apparel and heat, the Red Route Kevlar jeans I invested in are awesome. I was worried that they might be unbearable in the heat, but they're no worse than my regular jeans. I had to take out the knee guard, though. The knee guards never sit right, but there's Kevlar where the guards were.
Almost makes me want to test my jeans: