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.
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. It 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 decelerated rapidly. Moyer, who was directly behind him, shot past. The deceleration was accompanied by a loud pop and fire shooting from his tail pipes. James, who was following Moyer, was certain Mel was experiencing mechanical problems. Mel kept his Harley running however and accelerated back up to highway speed. After paying the turnpike toll we all stopped briefly along the highway. Mel then confessed that he had accidentally hit his kill switch.
We stopped again for gas at the Perry, OK exit of southbound I-35.We rode on southbound on I-35 to Oklahoma City, OK, where we stopped to see the memorial where the Murrah Federal Building was blown up on April 19, 1995. It was an impressive memorial. Darkness was coming on, however, so we did not spend a lot of time here. I’ll have to return later to spend more time and visit the museum.
We stopped for the night at the Comfort Lodge, 4017 NW 39th Expressway, Oklahoma City, OK. This motel is on the old Route 66. We had dinner at a nearby Braums. A great ride today. We rode 367 miles. I’m looking forward to tomorrow.
Day 2; 10/4/08
We departed the Comfort Lodge in Oklahoma City at 8:00 AM. It was a cool 64 degrees. We gassed up in a suburb west of Oklahoma City and then had breakfast at Jim’s Restaurant on Route 66 in Bethany, OK.
We rode west on old Route 66 to El Reno, OK. There was an old Rock Island Railroad caboose in a park area. My father-in-law worked many years for the Rock Island so I stopped to photograph the caboose with my Goldwing in the foreground.
We continued west on old Route 66 for about 40 miles (from our motel) before we jumped on I-40 west. We alternated between old Route 66 and I-40 all the way to Tucumcari, New Mexico. Route 66 more or less parallels I-40 the whole way. Mel had some maps he downloaded from the internet and he was deciding where to go.
We checked out Foss, OK, which was supposed to be a genuine ghost town. It was disappointing. There was not much to it but it could not be called a ghost town because there were some residences and small businesses. James was not feeling real great and was concerned about how he’d feel in another couple days. He decided to head back home. I had some concern about him traveling alone when he was not feeling well but we said our goodbyes and he was on his way back east. He called that evening and we were happy to hear he arrived at his parent’s home near Wichita, KS safe and sound, despite having hit a dog in Ponca City, OK.
We rode on west into Erick, OK, on Route 66. This is the former home of Roger Miller and they have a Roger Miller museum and the main drag (Route 66) is named after him. The town also had several old-school motels that were in disrepair and no longer in operation. You could imagine them in the heyday of Route 66.
After stopping for gas at the Shamrock, Texas exit off of I-40 we proceeded to Amarillo, TX where we had a late lunch (3:00 PM) at the Big Texan steakhouse. If you could eat their 72 ounce steak in one hour you got it free. If not, you paid $72 plus tax. None of us were game for that but the meal we had was good.
Just west of Amarillo we ran into rain. The temperature dropped from 84 to 66. We stopped to see the Cadillac Ranch (old Cadillacs buried nose down in a field).
We stopped for the night at the Historic Route 66 Motel on the east side of Tucumcari, NM. We did not have dinner because were still full from our late lunch. After some conversation and cereal malt beverage (and ice cream for Larry and Moyer) we called it a night. All of us were looking forward to tomorrow.
The high temperature today was 86. Mel swore it reached 90. We arrived in Tucumcari at about 6:30 PM mountain time. We traveled 390 miles.
Day 3; 10/5/08
We woke up this Sunday morning to light rain and cool temperatures. We took advantage of the motel’s continental breakfast, gassed up, and then hit the highway at about 7:45 AM. It was 54 degrees and raining.
We abandoned Route 66 and rode Hwy 104 north into some pretty scenery. As we gained altitude the temperature dropped down to 48 degrees but was back up to 52 when we reached Las Vegas, New Mexico. It rained lightly off and on.
We gassed up in Las Vegas and then took off north on I-25. At Hwy 161 we exited the interstate and rode west. This turned out to be a beautiful route. We took Hwy 518 north towards Taos, NM. About thirty miles south of Taos Mel decided he wanted to go to Los Alamos, NM so we went west on Hwy 75 and south on Hwy 76 to Espanola, NM. We ate a late lunch at the El Paragua Restaurant. We had some average over priced Mexican food. Larry said his fajitas were very good (but pricey). That night Moyer said his burrito was sitting in his stomach like a napalm bomb.
We gassed up in Espanola, rode south on Hwy 30 and west on Hwy 502 to Los Alamos. We stopped for some photos in the area. We saw the entrance to the Los Alamos National Laboratory and then rode the loop around Los Alamos before returning to Espanola.
After some discussion about where we wanted to end up we rode north on Hwy 68 to Taos, NM. Along the way we stopped to see the Rio Grande Gorge. It was an impressive sight with the storm in the background.
