PMS - Part Three

Parked Motorcycle Syndrome. Yes, I’ve found another outlet. Last week, I returned from a ski trip in Winter Park, Colorado. Believe it or not, it was warmer at the top of the mountain than in Chicago (my home town). We had three beautiful days of skiing. Sunny and moderate temperatures. I would have taken more snow, but I’m really not complaining.

Seeing that I mostly skied, ate and slept, there were two highlights of the trip. The first highlight was dinner at the Ranch House Restaurant at Devil’s Thumb Ranch. They serve only fresh, organic fare prepared from scratch. This is one of the best meals I’ve had in a long while. Compliments of the chef, we each started with potato leek soup and fried oysters. I had the tilefish with mashed potatoes. For dessert, I shared the most amazing bread pudding with my friend and college roommate, Teri. Here is a picture of her skiing for the first time in many years.

The second highlight was having Bob Barnes, the Director of Winter Park’s Ski and Ride Program, as my ski instructor. Arlyne (who I took my Basic Rider MSF class with) and I took an all day group lesson learning to ski moguls in the annual Mary Jane Bump Jamboree. We felt blessed to have Bob as our instructor. (See Arlyne and I smiling ear to ear with him in this pic?) Ski Magazine calls Bob the “mogul master” and “bump guru”. I understand why. I learned so much from him in one day. As an example, I had an “a-ha” moment when Bob had us do a simple exercise. I realized immediately that my right turns are way more dominant than my left – the source of many a problems on the slopes. Hey once you identify a problem, you can start to fix it.

Do you know what makes Bob even cooler? He races motocross for Elite Motorsports in Loveland, Colorado and founded the High Altitude Sportriders Club and track. In his age category (50+), he often places. I imagine he is somewhat of a legend in the Colorado Rockies…

PMS-Parked Motorcycle Syndrome Parts 1 and 2

PMS-Part 1

Living in the Midwest is enough to drive a biker woman crazy.

If it’s not too cold to ride, there’s too much ice and snow on the roads. What’s a biker chick to do? Maybe I have the cure for your winter blues. Is there an International Motorcycle Show in your area coming soon? Are you of the female persuasion and would you like to get into the show at a discount or for free?

For your International Motorcycle Show discount, click here to receive ½ price admission on Fridays (Ladies Night!) for the 2009 shows listed below.

Jan. 16 - 18 in New York, NY; Jan. 30 - Feb. 1 in Cleveland, OH; Feb. 6 - 8 in Chicago, IL; Feb. 13 - 15 in Minneapolis, MN; Feb. 20 - 22 in Greenville, SC

Or, do you want to get in free for all three days? To do so, you could volunteer at the Women’s Motorcyclist Foundation booth for a four hour shift. To sign up, please e-mail Sue Slate at wfginsue@aol.com. I will be working the Women's Motorcyclist Foundation booth on Friday night at the Chicago show. Please stop by and say hello if you are there.

I will also likely be working the Chicago Region BMW Owner’s Association booth and maybe even helping my friends out at Open Road Radio like at did last year for their all woman bike build. I’m pictured here with the custom bike and my buddy, Gina Woods, from ORR.

The IMS show is great and although you can’t ride the bikes there, you can try them out for size, shop for new gear and accessories, and talk motorcycles all weekend long.

PMS – Part 2

So I was just whining about not being able to ride my bike and talked about the Cycle World International Motorcycle Show being a good outlet. Well, I found an even better one. Pole dancing. You heard me. Find a stripper pole and let off some steam. Let me explain.

A while back some friends of mine started taking classes at “ladies only” Flirty Girl Fitness in Chicago (there is also one in Toronto). Flirty Girl is a great workout while learning sexy moves on a pole. Beside “Pole Dancing”, they also have other kick ass classes like “Chair Striptease” and “Lap Dancing”. And when I say “kick ass”, I’m not just saying it rocks. It kicks your ass. Well, it kicked mine anyway. I took a class last year. It was a blast, but it was really challenging. I was using muscles that I did not even know I had. I was sore for days. My abs, my arms, my legs. You name it.

For a dear biker friend who shall remain nameless, we have celebrated her birthday with a pole party for the last two years. Last year, it was at the Five Star Bar in Chicago. They have a private room with a pole in the back. The experienced gals showed us all how it is done and most of us gave the pole a try. I brought my neighbor to the party who did not know the theme beforehand. After an hour or so at the party, he leaned over and whispered to me “This party is way better than I thought it would be.” To the left is a picture of Birthday Girl giving me my first pole lesson. As you can see by the picture to the right, Birthday Girl is much more talented than me. This year, Birthday Girl had a pole installed in her home. Now, that is dedication to the sport.

The fun doesn’t stop there. Rockstar Dogs in Chicago also has a pole in their tiny little place. I’m pictured here after a day’s ride. We stopped in one afternoon to have a dog and check out the pole.

Is this the next big thing? I don’t know but it’s fun and good way to keep my mind of winter….