Make it so … I mean snow!

We’ve had some snow and bitter cold here in Minnesota, but this cheered me up!

Enjoy!

Fall in Minnesota

The snow isn’t going to last long with temperatures going into the forties, but it sure is beautiful! Be careful my fellow Minnesotans it is slick out there!

Fall in Minnesota

Wind and Road Snakes!

Yesterday coming home from work I took a more covered route because of the wind. A little too gusty for two-wheels! There’s only one open stretch on the road I took and almost lost it twice. I’m guessing many of you have experienced that type of wind. The sudden burst of wind that hits from the side and you feel your bike being pushed out from under you. Yup. That was the kind of wind we had here. 

A little farther down the road I ended up in a residential area with a lot of cover so I knew the wind wouldn’t be such a hazardous factor.  But, there was another hazard that was new to me. Road snakes. It’s not what you think. Road snakes are that toilet paper tar road crack filler used around these parts! They look innocent enough, but if you hit them at the right angle on two wheels they can be rather slippery!

Minnesota Road Snakes

Well, I had my first encounter with some fresh ones shortly after getting out of the wind! There were many of these road snakes running parallel with me and I could feel the motorcycle wobble a little. Yikes! Kept everything upright. Big win!

What is that stuff? Looks like toilet paper and tar!

These photos are from today and not the ones I encountered yesterday, but you get the idea. Do you have road snakes by you?

If you find Spring can you send me some?

It’s Spring. Well it is suppose to be Spring. This is what it’s looked like this past week.

It all started Thursday while I was at work.

View from my desk on April 18, 2013

This was my commute home.

When I arrived home my neighbor was outside with his 2 1/2 year old making a snow man.

And when I woke up on Friday there was more snow!

The poor Robins are so confused. I think I want to go to the bait shop and buy some worms for them.

I so miss riding my motorcycle.  Here’s to hoping the weather warms soon!

It’s All a Matter of Perspective

Earlier this week we Minnesotans woke up to -9 F (-22 C) with a wind chill making it feel like -26 degrees. It is going to drop again tonight to -15 F (actual). Brrrrrrrr!! No use asking why I live here …

Today a coworker shared with me the hardship people in Los Angeles faced with cool weather. This video says it all! Thanks Jimmy Kimmel.

Minnesota Blogger Conference, Part 2

Sunday I blogged about the first session that I attended at the Minnesota Blogger Conference. Today I’m going to share another session I attended, Content is a Banquet: Is Your Audience Being Served? presented by David Hedrick Skarjune.

The session started with the speaker pulling up a slide that read, “Content is _______.” Many spoke out answering, “King!” Skarjune respectfully disagreed. He believes content is the “coin of the realm.” Then went on to say content is an orgy. [Can’t wait to see the spam I get for having that word in a post.]

Why? Because of the multiplying channels, consumers are maturing, interactive and mobile platforms are experiencing explosive growth, and people’s expectations are rising. We have become “Content Consumers.” We push content to get attention.

Here’s his recipe ingredients for content: strategy, create great content, SEO, practice content marketing, use social media, engage community, and funnel-measure-repeat. He expounded a bit more and gave some statistics. This is where my note taking dropped off, as well as my attention.

Skarjune ended the session with another list. It was the Buddhist Metta Practice as a guide to who we blog for. The analogy he used wasn’t gelling for me. I didn’t really get the point, but then again I’m not blogging for money.

The slides from his presentation and the other sessions can be found here.

Random Pictures and a Guy I Met in the Bathroom

Hubby and I had a very fun weekend filled with adventure! Hubby works every other weekend so we try to pack a lot in when we have off together. Here are a few pictures of this past weekend’s adventure!

A couple of posts ago I mentioned the sidewalk parkers outside of businesses. Here’s a typical site in my neck of the woods.

Motorcycle parking on the sidewalk outside the grocery store.

I agree with so many that commented on that post. Sidewalk parking is not for me.

On Saturday hubby and I took the long way to Taylor Falls, MN. It is a small quaint city on the border of Wisconsin. Love the details of older buildings. This type of craftsmanship is rare in new buildings. I don’t know why but I’ve always wanted a house with a turret like this …

Local business Coffee Talk.

I think this was the Library.

We had lunch in the same place the last time we rode out here, Romayne’s. They have an awesome burger and this time we tried their onion rings. [Note to self: Next time don’t share with hubby.]

After walking around for a bit we stopped for ice cream. I had to use the bathroom and found this sign.

How would they enforce that?

We hopped over the border to St. Croix, Wisconsin. Lots of friends have recommended taking the time to visit over there. That’s where I met this guy … in the bathroom!

I’ve lovingly named him. Sir Stinky

 

 

Hubby and I put a few miles on the bikes, had some great food, and saw some fun things along the way! Cheers!

