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It all started with pie...

M38A1

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Location
North of Weird
First Name
Scott
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This adventure all started out with pie. Banana Crème to be exact.

ETA: Generally, I'll be running to Fargo, ND, then over to Niagra Falls, NY then Montreal Canada and back down the East Coast picking up the Blueridge Parkway/Tail of the Dragon on the return leg. I hope to be back in Texas by July 15th at the latest.

Date: 06/27/2009
Destination: Tulsa (Owasso), OK
Miles: 662
States: Texas, Oklahoma

Of late, I’ve been looking at my map of where I’ve been and where I haven’t. About half the country was in the “haven’t “ bucket so I thought this would be the time to see if I could make progress on visiting all 50 states on my motorcycle. Having the money, but no time was a problem, but now I’ve got all the time and no money short of what I was paid on cash-out when the company I worked for closed shop and sent all their operations overseas to Switzerland.

So I started to think of fun places while mapping out a good route. Lots of suggestions came forward, but in the end, I had to get Fargo ND out of the way since it was the furthest North state from Texas.

I eagerly packed and went back and forth on hotels or camping therefore unpacking, then repacking. I wound up deciding I’d camp most of the trip just to see if this was really something I enjoyed or not. I’ve already learned I miss my big Touratech panniers. These little BMW city cases just don’t hold the goods like those big old beer coolers do.

I also decided I’d take my laptop. Yes. Laptop. Big, heavy, 15” screen and all. That presented a challenge of just how does one lug it around and keep it safe? Well, I looked at the Pelican cases and settled on one that seems to do the job. So in goes the laptop and wow, there’s still room for the little point and shoot camera, iPod if I’m not using it and all the miscellaneous chargers and adapters for the camera, phones, computer etc.

So here’s a pic of the mandarin pig all loaded and ready to go.
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This morning I rolled out of bed and was really looking forward to seeing all my friends with Two Wheeled Texans in Marble Falls at the Bluebonnet. As I pulled into the parking lot, Cindy (Sunkissed) greeted me with a big old smile and Rusty (Woodbutcher) with a big old handshake. I just knew today was going to be grand. We made our way inside to the lovely air-conditioning and ordered. I also had the opportunity to meet Slowpoke and Ed (HoopleEd).

After a good lunch and the banana crème pie...
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... the time had come to head North. Not a whole lot going on from Marble Falls up 281 to Jacksboro except for the worlds largest rocking chair. Go figure. I thought there were several of those floating around as I recall my niece sitting on one somewhere on the East coast.
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A quick stop in Mineral Wells out of curiosity over the towns name too.
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The run over to Denton was starting to warm up. Then heading North on 35 at Gainsville there was 6 miles of stop and go traffic. Clutch in – Clutch out. Clutch in – Clutch out. And it was hot. Clutch in – Clutch out. That finally cleared and a few thermometers read 110*F so I figured that was fairly accurate.

About Marietta, OK I stopped for fuel and a big old Gatorade with ice. Man did that hit the spot. I also noticed why my camelback Mule was empty. It wasn’t because I had sucked it dry, but rather pinched the line somehow. I was really thirsty the last couple hours, but thought it was empty. About six cups of ice cured that and I fixed the line routing and all was good.

Heading up to OKC the sunset was beautiful. I had given thought to stopping by the OKC memorial, but a low deck of clouds came in about that time and blew any good photo opportunities I may have had. So I headed over to Tulsa with the setting sun and a fairly big thunderstorm somewhere off in the distance brewing. I knew I’d beat whatever it was so that was no concern. I arrived at what we refer to as TMA or Too Many Acres. My uncles place North of Tulsa where I pulled the bike in at the hangar door, unloaded the bike and made my way to the aviation themed ‘apartment’ inside the hanger. I’m looking at a 1954 L-19 “Birddog” as I type just sitting there waiting on tomorrows events.

The "Hanger Hotel" for Saturday night.
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Stay tuned….. I'll post up where I have internet and time.
 
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Date: 06/28/2009
Destination: St. Louis, MO (actual Mound City, MO)
Miles: 323
States: Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri

Remember that thunderstorm I mentioned last night on approaching Tulsa? Well that turned into one monster storm about 3am to the North about 40 miles. I have not seen lightning like that in many many years. An absolutely incredible display of mother nature. Needless to say, I was safe in the hanger and little rain did in fact actually make it to where I was. Still, I didn’t sleep much with all the thunder.

