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Stormy

Just a Badass, One-Legged Biker

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By Stormy

Stormy

What piqued my interest about Lonnie Hubbard was  #1 he is a badass bad boy, #2 he is a biker, and #3 he is an amputee that rides.  This combination, I feel, is a great story.  The first time I met Lonnie in person was when he walked through my front door for this interview.  I was immediately fascinated and intrigued.  

Lonnie was born in Baltimore, Maryland and raised in Sheridan, Wyoming.  He spent time mostly in juvenile detention centers, boys’ homes, and then joined the Army when he was 17.  This clearly confirms he is a bad boy.  He moved to Colorado in 2003, so that his then wife could attend college in Fort Collins.  Lonnie worked in the oil industry for many years on drilling rigs and hopes one day he can get back into once the industry starts booming again.

Lonnie explained what happened to his leg.  He stated, “I spent two and a half months in the hospital almost 4 years ago, and I lost my leg, and it was pretty rough.”  Lonnie was not sure what was causing the pain in his leg, but he has a rare condition where his body produces thick blood and somehow a blood clot formed in his leg and destroyed his femoral artery.  This happened  while he was working as a driller.  When he noticed his leg was hurting one day, he ignored it, and it went on for a few years.  When the oil industry died in 2015, Lonnie started his trucking business.  Sitting in a truck 16 hours a day, six days a week is bad for circulation, and when you have thick blood, that is even worse.  His leg kept hurting and as stubborn as he is, he never went to the doctors to find out what was wrong.  One day he could no longer take the pain and went to the emergency room, and they did a CT scan on his leg and found out he was losing it.  They immediately set up an appointment with a vascular surgeon.  The surgeon told Lonnie that it is worse than he expected.  The femoral artery from his waist to his knee was getting 3% blood flow, and his leg and toes were turning black.  The surgeon was surprised Lonnie was even walking on that leg.  They tried to save it, but it got worse.  The surgeon inevitably amputated his leg.

Lonnie said his story is worse than a bad country song, “I’ve struggled a lot since I lost my leg.  I know this revision surgery I had two months ago helped a lot of things, but it is a 6-month recovery time, so in the meantime I am enduring a lot of phantom pains in my leg.  The oilfield died, I lost my trucking business than my leg, lost my house and my marriage and then the ultimate low was I had to put my dog down in February.”

Lonnie runs around with the red and white crew along with his best friends, Monkey, Dave, Rob, and Josh.  When he rides, he must keep a steady flow of whiskey going to deal with the leg pain.  He explained, “I really don’t like riding like that all the time, but so far it has been pretty good since the revision surgery.”

Although Lonnie has a bad boy image, he inspires a lot of other amputees.  Kermit, another local biker amputee, and he went to the hospital to visit a young man who was preparing to get his leg amputated from a motorcycle wreck about two years ago.

Lonnie felt that honesty builds trust, and he wanted the young man to believe in their inspiration.  The ability to inspire others is an important skill, and Lonnie has that in his favor.  Kermit and Lonnie kept their message authentic and human, and the young man was at ease before and after the surgery.  

Lonnie and I became real good friends after this interview, and I am so glad I can call him my brother.  So, ladies if you like men that have the bad-boy image, Lonnie is the eligible bachelor for you.  

Colorado Motorcycle Expo 2020 Recap

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By Stormy

Motorcycle enthusiasts get excited when the Motorcycle Expo is in town. It reminds them that spring is coming and which in turn means it will be riding season soon. A lot of biker attendees noticed that there was something different about the Expo; they felt it in the air, ambience, and attitude. Well they are correct; there is a new owner of the Expo, an actual biker, Scott Schultz! He wants to take the Expo back to its original status and run it like a biker would run it. That means allowing the motorcycle clubs back into the Expo, and more specifically even allowing the club that the rider was killed a few years ago return. Another great reason to have a biker run the Expo compared to a Joe Blow businessman is that he understands the motorcycle community and knows firsthand what they want and what they want to see. He is going to bring back the great vendors that quit exhibiting because of all the red-tape restrictions. Most importantly, Scott wants to bring back the strong and loyal following that attended each year.

I was lucky to have a chance to meet the new owner, Scott Schultz. I learned that he is 42 years young and a life-long motorcycle junkie and accomplished businessman. He said that he is a transplant from North Dakota and has called Colorado home for 26 years. He is committed to his vision of bringing together bikers from all walks, united by a common love for these amazing machines.

The motorcycle show competition was great to see! They had over 100 bikes competing in more than a dozen categories.

  • Ortiz Custom Cycles of Lakewood cleaned house and won first in Custom Fat Tire Bagger, and second and third place in the Custom Bagger category. The red 2014 Street Glide that won first place was bought from Munky Mark last year and Ortiz Custom Cycles revamped it and did a ton of work to it. It was dedicated to Munky. The second place Custom Bagger winner was Manual Arellano’s 2012 CVO Road Glide also done by Ortiz Custom Cycles. This one had awesome airbrushing and a lot of custom work that took about a year to complete.
  • The third-place winner is a 2019 Road Glide that was bought at Sun HD by owner Larry Ortiz. He tore it down, cut the neck, and turned it into what you see today with a 1000-watt stereo and tons of custom parts! Go visit Ortiz Custom Cycles in Lakewood and see what they can do to your bike everything from paint to custom work. Everything is done in-house, no outsourcing except the seats.

