Chapter I Happenings

Sunday Ride

2010-10-23T20:00:00.000-05:00

Sunday, a couple of months ago, Dennis and I are out riding and playing on curvy roads. Just having a GREAT time. We had rode for several hours, were east of a little town called Ira. It is in the Newton/Marshalltown area. We were leaning in a great curve, having a good time when we hear this nasty noise, we knew it was a tire. The tire pressure monitor showed we had lost 19 pounds in the rear tire. He brings the bike back upright, and slows it down, to almost a coast. We get into Ira and he looks for a drive way, or somewhere, not on a street, but with pavement to pull off. He saw one in front of a shop called Bucklin Rebuilders.

We get off the bike, start taking off helmets, etc. Dennis is on the ground checking out the tires. Sees a chunk missing from our rear tire. We put it up on the center stand (and this is when an elderly gentleman walks over) and Dennis sees the ‘bigger’ problem. The rear tire is SHREDDED! This older man asks what we are doing, just riding and taking a break? Says he has had a few gold wings, but never road one. Then we show him our ‘problem’. OHHHH, he says. ‘There is a guy in town that works on motorcycles, but I don’t think he works on Sunday’s or that he does tires’. We knew there was a guy in Ira that works on bike seats and is CHEAP, that was who he was talking about. Anyway, we thought this man, was just a neighbor to the business…we find out he is Mr. Bucklin! He has his rebuilder service, and he has a junk yard down the street on the other side of the highway. He was just so fun. We made some phone calls and Green’s Towing Service (Ernie and Louise) hooked up their trailer to head to pick us up. In the mean time we are sitting outside, visiting about things and his wife comes out to join us. Mosquitoes start getting bad, so he takes us in to his ‘haven’ which is his shop. He is showing us pictures of the place from 50 years ago, when he bought it, and it had a shop, gas pumps, and grocery store, then they lived upstairs. His wife said she got tired of going up and down 13 stairs several times a day. LOL, so he built the house that is next door. He said he didn’t do so good as he knows he built on top of a lake, just look at the basement he tells us.

So, we are chatting and waiting, and pretty soon, Mrs. Bucklin comes into the shop with a basket, she made a fresh pot of coffee (by now it is 9 PM) brought Ice cream and fresh strawberries! How wonderful. We had not had dinner, and even though I don’t like ice cream very much and don’t really eat fresh strawberries, I did and it was GOOD! Dennis, we all know, loves this.

Ok, Green’s show up and we are trying to decide how to get the bike loaded, as Ernie has just had shoulder surgery, so he can’t help. He has racks to drive on, but it’s a pretty good incline. So, Mr. Bucklin offers to hold the tongue of the trailer with his forklift, so the trailer is lower in the rear. He didn’t have to, as Ernie had a way to do it. Then they took the plywood pieces for the back of the trailere and put over the racks, to make it smoother. Here is another good one…Dennis puts on his helmet to drive the bike on the trailer. He said he didn’t trust anything! We are all laughing. So, there he goes, bike goes right in, no issues, and we all let out a loud cheer, and realize…oops, its late! We apologize. The Bucklin’s are laughing and said no, please don’t. The people in those houses (the nearest ones) ride and they are our noisy people, they will visit tomorrow now and ask what we had going on! The Bucklin’s are excited about this. Mrs. Bucklin takes Louise and I in the house to potty and shows us pictures of her family, and shares some stories with us. Meanwhile, Dennis gets the bike tied down, and we are getting ready to leave, and thanking the Bucklin’s and apologizing for inconvenience, etc. They hug us and tell us, no apologies, please! We were able to have a great evening and we had COMPANY! They also begged us to come back with friends! We are planning a trip out with some folks and taking picnic lunch and having the Bucklin’s join us, there is a park across the street from their house!

For something bad that happened, this was an awesome experience, we met new people and they had unexpected company. Ernie helped Dennis get the bike over to Cycle Clinic on Monday, and Jim had it done on Tuesday, several hundred dollars later, but we are back on the road! Thank you to the Green’s for always being ready, willing, and able to help member’s out with their tow vehicle and trailer!

Labor Day Weekend Missouri Trip

2010-10-23T19:48:00.000-05:00

Ben and Sherrill and us got together and took a little trip to Missouri over the Labor Day weekend.

We met up in Winterset and kind of got a late start because Donna and I had some things to do and we got a little behind. They were waiting on us but I still had to fill up and get some air in my brand new tires. Took longer than I had planned.

We left there and took Hwy 169 down and picked up Hwy 2 and went to Bedford where we stopped for lunch and fuel. The Junction Cafe is a good place to eat if you have never been. If you are in the area, make sure to stop in. They even take cards now which they didn't in the past. Makes it easier on those of us who don't carry cash much.

We left there taking Hwy 148 south into Missouri and took it to Hwy 71 and then to Hwy 36 where we took it into St. Joseph. We stopped in St. Joseph to see the Jesse James house. Sherrill is a big Jesse James history buff and Donna and I thought it would be cool to check out. It was a very interesting site to check out. Lots of stuff to read and see on his life and death. $3 fee

Next door was the Patee House Museum. This is a large old hotel with lots of things in it from days gone by. Stuff on the pony express, old fire trucks, planes, military equipment. It really would take most of a day to really go through this like it should be done. This was very interesting and deserves another visit. $5 fee

St. Joseph really has a lot of things to see and do. There is a pony express museum that we didn't have time to check out. I think this town will have to be a place to make an extended visit to in the future.

From here, time was slipping away from us and we needed to head for Sedalia and our motel for the night. We took Hwy 36 over to Hwy 65 and headed south. Once in Sedalia, we found the Stardust Motor Inn and checked in. Nothing special but clean and good enough for all of us.

Once we got checked in, we beat feet south for one of the reason we came this way. Ben and Sherrill had been to a place called Charley's Buffet and said it was amazing. They are only open on Friday and Saturday nights from 4:30 - 8:30. You go about 15 miles south of Sedalia to the town of Cole Camp. Pick up Hwy 52 and head east. When you get to Hwy B you turn south and go 10 miles. You'll not miss the place. If nothing else, you'll see the line waiting to get in. Hwy B is a wonderful road to ride. A little spooky to come back out on after dark but we made it. Would like to go back down just to ride that whole road in the daylight.

When we arrived, the lot was pretty darn full but we found a place to park the bikes. Got in line and began chatting with others. It only took 20 minutes or so to get in. I am sure if it had been earlier in the day, the wait would have been longer but in our case the time went pretty fast. We kept looking in the windows and checking out the decor. It is a pretty good sized place and it was full. They use tables that are well designed for their purpose. Once in, paying 13.50 each, you are taken to a table and greeted by a very friendly staff. You order your drink and head off to the buffet. Wonderful is all I have to say about the buffet. Shredded ham and beef. Breaded chicken breast. Soup. Asian dishes. All kinds of side dishes and desserts. Everything was absolutely wonderful. The dinner rolls are the best I have ever had I think. Pig out as much or as little as you want. Well worth the time to stop by if you are in the area. Worth the time to make it a reason to visit the area.

After we stuffed ourselves, we made our way back to the hotel. Everyone talked about how miserable they were being stuffed with good food. Actually, I wasn't miserable, I did pretty good. I over ate but I didn't let it get too bad. I forced myself to quit and it was a good thing I did. It was after 10 by now so we all just called it a night and crashed.

Got up the next morning but was a little lazy at getting around. Made our way north out of Sedalia and ate breakfast at a little restaurant a few miles out of town. We had planned on heading for home but the conversation turned to how no one really wanted to go home. We wanted to enjoy the roads in Missouri some more. Soooo.... we made a few phone calls and took care of some details that needed to be taken care of and decided to ride more of the area.

Ben took the lead and led us north and east through some towns and on some nice lettered roads. Lots of curvy windy roads in Missouri. We really need to spend more time in the area. Sherrill took the lead for a while and took us on a tour of all the houses they lived in in Missouri. We stopped at a park in the town where they had lived and we made plans. It was getting late in the afternoon and we picked a couple of towns that we figured we could make it to before dark and made some reservations.

We took off and headed east. We stopped at a cemetery so Ben and Sherrill could pay respects to people they knew. After that, we headed for the town of Shelbyville to get some fuel and find something to eat. This is when I found out that apparently, Missouri is in another country. We were told nothing was open where we could get anything to eat. The clerk at the station gave us directions to some town but we still weren't sure if there would be any place to eat. Donna was smart enough to look up places in the town we decided to stay in and see if anything was open. No luck. Only a BP and a Casey's where we could get pizza. Not what we wanted but we resigned ourselves to the fact that that may be our only choices and we took off.

Still seeing some of the sights, we took some roads and ended up in the town of Bethel. I passed right by a restaurant and Donna hollers at me that she saw a restaurant and people outside. We went around the block and came back and asked the couple outside if the place was open. They said yes and we inquired about the food and they said it was good. We went in and found it to be a quaint little place. Not a large menu but enough for what we needed. Burgers and fries. They were pretty good. While we were waiting on our food, we got word that the weather was not so good back home even though it was supposed to be nice. Not much we could do. Just had to hope our basement didn't get filled with water. Turns out, it didn't rain much here.

After our dinner, we did a little snooping around the town and came across a sign that said "Hair Sheep Exhibit". This intrigued me, I had no idea what that was. Went back and asked the couple outside what a Hair sheep exhibit was. This old gentleman says he is a hair sheep expert. Turns out, he is a Veterinarian and he actually raises and sells hair sheep as well as other animals. Hair sheep, it turns out, are a kind of sheep that actually has hair and not wool. I guess they are easier to care for. No sheering. They shed. Meat supposedly tastes better as well. Very interesting couple. And, it turns out, they are from Kentucky. You would have thought they were the local town folk. Very nice people. They even invited us to come visit them.

By now, it was getting pretty late and we wanted to get to the motel before dark. Worried about deer so we took off and made a hot shot to Edina where we were going to spend the night. Still some nice roads getting us there. We got to down just before dark and stopped at a station to get directions to the motel and to pick up some beverages for the evening. Motel was easy to find, just a couple of blocks down the road. Not a real swell place but it was alright to just spend a night. We got unpacked and parked the bikes by the room where there was covering in case the weather got bad. Spent a good night in the room having some adult beverages and just talking and laughing. Then called it a night and crashed.

Got up the next morning to a very gloomy sky. Looked like rain was going to hit us any minute so we decided to stay put and let it blow over. Ben and I both checking our radars on the phone. Looked like a pretty good storm so decided to stay put. After quite a bit of time, the rain had never made it to us so we decided to take off. As we were getting ready to jump on, it started to lightly rain. We pulled out our rain gear and suited up and headed over to Kirksville where we stopped for breakfast. Had some rain but nothing too serious. After breakfast, the weather was getting better again and we headed north. Up Hwy. 63 and over on some county roads and back into Iowa where we stopped at a little country store in the town of Exline. It's a little south and east of Centerville. This store is a neat place. Lots of knick knacks to look at and buy. They also have food and ice cream. Very nice little place. Make it a point to go that way some time and stop in.

After some time in Exline, we zig zagged our way back home. This was a fantastic weekend and we are planning on going back to the St. Joseph area and the Cole Camp area again. May make a winter weekend out of it.

Pam Guenther Benefit

2010-09-14T16:38:00.000-05:00

I am sending this to everyone I can think of and please pass this on to all your contacts so we can get the widest dissemination possible for this event.

Many of you know Pam and Glenn Guenther. They are members of GWTA and locally here Chapter I. They are also member of GWRRA and the local Chapter A. Also members of HRCA and the local Chapter here. They also know and have ridden with members of other motorcycle groups in the area. They are also active with other non motorcycling groups.

Pam has been battling cancer for three years now and is now no longer able to work. Bills are mounting up and we are putting on this benefit to help them defray those expenses.

We are hoping to have a huge turnout making this a special day for them as well as raise some funds for them to put toward expenses and other needed things.

Please join us if you can. Everyone is welcome. If you cannot join us and would like to make a contribution, that would be great as well. We can also hold and deliver well wishes cards if you want to do that.

The attached fliers have all the pertinent information. Contact Donna or I if you have further questions or need more information.

http://www.iowagwta.com/FUNDRAISER_for_Pam.pdf

Wisconsin Fireworks Trip

2010-09-13T12:07:00.000-05:00

A number of members attended a trip to Wisconsin set up by Randy and Deb Heath primarily to see a fireworks show that is supposed to be a one of a kind show to see. Randy and Deb have been to this previously and have attested to this.

It all started on August 12th. Everyone pretty much made their own way, as their personal schedules allowed, to the first overnight stop which was in Anamosa. We all met up at the hotel and went across the street for dinner. All except Randy and Deb who got a later start than the rest. We had a good dinner and some good conversation. Afterwords we went back to the hotel for more conversations and then hit the sack.

Friday morning we got up and went to the same restaurant for breakfast. Then we went to the new motorcycle museum. Some did the exhibit while others stayed in the lobby and chatted. We left there and made a stop at J&P Cycles for a little shopping. We split up some here as some were ready to go before others and we decided we'd hook up down the road.

Heading north and east toward Wisconsin we encountered some rain and lightning. About 20 miles NE of Dickeyville, it got bad enough that we had to get off and get geared up. Another short distance down the road, we pulled off because it was getting hard to see and we needed a break. While there, the rest of the group, who we thought were in front of us, came rolling in. We took this opportunity to get something to eat and tried to wait the storm out. Unfortunately, it did not let up and after eating, we could see it was moving up behind us even worse so we all saddled up and took off trying to outrun the stuff behind us while trying to not hit the worst of it in front of us.