About 7am I did wake up to a crisp blue morning. I ate with my uncle and cousin, then the ‘fun’ began. Today was the annual fly-in at his little airstrip known as Sandridge. On the last Saturday of June, anywhere between 50 and 100 planes of all types fly in to this little grass strip, park and they eat burgers my uncle and a few others cook. The event is just like a neighborhood block party, but it’s on an airstrip and folks with planes from other local strips come by.

The variety of aircraft was incredible. Everything from the very old Stearmans to a twin Beech was there. All day long they came and went, did high speed passes and took folks on 15 minute hops. Here’s a few of the cool ones.

The L-19
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About 3pm with my belly full the time had come to go load the bike and make some miles to my next destination – Kansas City, MO. With the bike packed I said my good-byes and headed North on Hwy 169 all the way up to I35 at Ottawa, KS. Along the way, I saw a huge Amazon dot com warehouse, then a bit further up the road, the town of Amazonian. Hmmmmm….. What’s up with that?

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I had originally intended on stopping in Kansas City, MO to pick up MO as a state but I just didn’t feel like stopping yet. The afternoon-evening was still quite nice and I knew tomorrow would be a lot of slab miles to get to my next destination so I just opted to keep going.

Moving into MO
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And typical scenery of the area
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I made my way to within 80 or so miles of Iowa and stopped at the bustling metropolis of Mound City, MO. After sweet-talking the gal at the counter, she gave me a discount or two and was also told I could park the bike right out front. That’s the first time I’ve ever done that and I’ll admit, the pig looks sort of cool parked there.

Tomorrow brings a lot of miles and a heading of North/NorthWest.
 
Suggestions:

In Kansas hit Scenic 7. It's beautiful. Who knew there were hills in Kansas???

In Nebraska after 7, Nebraska City has a VERY neat hotel to stay in. I can't remember the name right off hand but GOOGLE the town and you'll find the hotel. Big log cabin hotel. VERY nice.

In Nebraska you can get off the highway and ride the Loess Hills trail. Lots of stuff to see and nearly zero traffic.

Good luck to you. After those couple of areas to see it's flat grain fields and wind until you hit ND but it's what you make of it!
 
I missed your post like 2 minutes.

Looks like your itinerary is set. Have a safe trip!
 
sounds like a good trip so far.
Bring me a souvenir, oh and be safe :rider:
 
That polished aluminum plane came in to the Lancaster Airport while I was out there on Father's day. Sure is pretty. Have fun Scott and stay safe.
 
Date: 06/29/2009
Destination: Fargo, ND
Miles: 549
States: Missouri, Iowa, South Dakota, North Dakota

This morning the alarm came way too early for me. But I knew today and tomorrow would be the slab-o-rama for miles making the rest of the trip somewhat sane. The weather was perfect with low humidity, crystal blue skies and a balmy 77*F. I was actually chilled for a while in my mesh gear, shorts, t-shirt and cotton button-down work shirt. Oh well, the price you have to pay when you head North.

One thing I’ve noticed is the further North you go, the earlier the sun comes up and later it stays up. This became apparent today. Heck. Maybe it’s just the fact that you can see for miles without humidity in the air.

Leaving Missouri up the West side was still fairly scenic. Lots of rolling hills and farmland. That gave way as I ran up the Western side of Iowa up through Council Bluffs and up to Sioux City.

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I crossed over into South Dakota at Sioux City and ran up the Eastern side of the state.

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Gradually, the flat farmland gave way to the beginnings of some hills. Along the way, I couldn’t help but notice all the homes have basements or are split level dwellings. That got me thinking about how does one build a basement that’s like a swimming pool for all practical matters and not get water in it when it rains? I must have pondered that for a hundred miles without resolution.

I also noticed that just about every barn and silo was the same color. Is there a standard paint color-code for barns in the upper Midwest?

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I pulled in for lunch at a roadside rest area which had the most beautiful grass. Everything here is still GREEN as ever and the temperatures haven’t risen during the day. In fact, it’s actually less than when I started now.

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At yet another rest stop, the views are becoming more spectacular. The sky is the bluest blue. I haven’t had to drop the polarizing filter on yet and I also noticed the resizing is doing funny stuff with the pixels or I need to clean the lens.

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Yes, I yielded to the large quantity of bees making a home of this sign. A few of them liked the neon lime of the jacket, but they were no match for highway acceleration.

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After this rest stop, it was a quick but antsy 60 miles or so to Fargo.

