New Year's Eve Ride

12-31-13 It has been so dreary with the weather inversion.  There has been freezing fog nearly every day since the storm right after Thanksgiving.  High temperatures over the last several weeks has been in the 30's and the freezing fog has made the roads too dangerous to ride.

It was supposed to get warm over the weekend but the freezing fog persisted till well into the afternoon.  Suddenly the sun came out and the ice melted from the trees which made it "rain" in our yard.  Too cold for me.

Today the sun finally came out and I could see it through the window at work.  I got off work at 3:30pm and the sun was still out.  I got to my car and the temperature was 47 degrees.  That is my cutoff temperature for riding!  I had a singular idea - get my ass home and get on my bike for a short ride!

I got home, put on my boots and took off!  I planned on a short ride so I didn't put on my chaps.  I was pretty warm at first but it was already late afternoon and the sun starts to set at 4:30pm. 

It was getting cold fast and my legs got cold - until they went numb!  I took the freeway home and may have fractured the speed limit just a little (HaHa!) 

The sound of the roaring engine made my heart beat faster!  Already looking forward to my next ride!

Slipping & Sliding

12/10/13 Tuesday

The big winter storm is still in effect.  People were spinning out on the ice in front of me on the way home.  I had errands so I took a different way home and drove down a stretch of road that I haven't been on since my last motorcycle ride.

I felt a longing for the road and I miss riding!

Pictures of a scary ride to Phoenix, Oregon on Saturday.

Biggest icicles we have ever had at our house!

Thinking warm thoughts about my next ride!

Schooooools Out!

12-4-13
I just turned in my very last assignment for school.  I can't believe I'm finally done with my Bachelors Degree in Nursing (BSN).  I been taking classes for many years now and have wondered about the courses and what they contribute to my nursing skills.

There hasn't been much patient centered classes and they have all been full of writing papers.  I wish there had been more about patient care, you know, anatomy, physiology, etc.  Nope, none of that!

So, I'm reading my last posts from fellow classmates and one of the guys actually points out that he could do more with his certificate as a paramedic than he will be able to do with a bachelors degree in nursing - unfortunately true and so sad.

He said the BSN is worthless. 

I told him I thought he had a HUGE pair of balls for saying that - but I agreed with his statement.

I got so much out of my associates degree.  I learned a lot about how to care for people and the different diseases and how they are treated.  But the last two years have all been writing papers.  Sure I learned a lot but I don't feel it improved my nursing skills.  I did learn about the importance of using evidence based practice.

I'm proud of myself for finishing my degree but I have felt that it hasn't added anything to my nursing skills (except for writing and research) for a long time.  I'm not sure if that was the point or not.

If you know me, you know I'm not done with my education.  For my next classes I'm going to do stuff that will actually contribute to the care of my patients.

Post T-day ride

Thanksgiving is over, the family is headed home and there is snow in the forecast.  Today is a beautiful day though and I must ride!

I took this picture up in Rogue River.  It looked so fresh as if the paint was still wet! 

Dust or Ghosts?

Depends on who you talk to!

There was an article in the Medford Tribune a short time ago about suspicious floating orbs which appeared in photographs of the Jacksonville Cemetery.  Some people believe they are just specks of dust which are reflected in the flash and others believe they are photographic proof of ghosts!

Orbs of light 'haunt' Jacksonville Cemetery - Unexplained orbs of light captured on camera at Jacksonville Cemetery raise ghostly speculation

 

I was on a bike trip with my husband and father a few years ago in Northern California.  We stopped overnight in Fort Bragg and I took this picture of our motorcycles.

 

 

Like the cemetery pictures the orbs don't show up in every picture and I probably took a dozen pictures of the bikes and this was the only one I got with the orbs in it. 

 

Do you believe?

 

Update: 2014

I went on a trip to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico and one of my pictures came back with orbs in it!

 

 

 

I

Winter Riding

Winter is upon us and many people talk about winterizing their bikes and putting them away till spring time.  My response is "WHY??"  We live in Medford, Oregon not Alaska.

Sure it snows here in Medford and sometimes it actually accumulates on the roads but that rarely lasts for more than a day.  My husband calls it "Designer Snow" because it puts a pretty layer on the surrounding mountains but rarely accumulates on the roads.  There can be a blizzard up on Mt. Ashland and be sunny and 65 degrees in the valley.

It was 70 at our house and snowing in Ashland.

When it gets very cold, the city is very good at putting down salt and gravel which can cause adverse conditions for riding, but I don't ride when it's that cold anyways.  The gravel is heavy in corners so it's best to avoid real knee-scraping turns in the winter!

I have heated hand grips on my bike and I love them!  I don't deny being a fair weather rider but the heated hand grips sure extend my ride time.  They are especially great on road trips when there are time tables to adhere to and you can't wait till it gets warmer to start your ride.  I've been on rides where my hands are so cold I can't squeeze the brake and that's not a good place to be.