We pretty much rode in the rain all day from here on out. We managed to stay as a group until we got around Madison and the heavy road construction along with the limited CB reception we were getting caused me to take a different route than those in front of me. It turned out OK. We were still able to find our way to Appleton, the second overnight stop on this trip, and we met up with the rest of the group. We actually did get out of the rain for the last 45 minutes or so of this trip.

We all ate at Texas Roadhouse, although we had to sit in several different tables. Thanks to Randy for getting them to hold us a table so we didn't have to wait in the crowd. After eating, we got together at the hotel and spent time swapping stories of the day and making plans for the next day. Unfortunately, due to the weather, the fireworks show had been canceled and rescheduled for Saturday night.

The fireworks being rescheduled was really a downer. We really wanted to see that but we had other plans for Saturday and just thought they were more important. The fireworks show goes on every year and in a few years, it will actually be in Iowa again if we don't get a chance to go to it somewhere else.

Randy's original plans had a trip to a tall ships festival and some hanging out in Green Bay. Some of us didn't feel that was going to be of a lot of interest to us. We may regret having not going to this festival but we just thought other things were of more interest to us. Saturday morning we split up at the hotel and went our separate ways. A group going with me made our way to Marinette where we got our hotel set up for the evening. The original plan was to go up to the Mackinac bridge, which goes from the upper penninsula of Michigan to the lower part, then turn around and come back to the motel. Well, we got a late start Saturday morning and didn't get to the hotel until like noon. We thought it would have been getting back too late to go up and back so we decided to get up early in the morning on Sunday and get rolling. We spent the rest of the afternoon looking around the area of Marinette. Found a nice honda shop so Ray could get a headlight put in. We did some other window type shopping and did some riding around. We spent the night outside like we always do, sharing some food and drink and talking.

Sunday we got up early and headed for the Mackinac Bridge. The roads up that way were absolutely wonderful. Very scenic, well maintained. Great morning for a ride. We ate breakfast along the way at a nice little place. We got to the bridge and discussed going over. It was windy and I was concerned it might be too much for some people, including myself. We all decided to go for it. Approaching the bridge, waiting in line to pay our toll, I was watching the whitecaps and feeling the wind and was wondering if this was a good idea or not. Once we got on the the bridge, it was not as bad as I was expecting. I was not unnerved like I as on the Lake Ponchatrain bridge in Louisiana. We got bounced around some and it even tore an awning off of a motorhome. Some of the bridge is steel grate and that is not fun. I think I was able to avoid the grate but others were not so lucky. We got off at the other end of the bridge at a little convenience store / souveiner place. Took a break, got something to drink, had some ice cream and made plans for the rest of our ride. It was the general concensus that no one wanted to go back across the bridge and go back the way we came which was the original plan. I would have gone but it was not my first choice. I had plenty of riding in Wisconsin on the way back home I had wanted to do but since I didn't plan it right on Saturday, and since we really didn't want to go back across the bridge, we decided to just head south and west back towards home. We ended up finding a room in Wyoming, just outside Grand Rapids.

We got up on Monday, got and early start and made a pretty much straight shot home. I had my usual obligitory error in routing judgement which Ben corrected for me and got us back on the right track before we got to the Chicago area. Once we hit I-80, we just deadheaded it home. We got home in time to join the group at the dinner location for that night.

All in all, it was a good trip. Lots of good times and good sights. I would like to go to that area again although maybe do more riding in Wisconsin. Thanks to everyone who went along.

Tennessee Trip Story from Randy and Deb Heath

2010-06-20T17:30:00.001-05:00

WOW. The trip to the Smokey Mountains was fantastic. We only had a couple of glitches. On day one Randy woke up to a dead battery on his bike. So Bakers, Babers, and Busch`s all met at Randy's home for departure. As we were traveling down Hwy163 south, Randy`s trailer lid decided it didn`t want to go along so it tried to depart from the trailer at 65 mph along with his seat cushion and a pair of chaps. All were retrieved and the trip resumed. I did have to pick up a set of ratchet straps to hold the lid in place. We met Jim Applebee at the Monroe exit. We spent the night in Saint Louis MO.

Day 2 We.left Saint Louis for Clarksville TN. Rode through the the Land Between 2 Lakes in Kentucky. Did some sight seeing there, visited a 1800`s farm stead where I received a bundle of tobacco leaves which in my opinion smell pretty good. We listened to the people on the home stead about the history of that area, very interesting. We spent a couple of hours there before heading to Clarksville TN. The rode in Land Between 2 Lakes has it`s curves and straight away`s, so you do have to pay attention. There was a accident involving a motorcycle and a curve. On to our motel in Clarksville Tn, The Winners Circle Motel this place will be put on our list of not to return to.

Day 3. We left Clarksville TN for Maggie Valley NC. Went through Chattanooga TN. and visited the Ruby Falls. This falls is located 260 feet under ground very quick elevator ride down and then walked a guided tour for 6000 feet or so to the falls. WOW Then walk back the 6000 feet or so and back up the elevator. Back on the bikes to Maggie Valley NC. Rode the southern part of the Smokey Mountains to Maggie Valley. Followed a river the locals use for white water rafting and a portion of it was used for the 1996 Olympics. As we followed this river we we blessed with plenty of white water rapids and water falls. We did have to ride in rain for about 1 to 1.5 hours. (First rain on the trip). Arrived at our motel in Maggie Valley. Averaged 250 to 350 miles a day. Holiday Motel in Maggie Valley was built in the 50`s but the rooms are up to date and clean. Each room had a king size bed, TV, micro wave and a mini fridge. They also had buckets with rags by the rooms so you could wash your bike if you wanted to do so. We could park our bikes under the over hang in front of your room if you wanted to.

On Monday, day 4, we took off for the Tail of the Dragon at Deals Gap. Rode on the Blue Ridge Parkway to hwy 19 then to hwy 28 to Deals Gap ( Tail of the Dragon ). They have a gas station, restaurant and souvenir store there. Then we rode the Dragon 318 curves in 11 miles. WOW you have got to pay attention and concentrate on this road tight curves, blind curves, back to back curves switch backs. The road at the top was closed due to a rock slide so we had to rid it back down to the store. Which was just as intense as the trip up. The crotch rockets were crazy they were dressed in full leathers with the skid plates in the knees and elbows. Had lunch in the restaurant as we were leaving Dennis Baber noticed a Gold Wing that was on the cover of the GWRRA Gold Book. It was Doug Roberts and his mother Laura. For those who haven`t seen the book, the picture on the cover is a gold Gold Wing riding the Tail of the Dragon and the sparks are flying. Ray Busch and Jim Applebee had their copies of the book with them and he autographed them. He will be at Wing Ding also, you must talk to him and listen to his story. That is his mother on the back with him. She is a cancer survivor. Back to the trip. We departed Deals Gap and headed for the motel.

Day 5, activities were more mountain riding. We left the motel around 9 am and again headed for the Blue Ridge Parkway southern route. Round trip was 117.5 mile but took most of the day. The mountain views were fabulous every corner and every mountain top has a different view. We made it to the highest point on this mountain and seen a couple of water falls. The end of our day was spent around a camp fire and reminiscing days travels and return trip plans for next year. The weather couldn't`t have been any better, 70`s during the day low 50`s at night. No rain until departure day.

Departure day, day 6, again more mountain riding on our way to Knoxville Tn. We all decided to wear our rain gear as the clouds were not looking to favor our trip out. As we neared Knoxville the clouds opened up and the rain came, and it rained and rained some more. We rode to Louisville Kentucky where we spent the night. The next morning we visited Church Hill Downs, home of the Kentucky derby. This place is huge. There were some horses out exercising. TV does not do this place any justice as far as it`s size. From there we went to the Louisville Slugger base ball bat manufacturer and took a tour of the facility. Quite interesting and even received our own miniature slugger bat. We departed for Bloomington IL. Where we spent the night.

Day 7, the next morning we departed for Des Moines. We drove up to J & P Cycle in Anamosa, to check out helmets and speakers for Ray and Dan. Deb and I hit the drive way at 4 pm Friday the 11th. Total miles traveled 2400 Approximate round trip expenses $1000.00.
All in all a very good trip the only thing to change would be to trailer the bikes out so there would be more mountain riding time. Plenty of pictures, plenty of memories and can`t wait until next year. Deb and I wish to thank Dennis & Eileen Baber, Dan & Sherry Baker, Ray & Judy Busch and also Jim Applebee for going on this trip with us and making it a memorable vacation. We have picture to share with all.

Colorado Trip Story written by Randy Schneider

2010-06-20T17:28:00.000-05:00

GULLIBLE’S TRAVELS

By Randy Schneider

It all started when I went to coffee one morning about 8 months ago. I over heard some guys talking about their troubles trying to get things settled about a motorcycle ride they had been on. Seems that someone in the bunch did not agree with the way sharing the cost of the gas, from the vehicles, that towed the bikes, and was feeling somewhat shorted. Me being an old biker myself couldn’t help but eves drop on the conversation, and the next thing I knew I was joining in with my two cents worth. To make a long story short I have become friends with this crew of coffee drinking, self medicated, artificial boned bunch of old bikers and we get together most every morning for coffee and about 2 to 3 hours of chit chat.

A few weeks ago Carl and Don (a couple of my coffee-drinking buddies) were talking about taking a bike ride to Colorado. My interest immediately was sparked on that, since I love Colorado and riding the motorcycles, and the fact that I am bored to death with retirement, so I said I would love to go too. After making plans for the next week or so, the day finally came when we were ready to leave.

Day 1

Our day began in Des Moines with it raining cats and dogs. We (3 of us) decided the heck with the rain and got on our bikes and took off all clothed in our rain gear. One other person Craig, crazy as he is decided to ride along in the rain for a little ways too. After about 15 minutes of travel we reached the outskirts of Des Moines and the rain stopped. How nice! We headed on down I 80, stopping about every 120 miles, for gas and a potty break. Getting old kind of sucks because I always have to pee before my bike can even run out of gas. That usually results in even more stops than planned. So after the first 120 miles I completed both agenda’s and did so every 120 miles or sometimes less, as the day went on.

Finally after the long ride across Nebraska, we reached Paxton, where we made a stop for old times sake at Ole’s Big Game Bar. I have always made a traditional stop there to view the stuffed animals from all over the world, and shot by Ole himself. We also needed a cool drink since the temps outside were getting up there. Don, one of our group, had never been there before so it was quite a treat for him, and will probably be a stop for him from now on, just like the rest of the people that always return again and again. We stayed there for about a half-hour, drank a cool one, then tipped the waitress well and got back on the bikes, sore butts and all to get on to our day’s destination which was Sterling Colorado. We took a back road this time to avoid the interstate and all the traffic.

We finally reached Sterling having 600 miles under our fannies, and were ready to find a motel. After traveling all over the south North side of town we finally found a reasonable motel that allowed us to dicker on the price and ended up with a room for $25 each, and it even had 3 beds. What a joy for me because I was figuring I would have to sleep on the air mattress I brought along for just that reason, most motels have only two beds.

After unpacking the bikes and toting all of the heavily packed bags up to the, you got it, second floor, we drank a beer to relax then headed into town to find food. We were very hungry and decided that

Mc Donald’s was not in our culinary frame of mind, so we found a Village Inn and all agreed on it.

Parking our bikes we climbed off and went inside for a great and relaxing meal. Finishing up we decided we were all tired as hell and needed to get some rest for the next day’s journey.

We got on the bikes and started to take off when I noticed Don was having trouble starting his Harley. It sounded somewhat like a spoon in a garbage disposal. Guess how I know that sound? Not good! We stood around there for awhile, letting Don relieve his vocabulary of some 3 and 4 letter words that had been bottled up inside him, as well as let him do a little bit of physical exercise by placing a nice high kick to the side of the bike raising his leg further than he had for some years now. After a few minutes of cooling down, we decided we better take him back to the motel to try and get a good night sleep. We packed all of his valuables in our bikes and left his bike at the restaurant. He climbed on the back of mine and we rode back to the motel.

Don was very upset and I don’t blame him because he had just had the engine rebuilt at a cost of around $2400 and had just picked it up the day before we left. He did not sleep well that night trying to decide what he was going to do. He was awake around 4:30AM and on the phone calling a tow truck to get his bike back to the motel. After the tow truck driver offered to haul it back to Des Moines for him, at the meager cost of $2000, he started trying to figure out his other options.

It is now Sunday and of course nothing is open on Sunday. Don finally gave in and decided his trip to the Rockies was over for this time. We loaded up on the bikes and rode to a restaurant and had a good breakfast while Don hashed over some different options. 1. He thought about renting a truck one way and that was going to cost around $800, so that was not an option. 2. Another idea was to take a bus home and get a vehicle and trailer and come back to get it. Leaving the keys in it in hopes someone would steel it and then collect the insurance. But then who would steel a broken down Harley? They would have to push it wherever they were going to take it and then have to repair it, and that is nothing but work work work.

3. Finally he decided to call his son in Des Moines who was more than happy to hook a trailer on his blazer and come out to pick him up. Going back to the motel after breakfast, Don went in and got a room for the night to wait for his son to get there.

