Biker Feature {Liz}

Three Christmases ago, Clint bought me a really nice Canon Rebel.   I was stoked!   Took it out of the box, attempted to figure out the manual settings, and then put it back in the box and let it sit.   Thanks for the Christmas present, babe!

This summer I am making a concentrated effort to start learning the ropes, with the end goal of being able to use my camera in the manual settings to produce quality photos of my biker friends that they will enjoy.  Fortunately, I have some pretty great friends who are willing and eager to serve as my guinea pigs and Liz raised her hand to be my first experiment.

Holy crap, I was nervous!  What if I was unable to translate what I saw in my head to my camera?  What if I botched it, completely?  And what about putting it out there for others?   What about the judgement?

All of that aside, we scheduled a date, I chugged a few beers and we went to work.   200+ photos later, I am pleased with what was captured and am excited to share with you a few of the highlights.   Now, to continue to learn and grow.

Thanks, Liz for being the PERFECT “first” for me.   It was a ton of fun.

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Cheers!

12th Annual Biker B!tch Run | 2017

The 12th Annual Biker B!tch Run rolled in hot.

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And rolled out even hotter.

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Literally.

It was 9 million degrees that day. But who ever let a little sun and heat index of stay-inside-and-hydrate stop them?

Clearly, not us.

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The Beginning – Sugars in Council Bluffs, IA

Sugars provided us with our morning meet-up point.  Let us take a moment to appreciate this pretty BA sign that Candy and Marcy got for me???    This girl has some pretty incredible and oh-so thoughtful friends.

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After cocktail hour, hugs, hellos and good-to-see-ya again’s… it was time to own the day.

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Stop 1 – Tailgators Bar and Grill in Oakland, IA

A smorgasbord of lunch, ice cold drinks and temperature regulation, Tailgators served us well.  And leave it to these naughties to find an opportunity in the dumpster.

Because where else, right?

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Finding fun in every moment is what these chicks excel at.

I dig.

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Stop 2: Cruisers in Griswold, IA

I believe we have Cruisers to thank for the kick of feel-good-endorphins.

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It’s a strong possibility those endorphins were brought to you courtesy of little cups of jello thanks to that wild child, Elise.  A little jiggly bucket of magic dust is what we will call it.

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Cruisers also provided us with a long stretch of street where we could actually set up and snag a few photos while melting under the fiery glare of the sun.

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Oh, but honey…

Griswold never looked so good.

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Let’s not forget our fun little crew taking space in the fun bus.

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I have Hunter to thank for many of the group photos from the road.  I gave her my camera and said “have fun”.

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Anyway, let’s roll on, shall we?

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Tyree always serves as my right-hand woman.  On the road and in life. ❤

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Stop 3: The Rainbow in Red Oak, IA

There is always one community that doesn’t know what to do or how to handle us when we come rolling in.  This year was definitely Red Oak.  Upon entering the town we came up on a sheriff.  Said sheriff pulled into the center turning lane and sat there while each and every one of us rolled on by, following the trusty 25mph speed limit and providing smiles, winks and a few head nods.

I am certain he was just enjoying the view…

Wouldn’t you?

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The Rainbow provided us with some eats and treats before it was time to leave the fine diners of the Rainbow Cafe to themselves again.

Ya, I see you Cyndi.

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Liz had herself a little hiccup a few weeks prior and broke her ankle so instead of two-wheels, she got four, courtesy of this little scooter.  And what kinda mode of transportation would it be without a license plate?

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Y’all.  This is my aunt Marla.  My dad’s sista.  I have this run to thank for getting us connected again.  It’s been so fun having her along for the ride.   Fun fact: she trailored down my dad’s old bike so I could use it in senior pics back in 1999.   Fun new fact: she fed me pizza when I was a toddler and got scolded.   This new fact is brought to you courtesy of Jessica’s conversation starters in the fun bus.

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Let’s ROLL!

