There is a distinct possibility that I won't be able to make this ride. It seems that some malefactor couldn't avoid screwing up his life and is now hell bent on screwing up mine. YEP, jury duty.
Our weekly summit meeting was a resounding success and we can all feel confident that the world will continue to spin for at least the next 7 days. Additionally we were able to agree on a time and place from which to launch our assault on Scandia. Zero hour is at 11:00 from the Iron Skillet.
TIME....................1:00
Here it is.............. T.A.G.'s Grill & Bar
319 Cloud St
Scandia, Kansas 66966
(785) 335-2020
Facebook Page............https://www.facebook.com/TAGs-Grill-Bar ... 1/?fref=ts
Web Page.............
Map site.............https://tinyurl.com/y95zj3gt
Wow! What a day! Things started with Leo knowing what day it was and starting to wind up early. But I had already decided to take Fritz on this ride. I tried to explain it to Leo but I'm not sure he understood. Note to dog owners. The longer you have a dog, the harder it gets to distinguish between what they understand and what they don't. I started to get ready and prep the bike for Fritz. As the excitement level rises, I believe it effects their hearing. Especially regarding the word “stay”. I sternly commanded Fritz to stay as I opened the door. This resulted in a black streak rocketing past my feet in search of whatever dogs are in search of. He usually heads north as there are three dogs living with my neighbor to the north. Here we go again! A tired old man trying to chase down a young pup that is fueled by pure adrenaline. I finally caught up to him and picked him up carrying him back to the house. He informed me that he didn't think much of that idea with a growl. I swiftly informed him that I don't respond to that and I reminded him just who the alpha male is in this house. I fired up and shot down to the gas station to gas up for the ride. I sat down for a few minutes to catch my breath and vainly attempted to convince Leo that it was Fritz's turn. Finally, time to go. Fritz and I mount up along with my old friend. That nagging feeling that I'm forgetting something. Usually when I get this feeling it's warranted. At Crawford I turned left to go to the Quality Inn. NO! You're going to the Iron Skillet! Immediately realizing the error of my ways, I pondered whether to turn around or not. Turning around seemed like an insurmountable task, so I opted to jump on the slab and take it to 9th. All this time Fritz is yapping his head off. Mostly complaining about being in the box. He calmed down when we got cruising on the freeway. I rolled in about number 7 or so and let Fritz out to clear out his exhaust as it were. There seemed to be a steady stream of bikes coming in after me. Fritz tied to the bike I started to get some pictures. And bikes kept coming. I was about 40 feet from my bike when I heard bikes fire up. Now it was a scramble to get Fritz mounted up and get under way. Off we go with Fritz yapping away again. But he calmed down when we got cruising. We started out rather strung out but eventually we got joined up and were a quite impressive phalanx motoring down the road. When we left the Skillet we were 15 strong and if you count Morrey and Leon who left early we had 17 from Salina. There were several new faces among our contingent. To them I say Welcome aboard. I was number 10 in line and still there were 5 behind me. It wasn't a real scenic ride full of twistys. Basically straight north then straight west and straight north again to Scandia. Remember that nagging feeling I mentioned? Well it came to me about half way there. I forgot to bring cash. Too late to go back now. The best I could hope for is to see those familiar window stickers when I get there telling me that they take plastic. On the last leg we ran into Mark Unruh stopped along side the road getting some of his interesting shots. Once in Scandia I never fully shifted out of lemming mode and only paid marginal attention to landmarks to follow on the way out. Lots of tire kicking went on before we entered and I got to meet some of the new faces. I got Fritz tied and set up with some water then went about my usual photo mission. Lots of bikes all over the place. I counted 32 when I went inside and after that still more came in. As I approached the door I was quite relieved to see the window stickers. I'd get to eat after all. I went snap happy inside and when all was said and done I took 60 shots. So you all have proof of where you were today. It was such a perfect riding day something had to go wrong. And sure enough something did. This time the misfortune befell Delbert Shriner. On the way up to Scandia, as I understand, the pinion spline stripped and he was dead in the water. A good engine is only useful if you can get the power to the wheel. Unfortunately that link in the chain broke for Delbert. As I understand he completed the trip in the bed of a pick up truck. I had a similar experience in 1977 with my BMW. It stripped the clutch spline with identical results. Lots of motor, but NO GO. It was mothers day and I was in Hobart Indiana where NOTHING is open on Sunday. We lived off the vending machines in a gas station all day while we tried in vain to get a phone line to Wisconsin to summon help. All lines were busy with children calling their mothers. While I was scurrying about with my little red camera I noticed a lot of folks had a rather tempting looking chicken fried steak dinner so I decided to see how much damage I could do to that. I settled in across from Mark Unruh, placed my order and waited for the chance to whoop the quietus on it. It was generous and tasty. I even had enough for Fritz to get some. I got outside to find Fritz curled up in the corner looking abandoned until He saw me. He hasn't figured out what this whole ROMEO thing is all about. He'll come around after a few rides. After all this was his first. All too soon it was time for the ride back home. Now my lemming status turns back to bite me. I get in these small towns and can never find my way out. So I started to motor up the street in search of a street that looks like it might lead out of town. Two blocks later I spotted a promising road. I followed it not really knowing where it would lead. As the town faded in my mirrors my heart became slightly more uneasy. Nothing really looked familiar. Looking at the suns position in the sky I was able to surmise that I was in fact headed south. So I cautiously motored on. I eventually saw a farm that seemed to ring a faint bell in the back of my mind. A little later another landmark seemed to ring the same bell. Mildly encouraged I pressed on. 8 miles later I came to K148. Now THAT I remembered. I headed east to K81. Now I'm on track and knew I could find my way home. Finally I pulled onto my driveway and in the garage. Shut the door to contain Fritz and let him loose to greet Leo. Totally spent I collapsed in my chair to reflect on another great ride.
We had quite a turnout today. We came close to doubling my estimate with 42 attending. We had riders from Salina, Minneapolis, Manhattan, Hutchenson, Lindsborg, Baldwin City, Carlton, Lawrence, Hunter, Beloit, Denmark, Abilene, Kanopolis, and Canton, with the long distance being 220 miles by Butch Klinger from Baldwin City.
We were riding Honda, Harley, Yamaha, Suzuki, BMW, Kawasaki, CanAm, Victory, and Moto Guzzi.
Scroll down past the golf comments for more pics.
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