Diabetes Solutions Poker Run

Last Saturday was the first annual poker run to benefit Diabetes Solution of Oklahoma. I was there, working the silent auction table and just helping out in general. I didn't bring my camera, but I did snap a few pictures with my phone. Also, thanks to Sharon (another volunteer) for some of these pictures, as I borrowed them from her facebook album. 

Riders lined up early to register for the run. The majority were cruiser riders, though there were a few sport bikes and sport tourers in the mix too.

A group of Honda Goldwings all showed up together, sporting patches on their jackets from the Oklahoma Goldwing Club. I didn't even realize Goldwing riders had their own clubs...

The Thunder Roadhouse, where the run started, is a restaurant and bar, with a custom chopper shop attached. They had some of their bikes out for display.

There was a bit of a lull while the riders were out riding, so I took some of the volunteers for some quick joyrides. That's Casey riding pillion, asking me where she's supposed to hold on. 

Boyd was very excited to have the winning bid on one of the silent auction items, a special date night including an 8 hour limo ride, a meal at a fancy restaurant, and a night in the Skervin Hotel, in downtown Oklahoma City. He planned on using it on his upcoming wedding night. 

A group of riders posing after finishing the route.

Over all, the Poker run went very well. We had a turn out of just under 100 bikes and raised over $7,000 for Diabetes Solutions. Not bad for a first time. 

Day Trip, Lake Murray Loop

I took the opportunity a couple weeks ago to take a day and drive down highway 77 to Lake Murray. I had heard good things about the loop that circles the lake, and decided to give it a try. Highway 77 was a great road, running roughly parallel to I35, but twistier. I'd recommend it on it's own as a good day ride, even without the lake loop. 

77 cuts straight through downtown Wynnewood, Oklahoma. The mainstreet still has the original brick-paved surface. Coincidentally, this picture was taken right around the time I lost 77 completely and went about 20 miles out of the way of my originally planned route. It all worked out though. We ended up passing through a very nice nature preserve on our way back.

We filled up the tank in Ardmore, just before reaching the lake. I wish I had a picture of the station. There was a woman in a little booth, and some very "retro" pumps. After you fill up, you just go over to the booth and tell the woman how much you put in and pay her. She even rounded it down to the dollar. Compared to the pay before you pump method at most stations today, it seemed very foreign. 

When we got to the lake, we stopped in this little park area for a picnic lunch. Other than being a little windy, it was a perfect day for it. 

Tamales and corn make a great meal for camping or picnicking if you bring a small camp stove. It might not look great, but it's easy, you don't have to carry much, it's hearty enough to fill you up during a long day, and it's delicious. Just take a can of creamed corn and a can of tamales, combine them in a pot, heat and eat.

After lunch, we got back on the bike for the ride around the lake. It had warmed up a little, and was really a perfect day for it.

Lake Murray is positioned just south of Oklahoma's Arbuckle mountains (or  at least what we call mountains here in Oklahoma, but they're at least pretty) so it has some great rock formations.

Lake Murray State Park is the largest, and oldest, state park in Oklahoma. There are several interesting buildings on site, including a lighthouse that has been converted into a museum about the history of the park as well as the local wildlife.

Other Resources: -The MotorcycleRoads.US page about the loop

-A bit about the history of the park

Motocamping 101

I took my first motorcycle camping trip this weekend, to Devils Den State Park in Arkansas. Lessons's were learned (including just how far my bike will go on reserve) but there were no major catastrophes and everyone (and almost everything) made it home in one piece.

This was taken at our first rest stop. The bike handled remarkably well with all the added weight, though I could definitely feel it through the tighter turns, and ended up taking most them pretty slowly. She behaved herself just fine through the wider, sweeping curves though, and that's the kind of riding I enjoy most anyway.We stopped in Henryetta, Oklahoma for lunch, at The Pig Out Palace. It's a little pricey for a greasy spoon (a little over $10 a person for the all you can eat buffet) but the food's pretty good, and the service, as well as the customers, are always very friendly.
For dessert, they have a selection of 4 different kinds of cobbler. I highly recommend the blackberry, with a little softserve on top.
If you're ever not sure where to eat on the road, just look for the place with all the trucks parked outside. If anyone knows where to eat on the road, truckers do.
We took the interstate on the way there, due to time constraints, but once we got close to the park there were some pretty good roads.
When we finally arrived, my new luggage rack and top case (more on those in the series of entries I'm currently working on) made unloading go quickly. When we first started planning the trip, I couldn't figure out how to bring everything we would need without covering the pillion seat. Luckily for me, the Majesty has a deceptively large amount of underseat storage, and a little ingenuity and some angle iron will go a long way.

Saturday was filled with hiking, and cave exploring. Here, Erika contemplates life while staring into an infinite abyss, just before we climbed around in it.
There was actually quite a bit of climbing on Saturday, not just in infinite abysses. The hole I'm sitting in is caused by pockets of sandstone, which weathers much faster than the harder stone surrounding it.
On the way back, we took I-540 south to Oklahoma Highway 9, which runs roughly parralel to I-40, but farther south. It's a much more interesting ride than the interstate, and as it turns out, takes about the same amount of time.
The only casualty from the trip was my homemade saddlebags, which had never really been filled up before. It was nothing a few zip ties and a pocket knife couldn't fix though.

p.s. I'd suggest always keeping a few zip ties on board your bike, not to mention around the house. They're really just too useful not to have.
The final mileage came out to 525 exactly, with the way there being slightly longer than the way back. There's a good chance that it was because I missed the first exit to the park on the way there, but I'd rather just chalk it up to backroads being a better way to travel.

Winter Wonderland

The weather report for this weekend is .5-2 inches of ice. Here in Oklahoma, this doesn't happen very often, and the world pretty much shuts down when it does. Luckily, the majesty has it's big brother and sister (my roommates cars) to cuddle up with and stay warm.

I, on the other hand, spent the evening freezing my butt off taking pictures of our newly freezer burned street.


These are definitely not good two-wheel conditions. Admittedly, I'll drive in rain and wind, sometimes against my own self interest, but when It's like this out, I stay home. ( I know, some of you are saying I'm a weakling and that little dusting of ice is nothing... but this is Oklahoma, and here that only happens once or twice a year, so we have very little tolerance, or practice, for driving on it. Cars aren't out right now either. )

Beau Bear, on the other hand, can't get enough of the weather. I imagine the big fur coat helps some. Maybe we should all start wearing fur coats on our bikes. I wonder how they'd do for abrasion protection, or aerodynamics...








p.s. It was 55 degrees yesterday. Welcome to Oklahoma.