Allen just couldn't sit at home on this fine Sunday. The rain on the 16th was pretty bad but here we had an opportunity to ride in decent weather (low 60s). No other WORMS seemed to be available for this quick decision ride so Allen figured it was time for a ride down some favorite back roads in Northern Virginia. The ride started at the Hooters in Fairfax. You always want to start a ride on a positive note, right? After some chicken wings and a Sam Adams seasonal beer, Allen and the Fatboy headed over to West Ox Road and then North up to Vale Road. This road is known for Dogwoods, Red Buds and beautiful homes. It was the perfect time to be looking at the scenery. Allen stopped to finally take a picture of that white mansion before heading over to Route 123 and up to the George Washington Parkway (193). Ah, more Dogwood trees in the median as the view of the Washington Monument came into view. But wait, why not stop in Old Towne Alexandria for a Starbucks coffee? Yes, that was a good idea but after parking there Allen found that the Starbucks was closed (due to flooding issues from yesterday); the Thai restaurant next door was open however, so another "lunch" was just what the doctor ordered. Finally, it was time to head towards Mount Vernon and seek out a good picture of a Red Bud. Allen saw plenty of them on the way but it was just too difficult to stop or to get the bike near the tree. Eventually Allen was back in his own neighborhood and there it was, the perfect Red Bud tree. Sometimes you need to look around where you are and open your eyes!

The WORMS have supported Big Daddy Leather (BDL) for several years under their past management and the new management is pretty cool too. It looks like 2011 will be a most excellent year for BDL-sponsored rides down in Fredericksburg VA. Nothing starts the ball rolling more than entering your ride in a bike show. Most of the WORMS were busy on this cold (as in 50F) and cloudy day (threat of rain was there) but Allen rode the Pitbull Chopper down for the show and wouldn't you know it - there was another Pitbull chopper entered too! Oh oh...competition of the most direct sort. You can see the red bike at the end of the row, just one bike was between our two Pitbulls so nobody was going to miss that. It would come down to which bike was cleaner, better laid out, or what ever the judges look for. Fortunately for Allen the judge liked his Pitbull Dropseat S a bit more and Allen won 1st place! That makes 3 bike show entries and 3 1st place wins for Allen's Pitbull chopper. It don't get no better!

The crowd was a good group. There were lots of regulars to the BDL rides there and the show bikes were looking sharp. Allen met a guy named Mac and they spent a good deal of time talking about motorcycling, retirement and things of this nature. Mac is a cool dude and we hope to see him at other motorcycle events. Mac is a retired Fire Chief so you know he's a good guy.