Riding to Redmond, Oregon - Day 1

The next several blogs will chronicle my trip from Chicago to the BMW MOA International Rally in Redmond, Oregon.

Total miles = 551

Sandra and I left Chicago at 5:30 a.m. We met Jonny in Galena for breakfast and then took off for our adventure around 10 am. We traveled west on U.S. 20 the entire day. Our goal was to reach Valentine, Nebraska. We did make it to Nebraska, but only to Osmond. Our ride was uneventful until Sandra got a flat tire in Waterloo, Iowa.



She handled it well and pulled over slowly and calmly. A nice man from the Iowa Department of Transportation pulled his truck behind us to protect us, while Jonny plugged Sandra's tire.



We had enough CO2 cannisters to get her to Weber's Cycle in Waterloo, where she had a new tire put on.





We rode to Sac City, Iowa next where we saw the largest popcorn ball in the world! For some more information on Sac City and the Largest Popcorn Ball, here. There was also a little fake town that had some interesting historic artifacts inside.

We were on our way again and stopped in Belden, Nebraska to find a hotel. We weren't having any luck on our own. Luckily, a nice couple stopped and told us about a new motel 20 miles up the road. Yay! We stayed at the Hill Street Inn in Osmond, NE. Quite nice! We made it just as darkness was setting in...

Sturgis on the River Rally

Recently, I attended the Sturgis on the River Rally in Davenport, IA on the weekend of June 16-19. Check out these pictures from the rally!

Here’s the VaVaVroom booth and that’s my high school friend Thomas Schroeder who helped me at the Rally. He also does all my media work including web, photography, and video.

The Rally was a success! Last year there were 100,000 people but unfortunately, the weather this year kept many from attending on Friday. Thankfully, Saturday was beautiful and many more people were able to come out and enjoy.


Here I am with my junior high school boyfriend, Rob. It was fun catching up with him.


This is the Wall of Death, America’s Original Extreme Motorcycle Thrillshow, where daredevils ride vintage Indian and Harley Davidson motorcycles and racing go-karts on a vertical board wall sometimes as high as 15 feet above the ground! Check it out here.


Meet Charlie Ransom, one of the stunt daredevils.


An action shot of the Wall of Death! They go around so fast, I couldn’t get a clear shot.

Some other friends who were vending at the Rally included:


Jeff, Alan, and Rob of Traumahead Sportz set up a paintball gallery and shooting range. They also produce video episodes about strategies and tips for paintballing. For more on Traumahead Sportz, here.


Sonia and her son were set up in a neighboring booth. Sonia owns Teranga House of Africa, a boutique and hair braiding location in the District at 1706 3rd Ave, Rock Island, IL. They do professional hair braiding and weaving, and sell unique authentic African clothing, gifts, masks, accessories, and musical instruments. Contact them at 309-788-0801.

Overall, the rally was really fun! There were reunions with old friends, meetings with new friends and exciting daredevils at the Wall of Death!

Ride To Work Day

Hi! I'm Katlin, one of the current Marketing Interns at VaVaVroom and today I'm guest blogging about this year's 18th annual Ride To Work Day taking place Monday, June 21, 2010. Riding motorcycles or scooters provides economic and environmental benefits, not to mention how fun and practical they are!

Ride your motorcycle or scooter on this day to demonstrate:

• The number of motorcyclists to the general public and to politicians.
• That motorcyclists are from all occupations and all walks of life.
• That motorcyclists can reduce traffic and parking congestion in large cities.
• That motorcycles are for transportation as well as recreation.
• That motorcycling is a social good.

So this year, reduce your environmental footprint, save money and fuel, and enjoy yourself, by making a point to ride your bike to work on June 21, and for the rest of the summer!

For more information, click here.

Kristi & Kim's Twilight Giveaway

Ok, I admit it. I'm crazy about the Twilight series. And doesn't Jacob look hot on that motorcycle? So, I'd like to share with you a giveaway contest on Kristi & Kim's blog. Kristi and Kim are giving away the New Moon DVD, which is being released on March 20, 2010, and other fun stuff for Twihards. Just click here and here to learn more. It's easy to enter and so much fun!

Another Give-Away!

Check out Sweeps4Bloggers.com! They are offering a free Total Moto VaVaVroom tee. Just follow the link and see how you might win. Hurry! All entries must be in by February 8, 2010.

Networking Witches Offering VaVaVroom Give-away

Thank you to Redneck Witch at Networking Witches for facilitating our latest give-away of a For the Love of Chrome Long Sleeve Thermal in pink! Click here for more info. Ends January 15, 2010.

Streetmasters Motorcycle Workshop - Part 2

Streetmasters Motorcycle Workshop is owned and run by Walt Fulton (pictured above) and Nancy Foote. Walt is a former motorcycle racer, winning three times at Daytona, and Nancy, an experienced rider in her own right, is known as the Queen of the Backroads. I had the wonderful opportunity to take their workshop today. We started our day at the Hampton Inn conference room in Lancaster, CA. Early on, Walt emphasized the need for head turns and to "look where you want to go". He stated, "If your neck isn't sore by the end of today, I'm going to be disappointed!" The course also teaches a delayed apex in a corner for street riding. The delayed apex gives you a better look into the turn before committing to it. It also helps you stay clear of the center line (and potential center lane crossers) and sets you up for the next corner. It should be noted that this is very different than how you would approach a corner on the race track. The idea of the "tipping point" was also discussed. One comment I found to be very helpful is that your tipping point (the moment you "tip" or "lean" into your turn) should happen once you can see through the turn, allowing you to make a more informed decision about how to approach it.

After our short instruction in the classroom, we all rode over to the Willow Springs Raceway in nearby Rosamond. The course primarily takes place on the Horse Thief Mile track, which is set up like canyon road, but without any pesky oncoming traffic. You may recognize this course from numerous car commercials. We worked on our newly learned techniques and received constant feedback on our progress. I was lucky to have Walt as my track instructor. Actually, the entire staff is great all around. The other instructors are also extremely experienced and "the moms", Peggy and Liz, were there to make sure we ate a good lunch, drank enough water, and to answer any logistical questions. In addition to the "track time" we also worked on "precision exercises" on the practice pad, such as U-turns from a stop and emergency braking. Our graduation exercises consisted of a figure eight and offset weave course and another chance at the Horse Thief Mile, but this time in the reverse direction. I appreciated this final exercise as it allowed me to get a sense for the real progress I had achieved that day. The progress came in steps throughout the day, with a deeper understanding of the concepts as I went along.

In this course, I learned a lot and improved my skills, but I also met some great people - instructors and course participants alike. I had the opportunity to get to know some fellow BMW riders from the BMW Owners Club of San Diego and riders that follow pashnit.com. Oh yeah, and my neck was sore at the end of the day, just like Walt had promised.

I am anxious to practice my newly-learned techniques. I can only hope that the Chicago weather affords me the opportunity....

Note: Special thanks to fellow-student, Kevin Wilson, for use of his photos for this blog.