We arrived in Taos at 5:00 PM and spent the night at the Paragon Inn. We soaked in the motel hot tub, which felt very good. For supper we walked to a nearby Wendy’s as Mel and I planned to eat some chili. They were out. Mel was not pleased.
It rained off and on today and the temperatures ranged from a low of 46 to a high of 61. We saw some great scenery, including some snow capped mountains. I was unable to photograph those peaks, however. When we saw them it was not convenient to stop for pictures and other times they were obscured by storm clouds.
We rode a total of 320 miles today and I'm looking forward to tomorrow.
Day 4; 10/6/08
Several years ago, on a ride with Mel and other friends, Mel put a pile of white rice under my Goldwing . . . . . . . quite a joke. This morning I got even. I had been carrying a quantity of dirty oil from my pre-trip oil change. This morning, before Mel left his motel room, I dumped some of the oil under his Harley. When he noticed it he was quite concerned (but not surprised – he is a Harley owner). He checked his oil and found it was not low. He spent quite a bit of time on his hands and knees looking for an oil leak under his motorcycle and around the engine. After he stewed for a sufficient amount of time I told him it was planted oil. The look on his face revealed pure relief.
It was 39 degrees when we departed Taos at about 8:15 AM. We took off west on Hwy 64. We crossed the Rio Grande Gorge and ran into a dense fog. It was cool looking to ride into the fog but it caused some anxiety about how dense it would be and how long it would hang around. It wasn’t too bad and it was short lived. We even got a glimpse of a rainbow as we drove out of it.
The views along Hwy 64 were great. The aspen trees displayed their yellow-gold leaves and were very pretty. The photos don’t really do justice to the vivid colors observed in person. In the words of my poet friend, Gary, it was a stunning display of nature’s beauty. The aspens added magnificent color through much of our riding today.
We gassed up in Chama, NM and then rode north on Hwy 17 towards Colorado. At the New Mexico and Colorado border we stopped for some photos at a scenic turnout. I set up for a photo of all four of us using the self timer feature on my camera. After pushing the button I had 10 seconds to get in the picture. As I ran around the rear of my trailer and turned to run towards the group I slipped in the gravel and crashed. Due to my athleticism, however, I quickly jumped to my feet and joined the group . . . . but I was too late. After my riding buddies quit laughing we tried again and got a good picture.
We crossed Cumbress Pass and then had lunch at the Red Bear Restaurant along the highway. From Hwy 17 we took Hwy 285 north, Hwy 142 east to San Luis, CO, and then 159 north to Ft. Garland, CO.
After gassing up in Ft. Garland we rode east on Hwy 160 to Walsenburg, CO and east on Hwy 10 to LaJunta, CO, where we got more gas. The last leg of our trip today was Hwy 50 east to Lamar, CO. We spent the night at the Super 8 Motel after dinner at Pizza Hut.
Today we rode 395 miles. Temperatures ranged from a low of 36 to a high (briefly) of 70. It was 64 when we arrived in Lamar.
Tomorrow is our last day of riding for this trip. I’ll miss the ride but I’m looking forward to seeing my lovely wife again.
Day 5; 10/7/08
We departed Lamar, CO on Hwy 50 east at 8:00 AM under blue clear skies with a temperature of 41 degrees. At 8:36 AM we entered God's country, Kansas. We took a bathroom break in Syracuse, KS. At Garden City, KS we picked up Hwy 156 east.
We stopped for lunch at Linda's Restaurant in Jetmore, KS. This is the town where my mother grew up. I took several pictures here. After gassing up we continued east on 156 to Great Bend, where we gassed up again (frequent gas stops due to Harleys in the group). We stopped in Ellsworth, KS for a Dairy Queen break (due to fat boys in the group). Our last stop was for gas in Junction City before we motored on home.
I arrived home about 7:15 PM. Today we traveled 495 miles. The weather was great, except for the usual Kansas wind. The high temperature was 70 degrees. It was 55 when I arrived home.
Summary
Mel orchestrated a great ride. It was disappointing when James had to leave the group and head home but those things happen. We enjoyed riding some of the old Route 66 and seeing the sights along the way.
This ride is titled Route 66, but much of the ride had nothing to do with Route 66. On day 3 we abandoned the Mother Road for scenic vistas in northern New Mexico and southern Colorado. It was great riding, despite the cold mornings.
In 4.5 days we rode 1,967 miles.
For trip pictures click on the link below: http://picasaweb.google.com/goldwinger.shawnee/Route66?authkey=DE8jkjYpvgY
At the junction of I-35 and Hwy 68 we met up with Moyer, the 5th participant in this ride. After gassing up were back on the road southbound on I-35.
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