Summer Ride Black Hills

Greetings!  Several months have passed since the last trip report.  That doesn’t mean we stopped riding!  Brad got a few more trips in this season.  He toured the Black Hills in South Dakota and got some local rides in the Utah area.  Brad noted that the Crazy Horse Monument is still underway.  It is a great site for those who have not seen it.  Mt. Rushmore can fit in Crazy Horse’s ear!  Here are a couple pics from his ride.  Ignore the dates on the camera…he didn’t know how to set the time.

The towns around the Sturgis area are really nice to visit during the off bike week riding season.  There is less traffic and just as much fun to be had!

2010 Short Trip Summary

Hello, Brad and I went on a short trip last week because I am moving to Japan soon. I almost did not go but I am thankful that I did. Here is a short version of our trip:

We met in Springfield Missouri then rode south through Branson, Missouri and into Arkansas. Nice curvy country roads in Arkansas. We stayed at a hotel built in 1929 which was pretty neat. Another guest told us it was haunted. Then we rode further south and stopped in Shreveport, Louisiana. We avoided the thunderstorms and tornadoes by riding west into Texas. Gave a fellow biker and retired Marine some gas money to go back to Wyoming because he lost his wallet. Then we stopped to get my oil changed at the Harley Davidson of North Texas.

We left Texas and stayed at the famous Sooner Legends Inn at Norman, Oklahoma. We arrived one day after the tornado leveled a Loves gas station in Norman. We were lucky the hotel was still there. They serve the most tender steaks that I've ever tasted in the Sooner Legends Restaurant.  If you are ever passing by you should get a steak.

When we left Norman, Oklahoma we stopped at Alefs Harley Davidson in Wichita, Kansas so Brad can get his oil changed. Yeah, we should have got the oil in both bikes changed at the same time...we'll it gave us a

chance to watch the weather channel so we could plan our route to avoid the tornadoes! Alefs had a nice customer lounge with the Weather Channel on the t.v.

We continued north on highway 81/135. We got close to McPherson, Kansas when I got a flat tire! Luckily there was a bridge overpass near so we could get out of the rain and hail. A little detail of a TORNADO crossing the highway about six miles ahead of us should be mentioned!

Luckily I got that flat tire!!

The HOG number for towing proved to work pretty well. I had the bike towed to a hotel in Salina, Kansas where luckily they were having 1/2 price hot wings at the hotel restaurant and bar. The folks at the Harley Davidson of Salina was kind enough to pick me and the bike up from the hotel and change my rear tire.

Brad continued north to Nebraska and turned west to go home. I waited for the tire to be repaired and headed north just across the Nebraska state line and turned east and took the small roads home.

I'll update the details of the ride soon!