I'm posting this as a preview of a ride I'll be doing later this month (June). An Army buddy is coming up from Orlando to tour the Jack Daniels distillery, and then he'll overnight in Huntsville. A small group of his friends will join him here. The next morning (June 17th), I'll join them at their hotel, and we're off to ride thru Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Colorado, New Mexico, and then down to El Paso. As we travel, different friends will join the group, while others will peel off to head to other destinations. I am one of three riders currently slated to travel the entire route.
When we reach El Paso, we'll hang out for a day, while some of the riders attend a special event at Fort Bliss. The next morning, we'll head out for the return trip, and will complete an Iron Butt 1,000 mile ride back to Enterprise, AL. The total trip length is just over 3,500 miles.
I'll be aboard my trusty Road King, which is just turning over 76,000 miles. I've replaced tires, all fluids and brake pads in preparation for the trip, and have done a ~300 mile shakedown to be sure everything's in order. I also fabbed a mounting bracket for my new GoPro camera my wife gave me for Christmas, and it works good too. Right now, I'm just waiting for the 17th to dawn so we can be on our way. It's been two years since I got to do a ride like this, so I'm really looking forward to it!
I'll post a full ride report after we get back...
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Nice, enjoy it. Can't wait for the ride report.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Godspeed !
Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk
Enjoy your ride and take a lot of pics!
Looks like a fun trip. I have spent a lot of time riding in SW CO and it is beautiful country. Y'all will have a great time. Looking forward to seeing some of your pics. My wife and I are planning to get back out there the third week of Sept when the Aspen leaves are in color.
The ride starts tomorrow morning, and I'm really looking forward to it. The bike is probably more prepared than I am, and my bags are packed!
For simplicity (and because I'm smart-phone impaired), I'll be posting periodic photos and tweets from the following two handles:
Twitter: globalrider1966
Instagram: renchinrider
I'll put together a ride report when I get back, but will post snippets onto those two social media platforms while underway.
All will be public, so no accounts or logins required: just open the website and search for my handle. When you find me, everything should be publicly viewable.
More from the road! ;D
Subscribed!
Hi, Everyone! Yes, it's really me!
(It seems that when one takes a week away ;D, it takes the next two weeks to get everything back in order and reestablish some sense of routine :'() But, at last, I'm getting there!
So, the story begins, and will likely take several days to complete:
I joined up with my buddies in Madison, AL on the morning of June 17th. Ride leader Jake (Jake's wearing the bright green shirt) gathered us up for introductions all around, gave us a riders brief, and got us saddled up.
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I know it's come up in conversation before, about how to pack for a trip. I actually stumbled onto an article that gets into the science of bike packing, but--as the above, and this, photo show, my packing method is pretty simple and cheap. Jake had sent us a VERY detailed packing list about a week before departure, which made it easy to gather what I would need. I deliberately deleted some of the items, but brought the rest. In my left saddlebag, I had my took kit, a can of fix a flat, a first aid kit and all my rain gear. In my right saddlebag, I had water, camera/phone charger and little else. (I knew I would fill it with souvenirs along the way :D). All my clothes and toiletries were packed in ziploc bags inside the Wal Mart suitcase I've been using for years. The bike had all new fluids, new tires and brake pads, and a fresh application of wax. The odometer read 74,991 miles, and the bike and I were ready to hit the highway and GO!
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We left Huntsville 3 minutes ahead of schedule, and headed west. We took 20 through Decatur, then merged into 72 west. At Cherokee, we stopped for gas. While there, I met a guy headed the opposite direction on a Honda Shadow 750 exactly like I used to own. Of course, it started conversation and I learned that he was headed for Chattanooga and some riding with friends out that way. After reminiscing about my old Shadow for a while, I wished him well and saw him off. We mounted up and rode on into Collierville for a stop at Bumpus Harley-Davidson.
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I was amazed to see the collection of antique bikes and memorabilia that Bumpus has on display on their second level. On top of that, the service manager invited me into the shop to see a couple of mid-40s bikes that they're restoring...What a treat!
