After having a bad start last week that resulted in my beloved Kitten going over onto her side, Steve and I ended on a high note with a lovely bike-blessing event at Route 65 Harley Davidson in Indianola on Saturday. The event included live music, complimentary lunch, and group and individual blessings offered by the Christian Motorcyclists Association.

Following the food and fellowship, we decided to take a short ride so we headed south out of Indianola on Highway 65/69.

The “dual identity” of the highway ends just a few miles outside of Indianola – with a left turn it becomes Highway 65, while going straight means you stay on 69. Our plan was to ride to the town of Osceola at Highway 34, so we stayed on Highway 69.

While in the northern part of the state this highway is straight as a string, this stretch of 69 has some lovely curves as it meanders to the southwest. We passed the tiny town of Medora at the G76 junction, where I noticed a beautiful little field of purple-blooming Dames Rocket – the roadside version of garden Phlox. So pretty in the dappled sunlight.

We cruised into Osceola from the north a short time later, and stopped to top off gas. While there, we asked a local where we might get an ice cream cone, and she directed us to Junction Creamery a few blocks away along Highway 34.

We pulled into this nice locally owned shop, which has lunch and dinner selections as well as sweet treats. (Apparently they also do catering!) Enjoyed our soft-serve sundaes, then decided to head back home. We headed back the way we had come – out of town on Highway 69. Just a couple miles up the road, we turned north at the junction of County Road R45, which is a straighter stretch that took us through New Virginia, St. Mary’s and Martensdale.

Here’s a great opportunity to honor veterans and participate in a unique tribute ride. The annual National Veterans Awareness Ride (NVAR) starts in Auburn, California on May 15 and concludes on Sunday, May 27 in Washington, D.C. It’s a full agenda of greeting veterans at VA hospitals, conducting wreath-laying ceremonies at veterans’ cemeteries, and celebrating the legacy of veterans at sites across the country. The ride is conducted each year by the National Veterans Awareness Organization, a non-profit organization started in 2005 to honor all veterans.

The NVAR ride passes through Iowa on Sunday and Monday, May 20-21, with stops in Council Bluffs, the Freedom Rock at Greenfield, Van Meter, Des Moines, Marshalltown, Iowa City, and Davenport.

Visit the full NVAR website at www.nvar.us for a complete ride schedule

If you read this blog regularly, you know that my favorite way to ride is gather some friends and take off for an interesting Iowa destination, find some new curvy roads or a good local diner, or – when the stars align – all three! Sometimes though there’s not time, or I just want to simplify, so it might just be me an’ hubby Steve. Then other times, he’s working on a project or otherwise occupado, so I go by myself.

So today I took off by myself for awhile – did less than 50 miles, took 90 minutes doing it, and came back feeling quite refreshed! I headed south on my trusty county road R63 which goes south out of Des Moines down to Highway 92 at Indianola. I was going to ride west to Winterset then do the St. Charles & Truro loop that my gal pals and I missed last year, but I left home later than I intended (and needed gas anyway) so instead of going west on 92 I went east into Indianola.

Once through town I turned north on S23, the “Palmyra Road.” Stopped to snap a couple roadside pictures (much easier to do when riding alone – no group to worry about!), then continued north. As I was passing through the tiny town of Palmyra, I noticed the neat old church that we always see when we are headed to Bike Night, and as I passed it I thought I should stop and take some pictures. So just because I was alone and could do so easily, I slowed and did a U-turn and went back to the church.

I am a huge fan of peeling, chippy paint and old buildings, and the Palmyra Church is a neat little gem in a town of about 500 people. Built in 1870 (1870, people!), the church had its heyday through the 1940′s and went into decline, and around 1979 was on the “short list” for demolition. Thank goodness the descendents of the original builders were still in the area and got wind of the plan, because they got together and the church now rests on its laurels upon the National Register of Historic Places. A bit of restoration occurred, and a bit more is planned. Although the church doesn’t have a congregation, it is available for special events and hopefully one day the bell will be restored to the bell tower. (Read a bit more in this neat article from the Mason City Globe Gazette.)

Cute little gothic country church…

The NRHP agrees.

Another view:

Just look at that chippy goodness!

These windows are completely awesome.

Happy to have found the place – neat little ride!

  Today is International Female Ride Day! Here’s hoping you have the opportunity to get out and ride!

Have you been following the series of woman-rider profiles over at Helmet or Heels? So many wonderful women being featured there the past few weeks, and today’s my day! Here’s a link to my nifty-difty profile on Pam’s terrific blog!

Profile of a Female Motorcyclist: Meet Janet!

Huge hugs and thanks to Pam for the opportunity! If you’re a lady rider, be sure to contact her through the blog and get your own self featured!

Oh! And, tomorrow (Friday May 4) is International Female Ride Day! Why not celebrate by taking a ride… learning to ride… or simply hugging a biker chick!

