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The Pied Piper is underway!!


KMG_365

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I know why he is carrying one of them. Because I might need it! ;D

 

Not really, it is to insure that no one needs one when he is near.

 

Safe travels to all.

Well, you're right! The one is my old gator belt, I also have a new one for an 1150RT as well as one for an 1100RT--just in case! grin.gif

 

We're in Amarillo tonight, tired after a long day (we "Best Coasters" lost another hour today! crazy.gif ), but looking forward to meeting up with some more of the Hoons at "Mike05's" place! clap.gif

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Day five: it rained all Sunday night and we left Torrey under very cloudy skies--but only got a few squalls here and there on the way to Colorado. We took the 24 through Capitol Reef (what a fabulous road! cool.gif ), gassed up in Hanksville and then up to I-70:

 

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We had a little bit of rain at the end, but otherwise a great ride up to north of the Denver area where we arrived at "MikeO's" place to have a very nice visit . . . and of course to do a little EVO brake troubleshooting! grin.gif

 

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We got Mike's bike all straightened out and then took him and Bernie out for a quick dinner. It was wonderful to spend an evening with Mike and Bernie--more fabulous folks we never would have gotten to meet if not for this place and we really enjoyed getting to know them a bit better! thumbsup.gif

 

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Day six: we left MikeO's place and took a nice little back road route down through Fairplay/SouthPark, CO and down eventually to Amarillo, TX. We stopped at the Fairplay Hotel for lunch:

 

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Mike's route also happened to route us through a certain "pissant, white-bread mountain town called South Park" of animated Comedy Central show fame, but we resisted buying any "Mr. Hankey" souvenirs! eek.gifgrin.gif

 

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On the way south, we got tempted by one of "Colorado's Natural Wonders" aka the Royal Gorge Bridge and took a small detour to check it out. It seems that they've turned it into a "park" and closed it off to through traffic--not only that, but they wanted to charge $28.00 for the privilege of walking across it. eek.gif

 

Also, an entire cottage industry has sprouted up in the area catering to the tourists' basest instincts--I guess this passes for entertainment in Texas . . . . dopeslap.gif

 

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Looks like a great ride so far smile.gif

 

I'm just packing now to leave tomorrow AM.

 

Maybe i'll post some pics along the way since I actually have a laptop worthy of doing photos on now.

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Mike O sent you the right way if you went down Colorado 285. One of the most scenic drives in Colorado IMO. Not talking about the most difficult or exciting motorcycle roads, just great vistas everywhere you look.

 

Couple more days to Illinois! thumbsup.gif

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Just another quick update before we take off today, but we are having SUCH a great time!!!! Yesterday morning (day seven) started off thusly:

 

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I guess the sacrifice we made to the Alternator Belt Goddess of Amarillo, TX pleased her and she also turned off the sprinkler system that we had been dodging all day yesterday! grin.gif

 

We were chasing Michael "SageRider" and Carl "C_Williams" (who had coincidentally met in a hotel in Pagosa Springs, CO the night before! eek.gif ) and caught them on the road about 30 miles from "Mike05's" (they were doing the speed limit for some reason! wink.gif ). We arrived to find Mike's bike disassembled in the garage--now THERE is a lousy excuse for missing a ride! tongue.gif

 

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But his lovely wife, Joyce, tried to salve our disappointment by plying us with cake (among a HOST of other goodies! YUM! smile.gif ):

 

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We had an AWESOME BBQ with DB members, newbies (welcome "AwfulEric"! grin.gif ) and other new friends and got to get to know more of the wonderful Texas folks!

 

I can't thank our hosts enough! . . . and you'll all get to meet them in Fayetteville (if Mike can get his bike together in time to leave Saturday)! clap.gif

 

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The R1200PM (Pack Mule) is ready to roll and we're out the door. See some of you in a few hours, some of you in a few days! grin.gifclap.gifgrin.gifclap.gif

 

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Lets_Play_Two
The R1200PM (Pack Mule) is ready to roll and we're out the door. See some of you in a few hours, some of you in a few days! grin.gifclap.gifgrin.gifclap.gif

 

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How does it handle in the twisties!!! lmao.gif

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This trip looks liike fun!!!!

