Posted: 10 Mar 2010 10:06 PM PST

So, I missed it again this year. The "unofficial" kickoff to the 2010 motorcycle season, 10 days in the fun and sun with hundreds of thousands of motorcyclists living it up while I'm watching the snow melt here in Pennsylvania. My bike is sitting in the garage waiting for a good rain so I can get on the road without having to feel guilty about exposing it to salt.

The 69th Annual Bike Week celebration in Daytona Beach started at the end of February and it just wrapped up last weekend. Bike Week has been a tradition in Daytona Beach since 1937 -- and one of these years I'm going to make it there!

The celebration coincides with the running of the Daytona 200, an American Motorcycling Association sanctioned professional race at the Daytona International Speedway. Over the years, the center of attention has shifted from the race to the activities that surround the weeklong event.

Now Daytona and Bike Week are all about the people, and the fun. Live bands, great food and drink, parties, vendors and having a good time abound all around Volusia County. There's a great, classic Florida motorcycle ride called "The Loop" that traverses coastal drives, river shores, state parks and country lanes, giving a great, relaxed view of the natural beauty of the area.

So if you're like me and you missed Daytona this year, that's OK. There are plenty of other events going on now through October that are still going to offer up a fun time depending on what you're into.

April 14-18: Arizona Bike Week, Mesa, Ariz.

This has turned into a wonderful venue for music, with appearances from major bands planned.

April 21-25: Laughlin River Run, Laughlin, Nev.

This is the perfect time of year to go to Nevada. It's not too hot, the weather is great and it's a party. This is the West Coast's answer to Daytona.

May 30: Rolling Thunder, Washington, D.C.

An annual ride into our nation's capital to bring awareness to POW-MIA issues. We are very fortunate to live as close as we do to our nation's capital. This can be a quick weekend trip without having to take any time off work. This event draws hundreds of thousands of motorcyclists every year.

June 7-12: Americade, Lake George, N.Y.

An all-brands rally with an emphasis on touring riders, rider education and safety.

June 12-20: Laconia Motorcycle Week, Laconia, N.H.

I've had a chance to travel to New Hampshire for my honeymoon -- not on a motorcycle. We borrowed a convertible and enjoyed the sights and smells of everything the New England states have to offer on four wheels. I can only imagine how awesome it would be on two.

July 9-11: AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days, Lexington, Ohio.

A rolling celebration of America's motorcycle heritage, including vintage motorcycle racing at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course.

Aug. 9-15: Sturgis Rally and Races, Sturgis, S.D.

This is an event that I would like to go to at least once. For some reason it almost feels like it's a right-of-passage for the Harley enthusiast. That's the one place that comes up time and time again when people inquire about where I've ridden.

Sept. 2-5: Milwaukee Rally, Milwaukee.

The biggest motorcycle rally in the Midwest, and a great chance to visit the Harley-Davidson Museum.

Oct. 15-18: Biketoberfest, Daytona Beach, Fla.

Although this can't compete with the festivities at the beginning of the season, don't rule this one out. The weather is absolutely beautiful and you won't have to deal with snow on the way down.

So even though we may have missed the kickoff of the motorcycle season, there is clearly a lot of great riding ahead of us.

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Lose a Tooth Find the Truth - Salon

Posted: 10 Mar 2010 09:02 PM PST

Christmas was a truly magical time in my life and is deeply linked to both my Grandmother and memories of my family, before divorce, before death changed things. Every year we alternated between going to my mother's parents in Minneapolis or they came to our house in Lansing, Michigan. There was no precise start date to the festivities, but the entire unfolding of the set up took time: giant boxes filled with decorations that had all sorts of history, from the kissing angels on the mantle, Santa in a balloon that hooked onto a light over the fireplace and I remember touching while sitting on my father's shoulders, miles of colored outdoor lights, which we used inside on the 7' tree because my mother liked the bold colors and another Santa riding around on a little metal motorcycle which the cats would try to bat around. We all participated. Anticipating my Grandparent's arrival was excruciating and then their actual arrival with boatloads of presents was beyond thrilling. This was a time before diets, crazy obsessive exercise, my sister's bulimia and my mom used to let my sister and I help make cookies, rock candy, fudge, peanut brittle. I love it ALL.

Leading up to the date itself there were rules. My mother and Grandmother would disappear into the extra bedroom where my Grandparents stayed and basically deem the room completely off limits at all times. I would walk by, but I never, ever would have tried to come in, nor would I ever have entered if they weren't in there. I didn't actually consider what they were doing other than wrapping, but I loved the exquisite torture of it.

