I am an ordinary guy who enjoys riding motorcycles. I love riding all makes and models. I love short rides, long rides, and multi-day road trips. I post reviews about motorcycle gear, motorcycles, roads, restaurants, sights, gadgets and more. The Motorcycle Facts,Trivia and History page has a lot of good info. Be safe and enjoy the ride, Oz.
When heading to the Texas Hill Country one has to decide on a route and more importantly, a lunch stop. With countless scenic back roads to choose from, my sweet tooth often ends up guiding my decision. Hico is one of my favorite destinations for a lunch stop, specifically the famous Koffee Kup Family Restaurant, well-known across Central Texas for its legendary pies.
The famous Hico Koffee Kup established in the early 1980's
I love exploring as many unfamiliar Farm-to-Market roads as possible, and there are multiple possibilities on the way to Hico. The lightly traveled routes with their twists, elevation changes, and minimal traffic enforcement make for a fun spirited ride. Hico is tucked into the northern edge of the Texas Hill Country and offers some of the best roads for motorcycle enthusiasts.
If you roll into Hico around lunch time the Koffee Kup can bustling. Locals, travelers, and even a lot of bikers often fill the place. However; waiting for a table while eyeing the legendary pie rack is worth the wait.
The food at the Koffee Kup is consistently good, classic, home-cooked comfort meals. I usually want to leave room for one of the many varieties of freshly made pies so I keep lunch simple. Most often I go with a flavorful hamburger, no fries.
Fresh made pies are the highlight at the Koffee Kup
On one particular visit I found myself in front of the pie rack with least 15 pie options staring back at me, the decision wasn’t easy. Normally, I’d go for my tried-and-true coconut cream pie, but this time, something new caught my eye - the “Doctor’s Office” pie. Built on a graham cracker crust and layered with sweet cream, vanilla custard, roasted coconut, and almond slivers, it was impossible to resist.
The slice was perfectly chilled, generously sized, and every bite blended rich flavor with just the right amount of texture from the crust and toppings. By the time I finished, the Doctor’s Office pie had earned a spot alongside coconut cream as my new favorite.
The Doctor's Office
If you’re ever riding within 50–75 miles of Hico, do yourself a favor and detour to the Koffee Kup. The pies are some of the best in Texas, and the ride through Central Texas FM roads makes the trip even sweeter.
* I have personally ordered from and/or visited these
businesses and based on my experiences I recommend this company.I have an
affiliate relationship with the businesses, which means if you follow this link
and purchase, I will receive a small commission and will get to ride more!
Feedback on these businesses is appreciated.You may comment below.
I am fully aware there are many publications and blogs that have had millions of eyes/readers peruse their websites and blogs. However, for a motorcycle rider that is not a professional writer the thought of having 500,000+ click on a simple blog is startling and humbling.
When I started the blog I just wanted to be an "ordinary biker" providing useful and straightforward information for other riders. I did not want to use strange and unnecessary phrases just to be different, "original" or condescending. Often the similes used in publications are just silly, for example, one author stated "the engine fired up with the sound of 10,000 angry wasps." That description did not provide me with any useful information.
Here are some of the bikes I have had over the years, but not all, with links to reviews and/or videos.
I am so glad the blog has been so well received and I want to thank everyone who has visited, read a post or left a comment. I greatly appreciate past and future feedback, comments and subscribers.
Here are the five most read blog post. Some were posted years ago and some only months ago. If you missed one of these maybe now is a good time to read it.
* I have personally ordered from and/or visited these
businesses and based on my experiences I recommend this company.I have an
affiliate relationship with the businesses, which means if you follow this link
and purchase, I will receive a small commission and will get to ride more!
Feedback on these businesses is appreciated.You may comment below.
I try to stay aware of legislation that has impact on the motorcycling community, but of course I don't catch it all.
I believe we the members of the motorcycling community need to communicate with legislators (local, state and federal), agencies and other power brokers when we see rights and/or opportunities potentially being restricted. Being proactive is much better than being reactive in these matters.