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And then: Off to lunch at The Trophy Room, a few blocks from Bumpus
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The photo above lends itself well to introductions. Aside from me, each of the other men in the photo is a bona-fide 1%er. That is, each has served in the U.S. Army as a Command Sergeant Major (E9). Of all the soldiers that enlist in the Army, only 1% ever earn promotion to its highest enlisted rank. Each of these men has successfully done so. Starting from the left:
Shawn: Currently an Army Sergeant Major who was able to take leave and join us for the trip. He rode a 2004 Fat Boy.
Buddy: Retired Army Command Sergeant Major, and veteran of Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm, and Operation Iraqi Freedom. He rode a 2013 Harley Road Glide.
Yours truly: Retired Army Lieutenant Colonel, riding my trusty 2002 Road King.
Jake: Retired Army Command Sergeant Major, and Veteran of both Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom (Afghanistan). Jake was our trip planner, ride leader, lodging coordinator, butcher, baker and candlestick maker. He led us aboard his 2013 Harley Street Glide.
Now, back to the story: At Bumpus, Jake had a repair performed on his bike, and as soon as it was finished, we got back on the road. We breezed through Memphis, crossed the Mississippi...
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...and gassed up in West Memphis. From there, we rode to Little Rock, and then turned north on I-49. At day's end, we rolled into Clarkesville, AR. Jake travels extensively with his work, and he has accumulated a lot of customer benefits with Holiday Inn. He shared those benefits with us, ensuring that we could look forward to a comfortable night's stay every night of the trip, at a discounted rate...Lucky us! ;D
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We were joined at the Holiday Inn by a number of riders who had traveled down from Kentucky to tour around Arkansas. We chatted with them the next morning before heading out our separate ways.
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Though it's hard to see in this photo, I noted something interesting while loading my luggage the next morning: The Holiday Inn in Clarkesville is located at the intersection of U.S. Highway 64 and I-49. Our westernmost destination on this trip was Four Corners, which happens to be about 5 miles from the terminus of U.S. Highway 64, at Teec Nos Pos, Arizona. I'm a big fan of U.S. Highway 64, having ridden inland from its easternmost point at Cape Hatteras, NC, and would like to see it recognized as Route 66's "Daughter Road."
Aside from the fact that a stretch of U.S. Highway 64 near Taos, NM is closed for the summer for repairs, we could have simply left the hotel parking lot, turned left, and ridden all the way to Four Corners ;)! (OK, that's probably too much information ::)--I'll get back on track with the story now!)
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From Clarkesville, it was just a short ride to the point where we exited I-49...
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...Filled our tanks, and took off to enjoy Arkansas' Highway 23--The "Pig Trail!"
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This past Christmas, my wife gave me a GoPro Hero 6. I have tinkered with it over the past few months, and made a bracket on which to mount it on my Road King. But in spite of repetitious study of the instruction manual, I still managed to screw up the commands to videotape our ride through the Pig Trail's Twisties! :-[ Thus, the next time I got a picture of anything was when we stopped at the end of the Pig Trail at...You guessed it: Pig Trail Harley-Davidson! :D
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We looked back at our bikes, and liked the "pose" under the flags.
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Quote from: renchinrider on July 16, 2018, 08:55:39 PM
The photo above lends itself well to introductions. Aside from me, each of the other men in the photo is a bona-fide 1%er. That is, each has served in the U.S. Army as a Command Sergeant Major (E9). Of all the soldiers that enlist in the Army, only 1% ever earn promotion to its highest enlisted rank. Each of these men has successfully done so. Starting from the left:
Shawn: Currently an Army Sergeant Major who was able to take leave and join us for the trip. He rode a 2004 Fat Boy.
Buddy: Retired Army Command Sergeant Major, and veteran of Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm, and Operation Iraqi Freedom. He rode a 2013 Harley Road Glide.
Yours truly: Retired Army Lieutenant Colonel, riding my trusty 2002 Road King.
