Girlie Motorcycle Blog

In June of 2008 our time riding with Novos came to a close in the town of Lee Vining just outside of Yosemite National Park. While Kenny, Greg and I checked in to a hotel, Novos peeled off heading towards his home in SoCal. He was going back to real life and we continued on in our California riding fantasy world.

In the morning under a clear blue sky, three headed north on route 395 with a view of Mono Lake sparkling to the east. We were heading towards the Sonora Pass.

About 20 miles out of town we saw signs for Bodie Historic Park. I had previously seen photos of the park from Novos. It looked really interesting. So, I pulled off and asked the guys if they wanted to check it out. I don’t know why I even asked. It should have been one of those given moments. Who knows when I’d ever pass that way again? It’s best to just go take a peek rather than wonder what it might have been like for the rest of your life. On we went in to Bodie.

Bodie is frozen in time. By the time that the State of California took over the town in 1962, it had been abandoned and ravaged by fire. The remaining 200 or so structures in the town are all that is left as a result of a major blaze that occurred in the 1930s.

It was fascinating to stroll through the dirt roadways, peering in to the old buildings. The only inhabitants that remain in this old mining town are the swallows that make mud nests in the eaves.

Photo Gallery – Click to Enlarge

For More Information:

• Google Maps Link – Lee Vining to Bodie
• Bodie State Historic Park
• Google Maps Link – Sonora Pass
• Wikipedia – Sonora Pass

While out east on Sunday, we stopped off to peer into what was once Bridgehampton Motor Racing Circuit. I had been there when the track was still being used several times with a good friend, Rogers.

When Rog and I first met, I was green. He, with decades of riding experience already under his belt, talked to me about riding and racing. He gave me pointers on how to improve my skills. He had taken me under his motorcycling wing when I was just a pup.

In the summer of 1997, Rog introduced me to club racing as a spectator. He had a homegrown contingency program with a website called Kneedragon. He sold T-shirts and stickers and put the money into the pockets of the little guys who were duking it out on the track. He was ahead of his time then. He used to sit out there at the Bridge and broadcast club racing over the web using a cellular modem and a laptop. This was in the days when the average person on the internet hadn’t moved past ‘Welcome! You’ve got mail.’

My memories of Bridgehampton were entirely as a spectator. I remember being nervous about riding my bike through the sandy beach of a roadway into the paddock. One of my most vivid memories is being on a hill near the horseshoe with a view of the bay as the backdrop. Then there was of course, watching Penguin Racing School conducting classes. I also remember watching Donna Karan’s late husband Steve Weiss pull up with his trailer and unload his Ducati 916 and thinking ‘wow, I wish I could have one of those.’

I remember and yet, it all feels like a 1,000 years ago now. Just taking a quick tour around the web looking for information on Bridghampton, I’ve found that there are many people who have happy memories that still live on in their hearts. The Bridge was special to a lot of people. I guess I was lucky enough to experience it in it’s final hurrah. Now it is just a ghost of my past.

• Bridgehampton Raceway
• Bridgehampton Today: GoogleMaps View
• YouTube – car 1995 Ridealong Video
• Motorcycle Roadracing at the Bridge- Video

This post is nothing without you: What were your favorite riding moments of 2009?

In 2005, Kenny and I headed west to visit Mount Rushmore. He on his 3 week old Triumph Speed Triple and me on my 98′ Kawasaki ZX6R. We pointed our headlights west to see the monument that had fascinated me for ages.

As we rode along route 244 towards the entrance of the monument, I got my first glimpse of the 4 faces looking out of the mountainside through a break in the trees. It was stunning. It was what could only be described as a true “wow” moment. What you see in photos and movies cannot compare to the magnitude of what you are looking at in person.

• For More Information on Mount Rushmore: National Park Service

On our trip to California in June of 2008, one of our pit stops was to the famous motorcycle hangout The Rock Store. Apparently in the course of a weekend you never know who might turn up there from celebrities like Jay Leno and Arnold Schwarzenegger to the average guy just out for a cruise on his Ducati Desmosedici. While some of the locals would rather be stabbed to death by a spoon than hang out there (ahem, Novos) it was great to see it with my own eyes. It is a great people watching spot; a slice of motorcyclists life from far away.

The Rock Store - Cornell California