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We had the opportunity to attend the Flying Piston Benefit: Builders Breakfast last year 2021 during Daytona Bike Week!! We honestly didn't know much about Flying Piston, their story, their mission, their purpose... however after attending the event and meeting more amazing individuals in our Moto-community we learned about All Kids Bike. (Another amazing organization doing good in our communities - blog about it soon) Why are we showcasing the event? Raising 5 kids and witnessing firsthand how our motorcycle community can come together to raise money and help others is something that is dear to our hearts! This is an event that everyone can get behind especially when we are teaching our younger generation important skills including balance & the LOVE of 2 wheels! What is "Flying Piston Benefit" Collaboration between Marilyn Stemp from Iron Trader News & Jeff Najar from Horsepower Marketing to promote new ridership & Veteran support within our Motorcycle Community! Learn more about FPB at https://flyingpistonbenefit.com/ When is "Flying Piston Benefit" Daytona Bike Week at Bruce Rossmeyer's Destination Daytona (March 6, 2022) Tickets are on sale now: https://shop.brucerossmeyer.com/collections/charity-events/products/flying-piston-benefit-builders-breakfast-charity-auction Sturgis Rally at The Buffalo Chip (date: TBA) Supporting the motorcycle community through All Kids Bike which strives to teach all kids to ride 2 wheels through a training program in Kindergarten PE class. Find out more information here: https://allkidsbike.org/ As soon as tickets were available for the 2022's Flying Piston Benefits: Builders Breakfast; we jumped on the wagon and purchased our tickets! I wanted to share a little bit about the event and events throughout the entire year. I spoke with Marilyn Stemp this morning and she shared the following.... sums it all up way better than I can!! The following is taken from Flying Piston Benefit press release & website. Be sure to stay up to date with news & announcements on their social media pages too! Custom builders, industry celebs and riders in the know will be at Bruce Rossmeyer’s Daytona Harley-Davidson on Sunday morning, March 6, 2022, for the Flying Piston Benefit Builders Breakfast. For the second year in a row, this stellar meet & greet brings the motorcycle industry together to kick off Daytona Bike Week and support new rider initiatives. 2nd Annual Flying Piston Builders Breakfast Rolls into Bruce Rossmeyer’s Daytona Harley-Davidson for Daytona Bike Week IRONe Customs Will be Unveiled and Auctioned. Let’s get kids riding bikes! The signature feature of the Breakfast is the IRONe16 Build-Off presented by STACYC showcasing five professionally customized IRONe electric bikes, which will be unveiled and auctioned that morning. “This Flying Piston Breakfast revives the builder breakfast events of the mid-2000’s when Bruce Rossmeyer himself welcomed us to gather the riding community in support of local charities,” said Marilyn Stemp, co-founder of Flying Piston Benefit. “We’re delighted that Shelly and Mandy Rossmeyer are carrying on the tradition, making a place for riders to meet legacy and emerging custom builders and to support the motorcycle community.” The 2022 class of IRONe pro builders includes: Cory Ness of Arlen Ness Enterprises, Steve Lacona of Lacona Customs, Gina Woods of Open Road Radio, Brian Schaffran of Skidmark Garage and NASCAR legend Rusty Wallace with his son Steven Wallace of Southern Country Customs. Each builder will customize Harley-Davidson’s top-of-the-line model: the IRONe 16 Brushless, the extended range lithium ion battery-powered electric balance bike. “The first step to a motorcycle license is learning how to ride a bicycle,” said Mandy Rossmeyer, Director of Marketing & Events at Bruce Rossmeyer’s H-D. “We are excited to again bring the Flying Piston Builder’s Breakfast to Bruce Rossmeyer’s Daytona Harley-Davidson at Destination Daytona and proud to support motorcycling in our local community by enabling an All Kids Bike training program at Ormond Beach Elementary School.” Added STACYC’s Matt Schumann, “The team at STACYC are always excited to grow the next generation of riders. Supporting programs like the Flying Piston Builders Breakfast and the Rossmeyers are great ways to share the love of riding. We can’t wait to see the creativity these builders share.” In the spirit of such events held at Bruce Rossmeyer’s over a decade ago, dozens of world-class custom builders have been invited to attend for the meet & greet. Names will be released as invitations are accepted. Along with the unveiling of the five custom IRONe bikes and a hearty breakfast, attendees can bid on original artwork and other gearhead items. Can’t attend? Bidding will be available in North America via the digital auction app QTEGO. The Builder Breakfast will be held at the Pavilion on the grounds of Bruce Rossmeyer’s Daytona Harley-Davidson at Destination Daytona in Ormond Beach, FL. Only those holding tickets will enjoy exclusive entry to the Destination Daytona Pavilion, access to the builder community and, of course, breakfast. Parking is free and tickets are available in advance for $20 ($25 at the door) at shop.brucerossmeyer.com. https://shop.brucerossmeyer.com/collections/charity-events/products/flying-piston-benefit-builders-breakfast-charity-auction Proceeds will establish an All Kids Bike program at Ormond Beach Elementary School. Major sponsors include: Bruce Rossmeyer’s Daytona H-D, Sturgis Buffalo Chip, Rubenstein Law, STACYC, Steve’s Garage and Hot Leathers, with additional input from Strider, Kirsh Helmets, Klock Werks, Cometic Gasket, Mimi & Moto, Atomic Bob, Twisted Fork & Spoon, Bikernet, Cycle Source and Iron Trader News. Media, Sponsors and Participants: The Flying Piston Charity Breakfasts are produced by Marilyn Stemp and Jeff Najar. For sponsor information or