Up and on the bikes at 6am New Mexico time. We have some miles to make today. It's a beautiful morning, and the wind is fairly light. It is cool, but we know as soon as the sun gets up it will warm up quickly. Our first stop is Tucumcari and we grab a quick breakfast and take a layer of clothing off. I left my sweat shirt on, which I will live to regret in a short while.
We are making wonderful time, and the wind is actually to our backs, so the ride is great. The sweat shirt that I left on, is beginning to get too warm, so I do my Houdini trick and take it off while we are going 75 mph, and put my mesh jacket back on. Oh, that is so much better.
Not sure where it happened but as we got closer to Amarillo the wind switched. It was coming out of the south now. We zip right on through Amarillo and notice the wind speed is going steadily up. By the time we reach Shamrock, Texas, it is blowing over 25 mph with who knows how big of gust. We stop the the Texas Stop Sign (DQ) and grab some quick lunch and set sails to home.
We fight the wind the rest of the way home. I can only say that I think our guys that manage these bikes (with us on back whipping around) are just darn good riders. I would probably just pull over and say to heck with it. It is hot until we hit Oklahoma....the closer we get to home, the cooler the temperature. Wish I could say the same for the wind, but it kept blowing...
Our final stop is in Hinton, Oklahoma to fill the bikes and give our final hugs to our awesome group of riders. We have traveled a good amount of miles with each other over 5 full days of riding, and I can only speak for myself, have enjoyed them all. I hope the other riders have enjoyed it as well.
My husband has outdone himself with all his planning. We made a few u-turns along the way, but can say we didn't find ourselves on any dirt roads. :) Great planning Chuck and I really do appreciate you driving me all over these United States and seeing the beautiful roads we travel.
It is a little after 4pm when we got home. The weather I spoke about is already starting to build out west. Glad we were able get past it before it hit.
We logged 2084 non drama motorcycle miles, thanks to our Goldwing "Snow"
Thanks to all who participated :)
Monday, May 27, 2013
Sunday, May 26, 2013
Tex-New-Rado 5-26-13 Day 5
Las Vegas New Mexico
We have a nice breakfast at the motel this morning. We talk to our new found friends from Abilene, and they say they are going to Red River today as well. Looks like we may see them on the road.
Diana found out as we were checking out, the management had changed about a week ago. Have to say they were very nice rooms, and the staff seemed wonderful as well.
Our friends from Abilene Texas pull out a few minutes before we do this morning. Little did we know that we would pass them as they made a gas stop on down the road. We make a gas stop and as we are finishing up I see them coming. Then we pass them again at the New Mexico sign. Such a nice bunch of people. Made our ride a little more interesting.
We make it to Red River from the west side at 10:20am. I know this only because the photographer was there and you have to remember your time to see your picture. Chuck has planned for us to ride through town and go to the east end where they take the pictures and get our yearly shot of the snow capped mountain in the background. Mission accomplished and back into town we park and check out the vendors. .
As we are shopping and walking we run into our Abilene people again. They also comment about seeing us today. By the time we have walked around and bought a few things, we keep running into groups of the Texans. They have had a bit of retail therapy as well. We will be heading on to Las Vegas New Mexico, and our Texas friends will be going to Santa Rosa, so this is the last time we will see them.
Allen "pooped" today!!! |
Lunch at the regular place and then we hit the picture vendor to get our pictures. I think we are all happy with how they turned out. Time to finish up and get on the road to make it to Las Vegas...that's New Mexico, not Nevada...
It is a fairly warm and windy day, but hey, we have sun!!! We get to Las Vegas, NM around 3:30 or 4. Chuck has us staying at the Plaza Hotel in the old area of Las Vegas. Actually got very good parking right in front of the hotel. That was the easy part, the next few minutes are the hard ones.
We have problems as soon as we try to get our rooms. The girl at the desk informs us she has no reservations for any of us. WHAT!!!!! Doreen has her printed reservations, Diana and Chuck have theirs on their phones. The girl at the desk (her name was Precious) says she has had a glitch in the system and hasn't gotten any of the reservations from Hotel.com, but if we could give her 20 minutes she could get this worked out. No problem....we walk into the bar that is in the hotel. Doreen and Allen order a beer, and I am thinking about something as well.....The lady ask for our ID...ID.....Really!!!! Don't we look OLD enough!!!! Man, she wasn't budging either. My ID is on the bike and I am not going to go get it. I order a Coke instead....Diana says forget it...so we sit and wait 20 minutes.
