I am going to continue the SPYC rider story from last month issue.As you recall the SPYC group traveled through 4 south eastern states. After that tour the SPYC group decided to ride to the rockies stopping in Sturgis for the rally then up to Canada and back to Florida. The story will continue on to next months issue to fully cover it.
LET’S AVOID EVER HAVING TO SAY
“I WISH I KNEW BACK THEN WHAT I KNOW NOW”
Courses, the Command and General Staff College, and the U.S. Army War College (resident)
Call me anytime 833-467-2865 if you would like to speak to him.
with us. The rest is history. You would be amazed how many continents this SPYC group has explored on motorcycles.
Before I get to that I am please to announce a new member to the biker helping bikers financial movement. All you veterans and active military personnel will be glad to know you have access to one of the finest financial minds. He is someone familiar with your needs and eager to serve you.
COLONEL KENNETH E. RING, JR. United States Property & Fiscal Officer for Indiana - NGB
Now the rest of the story… When taking a motorcycle trip through the rockies I learned Bears were a big concern. So bear spray repellant was a necessity. The group decided to pull straws to decide who would actually spray the bear if necessary. Fortunately no bears were encountered. However other livestock occasionally blocked
Colonel Ring graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point, NY, in 1986 with a Bachelor of Science degree. He later studied accounting at Indiana University- Purdue University – Indianapolis and earned his Certified Public Accountant (CPA) license and worked as a Senior Manager at Ernst & Young specializing in Human Capital and Global Relocation. He later received a Master of Strategic Studies from the U.S. Army War College at Carlisle, PA. His military education includes the Aviation Officer Basic and Advanced
of the group members met each other. He told me he met Norm around 2008 through the DeFever Cruisers Club; owners of large live aboard trawler yachts. Norm and Vicki were traveling the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway and stopped in Charleston where he kept his DeFever 49 CPMY at the time. They’ve been good friends since then. He met Bob through DeFever Cruisers in 2013. He and his wife docked 2 slips away from Bob & Elaine at the Pasadena Yacht & Country Club for almost 2 years; both couples as liveaboards.
When they all sold their boats he was bored and Norm suggested he try riding; Norm had started again. He loved it from the very first lesson at Berts. After rent riding a bunch of bikes he bought his Chieftain. Rode it to lunch with Bob one day. Bob told him he used to ride and decided to start again
money won’t make you happy! But riding a motorcycle will!“
My passion is to help bikers in life changing ways. Hence the reason I created www.BikerHelpingbikers.com
— James Irwin, CSA, FRCSM Certified Senior Advisor® www.bikerhelpingbikers.com
Now that we have given you the full story and how our organization was formed to help an entire Region we are ready to bring you one of our absolute favorite times to ride here in Central Appalachia! That is obviously Fall as mother nature brings us one of the most spectacular season changes on the planet here in the oldest mountains on earth. We always step up our schedule for this part of our season each year by bringing you some of the best events, best small towns, best trail routes, and best overlooks, to see these colors first hand! This is the Backroads of Appalachia after all and our home turf and us local riders know exactly where to go and where to direct other riders who come to visit us here each year! Regardless of if you attend one of our Fall Leaves Events, or use our BOA Mobile App, you truly cannot go wrong and you can always reach out to us here for assistance and guidance! Did I forget to mention we have over 5000 GPS-Enabled Miles of it to explore in our Backroads of Appalachia Mobile Application and it is all Free to download and covers 4 Central Appalachian States! That is a lot of beauty to take in and a ride you will never forget! Keep reading!
Now that we have your attention let us tell you about our fall leaves and the best places to come and see them on our Backroads! As the temperature begins to get cooler here like it has now our leaves begin to change virtually immediately depending on the tree type. At higher elevations, where the climate is colder, scattered trees sometimes begin developing fall colors as early as September with their colors peaking in late October. This is why you see the colors happen first on our mountain tops which is the best place to see these colors and the valleys below for miles! As a matter of fact many trees have started to change colors already and we are still in late August! By the way we call Valleys “Hollers” here and all of us here at Backroads of Appalachia grew up in one! A “Holler” is basically the place or area that runs between the mountains. Then there is “Up the Road” and “Down the Road” which signifies which way you’re traveling according to the flow of the river! Now that you know some Appalachian mountain speak let’s get back to those Fall Colors and give you the scoop on the best time to come here and see them. The answer to that question is simple for us. NOW!
