The Lone Star BMW riders and the hand off.

Riding with the Lone Star BMW Riders, was a joy and a full on experience. It is the longest ride I've done with a club, 4 days. Hanging out with them before and after the ride, taught me that we're very like minded folks. I learned so much from riding with them, I've become a better rider. I've learned more about twisties in 4 days with these boys and girls, then I could have gotten from 30 years on Midwest roads.

Everyone of them that I had the privilege to follow, gave me a perspective of what a bike and it's rider can do. If there was a slowpoke in the group, it was me...but I gainfully improved. I will say I hung pretty good in the soft serve ice-cream like mud we rode in...but I also took advanced slow speed training with Midwest Motorcycle Police (http://www.midwestmotorcycletraining.com/). We had a few people join up and a few people drop off over the 4 days, as a few had other paths or commitments. Me being one of them after day 4.

Being that I did get to hang with them, I thought I would give you an insight into who these Lone Star riders are, and I'll just say this now one more time - They are all amazing riders:

Willy - Our fearless leader. Riding a tricked out Goldwing, and can carving up corners like I carve up tenderloin.

Miss Rebecca - Our only female solo rider. She was on a very nice RT1200, and used 3 inch motorcycle boots to help keep the bike balanced at a stop. However, she wasn't stopped much. She flat out ripped. 90mph to her is like 25mph to me. She showed me a thing or two as well in the corners.

Kevin - Kevin is a corporate airline pilot, and if he flies planes as fast as he rides, none of his passengers will ever be late.

Ben - He may have been the fastest rider of them all. I saw a cloud of dust blow by Willy, and never saw Ben till the next day.

Lance - Another Goldwing rider...His about as tricked out as Willy's (probably as much but I'm not sure). Lance had a great music selection going, and was generally in front of me in our pack. He's fast and can carve a corner, but was being kind to me and letting me catch him on the straights.

Louis - The only gent in the group with a bike under 1000cc's. It didn't matter, I could barely keep up with him. Louis and his wife also put on a nice dinner for the Lone Star's just outside of Steamboat Springs CO, but my tail required a soaking in the hot tub, so I missed Brisket....Darn my sore ass!

Bill - The keeper of the Crown Royal and 7-Up. He only touched the sauce after he thoroughly put his decked out GS1200 through it's paces.

John and Susan - John is a certified member of the Iron Butt Association (About the IBA). He has what I consider to be the flagship of the BMW fleet, the K1600. It goes without saying that he can ride it, and he was doing it as a 2-up (his wife Susan on the back) Susan also rides, but decided this would be her 'vacation' and let John do the riding. John also invited me to do the IBA 3000 with him this fall. That's 3000 miles in 48 hours. Once I have a seat that is composed of nothing but unicorn farts and fairy kisses, I'm all over that challenge. Then again...Maybe in November John?

Chris - Our Anchorman! His tricked out Goldwing was doing double duty: towing a trailer and keeping me on pace. Chris, it was a pleasure and a honor riding with you. No matter what I did while in front of you, you always got off your machine with a smile, like you just hadn't seen me almost dump my bike in a gulch 2 minutes before.

The stops we made starting from Gunnison CO, to Steamboat Springs CO, over to Rock Springs WY, to Burley ID...Oh the things we saw! I'm positive that it can only be experienced truly on a bike.

One of the best parts about this ride, is handing the ride off. What is that you ask? Well I'm riding across the US for Ovarian Cancer. Through these 4 days, I found that many, if not all the folks I was riding with, were touched in one way shape or form by cancer. One person on the trip was a survivor. The Lone Star's are a big group (around 75 active members). During our last dinner together I asked the group if they would do 1 ride are year as a club for the cancer charity of their choice. They agreed! I shook Willy's hand, and let him know when they do the ride, I'll come down to ride with them, as a better rider.

Heck, I might come down sooner as this is one fun group!

More to come on the stop in Yakima and the Erik Loeding experience...As when you write anything about Loeding, you have to choose your words carefully.

Here's a few pictures too.