Carl and I felt sorry for Don having to end his trip but we decided we weren’t going to end ours because of his misfortune. We packed up our bikes again, drove around Sterling for awhile looking for a liquor store in an attempt to get Don a 12 pack of beer to tide him over till his son could get there. Again no luck for Don, because Sterling is a dry town on Sundays. We went back to the motel to break the bad news to him and then left on our journey. We found out later that Don had gotten hold of a taxi that took him to a bar where he could spend the rest of the day and then the driver brought him back to his room that evening. There was something said about his having gone all the way to Sidney Nebraska some 60 miles away with someone for drinks, but he did manage to make it back to meet his son in time. His son was there in record time of 7 ½ hours, but they both went to bed and got good nights sleep heading home the next morning.

Day 2

On our second day in Colorado, after leaving Sterling we rode HWY 14 all the way to The Poudre Canyon. We had a beautiful ride through the Canyon stopping once to get some pictures of some of the Kayakers and rafters heading down river at a quick clip. The Canyons River was running very full and very fast from the warm weather and rapid snowmelt in the upper elevations. This canyon is a very twisty windy road that goes on for about 70 miles, and I wanted to stop every 5 minutes to take pictures of the scenes before me, but there were not many places to pull off that didn’t require a quick stop. There were a lot of cars on the road and I didn’t want to get rear-ended by one of them either.

We got all the way to Walden on HWY 14 then turned down HWY 125 after fueling up again and having an ice-cream cone. Out there you never know when the next gas station will be available so sometimes we were only down a couple of gallons but kept it full just in case.

125 was a pretty drive in some very open country until we got closer to the Arapaho National Forest. We began seeing a lot of logging as we were going down that stretch of road. I assumed it was for making log homes by the look of the piles of logs that had been stripped of their bark. As we entered the forest area a fox ran across the road in front of me startling me at his sudden entrance on to the road.

Don had an experience earlier in the spring, with a fox, which he hit and then he flipped his bike and rolled down the highway for about a hundred and 50 feet before coming to a stop. His riding jacket was torn up helmet skinned all over and his gloves were torn. He only ended up with a badly swollen hand and a hole in his leg the size of a silver dollar. He was actually able to set his bike back upright, and after the paramedics bandaged him up, he got back on it and rode it the near 50 miles back home. He did however go to the emergency room that night and get his leg fixed up and checked over for broken body parts, but none were found.

A little further down the road I saw a moose standing up to his belly in the grassy water along side the road, then some deer later on. About that time we were entering the more mountainous area, it started to rain, and since I already had my rain jacket on I didn’t bother to stop. We rode in rain for about 10 minutes, and the only thing that got wet was my lower pant legs and tennis shoes and socks. By the time we got to HWY 40 near Granby my pants were already dry. We turned on 40 toward the town of Hot Sulfur Springs. As I rode through it I realized I had been there before about 12 years ago. The town hadn’t changed much except the hamburger and Ice cream shop that I visited back then was a vacant building with weeds all over in front of it now. We traveled through town heading for Parshall, which was the next town along the line. You do not want to blink because you would miss it.

While in Walden I had contacted my cousin Dick (second cousin I think), and told him we were on our way and would meet him at the PI. The PI stands for Parshall Inn. It is a quaint little bar and restaurant and about the only business in the town of around 35 people.

I have only ever met this cousin once before and that was probably around 15 years ago at a small town near the Nebraska / Iowa line. They were going to Nebraska for a pheasant hunt the next day, but we all got together for dinner the night before. We had a great time that night meeting people we had never seen before, but were related to. Most memorable thing of all was seeing Cousin Dicks hunting car. He had bought an old Limo and brought it down from Chicago to hunt from. What a laugh we got from that. I wished I had set up to go hunting with them too, but I didn’t have a license to hunt in Nebraska.

Anyway when we got to the PI, we walked inside and right away my cousin said that must be a Schneider.

He was looking at Carl L. I said no that would be me. We introduced ourselves as did Dick and his neighbor friend, and we sat down for a drink. We were told the hamburgers were good at this place so we settled in for dinner. We did some “getting to know each other” through memories of other relatives in common. We had a great time chatting and finally decided if we were going to go to his house, we had better do it before it got dark. Dick picked up the tab before I could blink an eye, so I just thanked him and prepared to leave.

Leaving the PI we drove west about two miles on pavement then turned and went up about 5 miles of gravel road. (Gravel not fun on road bikes) It turned out that about 4 of the 5 miles were almost better riding than some of the paved roads we’d been on. The last mile was loose gravel though so we had to ride very carefully. We pulled into the place and even though it was getting dark I could see that I loved it already. I was blown away to find that they had owned the ranch for over 50 years. I had been under the impression that they had only owned it for a few years somehow.

We parked the bikes in his attached garage and unloaded them, and took the gear into the house dividing up into different bedrooms. I then looked around and found it to be a very nice peaceful place with a rushing creek running along side the house about 50 yards away. I opened the windows to let in the fresh air and heard the sound of the creek rushing by and knew I was going to sleep good that night. I am not sure if it was the fresh mountain air, the sounds of the creek or the having ridden almost 900 miles in two days but I did sleep like a log. I did however have to get up once to pee (A common thing for me anymore and usually more than once), and happened to look outside. I saw more stars than I have ever seen since I was a kid on the farm. I went back to bed and in seconds I was out of it again.

Day 3

Morning brought a great deal of light into the bedroom along with some of the freshest air I have ever breathed. I wish I could bottle it and bring it home. I awoke refreshed and ready to get up and do some exploring of the ranch. Dick had been up already and had coffee, juice, fruit and some other continental breakfast items waiting for us. We sat around drinking the coffee and still getting better aquainted, when Dick asked if we wanted to go 4 wheeling. We said sure, that sounded like fun. I was expecting a ride through the ranch in a 4x4 pickup or something like that. I was even more excited when I found out that he meant 4 wheel drive ATV’s.

We got ourselves appropriately dressed and went outside, where the view of his place and the valley behind it was breathtaking to me. I snapped a few pictures and we headed off to one of a few pole buildings that he has where we found about 9 ATV’s, a couple of pickups a boat and various other pieces of machinery. Dick did a little shuffling around of vehicles so we could get the ones accessible that we were going to ride. After pulling them out he went to fill up two of them, mine was already full; I headed for the house again to pee once more. L After getting them filled up Dick tried to tie a chainsaw on one of them, and not being satisfied with the way it was sitting on the 4x4 just took it back off and said the hell with it.

After a little training session on each of the machines, we all took off down the road for a few miles and then started up some narrow but fun roads working our way to the top of the mountain. We stopped at certain spots known by Dick only, to have a scenic photo shoot, then went on our way up some more. Along the way we came across an old log cabin line shack. No one in particular owns it because it is on open rangeland but anyone can use it. Someone had been there previously and left a mess of beer cans and other junk around. This kind of pissed Dick off. He said normally he would clean it up, but this time he said I am tired of cleaning up others messes and just left it as we found it.

After a few more pictures we left the shack, and headed up a little further, now on a more rustic road, we found a tree had fallen across the road. We had to turn around and find a different road because; you guessed it we left the chainsaw behind. Back tracking a little further we found a different branch of the road which took us to the top where there was still some snow on the road and it was quite cool up there.

Since we had already been on one little rough road, Carl mentioned he liked riding on the rough trails. So on the way back down Dick took us to a REAL rough trail with huge ruts from rain washout to big rocks all over it. On most of it we had to go very slow so as not to tip over. Dick had warned us in the training session to always-counter steer in the direction that we were about to tip. Sure enough on a rough and steep part of the trail, Carl hit a spot and his one side of the 4x4 fell into a deep rut, which caused him to tip dangerously and close to going over. He did like Dick said and reached to counter steer and accidentally hit the throttle by causing the 4 wheeler to sharply go up the embankment and tip the other way dumping him out on the ground. As soon as he let go of the throttle and handle bars the machine leveled back out fell back on all 4 wheels and left Carl hanging upside down along side of it with his foot caught in the handlebars. I wish I had had my camera out and ready for that shot.

In the mean time I am behind him watching the whole thing take place. I started honking the funky little bicycle horn on my handlebars to get Dicks attention. I was also on a steep part of the trail with my 4x4 and by the time I was able to lock my brakes to get off to help him, he was already unhooked and back on the 4 wheeler. He said later, he was a little bruised but ok. (I think he even looked around to see if anyone else was watching and had that look on his face of, I meant to do that). It is a good thing he fell off of it because if he had he ridden it out he would have gone over the edge of the road burm, down a very steep hill side, full of nothing but sage and would have had a fast and rough ride, more than likely rolling it over a few more times before hitting the bottom.

When we got settled down we took off again, much slower this time and being much more careful as to where we were riding. We made it back down the mountain, coming out right next to Dick’s house. We proceeded on back to the shed where we got them from and parked them. Getting off I realized I was covered in a layer of dust as was my water bottle holder and camera bag. After shaking the dust off and getting our legs back stable under us, we headed into the house for a cool drink of water and to relax for a little while. I was talking to Dick and told him I was just going to have to go home and tell my wife I was leaving her and coming back to live with him. He looked me straight in the eyes and said, ‘You better have some big tits then’. I guess I don’t qualify for that since I only have man boobs.

After a little while we decided we better hit the road again so we packed up the bags and put them back onto the bikes to get ready to leave. Carl’s bike is a Yamaha Venture, which is a very top heavy and a somewhat tall bike for his short frame of 28-inch inseam. So when he got it started and decided not to try to turn it around on the gravel driveway, he would just ride it up a steep embankment next to the driveway onto the road and turn around up there. Because he did not let the bike warm up enough, once he topped the steep part of the hill, he let off of it and it stalled on the edge of the gravel road. When he tried to put his foot down to gain balance, there was an impression on the road which didn’t allow his foot to reach the ground and wham, down went the bike, almost upside down. Carl came walking over to us and said “Hey I think I need some help here.” I rode my bike up to the top to see his bike lying clear over on its side. We all ran over to it and with the help of a guy that was mowing grass for Dick we managed to get it back up on its wheels. He had bent his highway peg inward and knocked off a side vent as well as smashing a reflector, bending the clutch lever and scratching his faring on the side.

He was able to pull the peg back out and we just loaded the vent in a saddle bag, having to live with the clutch lever being bent till we got home. All in all it could have been a lot worse. After building up his nerve we tried it again and got it turned around, said our good-byes and thank you’s and left for another day of riding.

We then headed back down HWY 40 to Granby where we filled up the bikes and found a place to eat lunch. When finished we then continued on down the road through Winter Park and then hit I 70. We turned east for a little ways and found the road to Central City and took it. This road wound up a rather steep mountain to the town, which was a gambling town full of casinos. When we got there Carl said “Well there you are, your gambling town is waiting for you.” I informed him I did not intend to do any gambling on this trip, which caused an argument with him saying that I had told him I wanted to go there. I informed him that I had never heard of the place until a few nights earlier when they were talking about it. It seems he had mixed up a conversation he had had with Don and not me. So after a soda (the worst homemade root beer and cream soda we ever drank) we headed back down the mountain again on a different route this time.

Getting back to I 70 we headed west till be got to Georgetown. This is an old and once booming mining town. Stopping at the Visitor Center we got refreshments and relaxed for awhile before getting back on the road. Next we took the HWY 6 loop over Loveland Pass. This was a little scary because the road has no guardrails up on those steep mountainsides near the top. On top of that there are tons of tanker trucks going over that road, because they are not allowed to go through the Eisenhower tunnel. When you look in your rearview mirror and see a big old tanker truck right behind you it kind of makes you feel like some kind of future road kill as you relieve your self in your pants. I will never know why anyone would want to drive a time bomb like that around mountain roads unless you have a death wish.

The top of the pass was very cold and in fact the lake at the top was still frozen. I was glad I had stopped and put on my jacket prior to going up. We came back down into Dillon and then on to Silverthorn. Both tired from the days events we found a motel for the night. After checking in we noticed that there was no Air Conditioner in the rooms. The manager told us don’t worry when the sun goes down it gets pretty cold at night. The room being as hot as it was, we opened all the windows then walked about a mile to a Village Inn restaurant, as my butt couldn’t handle getting back on the bike again that day. We ate a big dinner making the walk back kind of hard, but needed, in order to work off the large amount of food I had just consumed.

Arriving back at the room we found it still rather hot. We went to bed anyway with windows wide open and sure enough it got cold, problem is it took till 1:00AM to get it comfortable in the room. Having to leave the windows open and hear all the noises outside makes it kind of hard for me to sleep too.

Day 4

Morning finally came, we got up, packed our bags, then went for breakfast at a restaurant in the motel parking lot but had to wait till 7:00AM for it to open. It was reasonably priced, good food, and the coffee was badly needed due to the lack of sleep. After breakfast we loaded the bags back on the bikes, filled the bikes with gas and headed back down I 70 where we turned on HWY 91. We went past Copper Mountain ski area and on across to Leadville. We stopped there and snapped a few pictures had a pop and then headed back on the road again.

Following HWY 24 on south to Buena Vista then left on HWY 285 we worked up a pretty but flat valley which seemed to be a 100 miles long in the heat and wind, (was actually maybe 50 tops), up to a town called Fairplay. We filled up there and got a pop again because it was pretty hot out that day and we needed to keep hydrated. Heading up the road again this time stopping at a roadside monument to take some pictures of the valley we had just come out of, was a very pretty place not far from Jefferson. There are a couple of hunting outfitters that have lodges, just prior to climbing out of the valley, that looked like they would be great fun places to go. The area above them would be filled with all kinds of wild life & pack trips would not take days get up there just a couple hours. I think they also had summer hiking and horseback riding too. I would love to do a pack trip like that just once.