Our leaves are already changing and our days now are giving us riders the perfect temperature to ride with clear skies and breathtaking scenery all around! Remember Fall is one of our favorite times of year here so we get all we can ride in right up until our season ends at the end of October! Now let’s talk about
those overlooks and the best place to come and SEE our fall colors! Here are some of our favorite choices and remember all of these overlooks and places can be easily found in our BOA Mobile Application in just 3 Clicks!
THE OVERLOOKS - SOME OF THE BEST PLACES TO SEE THOSE COLORS
You cannot really go wrong no matter which direction you head in but here are a few of our favorites in no apparent order!
* The Dragonslayer HWY 160 - Black Mountain Overlook, The highest Peak in KY!
• Copperhead Trail KY - Cumberland Falls, The Niagara of the South
• The Pinnacle - Cumberland Gap - See KY, TN, and VA all in one spot!
• The Chain - Pine Mountain State- Home of our SCCA Hillclimb on the car side!
• The Slingshot - Hogg Overlook - Pine Mountain
• The Knob - High Knob Observation Tower in Norton VA
Any of these locations will blow your mind now and moving into September and the ride to get there is even better! For you 2-ups and Scenery Aficionados who would rather be guided on your journey you’re in luck! Each Fall we lay out our ultimate list of
rides and events in September and October and ride right up until the leaves have peaked! Even our last ride and event of the season in October is a “Fall Leaves” in KY and TN which covers 2 states! From “The IRON 2.0” Event to our annual “Mountain Mainstreet Invasion”, which is our Kentucky “Fall Leaves Ride” each season, every event on our schedule is specifically designed to showcase our incredible scenery, roads, small mountain towns, and our region, and everybody is welcome here! It is all waiting for you right now on our Facebook pages, on our website under Events, or by downloading our Mobile App and clicking on the Calendar! You have ridden all the rest now come and ride the best and start your Appalachian Adventure with us Today! Find us on Facebook and join us as we bring economic development to our Region motorcycle style! We are Bringing the Bikes to Appalachia!
Best Riding in the U.S! Period! (Especially in the Fall)LET’S RIDE APPALACHIA!
—Jay Fryman (FryDaddy) Founder,
Whitley County Motorcycle Group Backroads of Appalachia Journalism Team
“ I am one for progress but at what cost. Tradition use to mean something.”
Hello riders. It is September already and as usual we as a country are in for more degradation of our society. It is my understanding that Sturgis this year had a weird vibe to it this year. Prices through the roof, fleecing of vendors on participation costs and just a whole participant attitude that left a bad taste in people’s mouthes. One of our communities largest nation events appears, from those I have spoken with, to be and a massive decline. What was once a national biker party seems to be turning into just another commercial carnival to separate the biker from community from their wallets contents. What a shame.
I’m sure that this in a large part goes hand in hand with Harley Davidsons news breaking of their support for the “woke” agenda and moving some of their production to Thailand.
Imagine that. The iconic brand for made in the USA will no longer be just that. Another brand made in china.
Obviously the words saying made in the USA won’t hold any salt anymore. Correct me if I’m incorrect but it seems some production will be moved from Milwaukee Wisconsin to overseas because of higher export taxes to Europe. Hey Harley, what about America? What about the American worker? What about the countless jobs that will be lost? What about your true customer
base? Didn’t NASCAR and Budweiser teach you anything? So much for standing for America.
It’s a punch in the face if you ask me. It’s a bad joke when you put a shirt that says Made in the USA on it but the tags says Made in China. Guess this is something else we will have to ponder. Another example of America losing its identity and history in exchange for profits. I truly hope I’m mistaken but this is the word on the grape vine.