Jake: Retired Army Command Sergeant Major, and Veteran of both Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom (Afghanistan). Jake was our trip planner, ride leader, lodging coordinator, butcher, baker and candlestick maker. He led us aboard his 2013 Harley Street Glide.
So those 1%ers let you ride along with them. How did you manage that?
BTW, thank you and your friends for your service!
Thanks, Klaviator, and thanks to you as well!
I think the key to my inclusion is the fact that Jake's wife and mine are very good friends. Otherwise, I can't imagine any reason three Sergeants Major would want an ol' Lieutenant Colonel crashing their party! :D
But, on that note: I have to say it was fun to just listen to them banter back and forth each evening...I find myself constantly learning from those with extraordinary leadership skills, and these three guys have 'em!
After a couple of the guys took advantage of an unbelievable sale on H-D watches, we got back on the road, and headed north on I-49 until we reached US Highway 160 at Joplin, MO. We turned west, and headed for Kansas. It wasn't long before the vegetation began to thin from heavily forested land to more sparsely-treed plains. One of our gas stops was near Moline, KS, enroute to I-35 in Wichita.
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There's an interesting allure to Kansas...In the summertime :). But in wintertime (and even in spring and fall), the winds can truly howl across the plains! We all shared stories of riding our motorcycles practically sideways trying to counter crosswinds at one time or another!
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We left the gas station and rode on into Wichita. But traffic was heavy, and the heat was sweltering! So we stopped at a Dairy Queen and took advantage of the ice cream and air conditioning until traffic calmed. Then we went back out and rolled on to our Day 2 destination: Hutchinson, KS.
Hutchinson is perhaps best known for its stockyard/railroad history, but, being a huge Andy Griffith fan, I know Hutchinson best because it is the birthplace of Andy's on-screen girlfriend, Helen Crump (Aneta Corsaut).
I can't find any pictures of Hutchinson in my flickr file, so I'll pause and backtrack for a moment:
At our first night's gathering in Arkansas, Buddy gave each of us a drinking glass embossed with the insignia of the 1st Infantry Division--the one unit in which all of us had served at one time or another. After the glasses were charged, Jake gave each of us a trip memento--a bullion silver dollar!
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1ID. Custer Hill. What a place. Did my time there at Ft Riley, 79-81. I was thankful that I worked on Marshall Airfield. Glad to see You guys are having fun, reliving old times.
We all slept well in Hutchinson--the heat of the day riding from Arkansas had drained all of us. The next morning, we had an early breakfast, and got an early start...Destination: Trinidad, CO.
Our first stop along the way was at this memorial, located on the eastern outskirts of Dodge City, at the boundary of Fort Dodge.
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Another interesting note about Dodge City is that, following the Lewis and Clark expedition, scientists had determined that the earth's 100th meridian, on which Dodge City lies, was the westernmost point in the U.S. at which there was sufficient rainfall to support agriculture. Since then, much of western Kansas has been made arable through irrigation, but I can't help but wonder if the scientists of yore were onto something...Especially considering that the Arkansas River in Dodge City is only a dry riverbed (and 4-wheeler track) ???
Quote from: Frank Smith on July 17, 2018, 09:52:16 PM
1ID. Custer Hill. What a place. Did my time there at Ft Riley, 79-81. I was thankful that I worked on Marshall Airfield. Glad to see You guys are having fun, reliving old times.
Frank, later in this story I'll have a photo of Marshall Airfield! And a few photos of Ft Riley, too. I did some training at Camp Funston back in 1987. Now Camp Funston is nothing but a memory, and has been replaced with a housing community, PX and Commissary!
Thanks for your service as well!
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After Dodge City, we traveled west on U.S. Highway 50. In Jamie Jensen's book, "Road Trip USA", U.S. Highway 50 is chronicled as "The Loneliest Road." The stretch of U.S. 50 that we traveled follows the legendary Santa Fe Trail (Mountain Route), which ran from Kansas city to Santa Fe. We made a gas stop in Kinsley.
