This year the Big Mountain Run is scheduled for May 19th through the 23rd, 2010 and the line up is outrageous. To give everyone that wanted to do this last year and couldn’t make it, we are keeping the gypsy run almost exactly the same. Wednesday may 19th we will meet at Tilley’s Harley-Davidson in Statesville, NC where we leave at noon. From there we will take a two day Gypsy Tour through the Smokey Mountains stopping the first night at the Wheels Through Time Museum in Maggie Valley. These cats roll out the red carpet for us with a complete tour of the best motorcycle museum in the world. Camping is right on site that night and the next morning we take on the Dragon. US 129, the most notorious motorcycle road known to man. Then we cross the Cherahola Sky way and wind down through the hills to Reliance Tennessee for a three night party at Hiawassee Outfitters campground right on the river. At the campgrounds there will be live music all weekend featuring Crank County Daredevils, Last Vegas, Final Drive, Knucklehead, and Super Potent Death Baby just to name a few. There will be food vendors, The Cycle Source Chopper Show, mini bike racing and some of the best riding in the entire country. All this is included in your camping pass, just 10 dollars for one night, 20 for two or thirty to stay the whole time. For information on being a vendor or for general info on the run go to www.bigmountainrun.com
ROCKWELL
I am a silver gray tabby, but if you look closely, you’ll see I’m a bit jowly. That may mean I have a bit of British Shorthair in me. I am getting attention here, but I am still on the shy side. I love to sit on laps and get petted, but I haven’t quite figured out this toy thing. When the volunteer puts a mouse or wand toy in front of me, I look at it for a second, and then I pounce. So, all I need is a person who is patient enough to wait for me to get over my shyness-and it would help if they had a couple of those mouse toy things so I can practice my pounce. Please stop by Animal Friends and check me out!
All New Cool Stuff from Progressive Suspension
Hey kids, well since Progressive Suspension is offering up a FREE set of Fork Springs when you purchase a set of 940 or 440 series shock during the month of April, we thought it was fitting to show you all the cool new stuff they are offering up for 2010. So check this out and then go get yourself hooked up with a FREE set of Fork Springs!
Intro to Spinning, part 1
You all must know by now that Sara is a spinning nut, she loves it and is totally hooked. She enjoys it so much she has decided to work with her own spin instructor Diane Heinauer and give you an insight as to what you can expect for your first few spin classes. We have heard from several people that feel intimated when they look into a spin class and feel they couldn’t handle the workout, you’ll see for yourself that is not the case. We will be bringing you a 4 part series all about spinning, so check back soon for more. We encourage you all to get to your local gym, club whatever and try a spin class. If you live in the Pittsburgh area, join Sara and Diane in a class at Bodies-R-Us. We are sorry about the buzzing noise, we had an interference with some equipment and did the best we could to eliminate it.
One of the Hardest Working in the MC Industry, Marilyn Stemp IronWorks Magazine
Marilyn Stemp is one of the hardest working lady’s in the Motorcycle Industry. She is also a good friend. We took a few minutes to catch up with Marilyn and get a little info on the drive behind IronWorks Magazine. Don’t forget IronWorks will be giving away a years subscription free to the 2 winners of the Ultimate Biker Makeover as well as covering the event this year. If you haven’t sent in your submission HURRY UP deadline is May 10th 2010
Hurry Up, send in your submissions to win The Garage Girls Ultimate Biker Makeover
Just a reminder to send in your submissions for your chance to win the Garage-Girls Ultimate Biker Makeover Carlisle edition brought to you by GEICO powersports. Deadline is May 10th 2010.
Contestants (guys and girls) must submit a 600 words or less essay – describing why they are most in need of a biker makeover as well as a photo to bikermakeover@garage-girls.com by May 10, 2010. Submissions will be narrowed down to the final four by selected judges from Garage-Girls and Carlisle Events. Once the final 4 are chosen, the public will then be allowed to vote online right here for who they feel most deserves the Ultimate Biker Makeover. Two winners will be selected for the Rider Makeover, including all-new gear and accessories with one grand-prize winner, who will win the Ultimate Biker Makeover. (Accessories for his or her motorcycle as well) Winners must be present at the Carlisle Bike Fest on Saturday, July 24th, 2010 to collect their prizes.
