Motorcycle Misadventures

My New Blog is at CarlaKing.com/blog

Hi everybody! I'm blogging on my own website these days, so please go on over and join me at http://carlaking.com/blog. You can also sign up for my email newsletter for occasional news about motorcycling, adventure travel, writing, self-publishing - choose one or two or all categories. See you there! 

Doubling the number of women riders: Jan Plessner of LadyMoto.com on SidestandUp Motorcycle Radio on Tues Aug 28

Please join me on SidestandUp.com motorcycle radio Tuesday August 28 5-6:30 pm PT, I talk with Jan Plessner, one of the most respected pros in the motorcycle industry, about her new gig developing LadyMoto.com. You've heard us chat  before when Jan was head of PR at Kawasaki USA - but this next talk will focus on this new position where she is perfectly poised to influence riders and reach her goal of doubling the number of women riding motorcycles. Hey, how can we help, Jan!?

That was the question she posed to attendees of the AMA Women & Motorcycling Conference earlier this month, after announcing her goal at the Women in the Industy luncheon to overwhelming approval and committed enlistment of about sixty influencers. It's a great start, but there's more. Tune in to hear more about it, and join the lively chat room to pose your own questions. Read more below...

Day passes now available for the Tahoe Adventure Motorcycle event Aug 23-26

Responding to those who can only attend Tahoe Adventure Motorcycle Ride & Rendezvous for just a day, they're providing day rates. I'll be there for the whole event, so please find me and say hi - I'll be checking my @missadventuring twitter account pretty regularly, and updating where I am. Register and get day passes here.

Friday Only All Access Pass $95

• Includes ride maps (Dirt and Pavement), morning coffee, after ride refreshments, Emergency Medical Workshop, Dakar podium winner Jimmy Lewis demonstration and BBQ dinner on the beach.

Saturday Only All Access Pass $95

• Includes ride maps (Dirt and Pavement), morning coffee, after ride refreshments, Motorcycle Repair Workshop, the legendary Dick Mann presentation and Dakar podium winner  Jimmy Lewis seminar.

 Sunday Only All Access Pass $49

• Includes ride maps (Dirt and Pavement), morning coffee, after ride refreshments and Dakar podium winner Jimmy Lewis demonstration.

Day passes do not include the goody bag but souvenir T shirts will be available for purchase.

 The day passes are in addition to the Full Access Pass for $249 that includes entry into all event activities and an incredible goody bag. 

Jimmy Lewis Off Road at Tahoe Adventure Motorcycle Event

I'm so excited to ride with Jimmy Lewis next week at the Tahoe Adventure Ride & Rendezvous. 

Jimmy's off-road teaching career began back in 1999 when a group of Bay Area riders, spearheading the adventure riding movement, contacted Jimmy to see if he could teach them the skills to ride the big bikes in the dirt. It was a huge success and the classes caught on quick. Now he's based in Pahrump, Nevada and offers classes there during the cooler months of the year.

Rendezvous riders will get to meet Jimmy up close throughout the event, as he will be giving demos, participating in one or two of the locally led dual-sport rides, and speaking about his riding experience on Saturday night along with Dick Mann.   

More information is available at www.tahoeadventuremoto.com, including a schedule, lodging information and registration information. See you there!

The more dirt on your bike, the better! Tuesday, a talk with Tahoe Adventure Motorcycling Ride & Rendezvous

Carl Ribaudo on his GS 1200 with Carla King on her KLR 650 in the mountains above Lake Tahoe scouting the Rendezvous road trips - Photo by Joe Berk

Are we having fun yet or what? Here I am with Carl Ribaudo, co-organizer of the 1st annual Lake Tahoe Adventure Motorcycle Ride & Rendezvous, checking out the roads and the good times to come August 23-26 when they hold the inagural event. Join me on Tuesday June 12 for our talk on Sidestand Up motorcycle radio 8-9:30 Eastern (that's 5-7:30 for us on the Pacific coast), and find out what's in store. 