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It's relatively easy to navigate in central and western Kansas. One need only scan the horizon for the next grain elevator! :D Indeed, it is easy to spot these massive concrete structures miles in the distance, and then watch them grow larger and larger until you reach them.
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Other Kansas navigation aids include clumps of trees, which indicate the presence of a house (homeowners plant trees on the north sides of their yards to shield their homes from the winter winds), and large groves of trees, which indicate the existence of a town.
Enjoying this report, man. Good job!
It got sunny and hot as the day progressed and we crossed the more arid side of Kansas. Finally, Jake saw a spot of "shade" :Dand signaled for all of us to follow.
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Necessity is truly the mother of invention!
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We made one last gas stop and grabbed a quick lunch at the Kansas/Colorado border...
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And then headed west. There is almost no traffic at all on U.S. Highway 160 in eastern Colorado, so Jake took a moment to snap a pic of all of us as seen in his mirror.
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We continued on for another hour or so, until we reached Kim, Colorado and stopped to refuel.
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The owners/proprietors were super-nice people, and made all their guests feel like family.
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After several more hours trekking across semi-desert, we reached Trinidad, Colorado--our overnight stopping place. Our hotel is situated right on the side of I-25, and provides a great view of the Rockies in the distance to the west.
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That evening, Jake captured this really cool picture of our bikes' silhouettes in the sunset.
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Afterward, I had the pleasure of listening to these guys share warstories and observations on life...Always a treat!
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The next morning, we grabbed breakfast in Trinidad...
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And then headed out. The first part of our route was I-25 north toward Pueblo...
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...until we reached Walsenburg, where U.S. Highway 160 heads west again. Walsenburg was quaint, and seemed to reflect an earlier time.
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We continued west, and soon began to climb toward higher elevations.
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Thank God for the jackets Jake had included on our packing lists!
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The trip across Colorado on U.S. Highway 160 was breathtaking. There is so much to see in Colorado that one would have to make multiple passes on each road just to take it all in!
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We made a stop in Alamosa, Colorado.
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Until we arrived there, I had no idea that the Rio Grande river actually exists so far north! :o
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After refueling, we continued west, stopping at this rest stop along the highway.
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After taking these pics, we continued west, and entered the San Juan National Forest
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At the time of our visit, Colorado had been fighting wildfires, and all of San Juan National Forest was completely closed because of the risk of fire. Undeterred, we pressed on westward, until we reached the Great Divide!
[url=https://flic.kr/p/28XgkBr](https://farm1.staticflickr.com/837/43288589851_67741e812c_k.jpg) (https://www.flickr.com/photos/147814917@N06/) (https://flic.kr/p/28XgkBr)
After taking pictures, we resumed travel--this time descending t.he mountains, and soon shedding our jackets (https://www.flickr.com/photos/147814917@N06/)
A few more pics from our descent out of the San Juan National Forest. No need to narrate for now...
(https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1801/43239363862_7538b4c0ef_k.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/28SV3ru). (https://flic.kr/p/28SV3ru)
[url=https://flic.kr/p/27zq5Kt](https://farm1.staticflickr.com/842/42384976185_b9bb28f195_k.jpg) (https://www.flickr.com/photos/147814917@N06/). (https://flic.kr/p/27zq5Kt)
[url=https://flic.kr/p/KijTHp](https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1824/28419407437_82ace03379_k.jpg) (https://www.flickr.com/photos/147814917@N06/). (https://flic.kr/p/KijTHp) (https://www.flickr.com/photos/147814917@N06/)
A couple more hours riding west, and we reached Durango, Colorado. Both Durango H-D and Serious Texas BBQ were adjacent to each other, right on U.S. 160. It was time to stretch our legs and get lunch!