What a crazy Spring! We had a very mild winter here in Iowa, with very little snow and unseasonably warm temps throughout the season. Now in April, though, things have cooled off and I suppose with temps in the 50′s and frequent rain we are back to what’s normal for this time of year. This has been frustrating – it was great to take a few short jaunts back in March, but these days it seems the weather is not really cooperating. We did take a nice scenic loop down to Winterset and back a few weeks ago, and attended the Christian Motorcycle Association chili feed up at Big Barn is mid-April. But we did not ride up for the bike blessing that accompanied the chili feed. We will have to try again to get blessed on May 12, down at Route 65 HD in Indianola.

Also, the first Indianola Bike Night has come and gone – it didn’t get canceled, but we didn’t attend due to the cool temperatures. (If anyone ever calls me a wimp over these decisions, I always respond with: “Hey, I rode to Sturgis and back on an 883 Sportster, so… ha!”) Attendance was light, I’m told, but no less enthusiastic.

All this falls into the category of “just as well,” anyway, because we are in the midst of “Senior Year” here in our household and our non-riding life is quite busy right now. Yes, my beautiful daughter is about to graduate high school, so it’s going to be a tearful (and joyful) six months as she passes this milestone and heads off to college.

Finally, a couple quick shout-outs to my gal pals… Shirley – welcome home! Shirley and Garry are back from wintering in Texas, though I’m not sure we didn’t have nearly-comparable weather here this year. And Janet – congratulations! Janet successfully completed her 4th Dan test in TaeKwonDo, following a rigorous training period to which her commitment was just as impressive as her outstanding performance in the test itself.

This article is adapted from a news release I received this week from the Iowa Grand Motorcycle Rally, to be held July 25-28 at the Iowa Speedway in Newton. I’ve done a little editing, but even the full version did not include the full slate of activities that will take place at the rally. See the end of this article for links to the Rally website and supporting pages. 

NEWTON, IA - The Iowa Grand Motorcycle Rally at the Iowa Speedway July 25 – 28th has announced headlining acts and the substantial support of both state and county wide officials.

Kicking off Wednesday night are Black Oak Arkansas and Head East, with Lynard Skynard tribute band Edge of Forever opening. Pyrotechnics ‘80s sensation Hairball lights up the rally on Thursday, and country star Joe Diffie and rock band Rev Theory make for a high octane Friday. Blue Oyster Cult and Eddie Money tip the scales of awesome nostalgia rock for Saturday. Comedian Gallagher was to perform but due to health reasons was forced to cancel his appearance and the rally production team wishes the legend a speedy recovery.

Daily doses of super charged Sturgis and Daytona bands include Jasmine Cain, Ryan Rolando and Farrell Webber Band. Celebrity meet and greets include FX Networks “Sons of Anarchy” stars Katey Sagal (“Gemma”) and Charlie Hunnam (“Jax”),  along with The History Channel’s “American Pickers” star, Danielle Colby Cushman. Hosted by Jay Allen, Iowa Grand events including tribute rides, bike rodeo, swap meet, sportbike track days, vintage and custom bike shows and much more can be found at iowagrandrally.com.

The significant planning and hard work of the Iowa Grand Motorcycle Rally team has been impressive to the community at large. Governor Terry Branstad expressed the state’s support of the rally by signing new legislation which allows the sale of new and used motorcycles at events off dealer property.”

Big Barn Harley-Davidson of Des Moines is the official Harley-Davidson dealership of the rally. Customers will be able to see “…new and used Harley-Davidson motorcycles, and take demo rides on new bikes through the rolling hills surrounding Newton,” said Big Barn co-owner Dan Moeller.  Big Barn is also providing a 2012 Harley-Davidson motorcycle to be raffled off for charity.

The City of Newton is creating a weekly bike night called Thunder Nights during the summer months to support the Inaugural Iowa Grand Motorcycle Rally. “Our community is really looking forward to all the bikes and people coming to Newton for the first ever Iowa Grand Motorcycle Rally,” said Newton Mayor Chaz Allen. “(And), several members of our community have banded together to create Thunder Nights in Newton. The big rally at the speedway in July and Thunder Nights throughout the summer will create a lot of excitement in Newton.”

The City of Newton committee is also planning a welcome pig roast to all rally attendees which will be held in the city square on Thursday, July 26th.

Go to www.iowagrandrally.com and www.facebook.com/iowagrandmotorcyclerally for more information and to buy tickets on sale now! Early bird special pricing: $75 for 4-day pass includes free tent camping. Offer ends May 31st. Self-contained RV camping is an additional $50. Day passes are also available. Call 866-787-8946 for complete information.