Times ups, so we all go back in and check on the room status. The information STILL hasn't come in, but Precious assures us she will get us rooms. She get Doreen & Allen fixed up...then Diana & Chris...It's now our turn, and guess what....we will have to go down to the second floor....well no, wait...if we are willing to wait till housekeeping changes the sheets we can have room 329. That's fine..we will unload our stuff and put in Diana & Chris's room as it is 330. Waiting....waiting....and then Chuck goes down to talk to Precious. Up he comes, with a key for room 324. Great we have a room...a very large room...with peoples stuff in it....Oh no.....Get out of the room, there are still people occupying the room. My turn...Diana & I walk down to tell Precious. She apologizes all over herself, and gives us keys to room 333. I am almost scared to even open the door. Well, I am here to tell you...WE HAVE A ROOM!!!! No ones stuff in this one. Now it is ours!!! Thanks to Precious!
After all the mess, we are going to eat at the Hotel's restaurant. It isn't a very large restaurant. As we are seated, it looks like there is only one waitress for the whole place. She is apologizing all over the place and assures us she will take our order. Chris says he thinks our service is going to be bad tonight. But wait...we have another waitress show up....She takes our drink order and Diana & I are going to try a Mexican Margarita. Until she comes back and tells us they are out of the stuff to make it. We overhear her talking to another couple and they are out of pasta as well...Man, I don't think these people planned for the Memorial Weekend at all. Was really surprised that we didn't have to show our ID to even get a drink, but we didn't. We get our food about the same time as we got the drinks we ordered. I thought the enchiladas were good.
Dinner is over, and we are on a mission to find some ice cream. We walk down a couple of blocks and back to the hotel without finding any ice cream. Seems like everyone is closed. Not a drop of ice cream to be found. Oh well, we probably didn't need it anyway :(
Chuck & Chris clean the windshields on the bikes, and Doreen & Allen call it a night. We sit outside on a step in front of the bikes and watch the guys spit shine the bikes. Nice evening, even thought I was beginning to wonder if we were going to be spending it sleeping on the bike :))
We hit the hay a little early as we are getting up bright and early to head back to Oklahoma. We are going to be hitting some heat in Amarillo, and there are chances of storms popping up in Oklahoma in the late afternoon, so we would like to be ahead of them.
Goodnight from the Plaza Hotel...Room 333 over and out!
Saturday, May 25, 2013
Tex-New-Rado 5-25-13 Day 4
Breakfast was as good as the room. We had eggs, but they weren't from the chickens we saw last night. We are riding to Monte Vista, Colorado today, as we have reservations at the Movie Manor for this evening.
Our ride today with take us over the Red Mountain Pass and the Million Dollar Highway. Chuck and I have ridden this stretch of the highway several times. Diana & Chris has been with us as well. We have ridden it in the rain, and even got some snow. Looks like today will be a picture perfect ride for us.
We had a perfect ride on Hwy 550, and make our usual stop in Silverton. We had noticed a couple of signs along the way through Ouray saying to expect some delays. As we get off the bike a motorcycle highway patron was talking with some people, and Chris and he started talking. Come to find out, there is going to be a very looonnnggg delay.
There is a bicycle ride today from Durango to Silverton and they have completely closed that side of the highway down until they are finished with it. It will be around 1pm when it re-opens and we are informed that he will be leading the pack of cars and bikes over the mountain at a 30 mile per hour pace. He suggested if we didn't want to wait that we go back to Ridgeway and go around the mountain towards Telluride.
Group discussion and decision was pretty much a no brainer. We are going to go to "plan B". This plan will add a few extra miles (roughly 200 miles) to the ride but at least we aren't sitting idol for 3 hours.
Back on the bike, the line of cars are already starting to form. Think we have made a good decision. I can't imagine how many cars and motorcycles will be in that line to go through the pass.
We make a pit stop at Ridgeway, and the ladies at the gas station were saying how they just didn't understand how a bike ride could close down a highway for that long. It is the only highway over the mountain.
We make a stop in the little town of Deloris, Colorado for lunch. It is a little Pizza & Sub shop. We sit outside and the river runs right behind the newly outdoor deck they have built. We even saw a girl in a canoe come by as well as a couple of large rafts. Very nice relaxing lunch. Diana & I had salads, and they were really good.
Glad we stopped for lunch in Deloris, as it would have been a lot busier in Durango. We are stopping at the Harley shop in Durango as Allen wants to get a new filter for his bike. The dealership isn't very busy when we pulled up, but by the time we leave, there are quite a few bikes there. Allen changes his filter and we are off again.
Our next breath taking ride was over Wolf Creek Pass. It was a surprise for us. Wasn't aware that we would be going over another pass. Don't know why this comes as a surprise to us, as we ARE in the mountains....LOL Chuck & I are talking with Diana & Chris as we ride the area. Chris informs us that he thinks there is a song about this pass. Oh no, is he going to sing it!!!! Yep, I think he is...Diana Googles the information as to how high the pass is. There are no signs to tell us. Google says it is 10,857 feet. What a delightful ride!