After the photo shoot (3 pictures) we headed toward Denver then on down (or is it up?) to Sedalia. We stopped at a bar on the outside of town went in, had a beer and I called Cousin Steve, to let him know we were in town. We asked him if he could come down for a drink and also maybe to mooch a bed for the night. Tickled we had stopped he came into town and met us at his favorite bar, (not the one we were at). I had always heard about he and John Elway having a favorite bar that they met at from time to time. I just assumed it was the big and overly loud bar we stopped at first. Come to find out that it was a very quiet little place that played no loud music and was like a home away from home. We had a beer and a ‘good old down home’ fried hamburger, then followed Steve back to his house. We followed him through some very nice country estates and of course, up a gravel road, again. We managed to make it to his house with no incidents, got off and unloaded our gear again and went inside.

After settling in, Steve mentioned he was about to do a load of clothes and asked if we needed anything washed. We both had used up our long sleeve shirt supply to avoid getting burnt to a crisp, and was glad to get them refreshed again so I also had him do my jeans and undie’s too so I could start fresh all over.

We got a glass of water and went out on his deck to chat. It overlooks a pretty valley of homes that each probably had at least 25 acres of land. Some were very expensive and some very modest.

After sitting out on the deck and enjoying some conversation and cool air then looking over his beautiful home from the outside, we decided to go out to eat. Steve raved about a place (he and cousin Dicks favorite), in Castle Rock called the Castle Restaurant. He told me about their having the best, fried chicken in the world and the fixn’s to go with it. He was right. We ordered two half chickens more than enough for three of us and family style mashed potatoes and a vegetable medley and gravy that was made from the drippings of the fried chicken. I haven’t had gravy that good since mom made it that way back on the farm. I started with a pile of mashed potatoes and made a hole in the center, which I put a large helping of the veggie’s in, then topped it with the gravy. Steve said he does the same thing, so it must be a family trait born into us.

After finishing, we paid the waiter, left him a generous tip and pointed our stuffed bodies outside. It was starting to rain just then. That made Steve mad because he intended to take us site seeing around the area. We drove in some heavy rain for awhile but all the while watching some even heavier rain out the side window of the valley. It was very pretty yet ominous looking.

Steve decided he would take us up to his favorite spot to see something anyway. We went up a large hill to a park where there was a shelter house. We sat there for awhile in the car waiting for it to stop raining. My bladder again got to me so I got out in the rain and ran to the porta potty. After a breezy adventure in that thing, I headed back to the car. Soon it let up some and we got out and rushed to the edge of a cliff over looking a beautiful valley with an 18-hole golf course and a castle on the top of the hill over looking it. The Castle belonged to the man who owns ReMax Realty, the golf course is a private course for him and his wife. He does allow charities to be held there, but charges each person around $700 to play and all money must go to the charity.

Just as the rain quit I managed to squeeze of a couple of shots of the valley with the sun and rain in the background. One of them turned out to be the best shot of the whole trip. I even had some 8 x 10’s made of it, I have sent one of them to Steve as a thank you for his hospitality.

We then continued back to Steve’s house where we engaged in some old family talk and sat looking over his many photo albums of his wife and family. It was a sad time when his wife Judy died from an allergic reaction to Kemo. Steve still grieves to this day some 8 years later. They had a special love for each other unmatched by any other and will always remain even though she is gone. I think it has been hard to move on, but I feel he is finally getting there with the help of his friends and relatives, and maybe a push from a lady he refers to as his next wife that lives just down the road. God bless him.

I went to bed, and got a great night sleep, even though I got a stubbed toe in the middle of the night by turning over and slamming my big toe into one of the steel rods of the antique footboard of the bed that I was sleeping in. Once it quit hurting I slept like a baby (without the diaper change and warm bottle that is).

Day 5

Morning came and Carl and I had decided we would head down the road and eat breakfast later. When I got out to the kitchen I found Steve making bacon and eggs and toast with some great homemade blackberry jelly. We could not turn that down so we sat and ate. After breakfast we loaded up the bikes again, said our thank-you’s and good byes and headed down HWY 105 toward Colorado Springs.

105 is a pretty, two-lane road following the foothills of the mountains almost all the way to Colorado Springs. We only had to jump on about 10 miles of Interstate driving to finish the trip to the Springs. We got off at the second exit, because I couldn’t get Carl’s attention to get off sooner. We wound around the town till we came to a sign that showed us the way to the Garden of the Gods. We stopped at the Visitor Center, looked around, picked up some brochures, and then rode into the park. We had both been there in the past so nothing had changed but we still stopped and took a few pictures anyway at balanced rock and steamboat rock.

After finding our way back out, ending up the wrong way somehow, we worked our way to 7-Falls. It was another tourist trap of a $10 offering. This time at least they had built an elevator to the top so we didn’t have to walk up the 187 steps. More pictures then back to the bikes. They were hard to get out of the parking spot since we were facing downhill. With no reverse it meant pulling the monster bike backward till it could be turned around and pointed down the road. I managed to get mine turned around in the parking spot to get it out. We left the park and headed toward HWY 115. After a very pretty and tight turning ride we realized we were on the wrong road in the wrong direction and ended up at a place named Helen Hunt Falls. This is not the actress, but a famous painter of 7-Falls. She is supposedly buried up there near the falls that are named after her.

Going back down the road till we found our mistake we finally got on the correct highway and headed to Canon City near the Royal Gorge. The drive is a pretty drive even though you are not going through any mountains. It is just the vegetation, red rock formations and lay of the land that is pretty. We got to Cannon City and picked up HWY 50 and headed down a very beautiful winding and twisting road that runs along side the Arkansas River. Again the rubber rafters and Kayakers were in their glory with the over full and fast moving waters of the river. The newly melted snow filling the rivers is very cold. We had heard that there had been a few deaths that week already from people falling out of their crafts and either hitting their heads on rocks and dying or freezing so quickly that they had no energy to move to get back on board. Some areas were even restricted from use because of the dangerous conditions.

We got within 10 miles of Salida, our destination, when we started to get rained on. It looked real bad ahead and so we figured the worst. When we got there, the rain seemed to be suspended in the air above us and only a few drops was making it down. I found later that it was evaporating before it was getting to the ground due to the dry and hot conditions of the area, lucky for us!

We rode into Salida and started looking for a motel and finding it to be quite a tourist town. There were motels everywhere. We stopped at a little Ma and Pa motel and went in to see how much it was going to cost. The lady said it would be $79 plus tax. We balked at that price and asked that she show us the room first. It was a nice room, but the motel had no pool. We told her we were going to look around a little and she got kind of pissed for putting her out like that and then turning her down, telling us we wouldn’t find anything better or cheaper.

We headed down the road to another and didn’t even bother to ask for a price because we noticed there were no air conditioners and we were not about to do that again. Even further we found a Super 8 that had hot tubs and a pool and decided we’re getting this one no matter what. We went inside and found a very friendly and talkative desk manager. We managed to do some dealing with him and got the room for $39 each tax’s included. I wanted to go back and rub it in to the first lady, but decided that would do no good except for pumping my ego and just decided to let it go. We went to the room and unpacked the bikes again and set the air conditioner to a nice cool temp of about 68 degrees and sat down.

After a few minutes of relaxing, and taking a cool wash cloth to my face, I told Carl I was leaving for a little while. I had seen a hardware store while coming into town and thought this would be a good time to try and find some parts that I needed to fix my helmet. On the first day while in Sterling, I accidentally kicked my helmet off of my bike and it hit on the side breaking the plastic bolt off that held my face shield in place. I had to take some electrical tape, the only thing I had along, and bandage it back on. That was only a temporary fix and it kept coming off all week long and I would then have to fix it all over again. I kept my eye out for a motorcycle shop for parts access, but never did see one. I removed the good bolt from the other side to use as a pattern, and went to the hardware store to find a replacement. I managed to match it up with a metal one instead. The new one was slightly smaller around but had the same threading as the plastic one. I bought two new bolts and some Teflon tape for plumbing threading and I used it to build up the threads to the size needed, and went back to the room to fix it once and for all. It worked perfectly, maybe better than the original set was and it worked great the rest of the trip.

After fixing the helmet I got my trunks on and headed for the hot tub. Neither of the hot tubs had their jets working very well but the hot water felt real good and then the pool after was great. After about 45 minutes of going back and forth between the pool and hot tub, I was finally relaxed enough to get some sleep. I no more than got in bed and Carl started snoring. I can’t sleep with snoring going on. Every little sound wakes me up. I then remembered I had carried a pair of earplugs in my shaving kit for years. I got them out and put them in my ears and never heard another sound the rest of the night.

Day 6

Waking refreshed and ready to go we intended to ride over to the Gunnison area then up to Glenwood Springs. This would have been an all day ride and a very scenic one, but we were watching the weather on TV and saw that the whole area along I 70 was going to be very rainy and cold with highs in the 50’s. We looked at each other and together said the hell with that lets go home. We walked over to the office and had a quick continental breakfast then back to the room. We packed up and headed up HWY 24 to Buena Vista again and this time took HWY 24 all the way through to Kansas.

As we came up on the Wilkerson Pass area near Lake George and out of a very beautiful valley that had antelope standing about every 100 yards as we passed, we stopped at a visitor center overlooking that valley we just came from. I could not get a good picture of the breath taking valley from the visitor center due to a hill in the way, and wished I had stopped at a pull off spot on the way up the mountain to get my shots. By the time I noticed the pull off it I was already almost past it and didn’t want to get hit by the cars that were behind me while trying to stop. Wanting to keep going and wanting to make Nebraska by the end of the day we didn’t stay long before heading back into Colorado Springs. After missing about 4 different turns because Colorado road signs suck at warning you of your up coming turns, we finally made it out into the flats of Colorado and headed toward Limon and I 70/24.

Not filling up at Limon was a mistake and I soon realized I did not have enough gas to make it to Colby Kansas. The run down the windy interstate highway at nearly 80-mph makes my bike get sucky mileage. I tried to stop at a small town called Bethune to get some, but to my surprise, there were no gas stations. I doubt there was even a can of gas to use for mowing lawns in the whole town it was so small. So I headed down a little frontage road running parallel to the interstate very slowly in order to get better mileage to keep from running out of gas before making it to the next town. I just made it. It took 4 gallons of gas to fill up and I have a 4.1-gallon tank. I was thinking, sure, dump all that oil in the golf and have none available for poor little small town Colorado.

Wiping the sweat from my eyes and vowing to never pass a gas station again, we headed off to Colby and then on to HWY 83 to 383 where we managed to hit road construction. We ended up sitting about 20 minutes in some high heat on asphalt, waiting for the flagperson and a lead car that we had to follow for about 6 miles, to allow us to go on to 183. While waiting I asked the flag girl how far it was to Holdridge NE, and she said ‘I don’t know I only know where I am right now’. Instantly I realized why she was a flag girl and not a banker or model, just by opening her mouth. Finally moving again, 183 brought us into Nebraska and eventually Holdridge and it was not that far either. Asking around and then finding a nice motel, we got a room for our last night and at a great price. After unpacking for the night we went and ate dinner at a place called the Runza Hut. The name had me worried about weather I was going to have the Runza’s or not after eating there, but I survived and got back to the motel, very tired after our 588 mile ride of the day. It did not take long to fall asleep that night and no earplugs were needed either.

Day 7

When morning came we walked over to the office where there was coffee and a continental breakfast. We ate and went back and loaded our bikes for the last time, because we were now on the last leg of our journey.

We continued on HWY 183 toward I 80 and it looked like we were going to run right into a big storm. We managed to get to I 80 just prior to hitting the storm and turned east and hit it hard. We soon left the storm well behind us. Stopping in Grand Island to put on a Jacket because the air was cold we decided to go ahead and fill up even though we did not need it yet. I informed Carl that I was leaving him at that point and that I was tired of driving at 80 plus mph just to get home. I also let him know I wanted to stop in Lincoln. We agreed he took off and made it home by 1:00PM. I didn’t get home until 4:15PM.

I did make my stop in Lincoln and called another cousin, Rich. I found out I only had his old number from when he lived in Crete and not the new one in Lincoln. I went to a gas station and found a phone book, and thank God he had a home phone listed. So many people now days are going strictly to cell phone’s so no way of looking them up in a phone book. I called him but got no answer. I was ready to just leave when I thought I was not ready to get back on the road just yet. I got out my GPS and put in his address and thought I was at least going to go and see his new home. When I got there he answered the door and said he had just gotten out of the shower, and missed my call. We chatted for awhile as I drank a big glass of Ice water, and then he showed me around his new house. They have a very nice Ranch style home with a full basement, that he spent the past year finishing by himself as well as a large garage for the toys and cars.

It was beginning to look kind of cloudy outside so I figured I better get on the road again in case more storms were going to set in. After getting directions on how to get out of town, I got all the way back to I 80 and found a gas station that was having free hot dogs and pop. So I filled up the bike again and got a couple of dogs and a pop, downed them and hit the road. I took I 80 all the way to Omaha but going only 65 in a 75 zone. I didn’t care if people had to pass me because I was tired of the wind blowing me around and the buffeting from the trucks. In Council Bluffs I took HWY 92 and went east on it till I got to HWY 71 then went to Atlantic then east on HWY 83 to Adair. After that I remained on I 80 still going at a slow pace the rest of the way home. I had put on right at 2400 miles in that week. My butt said at least twice that.

