Meet Anja, Lizzy's New Ride!

Hmmm…how about some more? Okay!

Look at her Goodness!

 And, a little peek at her faring, which does a fantastic job of keeping the wind off of your friend, Lizzy-bean.

The Purple Girl

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Awesome resource for women motorcyclists!

Biker Babe Tours received an awesome shout-out in the Women Riders Now (WRN) Newsletter this week. Check it!

Do you know about WRN? If not, you just have to check them out. Their Web site describes the magazine as: “…the leading resource, online or in print, for motorcycling news and reviews from a female point of view.”  These incredible women connect other female riders with anything and everything chick and bike. I love, love, love the well-written and immensely interesting articles, product reviews,  and resources that founder and editor, Genevieve Schmitt provides for the women biker community. Genevieve also happens to ride a hot-ass, custom-painted Harley-Davidson Street Glide that I loooove. I covet the Street Glide (as you all know). So, please check them out, tell them that Lizzy of Biker Babe Tours sent you, and join the WRN family, babes!

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After sending out dozens of press releases all over CA, AZ, and NV, we finally got some press. Here’s a photo of the release that I wrote. They printed it verbatim (other than spelling out the acronyms).

Biker Babe Tours Press Release

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BBT Logo

Biker Babe Tours, Inc. I just sent my corporation paperwork in for Biker Babe Tours this week, so it’s happening, peeps! Whoooohooooo! This company has been in the planning stages for nearly two years. It all started with a three-am idea that shook me awake, sprung fully formed into my head, and wouldn’t let me get back to sleep. I then did the impatient, dancing-around-the-living room wait to call my darling friend, Cheri G. and tell her my idea for our business. Cheri’s and my mutual love of (purple) Harley-Davidsons, the open road, and the deep friendship between women made this idea a perfect fit for us. We both salivated at the chance to do something that no one else was doing.

Oh, sure, there are lots of touring companies performing a stellar job in the biker community, but no one is serving just women. No one is doing  full-service tours that combine all the things that biker babes like to do. And, no, gentlemen, it’s not just about having pillow fights in thin T-shirts. Heh, heh! JOKING! It’s all the stuff that women want: riding and a massage, riding and fine foods, riding and sharing our stories, riding and shopping, riding and making new friends. Let’s face it, women are different than men. We ride differently; we want different things. Yes, we love our husbands and wind brothers; but, women need this alone-time, this sister-time together.

So, Cheri and I knew that this idea was golden. Not just because of what it would bring us: adventure, friendship, personal satisfaction, camaraderie, and soul connection with other like-minded biker babes, but because of what it would give other women: adventure, friendship, personal satisfaction, camaraderie, and soul connection with other like-minded biker babes.  We were so excited! And, that tremendous excitement carried us forward like a sturdy Harley ripping through the desert.

For the more cynical types out there, this might come off like some duplicitous PR campaign, but I assure you: this is the real deal. This company has her heart, head, and soul in the right place. We are a service company: women who want other women to have the best tour and time of their lives. Women who live for the open road and the sisterhood. Women who actively put good energy into the world and help others. And, despite Cheri’s decision to pursue other interests, which I totally honor and celebrate, she is BBT’s biggest fan. So, she is a part of the soul of this company, as are all my wind-sisters out there.

So, it’s happening.  I owe Cheri, my No. Coast HOG Chapter peeps (who live and ride behind the Redwood Curtain), and the many women who have written to give me encouragement, ideas, and kudos over the past two years so much. I appreciate and celebrate you all. Let’s ride, babes!

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Here’s an excerpt:

A San Francisco cable car holds 60 people. This blog was viewed about 1,100 times in 2011. If it were a cable car, it would take about 18 trips to carry that many people.

Click here to see the complete report.

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My last year’s object of bagger lust, and the feature of one of my past blog posts, eventually sold, of course. She couldn’t wait for me. But, now, I’m in lust with a deep purple Street Glide with kick-ass flames all over the faring, tank, and bags. Here’s a photo of the yummy perfection:

Lizzy's New "Objet d' Lust"

So, even though I don’t really celebrate Christmas in the conventional sense (as in the rampant commercialism, shopping, stress, and frenzy), Santa would make me really happy by putting that delicious new Street Glide under my tree.