We make it to the Best Western Movie Manor around 5:30 pm I think. This place is in the town Monte Vista, Colorado. Chuck had found this on the Internet and sounded really cool. The rooms at the motel face the drive-in theatre, and you can watch the movie from your own room, in bed if you choose. What an interesting idea. The rooms were sold out by the time Allen & Doreen got their reservation, so we will just have everyone in our room tonight to watch Iron Man 3.
As we park and get unloaded, another group of bikes have pulled in. They are very friendly folks. The are from Abiline, Texas. They were here for the weekend and riding the area as well. There is a restaurant in front of the motel and we are going to eat there this evening. No, it isn't Mediterranean food....just down home cooking. Promise!!!!
We place our order and we are talking about the Wolf Creek Pass and Allen starts singing the Wolf Creek Pass song. Chris chimed in as well. Allen found it on his phone and we got to hear it first hand. Cracked me up!!! Our food was good this evening, and the entertainment from Allen & Chris were unforgettable. :) As we get up to pay, the group of people we had talked to earlier were up in line to pay. We all make a lot of small talk and head back to the rooms so we can go to the concession stand and get our pop corn before the movie starts. It is supposed to start somewhere around 8:15-8:45.
Back in the room the movie starts. We all came up with some great ideas for the motel. They should have an area for the people that stay the night to sit outside if they want. I guess we could have driven the bike out to a speaker and sat outside, but it was a bit cool. The rooms have stereo systems piped into the rooms and the sound was quite good. Would love to say that we all watched the complete movie, but Doreen was the first party pooper. We were all very tired from our ride today. Everyone went to their appropriate room and sacked out. Guess we are all party poopers. :) Chuck & I finished watching the movie in bed, but I have to say, the full moon sure messed with the screen. The moon was like a bright light bulb hanging over the screen. Made the movie really hard to see. Chuck says if we ever come back, we need to make sure there isn't a full moon. LOL
The whole idea of a drive in movie that you can watch in your very own motel room is so great. I hope if you are ever even somewhat near the area you can stop and cross this one off your bucket list. I didn't realize it was on mine, but I am so glad that our travel director (Chuck) found this. It was really a cool place to visit.
Time to get some shut eye....our "easy" not many miles day turned into a lot more of a ride than we expected. That's OK, we enjoyed every 409 miles we rode. :)
Our ride today with take us over the Red Mountain Pass and the Million Dollar Highway. Chuck and I have ridden this stretch of the highway several times. Diana & Chris has been with us as well. We have ridden it in the rain, and even got some snow. Looks like today will be a picture perfect ride for us.
We had a perfect ride on Hwy 550, and make our usual stop in Silverton. We had noticed a couple of signs along the way through Ouray saying to expect some delays. As we get off the bike a motorcycle highway patron was talking with some people, and Chris and he started talking. Come to find out, there is going to be a very looonnnggg delay.
There is a bicycle ride today from Durango to Silverton and they have completely closed that side of the highway down until they are finished with it. It will be around 1pm when it re-opens and we are informed that he will be leading the pack of cars and bikes over the mountain at a 30 mile per hour pace. He suggested if we didn't want to wait that we go back to Ridgeway and go around the mountain towards Telluride.
Group discussion and decision was pretty much a no brainer. We are going to go to "plan B". This plan will add a few extra miles (roughly 200 miles) to the ride but at least we aren't sitting idol for 3 hours.
Back on the bike, the line of cars are already starting to form. Think we have made a good decision. I can't imagine how many cars and motorcycles will be in that line to go through the pass.
We make a pit stop at Ridgeway, and the ladies at the gas station were saying how they just didn't understand how a bike ride could close down a highway for that long. It is the only highway over the mountain.
We make a stop in the little town of Deloris, Colorado for lunch. It is a little Pizza & Sub shop. We sit outside and the river runs right behind the newly outdoor deck they have built. We even saw a girl in a canoe come by as well as a couple of large rafts. Very nice relaxing lunch. Diana & I had salads, and they were really good.
Glad we stopped for lunch in Deloris, as it would have been a lot busier in Durango. We are stopping at the Harley shop in Durango as Allen wants to get a new filter for his bike. The dealership isn't very busy when we pulled up, but by the time we leave, there are quite a few bikes there. Allen changes his filter and we are off again.
Our next breath taking ride was over Wolf Creek Pass. It was a surprise for us. Wasn't aware that we would be going over another pass. Don't know why this comes as a surprise to us, as we ARE in the mountains....LOL Chuck & I are talking with Diana & Chris as we ride the area. Chris informs us that he thinks there is a song about this pass. Oh no, is he going to sing it!!!! Yep, I think he is...Diana Googles the information as to how high the pass is. There are no signs to tell us. Google says it is 10,857 feet. What a delightful ride!