Tuesday, June 12
Sidestand Up Motorcycle Radio
5-7:30 pm Pacific Time (8-9:30 Eastern)
Join the lively chatroom online
http://sidestandup.com 

Carl Ribaudo talks with Carla King
Lake Tahoe Adventure Motorcycle Ride & Rendezvous
August 23-26, 2012

Rendezvous is your invitation to a blowout of motorcycle enthusiasts who love discovery and the adventure of riding in remote and exceptional natural environments, a unique adventure motorcycle gathering located at Lake Tahoe. 

Rendezvous is for riders who pursue personal skill, discovery and adventure in motorcycle riding. The more dirt on your bike the better. 

Find out more, and book now, to say you were there at the first annual Lake Tahoe Adventure Motorcycle Ride & Rendezvous.

Already sponsored by the tourist offices of Tahoe, the AMA, RawHyde, and RoadRUNNER Motorcycle Touring & Travel.

(Why didn't anybody think of this before?)

 

Getting up this morning at the Lakeshore Lodge I look out across the sand and the large expanse of very very blue water and think, yeah, I'm going to motorcycle all the way to the other side of it today, and all around it, through the green pines and the small towns and the casinos and the picnic benches and mountains with views. If you haven't been following me on my SPOT, take the tour around this big blue with me today starting at 9 am http://bit.ly/KHtZbk password spotmissadventuring. This trip is courtesy, by the way, of motorcycle enthusiasts in the area who partnered with the tourist bureau who want many many more motorcyclists to visit Tahoe. So they've scouted out the best roads, and have been talking with the hotels to let them know what "motorcycle friendly" means to us (paper towels for our bug-spatted windscreens! safe parking for our machines! and more). If you haven't seen Carl Ribaudo's posts on http://MotoSFO.com on the Sierras, take a look, and I'll be reporting on this trip, too, of course. Stay tuned.

In Cedar City - Tire Changing Help FOUND

One of the other mechanics came in the shop and says he can do it, no problem. Whew! I should be out of here and on the road by about 10:30-11. See you in Mariposa, for those of you who are going to the BMW NorCal 49er Rally. 

We have a winner on the road to empowerment...

In last week's great guest blog post by Liz Jansen, author of Women, Motorcycles and the Road to Empowerment, was a free ebook offer by drawing from the people who commented on the book, and Deborah Hymes won. Congratulations Deborah! Coincidentially, I know Deborah aka her smart and funny Writer Vixen blog. In fact, she attended one of my Self-Publishing Boot Camps last year and was a pleasure to have in the seminar. Deborah wasted not time downloading and reading the book, and she offers her comments here:

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Hi Carla, I'm so excited that I won this book. I'm embarking on several new adventures at the moment, and although none of them involve an actual motorcycle, the spirit of taking to the road suffuses my life right now. I immediately found inspiration and a kindred spirit in "Getting Past Go":  

"I was heading into the unknown . . . and had a whole blank slate in front of me, waiting for me to write the script. I . . . ultimately would have to let go of behaviors, thoughts and beliefs that not only no longer served me, but also hindered my progress. The trick would be to recognize fears that were creating resistance, identify self-limiting beliefs and destroy them one by one, rather than let them continue to hold me away from who I was."  [Jansen, Liz (2011-12-01). Women, Motorcycles and the Road to Empowerment (p. 80).  . Kindle Edition.]

I am revved up! Thank you so much. ;)

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Thank you Deborah, thank you Liz! Liz is on to the next stop in her virtual book tour, check out 10 Life Lessons I Learned from Being a Biker in the Amazing Women Rock blog.

Meet me at the BMW NorCal Rally this Memorial Day Weekend

BMW Motorcycle Owners to Converge in Yosemite & California's Gold Country for Unparalleled Riding & Events at 40th Annual 49er Rally, May 24-28, 2012 in Mariposa CA

Hitting the Road: 7 Steps for Adventure Travel - Liz Jansen: author of Women, Motorcycles and the Road to Empowerment, helps conquer your fears

I'm thrilled to be the first stop on a virtual book tour for Liz Jansen, an author, speaker, coach and motorcycle aficionado.  Her book Women, Motorcycles and the Road to Empowerment resonates with stories of adventure and self-discovery.  She says that "The Road to Empowerment may lead around the block or around it world.  It always brings us back to who we are."

