12th Annual Biker B!tch Run | 2017

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

.

And rolled out even hotter.

.

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.

 

.

The Beginning – Sugars in Council Bluffs, IA

Sugars provided us with our morning cocktail blends of bloody mary’s, screwdrivers and red-bull vodkas.  Logical drinks of choice for the 10:30 brunch hour, right?   And can we 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 (even if I had to be reminded WHO actually went in on this bad boy.  Early on-set of Alzeimers, friends.  It’s real.  And I was just so excited for the day!)  Thanks again Candy!  ❤

.

After cocktail hour, hugs, hellos and good-to-see-ya again’s… it was time to make that day our b!tch.

.

Stop 1 – Tailgators Bar and Grill in Oakland, IA

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

Because where else, right?

.

.

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

I dig.

.

Stop 2: Cruisers in Griswold, IA

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

.

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.

.

.

.

.

And it’s our civic duty to follow clear directions and common law…

.

So we made sure to oblige.

.

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.

.

.

Oh, but honey…

Griswold never looked so good.

.

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

.

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

.

Anyway, let’s roll on, shall we?

.

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

.

.

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?

.

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.

.

Liz was being a badass 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?

.

.

Y’all.  This is my aunt Marla.  My dad’s sista.  I have this B!tch 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.

.

.

.

Let’s ROLL!

.

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

Oh, friends.  FRIENDS!

You don’t even know…

Let me elaborate via visual effect.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

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.

.

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

.

Or maybe these baby beers.  Seriously.  Have you HAD THESE YET?

You are missing out.  Don’t miss out.

Don’t be that guy.

.

.

.

.

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

.

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 alllllllll 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 B!tch ride might be the only time each year that they ride together, which makes the moments and memories even more special.

.

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… click here and here for the #1 ranked) so to have her join up this year on her own ride was pretty friggin’ sa-weet!

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?

.

Is the photo fuzzy, or have you just been drinking?

.

.

.

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

Peace out Malvern!

.

.

.

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.

.

.

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.

.

.

We done?

duh.

.

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.

.

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 brought to you courtesy of Kimi’s famous split.  It wouldn’t be a B!tch run without it.  BUT, I shall spare her the pic.  There may be some shirt slippage in there and that’s just reserved for us. 😉

.

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.

.

CHEERS!

 

 

___________________

Special Thanks to:

Courtyard Ink

And all the bars visited, linked above.

 

 

 

.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Women of Harley: Lora J.

Harleys & Heels | Biker Bitch Feature #4 | Lora J.

 

Meet: Lora J.

 

Lora J
1. How long have you been riding?

I grew up on mini bikes, but I was always just a little scared of riding back then.  When I was 18, my husband would let me give him rides on his dirt bike.  On Mother’s Day, seven years ago, I got my first bike and have been riding my own ever since.

Lora 8

Lora’s First Bike

.

2. What do you currently ride?

Harley Davidson Heritage Softail

Lora

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

I have owned two bikes.  My first one was an 1100 V Star.   I have since purchased my Heritage Softail, which I got for a screaming great deal.   I kept my V Star for my 16 year old son who has now been riding a few years.

Lora 6

Lora’s son on her V Star


4. Does your bike have a name?

I haven’t gotten around to my new bike.  Any ideas?


5. Tell us the story behind why/when you decided to ride your own bike.

I love riding my own bike and I feel more safe when I am in charge.   I actually had my first street bike before my husband got his.  I have always felt free riding my own bike. Riding is like Prozac.  It relieves a lot a stress.

Riding is something I had wanted to do for a long time, but I waited until my kids were old enough to watch themselves.  Kids first, riding second.

Lora 4

Lora with some of her riding sisters.

.
6. Do you have a biker who is your inspiration?

All women riders are my inspiration.  I have found that women tend to ride safer then men, and women always form a bond, no matter the age difference.

BB Run Waterloo 15

.
7. What are some of you favorite things about the biker lifestyle?

The freedom.

Meeting new people.

Motorcycles are always a great ice breaker.   There is always a story.

Lora 3


8. Give us one of your favorite two-wheeled stories.

My favorite two wheeled story was my first women’s trip with about 20 ladies.  The oldest was 66 and the youngest 32. We rode to Wisconsin, got rained on and ended up drying our clothes out at a Casey’s along the way.   We rolled into the Dells in matching shirts and people everywhere wanted to take our pictures with them.   It was my first time to go on a trip on my bike with only women.

Our trip was full of adventure.  We had a couple ladies wreck, we lost stuff along the highway, people left their blinkers on (apparently this makes a few ladies really bitchy).  For the record, it wasn’t my blinker, but it was a lesson!  I now always make sure my blinkers are off and I learned how to ride in formation.

All in all, it was a wonderful experience.

Lora 7


9. What advice would you give other females who are thinking about riding their own?

My advice would be:

  1. If you lay your bike down get back on.  
  2. Don’t buy a brand new bike to begin with get a nice used one.
  3. Ride alone on less populated back roads so you can get in uninterrupted practice.
  4. Never let your bike get dusty.

lora 10

Lora and DeAnn


10.  There are many “Biker Codes” out there. If you had a favorite what would it be? Or, if you were to add your own code, what would you say?

Always ride like a lady.  Keep it classy, girls.

.

BB Run Waterloo 40


11. Final words?

Ride every chance you can, you never know when it might be your last.

Lora 5

 

Cheers!

Keep up-to-date on all Biker Bitch Features:

#1: Ashley H.

#2: Jen M.

#3: Chris Y.

 

You might also be interested in:

The 9th Annual B!tch Ride

The Making of the Biker B!tch Crew

 

Follow Harleys & Heels on Facebook!

new-facebook-like-button