Happy holidays from Portland, Oregon! Twelve of us in our family were scheduled on several flights in San Jose and Oakland on December 22nd but when the airport closed we all got into rental cars and drove up to my sister's house, spending the night in Medford and getting here in another snowstorm: 
shoulda seen the Californian's trying to put chains on up south of Medford. We got there and the only vehicles we drove for a few days were sleds, which was just fine with us.
I'd just finished the Cycle World International Motorcycle Show in San Mateo, which was a great success in my opinion. I met so many people, some I've known on the web for a while, and some new folks who stopped by the booth and my motorcycle adventure travel talk. I hope that everyone who wants to travel but has been hesitant to to for some reason or other now has the information they need to get going. I was so surprised that the Horizons Unlimited website was big news to people. 
I thought everybody knew about it! But I was happy that so many people were ready to go on their first trip, and ready to go solo, without a guide or agency to make all the arrangements. It's really so very easy – especially in Europe.
I also got to sit on some new bikes from makers I'd never heard of, including the KYMCO Venox 250, which felt surprisingly substantial. 
It feels like a full-sized cruiser but with 250ccs and weighing only 418 pounds. (See article.) With the $4,299 price tag it might just be a perfect beginner bike. It might even be a nice upgrade option for some, like my friend Marian who is looking to upgrade from the rattletrap Rebel she started out on last year. She's looking for something bigger, newer, with a warranty, but not necessarily with a lot more power – while feeling comfortable on the freeway at up to 75 mph. This might be it! They also had one of their 2010 sport bikes on the floor. It was tiny on me, but shorter riders might find it the perfect starter sportbike at 150cc's and $3,499.
Commenting about it to a friend in the business, he told me that KYMCO Taiwan was in the 3rd party components and Taiwanese scooter business for a long time, and when they started supplying components to the USA their quality went way up. 
The scooter room was full of really nice models by them, too. I look forward to test riding the marque, soon, as I don't really feel comfortable with what the industry calls a "beginner" bike – 800cc models that weigh above 600 pounds. I still love the Rebel for a starter cruiser, and something like a Honda Nighthawk for a good "standard" bike.
Here's a photo of me with "Super" Sarah Schilke, who organized The Hub events and all kinds of other things going on at the show. By the way, here's Sarah's list of beginner bikes.
Lookin’ good Carla!
You always look good. Must be the veggies and jogs on the beach.
You inspired me to travel to UK by myself, and I had a great time! I gave up trying to find someone to go with me, but I made new friends over there. Among other things, I visited Ace Cafe, the National Motorcycle Museum in Birmingham, and the Triumph factory.