Hats Off to my 3 Amigas

“Independence day” what does it really mean ? Most holidays are spent by most people in America celebrating a day off work and gathering with some friends/family. While I am bummed I am not riding a motorcycle to Laughlin to watch fireworks with my sisters in the wind, I am reflecting on the real inter-dependence that I can rejoice in knowing people can be angels. The real heroes are those who express universal peace and brother/sisterhood.
Trips (life) isn’t so much about getting to a certain destination as it is having the adventure and living a story to share. Motorcycles turn any traveling into an adventure. Having people support and understand your needs in a crisis brings grace and bonding to the circumstance banishing stress. My hat’s off to my three sisters who endured such an adventure at Four Corners.

They were in the true spirit of that freedom and adventure sought after in Easy Rider (classic movie). Jett, Carol, and Kaye found themselves far away from easy city life when Kaye broke her ankle at Four Corners. The logistics of: getting a call out, getting to the nearest hospital (then finding out the surgery needed on Kaye couldn’t be done there as that hospital only treats Native Americans), and going back and forth many miles to get the bikes and car, made for what will be a legend now in the motorcycle community. I think they all deserve a purple heart for what they’ve been through and how they stuck together and handled everything. You can read the details in Jett’s blog
( htt://wrongwayjett.blogspot.com ).

Bikers are a breed of people that traditionally behold freedom and are bound to be angels on the asphalt. Old School bikers may seem scary to the average folk but their loyalty to humanity is beyond any political party, religion, sexual orientation, ethnic heritage, etc. And on this Independence Day I wonder if the new riders, those ones that are now acquiring motorcycles in order to save money on gas will realize the nation of nomads and rebels yet heart centered adventurers they are joining on the interstate of interdependence.

PS-- an interesting and thought provoking yahoo group called Biker’s Independent Party has some ideas on freedom and “progressive politics” for our country. You can check it out at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Bikers_Independent_Party/

PPS- The next blog might be more about actual “hats” so stay tuned-- did Elvis really wear a hat and if so why would he wear a cowboy hat ?

Arizona Night 1

Harsh heat of over 110 degrees force a rather long stop at Mc Donald's. Soon after leaving Dateline we were wilting and swooning in the sweltering sun. Most of us were hot enough to want another break so quickly...yet night was not far off. There was debate about waiting out the high temps in favor of riding in the darkness rather then in the relentless rays of the dry heat of the desert. I was getting nervous about waiting so long as we still had far to go and my eyes don't work so well after dark, especially in the middle of nowhere with no street lights. My proposal (just shy of a demand) was to keep moving forward. I felt it better to not loose momentum but instead to press on even if we had to stop every 20 miles to hydrate and stretch. At least we'd be moving closer to our destination instead of camping in Mc Donald's for a few more hours then trying to navigate the night and end up arriving at our hotel in wee hours. We were already kind of burnt out; no need to burn the midnight motor oil.

We finally got back in the saddle and sailed to a meetup place where some Desert Diamonds (an Arizona branch of WITW) were anxiously awaiting our arrival. They escorted us all the way to out hotel in Globe, after another long break or two and a few u-turns to get back on course. We ride well into the evening. We were beat by the time we got to the hotel but we were supported and joined by our Arizona sisters so sleep was not invited for another few hours.

We discover there is a diner across the street that was willing to stay open for us. After checking in, unpacking the bikes, and changing clothes we slothfully assembled in the
lobby to lollygag and pretend to move towards to the diner. I asked who wanted to walk across the street with me; only had one taker. Anita likes to workout and wanted to find a weight room in order to get a little exercise. She was the only one wanting to walk across the street with me. Everyone else waited for a local sister to take them in her truck. I realized that to most bikers "walking distance" equates to only the distance equal to or less then the distance of where they are to their bike.

Anita & I compared talismen. She adorned a medallion of Saint Christopher on one side and a motorcycle on the other. On the same gold chain she also wore a little Buddha. All my jewelry
was symbolic (garnet ring and bracelet for my blood count and chi, moon stone earrings for travel, and most subtle yet notable -- a skull mala bracelet for protection).

At the diner I couldn't see anything vegetarian on the menu. I asked what I might be able to have that is vegetarian. The waitress suggested the Tuscan penne pasta. I looked it up in the menu and read the ingredients. Listed first was chicken. I consider chicken meat so I asked if I could have the pasta without chicken. They made it so. I think it was around midnight by the time we got to bed. Did a mini restorative yoga routine and then slept like a rock dreaming of riding to Roswell.

Queen Bee Dancer for the King

"Queen Bee" is slang that can mean many things usually indicating a female leader type with magnetic confidence and alluring charisma. She is often attractive and intelligent with a good social life. Although it can be applied as a derogative term, it can be used to emphasize the powerful yet positive qualities of some alpha females.

It used to be the label "biker" conjured up mostly images of what is now known as the "1%ers" (outlaw gang members). Today bikers, like many powerful women, are more mainstream and diverse. The Queen Bee can be a gusty gal yet not a bully, just as a biker can be an adventurous rider without picking fights when in a bar. The Sol Sisters epitomize all the positive qualities of bikers and queen bees (I wouldn't be surprised if one day "sol sister" becomes a definitive phrase referring to a woman who is super creative and capable, especially in a cooperative group).

Elvis is the eternal King of R & B. In yoga asana (physical postures) practice there is a pose called "King Dancer" ("Natarajasana" in Sanskrit). This posture is a most excellent pose for motorcycle riders to practice consistently because it is a quick way to open up and relieve the hip flexors and chest & shoulders. King Dancer pose is an ideal exercise for extremely busy, hyper-responsible, and accomplished women in the wind or anyone who sits or rides a lot. Enclosed in this blog are posts of examples of this pose including various people and their bikes in Natarajasana. You can see how a motorcycle can be incorporated as a yoga prop while on the road to Graceland....and or within the grace of anywhere you make a stress busting stretch break as part of your daily life journey.