Southern Colorado - Take 5

Southern Colorado - Take 4

Southern Colorado - Take 3

Southern Colorado - Take 2

Southern Colorado

After the new engine was installed we decided to make a run for southern Colorado so we hit the road on August 29th to beat the hurricane heading north.  We had a great ride through Missouri  and west through Oklahoma and Texas.  Great stops in Shamrock and lunch at the Big Texan in Amarillo.  Spent a memorable night in Tucumcari, New Mexico where we stayed in a restored motor court on Rt. 66.   Albuquerque was our next stop with a ride on the tram to Sandia Peak and great views of the mountains.  We stopped in Madrid (Wild Hogs pilgrimage) on our way to Santa Fe and a great time walking through old town and a visit to the oldest house in the U.S.  A great ride to Chama and north into Colorado.

 We headed west to Durango for 2 nights.  Had a great ride on the Durango & Silverton narrow gauge railroad following by a trail ride by horseback into the foothills the morning we left Durango.  We rode the million dollar highway through Silverton to Montrose; then headed east.  Redwoods in Colorado?  Stop by the Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument 30 miles west of Colorado Springs.  During our stay in Colorado Springs we visited the Olympic Training Center and the U.S. Air Force Academy.  We also rode Pikes Peak at 14,115 ft. which was quite a ride on the motorcycle.  All in all we rode 3 mountain passed over 10,000 ft. before we headed east.           

As we rode east through southern Kansas we stopped by to see the ruts from the Santa Fe trail and visited Dodge City.  We stopped by Greensburg to see the deepest hand dug well and realized this was the town destroyed by a F-5 tornado in 2007.  The new museum is built above the well and is also a tribute to lives lost during the tornado and the rebuilding of the town.   The ride through the gypsum hills was the surprise of the trip - we thought we were in the southwest.  We also stopped by the Rainbow Bridge on Rt. 66 outside Baxter Springs.  As we pulled up we saw a busload of tourists waving.  They were British and Irish on a tour of Rt. 66.  One guy told us of going to the Isle of Mann race and riding the course on his bike after the race was complete.

 Had a great trip and made it home on September 11th after 14 days and 3600 miles.  Camped 4 nights, KOA cabins 3 nights, and motels the rest of the trip (3 of which were free with rewards.

A Scooter Will Do!

On Monday July 2nd I backed the bike out into the driveway to head off with the "Rolling Retirees" - no oil pressure!  After 124,600 miles my engine gave up.  I'm getting a rebuilt engine courtesy of the H-D extended service plan - yea!  I've been without a bike for nearly 6 weeks.  Jerri and I went to Bermuda and rented scooters so at least we had 6 days of 2 wheel fun.  I hope to have the bike back by next week.

Kentucky State HOG Rally - Lexington

Without a doubt the 2012 Kentucky State Rally, June 7th to the 9th in Lexington was one of the best; great location, great rides, and loads of fun.  There were so many choices  that you couldn’t fit everything in.

Jerri and I went on guided rides to the Red River Gorge, and two horse farms.  On Saturday morning over 120 bikes were led by the Lexington Police Department Motorcycle Unit to Keeneland for pictures in front of a starting gate.

As usual we participated in the bike games on Saturday.  Jerri also rode “Crazy Ed”, a rider from Dallas, Texas we met at the Texas State Rally and won the ball drop.  We also placed second in the Waiter Game, a game they never played before.

We’re looking forward to next years rally in London, Kentucky.

2012 Texas State HOG Rally

Our love affair with Texas continued as we headed to Fort Worth for the 2012 Texas State HOG rally May 3rd through the 5th. 

We left Bowling Green on Saturday with a stop for some Throwed Rolls in Sikeston with a nice ride through southern Missouri and 2 nights at a restored ’30 era motel in Springfield on Route 66.  Eastern Oklahoma provided more scenic rides through the Native American Reservations and a stop in McAlester (home of the prison rodeo).  I got my camping in thanks to the Cickasaw Nation (also free senior breakfast at the casino) and we only lost $6 on the slots.

We arrived in Fort Worth on Thursday and had lots of fun over the next three days.  The Stockyards were “way better” than I had thought and seeing the longhorns being herded down the streets brought thoughts of the old west.  Kirby and I did the bike games which had a western flair - six shooter, pony express, musket roll, and dynamite toss.   Fort Worth is a clean and safe city and worth a stop if you get a chance.  We also met with four couples we rode with in San Angelo.

Nice riding back to Bowling Green through northeastern Texas with a stop in Hot Springs, Arkansas; and a tour of the Hot Springs National Park.  Great ride on Monday through Arkansas and a stop in Mammoth Springs; and back to BG on Tuesday.  Met two riders on Urals, Russian bike, who were traveling with their dogs, one of which has traveled to 48 states on the bike.  We managed to avoid riding in rain the entire trip.

The Texas State Rally may become an annual event for us.

Little Switzerland, North Carolina

Jerri and I had a great trip with the Cave Country HOG Chapter to Little Switzerland, NC over the Memorial Day weekend.  We had over 31 bikes and over 40 members.  The riding was great!  We rode a portion of the Blue Ridge Parkway and made it to the top of Mt. Mitchell, the highest point east of the Mississippi River.  It was a fun weekend!

Florida Here We Come

Jerri and I trailered the bike to Jacksonville and rode to Key West. We had a great ride and a nice stay in Key West. We enjoyed our visit to the Everglades National Park. We saw so many gators we decided to have grilled gator and gator tacos at the Gator Grill outside the park. On the way back we stopped in Sebring and watched the Indy Cars practicing from our hotel balcony We spent a few days at Daytona Bike Week and had a nice ride back along the coast to Jacksonville.

End of 2011 and 2012 HOG Party

Jerri and I had a great year of riding in 2011. I won the 2011 mileage contest with over 24,600 miles and over 113,000 miles on the bike. We had a great time at the annual Cave Country HOG Annual Party. In fact, I won the trike riding contest with the fasted time. We're looking for great riding in 20123.