Attention! Mileage Contestants!!

Today is the last day to put miles on your bike that count for the 2011 Mileage Contest. If you entered the mileage contest last spring, don't forget to note your mileage at the end of today, and then send it in. Here's the form. You can print it out and mail it in, or you can send the necessary information in an email to: annualmileagecontest@womenonwheels.org.

The mail-in deadline is much shorter than it was for the spring entry. YOUR ENTRY MUST BE POSTMARKED BY NOVEMBER 15th!! (The caps are for those procrastinators out there, aka as myself.)

Remember to not forget! :) Oh, and Happy Halloween (don't want to forget that either.)

Margaret

I've not ever thought about using this site for this kind of feature, and maybe it should have a separate tab. (HAH! Hold your breath waiting for that to happen!)
My neighbor sent me an email that a friend of hers has a motorcycle to sell, and just thought she'd FYI me. Here's the write-up:

It's a 2006 Harley-Davidson 883 Sportster XL Low with only 7000 some odd miles on it. It's in mint condition and is black with lots of chrome. It's got a detachable windshield, detachable sissy bar with passenger backrest pad, passenger foot pegs, smoke tinted turn signal lenses, chrome headlight ring, thumbscrew seat anchor, leather tank bra, Sundowner seat, chrome fender accents, chrome crash bars/engine guards, chrome helmet lock, and hard leather Harley-Davidson lockable saddlebags. I'm only asking $6,000 for it. It's an excellent bike for a really good price. I've never had a problem with it and it's had all of the factory milage maintenance done on it and will come with all the paperwork to show for proof.

If anyone is interested, contact email me at columbus.wow@gmail.com with the word "Sale" somewhere in the subject heading.

:) Margaret

Here's to S'more

A big WOOT! to Susan for hosting the Tuesday BSLR meeting. The bonfire was great, the weather was fabulous, and the company & discussion were equally excellent. T-shirts were distributed, and even though the logo is printed and not silk-screened, everyone seemed please with them. Best fun: toasting marshmallows and making s'mores--I haven't done that in ages. Cider was good, too!

We discussed plans for our Christmas get-together--details to be firmed-up at the November meeting. Christine brought us up to speed on some national details, noting once again that Ohio lacks a State Ambassador. We discussed the qualifications for that, and it is strongly recommended that the applicants have some experience as, say, an officer in WOW, although I can foresee that a person who already has some managerial or facilitative experience could also step into the role. Anyway, if someone is interested, let me, Dru, Susan, Rose, or Christine know. (Especially Christine: watch her do a happy dance once you tell her you're interested!)

We also discussed rides, and Debby Drake mentioned that AD Farrow offers a wonderful opportunity: an educational meeting on group rides and what you should know about them. She is going to let us know when the next one(s) are scheduled. That would be a nice winter diversion, I think!

Lastly, a roster (thank you Sandra for that excellent suggestion) was circulated with all of the active members listings for phone/text, and email. That way we know how to get in touch with whomever is inspired to coordinate a ride. If I have your name on that roster and you weren't at the meeting, I shall be shooting off an email to verify your email. Really! I took this info off of what WOW national has for you, so if it isn't what you'd prefer us to use, let us know. Also, it may be good for you to know if WOW national has old or incorrect info. Typo's do heppan, yanno.

T-shirts Ordered!

A bunch of us met at Dru's for the September meeting, during which pizza and ice cream were consumed, the pending T-shirt order was discussed, and members placed their orders. I just now pressed "send," and the order is in! (I ordered extras of just about every size, so no worries if you missed the meeting and want one.) They will be $25 each, and they should arrive in time for our next meeting.

We reviewed, in our usual chatty fashion, how to best communicate ride info, especially with the capricious nature of autumn weather now in full swing. Please remember to check your emails often for short-notice rides--it will be more accurate than the calendar. Also, please, please RSVP Yes/No/Maybe, and if you are a Yes or Maybe, send your phone number along with your reply. Get the ride leader(s)' phone number if you don't already have it. Then check your phone for texts the day before and the day of the ride to see if the ride has been changed at all, and let the ride leader(s) know when you are leaving for the meet-up point.

Facebook is an excellent way to organize a spontaneous ride, but remember not to put any personal information out there--it is not an invitation-only site, it is pretty public. PM's and emails are the way to go for specifics.

