A BIG THANKS TO YOU PAT!

She hosted a wonderful Holiday Potluck for the Buckeye State Lady Riders. All the food was very tasty.

Did any one happen to see this post on Facebook? (Compliments Tammy Johnson and ETSY.com.)

It reminds me to get creative and start knitting those Christmas gifts. It also reminds me to let you all know about the BUCKEYE STATE LADY RIDERS HOLIDAY DINNER. December 1st at 6pm. Please respond to your Evite email if you want to join us. We'd love to see you.  RSVP to Pat (patbohio@sbcglobal.net) no later than November 25th Tell her what food you are bringing, to get directions and how many people will attend. 

Take a peek at our photo page as we went to Shadow Box Live to alleviate the symptoms of PMS.(parked motorcycle syndrome)

Stay warm out there, Susan

Complete the Annual Mileage Contest!!

ATTENTION, BUCKEYE STATE LADY RIDERS!!

Midnight last night marked the end of the WOW annual mileage contest. If you entered earlier this year, with your April 1st odometer reading, run outside and get your current odometer reading and send it in. Quick--do this before you hop on your bike again in the cold, rainy future!

Entries, whether by email or snail mail, must be sent/postmarked by November 15. Go here and then scroll ALL the way down to the bottom of the page, to the Ending Mileage Form. There you will see your options for submission. Don't forget to read the instructions on the form, please!

Feel free to post your mileage, no matter how big or how small, whether your bike's total or your annual total this year, in the comments section on Facebook.

Love Your Officers' Meeting

 Hello! Tonight's meeting is being held slightly farther south in Clintonville, due to our typical Panera Bread location being already spoken for.  Global Gallery is located at 3535 North High Street, which is just north of North Broadway and on the west side of N. High. (At the intersection of North High and Dunedin.)

Why the short notice? Because, frankly, the officers are a little tired. Leading an amorphous and diverse group takes energy, and the only reward we get for our efforts is job satisfaction. There hasn't been a lot of that this summer. Margaret was the one assigned to posting this blog, and truthfully, I wasn't sure what to say or how to say it.  At first, I thought, we'll do the end-of-year sort of "how do you think we're doing and what do you want from BSLR?" Then I realized that four voices weren't necessarily being heard that way, and it was precisely the four that end up trying to organize and sort out what goes on in our group. Maybe we're trying too hard? We don't know. But we've been thinking about it and talking among ourselves about it, and if you want to hear what we're thinking and feeling, then meet us tonight at the Global Gallery. The menu isn't nearly as robust as at Panera's, but the chai is exceptionally good! We reserved the back room from 7-9 pm--their schedule is a little different than Panera's.  Rose and I will be there by 6, as we have some picture swapping to do, and you are welcome to hang out.  If you don't like their food choices, there are a few places up and down High Street where you can get something and bring it in.

Ride to Stockport Mill!

This will be cool, no matter what the temperature! This Saturday we ride to Stockport Mill, a working water-driven mill that provides its own electricity to the restaurant on the premises. It's quite a story, actively grinding wheat and making electricity until 1997, changing hands through time, then after a lengthy restoration--just a couple of folks passing through town on their Harleys--it returned to powering turbines in 2006.

A lovely ride, of about 2 hours, just outside of Wayne National Forest, gets us there in time for lunch and meandering. Departure is from Motohio, with kickstands up at 9:00 AM!

The route is available in the link above, and as you can see, one doesn't have to go back the way one arrived. You can ride back on your own at any time, or with the group. In fact, if you can't make  the KSU time, you are welcome to find your way there later. Fun and flexible, with food! (The 3 most important aspects of any ride. ;)

Hope to see you there!

 My favorite rock and roll band The Who,  couldn't have said it better..... There ain't no cure for the summer time blues........!   The dog days of summer are extra hot this year,  I hope everyone is having a fun and safe summer and staying cool as best you can.

     Whew!  The past few weeks have been packed full of things going on;  riding with the girls to the WOW National Convention in Greenville,  S. C. was a blast and a road trip not soon to be forgotten.    Margaret, Rose, Dee and Maggie are on their way home from  Carson City, Nevada and the AMA Women's Motorcyclist Convention. I cannot wait to hear about their ride and all the adventures they've had. Traveling on the motorcycle in the extreme heat our country has been having takes some planning to be somewhat comfortable.  I know it was pretty tough riding through North Carolina and South Carolina in 100-105 degree heat and those girls have been riding through it for 14 days! 


  There are plenty of rides going on in the month of August.  On Saturday, August 11th, we have planned a ride with Cathy Bisset planning the route. More on this soon but she said it will be an all day ride to eastern Ohio.  Put it on your calendar! There are many new members who we've not had the opportunity to ride together so I hope some of you newbies will be able to make this ride.
On September 2,  our president of WOW,  Sue Frish  wants all of the WOW women to celebrate 30 Years of WOW by taking a ride together or next best thing, riding with your chapter! We will start planning a ride for this great milestone for women in the sport of Motorcycling.  Carol has expressed interest in taking a weekend ride in the fall, anyone interested? I am!