 

Too bad I'm out of vacation days. bncry.gif

 

Whip

 

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Tell that slave driver of a boss of yours where he can stick it! You've got an UNrally to go to! lmao.gif

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Gar and I are finally on our way. Made it to

Green River, UT tonight via Sweeper Madness. Will be in Hays,KS tomorrow then on to Bud's. Hoping to meet up with the Pied Pipers Saturday. Hope everyone is having a great ride.

n wave.gif

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Gar and I are finally on our way. Made it to

Green River, UT tonight via Sweeper Madness. Will be in Hays,KS tomorrow then on to Bud's. Hoping to meet up with the Pied Pipers Saturday. Hope everyone is having a great ride.

n wave.gif

 

Looking forward to your arrival. Ride safe. thumbsup.gif

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Another great day! clap.gif

 

We took Brad's ("tobyzusa's") route out of the north DFW area and had a blast on some wonderful roads! We stopped for lunch at the Queen Wilhelmina Lodge. While we dined was the only real rain we saw all day! smile.gif

 

Nice view!

 

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And the lodge, too: wink.gif

 

 

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We had a sumptuous feast of BBQ, burgers, wursts and all the fixin's. The main table wasn't big enough for everyone:

 

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So we put the "kids table" outside! lmao.gif

 

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Leslie's brother and his new wife who live nearby in Fayetteville, AR came over for the dinner as well.

 

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Ken H. and Emerson spent hours trying to figure out a fun route to Bud's place that would take less than 10 hours and avoid as much slab as possible:

 

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By the end I think they figured it out, but Ken looks like he's already ridden half of it!

 

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I would again like to heartily thank our generous hosts for such a warm reception! It was nice to get some time to get to know Emerson better and really great to finally meet his lovely wife, Elana! She used to ride a Honda 750 Nighthawk (I had one years ago too and I really miss my Nighthawk--great bike! cool.gif ), but with two kids in High School, riding obviously took a back seat. But when the kids go off to college she's thinking of picking up another bike--Bentonville BMW is only 5 minutes away! wink.gif

 

We were also graced with the company of their two charming, bright (and gorgeous!) daughters. I'm no photographer, but every once in a while I get lucky! Here's the Goodwin clan, L-R: Kiara, Emerson ("murrayg"), Marissa and Elana (oh, and their cat, "Smokey" wink.gif ).

 

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The Pied Piper Tour will be seven riders on five bikes tomorrow--Emerson and Ken will be leading us on to Bud's place--and we hope to be there by 6:00 pm if all goes well! See you there! clap.gifclap.gif

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Woo Hoo, they are coming!

 

The bar has been set very high by the previous hosts. Looks like I've got my work cut out for me to even come close.

 

But, I've got time. They just think they can do it in 10 hours. Those S Missouri roads are just too twisty and fun.

 

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Has the Pied Piper and his followers arrived yet? Inquiring minds want to know....

 

Mark

 

+1 to that. (Foot tapping in background!!!)

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Has the Pied Piper and his followers arrived yet? Inquiring minds want to know....

 

Mark

7:37 by my clock. Musta stopped to sample some more of that great roadhouse cooking to be had in America.thumbsup.gif

Wishing I were amongst them for this ride. bncry.gif

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It was great seeing you all Wednesday eveing at Mike's. Glad the route worked out. Be safe and enjoy each other, the riding, and all the rest this adventure has to offer!

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We've arrived!!! clap.gif

 

We're visiting and relaxing tonight so I won't be able to post a full write up now--perhaps tomorrow between wrenching! thumbsup.gif

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Maybe my mom was right, some of those people you meet on the internet may be dangerous.

 

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Then some may be wanted by Homeland Security.

 

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Why are all these people drinking and smiling?

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A great time was had at supper this evening and after. Some of the folks are going to stay at a hotel 7 miles away.

 

I won't say names, but KH had to program his GPS to get there which consisted of a right turn and a left turn. grin.gif I thought he wasn't ever going to leave the garage because his GPS was in the wrong "mode" (or maybe it was mood?).

 

More tomorrow after Jamie shows me how to do a TB synch and valve adjust.

 

We will have to see who is willing to be "Mr. Cranky" on the ice cream freezer.

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The Hanson's have arrived Actually we made it to Bud's place about 6:35, well after the wine had been passed around. Should I say it was quite loud in there, ha!

 

I am posting from the Best Western down the road from Bud's. Jean and I just ate breakfast and are about to go wake all of them up for wrenching! It is like 52 outside and I brought shorts???