Sunday ride

2010-05-16T23:25:00.003-05:00

Today, Donna and I, along with Ben and Sherrill and Jim met at Gabby's for breakfast. Had a good time with good food. Afterwords, Jim departed. He was on the rune and weather forecast was less than promising. Didn't want to have such a rare bike out in the elements for too long. Also doesn't want to run up the mileage.

The rest of us took off for parts south and east. It was somewhat cool but it did not stop this from being a great day to get some mileage in on the bikes. Headed through Indianola east, then south through Melcher-Dallas and then down to Chariton. We stopped at Red Haw state park. This is a neat park. We found a shelter that I think we will rent some time this summer and have a chapter picnic. This should be a really good time in a great location.

From there, we went down around lake Rathbun and on to Centerville where I wanted a picture of a sign for the Daily Iowegian. I am sure our friends in other states, especially in Nebraska will love to see that picture. After the picture, we headed on to what had been one of our primary goals for this ride, a lunch at the Millerton Cafe.

We saw an article for this cafe on the channel 8 news and decided we had to try it out. Harry and Bev had already been there and told us it was worth going to but we had no idea what we were in for.

Ben, Sherrill and Donna had the hot beef sandwich. A dinner platter with a sandwich filled with wonderful pulled roast beef and a huge pile of real mashed potato's covered in homemade gravy. This was $5. I opted for the chicken and noodle dinner. What I got was a huge plate with a thick layer of mashed potato's covered with homemade chicken and noodles. This dish had excellent flavor. I also got 2 sides and my drink was included. All this for $8. I do not know how they do this. All this would have been half again as much here in Des Moines. Ben and Sherrill shared a piece of Reese's peanut butter pie and I had the gooseberry. Both were excellent. Homemade crusts and all. I saw a piece of apple as well and it looked really good. Only drawback I saw was no meringue on the pies. Still worth having.

On top of all this, I don't think it took 5 minutes to get our food. Speed of service in no way detracted from the goodness of the food.

We saw some other dishes. The tenderloin is huge and they said it had excellent flavor (Harry and Bev concur). The stuff pork chop looked very good as well. Breakfasts are cheap. Coffee and tea were only 75 cents.

The staff was most friendly and very appreciative of our visit. This is definitely a place to try out if you are in the area. It is even worth going to if you are not in the area. A place to go out of your way to go to.

GWRRA Safety Weekend

2010-05-16T23:10:00.002-05:00

Donna and I were able to be involved with the GWRRA Safety weekend May 7-9 at DMACC. This was a good event. I ended up helping to teach two experienced rider courses and I attended a couple of classes. Donna attended 4 classes and was able to get re-certified in CPR, First Aid, and AED.

There was really quite a bit going on and lots of good information was put out concerning motorcycle safety. I would encourage anyone interested to sign up for this next year. It is always on mothers day weekend and will be at DMACC again this next year.

PGR mission

2010-05-16T23:06:00.000-05:00

Saturday, a number of us got together for a Patriot Guard mission to honor a fallen marine from Perry. Donna and I, Randy and Deb, Bob, Carl, Don, and Ben (Sherrill unfortunately had to work) met up and went to Perry to meet with a couple of hundred bikes to be part of this event for a young marine who tragically lost his life while doing his job to defend this country.

It was an awesome sight to see all the other bikes as we pulled into the lot. They kept coming until we rode over to the high school for the flag line and even continued to arrive after that. The flag line was one of the longest I have seen. I believe the family was very impressed with how many PGR members made the trip for this service. Saw a bike with Alaska plates as well as plates from Illinois, and Kansas. I wouldn't be surprised if there was others.

The idiots from the Westboro Baptist Church (more appropriately, they should be called a cult) were there although only a handful of them. The morons were of no significance and did not get the attention that they try to get wherever they go. I certainly hope these vermin in hell for these despicable acts of picketing funerals.

After this mission, some of us met up with Ray and Judy and did some riding. Made it to the Patriotic Rock near Greenfield where we got to meet the artist himself. Ray "Bubba" Sorenson was hard at work creating his latest tribute to our armed forces. It was great to see the work in progress and we need to go back to see the finished project. We had some dinner at The Smokehouse in Dallas Center and then went our own ways home. A good day with good friends.

Dinner at TR's

2010-05-16T22:33:00.001-05:00

Friday we got together at TR's again for another wonderful steak dinner and funship with the group. It was a crowded place this time as we had 19 show up but they also had a group of 30 show up at 5. Food was good as always. It did take some time for a number of the group to get their food but as busy as they were, it was to be expected. There was the usual good times and good conversations and we make arrangements for several to attend the PGR mission the next day.

Ray's new tire was the topic of several discussions. He got a car tire put on the rear. This is a somewhat new thing for the 1800 riders. Some say it's crazy, some love it. He decided to give it a try and is having good luck with it so far. Price if very similar but you get much better mileage out of the tire. Something to think about. You might want to talk with Ray and get his opinion. We'll be keeping an eye out to see how things go for him.

KC Tour Riders Spring Fling 2010

2010-04-18T21:46:00.000-05:00

Had a great time this weekend near Weston Missouri at Weston Bend State Park. This is near Kansas City and about 30 miles south of St. Jo.

We ended up with 13 people out of chapter I, 5 people out of chapter J, 4 people out of chapter P, and two from a chapter in Nebraska. We even picked up one additional rider, a friend of Don Reeves who happens to live in that area.

Weather going down on Friday was a bit windy and chilly but not so bad as to spoil a good ride. Weather for Saturday turned out to be absolutely perfect. Sunny and warm but not hot. They had two different rides to go on, same sort of ride, just different directions. We went on the southwest ride and it was a very nice ride. Lots of good scenery. One drawback was some idiot who ruined a good part of the ride for the rest of us by showing up with a fuel tank almost empty. After we got to the first rest stop, we had to change the route to allow him to go get fuel. The leader then had to make changes to get us back on track and that meant we went through towns on some less than scenic roads. The last part of the ride turned out to be a good ride also. I think the whole ride would have been great had it not been for one bad egg. After the ride, they had the bike show, awards from the poker run (Pam got $50 for lowest hand) and some conversation time. They had the 50/50 drawing, a raffle for a leather jacket and 4 items were auctioned off. 3 gift certificates to some motorcycle parts houses and one to a local bed and breakfast. I won the bid on the B&B. Will make for a good stay to go back to that area and do some more snooping around. After this they drew for door prizes. I ended up with 4 winning tickets I believe and came home with some good stuff.

After all this, they served us a very nice meal. Some people got some cold food but all in all, it was a very good and plentiful dinner. Much like when we put on a potluck. More food than an army can eat.

The hospitality and friendship of the host group and the participants was great. I highly recommend attending this event next year if you can make it. Even if you don't participate with the groups days activities, you can find some fun things to do. Weston has a lot to do and Platte City where we stayed was a neat little town. Lots of great roads and things to do.

Ride home Sunday was good. Overcast and not as warm but not near as bad as on the way down. We came home on Hwy. 169, splitting off as required. That route really didn't take much longer to get home and it was much more scenic.

All in all, it was a great weekend spent with good friends having a great time. Everyone got home safe and sound and that is the perfect ending to a truly fun weekend.

Link to Dennis' calendar of events

2010-03-28T21:26:00.002-05:00

I am putting together a calendar of events covering all the groups I am involved with and any other events I feel may be of interest to anyone. Feel free to let me know of events you'd like to see on the calendar.

Check out this calendar and I'm sure you can find some events of interest to get you out and riding.

http://www.brownbearsw.com/freecal/GWTA

Western Iowa Cycle Riders Dinner

2010-03-28T20:26:00.003-05:00

Donna and I were able to make it to the Western Iowa Cycle Riders Dinner on Saturday night. They had 85 people show up for this dinner, man what a crowd. We were welcomed with open arms and it was a good time. The kicker to the deal was that our dinner and membership were paid for. Didn't cost us a dime except for gas to get there and back. They had extra money in their treasury and decided to pay the money back to their members by paying for their dinners and giving new members their membership for free this year. Not sure if they will do this all year or if this was a one time event. It was a nice surprise. Kind of a nice thing about this group is that they are not affiliated with a national organization. They are solely their own entity and that allows them some freedom.

The place they had the meeting was called Cronk's in Denison. Very, very nice place and I'd recommend it if you are in the area for any reason. They had a wonderful buffet with two different kinds of carved meat plus all kinds of other stuff and a salad bar with lots of stuff on it as well. All the food was homemade. Very good quality and taste of everything I had.

They hold 5 poker runs a year. One each month from June to October. 5 different towns will be the start off point for the poker runs. Some are not too far from here. I wholeheartedly recommend going to any of these if you can. They put on some good rides and they always provide a great meal. Cost of the poker run is only $10, well worth the money.

They have some prizes to give away if you make all the poker runs. You can also do the tour they have set up which consists of traveling to certain spots and taking your picture at that spot. They change the tour every year and have had some very interesting tours. You can get prizes for doing this as well.

If you have a chance , I suggest you hook up with this group and have a good time with them. I don't believe you'll be disappointed.

Big Barn Movie

2010-03-22T07:21:00.002-05:00

Movie at Big Barn on Friday was pretty good. Beyond the Law is worth seeing. There was probably almost a dozen people. It is kind of fun just to get together with a bunch of different people and relax with a movie. They provide popcorn and refreshments. All free. That is a good thing. I don't see a movie listed for April on their calendar yet but time will tell. They did say they were going to be doing it throughout the summer. When weather gets better, they will have the movie outside like a drive in. Go on out and have a good time some time.

February Thaw

2010-03-20T21:01:00.002-05:00

February Thaw was a blast as it has proven to be each year. We had our usual amount of problems at the start but managed to get past everything and turn it into a wonderful time with all our GWTA friends and family.

We had 4 chapters in Iowa represented as well as several couples from Nebraska and one couple from Illinois. It was really great that we could have everyone come over and participate in our fun. Everyone came and did exactly what we wanted them to do. Have a good time and enjoy the camaraderie.

Our bingo game and Oldiewed game went over very well. Everyone had a great time with these. We have been asked what we will do to outdo the games for next year. I am not sure what we can do but we will attempt to come up with something.

Our dinner this year was fantastic. Catered by two of our very own members , Rich and Tina. They did a fantastic job and we received numerous compliments on the dinner. I wish we could have had this good a meal in the past years.

Nebraska chapter Z came prepared with a skit to share with us all. It was absolutely hilarious and we thank them for doing this to entertain us.

Those that couldn't make it missed our Region Director dressed as Richelle and participating in the oldiewed came with Michelle and Doug Sullivan. This was a good time. Rick did a good job of getting into costume and into the spirit. I am sure we can round up some pictures somewhere.

Lots of good conversations were heard going on and we got to meet a lot of new people. I noticed that a lot of people got out of their comfort zone and moved around and met with other people. This is what this event is all about.

Plans are already underway for next years Thaw and we hope that we can get a great turn out. We truly do love putting this event on and getting to see our extended family.

List of events

2010-02-25T19:51:00.003-06:00

Here is a list of a whole bunch of different events that Donna has researched and found. Check it out to see if anything catches your fancy.

February

26-28 GWTA Nebraska Spring Fling, Grand Island, NE
27 Freeze Your Tush, North Branch, NE (GWTA Members, no longer a chapter)

March

1 GWTA Iowa Chapter I Dinner Meeting 6:30 PM Pizza Ranch, Waukee
6 GWRRA Breakfast Meeting 8:30 AM at Ryan’s Steakhouse
13 BMW Dinner Meeting 6:30 PM tba
13 GWRRA Missouri District Spring Fling, Pirates of the Ozarks
14 Daylight Savings Time Begins, spring ahead
15 GWTA Iowa Chapter I Dinner Gathering 6:30 PM TBA
16 HRCA (Garvis group)Dinner Meeting 6:30 pm TBA
19 Movie Night at Big Barn Harley, 7 PM Popcorn and pop provided, Beyond the Law
20 Illinois Spring Break Out, Springfield, Illinois
29 GWTA Iowa Chapter I Dinner Gathering 6:30 PM tba

April

3 GWRRA Breakfast Meeting 8:30 AM Ryan’s Steakhouse
5 GWTA Iowa Chapter I Dinner Meeting 6:30 pm tba
6 HRCA Dinner Ride, meet at 6:30
10 BMW Dinner Meeting 6:30 TBA
12 GWTA Iowa Chapter I Impromptu Dinner Ride, meet 6:30 pm
13 GWRRA Dinner Ride, leave Shoppers Supply 6:30 PM
17 GWTA Weston Bend Ride, Weston, MO
17 GWRRA New Chapter Kick Off in Cherokee, Iowa
19 GWTA Iowa Chapter I Impromptu Dinner Ride, meet 6:30
20 HRCA Dinner Ride, meet 6:30
24 GWRRA Maintenance Day/Ride
26 GWTA Iowa Chapter I Impromptu Dinner Ride, meet 6:30
27 GWRRA Dinner Ride leave Shoppers Supply 6:30
30 Motorcycle Safety Forum, Ames, Iowa