The proper clothing is also important.  Warm hands don't mean much when the rest of your body is shivering. Layer your clothes and if you do get cold, pull over and warm up.  I always store a sweatshirt and a t-shirt when I ride in case the weather changes. (Hello, Oregon!)

Here is a great website with tips on winter riding:

http://ultimatemotorcycling.com/seven-tips-winter-motorcycle-riding/

 

Ride on and keep the shiny side up!

Crisp Ride

11-16-13  Fall foliage in Jacksonville, Oregon.  Looking across the vineyards.  It was a beautiful day and warm enough for a nice ride despite the forecast for rain (90%). 

 

Big Elk Sighting

11-10-13  There was some dense fog this morning but it burned off pretty quickly and turned into a sunny day.  It was chilly but got into the high 50's in the afternoon so I ventured out for a ride on my freshly serviced and washed bike.

I was down near Dodge Bridge and there were some people pulled off the side of the road.  I looked around wondering if there had been an accident and saw the herd of elk off to the right in the pastures of the Gavel Ranch.

There were some pretty big racks and they were beautiful.

 

One of the few times I have gone out without my camera so I got this with my cell phone!

Too Much Stuff

It's been a rainy day but not too wet.  The trees are nearly on the naked side and there are leaves piled up all around them.  The dogs bring in the tiny leaves every time they go outside so I'm  having to sweep leaves every couple hours.

I think I'm done with the power point presentation and I submitted it for my fellow students perusal.  I already started doing research for my final paper.

A couple days ago it dawns on me that I'm almost finished.  You know, not just the countdown of 5 weeks to go but the actual gut feeling of completion.  It's almost a feeling of disbelief. 

 

Itsy Bitsy Spiders

I took a great ride last weekend starting in Medford I rode north towards Shady Cove and took the back road to Canyonville.

I found this nice covered bridge near Tiller.

I had lunch in Canyonville and walked around the antique stores in town.

I found a geocache nearby after lunch.

I found the spiders near Wolf Creek about 20 miles north of Grants Pass.

 

I love the pincers on the front of the spider-car.

 

After taking pictures of the spider cars I stopped at the nearby gas station to fill up prior to heading home.  I got gas and when I tried to start my bike, it was dead!

I had the guy at the pump give me a push to get out of the way of other cars and then I called Charlie to let him know of my predicament.  He said he would head home and hook up the trailer.

In the mean time I called D&S Harley Davidson and they told me it was not suggested I jump the bike.  So there I was, 50 miles from home with a dead bike.

I must have looked pathetic because a local guy walked by and asked if I needed assistance.  He looked like he knew his way around motorcycles with his long beard and easy demeanor. 

We put our heads together and figured out how to get the seat off and stared at all the wires.  He said he had rebuilt a 60's Harley from the ground up (I was impressed) but his didn't have that many wires.  I told him I've always gone with wiggling all the wires - it couldn't hurt.  I wiggled a few and the lights turned on. 

He went and got a screwdriver and tightened the battery connection and it fired right up.

I wasn't going to take any chances so I beat cheeks all the way home. 

It was a beautiful ride and I went over 150 miles.

 

I'm nearing the end of my last class for my bachelor's degree in nursing.  I can't believe it's almost over.  After the power point is done I have to do a paper on healthcare reform.

 

Yup, my new favorite subject.  I still haven't figured out what I'm going to write about but I've got a couple weeks to figure it out. 

 

Oversized Signs

Here is a collection of oversize roadside attractions.  Sometime called "Americana" 

I started taking pictures of these things with my motorcycle for the Pace Podcast Equinox to Equinox Motorcycle Rally. 

 

Big Foot statue in Happy Camp, California

Big Foot has big toenails as well!

 

 

Teacup in Happy Camp, California 

 

After the Tsunami a couple years ago, garbage started drifting over from Japan.  Some of the garbage has been transformed into statues in Bandon.  Here is a big fish. 

Seal made from trash in Bandon, Oregon

Gift Shop Ship

 

Orca

T-Rex on Oregon Coast

                                                  I swear this Big Foot looks stoned to me.

This Big Foot looks a little confused!

Silver Dancing people in Grants Pass, Oregon

Big bucket in Klamath Falls, Oregon

Big head in Ashland, Oregon

Enormous fly on bathrooms in O'Brien, Oregon

Fire Hydrant at Vet's office in Central Point, Oregon

Rooster in Sonoma, California

Star Memorial in Sonoma, California

Metal dog at dog pound near Sonoma, California

T-Rex near Sonoma, California

Big rooster in Rogue River, Oregon

Eagle at Seven Feathers Casino in Canyonville, Oregon

 

Blackbird in Medford, Oregon

Bowling Pin in Medford, Oregon

Axe Man in Medford, Oregon

Spiders in Wolf Creek, Oregon.