I have been a long time member of the American Motorcyclists Association(AMA).
AMA is were I get a lot of alerts and updates that impact our biker
community. AMA is a good place to start if you are not already
involved. (I get NO compensation from AMA). AMA also has a good amount
of member benefits and discounts.
I recently read a post on I Just Want 2 Ride by Warren Massey that caught my attention. With the author's permission I am sharing his complete post below. Please take time to read the post and consider ways to communicate with your representatives.
[IJustWant2Ride – Start]This post is by the organizationSave London Motorcycling. Save London Motorcycling is a grassroots organization dedicated to fighting threats to motorcycling in London, UK. Don’t think it can’t happen in the US. I have pointed out, in several posts, attempts to “restrain” motorcycling and do not forget that theVision Zero coalition is all about zero motorcycles.
Please sharethis to raise awareness this not just for “Save London Motorcycling” but for all of us.[IjustWant2Ride – End]
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Why We Fight to Ride Our Motorcycles
Across the UK, riders are under attack. Step by step, rule by rule, life on two wheels is being made harder, and London is on the front line.
Riders see what’s happening, but too often they don’t know how to respond. That’s why we createdSave London Motorcyclingto organize, to show riders they have power, and to fight back. We don’t charge membership fees; we just spread awareness and ask for whatever time, energy, and passion riders can spare.
Motorcycling is something we love, the freedom, the community, the vitality. Most riders aren’t chasing the old stereotype of the anarchist outlaw. We’re just people who ride because we love it and it makes our lives better.
If you are invisible, you are in danger
As passionate as we can be about bikes when talking to other riders, most of us don’t bring it up unprompted in day-to-day conversation with non-bikers. We’re more interested in riding than talking about riding, and that makes us invisible to many people. They don’t know anyone who looks like their idea of a stereotypical biker, and so they don’t think they know anyone who rides. And as every rider knows,if you’re invisible, you’re in danger.
We all know there’s a small minority of people who think motorbikes are nothing but a nuisance: noisy, dirty, and dangerous. They don’t ride, they don’t understand why we do, and if it were up to them, they’d ban us all tomorrow.
Government Officials Have Agendas
In the UK, much like the USA, it’s local government that makes the rules we feel every day. That means one anti-motorbike councilor, elected with only a few hundred votes, can make life hell for riders across their borough.
If they tried to do this to car drivers they’d be reined in by their more moderate colleagues, car drivers are voters after all! But their colleagues don’t think they know any bikers, they don’t see us, they don’t hear us, and they don’t think we vote.
Hackney has become an extreme example of this, after their own anti-motorcycle activist councilor decided to impose parking charges on motorbikes at the same rate as cars and ban all-day parking to prevent motorbike commuting.
With petitions and protests, presenting the evidence and reasoning the case, we achieved some concessions from the Council. But in the end, they simply stopped listening. The original policy was so draconian, that even after their ‘concessions’ the costs are devastating.
Charges for commuters add up to more than£2,000 a yearjust to park at work. Resident permits up to£596 annually, and business permits reach£1,560, with further rises already planned. For around 10% of residents, those living in so-called ‘car-free developments’, permits are simply unavailable – motorbikes are banned outright.
By Hackney’s own projections, these rules would cause a70% drop in motorbike usein the borough. Riders who rely on two wheels for work, family, or affordable travel are being told they’re no longer welcome. Hackney’s own target for reducing car use over the same period is only 30%.
Riders are being deliberately disproportionately targeted, not because of evidence, but because we are seen as a politically soft target.
Standing Up for Motorcyclists
Save London Motorcycling is refusing to let this stand. We have launched alegal challenge in the High Court, arguing that Hackney’s policy is unlawful, disproportionate, and discriminatory. If we win this case, it could have important implications for councils across the UK, setting the precedent that motorcyclists cannot be disproportionately targeted in this way without evidence.
