Retired and Trippin

After a very good complimentary breakfast at the Comfort Inn Chris and I were on the road by 9:00 and it was 63 degrees.  A warm start for this trip. Our route took us north into Missouri, through Roaring River State Park, Cassville, Monett and Sarcoxie to Golden City.  We then rode west to Pittsburg, KS and just north of Frontenac we had lunch at Chicken Annies ( http://www.chickenanniesoriginal.com/ ).  As usual, the food was terrific. From Annies we rode back to Hwy 69 and then north to home, where we arrived at about 2:45 pm. We rode 260 miles today.  The high temperature was 77 and it was cloudy.  An added treat was the wind at our backs for most of the day. Our trip is over . . . . and what a dandy it was; 2,385 miles with my girlfriend through some beautiful fall scenery.

This morning the sun was shining but it was very cool.  When we woke up it was in the 40’s.  When we finally departed for Montauk State Park at 9:50 it was 51. Montauk State Park is a pretty place.  We first visited the springs that make up Montauk Springs and which constitute the headwaters of the Current River.  The other springs we’ve visited were more dramatic in that there was one source of water that was quite visible in its discharge from the ground.  Not so at Montauk.  There are multiple sources of spring water and none have a forceful discharge from the ground.  We did some walking and visited the trout fish hatchery in the park From Montauk we rode southwest through Houston, MO to Cabool. We located a small café, the Corner Café, in downtown Cabool, where we stopped for lunch.  The food was LARRAPIN good.  Chris had the tenderloin dinner plate and I had chili with a grilled cheese and a side of onion rings.  WOW – great ri...

It started raining this morning about the same time we woke up.  By 9:30 it had quit so we hit the road.  It was 50 degrees and cloudy.  Streets were wet so the beast got nasty dirty. We rode west back through Murphysboro as far as we could go before we had to turn north or south.  We rode south to the Cairo area and crossed the Mississippi River on Interstate 57.  Once in Missouri we aimed west towards Poplar Bluff.  As you can see in the picture below the sun had come out. By the time we stopped for lunch in Poplar Bluff it was cloudy again. We’d hit 61 degrees for a brief period of time but it was now in the high 50’s. Colton Steak House was OK but we burned a lot of daylight waiting for our food. Our next stop was Big Spring located about 5 miles south of Van Buren, MO.  Hwy 103 going down to the spring was a fun ride. Big Spring was an interesting place and if we’d been here before we sure didn’t remember it. Chris and I took a short walk be...

It rained last night but all was clear this morning and all was dry except for my motorcycle cover and some streets.  We rode away from our motel at 9:45.  It was 58 under blue clear skies. Our route took us west across the Land Between the Lakes to Mayfield, KY and then northwest to Wickliffe and over the Ohio River into Cairo, IL.  We rode north to Jonesboro, IL where we had lunch (the food was only fair) and visited a park where Lincoln and Douglas debated back in 1885. A short distance north of Jonesboro we hiked (2 miles round trip) the Little Grand Canyon Trail in the Shawnee National Forest.  The trail was fun and we enjoyed the scenic outlook but it was not so dramatic that I’d call it the Little Grand Canyon. We stopped for the day (after 205 miles of riding) at a Quality Inn in Carbondale, IL.  The high temperature today was 64. For more pictures from today click on the following link: https://picasaweb.google.com/104542123131082631220/Kentucky...

At 9:00 we were leaving our motel in Winchester, KY.  It was 55 under blue clear skies.  We rode around 100 miles south to Cumberland Falls State Resort Park.  On the way, along Hwy 627, we passed a black barn.  Black barns (sometimes with red roofs and doors) and black fences are common in this area of Kentucky, especially around the horse farms. Hwy 90 runs east and west between Hwy 25W and 27 just west of Interstate 75.  This was a beautiful ride with twisties and brightly colored trees.  Our best road yet on this trip. The Cumberland Falls State Resort Park is also located on Hwy 90.  It is a very pretty place.  The look-outs and a walk along the Cumberland River below the falls revealed some wonderful scenery. The Dupont Lodge provided us another buffet lunch that included parmesan encrusted tilapia.  It was good chow.  While eating we had a view of the Cumberland River valley.  After eating, a couple young raccoons showe...

It was a bit chilly this morning (40 degrees) so we decided to use the morning to do our laundry.  We rode to a nearby laundry facility and got-er-done.  Chris was overly pleased with herself for beating me at a game of golf while we waited for our clothes to clean. We left for the Natural Bridge State Resort Park at 11:30. It was 57 degrees under blue clear skies.  A buffet lunch was enjoyed at the Hemlock Lodge in the park. After lunch we made our way to the Sky Lift, which took us to the Natural Bridge and some beautiful scenery. We bought a one-way lift ticket so we could ride to the top and then do the 2 mile hike back down.  The hike was actually a combination hike and climb.  We had a good time but it was not like a walk around the neighborhood. We arrived back at our motel at 4:30 for some   r e l a x  time.  It was a good day and we rode 85 miles.  The high temperature was 68.  Tomorrow we start our way back home . ...

Today would have been Chris’ Dad’s 78th birthday. It was a beautiful morning but cool, in the low 50’s.  I spent the morning giving the Goldwing a bath, which was much needed after the wet weather yesterday.  We left the motel at 10:00 and took off south on Hwy 627 (out of Paris, KY). Hwy 627 is a narrow road that runs through horse country. We commented here that Chris’ cousin, Deb, would like this route and seeing all the horse flesh. When we arrived in Winchester, KY we located the Best Western motel and stopped to make arrangements for lodging tonight.  The desk clerk lady said we could have a room but could not check in until about 1:30.  I think the lady liked Chris, though, because before we left she found a room for us and allowed us to check in early.  SWEET.  We unloaded stuff to our room and I disconnected the trailer.  After a lunch at Fazoli’s we were off for the Red River Gorge area ( http://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/dbnf/recreation...