We make it to the Best Western Movie Manor around 5:30 pm I think. This place is in the town Monte Vista, Colorado. Chuck had found this on the Internet and sounded really cool. The rooms at the motel face the drive-in theatre, and you can watch the movie from your own room, in bed if you choose. What an interesting idea. The rooms were sold out by the time Allen & Doreen got their reservation, so we will just have everyone in our room tonight to watch Iron Man 3.
As we park and get unloaded, another group of bikes have pulled in. They are very friendly folks. The are from Abiline, Texas. They were here for the weekend and riding the area as well. There is a restaurant in front of the motel and we are going to eat there this evening. No, it isn't Mediterranean food....just down home cooking. Promise!!!!
We place our order and we are talking about the Wolf Creek Pass and Allen starts singing the Wolf Creek Pass song. Chris chimed in as well. Allen found it on his phone and we got to hear it first hand. Cracked me up!!! Our food was good this evening, and the entertainment from Allen & Chris were unforgettable. :) As we get up to pay, the group of people we had talked to earlier were up in line to pay. We all make a lot of small talk and head back to the rooms so we can go to the concession stand and get our pop corn before the movie starts. It is supposed to start somewhere around 8:15-8:45.
Back in the room the movie starts. We all came up with some great ideas for the motel. They should have an area for the people that stay the night to sit outside if they want. I guess we could have driven the bike out to a speaker and sat outside, but it was a bit cool. The rooms have stereo systems piped into the rooms and the sound was quite good. Would love to say that we all watched the complete movie, but Doreen was the first party pooper. We were all very tired from our ride today. Everyone went to their appropriate room and sacked out. Guess we are all party poopers. :) Chuck & I finished watching the movie in bed, but I have to say, the full moon sure messed with the screen. The moon was like a bright light bulb hanging over the screen. Made the movie really hard to see. Chuck says if we ever come back, we need to make sure there isn't a full moon. LOL
The whole idea of a drive in movie that you can watch in your very own motel room is so great. I hope if you are ever even somewhat near the area you can stop and cross this one off your bucket list. I didn't realize it was on mine, but I am so glad that our travel director (Chuck) found this. It was really a cool place to visit.
Time to get some shut eye....our "easy" not many miles day turned into a lot more of a ride than we expected. That's OK, we enjoyed every 409 miles we rode. :)
Friday, May 24, 2013
Tex-New-Rado 5-24-13 Day 3
We are on the bikes around 8am, and it is 53 degrees as we head out.
Allen & Doreen |
Chris & Diana |
We are riding to Salida, to check out the Fallen Bikers Memorial Rally. We were here about 7 yrs ago. It was their first year they had it, and it was a really small rally. Will be interesting to see if it has grown any.
We ride the most beautiful winding road into Salida. The weather is really cooperating with us, and we pull over at a gas station and take off a few layers of jackets about 10:00am.
As we ride into Salida, we make a pit stop at the McDonald's. I have pulled up the address on my phone and using Google Maps I will attempt to direct Chuck to the Rally. Well, that didn't go very well. The directions I was giving him were right off my phone, and we weren't going anywhere very fast. I about had to walk at this point in the ride as Chuck orders me off the bike as I wasn't giving him "good" directions. :/ Come to find out, none of us and our GPS or phones could find the fairgrounds. I had remembered it was outside of town, and Chuck finally gets back on the main road, and sure enough, we find it. By this time I had found that the rally wasn't going to open until 2pm, so we had a few hours to kill.
We go back to the main part of town, and find a place to park the bikes. We walk past several places, and Diana says she thought she saw something interesting on one of the streets. We walked into the Laughing Ladies Restaurant. They asked if we wanted to sit inside or out. Of course we opted for outside. Was a really neat little place.
Their walls had sculptures from a local artist that I was totally in love with. It was just some old bed springs,and they had made all these black birds and they were sitting in the center of the bed springs.
They were pretty proud of them as well by the price they were marked, but I really did like them.
We ate our lunch, and it was really good. Very fresh. We got our bills, and the guys noticed there was an additional tax on them. It was an "open air tax".....I guess in Colorado you pay extra to eat outside. Who knew!!!
We are the first bikes there and we pay our $10 per bike to get into the rally. Yep, we have about 5 bikes in the parking lot, and three of them are ours. The vendors finally open and we walk in....OH MY GOSH....there was a total of 6 vendors in this building....I only thought it was small 7 yrs. ago. This is terrible!!! Overheard the guy at one of the booths say that they are trying to build it up again. Makes me wonder if it has ever been very much.
As we exit the building there are now about 6 or 7 bikes in the parking lot. I guess you get the idea.