Walking the Expo was so much fun. You run into so many friends; it’s like a big family reunion! It is also fun to shop and spend money at the vendors’ booths. One of my favorites was Vatos Y Viclas Magazine. They had some cool merchandise and a cute little chunky chihuahua named Athena running around in the booth. Vatos Y Viclas works towards helping Homies Unidos, a gang intervention/prevention program here in Denver.

My other favorite was Glitter Biker Boutique owned by Aimee Leigh. She has the best blingy bandanas ever! There were so many to choose from and in different colors

I also ran into Scott O’Sullivan and Chere Martin of Rider Justice. They are both awesome people in the biker community. They stand up for us bikers. In fact, for the third straight year, they are working to make it illegal for anyone to hold an electronic device in their hands while driving. Scott said, “We support SB20-065 because we believe this law will help make Colorado roads safer for everyone.” He goes on to say that if SB20-065 passes, all drivers would be prohibited from using a wireless communication device unless used in a hands-free manner. Navigation systems would be permitted if the address information was entered prior to operating the vehicle or in an emergency situation.

It was also cool to stop by Wide Open Saloon’s booth which is opening Saturday, March 7th. Anton Barich the general manager said they have big plans for the opening and have great bands lined up.

I am looking forward to next year’s Expo and see what Scott Schultz has planned.

True Bike Accident Story

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Why is it important to include Un-Insured/Under-Insured Motorist Coverage in your policy?

By Stormy

Considering being in a motorcycle accident in July of this year, I discovered that I didn’t have UM/UIM coverage included in my motorcycle policy. This means that because the at-fault driver didn’t have enough coverage on their policy, I might be stuck with paying my medical bills which as of today is $33,000.00.

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Windsisters of Colorado

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By Stormy

If you live in the Denver area and ride a motorcycle, there are just a handful of women groups to join and meet other like-minded riders that share the same passion for motorcycles.  Three ladies, Sparkle, Khaos, and Xeva started Windsisters of Colorado with the desire to create a positive, warm, and welcoming group of both lady riders and honey huggers. Sparkle emphasized, “Having tried previously to be a part of a formal ladies riding group helped me see that there were not enough networking platforms in Colorado for ladies to connect.”   They originally started with a handful of lady riders and have been blessed over the last four years, as it has grown to almost 400 followers!

Finding Windsisters  

Windsisters was whispered in other ladies’ groups and soon on social media because of the fun quarterly socials and rides they were hosting and posting.  That is how I discovered Windsisters. I know Khaos pretty well for we went on a spectacular motorcycle road trip to Seattle and down the Pacific Coast back to Colorado several years ago.  She hosted a social at the Glenn Bar, and I met some awesome lady riders. It’s cool to learn that there are women riders out there from all walks of life and to hear their story on how they got into riding.  What I like about Windsisters is that they open their arms to anyone regardless of what they ride, of all makes and models of two and three-wheel motorcycles and all ability levels.

Positive Female Presence

Sparkle boasted about the Windsisters of Colorado Facebook social group page.  She continued, “This allows ladies to share experiences in the wind, tips on maintenance or riding gear and allows members to share meet-up opportunities. The goal of the group is to encourage a strong POSITIVE  female presence in the Colorado riding community.”

Although started in the Denver metro, Windsisters has now spanned across Colorado.  They encourage ladies to share events to help others know what is going on in their areas.  

Sparkle articulated, “TOGETHER we can create a beautiful environment promoting lady riders.  We are thankful for the people who have helped create the group that we have, as it takes each person to show up, be engaged, and be open to new friendships for it to continue to grow.”

Connect

They are always looking for ladies to partner and host a meetup in their area.  Their next social event will be January 18, 2020 Holiday After-Party.

If you or any lady friends you know are interested in joining, please request to join Windsisters of Colorado on Facebook. 

Utah Vision Rally 2019

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By Stormy

Support, what does that mean to you? Paying for someone’s coffee at Starbucks, opening the door for someone, taking chicken noodle soup to your friend when they are sick, being a shoulder to cry on? Or maybe traveling 1,500 miles on your motorcycle to support a cause, a cause that is very stigmatized, a cause that affects people every 15 minutes, a cause that your friend had a dream a vision a year prior? 

Suicide is a cause that is not talked about enough. Ride for Hope is making sure you hear their voice, we traveled to Utah to support another ride, Utah Vision Day, a ride to support suicide prevention and awareness, we supported a family who’s heart is breaking, but yet they have turned the tragedy of their son Taylor who died by suicide January 6, 2017, into a legacy to help others. The ride there was emotional, the sound of the pipes, the feel of the bike, and the wind touching my face. At times, the thoughts came through my mind, “Is this really my life? Am I really riding a motorcycle? Am I really riding hundreds of miles to support another mother, the same way I needed support? 

