Retired and Trippin

It has been so cold around here the last couple of weeks that I was developing a case of PMS ( P arked M otorcycle S yndrome).  Today, however, I found relief.  The skies were partly cloudy and temperatures reached the low 60’s. So I was off for a little afternoon ride.  I left at 2:15 and rode north.  At Leavenworth I turned west and traveled through McLouth to Oskaloosa, where I stopped for a coffee break at a Casey’s. After the coffee break I rode south almost to Lawrence, east through Linwood and Bonner Springs to home.  It was an enjoyable ride of 113 miles that did wonders to relieve my PMS.

A beautiful day for a December ride!  Gary, Larry, Wild Bill and I met at Quick Trip in western Shawnee for a little lunch ride.  When we departed QT it was 10:45 and 50 degrees under cloudy skies. We rode north on I-435 across the Missouri River into Missouri and then north on Hwy 45.  Just north of Weston we descended into the Missouri River valley and saw the IATAN Power Plant belching steam and smoke. As we rode north we could see blue skies teasing us on the horizon.  At Hwy 59 we turned west, crossed the Missouri River and rode into Atchison, KS where the sun finally came out and blue skies ruled. From Atchison Hwy 7 took us north all the way through White Cloud, KS into Nebraska.  The northern part of this route was pretty as we rode through wooded areas with views of the Missouri River. At Rulo, NE we turned east on Hwy 159 and crossed the Missouri River (again) into Missouri.  We rode past the Squaw Creek National Wildlife Refuge ( http://www.fws.gov/refuge/squaw_creek

Day 1; Friday, November 1, 2013 A beautiful day for a ride!  A little cool but beautiful.  Ride Meister, Gary, planned this ride so we could enjoy the changing of the leaves in Missouri and Arkansas.  Chris and I made a similar trip over a week ago but the leaves should be near their peak color this weekend. When Chris and I left home at 8:30 it was 50 degrees.  We rode to Gail’s Harley Davidson in Grandview, MO to meet with the other riders; Gary (ride leader), Larry, and Bill with his wife, Jamie.  All of us were riding Goldwings.  Rod and his wife, Maureen, riding their Harley were to hook up with us later. We departed Gail’s shortly after 9:00.  Gary planned a route on back roads, avoiding interstates and four lane highways when possible.  We rode east and south through Pleasant Hill, Holden, and Chillhowee to Windsor, where highways 2 and 52 intersect.  Gary is famous among our group for turning right on 52 here when we really need to turn left to continue eastbound.  He did

Friday; October 25, 2013 It was brrr cold when we woke up this morning – 33 degrees.  After a very good complimentary breakfast at the Comfort Inn we departed at 10:30 and it was 46.  We rode west through Gateway and Pea Ridge to Bella Vista, AR before turning north.  After a stop south of Joplin for gas we rode north and west through Webb City on 171 to Hwy 69 and north to Ft. Scott, KS for lunch at the Nu Grille Restaurant.  http://kansastravel.org/nugrille.htm The late lunch was LARRAPIN good. From Ft. Scott we rode on home arriving around 4:00.  We rode 253 miles today under blue clear skies and our high temperature was 59. THE END

Thursday; October 24, 2013 When we woke up this morning it was in the low 40’s, but we hung out in the room and watched the sun rise from our balcony. We left the Lodge on Mount Magazine at 9:45.  It was 52 degrees and sunny.  Highway 309 southbound took us down off the mountain to Hwy 10, which we followed westbound to Booneville, where we caught Hwy 23 northbound.  After stopping for gas in Ozark we continued northbound on 23 to Eureka Springs.  A 19 mile section of Hwy 23 is the Pig Trail ( http://www.arkansas.com/places-to-go/scenic-byways/pig-trail/ ), a twisty hilly ride through tunnels of trees.  Most of Hwy 23 is pretty riding but the Pig Trail is especially nice. Along parts of Hwy 23 we saw brilliant red colors but every time we did I was busy guiding the beast through the turns and I did not have my camera out so I have no photos of those colors. When we left Ozark it was 62 degrees.  Shortly after starting into the Pig Trail it was 52.  The high in Eureka Springs wa