(https://farm1.staticflickr.com/845/42570353504_652716d64b_k.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/27RNbY9) (https://flic.kr/p/27RNbY9)
[url=https://flic.kr/p/27zoM9t](https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1822/42384721855_7972d826be_b.jpg) (https://www.flickr.com/photos/147814917@N06/) (https://flic.kr/p/27zoM9t)
[url=https://flic.kr/p/27zoMPM](https://farm1.staticflickr.com/913/42384724135_e5f4f92b3b_b.jpg) (https://www.flickr.com/photos/147814917@N06/) (https://flic.kr/p/27zoMPM)
I guess it's from all those old westerns I enjoy watching, but place names like "Durango" sound mystically exciting, and I almost expect some cowboys and outlaws to step out into the street at any moment. However, at lunch, we met a different group--The Hangmen, who are a MC club that appears to be mainly concentrated on the west coast. The club was having its national gathering in Durango at the same time as our visit. The two members that came and talked to us at lunch had come down from Fairbanks, Alaska! ??? Later, the club's vice president came over and chatted with Jake for a while before we each headed out to our respective ride destinations.
[url=https://flic.kr/p/KiitWZ](https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1822/28419132377_103ae3f0df_h.jpg) (https://www.flickr.com/photos/147814917@N06/) (https://flic.kr/p/KiitWZ) (https://www.flickr.com/photos/147814917@N06/)
We resumed our trek to Four Corners, making one last gas stop in Cortez. It was amazing that, seemingly at the city limits sign, the topography westward from Cortez changed from semi-arid with some grass, a few trees and even a few alfalfa fields to barren desert! Perhaps the founders of Cortez discovered the place to be an oasis, and that's how it wound up situated at such a notable location.
Anyway, the ride from Cortez to Four Corners wasn't much more than an hour. At last, we had made it!
(https://farm1.staticflickr.com/920/42570336904_6e2ddeebac_b.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/27RN72W) (https://flic.kr/p/27RN72W)
I learned as we rode that the Colorado side of Four Corners area is territory of the Ute Indian Nation, and most of the surrounding area (Arizona and New Mexico--not sure about Utah) is territory of the Navajo Indian Nation. The Four Corners monument is actually administered by the Indian Nations. As the picture above shows, the monumental point is surrounded on all four sides by booths in which native American people sell souvenirs. I couldn't help wondering if each side of the square was dedicated to use by the Indian Nation represented in that state.
Anyway, we paid our entry and headed in straightaway to get some pictures and have a look around (it was getting late in the day when we arrived). We waited our turn in line...
[url=https://flic.kr/p/28STKgu](https://farm1.staticflickr.com/838/43239110982_33818d38db_b.jpg) (https://www.flickr.com/photos/147814917@N06/) (https://flic.kr/p/28STKgu)
...And then shot a few pics for ourselves
[url=https://flic.kr/p/28STJkS](https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1801/43239107872_fdce0c2243_b.jpg) (https://www.flickr.com/photos/147814917@N06/) (https://flic.kr/p/28STJkS)
[url=https://flic.kr/p/27RN9ns](https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1763/42570344764_c63444ec2c_k.jpg) (https://www.flickr.com/photos/147814917@N06/) (https://flic.kr/p/27RN9ns)
There is a 3-photo limit for each visitor to the photo site, so we took another turn in line, and then snapped this commemorative photo containing our silver dollars:
[url=https://flic.kr/p/LPCJbq](https://farm1.staticflickr.com/926/29418739028_881b3099ff_b.jpg) (https://www.flickr.com/photos/147814917@N06/) (https://flic.kr/p/LPCJbq)
And then I hurried to this lady's booth before she closed, to buy a souvenir for my wife ;)!
