We love going to Fredericksburg but were disappointed in the changes they have made lately. Do not expect a free or reasonably priced wine tasting. The tasting now costs an average of $35 per person. Most wineries you are fortunate to get a one ounce pour. And how many do you tastings do you get? Four-six depending on the location. I think the whole area has gotten too full of themselves and most importantly has lost the definition of a "tasting". The intent is for us to be able to come in, taste a handful of wines and decide what glass or bottle we would like to purchase.

If we purchase a bottle of wine at $50, we are paying approximately $2 per ounce. That means a reasonable rate for a tasting would be $10. I understand they have people serving the wine, so I am OK with $13 a tasting. That is adding more than 30% overhead costs. Fine - go all out! Round it up to $15. One more critique - if you are going to charge a ridiculous price for your tastings, you should provide an educated sommelier. None were provided in Fredericksburg. The outcome from our visit... we didn't.

We were excited to hold the first ever RV & Motorcycle rally combo. We had over 125 attendees. We do apologize for Texas delivering nearly 100-degree weather. It put a dampener on a lot of the daytime activities and rides. But we all go to meet new people and new vendors. We had almost 20 vendors onsite. We had all types of activities everyday including rides, bike hauling demonstrations, seminars, giveaways, trivia, coffee talks and more.

We did a survey, and we got an overwhelming positive response and helpful suggestions for the next rally. We even had several people admonish us for not asking for volunteers so we will do that next time! Tentatively plans are to launch the second annual rally in 2024 and we are looking closely at Arkansas for the next event!

You always want to ride where you feel safe and comfortable. But you also want to ride in unique areas in your travels. Here are several places we have ridden lately the were great!

On a Ferry! Yes, there are ferries you can ride your motorcycle onto. You can even stay sitting on your bike if it is a short ride. It is worth the experience to be sitting on your bike moving across the water without your engine running.

On a Beach! There are beaches around Texas you can ride your bikes on. The sand is nice, compact, and damp so no worries about getting stuck. The wind in your hair riding down the beach is an awesome feeling and one you shouldn't miss.

We are building up to the first RV motorcycle rally in the fall of 2022 but in the meantime, we want to get together and ride when we can. Our first group ride will be taking place this July 2021. We will meet in Rock Springs, Wyoming (exact KSU location TBA). This will be an afternoon ride with a chance to stop and visit at a local restaurant.

For those of you who are registered Escapees (an international group of RVers and services for RVers), we hope to meet up with some of you on site at the Escapee Convergence in Rock Springs that week. We will be on the ROW (where all the RV groups meet) for Twist Your Throttle. We will be having a drawing and giveaway so stop by our table and visit with us.

No matter whether we meet in Wyoming for the group ride or at the convergence, we look forward to connecting and riding with you in Rock Springs for the local ride. All bike types, riders and passengers are welcome. Get it on your calendar. We will have registration for the ride in our next newsletter!

I ride a Harley Sportster with a sidecar. The question I get asked most often is "how easy is it to ride?" There are so many riders out there unwilling to give up riding and are looking for a solution to stay on the road. I can understand because I took that path when I had an accident and broke my kneecap. Right now, the options for continuing to ride are not as varied as the people's reasons they need a solution. You are really looking at a trike, sidecar or Spyder.

I cannot really speak to the trike or Spyder. Even though I had never seen a sidecar in real life, it is what I went for and I am glad I did. I still feel like I am riding my motorcycle on the road. It does ride differently with the bucket on, so you must learn a few tricks and skills in that area. I do not ride with sidecar brakes so if you want a smoother stop simply add brakes. Sidecars ride a little rougher and there is a little more pull with the sidecar when you are out on the open highway. But I like the raw feel of the sidecar. It is also more difficult to find dependable, close by and good service for a sidecar.

I like the old-fashioned ride and the history behind sidecars. There are not great stats out there on sidecar owners, but I am estimating about 20,000 in the United States. If stats match up with motorcycles and, accounting for a slower adoption of sidecars than motorcycles, there could be under 2,000 female sidecarists out there who ride in the U.S. If you see a female sidecarist, honk three times and give her the thumbs up. If you like the "sidecar delay", which is when someone stops you at every stop to talk about your ride, then a sidecar is something to think about.