May

1 GWRRA Breakfast Meeting 8:30 AM Ryan’s Steakhouse
1 Hawgstock Ride for Pink “Bikers for Burgers” for Cancer Awareness
3 GWTA Iowa Chapter I Dinner Ride, meet 6:30
4 HRCA Dinner Ride, meet 6:30
7-9 BMW Rally in Hermann, Missouri
7-9 GWRRA Iowa District Safety Weekend, DMACC Ankeny, Iowa
8 GWTA Kansas Ch B Fun Run,
9 Mothers Day
10 GWTA Iowa Chapter I Dinner Ride, meet 6:30
11 GWRRA Dinner Ride, Leave Shoppers Supply 6:30 to Family Table, Osceola, IA
13-16 Hog Wild Rodeo, Conesville, Iowa
14-16 BMW GRRR, Wisconsin (Great River Road Rally)
17 GWTA Iowa Chapter I Dinner Ride, meet 6:30
18HRCA Dinner Ride, meet 6:30
24 GWTA Iowa Chapter I Dinner Ride, meet 6:30
25 GWRRA Dinner Ride, leave Shoppers Supply 6:30 to Stella’s
27-31 BMW Chicken Rally, Georgia
28-31 GWRRA NW Iowa Memorial Weekend Ride
31 GWTA Iowa Chapter I Memorial Day Dinner Ride TBA

June

1 HRCA Dinner Ride, meet 6:30
4-6 BMW Hiawatha Rally
4-6 GWTA Region E Rally, Eureka Springs, AR, Kettle Campground
4-12 Randy and Deb Heath’s trip to Smokey Mountains (contact them at rjheath2@yahoo.com)
5 GWRRA Breakfast Meeting Ryan’s Steakhouse 8:30 AM
6 GWTA IA Chapter L and NE Chapter B Fun Run, Lake Manawa
7 GWTA Iowa Chapter I Dinner Ride 6:30
8 GWRRA Dinner Ride, leave Shoppers Supply 6:30 to Rudy’s in Lacona, IA
10-13 BMW 34^th Annual Iowa Rally
10-13 GWTA Region C Rally Spearfish, SD
14 GWTA Iowa Chapter I Dinner Ride, 6:30
15 HRCA Dinner Ride, 6:30
18-20 GWRRA 2^nd trip of 4 corners of Iowa, NE Iowa
20 Fathers Day
21 GWTA Iowa Chapter I Dinner Ride 6:30
22 GWRRA Dinner Ride leave Shoppers Supply 6:30
25-27 BMW Bohemian Rally, Nebraska
28 GWTA Iowa Chapter I Dinner Ride 6: 30
29 HRCA Dinner Ride 6:30
29-July 3 WING DING Downtown Des Moines

July

1-3 ABATE Freedom Rally, Algona, Iowa
1-3 Independence Day Blowout, Conesville, Iowa
3 GWRRA Breakfast Meeting Ryan’s Steakhouse 8:30 AM
5 GWTA IA Chapter I Dinner Ride 6:30
6 HRCA Dinner Ride 6:30
10 BMW Dinner Meeting
11 GWTA IA Ch P Fun Run
12 GWTA IA Ch A Dinner Ride 6:30
13 GWRRA Dinner Ride, leave Shoppers Supply 6:30 to Country House in Colo, Iowa
15-18 BMWMOA National, Redmond, OR
18-22 GWTA GOLD RUSH Billings, Montana
19 GWTA IA Ch I Dinner Ride 6:30
20 HRCA Dinner Ride 6:30
26 GWTA IA Ch I Dinner Ride 6:30
27 GWRRA Dinner Ride, leave shoppers supply 6:30
29-Aug 1 BMWRALLY Green Mountain Energy Park, Pownal, VT
30-August 1 GWTA Wisconsin Meet and Greet Bancroft, WI
31 McCullough Wedding Reception

August

2 GWTA IA Ch I Dinner Ride 6:30
3 HRCA Dinner Ride 6:30
6-8 GWTA Iowa Extravaganza, Winterset, Iowa
7 RA Breakfast Meeting, Ryan’s Steakhouse 8:30
9 GWTA IA Ch I Dinner Ride 6:30
10 GWRRA Dinner Ride leave shoppers Supply 6:30
13-15 GWTA NE Chapter Z Weekend Trip
13-22 Randy and Deb Heath’s trip to fireworks and Lake Michigan(contact them at rjheath2@yahoo.com)
16 GWTA Ch I Dinner Ride 6:30
17 HRCA Dinner Ride 6:30
20-22 Hawgstock, Winterset, Iowa
21 GWTA IA Chapter J Fun Run, Clarinda, Iowa
23 GWTA IA Ch I Dinner Ride 6:30
24 GWRRA dinner ride leave Shoppers Supply 6:30
27-29 GWTA NE Friendship Campout
30 GWTA Iowa Ch I Dinner ride 6:30
31 HRCA dinner ride 6:30

September

1-5 Thunder in the Sand, Conesville, Iowa
3-5 GWRRRA Region E Rally, Back to the Fifty’s, Quad Cities
4 GWRRA Breakfast meeting at Ryan’s 8:30 and ride to GWRRA Region E Rally and SE Iowa
6 GWTA IA Ch I Labor Day dinner ride
7 HRCA Dinner ride 6:30
10-12 Davis Rally, New Hampton, Iowa
13 GWTA IA Ch I Dinner Ride 6:30
14 GWRRA Dinner Ride leave Shoppers Supply 6:30
17-19 GWRRA ride to SW Iowa
17-19 State Line Rally, Keosaqua, Iowa
20 GWTA IA Ch I Dinner Ride 6:30
21 HRCA Dinner ride leave Shoppers Supply
27 GWTA IA Ch I Dinner Ride 6:30
28 GWRRA Dinner Ride leave Shoppers Supply 6:30

October

2 GWRRA Breakfast Meeting 8:30 at Ryan’s Steakhouse
4 GWTA IA Ch I Impromptu Dinner Ride 6:30
5 HRCA Dinner Ride 6:30
8-10 BMW Falling Leaf Rally, Potosi, MO
8-10 GWTA Colorama Rally, Harrison, AR
11 GWTA IA Ch I Impromptu Dinner Ride 6:30
12 GWRRA dinner ride leave Shoppers Supply 6:30 to Roadhouse, Martinsdale, IA
18 GWTA IA Ch I Impromptu Dinner Ride 6:30
19 HRCA Dinner Ride 6:30
25 GWTA IA Ch I Impromptu Dinner Ride 6:30
26 GWRRA Dinner Ride leave Shoppers Supply 6:30

November

1 GWTA IA Ch I Dinner/Meeting 6:30
6 GWRRA Breakfast Meeting Ryan’s steakhouse 8:30 AM
7 Daylight Savings Time Ends
12-14 GWTA NE Fall Follies, Grand Island, NE
16 HRCA Dinner/Meeting 6:30
25 THANKSGIVING DAY

December

4 GWRRA Breakfast Meeting Ryan’s Steakhouse 8:30
6 GWTA IA Ch I Dinner/Meeting 6:30
21 HRCA Dinner Meeting 6:30
25 CHRISTMAS DAY
31 NEW YEARS EVE

Alternator back in

2009-12-09T17:54:00.000-06:00

I finally got around to getting my alternator fixed and back in the bike. I can say now that I would recommend S&H Auto Electric. The guy new it was off a goldwing without even being able to really see the back end that would let you know it isn't off a car.

My brushes were stuck and I had them put new brushes in since they were getting pretty worn and I didn't want to deal with it in the spring.

They turned the job around in one day and it didn't cost that much. $37 was the bill and for what I am told it takes to do them yourself, I think it is well worth the cost.

So now I just need to finish up some minor details and I'm ready to ride. Of course now it looks like riding will not be any time soon.

Snow day

2009-12-09T17:44:00.000-06:00

Well today, most of the city of Des Moines as well as many other communities throughout Iowa came to a stand still as we got walloped by a major snow storm. Last report I heard was Des Moines got about 15 inches of snow from this storm. Man it was a whole lot of snow.

Pretty much everyone I know got to stay home if they so chose to do so. My full time job was cancelled. I spent most of the night out trying to plow snow. It was not fun. Really hard to move that much snow. Had one lot I was having trouble getting around in even when I wasn't pushing snow. Rich had as much trouble as me in that lot. We did what we could until the sun came up and the lots started to have a few people come in. We will head out again tonight I assume, now that the nasty weather is done for now, and try to get things cleaned up.

I hope everyone was safe and warm today and didn't have to deal with this stuff too much. I had to shovel the drive and it wasn't a lot of fun.

Amanda the Panda Dinner

2009-12-09T17:38:00.000-06:00

On November 30th, many in the chapter provided a dinner for the support groups at Amanda the Panda. If you are not aware of Amanda the Panda, this is an organization that helps people, especially children deal with terminal illnesses, most prominently cancer as well as suicide and other things. All this is done at no cost to the clients. They have camps and other stuff throughout the year to help the people get through these tough times in their lives.

A number of members donated their time and food for us to go and give these people a meal. It was very well received. We had a variety of good food for them to eat and everything went over very well. They were most appreciative that we did this for them. It is a nice feeling to be able to do this for those who need something like this in their life at this time. Kudos to everyone who participated.

Cup of Tea

2009-12-01T20:35:00.002-06:00

On November 24th, a Tuesday night, 9 of us from the group got together at Vaudeville Mews in downtown Des Moines to watch Donna's youngest son play with his band, Cup of Tea. This group is made up of ISU students and one ISU professor.

There were about 4 other bands that night but it seemed that we were the only ones to show up to support any of the groups. That was kind of sad really.

Cup of Tea was pretty good. It is interesting to watch Donna's son Mike play as he is self taught on all the stuff he plays. He plays guitar, banjo, ukelele, harmonica and probably other stuff I have forgotten. One member plays a thing called a cohon that takes place of the drum. It is interesting to watch that being played.

All in all, it was a pretty good time. Afterwards, we went over to Fong's Pizza and had dinner. This pizza there is very very good. Worth your time if you happen to be in the area.

Nebraska Fall Follies

2009-11-26T21:23:00.002-06:00

8 people from Iowa went to Grand Island Nebraska for their Fall Follies on November 13th - 15th. Donna and I, Pam and Glenn, Ben and Sherrill and Jo and Bryan from Chapter P. For those that did not attend, you missed a really good time. The attendance was down from previous years but that did not stop this group from have a fun time full of activities and friendship.

There theme this year was famous couples and these people go all out. They really had some fantastic get ups. Archie and Edith Bunker, Morticia and Gomez Adams, two sets of Thing 1 and Thing 2 from the Cat in the Hat. The Blues Brothers made an appearance. Colonel Sanders and Wendy were there. There were many more. All of them were great. It is really fun to see how much these people get into it.

They had an auction to help the state budget and also to help defray costs for the Family of the Year. They took in a pretty good amount to help out their causes. The dinner was quite good. They had a lot of little, quick, easy games to play as well. We may have to incorporate them into our events at some time. They also did some roasts and they put a lot of work into that as well.

Then there was the time just sitting around visiting and getting to know new people or to reacquaint with ones you don't see often. I think this was the best part for me. We were up till after midnight on Saturday just talking and laughing.

If you have never been, or have not been recently, you really need to plan on doing so. These people know how to put on a good time. They have the same kind of event, called Spring Fling, February 26th - 28th next year. You might consider going on over for that.

PGR Mission

2009-11-04T19:08:00.003-06:00

Last night, Donna and I decided to attend the Patriot Guard Riders mission of escorting the Honor Flight Veterans from the Holiday Inn on Fleur to West Des Moines where they had supper. It really wasn't a bad night. It rained on us a little and got a little cool but not bad all things concerned. It was really pretty cool to see all these men and women load and unload from the buses. Many of the veterans were really quite moved and honored to be able to take part in this venture they were about to embark on. We wish them all the best in their trip.

There really were a lot of bikes there to help escort them. I'd say 50 anyway. Got a lot of help from both Des Moines and West Des Moines police. They escorted us the whole way.

If you have never done this, consider doing it some time. It is a very nice feeling to be part of something like this. Sometimes it is very moving. A very worthwhile thing to do. A simple way to show your respect and support.

Thanks to another couple in this big old family of ours, we got to ride in this event. Our bike is still down but Ernie and Louise let us borrow theirs to do this. That is what is great about being a member of this chapter and being it's director for the last couple of years. Our big Chapter I family is always ready to help out anyone that needs something. It is not often so, that this happens, in many other groups. I am so proud of this group. This is what this group is all about.

Ride to Apple Orchard in Ft. Dodge

2009-11-01T20:40:00.004-06:00

Today Joe Larson let a ride to the Community Orchard and Apple Orchard Cafe in Ft. Dodge. What an absolutely wonderful day to ride and what great rodes he picked. And then the treats were fabulous.

This group was a conglomeration of people from different groups. That was really neat to meet new people and check out their rides and to swap stories.

17 people on 11 bikes and in one car took the trip. I wasn't there for the first part of this adventure but I know some met at Country Kitchen on NE 14th to have breakfast. After breakfast those that ate and those that just came along for the ride took off. I believe their route was around Saylorville and through Polk City out towards Madrid. After Madrid, they swung through Ledges Park where some went around and some went through the park. They left there and came north to Boone where Donna, myself, Ray, Judy and their daughter Debbie met up with them. We took some very scenic roads out of Boone and all the way to Ft. Dodge. We hit Doliver Park and went through Lehigh and just had a wonderful pleasant ride.

Getting to the orchard, I think everyone tried at one of their treats. My pie and cinnamon ice cream was fantastic. Several had apple dumplings and I heard no complaints. Joe and Carl both had two different treats. The turnovers they had after their dumplings looked excellent and Joe says they are a must.