[url=https://flic.kr/p/KiizkV](https://farm1.staticflickr.com/921/28419150527_1a0877f7b4_b.jpg) (https://www.flickr.com/photos/147814917@N06/) (https://flic.kr/p/KiizkV)
With all that done, we needed to be on our way to our overnight destination in Farmington, NM. Jake couldn't get a signal on his GPS, so he, Buddy and Shawn whipped out the map. (Notice they did NOT invite the lieutenant (colonel) to help with the map reading! :D)
[url=https://flic.kr/p/27RN4Mf](https://farm1.staticflickr.com/926/42570329324_37c790b489_b.jpg) (https://www.flickr.com/photos/147814917@N06/) (https://flic.kr/p/27RN4Mf)
(https://www.flickr.com/photos/147814917@N06/)
I'm gonna take this (rare) opportunity to continue on with this ride report, and share some of the rest of the story:
My buddies found the optimal route to our overnight lodging. Interestingly, it took us to the Teec Nos Pos, where we met the terminus of U.S. Highway 64. We turned left, and headed east until we reached Farmington, NM. We were beat by the time we got there, so we grabbed dinner and then didn't hang out too long before getting a sound night's sleep.
The next morning, it was time for me to separate from the others. They would ride on to El Paso where they were participating in a special event at Fort Bliss. I backtracked across Colorado and much of Kansas, enroute to a family reunion in Davis City, IA. Jake took this pic of me as I got ready to depart Farmington.
(https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1787/41479044930_6c0a2fa41e_k.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/26cmWX5) (https://flic.kr/p/26cmWX5)
I took a shortcut to Durango, then backtracked across Colorado on U.S. Highway 160. I then took a different route due east through La Junta, CO and toward Garden City, KS. It was at La Junta that I re-joined the historic Santa Fe trail, this time traveling east. Another item of interest at La Junta: Just eight miles east is historic Bent's Fort, named for its founder, William Bent. According to "Road Trip USA", author Jamie Jensen says that, "From 1833, when it was built by the fur traders William and Charles Bent, until 1848 when war with Mexico and increasing unrest among the local Arapahoe, Apache and Cheyenne tribes put an end to their business, Bent's Fort was the Southwest's most important outpost of white civilization, and a stopping place for travelers, trappers and explorers[.]"
I didn't have time to stop and visit the Fort, but at least I knew what I was missing when I passed the sign pointing toward the fort. I had to press on and stay on schedule. I rode on to Hays, where I stopped for the night.
[url=https://flic.kr/p/28SUSSQ](https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1805/43239331692_964b39c003_k.jpg) (https://www.flickr.com/photos/147814917@N06/) (https://flic.kr/p/28SUSSQ) (https://www.flickr.com/photos/147814917@N06/)
Next morning, I was up, out and rolling. I was eager to get to Junction City, where I would get to ride around Fort Riley a little, and then have lunch with an old friend and mentor.
I gassed up and headed straight to Junction City via I-70. My buddy Jake is a retired Army Aviator, so I took the interstate exit that leads directly to Marshal Army Airfield. Of course, I had to stop and take a picture, which I texted to Jake straightaway.
(https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1824/28419447917_0cd6d8372a_b.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/Kik6Kk) (https://flic.kr/p/Kik6Kk)
Then I traversed Fort Riley and stopped to take a picture of the house we lived in when I was assigned there, and from which I retired from the Army. The house was built in 1890, and was, at some point, divided into a duplex. We occupied the half of the house on the left side, and just that half alone was over 3,000 square feet! ???
[url=https://flic.kr/p/27RPzpE](https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1802/42570624104_de4cee766d_k.jpg) (https://www.flickr.com/photos/147814917@N06/) (https://flic.kr/p/27RPzpE)
There is a great deal of history on Fort Riley: Most poignant right now is that it's the home of the 1st Infantry Division--The "Big Red One". The First Infantry Division was the U.S.'s first expeditionary force, deployed to France in 1917. The Division earned its fame quickly, beginning with its first direct engagement with the Germans at Cantigny. All of these events are being celebrated this year, on the 100th anniversary of the conclusion of World War I. (https://www.flickr.com/photos/147814917@N06/)
But I was on a schedule, so I departed Fort Riley, and rode across town to City Cycles. There, I met up with my old friend and mentor, Dean. Dean is the service manager at City Cycles. I'm not joking when I say that Dean has forgotten more about Harleys than I'll ever know.
