Let the 2012 Season Begin!

Brad and I went to the Northern Utah Harley Owners Group (NUHOG) Membership Drive last night and signed up for a whole new year of Cycling Fun. We looked at leather vests and patches; skipped the vests for now and got the patches ~ we can put them on our armored jackets instead. We are ready to roll...just as soon as Winter is over. 

5K

Well, It's taken 3 years, but I finally got 5000 Miles on my bike. Yey!

Slow year

Unfortunately this years Motorcycling activities have been put on hold due to Scoot needing some work done early in the season, and my husband totaling his bike in a low speed traffic accident 3 weeks ago. He's fine. 2 broken arms; now in camouflage casts thanks to his veteran wife.

His helmet saved his jaw from being torn off and his head from yet another concussion. His armored mesh jacket protected his elbows, shoulders and collarbones and it took the brunt of any scraping that would have resulted in road rash. His gloves and jeans did not survive the incident - though he didn't notice the tear in his hip and bootie, for several hours after the adrenaline wore off. :)

Because Brad was wearing his safety gear at the time of the accident the insurance is replacing all of them. It really does pay to wear the safety gear when riding. We always do. And now that I've seen what a crashed helmet looks like - I'll never go without one.

New Pipes!

Scoot got new pipes and a slim down. She lost about 10 lbs all in all. Quite the added bonus to the SOUND! ShE iS sO LOUD! These are Screamin' Eagle slip-ons and they look good and sound even better. The stock pipes are at the bottom of the pic to show the different look :)

The Salt Marshes

I have ridden out on the salt marshes 2 or 3 times this summer - probably put about 1000 miles in on these old farm roads. They are in the North-Western corner of Utah. This is the area formerly covered by the Great Salt Lake and home to Promentory point, Golden Spike National Historic Site, ATK and the missle test grounds, and a seemingly endless bird refuge.

Most people would call this huge area a wasteland on first glance, the terrain is hilly, rocky and yellow. The yellow comes from the alkali salts in marshes, and the dried and dead grasses throughout the area.  The roads are poor, roundabout, and endlessly curvy (which makes them a motorcyclist's dream!) I find this area endlessly enchanting and deeply beautiful. I love watching the birds as I ride - the usual are starlings, golden eagle pairs, and falcons, including an ever recovering population peregrine falcons - that feed on the starlings. I can feel them diving and weaving in the air as I do the same on the roads below.

The salt marshes have a very distinct smell to them - salty, dehydrated, and decaying - they barely resemble a marsh at all. After a rain, especially the weeklong fall rains we have had change the entire face of the salt marshes change - they turn life changing. Litrally.  Today the ride on the salt marshes had true marshes, ponds and rivers flowing. The reeds were green and all the marshes had the red and orange of new reed growth around the edges. There were upland and seabirds in addition to the birds of prey, I am used to seeing: ducks, phesants, geese of all kinds, and pelicans. It was like being in Florida for an afternoon. Sea grasses waving and the smell of the sea. I loved it. It's just not something you can experience in a car.