 That's all for now.
More soon!  I wanted to keep in touch with everyone and let everyone  know to stay cool and ride safe!
Also, don't forget to check your last issue of Women On Wheels to vote for our future Trustees. Christine has been putting in lots of time for our club and wants to remind all of you to VOTE!


your wind sister,
Dru Pritchard

About Tonight's Meeting

In life, as in riding, adaptability is a requirement! We are not the only ones to discover the delights of using Panera's community rooms, and someone else out-reserved us for our usual Clintonville location. Our fallback location, up in Dublin, is available, so that is where tonight's location will be. To repeat:

Tonight's meeting will be held at

6665 Perimeter Loop Road

Dublin, OH

We realize this is not convenient for many of you, and we apologize. (Its location may be why it was available.) We originally thought we could move our meetings to Eurobike Night in Grandview Heights, but that is tough to negotiate, parking wise, and getting table space can be tricky, too. Hmm. I sense a theme here-- that popularity has its drawbacks, sitewise, at least!


We will try to do better about scouting out more central locations. Panera Bread will likely continue to be a favorite, though, since has good space and good food.


Despite the change, we hope you will be able to make it to tonight's meeting. We will be discussing general standards for group riding--culling through resources and reviewing what we think should be our own standard for the Buckeye State Lady Riders.

These moments are the hardest. For those of you who do not follow Facebook, this is to inform you that on Sunday, June 10th, Janet Balsamo, the Chapter Director of one of our sister chapters, died after a motorcycle crash while out riding with fellow Wright Lady Riders. 


Our hearts go out to all of Janet's family and friends, and especially to her fellow WOW members. Buckeye State Lady Riders should check their email for information on the visitation and funeral.

Quilt Barns and Labor-Saving Opportunities

A few topics of interest to, um, interest you. One, the quilt barn ride is this weekend. We leave from Motohio European Motorbikes at 9:00 AM.  This will be a fairly lengthy ride, but there will be points near major roads for those that have to return early. We will be hunting down quilt barns in Athens county. There are several down there, and in the Athens area, there are always fun ways to get from one place to another. 


Rumble Pack, the Cleveland area chapter of Women On Wheels®, is again hosting a WOW-Ohio weekend, but the date has been moved to Labor Day weekend, and it technically won't be a WOW weekend, as they are extending the invitation to several other women's motorcycling groups in Ohio. It is now called Lakeside Madness (scroll down to get to the information, note also that there is another link to click on to get the registration form.) There is/was some confusion about who got the email. It sounded at first as though they were emailing it out to individuals, but they had gotten a fair amount of bounceback, so they have asked the chapters to get the word out. The.  Word. Is. Out.


Ah, the Alpha Ohio Ride. So quickly launched, so quickly obtained. Yes, Dee and Maggie have completed the alphabet. They will have to fight amongst themselves over who gets first and who gets second. However, do not despair, oh fellow riders! Some of us are still up for the challenge of completion, and there will be consolation prizes forthcoming for  at least the next four top finishers. 


A word of note: Margaret, as you may all know, is a strong gear advocate. Of late, we have had two members go down with their bikes. One member's bike was hurt worse than she was, for another, it may be a draw. Both of those members had gear that took the brunt of the impact. Remember, you can't go back and put it on afterward. Okay, Margaret is s-l-o-w-l-y climbing off her soapbox.

The ABC's of the Alpha Ride, now available online!

    Most of you already have your copy of the rules for the Alpha Ohio Ride, but I have posted them here for easy access. I also dressed them up a bit and highlighted some important bits. Has anyone else not started yet, except for Margaret? (She's hoping to come on strong any day now, and slay a whole bunch of towns.  Hmmm. . . it is nice weather today . . . 

