What was your highlight of 2009??

[Sharkey]

Mine would have to definitely be the day I rode to the top of Mt. Evans. If you have never done, put it on your must do list.
A big thank you to all those who made Inzane happen. I sure miss those green chile omelets  at the Log Cabin restaurant in Frisco.

Inzane 9 VRCC Valkyrie Motorcycle Colorado	powered by Aeva

[RoadKill]

INZANE 9 ! ! !
The whole adventure was defiantly the highlight of MANY years  !

[Smokinjoe-VRCCDS#0005]

Great pictures in the video Sharkey 

[Gary]

The birth of my grandaughter...



But there was also the camping road trip with my son Nick - Meramec Caverns (Stanton, MO), The St Luis Arch, Niagara Falls, The Black Hills, Mt Rushmore.

Great weather, great time, camping, hanging out.














O.K. I'll stop, there were several more highlights for 2009 but I'll give someone else a chance...

Looking forward to 2010... 

[Dag]

Beautiful scenery Sharkey 

My highlight of 2009 was definitely my ride through 12 countries in Europe this summer.
NORWAY - SWEDEN - GERMANY - AUSTRIA - ITALY - GREECE  - ALBANIA - MONTENEGRO - CROATIA -
BOSNIA - SLOVENIA -  CZECH REPUBLIC.

http://www.valkyrienorway.com/rideeurope09.html

[highcountry]

Started riding again after a 30 year hiatus. 

[Big IV]

We spent the summer in PA making new friends, learning new things, and seeing new places. I can't pick just one great event.

[fudgie]

Sturgis, as always. New faces, new places, and new bodies. Old faces, old places, and old bodies.  ??? I got engaged, got drunk, got my ass whipped, and got high on the Sturgis life. Kit got a ring, got drunk, got bruises, and got burned. Seems like a great year!  Gosh, now I'm hungry for a roast beef sammich.   

The Blue/ Grey ride, CBR/HSRI, and local runs were all great also. I met so many people this year it makes this club great.
I can't wait till next year. I may even run up to IZ for a day. It would be my 1st one. 

[Gear Jammer]

My high point was getting MAGNUM  finished      ( I hope !),,,   

[alph]

I’ve always been a loner.  Always been one to be by my self.

MP introduced me to “nitrojunkie”.  A fellow valk rider in my own back yard.  We’ve ridden hundreds of miles together, making riding an enjoyable adventure.

Thanks MP, can’t wait till spring Karsten!!

[Chrisj CMA]

Believe it or not.....Wed the 30th of Dec 2009 was the most impressive day of the year.  When I heard the skidding of my buddy on his Harley and within a microsecond the bone chilling sound of metal on metal shearing and grinding that words cannot adequately describe...all I could think of was Judys Neck and who was going to die or be dismembered.  It sounded that bad.  The very next sensation I  had was sliding fast on my chest through gravel, I ended up 20-30 feet ahead of my bike.  20 more feet ahead lay my buddy on his back motionless and right next to me was my wife Judy.  She was to her feet as fast as I was holding her bleeding hand but otherwise beautifully intact, and not even dirty.  None of her riding gear is in need of replacement whereas mine are toast and if she endured the impacts I did her neck could have snapped.  My full face helmet did its job, its gone.  Hers barely touched the ground.  God is so good.....for those of you that dont believe in miracles...never mind.......just rethink.

My buddy looked at me when I got to him and was alert, oriented and talking just fine...I had thought he was dead, but actually hes better off than me right now, so again God is good, as he has previous injuries that he thought he tore up, and thats why he stayed down.  All checked out ok.

When I picked up the motorcycles (by myself....adrenalin is wonderful) I couldnt beleve my eyes.  so little damage.  Ok I rolled each bike a quarter mile to the gas station and we waited for a trailer.  Trailer arrives we load the bikes and go to the hospital.  My buddy is released in an hour and we take the bikes to my house.

After feeding everyone, I take My friend home (35 miles) in the truck and he cant stop going on about how he cannot believe that he can cause so much pain and destruction to me and Judy and then we would take care of him.  Now the next part is a God thing so you can click off if you will be offended.

But I was able to tell him that no one should be judged for a mistake, I wouldnt want to be ...therefore I dont judge him, and that God has been placing him on our hearts for prayer for  along time.  He then says, He knows, he just knows....didnt know how, just that he knew that and did appreciate it and was able to say through heavy eyes that he doesnt know why but he likes being around Judy and I and feels like we have been put in his life for spiritual guidance even though at his request we never really talked much about God.  The only thing I could say was that I wasnt doing anything, it was God and he should take his relationship with God seriously and only he can know what that means that its none of my business unless he wants to talk to me about it.........He said thanks and we changed the subject. 

That conversation right there in the truck, just him and me.....really more like him and God almost made all the pain seem worth it, OK it has to be worth it, but no one wants to go through it.