I agree! I've gotten to know Liz over the years via social media and phone conversations, and we finally met last year and became fast friends. We found that we shared many of the same experiences as motorcycle travelers timidly starting out, working through our fears and doing that thing we really wanted to do - get on a motorcycle and explore. If you are, similarly, trying to figure out whether you're brave enough to work through the fears that have stopped you - well, we're here to gently push you toward your dream. If you've done it, you'll recognize yourself in these 7 Steps for Adventure Travel, so wonderfully illustrated in her book, which is discounted for this tour -- 25% of signed books from her website and reduced ebook price to $6.99 for the tour from Amazon and other ebook retailers.

Now... here's Liz's 7 steps for getting past fear and hitting the road.

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Hitting the Road: 7 Steps for Adventure Travel

Excitement tinged with fear framed where I stood looking forward on August 1, 2003. Forty-nine, single, healthy, unbound by work commitments, I was about to embark on the adventure of a lifetime: a two-month solo motorcycle odyssey across North America. 

Recognizing I had migrated into roles which no longer fit me, I had left a thirty-year relationship and a successful corporate career in the preceding eight months. I was footloose and fancy free. 

I had a new bike, been riding for more than thirty years and was confident in my skills. The opportunities ahead of me were endless. 

So why the fear?

Introducing MotoSFO, your guide to motorcycle touring in Northern California

It's my birthday, it's International Female Ride Day, and it's the day I launch my new website, MotoSFO. It's been a blast to develop this site with a community of local rider-riders who share their favorite places in Northern California. I hope you'll ride along with us, my friends. We can't wait to see you here!

MOTOSFO - WHERE LOCALS SHARE THEIR FAVORITE PLACES TO RIDE IN NORTHERN CALIFORNIA

SAN FRANCISCO, CA, May 4, 2012 -- MotoSFO, a new website devoted to motorcycle touring in Northern California, launches today. The online magazine was created by motorcycle adventure travel writer Carla King, who lives and rides in the San Francisco Bay Area. She developed the site for her Motorcycle Misadventures blog readers who asked for information and advice about motorcycle travel in this very popular tourist destination. The site combines travel stories with maps, resources, news, and events of specific interest to motorcyclists.

The site serves a variety of motorcycle touring styles including the business traveler who has just one day to rent a motorcycle and take in the highlights, the fly-n-ride travelers on the vacation of a lifetime, and motorcyclists on a budget. Recommendations and reviews include hotels, campgrounds, state and national parks, restaurants, motorcycle rentals, repair, events, and gear. The site will also be of interest to local riders who want to break out of their usual weekend groove, says King, who says her team of writers have already surprised her with new information about areas she thought she knew well.

MotoSFO is a team of local riders and writers who live in the region from San Francisco to the Sierras, and Big Sur to the Mendocino Coast. King says that "not only will MotoSFO readers discover our favorite roads, but the quirky tourist destinations that rarely make the guidebooks, our favorite places to eat, to hang out with other riders, and the places we pull out to get the best view. We might take you to a hot springs, or an overlook where you can see elks grazing or elephant seals mating, or a quiet redwood grove where you can be alone." 

Along with King, the initial team of MotoSFO local guides are Lisa Alpine in Mill Valley, Sandy Borden in Davis, Kathy Hensley in Aptos, Cat MacLeod in El Sobrante, Carl Ribaudo in South Lake Tahoe, and Cindi Servante in Novato. At launch, guest bloggers include Christopher Gil of MAD Maps and Issa Breibish of WeLove Motogeo. Find out more about them on the site.

"MotoSFO brings all my favorite activities and areas of expertise together," says King. "It combines motorcycle touring, travel, writing, editing, photography, and web design, all in my favorite place to live and ride in the world, Northern California."  

http://motoSFO.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/motosfo
Twitter: @motosfo

 CONTACT: Carla King | contact@motosfo.com 

 

RoadRUNNER's Touring Weekend - July 11th-15th – Maggie Valley, NC

I would LOVE to go to this event in the Smoky Mountains, if I were not on the opposite coast! Sigh. But report back... Here's what Christa has to say about it so far, but stay tuned for more developments:

This year will be the biggest Touring Weekend yet, with more tours, the addition of an off-road guided tour, select vendors, seminars by RoadRUNNER editors and vendors, outdoor live music, door prizes, great food, and even vintage motorcycles!