My Hawaiian Vacay Day One

So far my impression of Oahu....it is one big Freak Show on a Pacific Island setting. But I'm going on 20 hours of travel and no sleep, so I will reserve my opinion until I've had sleep and a chance to do a decent walk about.

Paul is here to work, I'm just tagging along for the ride, see what I can see. We are staying right on Wakiki Beach....along with a few bazillion other tourists. The Marriott Resort is gorgeous! The ride from the airport is 13 miles....13 miles of homeless encampments sprouting like mushrooms along the sidewalks, littering the public parks, and abandoned buildings festooned w graffiti. After we checked in, we headed out for dinner - it's only 330p, but our stomachs are telling us it is 830p. We are just across the street from one of the worlds most famous beaches, expensive shops, opulent hotels....and the street people almost out number the Chinese tourists. Bedraggled urchins, some young, some not so young, carrying on conversations with unseen acquaintances. They seem to be camped out right on the beach, sad.

The Harley Davidson rental place is right here in the hotel; stopped in on our way back from dinner to check availability....yes, they have one just for me! Bessie will be with me in spirit on Oahu.

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Plan? What Plan?

"Embrace uncertainty. Some of the most beautiful chapters in our lives won't have titles until much later." In the last few months I've been asked from several readers and followers, 'How do you plan your trips?' I also see the question asked numerous times (like over and over and over and over...) on the various biker-related groups on social media. Penny Tours I confess: I'm not much of a planner! I ride in the spirit of the intrepid Bessie Stringfield, a pioneer of the sport of motorcycling who in 1930 became the first black woman to ride solo across the U.S.. Bessie was notorious for her 'Penny Tours.' She would toss a penny in the air and wherever it landed on her map of the U.S.....that is the direction she would travel. And yes; I've done the Penny Tour many times. Just a few weeks ago in Indiana; I had a 'free' day between events and tossed the penny on the map of Indiana. It landed in the northern part of the state near the

Summer Road Trip 2014_Final Thoughts

I awoke Friday morning exhausted; as if someone had put on boxing gloves and gently but consistently pummeled me from head to toe. I dreaded the long journey ahead of us. Since arriving in Indiana early Wednesday morning, it had been a whirlwind of responsibilities. Mine were minimal compared to what my brother and sister had already had to do to arrange the funeral, tie up loose ends, and cover all the bases that need covering when a parent dies. After the service and dinner at the church, I think we all felt a foreboding. Our Grandparents were gone, our Mom was gone, our Dad was gone…..who does the family gather around from this point forward? We were all at loose ends. The trip back to Florida would be another ‘get on the super slab and ride’ kinda trip….the worst. I-75 South is congested with traffic, and the Weather Gods were not going to be in our favor today. We gulped a cup of coffee, my brother gave me a hug and we TRIED to slip out quietly…

#Scattered: The Hike

Setting the scene: Della, Tish, and Ann have left Chicago on their bikes on a journey west to scatter their friend Bree’s ashes in Sedona. A trip along Route 66 from its origin in Chicago to the Santa Monica Pier in L.A. on their motorcycles was the foursomes’ dream. When Bree was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer her dying wish was for her three friends to make the trip in her memory with a stop in Sedona to scatter her ashes among the mystical red rocks. This scene picks up on the three women – Della - who carries Brees’ ashes in her tour pack, Tish and Ann – approximately 300 miles west of Chicago on their first day out. ~ Della thought a little commune with nature would do everyone good. At the previous rest stop (Jesus… how many times would Ann signal she needed to pee?) Della suggested a little side trip to St. Genevieve outside of St. Louis to enjoy a short hike and a stretch. Ann: Oh! how fun! Tish: (after a major eye roll in Ann’s direction) Sounds Great! Della tapped the co

Bessie and Me: Shifting Gears

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