Merry Christmas, my friends. Please have the best, safest, and happiest holiday season ever. And, if Santa brings you a new bike or some other Harley toys, please let us all know what you got! Every time a biker smiles, the world is that much better.

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Entering Tlaquepaque

Designed to look like a traditional Mexican village, and nestled in a sweet hollow on the banks of Oak Creek, Tlaquepaque is definitely an amazing, unforgettable, and darling place to experience. The village contains quaint cobblestone streets, pueblo-style buildings that look as if they’re 200 hundred years old, bubbly fountains, lush foliage, and large, leafy Sycamore trees that cool the air and make it feel as if you’ve stepped out of time and stumbled upon a secret, magical place. People from all over the world come here.

Fountain at Tlaquepaque Village

Village Buildings

The village offers 40 specialty shops of all kinds, from restaurants and a brewery to art galleries, and even a candy store. But, the best part of Tlaquepaque is its art. The Tlaquepaque Web site states it perfectly:

“Tlaquepaque is filled with spectacular one-of-a kind art expressions in every medium from Western and eclectic bronze sculpture, functional and traditional ceramics, breathtaking blown glass creations, contemporary and Southwestern fine art paintings, weavings, decorative arts, architectural décor pieces and stunning large format photography. Fine contemporary jewelry, designer casual wear in silks, and leathers and unusual gift items all await the Tlaquepaque visitor.”

Doorway to a beautiful shop

My hubby and I, though frequent visitors to Sedona, had never managed to make it off of the trails and out of the open spaces to visit Tlaquepaque. Boy, did we feel silly when we realized that there are other awe-inspiring places in Sedona (other than the massive red rock formations and natural splendor).

It's So Sweet Here

Tlaquepaque is a jewel inside of the jewel that is Sedona. And, as artists ourselves (Craig is a pianist and composer and I, an artist and writer), this place absolutely spoke to our souls.

Cool, Little Archways All Over

We had an amazing dinner and simply walked around and absorbed the ambiance of this special place. We both looked at each other after dinner and said “Can you believe we are going to live near here soon? How lucky are we?!”

Full, Happy, and Surrounded by Art

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Red Cross CPR Classes Rock!

CPR stands for Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation and is the best method of helping someone who is in cardiac arrest. CPR refers to a series of actions that provide air for someone who is not breathing and consistent stimulation to the heart area for someone whose heart has either begun to beat irregularly or has stopped.

AED stands for Automated External Defibrillators and refers to the practice of using a small, portable defibrillator device on someone in cardiac arrest. An AED is a small box-like electrical device, located in many public places, such as libraries, restaurants, government buildings, airports, workplaces, and shopping malls, that guide someone, trained in the practice, through an analysis of the victim’s heart rate and if necessary, the device administers a small shock to the heart to regulate or restart its beat.

The American Heart Association’s CPR Fact Sheet on their Web site tells us:

• “Sudden cardiac arrest can happen to anyone at any time. Many victims appear healthy with no known heart disease or other risk factors.
• Sudden cardiac arrest is not the same as a heart attack. Sudden cardiac arrest occurs when electrical impulses in the heart become rapid or chaotic, which causes the heart to suddenly stop beating. A heart attack occurs when the blood supply to part of the heart muscle is blocked. A heart attack may cause cardiac arrest.”

And, statistics tell us that sudden cardiac arrest can happen to anyone at any time, including children and people in their teens and early twenties. The American Heart Association goes on to say this about the practice of CPR and using AEDs:

• “Less than one-third of out-of-hospital sudden cardiac arrest victims receive bystander CPR.
• Effective bystander CPR, provided immediately after sudden cardiac arrest, can double or triple a victim’s chance of survival.
• The American Heart Association trains more than 12 million people in CPR annually, including healthcare professionals and the general public.”
• Unless CPR and defibrillation are provided within minutes of collapse, few attempts at resuscitation are successful.
• Even if CPR is performed, defibrillation with an AED is required to stop the abnormal rhythm and restore a normal heart rhythm.
• New technology has made AEDs simple and user-friendly. Clear audio and visual cues tell users what to do when using an AED and coach people through CPR. A shock is delivered only if the victim needs it.”