to donate auction items contact: Marilyn Stemp, 828-205-8482, marilynstemp@gmail.com. More at: www.flyingpistonbenefit.com or www.Facebook.com/The-Flying-Piston A few pictures & video from 2021 Flying Piston Benefit: Builders Breakfast during Daytona Bike Week and we can't wait to be there with all the amazing builders for the 2022 Flying Pistons Benefit! About Bruce Rossmeyer’s Harley-Davidson: Family owned and operated since 1994, Daytona Harley-Davidson® prides itself in providing the ultimate buying experience to the Harley-Davidson® enthusiast. Daytona's 100 + associates, in addition to the associates at Bruce Rossmeyer's New Smyrna and Main Street Harley-Davidson® locations, are all dedicated to delivering "The Bruce Rossmeyer Difference." For more Information, please visit BruceRossmeyer.com About The Flying Piston: Flying Piston Charity Events are produced by Marilyn Stemp of Iron Trader News and Jeff Najar of Horsepower Marketing to assist in raising awareness and funds for non-profits and individuals in the motorcycle community. Contact: Marilyn Stemp, 828-205-8482, marilynstemp@gmail.com or www.flyingpistonbenefit.com/ Event Hashtags: #daytonaharley #FlyingPistonBenefit #PerformanceArt #DaytonaBikeWeek #BuildersBreakfast Pictures & footage are from 2021 FPBB at Bruce Rossmeyer's Daytona Harley-Davidson during Daytona Bike Week

One of the biggest upgrades that we are wanting to do this year is actually a new 2022 motorcycle at Pig Trail Harley-Davidson!! With saying that, we are going to light it up with Custom Dynamics. We want the best seat on the market: Mustang Seats & while we are doing that let's go ahead with the best suspension on the market: Legend Suspension. Wow, where do we stop; KST Kustoms handlebars that are fully adjustable to make the most of our ride, Memphis Shades shield & hand-guards that not only provide protection but also a sleek clean look, Khrome Werks exhaust that gives the deep throaty sound we need, RickRak for the easiest luggage to travel coast to coast with and The Fairing Xchange for the one-of-a-kind regal look to tie everything together. Oh I can't forget today's date: 131 :) that's right 131! We want to showcase all of these mods & why we have chosen these particular parts & accessories but at the same time stay within warranty! Over the next few months we will be breaking down The Big Boar build on YouTube with 12-18 videos that will highlight the pros & cons for these accessories. We will be doing a video on each product that we have chosen to add to our ride & look into the: Why? How? When? What if? The Big Boar YouTube build series starts next Friday night 2/4/22 7pm CST with KC from Pig Trail Harley-Davidson as we talk about what bike will be best for our riding style! The Big Boar YouTube series is officially sponsored by: Pig Trail Harley-Davidson, Rainwater Holt & Sexton & Custom Dynamics Sponsors of the The Big Boar include: Pig Trail Harley-Davidson, Custom Dynamics, Rainwater Holt and Sexton, Khrome Werks, Legend Suspension, Mustang Seat, Memphis Shades, KST Kustoms, RickRak, The Fairing Xchange, Baxter Insurance Inc, Support 2UP, Elements of the Old Soul, HillBilly Beards

If you have not been to the Ozark Mountains of Northwest Arkansas, I encourage you to look into the riding at motorcyclearkansas.com The Ozarks not only offer amazing rides for motorcyclist but fishing, hunting, kayaking, hiking and mountain climbing; the overall best vacation destination. Steph and I were born and raised right here in the Ozarks and grew up on the Buffalo National River. The Buffalo National River is America’s First National River! Established in 1972, the river free flows for 135 miles which is one of the few remaining undammed rivers. There are two mountain ranges within the Ozarks which are the Boston Mountains of Arkansas and the St Francois Mountains of Missouri. Between the Appalachians and the Rockies… the Ozarks are the most extensive highland region. This offers a beautiful ride with endless twisty turns that will make your day! We had the opportunity to show a few fellow riders one of our favorite rides here in the Ozarks; “Eureka Springs Backroads.” Eureka Springs Backroads route is 134 miles long and features 571 curves! Our fellow riders included Bike N’ Bird and the Between Two Wheels podcast crew from San Antonio, Texas. Neither had been to the Ozarks before so this was a special treat! We left out of Harrison, Arkansas and headed south on Arkansas HWY 43, climbing Compton Mountain and overlooking Harrison which offered the perfect scenic overlook with plenty of parking to view the rolling hills! We made a quick detour from the mapped ride (3 miles) down to Steel Creek. Steel Creek is a campground right along the Buffalo National River with the picturesque Roark Bluff towering over us with about 100 feet. This is a MUST if you are in the area. The best deal about riding down to Steel Creek on the river is that it is paved the entire way from the main HWY to the campground (1.5 miles.) You usually have to travel a little bit of dirt/gravel road to find those treasures along the rivers; but not this one! We continued on the mapped route just south of Ponca towards Boxley. We had started our ride mid-day but if you are early enough you can catch the wild Elk grassing and roaming the lands in Ponca and Boxley along the Buffalo. I had previously mentioned that the Ozarks offers more than just amazing roads to ride but also several hiking trails. Lost Valley Trail is one of the trails we absolutely love because it is only 2.3 miles roundtrip. This trail is very easy and great if you have children or elderly with you. It is right there off of the main highway with easy access. We headed west towards Kingston which has a very iconic square. I believe the population is around 600; that is like 8 people per square mile! After we made the circle (maybe twice) around the Kingston square we rode through Huntsville