DIY or Not…………
WE LOVE this site. Most of you, like all of us have a list a mile and a half long of things we need or would just love to get done around the house, yard or garage. You know some people refer to it as the “honey-do” list, or just the list of things that will finally get done this year. Well how many times have you found yourself way in over your head once you started a project and thought, “ah shit, I should have hired someone” or have you hired someone and thought, “ah shit, I could have done this myself and saved a ton” Well, this site will calculate the costs of doing projects yourself vs hiring someone to do them for you. you’ll even find information about certain tools you should have on hand before starting the project.
So, before you start diggin’ into that next project, head on over to diyornot.com and take a minute to weigh out all your options to find out if this project is a Do It Yourself or not.
1 woman, 1 motorcycle and 10,000 miles to ride across America, By Luuezz
Right from the start, I knew I liked Alystar McKenneh. When we met at the Easyrider V-Twin Expo in Cincinnati, I knew I had finally met a woman who rides like I do on a regular basis. As she was telling me of her upcoming quest, at first, I was jealous that I couldn’t do this ride with her.
Alystar pounds the pavement hard, going the distance, and that is difficult to find in the majority of women. That’s why I travel solo. It takes a certain kind of woman who shares that all out passion. Being independent is one of our strong characteristics. Our motorcycles are our passion, we live
for the journey. The oil runs as hot through our veins as it does our motors. We work on our bikes and we are NOT limited by anyone else’s perspectives or projections. We ride with peace of mind through America’s two lane roads, our motorcycles define the nature of our female spirit as
strong, smart, accomplished women, powerful and able to do whatever we dream. There is no better escape than leaving your troubles behind as the wind blows through our hair knowing that everything will be ok. It just doesn’t matter any longer.
On April 3, 2010, Alystar’s adventure starts out on her 1999 Harley-Davidson Heritage Softail. Riding on American Steel, her bike is designed to allow her to touch upon the freedom that the hardcore American bikers feel. She will experience the ultimate adventure without sacrificing her family and/or profession to experience it. Her stops will include the blue collar workers, women and men, who are the bikers. Bars, interesting people with life stories to share, custom bike builders and women of the motorcycle industry. Alystar McKenneh was born in Belle Fourche, South Dakota and was raised on Air Force Bases. She is a mother and resides in So. California. Her journey
of 10,000 miles coast to coast personifies the strong independent women she found at the end of her struggle to survive a childhood some would consider a nightmare.
She is a filmmaker who normally works as a 1st assistant director, screen writer who writes anything from poems to childrens books. Alystar is a human rights activist, she is your girl next door. Alystar prefers to work on projects that rehabilitate the emotionally desensitized, to tell the truth and remind people especially women and children, it’s not what they call you, it’s what you answer to that will define you. Before leaving home she will pack her saddlebags with the absolute must haves. Not having a lot of room in her leather saddlebags she must prepare wisely for Mother Nature, Emergencies, Leisure time and her overall physical condition of dehydration from the different climates she will endure. Some of her gear will include; no make-up, hairdryer or girly stuff, instead she will pack a turkey baster for siphoning if she should run out of gas traveling across the high desert plains and /or should she come across another motorcyclist out of gas. Rain gear, plenty of socks, a couple pairs of gloves, “NO-AD Sunscreen”, sweatshirts, canned tuna, tools, several pair of sunglasses, motorcycle cover, one pair of jeans and one on her ass, chaps, two pairs of boots, “Grin & Bare It ” Body Lotion, underwear, her HD shear-ling leather motorcycle jacket, water, several packs of Gatorade, a laptop to communicate with the world, a cell phone for break downs, a HUGE heavy link chain for locking up her bike, and let’s not forget her gun that she never leaves home without.