So what’s our future going to look like, as bikers, if this happens. I shudder to think. It’s not just a brand but a culture at stake as well. I am one for progress but at what cost. Tradition use to mean something. Guess I’m just getting old and therefore will eventually phase out as well. It’s a sad thing. My heart goes out to the American worker as well as us consumers.
Unfortunately this is not an isolated issue. There’s plenty more where this comes from.
Do your research. Sift through the BS and make an informed and not an emotional decisions.
On another note, not to be cliche, it the rainy season again. Brutal in Florida for sure with all the flooding going on. Make sure if your riding out in this you make yourself very visible. I know it’s not very fashionable
but your life can depend on it. Also make sure your sled is ready for it as well. Cover those open air filters so you’re not sucking water into those intakes and make sure your tires have proper tread for those slick roads. Running a boloney skin isn’t going to help you maintain control on slick wet surfaces. Common sense. And of course eye protection. Hard to see when your eyes are squinted shut. I know we all want to cram in as much riding as possible before winter but let’s be smart about it. It’s all fun till you’re skidding across asphalt.
Lots of events coming up over the next couple of months for you to enjoy. You can read up on them in this very magazine. After all many out there like to be seen. What better way to have that happen than going to an event that Born to Ride is covering. Who knows, you may end up on the pages of this rag. Take advantage of all of it you can while you can. Days are counting down so live them to the fullest. What better way to do that than with friends and family on a motorcycle trip. Hope to see you out there and don’t be shy, say hello.
My best to you all (well minus a couple a**holes out there). Live free.
Til next time we cross paths,
-Nefarious James American Patriot
The summer is waning and the possibilities that approach either leave you with shell shock or hopefulness. Last month, I wrote about the horrible mud-slinging in the upcoming election and discussed the possibilities of the possible results. It’s still a disgusting display of negativity, and lately I try to remain as positive as possible – even though there is little hope for any miracle windfall in my financial situation. Too many people promise and very few deliver. It is becoming a serious situation, not only for myself, but for thousands of people out there in our great country. I suppose that things are difficult in other locations on the planet but since I cannot afford to travel for leisure, I couldn’t report on it.
I am a Christian by faith and from what I know about reading the Bible, (limited time studying – daily scripture reading excluded) I recall that the prophecy is that in the end times there will be floods, earthquakes, fires, pestilence and other unpleasant things. If this great book has the ability to predict the future, then we are looking at a short period of time to get our s#!t together and get right with God. I never know, so I just keep on going but from what I remember the good book said that the Anti-Christ would come and as much as I thought that it was Obama, for some reason we survived. Although I lost a lot of stuff in the past 8 years, I am still thankful that I am alive and have another day to live on and try to make stuff better. Regardless of my losses and my political slant on the upcoming election, I still am a little apprehensive thinking about the Democrats taking my guns away! As long as you go out and vote (I’m registered independent) it’s all good and I’m not going to try to tell you to vote for Trump. My own decisions have been the outcome of my current situation and y’all are probably sick of hearing my political rants, but I just can’t help it. Remember: “No good deed goes unpunished” … did I say that last month? At this
point, I can’t remember! Sometimes I wonder if there is a simple solution to the current situation. I wonder if people actually consider how we became the land of the free to begin with. I know as bikers, we are some of the remaining true patriots that love and protect our current level of freedom. Most all of us have served this great nation in one way or another, and a sure fire way to get your ass kicked is to try to insult a biker’s heritage! There are literally hundreds of biker borne organizations that are out there right now carrying on our fight to freedom of the open road. Yes, there are a myriad of rules and regulations involved in our lifestyle, but when compared to the trials and tribulations of our forefathers, these would appear to be a trivial afterthought.
If there is any chance of saving our great country from the other oppressive regulations that are currently being forced down our throat, perhaps we should run a biker (on a write in ballot) in the upcoming election. ISIS wouldn’t stand a chance! Terrorism is not anything we would allow. Think about it!
