August 24, 2014

The Weekend in Review – 8.24.14

Another weekend has come and gone and I’d say this one was done up right, yet again!

Man – I am getting GOOD at this weekend living stuff. I should figure out how to make everyday a weekend day.

Are ya in, or are ya in?

Friday Night: Out with my man for an evening BBQ at our friend Andy and Heather’s to celebrate their 1 year anniversary.

Date Night

Gosh I love this guy. Scowl and all – can’t be too smiley ya know – messes w/ that rough biker exterior.

Andy and Heather had quite a house full of people helping celebrate their 1 year. Such a cute couple and fun friends they have. Glad we could partake in the festivities with them.

Entertainment was offered up by Andy and his best buddy Mike.

Koozie boxing. It’s the new thing, y’all.

Saturday: I subbed for an 8am class at the YMCA. Had a blast! We did Insanity and for some reason it felt 10 times harder on a Saturday morning than it does during the weekday mornings. Makes no sense – but we will take it. It was a KILLER workout!

Then it was time to play. Tyree and I hadn’t gone for a Harley ride just the two of us since before her surgery in May, so we were LONG overdue for a girls day out. We managed to hit up multiple small town bars including:

The Back Room in Lake Ohana

Malibu and Pineapple for Jordan – Blue UV and lemonade for Tyree

The Hood in Silver City, IA

The Hood

Super cool bar with car hoods and old album covers decorating the interior.

The Dog House in Tabor, IA
The Junction in Pacific Junction, IA
DC’s Waterhole in Plattsmouth, NE

Apparently old habits die hard and as two former school teachers know – the only way to get something is to raise your hand.

Hey, bartender…

sums it up

This basically sums up our afternoon.

This is our new friend, Duane. He was a friendly fella and even bought us a drink. Thanks, Duane!

t and J

Yep, I love this girl!

We support Plattsmouth Main Street as well!

The Anchor Inn in Omaha, NE.

Last stop where we met up with two of our favorite boys to end our fun filled day.

Tyree and Cole-Man

My main squeeze

Good friends, good conversation, good ending to a Saturday night.

Sunday: Lazy day and dinner with the in-laws for my birthday. We met up at The Cracker Barrel in Council Bluffs and had some SERIOUS dinner. I had grilled fish, rice, broccoli and baked apples <— To DIE for. Delicious.

My in-laws then gave me this antique music cabinet. We think it’s from the 20’s or 30’s. It’s absolutely beautiful. Surprisingly my MIL has had it in her possession for almost a year. It’s shocking that they’ve kept it a secret for so long.

Antiques

I’ll be 34 on the 29th!

Bring it on, baby.

I freaking LOVE the thirties!

And weekends.

I need more weekends.

Cheers!

August 8, 2014

Women of Harley: Ashley H.

Welcome to the FIRST of many Biker Bitch Features

I am beyond excited to introduce you to some of the most beautiful, confident, bad ass women I have the privilege of sharing the open road with. I’m always intrigued to learn more about why fellow females choose to ride two-wheels.. Years ago you didn’t see women riding their own bike as often as you do now. Why is that? What shifted? And what are the stories? I love asking questions and learning more from the females that I meet out on the road. I figure it’s high time I start sharing their stories with you as well.

So, without further ado – I introduce you to our very FIRST Female Feature.

Ladies and Gentlemen…

Meet Ashley H.

AshleyH12

1. How long have you been riding? 11 years

2. What do you ride? 2002 Harley Davidson Sportster 1200

AshleyH

3. Does your bike have a name? Bitch – because she’s cold blooded

4. How many bikes have you owned and why did you choose your current model?

I have had 2 bikes. I have my current bike because it was what my Dad had when he got back into riding and then the bike my mom learned to ride on and rode for a couple years and then they gave me the chance to buy it. The Bitch actually joined our family the day of my Junior Prom so of course I had to sit on her and ended up getting my dress all dirty!

AshleyH4

From the Left: Ashley’s sister Cathy, mom Connie and Ashley

5. Tell us the story behind why/when you decided to ride your own bike? My family got me into riding. I used to ride behind my Dad and my Uncles and one day decided I wanted to try it out. Ended up with 5 guys chasing me down the driveway toward the ditch, but I didn’t let that scare me!

6. Do you have a biker who is your inspiration? My Dad, he is an awesome person and has taught me so much over the years. He’s one of my favorite people to ride with and even though we don’t get to do it very often, it is definitely one of my favorite Daddy/Daughter activities. Also, before I even learned to ride, my Dad and I built a Rail Buggy together that was street legal so I could get the idea of shifting before really trying to learn to ride. He’s a pretty amazing guy!

Can I have two? My Mom is also one of my inspirations, she has always been there for me and we actually took our riders test together and got our actual motorcycle licenses at the same time! How cool is that? I can’t express how much these two people mean to me!

AshleyH2

Ashley and her Dad, Buddy

7. What are some of you favorite things about the biker lifestyle? I love that the biker lifestyle is like a family! They base everything on respect and with most bikers, you know where you stand.