BUt, its my highlight for 2009

[Tropic traveler]

Well, my family highlight was my son graduating high school. No births or deaths in my family at all this year. Our Valkyrie highlight was our trip up to Savannah in October. Just me & Kim on a long weekend bike trip taking the backroads to a fun destination.




My coast to coast ride on the hottest day of the year would be my next favorite. Over 100 degrees with 80% humidity.  Man I miss the summer already!!!

Gulf of Mexico at Yankeetown about 11:00 a.m.


Atlantic Ocean in Daytona about 2:30 p.m.


We have been blessed with good health & no bad things happening in 2009! 

[T-Bird]

Going to Sturgis with 5 of my riding buddies. Unlike Fudgie .....what happens in Sturgis "STAYS" in Sturgis....

[Colin]

Buying my Valk 

And for 2010 it will be a close call between finishing the re-build and riding the Valk and the birth of my first grandchild. 

[MP]

2009:
VRCC Inzane in CO
VOAI Reunion in WV
PDC ride-in in WI
Week long MC school in Seattle

2010
Looking forward to VOAI in LaCrosse in June, and VRCC Inzane in MI in July.
Riding in FL in Feb!

MP

[Sodbuster]

Buying my first Valk 

[Disco]

A close second was Friday the 13th of November when I took my first ride in 48 days.  Rewind to 26 September.

Much like Chris, it was surviving, practically intact, an event that started off with the unmistakable sound of a collision and the massive acceleration of being rear-ended by a car going 50 mph.  No brakes, no skids, just BOOM/CRUNCH/FLY/TUMBLE.  If he'd gotten there 2 seconds sooner, I'd have been the meat in an Altima/Quest sandwich.  If my trajectory had taken me 5 degrees to the right, I would have hit a sign while flying/tumbling.  If I'd been on the Valkyrie, it would have been knocked out from underneath me and I'd have been on the hood/windshield.  If the car that hit us had had enough momentum to roll another 5 feet, it would have rolled over my chest.  And on and on.

Oh, and if I'd just gone around the van while it waited to turn, I might have avoided the entire episode.  Watch your 6.

[R J]

Waking up January 1, 2010 and still sucking air.

So far, I have made it 12 years longer than expected.

Quad bypass in 97, with a 29 day hospital stay, ICU 21 days.

Don't want to go through that sheet again.

[Popeye]

Can't name just one, so here it goes:

1) Oldest son being employed and out on his own.  He is doing well at his X-Ray tech job and is
    getting on the job training for another area as well.
2) Middle son graduated from Univeristy of Illinois in four years and then started Law School at
    the University of Iowa.
3) Youngest son graudated high school and started at Western Illinois Unversity in law enforcement.
4) Damn proud of all 3 boys. 
5) Celebrated 27 years of marriage to Lizzie.
6) Got to meet Julia, a 24 year brain tumor survivor.  Had her tumor at age seven and is going just
    great.  She had called me earlier this summer to say thank you for saving her life with my work
    with Ride For Kids.
7) My trip to Sturgis with 5 friends.  We went the week before to avoid the crowds and had a great
    trip.  Heading back again this year.  We didn't get to see it all.
Damn proud of all 3 boys.
9) Being able to ride a motorcycle in America.  We live in such a beautiful country and I enjoy every
    time I get to ride.
10)  Welcoming home our soldiers, both for Honor Flight and from Irag/Afganistan.

[motomama]

There were many awesome events that took place in 2009.  The birth of my granddaughter, and the high school graduation of my youngest son, just to name a couple.  But I have to admit, the "highlight" of 2009 for me was once again being able to ride alongside my husband.  Following his near fatal accident in 2008, I had questions as to whether that would happen again.  Although I was not able to ride to Hotglue's (took the car) it was awesome to watch him back out on his bike enjoying the wind with some of our dearest friends on his first official ride following the accident!  I began riding again in may of 2009, and it was so awesome to be able to ride together with him again!  We made several trips by ourselves on the bikes, along with several rides with friends.  It was so great to be able to ride together with all of them again.  I am so thankful to still have Carl with me and to be able to move forward with our lives and get back to some of the things we enjoyed prior to his accident!  Praise God for answered prayers!  And thank you all for being a part of our lives, as well!

[Bigdog]

My son and I took a trip to Coos Bay Oregon( my first time flying) so he could run in a race there. ( Father-Son trip I will never forget..!! )

[JimL]

That's a tough call....it's either seeing Barack Hussein Obama take the oath of office or my trip out to Frisco, Colorado for Inzane IX.  Gotta go with the Inzane IX trip (yes I know my sarcasm is not very pretty)!!

This trip was my first through the great state of Oklahoma, and it did not disappoint.



Although I have been to Colorado many times, it has always been a combination of jet airplane and rental car.  This was the first on a motorcycle, and the trip on US 24 from Colorado Springs to Frisco was awesome.