Motorcycle Misadventures

Welcome to the Miss Adventuring Weblog by Carla King

Here's where you'll find the latest news and updates on motorcycle misadventures, writing, books, bikes, gear and gadgets, events, radio, and podcasts. I send live dispatches from the road when I travel, and talk about them on a variety of shows. I  post news and commentary here. Enjoy, and contact me if you have a suggestion for a trip, a story, or a show. And please visit my website for stories, books, and other writings.

New website and some recent podcasts on motorcycling, books, and writing

I've finally gathered all my websites under just one, carlaking.com, so I'm no longer scattered all over the place. It's a great feeling being so organized. I used AuthorFriendly, a browser-based content management system that I helped develop, that makes it easy for people who don't know HTML or DreamWeaver or FrontPage or WordPress installations to update their own sites. It works pretty much like a blog.

I put a link to my Twitter updates and FaceBook widget on the page so I can update my  status right from my own website. Still, I've had this TypePad blog for so long now that I hesitate to move it over to AuthorFriendly just yet -- I'd probably lose a lot of links that make my site come up on the first google page when people search for "women motorcycle travel" and other keywords. There's probably a widget that will let me put my TypePad blog on a page of my website. That's next!

All of my dispatches - American Borders, China Road, Indian Sunset, Italian Lessons, Around the Adriatic, and Alps to Atlas - are now available in the Journeys section of my site, and there's a Contact form too, so I'll never miss an email from you -- use the form and you won't get caught in my spam filter.

Also check out the Press Room for audio and video podcasts I've done the past few years. Some notable recent shows include:

• November 17, 2009: Episode 120 Side Stand Up Radio, Carla King and Joanne Donn host an all San Francisco cast live at BMW Motorcycle San Francisco (click to download MP3 audio)
  
• October 20, 2009: Episode 116 Side Stand Up Radio interviewing Doug Bingham, Griffith Park Sidecar Rally (click to download MP3 audio)
  
• September 22, 2009: Episode 122 Side Stand Up Radio interviewing Cristine Sommer-Simmons about her book The American Motorcycle Girls: 1900 to 1950 (click to download MP3 audio)
  
• August 25, 2009: Side Stand Up Radio talking with Tom about my Alps to the Atlas journey from Austria to Morocco's Sahara Desert (click to listen to the MP3 audio)
  
• March 24, 2009: Side Stand Up (MP3) on blogging, travel writing and self-publishing

Enjoy - and let me know how you like it!

Best,
Carla

All San Francisco Side Stand Up Podcast

Tonight, Side Stand Up gathered at BMW Motorcycle in San Francisco to do a live podcast with a great lineup. We missed Tom Lowdermilk, who was stuck south of Fresno on a wild ride I'm sure we'll hear about next week. So Joanne Donn (GearChic) and I did our best. Thanks to Joanne's husband Evan, the AV guy, for sound help despite the lack of the right equipment. We will put him on the advisory board further in advance for next time. Catch the archives at http://sidestandup.com/ - we know you'll love hearing from these great guests about their specialties, motorcycle culture in San Francisco, and the Bay Area's best roads. Tune in to Episode 120, November 17, 2009.

Jennifer Bromme, owner and head mechanic of Werkstatt Motorcycle Repair in San Francisco tells the story of starting Werkstatt, what's it like to be owner of the most popular motorcycle repair shop in SF, her antique bikes/pet projects, and her wild travels and racing activities. Jennifer  was trained in Munich, Germany on street and race bikes, and founded Werkstatt in 1994. She raced sidecars and motorcycles for 4 years, and supports AFM and AMA races as a technical and crew chief. She loves to take crazy trips to explore Mexico. Her shop works on Suzuki, Honda, Yamaha, Kawasaki, KTM, Triumph, and BMW motorcycles, and was Baylist's best motorcycle repair shop in the Bay Area. 

Gabe Ets-Hokin, Motorcycle reviewer, editor of CityBike Magazine in San Francisco, reveals the truth about the glamorous life of a professional motorcycle reviewer, plus talks about his new role editing CityBike magazine. Ets-Hokin [rhymes with "Get Smokin'] has written for most of the top motorcycle magazines and websites and has had a ride on almost every new bike introduced in the last five years. His stories appear in City Bike magazine (which he edits), MotorcycleDaily.com and many other outlets.

Crystal Gurr, Co-owner of Scuderia West Motorcycle Dealership and Repair in San Francisco talks about how to attract women to your motorcycle shop, staffing your shop with knowledgeable people who know how to fit gear. Crystal  is co-owner of Scuderia West, San Francisco's #1 motorcycle dealership. They sell and service KTM, Aprilia, Victory, and Kymco scooters. They are also arguably the best place to buy gear anywhere in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Join the live podcast today at 7pm Eastern THE AMERICAN MOTORCYCLE GIRLS

Today at 7pm Easter (that's 4pm for you west-coasters), I'll be joining the motley crew at Sidestand Up Radio. I'll be interviewing longtime motorcycle journalist, author, columnist, and songwriter, Chris Sommer-Simmons. She's collected photos of women riders for more than thirty years and created the new book, "The American Motorcycle Girls:" A Photographic History of Early Women Motorcyclists.