Taking a council to court is not cheap, but thanks to the generosity of over a thousand riders and supporters, we have raised more than£20,000 through crowdfunding, with our target of £25,000 now within reach.
This is why we fight.Campaigning isn’t easy. It’s long evenings in council chambers and endless hours in meetings with decision-makers who would rather be anywhere else than listening to riders. But the support we consistently receive from around London and the UK proves something important:we don’t have to be invisible.
When riders know theycanmake a difference, they step up. They bring their energy, their stories, their belief that motorcycling makes life better – for themselves, and for the city as a whole. That passion is contagious, and it’s powerful.
Call to Action
Change comes from the small things: an email to a councilor, a repost on social media, a donation to a legal fund. Each of these acts alone might seem small, but together, multiplied across thousands of riders, they become impossible to ignore.
We must harness the sense of community that binds us as riders, the solidarity we feel when we see another biker on the road and turn it into collective action. That is our strength. If we use it, we can protect motorcycling not only for ourselves, but for the generations to come.
Make no mistake: this is a fight for the future of Motorcycling. If we stand together, we can win it.
* I have personally ordered from and/or visited these
businesses and based on my experiences I recommend this company.I have an
affiliate relationship with the businesses, which means if you follow this link
and purchase, I will receive a small commission and will get to ride more!
Feedback on these businesses is appreciated.You may comment below.
On my various motorcycle tours and trips we enjoy the riding times and most of our stops are for a short time, but occasionally a longer stop is well worth the extended time. One such stop is the Buffalo Bill Center of the West in Cody, Wyoming. Cody is a great place to stop before riding the amazing scenic Chief Joseph Byway and the Top of The World Beartooth Pass or heading to Yellowstone National Park.
Welcome to Cody, Wyoming!
Cody was founded by William "Buffalo Bill" Cody in 1896 and is the eastern gateway to Yellowstone National Park. It makes sense that the Buffalo Bill Center of the West is located in a town that bears his name. The center is a consist of five museums and contains over 50,000 artifacts.
Buffalo Bill welcomes Scotty
The five museums, Buffalo Bill Museum, Plains Indians Museum, Whitney Western Art Museum, Draper Natural History Museum and Cody Firearms Museum, display unique artifacts that surprise, excite and educate.
The Buffalo Bill Museum highlights Buffalo Bill and includes personal artifacts such as saddles, posters, the clothing he wore when performing in his show and his famous buckskin jackets. There is a life-sized hologram of the Buffalo Bill in the museum.
Buffalo Bill artifacts
The Plains Indian Museum displays the histories, cultures and modern lives of the indigenous plains peoples. Artwork from the 1800s to current times are displayed. The 19111 log house that belonged to Standing Bear of the Oglala Lokata people is on display.
Plains Indian display
The Whitney Western Art Museum was added in 1959 and has over 300 works of art from many artist including Remington, Russell, Moran and Bierstandt. Visitors to the center are welcomed by The Scout, a huge Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney bronze sculpture.
Scout by Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney
The kid-friendly and interactive Draper Natural History Museum provides experiences about the greater Yellowstone ecosystem. Displays feature wildlife like wolves, grizzlies, elk and more. One can also catch a seasonal raptor show (check with the center for times and dates).
That is one big grizzly!
Western transportation
For me the highlight was the Cody Firearms Museum. With 4,300 American made firearms and 20,000 related artifacts there is plenty to see. From 16th-century hand cannons, early American rifles and pistols to modern firearms are on display. The Colt 1911 semi-auto handgun from the series Longmire and two other guns from the show are also there.
Weapons and more from Longmire
There were so many firearms to see. They were all organized and expertly displayed. It took Scotty and I quite a while to get through this part of the center.
Admission to the museum provides entry for two consecutive days, which if you take time to really sock in the displays and read all the placards you will need the two days. The museum may seem pricey but it is well worth it. If you are heading up that way plan a visit to the center, you will not be disappointed.
