Another great read next time you are in NE Kansas send me a message mt wife and I can lead you some scenic riding in this area and treat you to some of the best BBQ around which just happens to be smoked in my own backyard.

 

Thanks Zeus! I get a kick out of that Independence Pass sign pic for that reason - everyone has one! Lol. But, goes to show, it's a worthwhile destination.

Thanks! We would like that. I've traveled through some great parts of Kansas, as well as Oklahoma, Texas, Nebraska, and Iowa. Anytime you get off the interstates and turnpikes you open the door for much more scenic viewing - if you know where to go.

 

Epilogue -



The bridge that leaves Nebraska and enters Missouri signaled the end of the ride. No. We weren't anywhere near home. But, we decided to get off the endless 2 lane that took us through Kansas and Nebraska and get on the endless 4 lane that would be our express conduit home. As you know, we like to avoid the interstates if possible. But (and this is my most often used phrase for interstates), they are a necessary evil. They are convenient, as well as expeditious, but rarely scenic. However, we had our full of small towns and cornfields for the day, and at some point a person throws in the towel and says "It's time to go home." So we celebrated that decision with a meal at McDonalds just off I-29. This McDonalds, seemingly in the middle of nowhere, save for being on the interstate, was remarkable only in that it was well staffed with pierced, tattooed, 20 somethings who looked like they would be far more at home on Milwaukee's lower east side than here in God's country. Not surprisingly, they had a less than enthusiastic demeanor. Nothing new here....move along....move along.

Looking at the map to see where we needed to go, I, of course, retraced where we had been. Towns like Alma, Red Cloud, Fairbury were not much bigger in person than the dots that represented them on the map. The road to (or from depending on which direction you're going) Alma is a black line through a blue shaped blob (lake). I had purposely routed us that way figuring it would be a bit of a scenic highlight.

Here it is -



To say the lake was a bit low is an understatement. As we rolled into Alma, I had hoped there would be a nice lakeside restaurant to grab a bite to eat. Problem was, the dockside was about 1/2 a mile from the nearest water. I've never seen anything like it. It appeared that the town had dried up with the lake. I can't tell you exactly what it was, but it just seemed that Alma was drawing in it's last, labored breathes. We didn't stop and I felt a little guilty about that. We like to spend some of our tourist dollars in small towns along the route. We know that it's hard to make a living out in the middle of nowhere, and most times, the locals are appreciative and friendly. But, we continued on, hoping for a town that didn't remind me of a scene from the Walking Dead. I do want to say that we didn't give Alma a chance. Maybe we missed something great.

Red Cloud. No premium gas. A Subway attached to a gas station. Not much else. Founded in 1872, it appeared that little had changed except for the red bricks used as pavers for the streets. We filled up with the inferior liquid and moved along, hungry.

Fairbury. It was a black dot on the Garmin. Nothing else that we could see. Funny how you can ride right through a town and never see a town when you're in the middle of nowhere.



So, after those, and many more like them, we had our fill of off-interstate travel.

Once on the interstate we had plenty of company. Cars, trucks, and bikes. We like riding past other two wheeled travelers and exchanging waves. Travelers of the 18 wheeled variety, not as much. Not that we've encountered many rude truck drivers. On the contrary, truck drivers seem to "get it" for the most part. But, you know how it is. Car/Pick-up drivers are a mixed bag. Some we pass by as the blithely cruise along in the right lane. Others cut us off, tailgate, pace, or otherwise make a general nuisance of themselves.

On the interstate, the ride becomes a series of unremarkable long stretches where the highlight of the ride is the reserve light coming on signalling a fuel stop. Little things become big things. Like rider comfort. When you're carving through the mountains, rider comfort isn't even a factor. You have more on your mind. But on the interstate, it's at the forefront. As mentioned, we borrowed a set of Airhawk seat cushions from Rich, our friend back home. The Airhawk works very well. Per Rich's advice, we change it up at each fuel stop. We'll ride on nothing but the Mustang Supertouring seat, which is a big improvement over stock, but not perfect. Then we'll try the Beadrider mats - basically a motorcycle version of the beaded car seat covers in 100% of NY taxis. They work very well and allow for air circulation. Then we'll change up to the Airhawk. Of the 3 scenarios, the Airhawk is the most comfortable ride. Other things make a ride more pleasurable. Big windshields, highway pegs, Ipod, and cup holders add up to make for as luxurious a ride as one can expect on a motorcycle. But, those things didn't keep me from thinking that maybe those who haul to a destination on a trailer have it right. Once you've traversed the US on interstates, is there really a need to do it again? How much more so when you've done it many times? But, for now, our goal is to hit 49 states with the bike. He have yet to ride Mississippi, Louisiana, North Dakota, Washington, and most of the New England states. We already have a plan in the works to polish off all but North Dakota and Washington next summer. Hawaii will be done some day, but on a rental bike.

The sun sets low in the sky behind us, reflecting off the mirror like trailer doors on some big rigs. We'll need to pull off soon. Des Moines is 45 minutes ahead and we have 25 minutes of light. It will be a short ride in the dark. Deer are a concern.

The rest of the trip is pretty much like that. Interstate and gas stops. We did cut through Anamosa Iowa and pay another visit to the National Motorcycle Museum, which is a must see. And before that, we had a very good lunch at Scooters. I believe the guy who owns JP's, the National Museum, among other things in the area, owns Scooters. As expected, here were a lot of bikes in the lot. Ours was filthy and loaded to the hilt. It looked out of place among the gleaming day-trippers next to it. I admired the sparkling clean bikes while taking off my helmet. A really nice blue metallic Street Glide with lots of chrome goodies basked in the sun next to ours. It looked like new, but for all we knew, had many adventures under it's belt like ours. I know not to judge a book by it's cover. My bike looks like new when I spend the time to clean it up. But now, it looked like a well worn traveler. Maybe the guy with the Street Glide cast the same appreciative eye over my bike when he left, knowing that all the bugs and grime spoke untold volumes about where it had been.

After Anamosa it was a familiar, 4 hour ride home. Around Madison WI we noticed that I had left the dual heat controller somewhere in our wake. The last few miles were spent shivering in the 45 degree September air-stream. Welcome to Wisconsin.

 

Loved reading about your trip. Some day me and the pretty wife will take an extended trip.keep safe.

 

Great trip.....may you have many more!

 

It was a great read, at least breaking up the beginning part of winter here. Thanks!

 

wow what a road trip, great reading.

 

Outstanding write up and pics. Loved it. Hate the ride is over.

 

fully enjoyed reading and looking at the pics--thanks so much

 

I try to do the 2 lanes and the scenic route when possible. Like you, when I'm ready to get home i hit the interstate and crack the throttle.

However, i don't do McDonalds...


** edit** thanks for the epilogue...