AshleyH7

Ashley and I – cheesin’

8. Give us one of your favorite two-wheeled stories. If I have to pick just one, I would say the wiener dog biker games. There were a couple of guys that kept going through the game and decided that my sister and I should do it as well. She got on the back of my bike to be the wiener biter and we completely dumped it in front of everyone. I had a nice bruise on my back from her boot but as we were laying there laughing my buddy and brother-in-law were picking up my bike for us. I so wish someone would have gotten a picture of us laughing on the ground that day!

AshleyH5

Ashley competing in the slow ride with her bro-in-law

9. What advice would you give other females who are thinking about riding their own? Do it! It’s so much better than being stuck on the back of the bike!

AshleyH3

Ashley and her sister

10. There are many “Biker Codes” out there. If you had a favorite what would it be?

Respect

1283

2014 Biker Bitch Crew

11. Final words? Get on your bike and ride!

AshleyH9

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Don’t miss out on future Features. Click the icon to follow Harleys & Heels on Facebook

August 4, 2014

Thoughts From The Road- Actions and Reactions

Friday I rode my baby to work. Morning rush hour is always a little hectic, so I tend to ride a little more aggressively than normal. Getting across 4 lanes of traffic requires it if you want out of that caged madness.

It comes as no surprise anymore when I get cut off by a cage where the driver isn’t paying attention or they mis-judged the distance between my two wheels and their four wheels. Usually this action on their part creates a judgmental, very aggressive reaction on my part. I am not afraid to admit that I get angry, pull up beside their window (when the opportunity allows) and yell not very nice things or wave my arm aggressively at them. I can’t help it.

I’m a goner if I get hit. They’ll most likely walk away.

I get pissed.

Friday morning, it happened to me crossing the Missouri River into Iowa.

I saw it happening before he actually moved into my lane. I saw the slight shift in his direction and instinct told me to back off a bit. He quickly realized what he had done when he actually looked into his mirror and saw my headlights. He hesitated halfway between lanes before finally committing to continue moving into my lane.

In that instant I talked myself out of pulling up beside him and unleashing.

It happens. People don’t look thoroughly before changing lanes. People get distracted and move before signaling.

We ALL do it.

Instead of my normal reaction, I made the decision to pull up beside him and look into his window to see if he’d acknowledge me.

And I am so glad I did.

Right away I could see him waving in the window and mouthing he was so sorry, his wife watching from the passenger side.

I wasn’t in danger, I saw it happening, I was able to adjust my speed and react. And even if I didn’t have time to back off, I would have had plenty of room to move over on the shoulder and get past him.

I was ok. He was ok.

I took that moment to look directly at him, move my fingers to my eyes and back to his, he nodded and mouthed sorry again. I gave a half smile … I mean I don’t want to be overly friendly and ruin my bad ass vibe, you know. 😉 … waved and moved along.

I could have freaked out on him. But, what good would it have done? He’d have either felt worse or just made a judgement call that I was a crazy chick with an attitude problem.

Sometimes our reactions are necessary and justified, and this definitely doesn’t mean I am going to react as calmly the next time. However, there are situations, like Friday, where a little bit of reflection before acting can prove to be beneficial.

So, Cheers to you, fella for acknowledging you made a mistake. I hope that our little moment helps you remember to always double check before switching lanes.

‘Till next time.

June 17, 2014

Holstein Harley Davidson Women’s Run

Holstein Harley Davidson

Omaha, Nebraska

All Women’s Run – May 31st, 2014

group

Each year, Holstein’s Harley puts on a Women’s Only cruise. It’s a tradition that is holding steady and each year more and more women turn out for it.

Our 2014 route took us through Oakland, Iowa -> Harlan, Iowa -> Neola, IA -> Council Bluffs, IA.

leaders

The event is organized by Kristen, Holstein’s Motorclothes Manager. She put together a flawless event this year, covering every detail imaginable. From creating a route with the least resistance, fuel stops perfect for those with peanut tanks, solid 25 mile or more distances between each stop, lunch details to raffle prizes – the girl had it all.

Unfortunately, Kristen’s father passed away unexpectedly the day before the event. As Kristen dealt with the loss of her father, numerous women stepped up to the plate to help out in anyway possible. Kristen’s dear friend, Suze, reached out to Tyree to help her lead the pack and Tyree in return asked for my assistance as the route hit up all the Iowa bars that I was used to. Several ladies stepped up and helped with the check-in and announcement making.

A biker community banding together – one of the many reasons I love the two-wheeled life.

Good people.

After we dedicated the ride to Kristen and her dad, we loaded up and headed out.

Thanks to Holstein Harley for the first three pics

leaders2

There we go! Front of the pack!

group3

Watch out fellas. Us chicks know what’s up.

group2

Thanks to the Riders for Christ in the road blocking assistance. We made it out of Holstein’s safely!

The first goal of the ride was to just get out of the Omaha Metro area. We crossed the bridge into Iowa and stopped briefly to get the girls back together again. Street lights in Omaha are abundant!

002