We leave and head towards our destination of Montrose for evening. We ride through Gunnison, and then we head over the Monarch Pass.
My chauffeur :) |
Snow is still on some of the mountain, and it was really a pretty ride. The temperature was quite cool up there.
Chris & Diana |
Great place to take that perfect picture. I wasn't able to find out the temperature as my app wouldn't work, but you get the idea. There is still snow up there!!!
Allen & Doreen |
The motel was easy to find. We had stopped at the Honda store in Montrose for a pit stop, and find out the motel is only a half mile away. The nicest guy at the desk took care of us. He was a real delight to talk to. It was one of those, no effort to check in moments. Love when that happens.
He suggest we eat at the Red Barn....so the Red Barn it is!
As we drive up, Chuck & I realize we have eaten here before. The lady that waited on us was so nice. We told her that the guy at the motel suggested we eat here. She tells us that he had been a cook for them back a few years ago. Guess that is why he knows how good their food is.
Cheers! |
Returning back to the motel, we just can't bring ourselves into going inside. We make ourselves a little bar on the back of Chris's bike, and we have a cocktail or two. It's Friday night in the big town of Montrose.
As we are sitting talking, the man that owns the motel is out by his wooden building that he has on the back of the property. He is sweeping the concrete, and then all of a sudden there are chickens everywhere. He has a nice bunch of chickens. He is feeding them. Diana & I walk over and talk with him. I had spotted this really cute white chicken, and he tells me in his broken English Czech dialect that it is a Chinese chicken. Now hey, I know about Rhode Island Reds, and bantams, but never have I heard of a Chinese chicken. He tells us that the meat is black....OK, I will just have to believe him, as I don't really want to know about this!!! I am not one that would want to eat my chickens, just look at them and eat their eggs!!! I enjoyed talking with him and hearing how he ended up in Montrose Colorado. He said he had lived in Chicago before moving here.
We sit and talk a bit more, and there is a Pizza store next to the motel, and I guess we must have been having too much fun, as one of the employees walks over. Says he thought we had a small dog with us. Nope, no dog...just some buttery nipples and margaritas and fireballs for this group. I think he really was just being nosey...thought we might offer him a drink.
As the sun starts setting the mosquitoes decide they want to come out and bother us, so we pack up our mini bar and head back to our rooms. Goodnight world.
Thursday, May 23, 2013
Tex-New-Rado 5-23-13 Day 2
Amarillo To Garden Of The Gods, Colorado
As we start out this morning it is sunny and in the 60s? We are supposed
to run into a cold front so I go ahead and wear my inner lining in my coat. As
we settle in to a nice ride the wind is out of the south and pushing on our left
side. About 20 miles down the road we hit the cold front. One moment the wind is
out of the south and the next it rolls around the front of the bike and it is
out of the north. With the change of wind comes the cooler air. I am so glad I
had on my heavier coat. We pass into New Mexico and we stop and top off with gas
and everyone else adds a layer to their jackets.
We pull out and Lupi our crazy little GPS decided to have an attitude and directs us to go west for 4 miles. Chuck follows her directions. At 4 miles there was no road! We continue west and find a road to head north. We make a pit stop in the little town of Roy, New Mexico. Interesting that the lady at the restaurant we stopped at tells us that they are going to have gas available on Sunday very soon. WHAT!!!! A town that has no gas on Sunday, out in the middle of nowhere. Yes, that is right....but because they are going to put in new pay at the pump pumps, they are now stepping into the 21st Century. She even says that most of the locals keep an extra 5 gallon container for the people that get stranded there on Sunday.
Our next stop in Raton NM and we have lunch at K-Bob's.
Gassed and ready to get into Colorado.
Nothing exciting as we make our way to Colorado
Springs. We stop at Outpost Harley Davidson and did a little retail therapy. Chuck and I
came out empty handed. No, can that be??
On to the Gardens of the Gods. Doreen grew up in this area of the world so this is a bit of a homecoming for her. She says things have really changed. Really commercialized.
Next stop is the La Quinta in Colorado Springs. The rooms are nice even though we are not grouped together, and on the 3rd floor. Thank goodness they had an elevator :) The only reason I say this is because we are not pulling the trailer so the bike has to be unloaded every night, and hey the altitude does make a difference :)
There is a restaurant in the front of the hotel so instead of getting back
on the bike I suggest we walk there and eat. Note to self. Remember to see what
kind of food the place serves before you enter establishment! We are not that
much of an experimental group. We don't have Lynn with us! Come to find out Doreen likes to try different food as well.