Our children brought us together, not because they knew each other, but because of the way they died. It’s through tragedy that so many things get started, a non-profit, a new legislative bill, just like MADD the Irving, Texas–based organization was founded on September 5, 1980, in California by Candace Lightner after her 13-year-old daughter, Cari, was killed by a drunk driver. MADD has claimed that drunk driving has been reduced by half since its founding.

Motorcycles and charities go hand-in-hand. It seems every weekend during the summer months, there are rides for relief foundations or to raise money for those in need. It seems the only thing better than going for a ride, is doing it for a cause.

Fall is in the Air

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By Stormy

The Colorado’s peaks are getting dusted by snow, and the cool mornings and evenings mean it’s time for fall colors in Colorado.  It also means that the roads will be lined with cars and people gazing at the aspen trees that turn bright yellow and orange.

You will sometimes hear people refer to the trees as “quaking aspens” because the leaves rustle and shimmer in the wind.

September and October are the best time for aspens, so head out and see this spectacular scene.  Below I have some great routes to take to see the colors, so don’t miss your chance to see slopes painted in gold.

Ride the Cache la Poudre River Canyon

This canyon is about 20 minutes northwest of Fort Collins, is a great place to enjoy the fall colors in Colorado.  My favorite way to Poudre Canyon (pronounced pooh-der) is from Highway 34, west of 287 and head north on County Road 27 to Buckhorn Road to Stove Prairie Road to Colorado Highway 14 and then turn right to U.S. Route 287.  Within the first quarter mile, you’ll begin to see the Poudre River, Colorado’s only nationally designated Wild & Scenic river.  The highway also is designated as a Colorado Scenic and Historic Byway.  You will see many colorful aspens on Highway 14 as well as beautiful ponderosa and lodgepole pine trees, sagebrush, and mountain mahogany.

If you turn left on Highway 14 from Stove Prairie Road, you will ride the two-hour drive, climbing above 10,000 feet, to Cameron Pass and enjoy the colors along the river.  Take it about 40 minutes farther for even more colors and arrive in Walden, Colorado.

Ride Rabbit Ears Pass

You’ll see colorful aspens along Rabbit Ears, especially near Dumont Lake, 22 miles southeast of Steamboat Springs along U.S. Highway 40.  

Ride the Peak to Peak Highway

If you are in the Denver area and don’t want to ride too far, take Colorado Highway 6 to 119 to 72 to 7 to either Estes or down to Lyons.  Both ways showcase beautiful aspen trees.  

Ride Guanella Pass

I recommend taking U.S. Route 285 south to Grant and turn right on County Road 62 all the way to the Victorian town of Georgetown.   There are some cool hairpin turns that takes you down to Georgetown to Interstate 70.  

Ride Gold Belt Tour

If you are a history buff, then this ride is for you.  You will get a double dose of gold: beautiful aspens and a glimpse of historic mining towns that sprang up during Colorado gold rush days back in the 1890s. 

This 131-mile, 5-hour drive is another one of Colorado’s Historic and Scenic Byways.  You start in Florissant and head south on Highway 1 into the Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument. From there, you’ll head to the old mining towns of Cripple Creek and Victor. Look for beautiful views of aspens on the flanks of Pikes Peak near Victor.  

Drive: Cripple Creek

For a shorter drive, head west on U.S. Highway 24 from Colorado Springs, then take Colorado Highway 67 through Divide to Cripple Creek. You’ll find spectacular views at the Pikes Peak Heritage Center in Cripple Creek.

Seeing the fall colors is one of the reasons why I love living and riding in Colorado.  There is no place better than here.

Rider’s Road to Recovery

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By: Stormy

Motorcycle riders are a group of people that seem to have more friends suffer tragedy than just about any other group of friends. I am reminded this month of May, that it is Motorcycle Awareness Month. I decided this issue that I wanted to tell the riding community about my friend Jacqueline “Jaxx” Tabcum. Jaxx is an inspiration to me and has touched so many lives over the past 5 years with how she deals with tragedy and comes out on the other side stronger and more resolved.

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Accident Scene Management Class

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Are you prepared in the event of a motorcycle accident?

By: Stormy

As a rider who has rode for many years, I have seen my share of friends having accidents. In April, I decided to attend an Accident Scene Management class hosted by BikerDown and Rider Justice, and Executive Director Laurie Montoya asked me to give a rider’s perspective of what I learned in the class. Boy did I learn a lot.

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Women’s World Record Attempt

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By: Stormy

When I heard that local Colorado women riders were determined to be in the Guinness Book of World Records in 2019 for having the most women riders on one ride, I had to meet the person behind this vision.  Susan Udero talked to me about her inspiration of organizing this world record attempt in Colorado and how she planned to make this happen.

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Deaf Motorcycle Riders

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By: Stormy

Last month I covered hearing and tinnitus and the damage loud noises can have on your hearing.

This month, I had the pleasure of riding with Will and Marie Cornell last season. They are both deaf, and they love to ride. Will brought his other friends who were also deaf to a Cool Biker Lunch and Ride event. They are all fun people; although it was a little difficult to communicate with them, we all seemingly understood each other. They use the American Sign Language (ASL) and some can talk.

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