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We're leaving in the morning from Bud and Nancy's around 09:00 heading for Lexington the back way! thumbsup.gif

 

What a fun few days! It was really nice to have a day off the bike after a week on the road. We got to do laundry, wrench with friends, laugh and swap lies all day!

 

HUGE thanks to "Bud" and Nancy Meade for the wonderful landing here for the Pied Pipers in the beautiful heartland! clap.gif

 

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(More later when I can get a better signal! eek.gifgrin.gif )

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Wow, did we ever have fun. thumbsup.gif

 

First of all, I'm riding a new bike thanks to Jamie. grin.gifgrin.gifgrin.gif

 

I never knew what it was like to ride a bike that was well tuned up. Now, when I twist my wrist I just flat out fly. Thanks Jamie for the tech session, building my manometer and showing me how to do TB synch, valve adjust.

 

A big tip of the helmet to Ken H who noticed my back pads were within a thousandth of an inch of being shot and showing how to replace them in record time. Also, thanks to Ryan, from Gateway BM, who drove out from St. Louis with a set of rear pads after work yesterday. He brought Mandy "Pants" and we had a good time with them as well.

 

Then thanks to the rest of the pipers for making the last couple of days so much fun.

 

And last but not least another thanks to Jamie for taking care of Nancy when she tried to slice off her thumb. thumbsup.gif(You had to be here to know just how appropriate the "thumbs up" graemlin is in this case)

 

It's 6:09 AM. After a little housekeeping i.e. packing, getting gas, paying bills, cleaning up the ice cream freezer, putting tools away etc., we will be leaving at 0900 for a grueling 300 mile day to Lexington to meet up with some more Pipers.

 

See you all in W. VA.

 

PS to Whip. I resemble that remark.

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A big tip of the helmet to Ken H who noticed my back pads were within a thousandth of an inch of being shot and showing how to replace them in record time.
He must own stock in brake pads. He did the same with me when I had my bike over at his place. thumbsup.gif
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Arrived in Lexington, KY . . . hot and thirsty after a long, hot ride . . . on a Sunday . . . Have you ever tried to buy beer in the bible belt on a Sunday??!! eek.gif (Needless to say, we turned in early . . . grin.gif )

 

Here's are some more teasers from the last few days. I just got a fast connection and got a chance to upload them:

 

 

Here was the group heading from Emerson's place in Bentonville, AR to Bud's place in Nashville, IL:

 

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Here's the dinner group later that night:

 

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We wrenched the next day. Here's me defending myself from Bud's wrath! blush.gif

 

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Paul and David sampling the wares:

 

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Here's the group the morning before departure for Lexington:

 

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And here's the feeding frenzy of GPS geeks at the hotel in Lexington while Ken "slops the hogs" by feeding the "fun" route to everyone's GPS via his laptop! lmao.gif

 

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We'll see the rest of you in Fayetteville!! clap.gifclap.gifclap.gifclap.gifclap.gifclap.gifclap.gif

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Jealous does not even describe how I feel right now. You guys rock and I would love to be with you on this trip. What are the temperatures now, as you move through this leg? I grew up around Ft. Smith, Arkansas and do know the complexities of trying to get a drink in certain areas. Dry counties, that is what they call them. If you get bored, you can always count the churches (not meaning anything offensive in this) along that stretch of the bible belt. At one point, the metal building/pole barn business had to be booming just tossing up a church on every corner or so. I attended junior and senior high school down there and we weren't even allowed to have any sort of prom, due to being so embedded in the bible belt. I hear things have changed along that line now.

 

Safe riding to you all and don't forget to post. Since I couldn't get away from work long enough to ride along, I am making this trip vicariously through you. thumbsup.gifthumbsup.gifthumbsup.gifwave.gif

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Bernie was asking me where you were at last nite. I told her they must be in W. Va. by now ;)...Lexington? It's about time. You must have taken the long route (or was Bud just slowin' folks up?)

 

Mike O

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The R1200PM (Pack Mule) is ready to roll and we're out the door. See some of you in a few hours, some of you in a few days! grin.gifclap.gifgrin.gifclap.gif

 

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How does it handle in the twisties!!! lmao.gif

We're here to report (here as in Fayetteville clap.gif) that it handles just fine thank you!

 

Let the games begin!

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The Pied Pipers have landed safely in Fayetteville! clap.gif

 

HUGE thanks again to the Pied Piper hosts who made the trip out SO much fun!

