A great ride to Anamosa!

With all of the weather forecasters predicting severe thunderstorms, we had a smaller group that expected head out this morning, to Anamosa for the annual J&P Cycle Open House. The weather however, did not prove to be a problem at all! In fact, it was an absolutely beautiful day!

We had 6 bikes and 10 brave souls head up route 61 to Maquaketa and then to Anamosa on Route 64. We arrived at J&P Cycles @ 10:00 on the nose! All I can say about the Open House is "WOW!" There are literally thousand of bikes at this event. Literally rows and rows and rows of motorcycles. Every type of motorized bike or trike is represented. Not only did we see every make and model known to man, there were many customized bikes as well. If you've never had the opportunity to attend this event, walking up and down the rows of bikes is reason enough to make the trip.

I'm amazed at how organized the Open House is run. I don't know if all of the folks working this event were employees or just volunteers, but there were folks to help you around every corner.

Since the weather was predicted to get nasty later in the afternoon, we only stayed at J&P until noon. That gave us plenty of time to visit the vendor booths, do a little shopping (Jan and I picked up a couple of T-shirts. Just what we need! LOL!), and take advantage of the free meal.

On the way home, we followed Route 64 all the way to Savannah, Illinois. Crossing the metal bridge in to Savannah is quite the experience! The trek back to the Quad Cities went without a hitch. We even got to stop for some ice cream in Thompson. I think that's getting to be a tradition on our trek home!

Again, Jan and I had a blast. We really enjoy riding our bikes with our Christian friends. Our next trip will be an overnighter to the Harley Museum in Milwaukee, on July 17th and 18th. Details will be coming soon!

Anamosa trip around the corner!

Wow! The weather sure has been hot lately! Luckily, riding the bike cools things down a bit!

As I write this, the battery to my bike is on the charger. Dummy me, forgot to turn the ignition off this morning when I went in to Panera for my morning coffee and bagel. An hour an a half later the battery was as dead as a door nail! My mom happened to be at Panera too, so she took me home to get my car. I popped the battery out of the bike and took it home to charge it up. Sheesh what an idiot I am!

Assuming that my bike is charged up, MORE is going to be taking a trip to Anamosa this Saturday for the annual J&P Cycle Open House. We are leaving at 8:00 from the Burger King parking lot (Next to Panera in Moline). Gosh my bike may still be there!

Lunch at the Open House if free! Yippee! We'll ride up as a group, but if you want to leave early or stay late please feel free to do so. I plan on staying until I get my free meal of course! LOL! Let's hope that the weather is OK for the ride. It's not supposed to be as hot as it has been for the last couple of days. Rain is predicted for late in the afternoon so we should be safe. I'd bring some rain gear just in case though!

Remember, you don't have to be a member of Edgewood Baptist Church to attend any of the MORE rides. We welcome any and all riders so, invite your friends to join us on Saturday! The more the merrier!

Applebee's and a quick ride!

Some of the best rides are done on the spur of the moment!

Our friends and fellow MORE members, Mark and Narcissa, just purchased a Honda Goldwing. Since they just got it on Friday, they were anxious to get it on the road for a ride. Mark was like a little kid with a new toy on Christmas morning! I don't blame him! At Pastor Tim's Couples Class, Mark filled everyone in on the details of his recent purchase.

Since the weather was promising, my wife Jan, Terry and Jodi (also MORE members!), and Mark and Narsissa agree to meet at Applebee's in Moline for dinner and then go on a ride. I couldn't wait to see Mark's new bike!

Jan and I got to Applebee's first and were soon followed by Terry and Jodi. They ride a shiny new, white Goldwing with all the bells and whistles. The engine is so smooth on it that I can state right next to it and not hear it running. Jan tells me I'm deaf! A few minutes later, Mark pulled in to the parking lot with Narcissa perched on the passenger's seat. His bike was equally beautiful (and quiet!) Though, I like my Roadstar, the cruiser looked a little out of place between the two luxury touring bikes!

After a great dinner, we embarked on our ride. Terry has a GPS system on his bike, so he got the dubious honor of leading our little group. When Terry is in the lead you are sure to see parts of the country that you never knew existed! This trip did not prove to be any different! We went through the thriving metropolises of Andover, Osco, and Lynne Center. I've lived in this area all my life and have never been in any of these towns. If I would have blinked however, I would have missed them!

Eventually, we dropped the other couples off at their houses and Jan and I continued on home. It was such a nice night, that we decided to stop at Country Style for some ice cream. Perfect!

We forgot to take our camera, so I don't have any pictures to share with you this time, but will try to remember in the future. The evening was a blast! Good friends and perfect night for a ride, made for a wonderful evening!

Ride safe!

Mike

Ride to Anamosa

On Saturday, June 27th, MORE will be taking its next ride! We are planning to go to J&P Cycles for their annual Open House. J&P is located in Anamosa, Iowa. Though I've never attended the event, I hear it is quite the spectacle! Last years open house had over 10,000 people in attendance!

If you go to the J&P website ( http://www.jpcycles.com/) you'll find several videos of past events. Check it out! There should be a lot of vendors and displays set up to visit. I even here you get a free lunch!

Anamosa is a little over an hour away from the Quad Cities. The Open House starts at 9:00. We plan to meet at the Burger King parking lot (next to Panera Bread) on John Deere Expressway in Moline at 8:00.

Once we get there you can stay as long as you would like. I plan on heading back right after lunch (Gotta get my free meal!)

Remember, you don't have to be a member of Edgewood Baptist Church to ride with the group. We welcome any and all riders who enjoy good fellowship in a Christian atmosphere! At our last ride we had 12 bikes and 20 riders! The group was about 50/50 Edgewood members and non-members. The more the merrier!

Ride Safe!

Mike

Welcome to the MORE blog

Last year I rediscovered my passion for motorcycles. I owned a bike back in my 20's, but kids, careers and a host of other excuses got in the way of me riding it. Call it a mid-life crises or checking off an item on my "bucket list", but when I turned 50 I got the urge to get a bike. So, after saving up a few dollars, taking the MSF class (highly recommended), and securing my licence, I purchased a 2002 Yamaha Roadstar 1600. I was back in the saddle again!

I don't remember exactly how the topic came up, but I soon found out that there were several folks in our Sunday School class at Edgewood Baptist Church who rode motorcycles. In fact, I discovered that throughout the church there were many avid riders.

This all happend in the fall of 2008. With the weather turning colder and the riding season coming to a close, we didn't get a chance to go on any rides. We did however, plan a trip to the International Motorcycle Show in February. A group of 12 motorcycle enthusiasts piled in to one of the church vans and off to Rosemont, Illinois we went. The conversation during the trip was wonderful! It became evident that the groups was going to form a nice bond. Fortunately several of us brought our calendars and we planned a few rides for the coming summer.

After the trip to the International Motorcycle Show, I was very excited about finding a group of Christian friends who were as enthusiastic about motorcycles as myself. Sometimes the motorcycle culture can be a little "rough around the edges". Though you can't shelter yourself from everything, it's nice to know that you have a group of friends available that share the same values as yourself.

With this in mind, the Motorcycle Owners and Riders of Edgewood (MORE) was born. The purpose of the group is twofold:

• First and foremost, MORE is a ministry. We hope to seek to serve Jesus Christ in all that we say and do.



• Secondly, we provide opportunities for Christian fellowship to anyone interested in the hobby of motorcycle riding. We welcome members of Edgewood and guests alike!

The purpose of this blog will be to update and inform all interested parties about the activities of MORE. I hope you check out these pages regularly! We welcome you to join us for one of our future rides.

Ride safe!

Mike