Day 10 &11

I met up with Steve at a campground near West Plains Missouri where we will hang out until Saturday. Steve’s been fishing which is one of his favorite pastimes lately. I’m relaxing and doing a little riding mostly to be able to find cell service so I can do these postings. Sad I know. It’s been lightly raining today and will probably do that for several days.

Pictures of our cabin

Day 9 museum day

I spent 5 hours today at the Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum. Steve and I had been here in 2012 but it's well worth multiple visits so I worked it into this trip.

Here are pictures I took at the museum, I'm glad we don't use film cameras anymore as it would get expensive.

Day 8 the start of week 2

I left the lodge this morning in a light rain and fog which blanketed that section of the Smoky Mountains. After 1 1/2 hours I broke out of it and had a dry 200 mile ride to Birmingham, AL where I'll camp out in a Comfort Inn & Suites (thanks for the points Janet). No photos today but I'll have some tomorrow after visiting the Barber Motosport Museum.

Day 7

End of my first week. It's a rest day for me. I'll get enough back roads riding in Missouri and Arkansas the next couple weeks. This morning many of us lined up our bikes for a group picture. There were well over 40 K1600 bikes and I'm sure there are several others that were staying at other motels who didn't get here in time to put their bikes in the line up.

Day 6

We finally got hit with rain on our ride today but only for a half hour or so. There was enough time on the ride after it stopped to get dried out. We stopped for lunch at a biker type burger joint out in the country next to a river. We got on a brand new parkway that had nice sweeping curves and fresh black top. The final stretch home took us back on the Tail of the Dragon and again it wasn't crowded so a nice way to end the day.

Day 5, I think, it's getting hard to remember

Even though it was predicted to rain most of the day it didn't and turned out to be a nice one. One of the guys and I road to the Wheels Through Time motorcycle museum. Dale Walkster's from the American Restoration TV program. It's a very well done museum with lots of vintage American motorcycles on display in old diarama settings. After lunch in a nice home style restaurant we rode to The Tail of the Dragon highway and rode it both directions. We lucked out and had no traffic slow downs both ways. Now we're back at the Lodge for adult refreshments and conversations with the other riders on how their day was.

Below is a WWII Military Harley based on a German BMW for use in Africa.

Day 4 first fun ride

on our first day fun ride. Having lunch at a BBQ place.

Day 3 I arrived

Another nice day of riding and I arrived at my destination The Iron Horse Motorcycle Lodge. My route took me up the Tail of the Dragon section of highway 129. It wasn’t busy and therefore a pleasant ride. Many of the participants of this gathering were already here with many more yet to come.

Day 2

Another nice weather day for riding. Overcast across Oklahoma then mostly sunny across Arkansas and into Tennessee. I finished the day with a tad over 1,500 miles since leaving home 34 1/2 hours earlier. Therefore I earned an Ironbutt Bun Burner, in my mind anyway seeing as how I didn’t collect the necessary documents for the IBA but hey I did it. Tomorrow will be a short 6 hours to my destination at the Iron Horse Motorcycle Lodge at one end of the Tail of the Dragon Highway.

Day 1

I left home at daybreak 5:30am and finished today’s ride at sunset 8:30pm in Elk City, OK 832 miles down the road. Lots of wind coming across New Mexico and Texas but then that’s normal.

I stopped outside of Amarillo, TX and snapped this picture at the Cadillac Ranch.

3 week trip 2019

Well it's riding season again and I'm starting this one off by heading to The Tail of The Dragon in North Carolina. Some K1600 forum members have been gathering at the Iron Horse Motorcycle Lodge the past 3 years at what they call Taming of The Dragon and I decided to join them on this their 4th annual meetup. I'll be leaving home Sunday morning April 28th and trek across country mostly on I-40 expecting to arrive on Tuesday after 1,862 miles of riding. I'll be doing this stretch alone.

At this event there should be approximately 50 BMW K1600 motorcycles and each day there will be at least 5 guided rides available for everyone. Then a group dinner each night.

On Sunday May 5th camp will break up and I plan on riding down to Lead, Al to tour the Barber Motorsport Museum. From there I will ride up to Missouri for another motorcycle get together put on by Honda STowners forum members. Steve will drop down from Kansas City, MO mid week and then on Saturday we will proceed to Mountain View, AR to start our annual "Guy Trip". This year's group will include, of course, me and Steve along with brother Kevin, Greg, Jerry, Rick, Frank and Norm. We will be staying in Mountain View for 4 nights with day rides in between. From there we will travel to Eureka Springs, AR for another 3 nights and days of local riding. Sadly on the 18th we all scatter and head home with me arriving there on May 19th.

I'm looking forward to this trip and will post pictures and write ups as time allows.
See Ya

Until next time

All but Frank and Bruce are back home. They are still in Sturgis but will be home Tuesday night.

Jerry, Rick and I left this morning at 5:30 am (yawn) and arrived home at 11:30 am. It was a pleasant ride and one we've made dozens of time through the four corners area of our part of the country.

We all had a good time and our bikes performed flawlessly. 

I left home on July 7th to attend the BMW MOA rally in Des Moines, Iowa and spend time with my folks in Cedar Falls, Iowa so I was personally gone for 30 days and traveled 6,205 miles. Too much ice cream weight now has to come off but it was worth it.

I want to thank all of you that followed along with us and hope you get a chance to have fun vacations too.