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So I've arrived in Fargo, ND, eh...... ;-)

I'm off to find dinner and a camera store to get a lens cleaning kit and also find some gorillia glue. Seems my riding boot heel is deciding to seperate from the rest of the boot. That's OK. They've got 100k miles on them and I've got a new pair waiting on me upon my return. Oh, and the temperature? 69*F and sunny.

Tomorrow takes me East and back South...

.
 
I am thrilled to hear the weather is working with you on this trip. I check that SPOT thing at least a million times a day. Are you going to post more photos? Your words are great - makes me feel like I am almost there, photos would be icing on the cake. Stay safe.
 
Neat report and great pictures. Keep them coming. I understand about the money vs time thing. I have a great job now but the pay is not that great. Retired and SS. ;-)
 
I wake up every morning wishing my Company would severance me so I could get some riding in.
I told the wife that once I retire she'd better get use to the idea that I'm gonna take 5 weeks off and go for a ride SOMEWHERE!

Since I have to work a few more months at least, cause it doesn't look like the Company is gonna get ride of me yet because we are in our busy season, I guess I'll follow your ride and live a little longer with the Walter Mitty Complex your feeding me. ( Sorry for the paragraph sentence;-))

I like the Dakotas. Be my luck I''ll have to wait until Winter to retire.

Have a safe ride and if you ever need someone to come get you, let me know.
I need an excuse to get out.:mrgreen:

Curtis
 
Excellent report Scott (as always) for those of us who have to enjoy vicariously.
 
Date: 06/30/2009
Destination: Davenport, IA
Miles: 664
States: North Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Iowa

What a grand day. I had the alarm set for 6:30 and woke up at 6:00am to bright sunshine coming through a crack in the curtain. Figuring I had a long day I got up and packed my gear then stepped outside to a crisp 56*F and really low humidity. The sunshine was in full force and the sky that deep blue. For some reason, the air is just different here. It’s crisp. It’s clean. It’s, well….. different.

With the bike packed, I couldn’t help but notice a LOT of riders heading into work on their scoots. Virtually all of them in t-shirts. Yep. My Texas blood is thin compared to these guys and gals.

Heading out of Fargo East, the MN border wasn’t but a few miles away. The sunshine was bright and my liners were in on the jacket and pants as well as wearing a sweatshirt and my heated grips on high. The ride felt like a winter day in Austin.

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Minnesota is a lot like South Dakota and North Dakota on this side. Generally rolling hills and everything is so darn GREEN. There is also the sheer number of little lakes that are everywhere. No wonder they call it the land of 10,000 lakes.

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I also had the opportunity to see a few geese flying around and my fear is a bird strike with one of these monsters. I saw a few large deer hiding off in the woods as well. And there’s this really cool black bird with orange and yellow wings. When they fly, they really look nice, but they are like a bluejay – very protective of airspace and they didn’t like the fact that I walked over to them. I was buzzed a few times in the process.

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I generally headed East/Southeast to Minneapolis where I lost the sun for the day to low thin clouds, and swung by a little town called Edina where a good friend of the family lives. I tried to make contact with her for coffee, but no such luck so I continued SSE and on into Wisconsin.

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Wisconsin is much like all the others, except the smells seemed more pronounced. There’s something about the chilly air mixed with the fresh cut smell of hay and all these grain silos with some sort of sweet grain smell blowing about.

And corn. All this corn. I assume it’s all for agriculture use and according to the “Knee high by the fourth of July” mantra, it’s well on it’s way. That brings up another question. Just what goes in all the silos? Is that grain storage for the cattle that are probably in the barn next to it? Are these all dairy cows or meat cows? And there’s silos that look like just a fence panel exterior. What is their purpose? Old corn cobs? Too many questions remain unanswered.

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Along the way I decided to opt for a more scenic route bailing off the highway. I took a state road for the last 225 miles that reminded me of a FM road in Texas. Lots of turns and elevation changes along the way. That brought me to Fennimore WI and a narrow gauge train that was interesting.

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A little further off was the Iowa border, but I saw I could duck into Illinois for about three miles and then on into Dubuque. So that’s the new plan and it worked beautifully.

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Another hundred or so miles and I landed in Davenport, IA where I grew up. I haven’t been back for 33 years or so and just felt the need to go see what it looked like, the house I grew up in and so forth. After missing the street a few times I finally found it and met the owners.