Why did I unfollow you on twitter?

I tweet, and I follow a lot of twits. But I unfollow every day. Why? Because I don't want to get text messages, I want small info bytes that helps me with my work, or informs me in some other valuable area. I want tweets on topic, and with links. Here's a list of examples of what I think are good and bad tweets.

BAD

• I hate spreadsheets!
• REALLY need to upload a photo. Still havent found my usb cord though.
• Going for lunch, back shortly.
• Going for coffee, back shortly
• Thanks for the #ff shoutout! you guys are awesome! :)
• Thanks for the RTs. You guys are awesome! :)
• Hey, how's Twitterville treating you? 
• Never drink black coffee at lunch; it will keep you awake all afternoon.
  
• Hey if any of you use itunes, you can get songs for free! check out my URL :D
• Thanks for the #FollowFriday #ff @... and have a great weekend!  
• What up biker dudes and babes!?
• I love this Iphone Case. It comes in 10 different colors!
• Have a safe and wonderful weekend everyone!

You get the picture. So, you ask, what's a good tweet?

GOOD

• Good article on packing 4 round-the-world trip-6 surprising essentials w/link 2 complete list http://tinyurl.com/mmabnt
• RT @ANight_in_Paris: Fabulous interactive metro map for Paris - love it! http://bit.ly/3VCYWE #paris
• Bike rental delivery & pickup right to your door! Sorry, they don't have any Harleys! http://bit.ly/ZVuQ2
• Outside: The Road Trip Is Back Four of our favorite nomads share tales of http://tinyurl.com/o46qjh Full http://tinyurl.com/2ukrhs
• Brammo Enertia electric motorcycle primes for its Best Buy debut http://bit.ly/iXqoU
• TCX Sunray Boots for women with Gore-Tex and plenty of pr http://tinyurl.com/p9whdw Full http://tinyurl.com/qtabl
• One sort of surprising thing about the Suzuki TU250X is that it's fuel-injected. http://bit.ly/MK5ab
• Round up of HOT #travel deals from the NY Post, including @azulbeach, a Karisma Resort: http://bit.ly/474k3V
  

You get the picture. So now if you see I've unfollowed you, please don't take it personally. Or do, and tweet smart.

Miss Adventuring on Twitter

Greek villages on a Dalmatian island that moved to the Italian Adriatic Coast

The Promontorio del Garganano doesn’t seem to belong to Italy at all. It is a geographic anomaly, a hunk of earth that lunges out into the sea. Millions and millions of years ago it started moving here from Dalmatia to settle uncomfortably, and now it seems to reach southeast toward Greece. Perhaps in another few million years it will have crossed the Adriatic and Ionian seas to reach its destination. Or maybe the fault will move it back on home to Croatia. It's a wonderful road trip, by car or motorcycle or even bicycle, with lots of camping and hotels in the villages, swimming, hiking, and small town charm. Read the article.

Cindi Servante makes major dent in the fight against helmet hair

A hairdresser by trade, Cindi Servante has made a major dent in the fight against helmet hair by developing satiny "Style Saver Scarves" to wear under your motorcycle helmet. "They're based on the concept of those satin pillows women used to sleep on to keep their hairdos in shape in the days when they used to all go get their hair done once a week," she told me. Mine is a "Haight Ashbury" with a paisly print, which is her favorite as well, though the snake skin prints are pretty hot, too.

Before you put on the scarf you part your hair in the opposite direction, then slip it over. Because the fabric is so satiny, your motorcycle helmet just slides on over it, and when you take off your helmet you just flip your hair back to the way it's supposed to be parted and fluff a little and, voila, no more helmet hair!

It's also fashionable enough to wear even when you're not riding. Yay, Cindi! Visit Style Saver Scarves on the web.

Today at 12:30 Pacific Time: Listen to Motorcycling Morocco

Today I'll talk with Ann Lombardi on The Trip Chicks program about my motorcycle trip in Morocco. Listen in at 12:30 pacific time, or listen to the archives. Click here to listen.

Secretly longing for a sport bike, but embedded in cruiser culture?

You just might not get kicked out of your club if you show up on this: The Suzuki Boulevard M90 is a sport bike disguised as a cruiser, rumbling up like a Harley-Davidson and zipping away like a Ninja. With accessories it could function nicely as a light touring motorcycle, too. And with a price tag of $10,599, you might find it almost irresistible. For the experienced rider only. This power in this muscle bike can literally blow you off the back. Read my short piece about it in examiner.com.

Your Road Trip to the Sacramento Delta Area can include Beekeeping Tour in Brentwood

Attention all road trippers, bikers, and tourists: Here's a great stop in a loop from the San Francisco Bay Area to the Sacramento Delta area on Sunday, July 12.