First clue is the sign that they will have belly dancers here on Friday night. Yep. Mediterranean
food! OK we can do this. Or maybe not. As we all searched the menu for
something that sounded half way normal I was wondering what I had gotten us
into. I know for a fact we are struggling to find something to eat, and it looks like I need to take this bull by the horn and fix it. As the sweet waitress comes back to see if we would like to order, I explain to her, that I think we are going to have to just go ahead and leave. She seems to understand....probably thinking, damn bikers....LOL...Allen pulls out a $5 and leaves on the table for us drinking their water. Felt really bad about doing this, but I think it really is the best thing to do. Hope I didn't totally embarrass everyone. :/
OK, we are free. The Capsian Cafe is just not for our palates tonight....now, lets really find something to eat. You aren't going to believe it, but there is a Carl's Jr. on the side of the motel. You guessed it, we vote to eat there. One of the best $6 burgers I have had in quite a while. The lady was very nice that took our order. Told her a little of the story about the restaurant, and she said she had lived here for over 25 yrs. and had never tried it. Wow, I guess some people really never get out of their boxes.
Our bellies are full and we sit and talked for a couple of hours at the Carl's Jr.
Time to get some sleep and get ready to head out in the morning. More places to see :)
OK, we are free. The Capsian Cafe is just not for our palates tonight....now, lets really find something to eat. You aren't going to believe it, but there is a Carl's Jr. on the side of the motel. You guessed it, we vote to eat there. One of the best $6 burgers I have had in quite a while. The lady was very nice that took our order. Told her a little of the story about the restaurant, and she said she had lived here for over 25 yrs. and had never tried it. Wow, I guess some people really never get out of their boxes.
Our bellies are full and we sit and talked for a couple of hours at the Carl's Jr.
Time to get some sleep and get ready to head out in the morning. More places to see :)
Wednesday, May 22, 2013
Tex-New-Rado 5-22-13 Day 1
Amarillo
We head out at 3pm to start on the first leg of our trip to the Red River Rally in New Mexico and on into Colorado. There
is sadness in the air as our friends in Oklahoma are cleaning up from the
terrible outbreak of tornadoes. As we leave the death toll is at 21 in Moore. 10
children. Such a sad day. So thankful that the death total has actually gone down. The reports earlier in the week were that 51 had died. Our hearts go out to the people that have lost their loved ones and their properties.
The sun is shining and it is in the 80's as we head out. The farther west we go the hotter it is getting. By the time we get to Amarillo it is in the 90's.
Doreen & Allen took a different route and started out earlier than us, so we are meeting them at the motel. Our plans were to eat at our ole favorite Blue Sky, but as we drive into the motel, there is an interesting BBQ place that looks like it has our names all over it. There is even outdoor seating.
We get the bikes unloaded and walk over to the restaurant. It is called Joe Daddy's. The waitress takes very good care of us, and gets us a few cocktails as our food is being prepared.
As we are sitting there, this couple are on the outside of the restaurant, and she is trying to take a pic of her husband. Chuck comments to them that we can take their pic if she wants. I volunteer to do just that. As I come around to take the pic, we find their accents are not from around here. They are from England, and are touring around the USA. Such very nice people.
Really enjoyed talking with them. Their names were Helen & John and they have just been married 2 weeks. John was so kind he took a pic of our group as well. I could have sat and talked with them for a long time. Just a very nice couple.
Really enjoyed talking with them. Their names were Helen & John and they have just been married 2 weeks. John was so kind he took a pic of our group as well. I could have sat and talked with them for a long time. Just a very nice couple.
We finish up and just about close the place down. We walk back to the motel, and say our good nights. Tomorrow we ride to Colorado.
Saturday, May 18, 2013
Let's ride to Wichita Falls Texas day :) 5-18-13
So we heard that the GWRRA Texas District Conference was in Wichita Falls, Texas this weekend, so we thought we might as well go and see what a district conference looked like. We have been to many of the HOG State Rally's, and since we have slipped over to the "other side" we might as well see what we have been missing...There just might be some "FUN" there...LOL ...if you ride a Goldwing you know about that word..."FUN"
We leave the house with our amigos at 9:30am. Beautiful day, and already warm, and going to get a lot warmer. There are chances of tornado's for the next 3 days, so we are going to stay "weather aware" :) It is in the 70's as we head out. The humidity level is very high. So muggy...Just the right mix for some weather to break out.
I have no idea what the copper domes are in the Geronimo area, but you could really see them well from the highway. I thought I better take a picture of them and maybe I can do some research on it and find out what they are. As you can see, the temperature is rising!!! It wasn't hard to find out what they are, and here is a link so you can read about them as well Geronimo Copper Domes
The wind is really howling from the south, and we buck it all the way to Burkburnett, Texas. That is our first stop. We are having lunch at The Feedlot. Chuck and I have eaten there several times, but I don't think Diana & Chris had ever been there. I for one was really glad to get the bottomless glass of Iced Tea. It was really good! The food was as good as it ever is. Nice to sit and cool off a bit.