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About an hour and a half later I finally left and headed over to the mother of the friend I missed in Edina. We spent a half hour catching up and then it was time to find a spot to spend the night.

Tomorrow brings the Windy City and more…
 
Yahoo!!! It sounds like the perfect trip and you are having the best time. I'm glad you were able to catch up with friends, the weather sounds out of this world fantastic and the sight seeing perfect. Thanks for the great posts and wonderful photos.
Safe travels.
 
Fantastic story-telling Scott, and your pics are as great as ever! Sure wish you'd bring some of that cooler air down here with you... :trust:
 
No fair, you got to visit with Ruthy! and Shiela! It sounds like you are having a fantastic time and the riding has been in good weather. What a blessing.
Stay on the top side of the bike, we miss you in Austin.
Love you - littlesis
 
Date: 07/01/2009
Destination: Toledo, OH
Miles: 459
States: Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio

This day started out really nice then went downhill from there. While in Davenport, I wanted to see a girl I had dated in High School as well as a good friend of the family my parents have known throughout the ages. I had called and didn’t get an answer, and as small as Davenport really is, I decided to swing by her place. But alas, nobody was home. Not to be outdone, I decided to see if I could remember where her parents lived. With a few misdirected turns, I eventually found the place and knocked on the door. As soon as I heard the voice, I knew I had the right place. I had a wonderful chat with her mom who called and she was in fact home. I left for her place and enjoyed a wonderful chat catching up on life. I’ve always had a fond spot for her and the memories are good.

Next up was a visit to yet another friend of the family. Through a few miscues on google maps, I eventually found her place and again caught up on thirty plus years. She remains in close contact with my sister, so she was up on much of the family happenings.

With the visits over, I had to make one pass through downtown and try to find one of my old schools. The exercise took me a few times, but I found it atop the hill just as I remembered.

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With my curiosity quenched for Davenport, the time was near to head East and get this road trip going again. All morning long, the temps were mid-60’s and a slight mist. However, off to the East the clouds were dark and the forecast was for rain. And the bridge over the Mississippi river was under construction that caused a 30 mile detour. Eventually, I made it onto I-80 and headed East.

Western Illinois is much like everything else you’ve seen up to this point. The same barns, same fields, same cows, same silos and so forth. The one item that struck me was the sheer volume of traffic. I had chosen the interstate to make miles since I didn’t get out of Davenport until noon and I had approximately 400 miles to go today. At one point I ducked down a country road. I sort of liked the way this looked.

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Further down this country road I decided to shoot a few more shots, and look what popped his/her little head out:

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I rode by an old iron bridge that I just had to backtrack to see what it was all about. Turns out the bridge is on a parkway headed in a different direction. Ah…. So little time, so many roads.

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And of course the obligatory bike picture.
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By the time I made to the Southern tip of Chicago-land, the skies were really threatening so I stopped to put on the rain suit. That was a smart move as when I crossed into Indiana the rain started and kept up throughout the rest of the day.

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I feel as though Indiana had a bait and switch tactic going on with the highways. There were signs for I-80 and I-90 as a toll road with “toll road” next to every I-90 sign. But when I got in I-80, it too was a toll road. I was under the impression that during the Eisenhower era the Interstate system was developed with federal dollars. I would hope these ‘owners’ don’t receive fed dollars for the upkeep of a road in which they now toll. The road however was quite nice even in the rain.

After clearing Indiana, Ohio was next with their toll road version of I-80.

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No big deal, but the rain was steady and didn’t let up until almost Toledo where the deck lifted and all that remained was a drizzle. A quick stop at Subway for dinner and a check of where a hotel was and I was off again. I forgot about the time zone change so the time was an hour later. I’ll have to adjust all the clocks for that one now. Argh……

Tomorrow brings Michigan and hopefully a border crossing…
 
Scott,

Seem like you're having a fine time - nice report

You going where I think you're going......

Be safe my friend
 
No fair, you got to visit with Ruthy! and Shiela! It sounds like you are having a fantastic time and the riding has been in good weather. What a blessing.
Stay on the top side of the bike, we miss you in Austin.
Love you - littlesis

I don't see an introduction for you, young lady, and all your posts are in this thread, so it sounds like you are very close to Scott. :eek2:

So, please introduce who you are and :welcome: to the forum and the wonderful world of TWT storytelling (see Soozy's date thread for another good travel story with lots of pictures).

glad to have you here! :thumb:

-edit- I forgot to comment on Scott's adventure: :thumb:
 
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