and started our way to Eureka Springs. Eureka Springs, Arkansas reminds us a lot of Deadwood, South Dakota! Both were established around the same time frame and are built into the country hillside. The town of Eureka has so much to offer and the art/culture is endless! After we spent some time in Eureka Springs we got back on US 62 and headed east until we came to HWY 221 or as some call it “Race Track Road.” We did not have the extra time but we have heard that the Saunder’s Museum in Berryville is well worth the visit! Especially if you like guns because Colonel “Buck” Saunders has left his extensive gun collection to the city of Berryville for all to enjoy. The entire route will take you about 3 hours to complete, of course; depending on how long you stop to enjoy the Elk in Ponca, walk around the quaint victorian village of Eureka Springs, or gaze at the several look out spots along the Buffalo National River. Steph and I are always excited to show off our own backyard. Especially when we are riding with our friends and fellow motorcyclists; Bike N’ Bird, Jonny Roadblock, Uncle Ken and the rest of their crew! We want to give a big shout out to our good friend and photographer: ADPT photographer Casey Crocker. As well as Ride the Ozarks who has mapped out several rides here in the Ozarks! You can request a free motorcycle guide at www.ridetheozarks.com As we are finishing up this article for your reading; we are about to head to “Little Sturgis” in Sturgis, Kentucky and then off to Sturgis in Sturgis, South Dakota. While in Sturgis we will be setting up with Law Tigers doing our “Pay It Forward” event. For more information please visit our website www.theorneryone.com Like always you can find out where we are on our Instagram page @the_ornery_one and on our YouTube channel “The Ornery One”

We received a call from our buddy, Scott: the owner of a bagger bike he named Public Enemy No.1, on October 10th about coming down for the Baddest Bagger show during Biketoberfest in Daytona Beach, Florida. Biketoberfest was the weekend of October 19th-21st 2018. The trip down to Daytona Beach from northwest Arkansas would take us three days (1,028 miles) if we took our time and enjoyed the ride. We made a quick stop for lunch at Miss Polly’s Soul City Café on Beale St. in Memphis, Tennessee. The weather was perfect for a few days of riding. We ripped on down further south and found a roach motel to crash. Getting closer to the Florida line we started to see the destruction that Hurricane Michael left behind along Mexico Beach. With devastation and trees down all around us on both sides of Highway 431, it was hard, but we could still find the beauty in the scenery. The median down the highway had the brightest red and orange poppies that we had ever seen. With every mile that passed we were getting closer to Florida. Arriving in Daytona Beach, Florida, we kicked off the party at Daytona International Speedway with the Baddest Bagger competition. The Baddest Bagger competition was just created eight years ago with the help of Paul Yaffe and Dave Withrow and now has several shows yearly including Sturgis. For our first time attending a “Baddest Bagger” show, it was a great turnout with about thirty baggers in the competition. After the show, we talked with Paul Yaffe and he mentioned that the shows years before had been bigger but Harley-Davidson pulled out of the show this year. Overall results included: Baddest Bagger: John Jarvis, 2004 Road King Stock: 1st Jared Coomer, 2004 Road King 2nd Colleen Calnan, 2018 Road Glide 3rd Mark Spector, 2018 Road Glide Modified: 1st Troy Coomer, 2015 Road King 2nd Jeff Simpson, 2017 Street Glide Radical: 1st Ken Starling, 2014 Street Glide 2nd Lee Donaldson, 2012 Road King 3rd HP Concepts, 2012 Street Glide Pro: 1st Russell Jodoin, 20217 Road Glide 2nd Kory Souza, 2013 Road King 3rd Twin City Cycle Works, 2014 Street Glide Urban Bagger Editor’s Choice: Heyward Brockton, 2012 CVO Street Glide American Bagger Editor’s Choice: Harry Enggasser, 2015 Road Glide Best Paint by Mark Brodie: Scott Willet, 2012 Road Glide “Public Enemy No.1” Later that night, we found ourselves cruising down to Main Street where the nightlife was well underway. The main street turns into a shoulder to shoulder crowd admiring all the bikes parked on the sidewalk along the street. Many legendary and iconic bars are located right downtown including the Boot Hill Saloon, which you cannot help but like their slogan: “You are better off here than across the street.” If you have not visited this bar– across the street is a cemetery. Making our way back down the street we found a tattoo shop that was bustling with people. If there is one thing we could take and remember from this trip… let it be a poppy! We met this talented young tattoo artist, Rio, who gave us some nice artwork to remember that moment on Highway 431. The following day, we rode over to Bruce Rossmeyer’s Daytona Harley-Davidson in Ormond Beach. This place is a massive dealership with 109,000 square feet of showroom including Destination Daytona hotel and restaurants. The parking lot was packed full of vendors and music. This is where I had the opportunity to check RickRak’s merchandise tent and where I found the mount for my GoPro that I had been looking at online. Just over twenty miles south of Bruce Rossmeyer’s we found ourselves watching the “World Famous” Coleslaw Wrestling at Sopotnick’s Cabbage Patch Tavern which is Daytona’s oldest biker bar. The tavern is located on the corner of Pioneer Trail and Tomoka Farms Road and has a huge campground across the road. This place has history; you know it when you roll in. There is every demographic of motorcycle enthusiasts here. It is rough and rowdy, and we felt right at home. After watching some coleslaw wrestling and inhaling the overpowering smell of vinegar, we decided to roll out and make our way to the Iron Horse Saloon. The Iron Horse Saloon was