Wednesday; October 23, 2013 We left Clarksville, AR northbound on Hwy 109 at 10:30.  It was 55 degrees under blue clear skies.  BEE U TEE FULL!  From Hwy 109 we turned west on Hwy 197 that took us into Subiaco.  Along the way we passed a farm house that had some unique hay-bale art in the yard. In Subiaco, AR we rode north on Subiaco Road.  It meandered north and west to Hwy 309 that took us to Magazine Mountain, the highest place in Arkansas. http://www.mountmagazinestatepark.com/ Our first stop at Magazine Mountain was the visitor center where we scored pamphlets on hiking trails and a map.  Our next stop was the Benefield picnic area were we enjoyed a picnic lunch.  In the 1880’s Benjamin Benefield  and his wife, Lou, homesteaded 160 acres here.  One of their seven children died and is buried by the entrance road to the picnic area. There are three hiking trails accessible from the Benefield picnic area.  We walked the east loop Benefield trail, and parts of the west loop an

Tuesday; October 22, 2013 BRRRRR . . . . it was a nippy 34 degrees when we woke up at 7:00 this morning in Salem, MO.  So we waited to depart at 9:55 when it was a balmy 48. We rode south through Eminence and Winona to Thayer, MO, where we stopped for gas and a butt break.  Speaking about butts . . . . . this heated seat is nice.  When my butt is warm most of my body is warm.  It was mostly cloudy when we started but by the time we reached Thayer the sun was shining bright.   With a full tank of petrol we took off south to Mammoth Springs, AR and then west through Salem to Mountain Home, where we stopped for lunch at the El Chico Café.  It was good chow.  While there, I noticed that the ball of my trailer hitch was loose. It’s a good thing I noticed.  Otherwise I could have lost my new trailer somewhere down the road. With a tight ball (????) we rode west through Yellville to Hwy 65, then to Hwy 206 and south through Pruitt and Jasper to the Buffalo River Canyon scenic overlook

Monday; October 21, 2013 When we woke up this morning it was 43 degrees in Salem, MO.  We were not in a hurry, however, so we showered and  had a good breakfast (the cinnamon rolls are LARRAPIN good) before taking off at 9:20 am.  By then it was cloudy and 50.  Our cold weather gear, heated grips and heated seat had us nice and toasty as we rode east towards Elephant Rocks State Park. The fall foliage along Highways 72 and 32 was very pretty in places.  It probably would have been more dramatic had the sun been shining. We arrived at Elephant Rocks State Park at about 10:30.  We’ve been to this park numerous times but we still enjoy it.  There is a very nice paved hiking path plus access to the large rocks where you can climb and explore to your heart’s content.  Years ago folks used to quarry granite here, evidenced by the drilling marks found on many rocks in the park.  Some day we’d like to bring our grandkids.  http://www.mostateparks.com/park/elephant-rocks-state-park It was

Sunday; October 20, 2013 Chris and I hit the road after church, headed to southeast Missouri and northern Arkansas in hopes of seeing some pretty  fall foliage.  We knew it might be a little early but it was a good excuse for a motorcycle trip.  It was a crisp (59 degrees), clear autumn morning when we took off at 10:30. We rode east through Warrensburg, MO to Sedalia, where we had lunch at an Applebee’s. Continuing on, we rode east through Jefferson City and south through Westphalia, Vienna and St. James to Maramec Spring Park.  The ride from St. James to the park was beautiful and we really enjoyed walking around the park.  We’ve been here numerous times but still enjoy the spring and the surrounding park.  Years ago the locals used the non-stop flowing water to run a grist mill and an iron works. We left the park shortly after 5:00 and rode 25 miles south to Salem, where we holed-up in the Holiday Inn Express.  It was a wonderful day of riding; 262 miles with a high temperatur

Our good friends, Mel and Trish, invited us on a ride to Hot Springs, Arkansas to take in a hot air balloon festival, which was to include two free concerts.  How could we say no? Day 1; Thursday, September 26, 2013 We departed Shawnee at 3:15 under blue clear skies with a temperature of 88 degrees.  It was a good afternoon for a ride.  Our first stop was at Chicken Annies ( http://www.chickenanniesoriginal.com/ ), which is located just north of Pittsburg, KS. We had a LARRAPIN good dinner of fried chicken.  After refueling in Carthage, MO we stopped for the night at 7:40pm at a Quality Inn motel in Joplin, Missouri.  We rode 185 miles. Day 2; Friday, September 27, 2013 Today we rode west and south from Joplin starting at 8:00.  It was 68 degrees.  Mel and Trish led us on a circuitous and scenic route through Seneca and South West City in Missouri, into Oklahoma (briefly) before entering Arkansas and then through Maysville, Decatur, Bentonville, Rogers and past Beaver Lake.  We

