For all of you visitors to previous years ride blogs - this is the same format with the same caveats. Format - haphazard, typos and spelling errors included for the readers enjoyment and entries as connectivity and energy level allows. And - it reads backwards. Each post is placed ahead of the others.
The blog is back due to popular demand and threats from my fellow workers. Originally I said - no blog this year, its too much work but my teammates promised that I would be absolved from all problems I left them with if (and only if) the blog was created. Sounds like blackmail to me....
This is actually the start of day 5 with a plan to go to Pike's Peak and it's already been quite the adventure.
Day 1, Wednesday 6/18, Home to Muncie Indiana
Chris and I met near Erie and rode (4 lane - slab, trucks, blah, blah, blah) to Muncie Indiana and the home of Adam & Missy and a wonderful meal of smoked ribs and cold beers. Paul and Peggy (from Canada - A) joined us after a bit - soaked to the skin and ready to get off the bike. They had ridden through a super cell and were thankful to be in one piece. The meal and company was excellent. Our sincere thanks to Adam and his family for their outstanding care and hospitality. Staying with friends is such a delightful experience as compared to a (sometimes not so sterile) cookie cutter hotel and road food.
Day 2, Thursday 6/19, Muncie to St Louis - el kruncho
We met Scott in Vandalia Illinois with plans to get to near Rolla before stopping for the night. Plans changed. Chris had problems getting his bike into 5th gear after a stop but that was only a hint of thing to come. During rush hour, at least 4 lanes of bumper to bumper traffic, in 94F heat, in St Louis, Chris's tranny locked.
We made to a place on the inside of a curve, under an overpass with about 4 feet between the guard rail and screaming trucks. Due to the curve, traffic could not even see us until they were right on top of us. Yikes! A picture would have told a thousand word, but in this case maybe its better. It was not a pretty spot.
We waited for the bike to cool and traffic to open up and Chris managed to limp the bike in 3rd gear to an exit away from downtown. Of course its actually a little deeper - about 1/4 mile from where Chris got restarted the interstate splits in multiple directions - we all got separated (including the chasers) due to different start times into the traffic flow and it took a little time and a few phone calls to get regrouped.
We found a (high rise, very fancy) Marriot close to where Chris was and the gods took mercy on us and there were a couple of rooms - even though the hotel booked full that night - makes you wonder. We looked like something the cat dragged in compared to the convention attendee's and all the business people in their suits. And we were probably too loud in the lounge - but we let off some stream and had a great evening (till sometime well after midnight ??).
Day 3, Friday 6/20, St Louis to Tulsa
Paul, Peggy and Scott headed for Lupe's in Tulsa and Chris secured a rental truck (from the hood in St. Louis). Lupe offered to lend Chris a bike (one of his many) so we loaded the truck and made our way to Tulsa. Lupe's wife and sister made us a fabulous traditional mexican meal - we pigged (oink oink). The showers and soft beds were oh so welcome.
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| L-R, Lore, Lupe, Neida, Tonita, Paul, Peggy, Chris, Scott |
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| This was not the plan. |
Day 4, Saturday, 6/21, Tulsa to Colorado Springs
We worked our way across Oklahoma, Kansas and Colorado. The land quickly changed from green to tans -
and the west. Common sights included 1000 acre grain fields, cattle, feedlots,
windmills, oil wells and finally the empty horizon of the lands just east of
the rockies.
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| Shades of the west |
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| Oklahoma Oil |
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| And windmills - often not that far apart |
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| Steak anyone? BTW - Phew! |
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| Subtle Beauty |
Around 6pm in Scott City Kansas the front brake failed on one of the
bikes. The bolt that holds the caliper
to the fork had backed out and fallen off.
Not much open at 6 pm on a Saturday nite in Scott City Kansas
(population 3817). We got lucky. An individual in a passing work truck stopped
and found a spare bolt that would fit the Triumph enough to work (english
standard thread - rare in the US) in a box of spare parts. By 7 pm we were back
on our way.
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| Is this a state job? |
We continued on to cover some of the least populated sections of the
country and into the super cells. We could see the black/green thunderheads,
curtains of rain and lightning – to either side of us. We didn’t escape
forever.
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| Not a chance we'll ride around the edge of this one. |
In the most desolate section of Colorado we crossed one of the bikes ran
out of gas about 5 miles short of the next gas station. So there we sat on a
Saturday night, in the dark, in the rain, in Sugar City, population 279. Not
much was going on. The first car that came by left us a gas can with
instructions to leave it by the garbage can when we were done, they would pick
up tomorrow. Probably not much theft in Sugar City. I’m guessing they have met
all their neighbors. The next (rather beat Chevy) truck was the secretary of
the town and his wife who proceeded to take the gas can, drive to the next town
and return with gas. He wouldn’t even accept a token of our appreciation. Love
them country folk.
After filling up we finished the miles to Colorado Springs arriving after
11 pm (1 am on my body clock). Long day.
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| The secretary of Sugar City & his wife - our heroes! |