packed with spectators watching the concerts and the live Wall of Death shows. We had been told that the famous beef tips here are a must to try!! Of course, they were sold out! Is there a such thing as a drive-in biker bar? The Iron Horse Saloon has it all from live music, vendors, entertainment, motorcycle burnout pits, to giant decks suspended from tree to tree including a sky-high school bus bar. Heading back to northwest Arkansas, we decided to take the longer scenic route. We made our way north along Highway A1A to the oldest city in the U.S., which is St. Augustine. Highway A1A took us along the Atlantic Ocean showcasing massive and impressive homes, beach fronts, and gave us a much needed clarity. As we were riding, I could hear through the Sena headsets, Stephanie breaking down. This is where she had her first moment on the back of the Road Glide. These are the moments why we ride. The moments that catch you off guard. The moments that keep you looking for the next road trip. From the Atlantic Ocean coast, we headed westward on I-10 towards New Orleans. I wanted to surprise her with a quick stop at New Orleans in the French Quarter to hang out for her birthday. Biketoberfest 2018 was a good experience and definitely a rally for our 2019 season (October 17th-20th). Our trip consisted of nine days with 2,312 miles, one emotional breakdown, two new tattoos, several new lifelong friends, and a new visual every time I smell vinegar. The Ornery One • facebook.com/theorneryone instagram.com/the_ornery_one Instagram: @the_ornery_one • YouTube.com/theorneryone Read full article in Quick Throttle Magazine or click link below to read online version: https://quickthrottle.com/biketoberfest-2018/

Primary Vent Kit on 2019 Road Glide Special Sure enough, our bike was transferring fluids; needless to say, Harley is attempting to fix this issue but some 2019 models didn't have the fix & need the Primary Vent Kit installed. A few months before our 10K service appointment.... we thought we had heard an odd noise just a few times while out on the bike. Both times was when we had cold started the bike. This just brought our attention to it so while at our 10K service, we had mentioned the sound & concern to our Harley tech. Not sure if it was related to the bike transferring fluids or not but we wanted to make sure it was noted. TIP: Anytime that you hear a noise or have a concern... mention it to your dealership/mechanic so they can make a note of it! If there was a problem down the road, a recall, etc.. then the concerns & issues are noted in your records. Especially if it's an issue that is later discovered & under warranty! This video shows the Primary Vent kit installed on our 2019 Road Glide Special during our 10,000 mile service. Please note: The primary vent kit isn't a recall, but an internal service bulletin that outlines direct diagnostics and corrective actions for EXCESSIVE transmission to primary oil transfer (some transfer between the compartments is normal and has been for years, hence the requirement to run the same oil in primary and transmission!!!)

We want to share a little more than just our adventures with you! A little history & deeper look into our lives. We are sure you have heard of the tiny house movement and the mass movement of fine folks wanting to share their stories of how they are becoming one with nature and simplifying their lifestyle…. but please listen to ours. We do not fit in this category. We were in our mid 30’s and had faced a lot of negativity but we took it all with a positive view!!! I will start with this: We are a family of 7!! :) We have 5 children from the ages 14 to 21. (4 girls and 1 boy) With saying that… we DOWN SIZED to a TINY HOUSE ;) A tiny house that we could afford and make sure everyone was happy. For us to make certain everyone had their own space, we chose the 16x40 lofted barn style building. We sold everything that we own to gather enough money to purchase this building. The barn/cabin has two lofts, which is where the kids will occupy…. all 5 of them. :) We had talked to all the children about the journey and how this may or may not be for each of them but for our family…. this was the best decision. As I had mentioned, we were in our 30’s and we had been faced with a lot of stress. My husband, T.J. had back surgery 9 years ago & is currently needing back surgery again. This set us back quite a bit and put a strain on our family as he was our main bread winner. He has been slowly recovering from the surgery. I was working 2 jobs and going to school full time as well as taking care of all of the kids while he was recovering. However, 5 years ago in October I turned 31. I turn 31 on the 25th of October and we discovered I had a Brain Tumor in my 4th Ventricle on the 28th of October. I had emergency Brain Surgery on November 4th to remove the Tumor. I have been off of work since and I am still having complications with balance and vision along with vertigo. We have always been able to provide for our children with a fairly large home with plenty of space to call their own……. but now… we are down to one income and the stress is not worth it! Both T.J. and I are too young to be too stressed and too worried about the future and our health. It is impossible to improve if we continue to dwell on the negative. We have to look at the positive side and with saying that….we are very blessed that this has happened to us at such a young age and we have realized what we want in life before it is too late to change it!!! We are excited for the future! We are scared! We are happy! This is one adventure that is bitter sweet!! Overall, we just wanted to share with you that this “building” is going to be our family’s home! Some may call it a shed, a barn, a building, a small cabin….. But for us this will be our home. The one place we call home. Subscribe to our YouTube channel & hit the bell to be notified of our next adventures!!