Speaking of which, there will be a ride on Monday for those lucky devils who have Columbus Day off. Rose is taking us to a Serpent Mound south of Columbus. Meet-up point is the Marathon station near Bolton Field, departure from same is 10:00 AM. I hope you can make it! Should be a gorgeous day, but I always pack for eventualities, especially in Spring and Fall.

Pix from the Honey Fest (Saturday, September 10th)

Arrival! (Annie, Marla, Cathy, and Susan)

Big thanks to Annie, who led us on a fun & interesting ride from Motohio to Lithopolis. Sure beat what Margaret had picked out!

Some of the booths at the Honeyfest. This happened to be the view from the port-a-potty. (Which was first class, btw. They had water, soap, and a sink!)

Yes, there were bees, and honey. This man is having an entire beard of bees applied to his face. I didn't stick around to watch.

Susan, the Honey Princess (she's from Texas), Margaret, and Marla

Outside the Wagnall Memorial Library, Marla and Rosemarie size up the giant birdhouse. That mark in the middle of the pillar is a large crack. And from a certain angle, it's a little crooked.

Part of the Wagnall (as in Funk & Wagnall) Library.

Cathy, Susan, Marla, Margaret pose as people who frequent libraries.

A Change in the Weather

I went riding yesterday. Early enough that it was still chilly and breezy, although, thankfully, the rain had gone. I don't think I met any bikes on I-71 heading out, although there were a couple on the way home. It was kind of funny; A friend and I texted each other, noting the weather, etc., neither one of us saying whether we wanted to bail on this ride. I kinda did, frankly, but I was only on my first cup of coffee. I tentatively put it out there, did he still want to ride? He did. Well, I wasn't gonna be the one to call it quits! We went, and had a great time. Halfway to his home in Wilmington, the sky cleared, and though breezy, the day was lovely.

This had me thinking about fair-weather riding, and fair-weather riders. I occasionally hear about or read about "posers" from some of my fellow riders--you know, the intrepid ones that have auxillary gas tanks, or ride until they can only ski, etc.

I don't hold to that philosophy, that fair-weather riders aren't "real riders." I think the closest I might say is that they aren't hardcore, perhaps. Even that I say unwillingly. Here's the thing: riding is supposed to be fun. What is fun for you is your call, not anyone else's. If you enjoy challenging yourself in the elements, or long distances, or rocks out in the desert, that's great. If you love having the wind in your face on 75-degree days, and can wait quite happily until the next one comes along, that's great, too. It's just another version of riding your own ride. By all means, try new things, challenge yourself, or occasionally take yourself out of your comfort zone (that can help expand your comfort zone,or at least keep it from shrinking.) But don't fall prey to someone else's definition of a real rider. If you are a real person on a real bike, you are a real rider. Period.

All of that is a prelude to our next BSLR meeting, by the way. It will start at Dru's house on Tuesday, September 27th. She will lead us on a ride to Deer Creek, where, yes, there is ice cream nearby. If the weather is contrary, we will stay at Dru's and order pizza. If you don't want to ride because it will be dark when we leave, or because it is getting colder, that's simple: don't. Take the car. And do not let what any of the rest of us do dictate what you will do. Even more importantly, don't let anyone dictate how you should feel about how you do it!!

Oh, and that friend of mine? He laughed at me because I was wearing my Gerbing's heated jacket and gloves when it was 50 degrees and sunny. Pffft! If he wanted me to ride, I wasn't gonna be cold doing it.

A Honey of an Idea!!

This weekend The Honey Festival is in Lithopolis, and as most of you know, Dru is a beekeeper. She will be there this weekend, and hoping some of us will stop in. Margaret and Susan are planning to leave from Motohio at 9:30 to go and support the bees, and Dru. Apparently there is music and all that other good festival stuff, too.

The following weekend, the 17th, we're thinking about a ride down to the Hocking Hills. Interested? ;)

Ice Cream Tonight!!

Tonight's meeting is at the Euro Bike Night on Grandview Avenue in Grandview Heights, smack dab in front of Jeni's Ice Cream and Stauf's Coffee Roasters (where we met in January.) To Google the address, use 1277 Grandview Avenue Columbus, OH 43212. There is "real food" available at Spagio's next door, and there are a few other eateries down the street--notably a Panera's, among others. :) I am partial to them.

Tonight's agenda will be T-shirts, patches, and, possibly, business cards. And chit-chat. And ice cream.

Did I mention ice cream?

See you there!

Margaret