The American Diabetes Association has decided not to promote Rip’s BAD Ride Iowa in 2012, according to the event’s Facebook page. Without promotion and support from ADA, this means the event will not be held in 2012. Event organizers noted that the Facebook page will remain open so participants can continue to enjoy the photos and videos that have been posted there, and to help promote any events in Iowa that benefit the ADA of Iowa. Rip’s BAD Ride Iowa was held for four years beginning in 2008.

My pal Shirley is once again in Texas for the winter. Here’s a look at what she’s been up to!

by Shirley Patterson

Okay, so we’ve been in Texas since the first of December and, although I promised to do so, I have not yet written a ride report. You may have heard that Texas is in a severe drought so while the December weather was not what we really wanted to see, the cool, damp, drizzly weeks were a small blessing. January, however, started out warm and dry so – yep, out came the bikes.

On January 20th the temperature hit 86 so it was just too great not to ride. This is not the first ride we had taken – nor is it one of the longest – but it is one of our favorites so thought I would take you all along. We winter in Kingsland, TX. For point of reference Kingsland is about 12 miles slightly northwest of Marble Falls or about 60 miles northwest of Austin. We left Kingsland taking Farm Road 1431 (the main highway between Marble Falls and Kingsland) west past Pat’s Bar and Fuzzy’s Corner (more later) and on to Highway 261 which is a great two-lane, curvy and fairly scenic road.

Our destination was the Fall Creek Winery at Tow (rhymes with cow). I mentioned the drought earlier so we pulled into the Llano County Park to see just how badly it had affected Buchanan Lake, one of the major lakes in the area. A couple of years ago a long paved boat ramp was put in at the park. Hopefully, the picture taken will show the devastation the drought has brought to the area. The ramp is now easily one to two miles from the water…folks who have million dollar “lakefront” homes are high and dry!

So, out of the park and on to Bluffton Store. This is at the convergence of highways 261 and 2241 and we usually stop here to gas up, get a Coke or a 50-cent ice cream cone – really! On to the winery. Fall Creek has a great tasting room where you can taste five wines for a fixed price of $5 per person. But, what we discovered last year was they also have a beautiful covered patio where you can simply take a glass or a bottle and sit and enjoy. This trip we decided to buy a bottle of our favorite blush and a box of crackers and enjoy the patio – c’mon, it was cheaper than the tasting! We met a couple of really nice guys who were also riding that day and they took this nice picture of me and Garry.

Finally decided to reverse the ride and head back for Kingsland. Now, last year we usually stopped at Pats for a drink but found that this year our favorite bartender, Jen, is now working at Fuzzy’s. Fuzzy’s is a beer bar (although they will serve set ups if you bring your own) but since Garry and I drink Rum and Southern Comfort respectively we have never gone to Fuzzy’s. Today, however, we stopped in to say hi to Jen. Giving a nod to the wine we had already drank, I just had a Diet Coke. By the time we left for the short 10 mile ride home it was 4:30 so decided to bypass the house for another 1/2 mile and stop in at Spykes BBQ for an early dinner. Spykes has the BEST BBQ in the area. For those of you who think Llano has the best – you have to give Spykes a try. After dinner it was a very short hop back to the house and a beautiful easy day on the bikes.

Can’t believe we made it to mid-January before getting ANY measurable snow here in central Iowa! We’ve even had a couple of days in the upper 50′s – more than nice enough to ride, but alas, I wasn’t able to enjoy them. At least, not on the motorcycle. And, even though it’s currently bitter-cold, the mild weather we’ve had up to this point has made the off-season infinitely more bearable.

Anyway, thought it was time to start working up the 2012 calendar of local, statewide, and a few national events. There are some missing from this list that I know are out there somewhere, but their websites haven’t been  updated with 2012 dates yet. I’ll be on the lookout for those and will add them later with a link back here.

Meanwhile, if you know of something in Des Moines, in Iowa, or in the mid-west, let me know in the comments!

Gathering on the Grounds Mid-Winter Bash – January 28, Des Moines IA
Capital City Custom Bike Show & Swap Meet – February 11-12, Des Moines IA
Daytona Bike Week – March 9-18, Daytona Beach FL
Indianola Bike Night – Third Friday of the month, April 20 thru September 21, Indianola IA

ABATE/CMA Blessing of the Bikes – April date TBA
Gathering on the Grounds – Tuesdays throughout the summer (start date TBA)
Mississippi River Motorcycle Rally – June 13-16, Davenport IA
Iowa State HOG Rally – June 14-16, Des Moines IA
J&P Cycles Open House – June 23-24, Anamosa IA
ABATE Iowa State Freedom Rally – July 5-7, Algona IA
Sturgis Rally – August 6-12, Sturgis SD
Iowa State Fair Motorcycle Day – August 19, Des Moines IA
Warriors Across Iowa Benefit Rally - August 25, Oskaloosa IA
Bikes Blues & BBQ – September 26-29, Fayetteville AR
Biketoberfest – October 18-21, Daytona Beach SD