The moment we have been waiting for… on the eighth day we arrived at the biggest motorcycle rally in the world; the 78th annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally in Sturgis, South Dakota! First things first, we rolled down main street to check out the crowd and the scene. The streets were already filling up with bikes and folks from all over, ready to party. As we made our way through downtown, we continued on towards Spearfish and stopped at their KFC. Starving and hungry we still had to watch our budget; we decided to share a buffet to reduce our spending. I got the buffet and Stephanie got a $1 chicken sandwich. We spent a total of $9.23 for lunch. We still had plenty of daylight left and took the opportunity to check out Deadwood and Spearfish Canyon. The town of Deadwood is a quaint little town packed full of history that dates back to the 1800’s. Built along the mountainside, the winding streets are paved with brick and tons of shopping. Stephanie had a blowout in her boot but it wasn’t anything that zip ties could not fix for the time being. The Spearfish Canyon byway loop is close to a twenty-mile ride, full of stunning limestone cliffs and mountain streams, all viewable at an easy 35mph! We stopped along Highway 14 at the Spearfish Canyon Lodge where we were able to grab a drink and check out the vendors that they had set up outside. The lodge was log cabin atmosphere with a cool refreshing bar that was hopping with bikers. We made our way on towards Spearfish where we found a KOA. Total miles for the day: 91 miles and a total of $187.13. Woke up with Full Throttle Saloon in our sights! Day nine we met up with our buddy John who had a campsite reserved at Full Throttle Saloon. We were directed to meet him at the side gate. This is where we all rolled in together and acted like we knew what we were doing… right past the security gate with a big smile on our face. Sometimes I think the gray in my beard lets me get away with more. Full Throttle Saloon is where we would call home for the next several nights. John helped us set up our tent and get settled in and provided us with some beverages and grilled hamburgers. Free food and free drinks… we are all about it! The evening of drinking, haircuts, and laughing with friends quickly turned to taking shelter from the storm in the community shower house. As we peered out the shower house doors, we could see tents and pop-ups flying by as the wind picked up and the hail started even heavier. Within thirty minutes the hail stopped and the winds calmed down; this was the perfect lightning show. We made our way back over to our tent and to our surprise, our one pole tent was still standing. We didn’t cover a lot of ground this day as we only rode from Spearfish to Full Throttle Saloon for a total of 32 miles and food/gas $87.43. After a night of rest and a nice warm shower, (the shower house at Full Throttle was super clean and nice), we grabbed breakfast at the Sturgis Brown High School. Every year, the High School students provide an “All you can eat” breakfast during the Sturgis Rally. All of the proceeds that the school raises go right back into the school for the students. Day ten, Saturday, consisted of lots of walking up and down the main strip with plenty of bikes to look at. The daily traffic count entering Sturgis was close to 60,000 this year! (sturgismotorcyclerally.com) There were merchandise and food vendors all along the strip and neighboring blocks. We walked down towards the end of the strip and ate lunch at the Burger King; which was so much cheaper than the turkey legs on the strip. We only spent $64.89 this day with a mere 21 miles on the bike. Day eleven we packed our bags and didn’t have a clue where we would end up. Our only plan was to meet new people and see where the day would take us. There was a bike show going on at the Buffalo Chip and we decided to head that way, while we were there we ran into Dazzlin’ from Bling Devas MC. The Buffalo Chip has an awesome outside bar surrounded by vendors and live music. That evening, we ended up at Spur Meadows Campground which was 36 miles from the Buffalo Chip. This is where we called home for the next two additional nights. Thanks to our Quick Throttle family; The Big Cupp, Dazzlin’, and Sage!! We spent $77 on food and drinks. We did spend $120 on souvenirs for the kids which worked perfectly with saving on camping these last two days. Total miles were 94. Monday morning, day twelve, Shannon cooked everyone breakfast with some amazing prime rib that was leftover from dinner the night before from the Elk Creek Steakhouse. This was a huge day, today was the Legends Ride with some of the most legendary folks that you can only dream about riding with. Not only that but there was free food and free beer after the ride, so we were all in. Total of 133 miles for the day which included the Legends Ride from the historic Franklin Hotel in Deadwood to Buffalo Chip. Total cash spent was $72.55 on lunch and fuel. Breakfast and coffee were ready by the time we woke up on day thirteen! Dazzlin’ had cooked us breakfast burritos and had coffee brewing. As we were packing up this morning… because we never stay anywhere too long; we had discovered that the pole in our one-pole tent had broken during one of the storms. Dazzlin’ had an extra tent that she insisted that we take. While we were out on the main strip during the day we ran into our friend Lyonel from Law Tigers and he gave us VIP tickets to the flat track races that night at Black Hills Speedway in Rapid City. Viewing the flat track races from the VIP seats were incredible but what was even better was viewing the races from inside the pit. Our totals for this day were 83 miles with only $42.85 spent on fuel and $61.89 for camping at Black Hills KOA. The sweet girls from “A Quest called TriBe, M.T.” was our next host. They put us up at their fort just a few blocks down from all the action on Main Street. Day fourteen and fifteen were both filled with great memories with these ladies. Wednesday night we headed over to Full Throttle and caught the Sons of Speed Vintage Motorcycle Race and