Spring Chicken Ride 2013

Time, again, for the annual Spring ride. Time for a bunch of guys to ride, eat, drink, and bullshit to their hearts’ content.  It is also called the Chicken Ride.  When anyone in the group does something wrong or makes some sort of mistake they are given the chicken to wear or display until the next poor slob does something deemed deserving of the shame.

Day 1; Saturday, May 4th, 2013

The Spring Chicken Ride is normally Friday through Sunday.  This year the weather put a monkey wrench in the works, predicting snow and cold, so the departure was delayed until Saturday.

The weather Saturday was nothing to write home about.  We all met at the Quik Trip at 151st and 69 Hwy, 10 bikes and riders in all.  When we took off at 10:20 it was 39 degrees and drizzling.  There was Gary (ride leader), Bill, Carl, Larry, James, Joe, and I on our Goldwings.  Ed was riding his HD, Chuck his Yamaha, and Rob his BMW.  Rob got the prize for the biggest stones because his BMW has no fairing or windshield.  Riding in that weather on that bike takes BIG stones.

Chuck started out with the Chicken because he ended up with it last year.

Hwy 69 took us south to Pittsburg, KS, where we stopped for gas and a break.  It had warmed all the way up to 43.Our next stop was in Miami, OK for lunch at Montana Mike’s.  We continued south through Grove, Jay and Tahlequah to Sallisaw, OK.  We holed up for the evening at a Days Inn motel.

We had an enjoyable ride of 295 miles despite the weather.  It was off-and-on drizzle and the high temperature was in the 40’s.

Our dinner consisted of delivered pizza that we ate while watching an NBA playoff game in the motel lobby.

Day 2; Sunday, May 5th, 2013

HAPPY 40TH ANNIVERSARY to my wife, Chris.  Aint she a Peach, tolerating me out on a ride with the guys?

When we awoke today the sun was out but it was still a chilly 46 degrees.  We rode off southbound at 8:15.

Our numbers were reduced today to seven.  Joe, Ed and Chuck headed back home due to commitments they had on Monday.

A short distance south on Hwy 59 we passed the Robert S. Kerr Lock and Dam, a pretty picture from the highway.

Our ride continued south through Poteau (where Gary stopped for a map consultation and I changed a burned out brake light bulb) and Heavener to Hwy 59/270 which took us east into Arkansas just north of Rich Mountain.  The scenery was beautiful.  We rode through Acorn, Ink, Pine Ridge, Oden and Pencil Bluff to Mount Ida, AR where we stopped for gas.  Our next stop was Stubby’s Bar BQ in Hot Springs, where we had some LARRAPIN good barbeque.

After lunch, with full bellies, we rode north on Hwy 7 into beautiful country and fantastic motorcycle riding.  On this route we were passed by a swarm of crotch rockets that were really hauling ass through the twisties.  After stopping for gas in Russellville we continued on to Harrison, AR, where we stopped for the day at a Super 8 motel.

We rode 365 miles and the temperature reached the 60’s for a great ride.

We walked to an Italian restaurant that was next door to the motel.  I had a very good grilled chicken Greek salad with some LARRAPIN good bread.

Day 3; Monday, May 6th, 2013

We had been counting on a great weather day based on earlier predictions but when we awoke today it was 50 and cloudy with a fog so heavy it was like a very light mist.  Our intentions had been to leave at 8:00 but we waited awhile to see if the clouds and fog cleared.  They didn’t.

At 8:45 we took off north on Hwy 65.  It was 52 degrees, cloudy and foggy.  Our first stop was in Ozark, MO, where we stopped for gas at a Casey’s.  We continued north on 65 to NN, where turned west and rode to Nemo.  Larry once had a pop-up camper stored here but he had been notified that the owner of the storage facility had gone belly up.  So he was checking on the status of his camper.  It wasn’t there and nobody knew where it was.

Hwy’s 64 and 254 took us north and west to Hermitage where we jumped on Hwy 54 west.  At Collins, MO we stopped at Smith’s Restaurant for lunch.  Most all of us enjoyed their LARRAPIN good tenderloin sandwich and I enjoyed their chocolate cream pie – also LARRAPIN good!

When we reached Clinton, MO the skies turned blue and the sun came out.  We rode through Harrisonville to Belton where we made our last group stop.  We gassed up at Quik Trip and said our goodbyes.  We all went home from there.  My last day was 280 miles for a total trip mileage of 940.

It was another great Spring Chicken Ride orchestrated by Gary.  The chicken did not change hands the entire trip so Chuck will start with it again in 2014.  POOR Chuck.

For more pictures from this ride click on the following link: https://plus.google.com/photos/104542123131082631220/albums/5875019247831736225?authkey=COz_gOj36IjbOA