* I have personally ordered from and/or visited these
businesses and based on my experiences I recommend this company.I have an
affiliate relationship with the businesses, which means if you follow this link
and purchase, I will receive a small commission and will get to ride more!
Feedback on these businesses is appreciated.You may comment below.
Located in central Colorado on US 24 (65 miles south of I70) sits Buena Vista. Buena Vista offers awesome views and access to many 14'ers (mountains 14,000 feet or higher) in the Sawatch Range. It also provides the eastern approach to one of the highest and less traveled paved mountain passes in the Rocky Mountains.
Heading west out of Buena Vista on Colorado Highway 306 Mount Princeton towers to the south at an impressive 14,196 feet and to the north Mount Yale rises to 14,199 feet. The magnificent behemoths are members of the Collegiate Peaks range and beautiful valleys loaded with aspens abound. The road leads to the Cottonwood Pass. Historically Cottonwood Pass was the major crossing point for travelers and merchants. For many years it was only paved on the eastern side, but in September 2019 the newly fully paved road on both sides of the pass opened.
The views are awesome
If one approaches the pass from Almont, on the west side of Cottonwood Pass, take Colorado Highway 742 and turn right on Colorado 209 after traveling approximately half way around Taylor Park Reservoir, which is a picturesque mountain lake with Grizzly Peak (13,433) and Jenkins Mountain (13,440) to the north of the reservoir. The paved connection between Buena Vista and Almont is 56.8 miles of curves, vistas, and access to some of Colorado’s best hiking trails and campsites.
Taylor Park Reservoir is surrounded by snow-capped mountains
Cottonwood Pass 12,126 feet
The average grade of the road is 4.1% but has a 6.1% grade at its steepest section. The road ascends 3970 feet from Buena Vista to the 12,126 feet at the top of the pass making it the second highest pass in the USA behind Trail Ridge Road in the Rocky Mountain National Park which rises to 12,183 feet. At the summit the continental divide is crossed and breathtaking views of both sides of the divide can be enjoyed.
What a curve! Looking east from the summit in July
Looking east from the pass as the sun is setting - mid June
The road is closed due to snow and/or ice during the colder months but typically open late May till late October or early November. Colorado road closures can be found HERE.
The ride is smile-inducing and the views are world class. Wildlife viewing is always a possibility especially in the earlier morning hours or as the sun sets, caution is advised. The road is popular with bicyclists so be alert.
Buena Vista has a lot of lodging and eating options. 18 miles north of Almont on highway 135 Crested Butte, another beautiful mountain town, has a lot of options or 10 miles south on highway 135 is Gunnison which also has plenty of options.
My brother-in-law, Jeff and I at the pass
Western view from the pass in July
Cottonwood Pass will not disappoint, but be prepared.
Some Trave Tips from the Road
Best time to go: Late June through early October. The road usually closes in winter, and snow can linger well into May. Fall is absolutely stunning with the aspens turning.
What to bring: A light jacket (even in summer, it can get chilly up top), water, and snacks. If you’re into hiking, there are trailheads along the way — toss in some boots.
Keep an eye out: Wildlife is common, especially in the early morning and at sunset. Elk, deer, and sometimes bears wander nearby. And remember, cyclists love this road — give them space.
Food + fuel stops: Grab coffee or a burrito in Buena Vista before heading up. On the west side, Crested Butte has tons of great restaurants (plus that mountain-town charm), while Gunnison is bigger and has plenty of practical options.
Photo ops: Don’t miss the pullouts near the summit. The views of both sides of the Divide are the kind of thing you’ll want on your camera roll forever
* I have personally ordered from and/or visited these
businesses and based on my experiences I recommend this company.I have an
affiliate relationship with the businesses, which means if you follow this link
and purchase, I will receive a small commission and will get to ride more!
Feedback on these businesses is appreciated.You may comment below.