Alpha Ohio Ride

Start date: April 24, 2012

End date: September 25, 2012

• You need to get an album of photos of city signs or villages within Ohio, and they need to be taken in alphabetical order. Ride to the city/village of your choice, take a picture of your bike and the city sign with date and time on your picture. If the city sign is too difficult or dangerous to access, find a library or post office with the city name on it and get that picture.  We are not going to be terribly picky about your bike--having enough of it in there so that it is identifiable as yours will be fine.
• Needs to be in booklet form if printed or on computer in a presentable format. We can then transfer the data from your computer via SD card or USB drive
• They have to be in alphabetical order and date order. 
• It is the first letter of the city that counts. For example, 'New Holland" is N (not H).
• Date and time stamp needs to be on photo. Usually, there is an internal date/time stamp on digital cameras (as with phone cameras), but if you can program it so that it is on the outside (i.e., visible in the photo), that will be much easier for us to sort out.
• We will be using the Motorcycle Ohio map to determine if an area is a city or village. It cannot be unincorporated, such as Clintonville. 
• The first BSLR member to complete the entire alphabet correctly wins first place. The second person will get second place. (Tricky bit, that, but if you re-read it carefully, it makes sense. ;)
• When you have completed the alphabet, contact one of the officers as soon as possible.
• The end date is Sept 25. If no one completes it by then, whomever has made it farthest down the alphabet will be the winner. (And, the second most will be--guess!!--second place!)
• First place prize will be a $30 Visa gift card or gas card!
• Second place prize is a $20 Visa gift card or gas card!
• The purpose of this is to have fun, but please use good judgement and be safe when obtaining your goals. (Winning $30 dollars won't seem like much if you have to get dents hammered out of your bike because it tipped over on a dodgy roadside.)

No Time To Be Bored!


What beautiful weather we have had here in central Ohio.  Just wanted to remind everyone that to be sure to keep up with all the riding opportunities, check the calendar often.


1.  Saturday May 19th  Thunder Alley at Race for the Cure.   Leaving AD Farrow at 7am.  Meet at                      Chestnut and High st..
     adfarrow.com/event


2.  Alpha OHIO contest. What letter are you on? What, haven't started yet? Get out and ride!!!


3. MOTOHIO open house this weekend. Demo rides, talk with Annie and see all that Motohio has to   
    offer. They are a sponsor for Women On Wheels, Buckeye State Lady Riders.


4.  This isn't until September but make plans now to ride and celebrate WOW's 30th anniversary.
     Sunday September 2, 2012 in Massachusetts. 


5.  Sunday, May 20th, R.A.D. and Gatsby's Poker Run. See the calendar for details.


6.  Ohio Bike Week is coming up the first week in June. Anyone want to go? 








 2 weeks ago when Cathy, Rosemarie, Debbie and I were on our way to Napolean, we were caught in a real downpour on a two lane freeway.  A few scary moments as we were adjusting helmet shields while semi trucks were whizzing by in blinding rain. But these are teaching moments too. Fine tune your skills and gear so you can ride safely and comfortably in all conditions. 
P.S. Ask Debbie or the other girls about the fashion show.......

Yes, today!! Ride to Portsmouth!

Today is the Portsmouth ride! Looks like beyoooootiful weather, so get up and go!! We meet at Independent Motorsports at 9 AM!

This will be a fun ride, for those of you (unlike Dru and I) who can make it. A lovely, meandering route planned by the effervescent Maggie that takes us down to the Portsmouth murals.

Have fun, take many pics, and tell us all about it!

~~Margaret

When You Check the Calendar

...here on the blog site, you have to actually click on the entry to notice things like, say, that THE GREENVILLE PLANNING MEETING FOR SATURDAY IS POSTPONED. Many who wanted to attend are unable to attend, for a variety of reasons.  Stay tuned for the reschedule date, and thank you!

(Still on for tomorrow's photo ride, though!)

Photo-Op Next Friday!!

Okay, ladies, don't forget! Next Friday, May 4th, is International Female Ride Day, and WOW hosts a photo contest--the winner to be announced at the Ride-In this July. The photo above is our entry from last year.

This year, we'd like it to include as many hard-working members as we can, so the photo will be somewhat later. It will also be somewhat closer. We will meet at 5:45 PM near Tuttle Mall, at the United Dairy Farmers located on the corner of Tuttle Crossing and Bradenton Ave. We will leave there by 6:00 and be at the photo shoot by, oh,  6:05.  I hope the light will be good enough, and that Debbie Drake will be on hand with her photo wisdom to make it all good.

Traffic is always a treasure, so if you can't meet up at the gas station, you can still meet us at the Field of Corn itself. The actual photo shoot will be at the corner of Franz and Rings roads, at the concrete cornfield sometimes referred to as "Corn Henge." Entry is on the south side of Franz Road. Here's what you're looking for:

The photo itself will take more time and patience than you likely expect, so please bear with me while I try to put it together. Afterward, we will ride up to Olde Dublin for sustenance.

Hope to see you there!

~~Margaret

Stop in and say "Hi!

Don't forget that on Saturday, March 31st (tomorrow, as a matter of fact! Don't let it be said that we give you too much advance notice. ;)
several of your fellow Buckeye State Lady Riders will be (wo)manning a booth at Independent Motorsports Recruitment Fair.

There will be a slide show (nobody knows about it except Margaret, until they read this...) of pix from past rides, also balloons, brochures, and, quite probably, brownies.

Even if you aren't hosting at the table, please stop by and say hello to us, and possibly gush enthusiasm at whomever is passing by at that moment.

