Retired and Trippin

e blasted off from Van Buren, AR at 8:45.  It was in the low 70’s and the humidity was 92%.  We rode east on Hwy 64 to Alma and then north on Hwy 71 to the Kansas City area.  It was a good 315 mile ride with a high of 85.  It was back down to 80 when we arrived home.  We had mostly blue clear skies again today. Hwy 71 from Alma to Fayetteville twists, turns, and climbs through the Boston Mountains.  It was a scenic and enjoyable ride. We stopped in Nevada, MO to find a place to eat lunch.  We rode around the town square and, although we did not find a restaurant where we wanted to eat, we found a barber shop giving hair cuts for $5.  I stopped and got a fresh cut.  Feels so good! We had lunch at a Chinese hog trough (LARRAPIN good food) before riding on home. For the rest of the pictures from today click on the following link: https://picasaweb.google.com/goldwinger.shawnee/KSMOAROKDay4?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCK-_xc-8ocT8_gE...

Another day in retiree heaven! We had light rain in Van Buren this morning but it was over when we left our motel at 9:15.  We were ready at 8:30, an accomplishment for us, but we waited for the rain to stop. We rode across the river to Fort Smith and on to the Fort Smith National Historic Site. http://www.nps.gov/fosm/index.htm The original Fort Smith was established in 1817.  There was a second Fort built later.  The commissary storehouse, which still stands on the site, is the oldest building still standing, constructed in 1838.  The barracks, courthouse, and jail (pictured above) was built in 1846, burned in 1849, and rebuilt.  Fort Smith is famous for Judge Isaac C. Parker, who presided over the federal court here from 1875 to 1896.  He was known as the “hanging judge” but, according to information at this site, he was opposed to the death penalty.  He was just following the law at the time which required the death penalty for murder and ra...

We departed our motel at 9:15 and rode to the Elmwood Cemetery in Coffeyville. Two of the Dalton brothers, another robber, and a couple of the Dalton defenders were buried here.  The cemetery is not too far from the Brown Mansion. The grave of Bob Dalton, Grat Dalton, and Bill Power was marked only with a hitching rail from Death Alley (where their horses had been tied) until Emmett Dalton was paroled from prison and he had the stone placed here. We rode out of Coffeyville at 9:40 east on Hwy 166 into Missouri, to I-44 eastbound, to Hwy 71 south, and then a county road of some sort east to the George Washington Carver National Monument.  I had planned to visit Devil’s Den State Park in northwest Arkansas but we decided to hit the Carver National Monument instead. This was a rewarding and enjoyable visit.  We watched a 20 minute video on the life and times of George Washington Carver and walked a trail around the park, which is the area where Carver spent his youth....

In a recent issue of Road Runner magazine I read an article titled that described a ride near the borders of  Missouri, Arkansas, and Oklahoma ( http://www.roadrunner.travel/magazine/read/march-april-2012/page/22 ).  Chris and I decided to ride that area and hit some of the places described in the article. We left home at 9:15 on Monday, April 23rd, under blue clear skies with a temperature of 48 degrees.  We rode I-35 south to Hwy 169 which took us all the way to Coffeyville, Kansas. It was 60 degrees when we arrived in Coffeyville around noon.  We enjoyed a tasty lunch at the Tavern on the Plaza in the old part of Coffeyville. The building was originally built in 1872. Acting on a tip from a friend, Rod, we took a tour of the Brown Mansion. The place was pretty cool but it definitely needs some TLC. http://www.kansastravel.org/brownmansion.htm After checking in at the Sleep Inn & Suites we took a walking tour of the historic places in Coffeyville. On ...

Tomorrow we head out on another four day ride. WOO HOO

Gary the Ridemeister planned a breakfast ride for Sunday, April 1, 2012.  And a fine day for a ride it was. We met at 75th and Switzer at 7:00 am. We started with 7 motorcycles and 13 people (Gary the Ridemeister, Bill & Shannon, Rod & Maureen, Carl & Marge, Larry & Bev, Gary & Allison, and Chris & I). Just south of Olathe on Hwy 169 we picked up another person, Ron. We departed south on I-35. It was 66 and mostly clear. As we rode south on 169 Hwy we rode through some low-lying fog and the temperature dropped as low as 57. We exited 169 at the south Paola exit and rode a short distance to the Miami County Airport ( http://www.miamicountyks.org/airport.html ). A restaurant, We B Smokin BBQ ( http://websmokin.com/ ), is located at the airport and on weekends they serve tasty bountiful breakfasts. We all partook of the bounty. After breakfast Rod & Maureen and Ron left to ride directly home. The rest of us rode north on Old KC Road through Paola to H...