Did you know that one in three mouthfuls of the food we eat comes as a result of the work of honeybees? These pollinators are in trouble and that's why Slow Food Delta Diablo invites you to spend a day at Knoll Farms in Brentwood touring the farm, eating lunch and learning about honeybees and the important relationship between thoughtful farmers and mindful beekeepers.

Learn about the life of the honeybee, the world-wide threat to honeybee health and what beekeepers and farmers on the urban fringe are doing to sustain the lives of bees. Learn about bee habitat and what the public can do to improve and support the lives of honeybees and other pollinators.

$20 Slow Food members
$30 non-members
$15 students (age 15 and up)

Well-mannered children under 15 may attend at the student price; however, there will not be child-targeted activities at this event.

Activities will include a talk and beekeeping demonstration by Alan Hawkins, beekeeper at organic farms in Brentwood, Tracy, and Marin, a tour of the farm and bee habitat with Rick Knoll, and a showing of Pollen-Nation, a short award-winning film that discusses the threat to bee health. (See movie trailer here.)

Enjoy a delicious lunch that features Knoll Farms honey and produce.

The day closes with a tasting of a variety of artisan honeys from around the country.

Wear light colored clothing and a hat as you will be on a working farm with thousands of bees in the air. Beekeepers are welcome to bring a veil.

Buy tickets here.

Lodging in and near Brentwood.

Map of Brentwood.

(This article also published in examiner.com.)

On the road: If you just need a shower...

My friend Steve Frey, who used to be a trucker, wrote me with this advice about finding showers on the road, which is really helpful because by the end of the riding day it's often too late (dark, cold) to want to shower, and who wants to get their hair wet in the morning and put it in a helmet? So here you go - thanks Steve!

I know you prefer campgrounds, but modern truck stops usually have better
showers with locking doors or hotel-style keyed entry. These shower rooms are
unisex, separate from the restrooms, and are cleaned after every use. They also
have a sink, toilet and mirror.

Typically, a trucker will get a free shower ticket or credit for every 100 gal.
of fuel he buys, so he ends up with more than he needs. Or he can just pay $5 +
$5 deposit for the towels and soap. Women travelers may have to pretend that
they are with a trucker, but usually a female cashier will be sympathetic. You
may want to go in the back and check it out first. You can also get on the C.B.
radio (ch17 or 19) and ask if anyone has any extra tickets or credits. You want
to do this during the day if possible; at night there will likely be a waiting
list, especially during the week when all the truckers are on the road. Most
truck stops allow non-truckers to shower or don't even ask. Just say you need to
get a shower (like you do this all the time) and play it by ear.

The older type of truck stop showers are free, but are located in the restrooms
and may not be secure, private, or even clean. Some resemble the kind we had
in the Army with an open room and several shower heads. I've also seen these in
France and England, on their major motorways.

So the next time you pass a travel center, please stop and investigate!

Other places to find showers

• The beach. (Always take a bathing suit when traveling.)
• Public swimming pools
• University locker rooms
• Military bases. Some are open to the public. Say you want to visit the museum (they all have museums).
• Factories, large repair shops.
• Heavy Truck dealers.
• YMCAs & YWCAs
• Fitness clubs
• Homeless shelters
• Add yours here!

The Alps to Atlas journey through Europe and Africa is over

I'm home in the San Francisco after my Alps to Atlas journey on a Ural sidecar motorcycle. You can read my dispatches and take a look at my twitter page for reports on this 2009 journey from Linz, Austria to the Sahara desert and back. The trip took me through a range of environments from cold, high mountains to hot, flat deserts in Europe and Morocco. I'm updating the stories and photos as I can and will let you know when new material is available. Thanks for following the adventure!

Last day in the Alps - The Dolomites - before returning the Ural and flying home to San Francisco.

Crossing to Morocco Today: Options

Yesterday I thought I might cross into Tangier from Malaga, but today, with the help of Don -- a Uralista -- who lives here have decided to ride past Algeciras, which is supposed to be  a zoo. Twenty minutes down the road at the most popular windsurfing beach in the world lies Tarifa, a much smaller and more sane place to cross. That way I'll be closer to Fez, which I want to get to, and I will go via the coast, not the Rif mountains where they grow pot and make "kif" has. Doesn't sound like a bad place on the face of it but there are apparently zero women there, which is never a good thing.

So I'll go down the west coast after all on the N1 from Tanger, cut inland at Larache, back to the coast at Kenitra, then cut over to Mekenes on the N6, and toodle on to Fes.

From there head a bit southeast to some canyons where rock climbers go, then to Marrakesh finally to lounge about with the Wild Writing Women for a week. I have a feeling I'll be ready!

On the way home I take a ferry from Tangiers to Genova, so I only have to ride 800 km back to Linz.

Well - that's the "plan." Please don't hold me to it!