 

Mark and Sylva and their team deserve MAJOR kudos for picking such a perfect place for an UnRally--not to mention all the behind the scenes work to take care of logistics!

 

"Ken H." deserves MAD props for being the GPS guru and finding such a fun way to get here (what, you're route didn't have the "tunnel of death"? eek.giflmao.gif )

 

Gotta go eat, ride, socialize and repeat now--we're having far too much fun to be hanging out here (sorry wink.gif ).

 

See you folks who are now kicking yourselves for not doing more to make it this year at the next one somewhere in the WEST!! clap.gif

 

 

BTW, I won't have much time to post write-up's, but I'll try to stay up with uploading pics to my Smug Mug site. You can see the raw pics here:

 

http://kmg-365.smugmug.com/gallery/3328700#185312438

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  • 2 weeks later...

Here's a short update on a few of the days in the last BUSY week! The UnRally was an incredible success--we're still reeling! clap.gif

 

We're not home just yet--we're in Spirit Lake, Iowa tonight and heading for the Black Hills area tomorrow. We'll probably get to northern-central Colorado by the 15th, northern Utah by the 16th, Mesquite, NV on the 17th and home by the 18th.

 

After the UnRally, we had an incredible weekend with Bob "1st Shirt" and SunJoo in D.C.. They are two of the kindest, warmest souls (like SO many folks here!) and we just hated to leave! bncry.gif

 

On the last day SunJoo and Bob prepared a traditional Korean feast of BBQ'd ribs which you put on lettuce leaves with sticky rice and garnish with garlic, onion, chili sauce, Kimchi, pickeled radish, etc. It was delicious!!

 

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We even got to see the mysterious Derek "_D_" (formerly in Santa Maria, CA) and his lovely SO, Kim again . . . who now live only 15 minutes from where "1st Shirt" (most recently in Fort Huachuca, AZ) moved to last year! Here we are eating Afghani food--kebabs--YUMMY!!

 

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We went to the crash site of Flight 93 on September 11th for the ceremony. It really is the "forgotten memorial", but if they had not taken down the plane that was most likely headed for the Congress building or the White House--that might overshadow all the press that the twin towers are getting now. I still want to get to NYC, but it might have to wait until the next NE UnRally!

 

We then headed east to Columbus, OH and had a wonderful visit with "RT_Jim" and got to sample Amy's kebabs--with home grown peppers! We also have a new favorite ice cream--Graeters! AWESOME! clap.gif

 

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Last night we dropped in at the last minute on Tom "3Putt" and Joyce in Columbus. They were very kind to take us poor wayfaring strangers in and Joyce even made homemade meatloaf! clap.gif

 

They also just got two new puppies, too!! They were the absolute cutest things! thumbsup.gif

 

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Sorry, it was 01:00 in the morning! lmao.gif

 

Jim and Amy are in Columbus, I meant to say Rockford, really I did! tongue.gif

 

I think we're somewhere around 5000 miles so far, but I just know we'll beat Killer . . . and he'll still never catch Maynard's mileage! lmao.gif

 

It's all about the mileage, after all! eek.gifgrin.gif

 

 

. . . and my butt doesn't hurt, either! LOVE that Russell Day Long!! tongue.gifthumbsup.gif

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I think we're somewhere around 5000 miles so far, but I just know we'll beat Killer . . . and he'll still never catch Maynard's mileage! lmao.gif

 

It's all about the mileage, after all! eek.gifgrin.gif

 

 

. . . and my butt doesn't hurt, either! LOVE that Russell Day Long!! tongue.gifthumbsup.gif

I have nothing nice to say. frown.gif
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Well . . . the Pied Piper is finally home and stowed after a FANTASTIC trip!!

 

I forgot to re-set the trip meter for departure until 13 miles had already passed . . . it shows 7509.5 miles currently, but it should be about 7522 miles total (plus a few more I'm sure for tunnels and other GPS anomalies). Maynard has a total of 133,150 miles on him now and he just passed his 5th birthday two weeks ago! clap.gif

 

I'm looking forward to seeing what the East Coasties pull together for a Pied Piper Tour NEXT year and I'm already figuring out how we can ride out a few days and meet up with them!!! clap.gifclap.gifclap.gifclap.gif

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Jaime, what a wonderful adventure you and Leslie were able to have, traveling all over the country and seeing so many sights and friends along the way. The miles are great, minus 6% grin.gif, but the memories get better and grow every time you will look at the pictures you took along the way.

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