Dammit man. Maybe I should run for president! We could have some amazing perks. Imagine fifty cent premium fuel for motorcycles only. Or how about no tax on beer, or perhaps NO TAX AT ALL!! What about a Constitutional Amendment allowing free admission for bikers to the gentlemen’s club? Or perhaps the “Kill a biker – go to jail” dream could possibly fulfilled. I have a million great ideas and no money to put them into action.
Perhaps I should be like the Clinton’s and start a “Craven Foundation” and raise millions of dollars for no reasonable purpose. Or maybe I should take my last $12.00 to the casino and hope to win hundreds of thousands. All these plans sound ridiculous and in reality they are. It’s a sad reality and the situation may appear to be getting worse every day – BUT – if you’re still alive and happy about being alive, then just roll with the changes and try to survive all the friggin drama!!
I’ve learned that if I ignore the TV and ignore the negative political advertisements, I can feel a little better about life. Remember, these candidates are going to ramp-up the mud slinging in the next two months. At least in October the weather will get better and our riding season will be at hand. We at this time can enjoy the open road and – do yourself a favor and ignore all the political billboards. This crap will all be over in November I can start writing about something more entertaining. …
The fall in the south is truly the time to get out there and enjoy your two-wheeled freedom. So while you’re out on the road take a moment to remember all the good brothers and sisters that fought the good fight to keep us free! Enjoy yourselves and stay tuned next month for more great tales from the trailer park.
So until then, “speed safely” !
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The iconic 1966 film featuring Peter Fonda, Nancy Sinatra, and a cast of hundreds, is one of the most well-known biker exploitation films ever produced. In this classic film the “Angels” a California Motorcycle Club, travel across the state to retrieve a stolen motorcycle belonging to one of the clubs members “the Loser.” Heavenly Blues (Fonda) is the charismatic club president. At times he seems to have to ‘baby-sit’ his troop of fun-loving boozers and druggies.
This one is a favorite of mine, because the producers actually used real Harley-Davidson ‘choppers’ and actually cast some of the real members of the Hell’s Angels. In short, it is one of those films that give bikers in general a ‘bad’ name, but those of us who really know the true way of the biker lifestyle will find it entertaining, and at times hilarious.
The Angels ride through the desert to Mecca, California to look for the Loser’s stolen motorcycle. They accuse a group of Mexicans in a repair shop of stealing the motorcycle when the Loser finds his brake pedal on a workbench. After some mild insults and accusations naturally, a fight breaks out in the shop and the ‘taco benders’ as Fonda calls them wind up on the losing end. The police arrive, chasing the Angels on foot, and the Loser escapes
on a parked police motorcycle. After a chase on mountain roads, one of the officers shoots the Loser in the back, and he later ends in a local hospital.
Blues leads a small group of Angels to rescue the Loser and they subsequently “bust him out” of the hospital. In the melee a nurse is accosted by one of the Angels who knocks her out to keep the cops from discovering their presence in the hospital. The nurse later identifies Blues as one of the men she saw however; the audience knows that it was thanks to Blues’ intervention the assault stopped short of rape. Blues rebukes the member just before the cops notice their ‘suspect’ is gone. Later, the Loser dies at the Angels’ local watering hole from his injuries. The Angels move his body to an undertaker’s office-he demands cash “plus tax.” Using a forged death certificate the Angels arrange a funeral at a tiny church in the Loser’s rural hometown. During the service, Blues steps up to the minister and says those famous words “We just want to be free. Free to ride our machines without a hassle from the man. …” But when Blues says they just want to have fun, the Angels turn the service into a major party. The Angels remove the Loser from his Nazi flag-draped casket, sit him up and place a joint in his mouth. Meanwhile they also knock out the minister, tie him up and place him in the casket.
Later, the Angels proceed to the Sequoia Grove cemetery to bury the Loser. The procession of noisy bikers gets the attention of the locals, who all gather to see the spectacle. One of the local kids throws a rock at the Angels and naturally yet another fight breaks out. This interruption prevents burying the Loser, and as police sirens wail in the background everyone scatters. One of the members begs Blues to go, but he refuses and tells his girl to leave with another member of the gang. This is where the other most remembered phrase comes in, as Blues sighs “there’s nowhere to go.”