the Wall of Death. If you have not had a chance to catch one of their races; do so! The bikes are all pre-1925 1000cc V-Twin engines, such a fun time! We had the privilege of riding with the girls on the Veterans Charity Ride (VCR) along with tons of great inspiring men and women who served and we owe so much to. The ride started at The Lodge at Deadwood and took us to Nemo where we had lunch and wrapped up with a tour through the Sturgis Motorcycle Museum. Our total miles for these two days totaled 173 miles and spent a total of $268.12. This was also a huge day for us personally. Today, we passed our 2-week goal. Our original trip was 2 people, 2 wheels, 2 events, $2,000, and 2 weeks! We have officially made our 2 weeks and still counting!!! The next day, we decided to start making our way towards Needles Highway and Mount Rushmore. We could not have come all this way and not see Mount Rushmore! Custer State park was beyond what we were told, and seeing Mount Rushmore with our own two eyes was a memory that we will never forget. Somewhere between southern South Dakota and northern Nebraska, we rode through an old Indian reservation. This little town was something out of a documentary of a third world country. The roads were dirt. The kids outside were playing barefoot. The houses were merely considered houses. The siding was torn off and windows were missing from homes, yet people lived in them. A bit later when we pulled over to grab lunch, we could not help but think about those kids and reflect on how thankful we are to have a warm bed and a roof over our heads. We sat at the table and cried. It hurt to see those families in those conditions. Little did we know this would have a bigger effect on our future than just this day. Day sixteen ended with 472 miles in and with $234.30 for our total ending us at Norfolk, Nebraska. We decided to eat a good meal now that we were out of the rally area. Day seventeen, we stayed with my cousin, Renee in Kansas City. She treated us to dinner and showed us a bit of her town. We even got to visit the Liberty Tower at the WWI memorial, such a unique place! The total miles on this day was 342 and $173.90 for food. Day eighteen was our last day on the road. To end our Shoestring Budget Road Trip; we made it home with only 260 miles and $39.85 for fuel and a quick snack for the road. Making it home was bitter sweet. We missed our kids and our home but also missed all of our new found friends. We looked back and were so thankful for all the people who took us in, who fed us, who welcomed us to their own… with that, we were under budget! We found a preemie baby in our hometown and the young new family needed an extra hand. We had $200 and some change left from our budget and thought it was the right thing to do. Paying it Forward to them was what our hearts needed! Riding through that Indian reservation on day fifteen was not on our route but we decided to take some back roads and see where we ended up. Not only did it change our hearts that day but it has changed our future. I would like to say, this is the end of our Shoestring Budget Road Trip, but it is only the beginning. You can follow along with our journeys on our website www.theorneryone.com and Facebook/Instagram. We can’t wait to share our next adventures with you. Thank you again for being part of our story. Total trip miles: 4,049 Follow along: Instagram: @the_ornery_one and @steph.a.pot.a.mus Facebook: The Ornery One YouTube: The Ornery One Shoestring Budget Road Trip Sponsors: Russ Brown Motorcycle Attorneys Blue Collar Choppers Elements of the Old Soul Brick Oven Pizza Yamaha of Harrison Botox & Co Vintage Biker Gear Ride the Ozarks Originally published in Quick Throttle Magazine November issue https://quickthrottle.com/shoestring-budget-road-trip-part-3/

Our bags are packed and the bike is loaded. Our journey is really starting! The morning of July 26th we rolled out of our driveway in Harrison, Arkansas, and busted through our sleepy little town. With dark clouds on the horizon, we had checked the weather and we felt certain that we would be able to skirt around the rain. Day One would take us to Hillsboro, Illinois, to a guy who we call our friend, even though we had only met once six years ago. It was a five hour estimated ride with a total of 348 miles that we had planned for this first day. We stopped in Rolla, Missouri, to fill up the bike with our spare change that we had saved for months. Little did we know that our GPS recalculated and took us along the “scenic” route to our destination. It was this scenic route that added miles and some additional hours to our trip. We were now heading straight into stormy weather along the side roads that were narrow and slick. We pulled into the county road department and took shelter underneath their awning with the bulldozers and gravel piles. Right in the middle of the rain storm, we suddenly discovered that Verizon cell phone service does not work in this area! We were not able to check the weather apps, or use GPS to find our current location. After the lightning and rain slowed down, we knew we needed to hit the road and try to cover more ground but we did not make it very far. The little town, of Belle, Missouri, had one lonely cafe so the choice was easy. We were hungry and soaked from the rain! We pulled up and threw a tarp over the bike. As people already inside watched us, we walked in and grabbed a booth; the first comment an older gentleman made was, “You sure did choose a nice day to ride!” We knew he was just trying to be funny and start conversation but it really set the mood. As we were looking at the menu and making a puddle on the floor beneath our booth; our waitress arrived. Of course, she told us the most tragic horror story of her boyfriend’s motorcycle wreck years ago on a rainy day just like today. It was moments like these that just made us want to get away; such a strange feeling wanting to get in a safe dry place, but the safe dry place made us want to get back on the bike and ride through the storm. As soon as we ate and paid for our meal, we quickly made our way to the car wash that was