Good trip.
I left last Thursday morning at about 9am. Overcast and cool. Nice, I didn't need sunglasses. I had a tailwind, and 470 miles of interstate highway to get me to Springfield, MO for the first night.
I stayed with Ron & Teresa Moss, who would be riding their Concours on Friday. I had just a little bit of light rain after St. Louis (past midpoint), and it quit before I arrived.
Friday, I let Ron lead and I just followed and enjoyed the new scenery. We followed two-lane as much as we could, but NW Arkansas is getting built-up, and the quickest way through it is usually expressway.
We arrived about 5pm. I quickly met Raygun, and his son, Elijah, who was piloting a Bronco Brown '79 R65!
Elijah was also getting ready to celebrate his 16th birthday on the Monday after the rally!
I gave him an Indy 500 cap that I picked up to bring to the rally. Sort of a Youngest Rider Award (slightly off topic, but relevant for me...)
click for larger Elijah and proud Dad
Raygun's R1150 Cruiser in the background Two Bronco Brown '79's
Brad Belk was at the rally, as well. Apparently Brad knows how to lay out and lead a fun ride, from what I heard. I didn't go out riding all weekend.
But Brad's son is an amazing guitarist/vocalist/writer! He entertained us on guitars that our host, Ken, has made. Raygun made some pretty good videos of the music. I'm sure he will post them. If he doesn't...
I hung around until Monday morning, and took the small roads home. The first day's highlights were the
Pigs Tail Highway going north, and then before I reached Missouri, I turned east on 412/62. Before Mountain Home, I stopped and had lunch. A very good hamburger! A nice little restaurant between a busy two-lane highway in town, and a flowing creek, with lots of shade trees in the parking lot!
A little bit after Mtn. Home, I turned north again, and headed into Missouri, destination: Big Spring Motel in Van Buren.
I got there with little drama, but I stupidly parked my bike on the sidestand in rough gravel... of course it fell over, and it seems the brunt of the force was felt by the top of the
GPS recever...
It does, amazingly, still function. There is enough of the screen unaffected that I can see two small data fields in the corner to give me my speedometer and my tripmeter. But I don't think it is very waterproof.
Day two coming home started off with a nice road through Missouri forests on highway 34 over to Cape Girardeau.
Without my GPS to point me the way to Grassroots BMW, in the heart of town, I decided not to stop (and hunt for it). It is a nice, airhead friendly shop.
As it was, a stop would have made me later getting home than I wanted.
I crossed the Mississippi River into Illinois and went up to the first major small road headed due east and took it.
That took me into Vienna, Illinois, for a hamburger at Dottie's that was even better than Mondays! It pays to shop around! I will remember that place.
Then it was a NE highway up to Vincennes, Indiana, where I crossed the Wabash River and was "back home, again"...
Of course the last 3 hours are always the longest...
Even with the pain, it was worth it. The only thing that makes it hard is leaving my cat at home. I am all she has, and she may be a dumb animal, but I know that she wants me there every day when she expects it... I am going to check with my neighbor for the Gathering of the Clans. He is a pretty nice guy, and is right there.
My seat did well. I would say on par with a new one of the day. I gave away my beaded seat-cover at Boxerworks. Too painful.
I also was happy to remove the
Butt Buffer. But I rode long hours on slower (and less windy) roads with few stops. Just once for lunch and a little at the gas pumps.
I'm looking forward to June 13th!