Profile of a Female Motorcyclist: Meet Penny

Pulling it back to the states with this next profile. My next guest is Penny from Cambridge, MN. She is probably the first lady rider I met in person — I know I live a sheltered life. I remember watching Penny and her husband, each on their own bikes, pull out of a church parking lot – it was jaw dropping experience for me! I don’t know that it ever registered in my brain that I could ride too. I’m a little slow. Enough about me, friends meet Penny!

How long have you been riding a motorcycle? Nine years

How did you learn to ride? First the hard way-bought a bike and had my husband help me and then I took a class and got my license-that was the smartest thing as I learned tips that made riding much easier.

What was your first motorcycle? 2003 Suzuki Volusia Intruder

Penny’s 2003 Suzuki Volusia Intruder

How many have you owned? Just one still have my first bike.

Why did you want to ride a motorcycle? Was riding with the group from Open Door and saw all these women riding and said hey I would like to do that and the next thing you know I had a bike!

Tell us about your riding. Like to ride to work when I can. It’s something me and my husband love doing together–just go out for a quick ride or take the bikes pack ‘em up and go for a few days.

What advice do you have for women who ride or want to ride a motorcycle? Take the class to get your license and get a bike that if comfortable in height and weight–take your husband’s advice when they suggest a back rest and highway pegs–LOVE THEM!

What is the longest trip that you’ve taken on your cycle? To The Dells but we took the long way and took two days to get there.

Do you belong to any motorcycle groups? Just moved so no groups yet but will be riding with New Hope Community Church group here in Cambridge, MN.

Do you have a favorite riding story? I guess just a couple weeks ago each of us had a grandson on the back of a bike. They were quite excited and when we were done with the ride-we asked Carter our oldest if he had fun and all he said was, “Words Can’t Express!!”  Guess that sums up a good ride!

What do you do when you’re not riding? Enjoy fellowship, church at New Hope and the Fish House in Cambridge, gardening, canning and even taking care of the chickens–love living out in the country–so much faster to the roads where there are no cars.

Profile of a Female Motorcyclist: Meet Julie

Our next fabulous lady rider is Julie from Moorhead, MN. She is serious motorcyclist with some very valuable advice! Julie is active on Twitter — a must follow. Find her here @bonnyface. Julie also has a blog, One Wild and Precious Life where she writes about her travails and triumphs of a newbie Harley rider.

Julie and her 2009 Harley-Davidson Sportster XL883C

How long have you been riding a motorcycle?  I started riding in 2009, so this is my 4^th season.

How did you learn to ride? I took the Rider’s Edge course at a Harley-Davidson dealership.

What was your first motorcycle? 2009 Harley-Davidson Sportster XL883C

How many have you owned? Just the one. So far.

Why did you want to ride a motorcycle? I repeatedly saw another woman riding on my way home from work. I decided if she could do it, I could do it. And no better time than right now.

Tell us about your riding.  I am an everyday rider. Due to circumstances, I have been without a car for two years now. I ride my motorcycle everywhere, in darn near any weather. I use it for daily commuting, running errands, and out of town trips – both business and joyrides.

What advice do you have for women who ride or want to ride a motorcycle? If you have any nagging thought that you want to try this, go take a course. No shame in taking a course and deciding this isn’t for you. But find out. Don’t say “I wish I had…”  Also, there’s a saying – “Ride Your Own Ride” – which is good advice. You can get a lot of opinions from a lot of different places, but you’re the one that is going to have to ride the bike, the road, the rally. Take some time and figure out what you’re comfortable with. Know your limits. And don’t just “go along for the ride.” Make your own decisions.

What is the longest trip that you’ve taken on your cycle? Sturgis. It’s only about 500 miles one way, so it’s not that big as far as “epic” rides go. But there is some epic country between here and there that makes it a great ride.

Do you belong to any motorcycle groups? Not really. I’m a member of HOG, but not a local chapter. I have a group of friends on Twitter that are riders. I value their (varied) opinions and recommendations. But for the most part, I ride alone.

Do you have a favorite riding story? The very first day of the very first time I went to Sturgis, I was having breakfast at the motel. Sitting next to me was an older lady and her daughter. We started chatting and I found out that she was Gloria Struck. She was there because she was being inducted into the Sturgis Hall of Fame. She was 84-years old and had ridden from New Jersey. Her goal when she turns 90 is to ride the perimeter of the US. I really had no idea who she was, but she was very welcoming and encouraging. When I did some research later, I was absolutely blown away by my chance meeting. She’s a living legend.

What do you do when you’re not riding? Sit at a computer. 🙂 I work with websites, blogs, and podcasts – both personally and professionally.

Julie and Harley!

P.S. Ladies if you’d like to be featured, leave a comment and I’ll grab your email address and send you the questions!

Getting ready to ride!

I’m so excited that this weekend my wonderful hubby is going to get the Nighthawk ready to ride again!

Getting ready to ride!

This is last year gearing up to ride home from work. We still have brown grass and no leaves on the trees in Minnesota!