We grouped up afterwards and headed back Hwy. 169 towards town. The Busch's and us split off at Hwy. 30 and headed back for their house to pick up our car. Ray and Judy were nice enough to loan us their old 1500 while they took the 1800. Ours is down right now with a bad alternator but I have it off and just need to get it fixed and put back in. What great friends we have that they would do that for us. The trip was so much more fun on two wheels instead of four.

Haunted Forest

2009-11-01T06:16:00.002-06:00

Donna and I along with Ray and Judy went to the haunted forest in Ames last night. Didn't have a clue as to what to expect since none of us had ever been. Hell, maybe this was the first year for the forest, I don't know.

After getting over the shock of the $11.00 per person entry fee, we stood in line for about a half hour. This really wasn't too bad. Line moved pretty quickly. We got there at a good time. They said the line was a lot longer before we got there and after we were in line, the line got really long again.

This was really an event to go to. If they have it next year, I would recommend you go. They spent a lot of time, effort, and I'm sure money to set this up. It is probably about a 20 minute walk through this conglomeration of maze work and some outdoor set ups. The actors are trained and they did a really good job. They really put in a lot of time and work into making this a good time for all that attended. While it is pricey, I think it was worth it.

HallowWing Campout

2009-11-01T05:57:00.002-06:00

The first weekend in October, a number of us met at Don and Kathy Thomasons house for a get together just for fun times. This would be the 2nd annual and for the second year the weather did not really cooperate. At least the wind was not as bad as last year but the temps were cold and with all the recent rain, it took all the riding spirit out of everyone. We still got together and had a good time.

We actually had at least 15 people. Joe and Brian from Chapter P came all the way from Griswold and we had a couple from Chapter A (although they live around Grinell), Ron Lillie and his wife, and it was nice to meet them.

As usual, the food this group put on was great. Don and Kathy provided the main course, condiments and other stuff and the rest brought side dishes. Plenty of food and it was all very, very good.

We had the hay rack ride again. This was fun although a bit cool. My bad, I should have dressed warmer. We just talked and joked and sang some. It was a lot of fun.

As usual when this group gets together, we have a fun time. Be sure to put it on your calendar for next year. Maybe we can get some nice weather.

Fall out and about

2009-10-18T19:31:00.002-05:00

This morning Donna and I, after sleeping in a bit, something I rarely get to do, took off for Gabby's in Prole for breakfast. This is one of my favorite breakfast joints. There almost every weekend if I'm not otherwise engaged. Ed and Madeline Buchanan (they ride with the GWRRA and Honda Riders Club) decided to join us and that was fun. We don't know them extremely well but it was fun to just sit and vistit. They are nice people and it is becoming more and more fun to do things with them. We spent two hours just eating and talking.

After leaving there, we came back home so I could finish getting the bike out of the back yard. It was pretty wet before breakfast and I ended up just spinning and couldn't make it up the hill. At least I didn't slide back down the hill and hit something in the backyard. After putting down some kitty litter on the still slick spots, I was able to get up and out into the driveway. We packed up and headed out.

Went down through Norwalk and out the Cumming Road to Hwy 169. From there, we went north and toured the town of DeSoto. A quaint little town. Continued north to Minburn where I took F31 west of town. Went west and then came north into Perry. Tooled around town a little. Found the restaurant that Jim Castleblanco told us about where he and Judy had a good meal. It is salvadorian. Much like mexican. Might have to try this out. We also checked out a place that Harry had told us about called the Mars Dairy Bar. Harry said they had good ice cream and he was right. They also have sandwiches and the one we tried was excellent. Also had some chili. Donna liked that better than I did. This is a nice little place and I'd recommend if your in the are and looking for a place to grab a bite, stop in and give them a try. We may try and have a get together there as an impromptu sort of thing.

Leaving there, we headed north again and went up through Ogden to Don Williams Recreation Area north of town. Kind of a nice little campground. Nothing special but just nice. Came back into town and went east to Boone and into McHose Park. This is a nice park. Came back west to Seven Oaks Recreation and then south before coming east again and then back north into Ledges Park. Left there and took a ride through the little town of Luther. Coming east from there, then south, then east again into Kelley and then on to Hwy 69 and back into town and home. Burned up a full tank of fuel today. It was a good time. A little cool at times but not really bad at all. Passenger got a little cold I could tell by all her fidgeting but she toughed it out.

Fall colors were not as impressive as I had hoped and thought they might be. It was kind of disappointing really. Ledges Park was OK but even there it wasn't as nice as I have seen and I had hoped to come across. Oh well, still a nice day to get out and enjoy a ride. Not many more of those this season.

Get out and have fun while you can.

Colorama / Falling Leaf Rally

2009-10-12T21:37:00.004-05:00

This past weekend there were a couple of events going on that some of our people attended. Donna and I and Don and Kathy went down to Harrison Arkansas for the Colorama Rally there. Always a good time there. Really pretty scenery and good roads to ride. We didn't bike it down as the weather was just plain crappy when we were leaving and it wasn't forecast to get any better. They have new facilities this year and it is going to be there next year. I think this is going to be a good move. It won't be like when it was in Forsyth, MO. when Jack and Denise ran the campgrounds but this is just about as good. The owners are wonderful to work with and are trying to really make this place a place to go. They have owned it for about 3 years and are making some improvements as time and money allows. Nothing major is wrong with it, it just needs little things here and there. They have a motel and another building that can be used for meetings, dinners and whatever. There is a small restaurant also. They have a big parking lot to have some riding drills. They have some motel mascots if you like animals. We had both the cat and the dog in our room the first night. They just took to us and decided to sleep with us. There was talk of some bad dealings with the campground that they used so now it looks like the owners of the motel where Colorama was held are also going to try and get their campground reopened and up and running for next year. They had about 80 people attend this year. Not a huge crowd but considering weather, it wasn't bad. They had a good dinner from the folks at the restaurant. Catfish, pork and lots of other stuff. Definately a place to go back to. They are already taking room reservations at the motel for next year.

John, Carl, and Craig all braved the elements and rode to Potosi, MO. for the Falling Leaf Rally. I am told it was a pretty good time but the weather really put a damper on the fun. It sounds as if the riding there is very good but probably wasn't as good this year due to weather. They think there was 200-300 people. I guess that is a low number for them but with the weather, I'm not sure you could expect more. Others I know wanted to go but had to attend a funeral for a friend who passed away suddenly. Too bad that happened and too bad they didn't get to go.

State Line Rally

2009-10-12T21:23:00.004-05:00

Donna, myself, Ben and Sherrill, and Jeff and Sally went to the State Line Rally in Keosauqua this year. It is always the latter part of September. It was a nice time. More mild mannered than Hawgstock or Conesville. They had some vendors but mostly it was just a big get together. We spent a lot of time around the campfire in our area with the new friends we met there.

There was a poker run and a sled pull and some other activities. They had races on Sunday but we didn't stay for that. On Friday and Saturday night they had a ride out of the fairgrounds and into town, then to the state park and back into town and to the fairgrounds. This was a site to see. We didn't do the ride on Friday night but did on Saturday. We stopped counting at 400 bikes and I'm sure there was 500 or maybe more. They blocked off all the streets and just let us do our ride. People lined the streets to wave and watch. Some tossed candy to the children along the street. Weather Sunday was a little foreboding so we packed up early and headed for home.

While there we didn't do the poker run but took off on our own ride. We visited Eldon where Grant Wood painted American Gothic. That was fun. We toured some of the scenic roads in the area.

There was a wonderful little place to eat. It is called Misty's Malt Shop. They have very good ice cream but also wonderful food. Very generous servings and great prices. If you are in the are, be sure to stop in. Very friendly too.

A good weekend and a fun rally. Something to think about for next year.

Labor Day Weekend Trip

2009-10-12T17:24:00.003-05:00

Donna and I, Pam and Glenn, Ray and Judy, and Carl and Donna all left on Friday before Labor Day and headed up to Postville to ride the roads in the area over the weekend. Pam and Glenn and Ray and Judy left earlier in the day and the rest of us left after we got off work.

We set up camp at a little Mom and Pop motel owned by a young couple that just purchased the place recently and is working on fixing it back up. It needs quite a bit of attention but they are slowly working on refurbishing it while tending to their young children. It's no Ritz Carlton Hotel but for the price, it was an OK place to stay. Hopefully they will be able to keep working on it and if we get in the area again, we can use the place to stay at while we look over the area. The couple was very nice and worked really hard at making our stay as pleasant as it could be. I hope they can make a go of it. It is hard to keep something going in that area with all that was lost from the pork plant closing.

Both Saturday and Sunday we took off on rides that ended up being a couple of hundred miles long. Weather was fantastic. Cool in the morning but then got nice. Not too hot though. Saturday we kind of took a northern route along the scenic byways. We found a nice local place to eat. Food and ice cream was good. For dinner we went to Gunder and the Irish Shanti for the one pound gunder burger. It was worth trying just to say I'd done so but I don't think I'll do that again. Pam got a ham dinner that I think could have fed us all. It was absolutely the biggest piece of ham I have ever seen on a dinner plate. It was about an inch and a half thick as well. She gave us some samples and it was very very tasty. With salad bar and potato for about $11. A heck of a bargain. I know Judy had shrimp and she said it was very very good as well. I can' t remember if anyone else had anything but the burger but we all had good food. Such an amazing place to find in a town that boasts of a population of 27 persons. I highly recommend you stop in when you are in the area. That night we settled down and just sat outside talking. Very peaceful.

Sunday we took kind of a south eastern route. Ended up at Pikes Peak Park and then down into Guttenberg before heading back towards St. Olaf to the St. Olaf tap to try the huge tenderloin. It weighs in at just over one pound. In St. Olaf, we were met by Randy and Deb Heath. They had been to J & P Cycle and decided to come on up and join us for the rest of the weekend. After St. Olaf, we headed back to Postville and just sat around and talked again. Another relaxing, peaceful evening. Good times, good friends, good fun, good stories.

Monday we got up and took a leisurely trip to Balltown to eat at Breitbach's Restaurant. This is the oldest bar/restaurant in Iowa and has been plagued by fires twice now. Hopefully their bad luck will end here. Donna made a reservation for us so we got in quickly. Good thing as they had a pretty good crowd. Unfortunately, we were a little disappointed with the place. The waitress seemed miffed that we decided not to eat off the buffet and the food was not up to par. Mine was OK but several noted that theirs was cold or just not too good. They also had run out of pie and that was not a good thing. From here some split off from the group and made their way home by themselves. The rest of us came back with me in the lead and maybe that wasn't such a good idea. I had a few problems finding the roads I wanted to take so the trek home was much longer than I had planned. We wanted to take a scenic ride home but didn't want to take the side treks I unintentionally took. I do apologize for that.

All in all, I think it was a great weekend. I do believe everyone enjoyed themselves for the most part. It was fun to have the group we had out having a good time. Next time, I hope more of you can come out and enjoy the fun as well.

Fun Fest 2009

2009-08-16T18:26:00.004-05:00

A number of us went up to Storm Lake this weekend to attend Fun Fest 2009. This is Iowa GWTA's state rally to raise funds for the state directors to be able to fund their activities throughout the year. This is their only budget.

There was a good crowd there this year. Around 60 people and it appears that everyone had a good time. All the chapters in Iowa were represented and we had several couples from Nebraska and I think maybe Missouri had people present.

We left with the Green's on Friday night and went up to Ray and Judy's to pick them up. They had decided to fix us dinner so we wouldn't have to stop on the way to eat. As usual, Judy put on a heck of a spread. Lots of food that they pulled right out of the garden and whipped us up a meal with. As usual, this fat old man ate way way too much but it is so good, it is hard not to overeat.

As we got ready to leave, Ray suggested some sights to see on the way up and wondered if we'd like to go a few miles out of our way to see them. We said sure and he led us on a great ride through Doliver Park and around the town of Otho and that area. Wonderful riding. Then we made our way us highway 7 to Storm Lake. I suppose we got in to the motel around 9. Those out at the campground had been messaging and wanted us to come out so we did. They greeted us at the campgrounds laughing and clapping and cheering. I am sure that alcohol had some influence on that. We spent time talking with old friends and new aquaintances before deciding to call it a night.

Got up the next morning to moderate rain and the forecast was not looking good. We walked on over to Storm Lake Honda as it was only about a block from our motel. The gang and Storm Lake put on a breakfast pizza feed that was pretty darn good. They spent a ton on money on pizza, juice and coffee. As usual, they were very hospitable to us and went out of their way to help anyone out in any way that they could. They made some sales, especially on rain gear.

Finally, the weather cleared up and it looked like a good time to go out on the poker run. We took off and other than some gloomy skies, wind and some rain first off, the ride was wonderful. Barry Frum did a good job at planning the route. It was very nice, lots of scenery. After the ride, we went to the campground and just sat around talking. We met a very nice couple from Panora who are members of chapter H. They were the only ones in that chapter to attend this year. They have an embroidery shop and we are working with them for patches and other things the chapter may like. It was very nice to meet them and to get to talk to them for some time. During this time, there was door prize giveaways. Lots of stuff. I think they were able to give everyone a door prize. It was nice that our chapter members donated a lot of stuff to be used as door prizes and auction items.