She will ride a minimum of 600 to 700 miles in any given day. You will not find her in hotels or camping at campgrounds instead she will spend her nights with her friends and/or people she meets along the way offer their hospitality for the night. If she becomes fatigued while on the road, she regularly sleeps on her bike. Her journey will be broadcast across the globe via the web. Alystar’s starting point begins at Glendale Harley-Davidson, So. California. Her first stop will be at Sucker Punch Sally’s and Bagger Nation in Arizona. Along the way she will attend a woman’s garage night. Moving on across Texas to New Orleans where she will reconnect with the people she helped during Hurricane Katrina. Her next destination will be Daytona Beach to Suck Bang Blow (the best ride-in biker bar around) and on to the Veterans Wall, to Dave Perewitz’s Cycle Fabrication to Danny Gray’s Roadhouse to “FOLLOW ME”.
Any of you amazing women who want to join Alystar even for a few miles are all welcome. Including any rider who has an amazing story and who is anywhere close to the trip path, contact Alystar, she would love to hear your stories. “FOLLOW ME” Will take you places you would never get to experience, either because you can’t take off work for that amount of time or you can’t ride a motorcycle and fulfill a lifelong dream. Take part in a breath-taking, one of a kind experience that Alystar will take you across the country and experience some of the best scenic motorcycle rides through the unforgiving Death Valley Desert, climb through mountains gaps, along rivers, across lakes, along the ocean coastlines and along windy twisty roads, from start to finish. It’s the perfect therapy on all levels.
For more info on Ally’s journey visit WWW.ROADTOSTURGIS.NET
TILDA
I was a stray kitty hanging around someone’s garage, hoping for a new home there. But the nice homeowner already had enough other cats and couldn’t keep me, so she brought me to Animal Friends.
And what a lucky cat I am! Now I have lots of kitties to play with, and people visit me every day. I’m a little shy with strangers, but I admit that I can be bribed with tasty kitty treats or a pinch of my real passion-catnip! Although I’m not yet brave enough to enjoy being held, I always like to be petted gently.
Don’t let my shyness make you think I’m unfriendly. Just give me some time to get to know you, and then you’ll see what a sweet kitty I am. I’m not asking for much from life. I’m just looking for someone to love me “tilda” end of time! However, I would prefer a home with kids over 12 please. Won’t you come see me at Animal Friends?
Happy Easter, Happy Spring.
As the Easter weekend is upon us we know not all of you Garage heads will celebrate this holiday for the same reasons. So, We decided to go digging around to share with you some cool facts about Easter. Most of the rituals based around easter have symbols connecting to christianity such as, the eggs, for example, can be taken as signs of rebirth and resurrection. Some of Easter’s symbols can be traced back still further; some (such as the Easter bunny, originally a hare) seem to have their origins in earlier pagan rituals celebrating nature’s springtime rebirth; while others can be traced back to Jewish customs (such as the lamb often eaten at Easter feasts, which echoes Passover’s paschal lamb). (Eggs can be related to both pre-Christian traditions.)
In Norway, in addition to skiing in the mountains and painting eggs for decorating, it is tradition to solve murders at Easter. All the major television channels show crime and detective stories (such as Poirot), magazines print stories where the readers can try to figure out who did it, and many new books are published. Even the milk cartons change to have murder stories on their sides.
In the Czech Republic, a tradition of whipping is carried out on Easter Monday. In the morning, males whip females with a special handmade whip called pomlázka. The pomlázka consists of eight, twelve or even twenty-four withies (willow rods) and is usually from half a meter to two meters long and decorated with coloured ribbons at the end. It must be mentioned that while whipping can be painful, the purpose is not to cause suffering. Rather, the purpose is for males to exhibit their attraction to females; unvisited females can even feel offended. The whipped girl gives a coloured egg to the guy as a sign of her thanks and forgiveness. A legend says that girls should be whipped in order to keep their health during whole next year. The females can get revenge in the afternoon when they can pour a bucket of cold water on any male. The habit slightly varies across the Czech Republic. Some feminists allege it is a disgusting medieval tradition.
So…. whatever you have planned for this Easter weekend, weather it be hunting eggs, solving crimes or a colorful whipping, enjoy and remember there is something in common for us all to celebrate, LIFE. Happy Easter!