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Stop 4: Jaime’s Tavern on Main in Essex, IA

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Our smart mouthed but huge heart friend Jenn couldn’t make the run due to work (we were also down a few others due to a trip to MX, a float trip, work and family time) BUT, Jenn busted her butt to get to Essex to have a drink and see us off to the next stop.

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And it’s always about this time where I become huggy.  I believe we can thank those little buckets of magic from earlier.

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Alright, Alright.  Let’s move along while we still can.

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Stop 5: The Hangout in Malvern, IA

It’s always about this time where folks start tearing off to head home for dinner with their s.o.’s or various other reasons.  It took me a minute to get used to that as the OG days we stayed together until all hours of the night.  But, a larger group now-a-days equals a wider range of home locations and miles in between plus family obligations, so I have embraced it as the new standard and can totally dig it.  It’s us.  It’s the new way.

And this last official bar always brings the onslaught of photo opps, as for many of these girls, this annual ride might be the only time they ride together, which makes the moments and memories even more special.

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A little fact about the below pic.  Cyndi (left) rode in from Cedar Rapids!  I met Cyndi during the summer of 2007 at the Conesville Motorcycle Rally (R.I.P to the #2 ranked most epic of rallies) so to have her join up this year on her own ride was pretty great!

And Ashley (right) was a Jeeper during the 11th annual and decided then and there that she was going to be on her own two-wheels for the 12th annual.

A woman of her word.  My kinda peep.

Tyree- does this make her MY friend now too?

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The official stops may be over, but the unofficial stops were just beginning!

Peace out Malvern!

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Unofficial Stop 6: The Backroom Lounge in Lake Ohana/Glenwood, IA

We didn’t stick around here long.  Just enough for Tyree to join some kids in a bounce house, eat some grub, laugh at something on a phone that I am sure wasn’t funny, pass out the lollipops.

GANG, I am SORRY (not sorry cuz more for me) I forgot these earlier in the day… fail.

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OFFICIAL stop 7: Cara’s SURPRISE 30th BIRTHDAY PARTY!

We cruised into her nice quiet neighborhood, frightened her husband, rolled back the throttles because no birthday is complete without the sound of motorcycles hitting their rev limiters and surprised the hell outta this girl.

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We done?

duh.

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Some fuel and then I took up whip while Liz led us out to The Mile Away where you should also go for the chairs alone.

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Strong possibility they’ll put you right to sleep too!

Soon after the Mile Away we made our way to Crescent for some grub and good tunes and a final end to the night.

Year 12 brought the fun.  It brought the renewed spirit.  It brought new friendships and reunited old.  It brought a sense of complete camaraderie and sisterhood that makes the B!tch run what it is and what it was built from.  Friendships united on trust, love, honesty, loyalty, a lil booze, wind and complete and total nonsense.

And 100% fun.

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CHEERS!

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Special Thanks to:

Courtyard Ink

And all the establishments visited, linked above.

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10th Annual B!tch Run | July 25th, 2015

↓ Girls, Girls, Girls  

What a day …

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with all these girls

And to think that it all started from these two minds.

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🙂

So, how on earth do I even begin wrapping up an entire days worth of photos into one post?   This is the main reason why it has taken me darn near two months to even start this entry.  Do I make multiple posts?  Do I make one giant one?  And what photos of the over 450 do I share with you fine people?

You feeling my dilemma here?

And so, it was decided.   This giantnoteworthy, epic day is going to be wrapped up into one GIANT, beautiful, powerful, kick-ass post featuring some equally beautiful, powerful, kick-ass women.

Here we go…

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The Hard Luck Saloon | Council Bluffs, IA

The Hard Luck served as our meetup point.  The start of Bloody Mary’s, shirt exchanges and pre-run group photos.  Because rain, of course.

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11:45am | Kickstands up.  Time to start the day.

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Nothing hotter than THAT view right there.

Hey ladies. ❤

The Wild’s | Bartlett, IA

Where the drinks were cold, conversations started flowing, people loosened up and epic gift giving was had.

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Now, why on earth they wanted to pick up my butt is beyond me.