The night of Christmas Eve we were allowed to open one gift from under the tree, usually something I felt was boring, like a nightgown, so we could look cute for pictures/bad quality movies on Christmas morning. Brooke and I usually put on a Christmas show for my parents and Grandparents (my mom is an only child), complete with baby Jesus and lots of carols, usually using the giant stuffed mouse as a sheep or a camel. Bath with Crazy Foam. Then Brooke, my sister, and I would write some kind of note to Santa, not a list, just a hello, put out 2 cookies, a glass of milk and leave a carrot for Rudolph. When we went to bed we were under strict instructions not to come out for any reason, no matter what until 6a. I would be flopping around like a fish, dying for it to be morning. Again, I never tested this, never peeked and once I was asleep, a herd of cattle could have come through my bedroom and I wouldn't have budged.

Brooke and I were at the ready by about 5:40a, talking in excited whispers. As the very loud clock rolled over the next digit, by 5:58a, we were out of our skulls, getting ready to rush the adults, I always woke my Grandparents and Brooke, my parents and then we would all go down together. There was always a "big gift" from Santa and then everything in the stockings was from him, too. All gifts under the tree were to/from each other. I do remember asking my mom why there were price tags from Meijer's, our grocery store that is a veritable middle class Herrods and she said sometimes Santa needed to just go to the store instead of making stuff and that he came after the store was closed. I was in awe of the idea that Santa walked where I had walked. Maybe Rudolph and the other reindeer had been walking beside him, perhaps even pushing their own grocery carts! Wrapping paper the same as some under the tree? Santa must have forgotten a few things and needed to wrap them HERE, RIGHT HERE IN OUR HOUSE!!! No chimney at my Grandparents, problem? He'd find a way. Nothing was beyond comprehension, absolutely nothing. The Santas in the stores were admittedly NOT Santa, but his helpers, because he really was too busy to be everywhere and this helped to explain blue and brown eyes, glasses, no glasses, they were merely representatives doing a good deed for kids by helping their friend Santa.

I never peeked, ever. Didn't go in the extra bedroom, look in closed bags, explore any closets. Anyone who might say he wasn't real just didn't know the truth and I thought it was terribly malicious of them to perpetuate the idea.

What happened, very randomly, was I lost a tooth in the 6th grade and it was a BIG tooth, relative to the others I had shed. I was in the car in my Mom's blue, Chevy Vega and idly said out loud that I foresaw a potential dollar in my future considering this one was such a whopper. My mom then said, "I'll have to see what I can do about that." I remember the moment like time stopping. Staring into the vent of the car, brain reeling, heart racing, shaking my head at what I was in front of me. "Mom, are you the Tooth Fairy?" "Yes, Megan, I am." Bigger pause, but I remember no distinct thoughts. "Mom, does that mean you are the Easter Bunny and Santa Claus, too?" "I am, Megan."

I was beyond devastated. This was in the summer and so the next holiday was Christmas and for the first time in my life my mother woke me up on Christmas morning. Earlier that same year my Grandma had died unexpectedly at 69 and my parents divorced. Overnight everything that had been Christmas was erased. My mother did her best and we limped along until eventually based on protests from my mom of not getting any help, we no longer got a tree. Then I took a job in Mexico where I had to work during the holiday season. Christmas is now a shadow. Neither I, nor my sister come home, my father died in '93, we no longer exchange gifts, but my mother insists on sending me something, still.

I just could not in good faith, perhaps because I have no faith, I don't know, but I would not "do this" to a child, no matter how awesome, incredible and wonderful it may have seemed, the crushing blow at the end would not allow me to perpetuate Santa.

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NHRA Gatornationals at a glance - St. Petersburg Times

Posted: 10 Mar 2010 06:17 PM PST

FAST FACTS

NHRA Gatornationals

When: Today through Sunday

Where: Gainesville Raceway, 11211 N. County Road 225

Who: Four pro classes, including the season debut of Pro Stock Motorcycles; several other classes

Schedule: Friday and Saturday — Pro Stock and Pro Stock Motorcycle qualifying, noon and 2:45; Nitro qualifying (Top Fuel and Funny Car) 12:45 and 3:30; Sunday — Eliminations, 11 a.m. See NHRA.com for full schedule of all classes.

TV: ESPN2; qualifying (taped), midnight Sunday; eliminations (taped), 6 p.m. Sunday

Directions: Take I-5 north to Exit 382, turn left (east) at Williston Road (CR 331), go about 5.5 miles to Waldo Road (SR 24), continue north 4 miles, turn left onto NE 53rd Avenue then an immediate right on CR 225 (NE 39th Street), go 3.5 miles north to the track

Tickets: Today — adults $16, kids 12 and under $10; Friday — adults $46 reserved, $36 general admission; kids 6-12 $20 reserved, $10 general admission; kids 5 and under $10; Saturday and Sunday (each) — adults $65 reserved, $58 general admission; kids 6-12 $24 reserved, $10 general admission; kids 5 and under $14 reserved, $10 general admission. Top eliminator club $360, four-day general admission pass $140. Call toll-free 1-800-884-6472 for availability.

Information: NHRA.com, gainesvilleraceway.com or (352) 377-0046.

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Motorcycle Racing

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

plus 2, The Riding Calendar - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

plus 2, The Riding Calendar - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

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