The last of the group leaves and Blues picks up a shovel and returns to the grave to bury the Loser.
Just as I was going to call all my boozing buddies over to watch this flick once again, a knock came at the door. I opened it to see a mailman with an overnight package. I signed for it and opened it up, expecting something good. It was just a DVD and a note from the editor of this magazine demanding an immediate review of The Twilight Zone Episode #138 from 1964. This was disappointing news.
In this short film a group of ‘bikers’ if you want to call them that are actually aliens from another planet sent to earth to infiltrate a small town. The local folks actually become fond of this odd cast, and befriend them. Little did they know the space-bikers were there to poison their water supply!
I dunno … I suppose that it was getting late and I drifted off to sleep somewhere after the giant eyeball in the 1950s TV screen requested them to continue with the plan of destruction. This particular episode albeit cute, doesn’t really rate very high up there in the ‘biker exploitation’ world. I guess that’s just because it only exists in The Twilight Zone.
Hey there my BTR friends. I say goodbye to the crispest August and hello to hell-forweather September.
For me it’s chicken month, pet insurance month, and service animal month. So Mike must take me down to Gotta Have It Insurance and renew my policy. Since I’m his service animal, we can go get some fried chicken and eat in at KFC!
For Mike it’s self improvement, urology awareness and head lice prevention month. So that means he’ll be expanding his skills, watching his pee and taking more showers. Three major things he’s been slacking on!
Mike babbles, “well smarty-pants maybe I should call you smarty feathers instead because I see you’ve been reading my national day book that I ordered from Amazon.”
I squawk, “well, I did find it in the bathroom with pages earmarked so I just had to read it and make notes like you. Let’s go through the days individually that apply to us.
Sept. 2: I think this one is for both of us, live fearless day.
Sept. 4: for you, it’s eat an extra dessert day. For me, it’s macadamia nut day.
Sept. 5: for me, it’s cheese pizza day. For you it’s be late for something and see your shrink day but I wouldn’t combine the two if I was you.”
Mike belches, “why not, he’s used to it by now! I can kill two birds with one stone!”
I crow, “stop killing my kin. You really need every minute of that hour with him!
Sept. 6 is all you. It’s fight procrastination and bring your manners to work day. Don’t plan on calling in sick!”
Mike says, “the next one is your day.
Sept. 7: turkey vulture, bacon and feel the love day. So I’ll take you out on a ride and you can feel the love of wind and food with your turkey vulture cousins eating roadkill off of the hot road as it fries like bacon!”
I chirp, “that’s so nice of you, but I like mine pan fried instead of asphalt fried.
Sept. 9: this day is for you. Wonderful weirdo and when pigs fly day. It’s the day where you will come up with something even more weirder than roadkill bacon and it will never happen!
Sept. 12: Are you OK day. I’ll be asking you this every hour on the hour.”
Mike blurts in, “well you’ll just have to wait until the next day for an answer because I think they’ve got two days mixed up.
Sept. 13: positive thinking and blame someone else day. This is when you’re going to find out I wish I was OK and whose fault it is that I’m not!
I cackle, “it’s also national peanut day, so I’m going to sit with a bag and eat them while I listen to you try to squirm your way out of it!
Sept. 14: this day is all about your fat ass. It’s food is medicine day, eat a hoagie, double cheeseburger, and cream filled doughnut day. That’s going to fill your mouth so I don’t have to listen to any more excuses
Sept 17: pet bird, get ready and times up
day. This is your day to be good to me. You’ll be getting up early and taking me out to my favorite pet store for shopping and not five minutes before it closes!”
Mike replies, “i’ll get up a little earlier so we can get there 10 minutes before it closes.
Sept 18: cheeseburger and respect day. We will be eating cheeseburgers together, and you will respect my choice of toppings.
