Retired and Trippin

Day 1; 10/3/08 We started our trip today, Friday, October 3, 2008, by indulging in lunch at the “Chinese Hog Trough” in Shawnee , Kansas . Trip participants Mel (our leader), Larry, James, and I were accompanied by friends, Gary and Dale. After a BIG lunch we departed for Ottawa , KS via southbound I-35 at 12:35PM. At the junction of I-35 and Hwy 68 we met up with Moyer, the 5 th participant in this ride. After gassing up were back on the road southbound on I-35. The temperature reached 74 degrees south of Ottawa . Somewhere between Ottawa and Emporia , KS we ran into a brief rain shower. The temperature dropped from 74 to 59. When the rain passed the temperature slowly rose again, but it never got above 79 degrees today. I t was a great day for riding (but then most are). Just north of Wichita we stopped at the Towanda service for gas and a butt break. Somewhere between Wichita and Wellington , while we were still southbound on I-35, Mel, who was leading the pack, suddenly...

This ride was planned on relatively short notice. I’d been to White Cloud, Kansas in June of this year (see blog entry) when the Missouri river was out of its banks flooding the town and nearby countryside. I wanted to return to see White Cloud when it was not flooded. In June I also noticed that there was a scenic outlook in White Cloud that we did not see. We decided to return to check it out. Chris did some internet searching for dining options in the area. She found a restaurant at Big Lake State Park just across the river from Rulo, Nebraska in Missouri. We decided to give it a try. We now had a plan for a ride. We were fortunate that our friends, Gary, Bill, and Jamie were able to go with us. We left Shawnee at about 7:30 AM on Sunday, August 31, 2008 traveling north on Interstate 435. It was a nice cool 70 degrees. We exited at Highway 5 and rode north and west to Leavenworth, Kansas. This portion of Highway 5 is designated as a scenic byway. In Leavenworth we turned north on Hi...

Chris and I had not traveled for some time. We grounded ourselves because of the pending birth of our grandson, Bud. He could appear at any time and we don’t want to miss his arrival. We both felt the wanderlust, however, so we decided to take a day trip to Chapman, Kansas to see the damage caused by a tornado on June 11, 2008. We departed at 9:45 AM on Tuesday, August 12, 2008. Three miles from home I realized I forgot the camera. It would be difficult to blog the trip without photos. We returned home, retrieved the camera, and also picked up the sheep skin seat cover that I forgot to put on the Goldwing. Memory is the second thing to go! We departed the second time at 10:00 AM. We left Shawnee northbound on Interstate 435 to Kansas Highway 32 west. Highway 32 took us through Edwardsville, Bonner Springs and Linwood to the north end of Lawrence, Kansas. There we picked up Highway 24 west, which took us through Perry, the north side of Topeka, Silver Lake, and Rossville to St. Mary’s,...

Day 1 ; Sunday, June 29, 2008 June 29 finally arrived and it was time to depart on our annual summer ride with my brother, Carl. For many years Carl was accompanied by one of his two sons but on this trip he was to be accompanied by his wife, Marge. Chris and I were looking forward to the trip. Our destination was Utah. We planned to visit some of the national parks in the south part of the state. Chris and I left home to meet Carl and Marge at their home in south Overland Park. As we turned to go east on Johnson Dr. from Quivira we saw that the “flags for freedom” were being displayed along Johnson Dr. all the way to I-35 in Merriam. The street was lined with U.S. flags. They were thick in front of Shawnee City Hall. It was a beautiful sight. After gassing up on 151 St near 69 Hwy Chris and I met Carl and Marge at their home. At 11:15 AM we were off on our trip. Our first goal was Greensburg, Kansas, which was devastated by an F5 tornado on May 4, 2007. We took I-35 south to the Casso...

My brother, Carl, purchased a new Hannigan motorcycle trailer. He opted to pick up the finished product at the factory rather than having it shipped. The factory and show room are located just south of Murray, Kentucky. Carl was accompanied on the ride by Bill, Gary, and I. We departed at 6:10 AM on Sunday, June 15, 2008, from Gail’s Harley Davidson in Grandview, Missouri. We rode south on 71 Highway, to just south of Harrisonville and east on 7 Highway to Clinton, Missouri. At Clinton we ate a delicious breakfast at the Boss Cafe. From Clinton we rode south on Highway 13 to Springfield where we picked up Interstate 44 east and then Highway 65 south. We then turned onto Highway 60 east, which took us across southern Missouri. At Van Buren, Missouri we stopped for lunch at the Float Stream Restaurant. We’d eaten here earlier in the year on our spring chicken ride. The meal was good again this time. With full bellies we continued our ride east on Highway 60 through Poplar Bluff and Sikes...

Mel plans a ride every month during the summer for employees of the City of Shawnee. Employees then invite friends and family to participate also. This month Mel intended to ride to Rulo, Nebraska. It was shortened at White Cloud, however, due to flood waters (more on that later). We met in the parking lot of the Community America Ballpark, home of the T-Bones baseball club in Kansas City, Kansas, at 8:30 AM on Saturday June 14, 2008. Eighteen humanoids showed up on twelve motorcycles; Mel & Trish on their Harley; Craig & Jennifer on their Suzuki; Mike & Mikki on their Goldwing; Larry & Deb on their Harley; Gaylen & Linda on their Honda; Steve & Kandi on their Harley; Ken on his BMW; Larry on his Goldwing; Matt on his Harley; Gary on his Harley; Mike on his Yamaha; and me on my Goldwing. We left the ballpark north on Hutton Road to Kansas Highway 5 north towards Lansing. This is a pretty route with some twisties to add to the fun. My map designates this highway ...

ALASKA 2008 This trip was made without benefit of the Goldwing. It should not, by all rights, be part of this blog, which was intended to chronicle motorcycle trips. A couple people expressed an interest in reading about it and seeing the photos, however, so here it is. Chris and I celebrated our 35th wedding anniversary on May 5, 2008. We have talked about a trip to Alaska for a long time. We decided to take some money out of our mattress and book this Alaskan cruise and land excursion to celebrate our 35th. DAY 1: Monday, May 19, 2008 We flew American Airlines from Kansas City to Dallas – Ft. Worth. After rushing to our next flight we took off for Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, where we arrived at about 1:00 PM pacific time. After 45 minutes in line for customs, other airport stuff, and a bus ride to the port we finally made it aboard our ship, the Island Princess, at 4:00 PM. The ship left port at 4:45 PM. We enjoyed the scenery in port at Vancouver from the upper deck of the ...