just down the street. It was here at the car wash that was a safe, dry and quiet place so that we could wait out the storm. After a few hours passed, we headed to Hillsboro, Illinois, which was still a three hour ride, and the new halfway point was the St. Louis Arch! We flew by the arch and snapped pictures from a distance because we had another black cloud behind us. Heavy on the throttle, we made good time arriving at Hillsboro around 7pm. Our total spent tallied up to $63.89 for the day. This included food $27.39 and gas $36.50 with 368 miles. We didn’t have to worry about dinner that day thanks to our hosts Greg and Marissa in Hillsboro. McDonald’s breakfast was quick, easy and cheap for our budget on Day Two. From Hillsboro, Illinois, to Indianapolis, Indiana, was a quick 200 mile ride with great weather ahead of us! We had several Instagram and Facebook followers suggest must-see stops along our route and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway was on the short list! It was here in Indianapolis that we met up with our Instagram buddy John who showed us the speedway and a quick tour of his town.With the great weather and our spirits high… we wanted to keep riding and decided to continue down the road towards Cleveland. We left Indianapolis and rode on into Springfield, Ohio adding 135 miles for the day. Crossing the Ohio state line was huge! There were now three states between us and our home in Arkansas. Day Two totals were: for food $39.04 and gas $13.28 with a grand total of 348 miles. Saturday morning, we woke up with our second wind! Ready to be at the Fuel Cleveland Show and meet our Instagram friends in Wickliffe, Ohio. Mike and Missy were only three and a half hours away from us! Saturday, Day Three was going to be a short ride but a long fun filled day. With a quick shot up Interstate 71 we arrived with plenty of time to relax before the show. Knowing that we were going to hit the hooch that night, we grabbed a Lyft to go downtown for the chopper show. This short ride downtown was the scariest moment during this whole trip… another example of when I feel more comfortable on my bike. This was a point in our trip that we knew we were going to let our hair down and get a little ornery. The Fuel Cleveland Show really hit the spot for us with bikes, art, live music and the amazing community and venue at Skidmark Garage. We have a full length story about Fuel Cleveland on our Facebook blog page we would love to share with you. Day Three totals are 231 miles with $128.92 for food, beer, and gas. We woke up Sunday morning with a throbbing headache and an urge to head west! Putting midtown Chicago in my GPS, we set out for this next adventure. Somewhere along Interstate 90W we grabbed gas and lunch, and to our surprise ran into a few buddies that we had met the night before at the Fuel Cleveland Show.Our highlight of the day was the little town of Gary, Illinois. It was advised for us to avoid this area due to something about it being the murder capital of the US, but of course we had to stop and explore. We don’t know if it was due to the massive hangover, the relentless speed bumps every mile or the two times we almost got run over…. But we quickly decided that downtown Chicago would be skipped and saved for a different journey of its own. Day Four ended in Owatta, Illinois, with a total mileage of 420 and $74.15 spent. Feeling the need for a little history, Day Five consisted of downtown Owatta checking out the Lincoln Douglas debate memorial. Standing in the exact location as these two great men stood, it really took us back and gave us an appreciation of our nation’s history. With miles to put behind us, we threw our legs over the bike and continued west to our next stop in Webster City, Iowa. Along the way, we met up with our Facebook friend Scott where we all grabbed lunch and for the first time, Steph and I got to eat at a Culver’s! We filled up our tank along the way making a total spent $11.32. We were eager to meet our social media friends John and Kim in Webster City, Iowa, where we were treated to a tent already set up and a welcome garage to park and examine the Road Glide. Although our day was filled with time spent with new friends and lots of history, 311 miles was the total with hardly any money spent with lunch and dinner provided. John and Kim actually took this day off work and they were able to share the road with us. Day Six was a day filled with corn and exploring Dolliver Memorial State Park. We traveled and made our way up to Highway 90 to Sioux Falls, South Dakota, which gave us a straight shot into Sturgis. A total of 287 miles for this day and ended up with a total amount spent: $48.40. Day Seven was the most dramatic, drastic day for us. The day started out with high hopes of amazement at the Corn Palace of the World, and fifteen minutes later we decided it was not for us and we headed farther west. The Badlands grabbed me by the collar of my soul, I wasn’t ready for it. I thought this was going to be short simple ride, another hill, another curve, another prairie dog. But, it hit me! Hit me like a June bug in mid-flight running 60mph. All five of my senses were heightened with the magnitude of our life events playing out in my head. For me, these 306 miles from Sioux Falls to this moment, were the most spiritual magical time of the entire trip.We rode an additional 77 miles to Jeremy’s house (Instagram friend) in Rapid City, South Dakota, where he had a room already prepared for us. Our spending for the day included protein bars that we packed, brunch at the Corn Palace $18.50 and $30.00 in gas. Jeremy and his family took us out to eat in the heart of downtown Rapid City. They showed us all of the must-see stops around the square including the incredible Art Alley. The Art Alley is a unique art community that changes and evolves each month. One of the highlights of the trip was strolling through the Alley several times and finding new art each time. This is why you find the locals! Locals can lead you to the myths, legends, and hidden treasures of their hometowns. If it wasn’t for the connections and amazing hosts that we have had the privilege of meeting, there would be so much undiscovered. Continue to follow our journey as we make our way into Sturgis on Day Nine during the Part Three of our Shoestring Budget Road Trip. Follow along: Instagram: @the_ornery_one and @ steph.a.pot.a.mus Facebook: The Ornery One YouTube: The Ornery One Shoestring Budget Road Trip Sponsors: Russ Brown Motorcycle Attorneys Blue Collar Choppers Elements of the Old Soul Brick Oven Pizza Yamaha of Harrison Botox & Co. Vintage Biker Gear Ride the Ozarks Read original article in Quick Throttle Magazine Throttle, Q. (2018, October 01). Shoestring Budget Road Trip, Part Two. Retrieved from https://quickthrottle.com/shoestring-budget-road-trip-part-two/