A little later, Don and Kathy got dinner underway. Food was great. People brought lots of side dishes and Don had been able to procur 100 pork chops from the Iowa Pork Producers. The pork chops weighed in at about 1 pound a piece. These things were huge. Don Thomason and Don Douthit worked the grill and did a good job of grilling up the meat in a timely manner. Baked beans were provided by one of our favorite restauarnts, The Sunrise Cafe in LeGrand. Otherwise we had pasta salad, cookies, and other desserts and lots of good stuff.

After dinner, Dan Dolan and his wife Joyce (Nebraska), headed up the auction. We had a lot of nice stuff to auction off and the auction raised a little over $600 which I think was more than most expected. I came away with a boot dryer that I had been wanting and it only cost me $10. I'm just tickled pink.

Some awards were given out for the poker run. Ernie got $50 for second place and Pam got $25 for third place. They actually paid first, second and third place and had some fun gifts for those who had the worst hands. Ben Ress was the big winner in the 50/50 drawing getting $135 dollars which he promptly used to pay off his auction balance. He got some good stuff at the auction and was a major contributor to the auction fund so it was nice to see him win that so he could not dig so deep in his pockets.

After all this, we had some talks and announcements by National and Region Staff and by chapter directors. Then for some reason, I was ganged up on and it was decided they needed to roast me for some of my errant ways. It was all done in the spirit of love and fun and I truely enjoyed all the comments and the gifts I got. I'm stocked up for Christmas, I don't need anything else. And I actually got some stuff I can use.

Things started winding down then. Clean up and putting away of supplies. Some people started getting things packed away for the trip home. We stayed and talked at the shelter for awhile and then a lot of people went over to the bonfire at the campsite. I am told they had a big group and had a great time. We went back to the motel and pretty much just crashed. I was pretty wore out. Wished we hadn't missed the campfire but maybe next time.

Got up this morning and it had been raining and looked like it was going to be a soggy ride home. Forecast was for some strong storms but later in the day and we were hoping we would avoid them. Got our group together for breakfast and many more for the campground showed up. After we finished, we grouped up and headed south. We were going to make a couple of stops to see some things but with the forecast, we just decided to make a run for home. It was pretty gloomy when we left but he farther south we got, the better it was looking. By the time we got to Perry, it was bright sunshine and really warm. I was afraid this was going to bring on more storms but as of this point, none have materialized. Everyone is home safe and sound.

My thanks to all those who attended and who helped to make this event a success for Don and Kathy. Being their first state event, I think they did a heck of a job and they got a lot of support not only from Iowa but from other states. These type of events are what you make of them. If you go to have fun, you will and I think we all had a good time. Next year will be in Winterset (a popular choice among all who attended this years rally) and it should be a great time as well. Put the third weekend of August on your calendar and come out and have a good time.

Baxter Bike night

2009-08-16T18:22:00.004-05:00

On Wednesday the Busch's and us got together and went up to O'Kellys in Baxter for their bike night. It was a nice night for a ride and we had a good time. The musician playing wasn't exactly real good but he was tolerable. At least it wasn't excessively loud and it wasn't head banging music.

We ate some food, talked for awhile and looked at the bikes. i think this was one of the bigger crowds I have seen there. Something I haven't done all year and it was a good time.

Give it a shot some time. If you don't' like the destination, at least getting there can be fun.

Chaper J Fun Run

2009-08-09T20:01:00.006-05:00

5 couples from here went to the Fun Run in Clarinda over the weekend. Us, Ress', Guenthers, Thomasons, and Greens.

Ress' and us met for breakfast in Redfield at the American Legion Hall. This is a good place for breakfast. All you want to eat for 6 bucks. They are only open for this on Saturdays and they only do it early. They serve from 6-8:30. It is a fun time if you are one that can get up early enough. It is always a fun ride.

After breakfast we took a leisurely drive down the white pole road. Stopped in Adair for fuel and then off again toward Anita where we picked up hwy. 148. Took that to hwy. 2 and into Clarinda. Stayed off of hwy. 71 since they were asphalting it. They did finish that on Saturday night. It was a good ride over.

After checking in to the motel, we got ahold of the Douthits and Don came over and took us on a short ride to Shenandoah where we ate lunch at the Depot. Nice place with good food. After lunch, Don took us the long way back showing us a number of sites. He was the perfect tour guide. Too bad not everyone had a CB and could hear him describe everything.

We got back into Clarinda and spent the rest of the afternoon at the Douthits chatting and waiting on other. Don and Kathy and Pam and Glenn arrived mid afternoon and more talking went on. Around 5 we took our bikes back to the motel and all hopped in cars to go to Bedford for dinner. Just too hot to ride. Bedford was great as always. Home cooked food and great ice cream and strawberry shortcake. Worth the drive. Not too far for a Sunday ice cream ride. At least not for me. At the dinner, we presented Don and Kim Douthit with the Golden Heart Award that the chapter (specifically Pam) sponsored for their work, support and caring they gave Jay and Sherry Liniger after he went down on his bike on the way to Gold Rush. It was great to be able to do this and they were very touched.

Got back to Clarinda and we all split up. Ben and Sherrill and us were at the motel and we just sat around and talked. We went to the pool and hot tub for awhile then decided to call it a night as the long day and heat had gotten to us.

Sunday we got up and had breakfast at Vaughn's in downtown Clarinda. Another good place to eat if you are in the area. Then we met the rest of the group at the city park. Ernie and Louise made it down in the morning and joined us. Some of the group stayed at the park and talked while getting the lunch we took down ready for when the fun run was done. Ress' and us decided to go on the ride. It was beginning to look like bad weather and stuff was forming in the Omaha area but we were able to do the ride without getting wet. It was a nice ride down into Missouri and back. Only bad part of the ride is Donna got stung by something as we left Bedford and headed back into Clarinda. She's OK, just hurts her some.

After getting back we had our lunch and conversations with the various members from different chapters. Then they gave out the awards and door prizes. We presented the award to Don again so that all the attendees could see it. It was well deserved and was nice to let all the people who came see this presentation. The group was very thankful for our attendance and for the fact that we were willing to bring down food and feed all the people. Jay was very moved by this and it was great be able to do this for them.

I want to thank everyone who did anything for this event. If you sent money, if you went and helped set up the lunch, if you provided something for the lunch, if you just showed up and did the ride, if you just showed up at all, my sincere and profound thanks. This meant a lot to them and it meant a lot to this group to be able to do that for them.

My thanks also to Pam and Donna specifically and to anyone else who helped out in getting the needed paperwork pushed through to Helping Hands so quickly so that Jay and Sherry could get a check for $500 to help tide them over in this trying time for them. Every little bit helps and they really appreciated it. Also, thanks to these people again for getting the Golden Heart paperwork turned in so that we could give that to Don and Kim.

Friendship is what this chapter is all about and it really showed here.

After the awards, we got word that nasty weather was moving in and we had better be heading home. Those going to Nebraska were heading into bad stuff and we were trying to outrun it. We stayed south until we got to Mt. Ayr and refueled. We checked the radar and it looked like we were in the clear so we headed north on hwy. 169. As we got close to Winterset the sky looked really bad but we had no bad wind or rain. Ben and Sherrill split from us then and headed north into what looked to be the worst of it while us and Ernie and Louise headed east hoping to stay ahead of it. We came up from Martensdale into Norwalk and back to home. Got home just in time to get stuff unloaded before the weather cut loose. Glad we got inside. However, Ben and Sherrill got caught up in it but were able to get under cover in Adel and wait it out until they could make it home. We are very thankful for that. Pam and Glenn were in their truck and still had to pull off and wait it out at the New Virginia exit. They said it was really bad, I am glad that no one on bikes had to deal with that. Hopefully, everyone at the Fun Run got home safe and sound. We have been in touch with our people and we all got back OK.

Consider going to this run next year. They put on a good time.

Steak Center

2009-08-05T21:42:00.003-05:00

We rode with another group the other night to State Center and found out that Steak Center is no longer Steak Center. It is now Woodrows Bar and Grill. Food was ok, service was just so so. A place to try again I guess and see if we like it better the next time.

Carol's in Conrad

2009-08-05T21:27:00.008-05:00

We ate at Carols in Conrad on Aug 1st. Many from the group attended. Several had tenderloins. They are hand breaded and she makes the bun homemade to fit this monster. This is half of the tenderloin with all the trimmings. The thing must be 4 inches thick.

This is a top view of half a tenderloin. See how it still fills up the plate.

This is the full tenderloin. The straw is there for reference sake. This thing is huge. I measured it and it is about 6"wide by 9" long.

Would you believe that Randy Heath ate this whole darn thing (with the trimmings) plus the salad that went with it, plus spinach that went with it and then had the audacity to order pie to top it off.

This was a fun night. 17 people on 9 bikes and one car took a trip from Bondurant to the restaurant. Other food had was chicken fried steak that looked really good. I had a seafood platter that was good and very plentiful. Definitely a place worth visiting again. We could even make this a dinner ride location. Would have to meet on the east side and make it a hot shot but the ride is a little less than an hour and is doable.

Owner and waitress were very friendly and the service was very good. Prices are very good. The loin only cost like 8 or 9 bucks with all the extras. If you are in the area, stop in and give them some business.

BMW MOA Rally

2009-07-27T15:41:00.003-05:00

After attending Gold Rush, Donna and I packed up and headed for Gray, TN where the 37th BMW MOA (BMW Motorcycle owners of America) Rally was being held. This was a great event from my perspective. If you have never been to one of their rally's, and we had never been, then I highly advise you to do so. These people really know how to put on a rally. Joe Larson said it was a cluster compared to previous rallys but I thought they had it well organized. Volunteers did everything from security to shuttling people on golf carts and hay racks to manning places to charge your phone or computer to gofering water and coffee. Almost 9,000 people were there. Hundreds of vendors, 3 buildings full (Gold Rush had 33 vendors). Lots of food vendors. A cyber cafe if you just had to check your email. One whole building to ship and receive goods.

Gold Rush '09

2009-07-27T14:47:00.005-05:00

Donna and I went to Gold Rush in Lexington, KY. We didn't get very far the first night as I didn't get out of guard until late and then packing up the trailer took a lot longer than I thought it would. We stayed in Galesburg, IL. after getting there around 11:30. Got to bed a little after midnight. Up and at it in the morning but we still had a pretty long haul. It takes us longer as we can't go as long as some before we have to stop and take a break. It also didn't help that my left trailer light decided to come off. We were outside of Peoria when someone at a gas station let me know about the light ( I forget to check stuff sometimes) and we had to go find a place to fix it up. No brackets were available but I was able to rig something up and get back on the road in an hour or so. Rolled into the motel in Lexington late Sunday afternoon and met up with the others from the group who went down, Don and Kathy Thomason and Keith Zierke. Monday morning the rally got under way. It was an ok time. They could do some work to make it better in my humble opinion but I'm not sure what I would do if I was put in charge of it. Monday was spent getting our registration packets, opening ceremonies and then wandering through the vendors spending far too much money. I should have been out riding the wonderful country roads. Gas would not have been as expensive as all the add on's I bought. Tuesday we spent a lot of time out on the road. We went to the natural bridge down by the town of Slade. This is a rock formation that spans across and makes a bridge. It was neat. Chairlift took us up and that was a lot of fun. I decided to walk one of the paths down, About a two mile walk. It was interesting but also a lot of exercise. Not something I am accustomed to. It didn't kill me though. After that, we went around the Red River Gorge Loop. The Gorge was nothing to see but the ride around was wonderful. Such nice curvy roads and scenery. Also a tunnel cut out of the rock was neat to pass through. If you are ever in that area, I would highly suggest that you find this loop and ride it. After that, Keith mapped out and led us on a great ride back to the motel. From there it was dinner, conversations with all the fellow GWTAer's and to bed. Wednesday we rode with a pretty good sized group to go tour a bourbon distillery. It was interesting but not something I would probably do again. We should have maybe taken the lunch ride over to Virginia or just went and did some riding on our own. Wednesday night we got things organized to get packed up and leave Thursday morning to head to Gray, TN to a BMW rally. Spent time that night also shooting the breeze with fellow bikers. Thursday got up and had breakfast at the spot we kind of adopted. Waffle House near the motel. We found a waitress that was a hoot. If you get to Lexington, be sure to stop in and find Laura. She will definitely make your day. Next post will be about the rally in Tennesee

Murray and Prairie City

2009-07-26T22:01:00.001-05:00

Lots of the members came out today to have some fun. We had 9 bikes and 16 people meet at Fenders and Harry led us on a great ride to the town of Murray down by Osceola to the Home Town Cafe. On Sunday from 11-2 they have an all you can eat buffet that Harry said was very good. He was not kidding. The fried chicken, noodles, mashed potatos, ham and many other foods was very good. For $10 a piece, you couldn't go wrong. Several of us left feeling miserably full. I would highly recommend going to this place if you have never been. If you have been, go back again. Very worth the while.

Tonight 21 people on 12 bikes converged on Goldies in Prairie City for ice cream. Some ate food also. One person said the chili was wonderful. The ice cream was good. Don Reeves led us on a wonderful route through Berwick and Colfax to get us there. An absolutely great night for a ride and some ice cream. The ice cream run is becoming pretty popular. I would expect those to continue so keep an eye out for those.

If you didn't make it for any of todays events, we are sorry we missed you. Hopefully you can make it to some other events that will be coming up.

Trip to Gold Rush

2009-07-11T11:55:00.002-05:00

Donna and I are heading to Gold Rush this afternoon. I will try to keep this updated with our activities and goings on so that those of you that are interested can keep informed.