The East Coast of Canada

As many of you are aware I am taking a trip across Canada with my favorite riding partner.

Along the way I am meeting up with various riding clubs and individuals who have devoted a lot of time to the riding community.

My goal, my desire is two fold...to spread the news about the Foundation for Injured Riders, Rights & Education and to raise some money to send one terminally ill Canadian child and their family to Orlando and the Give the Kids the World Village.

F.I.R.R.E. is important to me - being a rider and doing what we can to help our fellow rider in the advent of an accident is wildly important to me because my theory in life is, there but for the grace of God go I.

The reason I want to help send a terminally ill child to the Village in Orlando - well I think childhood should be a time of laughter and light and what better place to regain or capture those feelings than Orlando and Disney World...

It is going to be interesting to see what comes out of all of this and I am excited and gratified to know that I will be meeting up with at least 120 people on the road along the way and the I will be getting to know so many from the Bikers Church in Ottawa - reportedly 5-600 will be attending their pig roast... I hope you will consider joining me be it for an hour, a day, a couple of days or the whole trip - I want to ride with my family in their towns & cities and get to know Canada and our Canadian Motorcycle community on an even more personal and intimate level than I ever have before...

I am going to get to ride like a local in a lot of different cities and towns and that turns me on hugely!

In Saskatoon we are meeting up with the Lonewolves, in Winnipeg with some from Lonestar Harley-Davidson and a friend for a long over due coffee. In Kenora, the National Motorcycle Ride for Dad's 10th Anniversary Ride and in Butler ON we are meeting up with the Mother Daughter Ride. In North Bay I am meeting Liz from the Canadian Women Motorcycle Council and in Thunder Bay, Robert Whaley and some of the Retreads are meeting hubby and I for a pie run.

Then as mentioned in Ottawa I am meeting with the Biker's Church and the good folks of the Biker Coffee Company. Somewhere in this time frame Shaun de Jager from Road Awareness and some of the Ontario Chrome Divas are hooking up with me too as is Cookie Chick from the OCC - then in to Montreal to see Dar from the Chrome Diva's and in to Leo H-D and Laval H-D..into Quebec City, Campbellton , Charlottetown & the Red Island Rally for a day...in Moncton I get to see the kids from the Bike Klub, the gang at Toys for Big Boys and then in to St John and the ferry where I will be hooking up with Bean're from Florida and his crew...while in Nova Scotia Janice Gould and I are going to try and get together along with some of the other gals in the province and I am looking forward to seeing Harold and Wendy from Motorcycle Tour Guide Nova Scotia.

Part of the trip is also going to entail doing reviews of our hotel partners - so as I stay at the various hotels and motels that have sponsored me I am going to be reviewing their customer service and their properties. Choice Hotels and Pacrim Hospitality are our major sponsors for our rooms!

I will be working with Tourisme Québec and some of the other travel departments across this fair country of ours!

It is gonna be a busy trip and to be quite honest - I am so excited I can hardly sleep and it is still a month away! Press releases go out today and if anyone is interested in donating to help send a child to Orlando - there are pledge sheets in the widget here in my blog or on the www.firre.ca site for down load. You can also donate to F.I.R.R.E. using the same sheets...I will have F.I.R.R.E. membership forms with me on the trip for those who want to become a part of this great organization meant to help riders! The Never Ride Alone program, the toll free rider down hot line, discounts on rider training DVD's from Ride like a Pro Canada...the best $20 you will ever spend.

The sponsor for the Toll Free Rider Down Hot Line and Never Ride Alone Number is Intercon Messaging and I will tell you - these people are amazing. the call center is a 911 emergency services dispatching center and they are highly trained in what to do in the case of an emergency. We are blessed and fortunate to have them as a sponsor!

If you have a moment - check out the Conga Page on www.firre.ca and see if there isn't a spot where you could join my hubby and I. Even if it is just for a coffee or a bowl of soup - I would welcome the chance to get to know you!

In the news today:

A rider from Regina Saskatchewan is dead after a head on collision in Montana

In Perth County ON a 49 year old woman went to hospital after hitting a dog with her motorcycle.

In Greenville ON, a motorcycle accident on County Road 1 on Sunday, July 4 has claimed the life of a local man.

In Sudbury ON, at risk youth have the opportunity to learn some new skills while working with Rick "Ozzy" Osborne rebuilding a motorcycle

In Rexton NB a Richibucto motorcyclist was seriously hurt in crash.

In Truro NS the Organization of Responsible Bikers are planning a big shin dig August 13-15 - too bad I will only be in the Kenora area then...

In Sylvan Lake AB, there is a Poker Run to support a little boy - Beau Gallipeau who requires surgery to save his eye sight. The surgery is not available in Canada...

In Strathmore AB, RCMP are trying to find a Jaguar involved in a hit and run with a motorcycle.

Riders in the Northwest Territories are not thrilled with the new, bigger polar bear plates...that are supposed to be gracing their motorcycles.

And the big news out of Sturgis: Victory Motorcycles is sponsoring the Buffalo Chip this year!

If you are one of the fortunate and you are riding today, PLEASE, ride like everyone around you is blind, cannot see you and is out to get you and please, Ride Proud not Loud - save those pipes for when they are truly needed - when someone is about to violate your lane.

Belt Drive Betty