(https://farm1.staticflickr.com/833/42570628064_08cdde82ed_b.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/27RPAzW) (https://flic.kr/p/27RPAzW)
The interesting thing is that Dean's not really a Harley guy, per se. He's raced motocross bikes for years, and has competed twice in the International Pikes Peak Hill Climb. He spent several years training a boy who is now a competitive motocross racer himself. Dean's even been known to ride one of his dirt bikes through the snow in wintertime to get to/from work! :o
I took this picture with Dean in front of his custom-built Kawasaki before we headed off to have lunch together.
[url=https://flic.kr/p/27RPzvm](https://farm1.staticflickr.com/916/42570624434_89b598d88e_b.jpg) (https://www.flickr.com/photos/147814917@N06/) (https://flic.kr/p/27RPzvm) (https://www.flickr.com/photos/147814917@N06/)
After lunch, I headed out of Junction City enroute to Lamoni, IA. I rode steadily until I reached St. Joseph, MO. There, I pulled into St. Joseph Harley Davidson to browse around and stretch my legs. To my surprise, I discovered that St Joe H-D has a "swap" room, where the dealership and customers offer excess items for sale. I dove right in, wishing for a moment I had my truck with me :P!
But alas, I had less than 1/2 a saddlebag, so I settled for a "new" rear brake rotor for my Road King. Time to get back on the road!
(https://farm1.staticflickr.com/833/43288905871_ee76f74864_h.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/28XhXy4) (https://flic.kr/p/28XhXy4) (https://www.flickr.com/photos/147814917@N06/)
In just a couple of hours, I was settled in my motel room in Lamoni. Whew! I had made it in time for the next day's family reunion!
The next morning, I rode around the local area for a while, and stumbled into a farmers market. There, I was able to buy some homemade muffins filled with local berries which I could share at the reunion. Soon after, I was on my way to the reunion. I didn't realize how beautiful this area of Iowa is, so I stopped and took this picture.
(https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1777/43005445251_c9bc81af3c_k.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/28wf9zZ). (https://flic.kr/p/28wf9zZ)
Then I rode the three additional miles to Davis City and the family reunion. I arrived at the reunion only having ever met one of the attendees before. But those attending are related to my Dad, who was actually born just a few miles from Davis City, so I entered the reunion looking to meet as many of the others as possible. I was really glad I did!
I can't help it: I have to share this one picture of my delightful great-aunt who, at 94 years old, still heads up all of the coordination for the family reunion, still lives independently on her farm, and drives wherever she wishes. What a symbol of strength!
[url=https://flic.kr/p/28wsqBV](https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1806/43007840531_4763b8682c_b.jpg) (https://www.flickr.com/photos/147814917@N06/) (https://flic.kr/p/28wsqBV) (https://www.flickr.com/photos/147814917@N06/)
After the reunion, I took a ride around the local area, then got to bed early. The next day, I was going to do an Iron Butt Saddle Sore 1000 from Lamoni back to Huntsville.
At 6 am I was at the adjacent convenience store getting my Iron Butt paperwork signed and taking my first odometer photo...
(https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1874/43551616225_de30e1c897_k.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/29mvqbV) (https://flic.kr/p/29mvqbV)
[url=https://flic.kr/p/27Z1N8Y](https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1874/42652028630_c0e6f68685_b.jpg) (https://www.flickr.com/photos/147814917@N06/) (https://flic.kr/p/27Z1N8Y)
And, at 1 am the next morning, I reached my destination in Huntsville, and took my "finish" odometer photo...I made it! ;D
[url=https://flic.kr/p/2aJSnqZ](https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1893/44461023981_77e5f0965e_k.jpg) (https://www.flickr.com/photos/147814917@N06/) (https://flic.kr/p/2aJSnqZ)
(https://www.flickr.com/photos/147814917@N06/)
The next day, I texted Jake and confirmed that he, Shawn and Buddy all completed their Iron Butt qualification from Midland, TX to Enterprise, AL. Everyone was safe and sound.
This definitely rates as one of the most enjoyable rides I have ever done, mostly because of the great friends and family I spent my time with throughout the trip.
Can't wait to do the next one!