We get to the Conference around 1:30. We didn't even have to pay to go into the vendors as it was after 12:00 and they don't charge. That was pretty nice! One of the ladies we met a few weeks ago from the Shawnee Chapter was there with her husband, and she was very nice and showed us where to check out what is going on in the building. She leads us to the vendors :)
There is just a handful of vendors, and we were able to actually find some stuff that we thought we needed....Imagine that!!! Diana was trying on some shoes, and I look through and see Chuck looking at these jackets. Oh my, not another jacket....so we walk over to see what he and Chris are so interested in. It's an Olympia jacket. It is mesh, rain jacket, and then a heavier jacket all wrapped into one. I just was not interested in ANOTHER jacket, but I did try it on. I loved the way it fit, and you know, this would really be a space saver for those trips when you don't know what coat to take with you. So guess what...we bought em...Yep....we did.....and so did Diana & Chris!!!! I think the vendor was glad to see the four of us come in :)
There was another vendor that had a really nice bike cover. Chuck decided he needed one of those as well. The guy took one of his covers out to see if it was going to work with our windshield, as it is not the stock shield. Glad he did, as it was not going to work. He is making one to fit the F4 plus 4 windshield that we have. The company is new, and just getting into the Wing World. Sounds like us, doesn't it...LOL
So, lets see...we got new jackets....we got a new motorcycle cover....Looks like it was a pretty good day for us.
Time to get ready to head back towards home as the weather is starting to pop a bit. Pop meaning that the storms are starting to show on the radar. The temperature in Wichita Falls is 90 something...I really think it was 99, but hated to admit it....I took a pic and used the Insta Weather app to prove it....and it was a correct reading.
We put our new jackets on, and head back north. We get some "cheaper" gas in Burkburnett, before we get back in Oklahoma. Believe me, it was cheaper. We paid $3.69 for medium grade. At home that grade is over $4.00. Something is wrong with this picture. The news even said that Oklahoma is one of the highest priced states right now. Crazy!
We are back in Mustang, OK. by about 5:00 and we might as well get a bite to eat before we head in. Mexican food at Los Vaqueros was just perfect! It wasn't even busy. That is pretty unusual but we are here earlier than usual too!
We make it home around 6:30, and I think it was just about perfect. The weather that the weathermen had been promising actually showed up. We had a big ole rain hit the house. The wind was terrible.
That was just good planning on our part....you see, we did stay "Weather Aware" today!
Great day even though it got hot really fast. We had expected it, so wasn't a surprise or anything, but sure wish we could have more Spring type temperatures. Thanks to Diana & Chris for riding down there with us. Always good times, and laughs with them. They are really some great friends. "FUN"
Next week we will be heading to New Mexico and Colorado, and I know we are all going to take our new jackets on the ride, so I am sure I will be telling you if we love em or hate em. I bet we give them a thumbs up!!!!
It was a 305 mile trip for us today. Snow is such a good bike! I know, I know.....I have converted...yes I have. Great touring bike without all the "drama" :)
We leave the house with our amigos at 9:30am. Beautiful day, and already warm, and going to get a lot warmer. There are chances of tornado's for the next 3 days, so we are going to stay "weather aware" :) It is in the 70's as we head out. The humidity level is very high. So muggy...Just the right mix for some weather to break out.
I have no idea what the copper domes are in the Geronimo area, but you could really see them well from the highway. I thought I better take a picture of them and maybe I can do some research on it and find out what they are. As you can see, the temperature is rising!!! It wasn't hard to find out what they are, and here is a link so you can read about them as well Geronimo Copper Domes
The wind is really howling from the south, and we buck it all the way to Burkburnett, Texas. That is our first stop. We are having lunch at The Feedlot. Chuck and I have eaten there several times, but I don't think Diana & Chris had ever been there. I for one was really glad to get the bottomless glass of Iced Tea. It was really good! The food was as good as it ever is. Nice to sit and cool off a bit.
We get to the Conference around 1:30. We didn't even have to pay to go into the vendors as it was after 12:00 and they don't charge. That was pretty nice! One of the ladies we met a few weeks ago from the Shawnee Chapter was there with her husband, and she was very nice and showed us where to check out what is going on in the building. She leads us to the vendors :)
There is just a handful of vendors, and we were able to actually find some stuff that we thought we needed....Imagine that!!! Diana was trying on some shoes, and I look through and see Chuck looking at these jackets. Oh my, not another jacket....so we walk over to see what he and Chris are so interested in. It's an Olympia jacket. It is mesh, rain jacket, and then a heavier jacket all wrapped into one. I just was not interested in ANOTHER jacket, but I did try it on. I loved the way it fit, and you know, this would really be a space saver for those trips when you don't know what coat to take with you. So guess what...we bought em...Yep....we did.....and so did Diana & Chris!!!! I think the vendor was glad to see the four of us come in :)
There was another vendor that had a really nice bike cover. Chuck decided he needed one of those as well. The guy took one of his covers out to see if it was going to work with our windshield, as it is not the stock shield. Glad he did, as it was not going to work. He is making one to fit the F4 plus 4 windshield that we have. The company is new, and just getting into the Wing World. Sounds like us, doesn't it...LOL
So, lets see...we got new jackets....we got a new motorcycle cover....Looks like it was a pretty good day for us.
