Chicken Ride 2010



Friday; April 30, 2010

The brave participants of Chicken Ride 2010 met at Gail’s Harley Davidson (http://www.gailsharleydavidson.com/) at 8:00 am on Friday, April 30th, 2010. It was raining and in the mid 50’s. We were looking forward to a weekend of riding and avoidance of the chicken award (for screwing up). Our group included 6 Goldwings, 4 Harley Davidsons, 1 Yamaha, and 1 BMW.

Our first stop was BJ’s Restaurant in Archie, MO for breakfast. It rained lightly all the way there. It was still raining when we left. As we approached Butler, MO it was raining heavily and the wind was blasting us. We exited 71 Hwy at the Hwy 52 exit and took refuge at a gas station and convenience store.

As the rain and wind lightened we continued south on 71 Hwy. About 30 miles north of Joplin, MO the rain stopped. Life was good. We continued south to Rogers, AR, where we jumped on Hwy 62 east. We rode through Eureka Springs and then stopped at the Sonic in Berryville, AR. I enjoyed a hot fudge shake.

We continued east through Harrison to Yellville, where we took Hwy 14 south through Big Flat and then rode Hwy’s 341 and 201 north to Mountain Home, AR.

At one point in our riding Ed was unable to negotiate a curve, crossed the center line, and caused an oncoming car to stop. Ed returned to his lane of traffic. No harm done . . . . except he was awarded the CHICKEN.

After checking in at the Executive Inn motel the tornado warning sirens were activated. The proprietors of the motel were kind enough to allow all of us to park under the covered portion of their parking lot. It did rain overnight but there were no tornadoes in Mountain Home.

We logged 391 miles today (starting at Gail’s HD).

Saturday, May 1, 2010

After a breakfast at Mel’s diner, and refueling our motorcycles, we departed Mountain Home southbound on Hwy 5. At Allison we turned north on Hwy 9 which took us to Thayer, MO, where we picked up Hwy 142 east. At Doniphan we rode north on Hwy 21 to Ellington, MO.

In Ellington we had lunch at Hall’s Restaurant, home of the delicious ranch burger. Some enjoyed the fried chicken buffet but I had to indulge in a burger. I wasn’t sorry.

From Ellington we rode west on Hwy 106 to Eminence, where we turned north on Hwy 19. We tried to find a motel in Salem but there were not enough rooms for our group. We continued north to Cuba, where we found a super Super 8.

Rod missed the turn into the Super 8 parking lot, which earned him the CHICKEN.

We rode 335 miles today. The weather was fantastic.

Sunday; May 2, 2010

Super 8 provided a suitable breakfast so when we left the motel we departed Cuba northbound on Hwy 19 to Hermann, MO. We turned west on Hwy 94 just north of Hermann and rode to Jefferson City. Hwy 94 parallels the Katy Trail (http://www.bikekatytrail.com/), the Missouri River, and some scenic bluffs.

After a brief stop in Jeff City we rode west on Hwy 50 to Sedalia, MO. It took some effort due to the restaurant’s relocation, but we found Le Maire’s and had a great fried catfish lunch.

We arrived back in the Kansas City area at about 2:00 pm. We rode 265 miles today with no transfer of the CHICKEN.

Rod will start with the CHICKEN next year.

________________

It was a great ride; 991+ total miles. Thanks to the skilled route management of our leader, Gary, we were able to miss the rain and storms that were all around the region. The only storm he could not avoid was the one Friday morning when we departed KC.

The only down side of the trip was the electrical problems in my Goldwing. A warning light came on, the headlights went out, and the cruise control would not activate. At least it still ran like a champ so I was able to get it home.

For pictures of this trip click on the following link:

http://picasaweb.google.com/goldwinger.shawnee/ChickenRide2010?feat=directlink

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