First annual Ink and Art in the Ozarks at the Fayetteville Town Center Saturday 29th 2018 from 4pm -7pmyou can find us here while we rally together & raise money for Shawn West!! Shawn is in dire need of a new kidney!! We are here raising awareness in the Fayetteville community! Andres West heard our story on 104.9 The X with Sunshine on Sunshine in the mornings! She wrote in & submitted Shawn‘s story....... “Well here goes nothing or something, only you can be the decider of that. This morning on my drive in I heard about you on The X and decided why not give it a shot. There’s so much bad juju in my life there’s gotta be something positive down the line. How to be short and sweet about something that is everything but that. Perhaps my first reason is that if we are not the people you are looking to help you may at the least be able to point us in a direction to find what we need. We are a family in Crisis Mode. On October 20th last year my husband received a call from the doctor that changed our whole lives and nearly took his life away from us. After suffering 2 weeks of what I suspected was a man cold or a tummy bug we received a call from the doctor telling him to go to the nearest ER as he was actively in renal failure and his kidney’s were not functioning at all. He came into the ER with no idea what was happening or what was going to but with the words RENAL FAILURE hanging over his head. By the next morning we had no more information, no cause that could be easily identified, no reason for this sudden life taking change. From that night forward our entire family changed. Within 2 days me and our girls watched as he nearly coded because the toxins in his body had ready catastrophic levels and had begun to attack his heart. But my husband always has been and always will be a fighter and his heart fought back on it’s on. The paddles were put back away without ever touching his chest. By day 3 he was set up with a chest port and began hemodialysis within the hour of almost having to be shocked back to life. Thus began the journey with hemo 3 days a week, 4 hours per treatment. As the doctor explained it to us they won’t be able to say what’s wrong with his kidney’s until he gets a transplant. From the testing they did they could tell the damage was to far gone to get an answer from a biopsy. They said it was like looking into muddy water trying to make out an image there’s just no way to see at this point. They could say they are abnormally small and have thin lining but not if this was genetic. Basically we gotta get the bad ones out to solve the riddle. During the first few weeks had it not been for our employers and our family of friends I don’t know how we would have survived. My husband is the Wine Manager at County Line Liquor in Springdale and paired with my boss Tina at Lisle Rutledge and my co-workers they started the Kidney for Shawn West page on ucaring all with the hopes and dreams that we could pull together enough money to get a kidney for my husband. All though everyone’s hearts have been in the right place not many of us have the pocketbooks to back up that kind of wish. You see within 2 months we accumulated $125,000 in medical debt for the hospital stays and they won’t stop coming. We will be getting these bills until the day he has a new kidney. We are at the added disadvantage of being a family without health insurance. We made the decision to forgo health insurance to accomplish the goal of being homeowners and a year and two months after we succeeded in buying a home Shawn is diagnosed with kidney failure. We were able to get him Medicare for ESRD (End Stage Renal Disease) patients without which I don’t doubt I would have lost my husband already. It helps to pay for the treatments but even with the look back that Medicare ESRD allows they fell short of the entire hospital stay. So here we are nearly a year later and losing hope that we can get him on a transplant list. He has been on the phones with most of the hospitals that do transplants in our region and the hold up on getting on most of the list is they want money up front. Money to put you on a list, to wait and hope that your number gets called and they can save your life. The nearer we reach the anniversary the more despair we are all suffering under. My husband doesn’t think he’ll make it past ten years or that we will ever get him on a list and hopefully be able to save him and is sinking further into depression. He hates the treatments. He’s on peritoneal dialysis now which is done at home while he’s sleeping. He now lives with a hose coming out of his belly, a very strict diet, limitations that one wouldn’t expect, and lots and lots of meds 4 times a day. I am now the proud owner of anxiety attacks and more grey hair than any 35 year old should have. But the icing on our cake, in our lives are two girls 12 and 15 years old. They are reason I keep trying and the reason I keep pushing my husband to survive. There’s graduations to go to, wedding isles to walk those girls down, and grandkids somewhere in our future to hold and love. After 17 years of loving with all my heart this one man I can’t imagine my life without him and am looking for any and all help that will keep him here in our lives for the next 60 years. His name is Shawn West, he’s 38 years old and has a smile that could break your heart and eyes that see way too much. And he’s a damn fine sommelier.“