Cheers!
~~Margaret

Taking Suggestions!

Ah the winds of spring!  It still is winter by the calendar but today I am sitting here at the computer and outside the winds are howling.  Soon it will be St. Patrick’s Day and then the first day of spring on March 21!

Hopefully all of you are thinking of warmer weather and days riding our motorcycles.   After our last officers meeting, we are suggesting that each of you start thinking of what you would like our club to do this riding season -like ride!  Often!  Have you been on a great road or been in an interesting part of the state?  If you have been riding with other groups is there a ride that you thought was challenging, scenic, or was there a cute little place to eat in some small town?  Bring your suggestions to our monthly meeting on February 28th!

All of us have busy lives with family, work, church or children.  We are proposing that at our meeting, we plan a ride on the 2^nd Saturday of each month and possibly a ride during the week maybe on a Tuesday.  That way we can put these rides on our own personal calendar and it is something we can plan on weather permitting.  Any impromptu rides would be great also, but these planned rides will make it easier for some members to make plans to join up with our club and have fun.

I hope all of you have been checking in with Women on Wheels® Facebook page about our upcoming summer rally in Greenville S.C.  as this is the best way to stay abreast on the itinerary and hotel information that might be good to know. You should start thinking about getting reservations made and sending in your money for the registration.

Susan, Rose, Margaret and I have thought that perhaps a separate meeting for anyone interested in going to South Carolina on Saturday March 3^rd at 10:30 at the Panera in Dublin off of Avery/Murfield road. We could discuss who would be leaving when and I know Rose has some great routes thought out like Cherahala Skyway, the Devils Triangle and I’m sure most of us want to ride the infamous Tail of the Dragon at Deals Gap!  

Keep browsing all those bike catalogs, drooling over gear and gadgets. It will be warm soon and we will be out riding.

Dru

WhoooHoooo! Motorcycles!

Forget February Blahs!

 Join the Buckeye State Lady Riders this Saturday, February 11th at 10:00 AM for our own, specially-guided tour of the American Motorcycle Association's Hall of Fame Museum. Our guide will emphasize women and motorcycling, and especially talk about the upcoming Women's Conference, hosted by the AMA. By the way, you can enter to win a 1948 Indian Chief, pictured here. (Pausing to drool a moment . . . )

 If you have an AMA membership, you get admission for half-price. If you are a member of any other AMA-recognized motorcycle organization (HINT: bring your WOW card! Or any other MC membership card.), you get $1 off admission. If you haven't joined AMA yet, you can join at the museum. There are some notable benefits, such as free Mo-Tow membership, and various discounts.

After a couple of hours oohing and aahing together over all things motorcycle, we will lunch together (at a place yet to be determined.) Come join us!!

NOW! Do it now!!

It's here! Today is sign up time for the Motorcycle Ohio safety classes! Go here! to register. There are 6 slots left in the Advanced Rider Course (ARC) as of this writing. Last year, sign-up didn't start until 8 AM; I guess they started earlier this year.

When you register, post it on Facebook, along with the whichever class you choose, and the date. That way, others may get to join you.

Hang tough, women! Summer's coming!

Meeting Updates

Greetings from the other side of the Holidays! Dru & I hope you had a great Christmas and New Year, and Hanukkah and Kwanzaa, too. 2012 is already rolling with some new plans for our January meeting, as you may have noticed on the calendar.

On Tuesday, January 24, Tamela Rich will be speaking at our meeting, and it will be held at Motohio in Reynoldsburg, instead of the Panera Bread in Clintonville. She is sponsored by BMWUSA, and is touring with the International Motorcycle Show. The picture on the left is from the cover of her book, Live Full Throttle, which chronicles her cross-country motorcycle trip to raise money/awareness for breast cancer. (Yes, that is a pink bra across her windscreen.) I haven't read the book yet, nor heard her speak, but I believe it is as much about the cancer-fighting women that she encounters as it is about the ride. I expect her to give some insight into long-distance riding, which will help all of us with our sights on South Carolina in July.

Speaking of South Carolina, I hope you all caught my Facebook note about trying to reserve a block of rooms. I can't do it single-handedly--they won't let me. I reserved 2 rooms, each with 2 double beds. That is the most one person can do. We will have to organize into sub-groups, I think, and when everyone has a room to rest her head, we can ask them to place us in close vicinity by the names on the reservations. There is time to organize this, so I'm not really worried, but thought I would give you all a heads up.

The January meeting will be at 6 pm, still, and to avoid interrupting the speaker, we will be using handouts to convey Buckeye State Lady Rider information. Yes, there will be food.

Ann Allen has been industrious on our behalf!  In addition to scouting out this speaker, she is firming up plans for a February outing to the AMA Museum in Pickerington.  More to come on that soon!