Time to get ready to head back towards home as the weather is starting to pop a bit. Pop meaning that the storms are starting to show on the radar. The temperature in Wichita Falls is 90 something...I really think it was 99, but hated to admit it....I took a pic and used the Insta Weather app to prove it....and it was a correct reading.
We put our new jackets on, and head back north. We get some "cheaper" gas in Burkburnett, before we get back in Oklahoma. Believe me, it was cheaper. We paid $3.69 for medium grade. At home that grade is over $4.00. Something is wrong with this picture. The news even said that Oklahoma is one of the highest priced states right now. Crazy!
We are back in Mustang, OK. by about 5:00 and we might as well get a bite to eat before we head in. Mexican food at Los Vaqueros was just perfect! It wasn't even busy. That is pretty unusual but we are here earlier than usual too!
We make it home around 6:30, and I think it was just about perfect. The weather that the weathermen had been promising actually showed up. We had a big ole rain hit the house. The wind was terrible.
That was just good planning on our part....you see, we did stay "Weather Aware" today!
Great day even though it got hot really fast. We had expected it, so wasn't a surprise or anything, but sure wish we could have more Spring type temperatures. Thanks to Diana & Chris for riding down there with us. Always good times, and laughs with them. They are really some great friends. "FUN"
Next week we will be heading to New Mexico and Colorado, and I know we are all going to take our new jackets on the ride, so I am sure I will be telling you if we love em or hate em. I bet we give them a thumbs up!!!!
It was a 305 mile trip for us today. Snow is such a good bike! I know, I know.....I have converted...yes I have. Great touring bike without all the "drama" :)
Friday, May 10, 2013
FNDR 5-10-13 Gilmore's Pub, El Reno
I have to say we had a lot of people show up for this ride. We had 14 tonight. Lynn & Keith came from Duncan, and Carla & Larry showed up as well. Carla & Larry had been at the Harley shop in Moore so they didn't ride with Lynn & Keith.
Our new time of 7pm seems to be working out well. Haven't heard anyone complain. Sure gives us all a little more time to get around. We had a good show of bikes as well tonight. I was able to get a picture right before we left.
Grady's boast they have the "best steak in Oklahoma", and I have to say, they are really very good. Chuck had chicken like a good heart patient, and I saw that Norma got a burger....that was about all I saw...but I think steaks were had by most of us. They have the jalapeno buttons on the menu that are to die for. They are very hot, and very good. I could probably make a meal on them, but might regret it later. :)
We had a wonderful waitress, and come to find out, she was a hair dresser and had cut Diana's hair once upon a time. She took very good care of us. Their sloppy Tecates were yummy!!!
We were all starting to pay our tabs, and the cook came by and asked who had called earlier to warn them about our group. My name was thrown out, and he thanked me for letting him know. I thought that was very nice of him to thank us for coming. Gilmore's isn't anything swanky by any means, and if you don't mind the blue hue of the tarp that covers the "outdoor" area, you would love to eat one of their steaks!!! We will be back that is for sure.
Time to get back on the bikes and head back to our homes. Great evening with friends.
Our new time of 7pm seems to be working out well. Haven't heard anyone complain. Sure gives us all a little more time to get around. We had a good show of bikes as well tonight. I was able to get a picture right before we left.
Grady's boast they have the "best steak in Oklahoma", and I have to say, they are really very good. Chuck had chicken like a good heart patient, and I saw that Norma got a burger....that was about all I saw...but I think steaks were had by most of us. They have the jalapeno buttons on the menu that are to die for. They are very hot, and very good. I could probably make a meal on them, but might regret it later. :)
We had a wonderful waitress, and come to find out, she was a hair dresser and had cut Diana's hair once upon a time. She took very good care of us. Their sloppy Tecates were yummy!!!
We were all starting to pay our tabs, and the cook came by and asked who had called earlier to warn them about our group. My name was thrown out, and he thanked me for letting him know. I thought that was very nice of him to thank us for coming. Gilmore's isn't anything swanky by any means, and if you don't mind the blue hue of the tarp that covers the "outdoor" area, you would love to eat one of their steaks!!! We will be back that is for sure.
Time to get back on the bikes and head back to our homes. Great evening with friends.
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