As for my class, it was amazing. There we all were, 10 people on the floor of a conference room, following the steps shown to us and administering aid to our CPR dolls, all named “Joe”. We learned how to assess the scene, carefully turn someone over who is unconscious, check for breath, ask for a bystander to call 911, and begin administering CPR until help arrives. We learned how to operate an AED and also the steps for administering CPR/AED processes in teams of two. We even learned how to help adults and children who are choking.

Several times throughout the class, I actually got pretty emotional, reflecting on the seriousness of the training and how vital it is in saving lives. It really hit me. This is the real deal. This is a huge responsibility and one that I gladly take on, but hope that I never have to use. If I ever do, I feel confident that I can help someone. I feel prepared.

So, to anyone reading who has been thinking about taking a CPR class, do it! The classes take, at most, a day out of your life but add so much to your sense of community. I feel closer to other people as a result of completing this class, and that is an added bonus.

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Biker Babe Tours’ very-first motorcycle tour retreat is happening April 5 – 8, 2012 in the profoundly beautiful, mystical, and amazing Sedona, AZ. Join us for a three-day, all-inclusive riding adventure that’s sure to stir your imagination, excite your soul, and enliven your senses.

Sedona's Bell Rock

We’ll ride gorgeous desert roads that are perfect for bikes, see some of Sedona’s most beautiful and famous red rock formations, feast on wholesome foods, and enjoy each other’s company from the saddles of our motorcycles.

Perfect Riding in Sedona

The quaint, beautiful, and “perched-above-it all” Sky Ranch Lodge will be our home-base for the tour with a special event planned and other surprises in store. There are six spots open on the tour. Please, only experienced riders, as we’ll be on a variety of road surfaces and road types. More details following soon. Contact Liz@BikerBabeTours.com with questions. Let’s ride, babes!

Sky Ranch Lodge

Walkway at Sky Ranch Lodge

Sky Ranch Lodge's Spectacular Views of Sedona

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Enough Said.

Closed? What’s closed? Your eye naturally travels slightly north and there, silent and sullen in the baking desert is an adobe-style building, surrounded by chain-link fencing, on top of which is fastened an ominous curl of barbed wire.

Abandoned Building

At first glance, it appears to have been an old city building of some sort or a library. But, no; it’s nothing of the kind. This building, as it turns out, is an abandoned memorial to the WW II Japanese Internment Camps that once stood on this very spot (and other nearby spots) in the parched desert. The Gila River Interment Camps were here.

Barbed Wire and The Parking Lot

This is a sad place. This is a lonely place. The only sign of living anything are the steadfast witnesses, the Saguaro and other cacti, that have graced this location much longer than the camps and subsequent failed memorial have. My heart is heavy as I walk around here.

Cactus Plant

One reason is that a perfectly good building is in disrepair and moldering away while the world races past, not far from it, on the 10 freeway. But, the real reason that my heart aches is for the people who suffered here under the US government’s disgraceful justification of their imprisonment based on ethnicity and war.

Looking Toward Where Some of the Camps Stood

Hundreds of thousands of innocent people were held here against their will as “enemies of the USA” for no other reason than they were of Japanese descent and the US was at war with Japan. Adding insult to injury, was that this was tribal land, but the government simply moved in and without permission set up massive camps to house the prisoners. Many of the Japanese people being rounded up were, in fact, US citizens and had owned businesses and property prior to being brought out here. They lost everything.

The following 30′ tall Saguaro stands in very front of the memorial, in defiance of the wrong-doing that took place here but a witness to it all. This cactus is well over 100 years old.

My Hubby Standing Beside the Witness (Craig is 6' 5" tall)

And, another shot of the sad structure:

Near the Entrance

Naturally, so many questions race through my mind. How long did this memorial operate? What made it go bankrupt? When did it close? Why doesn’t anyone care about preserving the memories, albeit, disgraceful ones, of what happened here?* But, the building did not tell us its secrets. It just stood there, looking blankly back at us. The sun beating down. The afternoon winds building and scattering small rocks at our feet with every gust. This, a forlorn and forgotten place, commemorating a sad time in history that few people think about any more.

*What’s really strange is I came home and did some research, but I cannot find any information on line about this building itself or when it closed. I found quite a bit about the internment camps in AZ, but as for this stucco building, no mention. It’s truly a mystery.

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