Let the Madness Begin!

Ok, so the Iron Butt Association isn't only about how far and how fast.   There's also a Master Traveler pin to be had that represents having traveled to at least 50 national parks in at least 25 states/provinces in less than a year.  Ok, so that's a measure of how far, how fast, but you're missing the point.  This one actually encourages stopping to smell the flowers.  Ok, it *allows* for smellage. There are some wonderful stories of Travelers before me and the attempts to balance the thrill of the race, the desire to best a friend and the discovery of what you might actually gain if you stop to take in the sites.

Anyone who knows me knows that I'm a tad competitive.  I also have a short attention span.   I'm hoping that between these two chemically treatable traits, I can successfully fill my book with enough colorful cancellation stamps to join the ranks of the insane and become a member of the Iron Butt Association.  There's also the Saddle Sore 1k, which will give me another shot at membership this year, but that one's not planned yet, so we'll just have to see...

So, to kick off my commitment, I stopped by a National Site to pick up my Passport To Your National Parks book to make it official.  I intend on becoming a Master Traveler.  There still remains the question of whether I'll go above and beyond for the MT Silver, but that can be decided along the way.  MT Silver includes parks in Maine, Florida, Washington and California.  There's also the MT Gold, but you have to go above a certain parallel in Alaska and find a national landmark and I'm just not as competitive as I am cold-averse.

There happened to be a 1997 Intruder in the parking lot at the Visitor's Center.  I got to chat with the owner while I made my purchase and he pointed me to the stamping station.  It was too cold to ride today, though, so I'll go back for the stamp (and maybe the tour) when the weather warms up and I can do it on two wheels.

Wish List

Oh, my goodness, there's some cool stuff out there.  The frustrating thing is not being able to see it, touch it, try it out or try it on.  For example the Ubersprocket (Kawasaki Vulcan) is a bit uncomfortable for me.  I suspect that changing out the handlebars to modify the sitting position would have made the Sprocket a great fit for me.  However, you can't run to Bike Depot tocheck out your options and test them out.   Even finding shoes or protective apparel is tough... Bummer.  I'm looking forward to a couple of bike shows in the next couple of months and am hoping that they might fill some of that void.

Jan 9-11 in Washington, DC International Motorcycle Show

Friday is 1/2 price for women with a coupon which you can print here

Jan 23-25 in Reading, PA - Northeast Motorcycle Expo

coupons are on the website to reduce the $17 entrance fee

Feb 6-8 in Timonium, MD - Timonium Motorcycle Show

Coupons on the site or you can buy from some local shops.  $5 off the $15 entrance fee

I'm in the market for some new protective gear and I'd really like to be able to try it on live and in person!  Short of that I'll make a plug for New Enough.  I ordered 3 different items in a couple sizes each so I could try them on a compare.  The website takes its own pictures and customer service answered my questions by putting the woman who modeled the jacket on the phone so she could give me details.  Then, when all the pants had to go back and the jacket I didn't choose went back, they were great about communication and I had no problems with the return.

So! I impatiently wait the shows to see what they hold before ordering stuff online.

(Can she do it?..)

Waiting for the Groundhog

Well, it's winter in Maryland.  There have been two days in the 60's in December, so I have taken out the Ubersprocket for short jaunts, but it's always warm enough to surf  for motorcycle stuff.  Interestingly, my newest acquisition wasn't found on any of my surfing expeditions, but on a friend's.  Jon was surfing for plane stuff and accidentally hit the motorcycle tab, as I remember the story, so he thought he'd see what was out there.  Jon and I have been looking at bikes before and he knew I particularly enjoyed sitting on the Suzuki Boulevard C-series.  The C109 is bigger than I was interested in, but the 50 and the 90 are both very nice bikes.

The C50 is the same size as the Kawasaki Vulcan I have now.  The C90 is about the size of Jon's Mean Streak 1500, which he has always been kind enough to let me borrow (even after dropping it :/ )  So, I had my eye on one of those two.  Jon found a beautiful 2007 white and silver C50 not too far from where he lives in Florida.  Blah, blah, blah, Jon rocks and now I have a gorgeous bike sitting in his hangar in Florida.  

Luckily, with it being too cold for me to ride anyway, it's not too painful to have it out of reach. :)  But it does have a power outlet on it, so that opens up a whole new area to shop for!...

I'm off to look into heated apparel!