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But it served as the perfect opportunity for the girls to give me the most thoughtful, hilarious, absolutely PERFECT gift of all time.  Sneaky little sisters, I tell ya!

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I’m just going to allow the photos to do the talking from here on out.

Brace yourselves for this awesomeness.

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Oh, NO you DIDN’T!

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Oh, YES you DID!

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ya Betta Recognize!

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The Story.   Around the 4th of July I found a photo of this jacket on the good ol’ Internet and posted it on my Harleys & Heels page reminiscing about my Junior High years when I actually DID have this exact jacket.  Fringe and all.   Who knew that a few of these girls (I believe Tracy was the mastermind in getting this all going – LOVE you, doll) would pull off searching, finding, buying and organizing a group card.

Best, sistas, EVER.

And with that… we moved on.

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Road 0.0

The Riverside Inn | Riverton, IA

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Kayla, Sara and Jess were the Jeep crew.

Fortunately, soon after this photo, they were able to take the Freedom Panels out!  It wouldn’t be a B run without a little rain! 🙂

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Cocktails…

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Selfies

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And more…

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Riverton was a short and sweet stop.  Enough for a couple cocktails and a little ruckus before leaving this quaint little town.  What kind of ruckus you ask?  Click here.

On to Shenandoah, IA where we caused a mild curiosity amongst the local PD.  I think we counted three drive-by’s?  I promise, we were on our best behavior.

All those women on two wheels? 

Ya, I’d do a few drive-by’s myself!

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Emerald Isle | Imogene, IA

Ah.. the home of little beers.

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🙂

These little guys are the reason and excuse for all remaining photos to come.

Exhibit A

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Exhibit B

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Exhibit C

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Exhibit D

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Exhibit E

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Exhibit F

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Time to MOVE…

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Harley’s Bar and Grill | Emerson, IA

Click on the below photo to see what 30 Biker Chicks do when they roll into town…

Trust me.  Click on it.

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Ha.  See now, aren’t you so glad you did?  Thanks, Jenny for the tunes.

Emerson was full of shenanigans… and cuddles… and selfies...

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Alright, Alright, Alright.  

We still have TWO more official stops! 

Let’s go!

The Hood | Silver City, IA

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The C-Town Crew!

Jessica, Tina, Me, Kayla, Jenn and Jenny.

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How cute is this photo?

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Cheese!

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Here comes Marcy!

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Always and forever the Free Spirit.  We can all learn a little about LIVING from this one.

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Let’s MOVE!

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:p

The Backroom Lounge | Lake Ohana, IA

This was the last “official” stop before folks dropped off and went on with their evenings.

BackRoom 19There was a lot of “hugging”

BackRoom 20And wardrobe assistance (with cheesers)

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And long drawn out good-byes.

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(Adopted) Sister Love

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Marcy naughtiness

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Final gab sessions

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Parking lot split

OUCH!

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And final group hugs.

Oh, did you think that was it?

You are clearly mistaken…

Who will be the last (wo)man standing?!

Let’s move.

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Lighthouse | Council Bluffs, IA

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I think it is very safe to say we all are having a grand ol’ time, ya?

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Lighthouse 32hahaha… Love you, Jess

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Tyree sang a pretty fab duet with this fine gentleman.

I smell Grammy.

Oh, no.  No no no… Not done yet!  Hang with me. We are moving on to the…

LAST STOP

21st Saloon | Omaha, NE

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YES!  That is IT!

Food, Water, Feet Up.  The End to a pretty fab day.

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July 25th, 2015

A Day to Remember with some of the BEST girls you could ever meet.

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Until next time…

Cheers!

SPECIAL THANKS TO:

Professional Photos 

Fun Photos

  • The Girls

Service

  • The Hardluck
  • The Wild’s
  • Riverside Inn
  • Emerald Isle
  • Harley’s Bar & Grill
  • The Hood
  • The Backroom Lounge
  • Lighthouse Inn
  • 21st Saloon

Shirts

  • My Girls Ink