Sept. 19: woman road warrior and talk like a pirate day. I’ll be taking you out on the scoot and you get to say your favorite word; Arrrr!
Sept. 22: ice cream cone, white chocolate, and Carefree day. We will both be hitting twisty treat and indulging without a care in the world.”
I tweet, “i’m gonna like that day but your waistline isn’t!
Sept. 23: go with your gut and apple cider vinegar day. This will be your day to go with the first thing you think about when drinking apple cider. I believe your first thoughts after drinking it will be that all those Facebook ads are not true as you hang over the toilet!
Sept. 25: quesadilla, roadkill, psychotherapy, and daughter’s day. Now that’s a lot going on for you. I hope you won’t be treating your mental condition by thinking it’s a great thing to scrape up some dead possum, slap it between two tortillas and think you’re giving me a feast! You’ll be killing this bird with one stone!”
Mike babbles, “OK dodo bird, i’ll make sure it’s one of your kin instead! On the last day of the month, we will be doing what we usually do.
Sept. 30: love people and pet tricks day. I’ll get the scoot out of the garage, plop your pretty feathers on the back rest, put my knees under the triple trees and get the Fat Bird 3 wheels rolling down the road. We’ve got a million people to make smile with all your talent.
It is a beautiful day and time for a relaxing ride. You walk out to the bike thinking about where you want to go. Is it an event, a restaurant, or just some wind therapy? When we go for a ride, so many things go through our minds. You may have heard the old saying “I am Walking by Faith”. Have you ever really thought about what that means? There are so many aspects of riding a motorcycle that can be considered riding by faith. Let’s see if we can name just a few. We ride a motorcycle on a road and have faith that the driver coming the other way will stay on their side of the road. We lean into a turn and have faith that we will not slide into the curve. What about believing the weather report before taking off for a ride? Riding a motorcycle takes a whole lotta faith every time we venture out.
What if we said the actual phrase above is “For we walk by faith, not by sight” as found in 2 Corinthians 5:7? What does this phrase, “walking by faith” really look like? Reading a verse found in Hebrews that talks about faith and sight may shed some light. Hebrews 11:1 “Faith shows the reality of what we hope for; it is the evidence of things we cannot see”. It is easy to have hope for something. Hope becomes faith when we believe it is a reality to us before the evidence appears. We can “see it in our mind’s eye”. When we begin to have faith, the evidence begins
to appear and we will soon see evidence that God is working “in the unseen” helping our faith to grow.
It is easy to see a car stay in their lane on the road. It is not quite so easy to understand why we don’t slide when taking a tight turn on two wheels. We sometimes just walk by faith and not by sight. Believing in God is also accomplished by faith and not by sight. We must believe that He is God and we come to Him by faith. He will show you the evidence of things you can not see.
Teach’s Takeaway,
- It requires faith to ride a motorcycle and it requires faith to believe in God.
- Faith says that you can believe it before you can see it.
- Faith in God will please Him and He will begin to show you evidence that you can see.
We all have faith in something. Faith in the wrong things will only lead to disappointment. Believing in God through faith will lead to pleasing Him and eventually you will see the evidence that only He can provide. God is ready to show Himself real to each of us. Let us truly “Walk by Faith and not by Sight”. We pray “Lord, show yourself real to each of us today”. The results will speak for itselves. Ride on.
— Fellow Soldier in Christ, Wayne (Teach) Masiker Christian Motorcyclists Association wayne.masiker@att.net
My name is Kelsey Burnette and I live in beautiful sunny Sarasota, FL. I was born and raised in Sioux Falls, South Dakota and have been in FL for over a decade. I’m a Leo and my passions include everything related to animals, music (classic rock is my favorite genre), art, cycling to stay fit, going to comedy shows, watching suspenseful shows/movies and I recently got back into modeling which I am loving as a way to express myself! I had the best time shooting with these incredible bikes and I hope you enjoy the shots we captured!
Bike Owner: Alex Sulieman
Bike: 2020 BMW M1000RR
Location: Gorilla Tek Motorsports
Model: Kelsey Burnette
