Retired and Trippin

We left our motel this morning, gassed up, and were on the road at 7:40.  It was already 80 degrees and the sun was shining bright.  Highway 59 took us south to Highway 259, which took us to the Talimena Scenic Byway. This is Hwy 1 and follows a high ridge east and west.  Going east you end up in Mena, AR.  We’ve ridden it many times in the past.  My goal was to find a scenic outlook for a quick photo opportunity.  I wanted to go west on Hwy 1 but it was closed due to high water. How does a road on a high ridge get closed due to water?  Anyway, we went east on Hwy 1, got our photo and took off again on Hwy 259 southbound. Our next stop was at Beavers Bend State Park located just north of Broken Bow, OK.  The park was closed due to high water.  What a pisser! We stopped at a Love’s in Broken Bow for gas and a break.  We enjoyed beverages inside the store and checked our maps before leaving.  Down the road a bit, Carl realized he...

Brother Carl, Marge, Chris and I are off on our annual summer motorcycle trip.  This year it is Texas because our nephew, Jeff Clark, is getting married in Rosenberg, TX on June 12th.  We’re killing two birds with one stone. Chris and I left home at 7:00 am, enjoyed a quick breakfast at McDonalds in Shawnee and then rode to the Quik Trip at 151st and 69 Hwy in Overland Park where we met up with Carl and Marge.  As we waited a storm appeared to be blowing in from the northwest. At 8:00 we were on the road, southbound on Hwy 69.  At first the storm seemed to be chasing us but we soon escaped into the heat and sunshine of Oklahoma. Our first stop was in Pittsburg, KS for gas and our next was in Grove, OK for lunch at the Rancho Viejo Mexican Restaurant.  We had the $4.99 lunch special (burrito, taco, rice and beans) which was bueno.  The waiter was also very good. We stopped again for gas, hydration and a break from the sun (it was 90 degrees) in Tahlequ...

Today was our last day.  We departed our motel at 8:00 and it was 64 degrees with cloudy skies. From Farmington, MO we rode north a short distance to catch Hwy 8, which took us through Potosi and Steelville to St. James.  The sun had come out and it was a beautiful morning. After a short break we continued north through Vienna and Freeburg to Jefferson City, where we enjoyed lunch at a Mexican restaurant. We rode west to Tipton with storm clouds threatening from the south.  While Chris shopped for concrete angels at a statuary Mel and Trisha took off for home hoping to escape the storms.  Chris and I were on the road again when the rain began.  We stopped in Syracuse, MO to put on our rain suits and it was good we did.  The rain cut loose and a strong south wind tried to push us off the road.  The temperature dropped from 82 to 66.  We were happy when it all ended by the time we reached Sedalia.  After removing our rain gear we rode on ...

This morning we left our motel, gassed up and were on the road westbound at 8:15.  It was a cool 64 degrees under cloudy skies. At Waverly, TN the police had a major intersection completely blocked so a big herd of elementary school children could cross from one side to the other.  Each class appeared to have its own color shirt. It made us smile and think of our grandchildren. After riding over the Tennessee River and through Camden our next stop was in Big Sandy, TN located on the Tennessee River Trail Scenic Byway (Hwy 29A). Chris had been spotting irises (flowers) the whole trip.  She said they remind her of her maternal grandparents and the farm where they grew the flowers.  She kept wanting me to stop so she could get a picture of them but I refused to accommodate such and unreasonable request.  In Big Sandy she walked two blocks to get this picture while the rest of us were taking a butt-break at a gas station. She is a very determined woman. From B...

We left the cabin near Townsend, TN at 8:15.  It was sunny but cooler than the last several mornings at 57. We took the Foothills Parkway south to Hwy 129 into the Tail of the Dragon - again. We stopped briefly at Deals Gap before continuing southbound and then westbound on the Cherohala Skyway.  This was a first for me and it was an enjoyable ride with beautiful scenery. In Tellico Plains, TN we stopped for a picnic lunch on the grounds of the visitor’s center.  From there we were off north and west through Athens, Dayton, McMinnville and  Murfreesboro to Dickson, where we stopped for the night at an EconoLodge.  Chris was pleased to find a Cracker Barrel across the street so we walked there for dinner.  This was followed by a dip in the indoor pool before calling it a night. It was beautiful today, both the scenery and the weather.  Humidity was low and the high temperature was 81.  We rode 329 miles. For more pictures from today click o...

Today was an off day - that is - no riding (almost).  Sometime late morning we rode 19 miles when we took the gals to town to do some shopping. At one stop I scored some foo-foo mocha mint coffee and a fresh fried peach pie, which was LARRAPIN good.  Chris showed up after I ate the whole thing and wanted her own.  Then I had to eat half of hers so it wouldn’t go to waste.  A dirty job but someone had to do it.  Chris and Trish both bought some treasures so it was a successful shopping venture. Mel and Trish did some grocery shopping, I washed my beast at a car wash, and Chris bought a shirt at a “Life is Good” store. We returned to the cabin to find Mel washing his beast with a hose. We had grilled burgers for a late lunch and then had a little nap (life is good).  Chris and I tried out the hot-tub.  After supper we played some cards then went night-night.  Tomorrow we start the trek home. No additional photos to share today.  I wish I’...

We left our cabin about 8:30 this morning.  Right out of the chute I heard an unusual sound in my front wheel that coincided with the rotation of the wheel and that went away when I braked.  Mel and I checked it out alongside the road.  It was determined that the noise was coming from the left front brake caliper so we took it off, removed the pads and put them back in.  When it was all put back together and we took off the sound was gone and no further problems occurred.  HALLELUJAH! We rode through Smoky Mountains National Park on Hwy 441 into North Carolina.  After riding a portion of the Blue Ridge Parkway we visited three water falls.  One was Mingo Falls located near Cherokee, NC. The last two were near Bryson City, NC.  Juney Whank Falls and Tom Branch Falls. From Bryson City we rode west including a stretch of Hwy 28, which was curvy and scenic.  I enjoyed it more than the Tail of the Dragon that we rode later. While at Deals Ga...