When I returned from my ride to Alaska I found out that the fiberglass on one side of my Cycle Mate trailer was cracked.  My friend, Gary, said it could be repaired but Chris and I opted to purchase a new trailer and we decided on an Aluma. http://www.alumaklm.com/motorcycle-trailers/item/50-mct-towable-motorcycle-trailer.html Rather than dumpsterizing the Cycle Mate we decided to give it to Gary who has the skills to repair it and the desire to use it.  He would take good care of it.  More on this later. Aluma motorcycle trailers can not be purchased factory direct so I made phone calls to many area dealers.  I found our best deal at Nishna Valley Cycle in Atlantic, Iowa. http://www.nishnavalleycycle.com/ Chris and I left home on Thursday, September 12th, 2013 at 7:30 am.  It was 73 degrees, it was sprinkling, and the roads were wet.  We rode I-435, I-29, and Hwy 71 north.  Just north of the Missouri River the sprinkles stopped and the highway started drying.  We stopped for gas

Last week I started looking for a new or slightly used Goldwing to replace my 2002.  I checked with a dealer on the Missouri side and a dealer in Topeka.  Neither had a black 2012, new or used, and I determined I didn’t really like the 2013 colors.  Also, neither dealer gave a reasonable trade-in estimate for my 2002.  So I did some checking online. I found a good deal on a used black 2012 Goldwing at Sunrise Honda ( http://www.sunrisehonda.com/ ) in Searcy, Arkansas.  It had 5,870 miles on it and they made a reasonable offer for my 2002.  Chris and I decided to make a road trip. We left home at 1:00 on Monday, August 19th, and rode 375 miles to the Best Western motel in Russellville, AR.  It was 79 degrees when we left and it reached the low 90’s during the ride. On Tuesday, August 20th, we departed Russellville (72 degrees) and rode 100 miles to Sunrise Honda, where we arrived around 10:00.  At 1:30 we were finally leaving on the gently used 2012. We had a good lunch at Doc’s G

We departed Lincoln at 7:45 under mostly sunny skies with a temperature of 66.  We rode east to Union and south to Nebraska City (should have taken Hwy 2), where we caught Interstate 29 south.  We eventually rode into cloudy skies before we made our last gas stop at Jesse’s Last Stop on the north end of St. Joseph, MO.  It is appropriate that our last stop was at Jesse’s Last Stop.  After refueling we took final pictures of the four petite boys and their machines. We rode home, with progressively heavier rain from Platte City, MO to Shawnee, KS.  Larry wore his rain suit but it was not enough to ward off the rain.  The rest of us did not stop to put on rain suits because . . . . . we are manly men. We arrived home at approximately 11:30 after only 215 miles.  It is great to be home and I won’t be longing for a motorcycle ride for a few days. It was a GREAT trip and I can mark Alaska off my motorcycle ride bucket list.  We rode a total of 9,270 miles (Garmin miles would be a littl

We left Gillette, WY at 7:00.  It was 61 degrees and cloudy.  Gary and Larry decided to start with rain suits on, in case it were to rain.  It didn’t rain all day so they did their part in keeping us dry. We rode west and mostly south through Moorcroft and Newcastle to Lusk, WY.  This route closely skirts the Black Hills area of South Dakota and on Hwy 85 we saw a boat load of bikes on their way to Sturgis. In Lusk there was such a parade of motorcycles riding north through town that the locals were sitting in lawn chairs watching the show.  Sheriff’s deputies seemed to be on high alert also. We continued south through Torrington, WY and into Nebraska on Hwy 26 through Scottsbluff and Bridgeport to Ogallala.  We had a late lunch at a Dairy Queen there. Our friends, Rod and Maureen, were to be in Ogallala today on their way to Sturgis so before we left town we checked out the motel they were to be staying in.  They had not arrived.  We rode east on Interstate 80 and about 30 miles

We departed the Spa Hot Springs Motel at 7:30 am.  It was 57 degrees and mostly sunny.  We took off eastbound on Hwy 12 through Harlowton, MT.  The sun gave way to clouds by the time we arrived in Roundup, Montana where we had a late breakfast at the Busy Bee Café. Carl and I both had the burger and eggs breakfast that was LARRAPIN good, though Carl thought the burgers were overcooked.  We both got two burger patties – just what I needed. We continued eastbound on Hwy 12.  A short distance east of Roundup it looked like rain on the horizon and we had a few drops of rain on our windshields.  So we pulled the caravan over and put on our rain suits.  A few minutes later it started raining and it lasted for about 30 minutes (61 degree temperature).  It was good NOT to be wet. Hwy 12 intersected with Interstate 94 at Forsythe, MT.  I was leading today and knew we’d need gas before too long.  From Hwy 12 I saw a gas station some ways down into Forsythe but opted to get on I-94 eastbound