Yesterday, Fathers Day, was a beautiful day for a ride and some of us took advantage of the wonderful weather for a chance to get out and put some miles on the bikes while seeing some really neat sights.
I had an idea that I'd like to go see a number of the patriotic rocks that Ray "Bubba" Sorensen II has painted. You all probably know about the famous big rock out by Greenfield that he strips down and repaints every year for Memorial Day. You many not, however, be aware that he is working on a rock in all 99 counties. All the smaller rocks are just as impressive as the original. He really has a talent for coming up with a theme and then taking an inhospitable surface for painting and transforming it into a special tribute.
Along with Donna and I, we were joined by 5 other bikes and nine other people. Ray and Judy Busch, Don and Kathy Thomason, Scott and Beve Johnson, Carl Purscell and Donna White, and Donna's cousins boyfriend Rick. Funny story is that Donna has not even met this cousin in person but has now met her boyfriend first. I had hoped for more people but understand that it is a busy day for many. This turned out to be a good sized group.
We met at Bomgaars (the old shoppers) parking lot and left just after 10am. A 20 minute or so ride put us in Bondurant to see the most recently dedicated rock he has painted. We spent some time there and then hopped on and headed for stop #2 after a quick stop at Casey's for a comfort stop and to get topped off with hydration.
Second stop was the original rock near Greenfield. It took a little longer than I had planned to get there. It took a couple of hours but it was a nice ride. Came from Bondurant through Ankeny then over the Saylorville Dam. Went along the top side of Camp Dodge towards Jester Park. We took a turn toward the Equestrian Center and along this stretch of road we encountered a very polite deer. She was standing in the ditch watching us go by and didn't bat an eye when I hit the air horns. She sat there and watched while we all went by, never moving or doing anything stupid to put anyone in danger. Scott and Beve reported that after we all got by, she waited a few seconds, then looked both ways to check for traffic and then sauntered leisurely across the road. Maybe they are evolving and becoming smarter where traffic is concerned. We can only hope. Came down Hwy 17 and through Granger. From Granger on F31 to Minburn. Through Minburn until F31 T's out and then we turned south toward Hwy 44. Hwy 44 into Panora where we took a little break at Casey's again. Back on the road south toward Stuart. A nice scenic road for a ride. From Stuart, west on White Pole Road to Hwy 25 and south to the rock.
It was after 1 when we got here and some people were hungry so we didn't spend a whole lot of time here. Once again, Bubba has done a great job on this big rock. We got some pictures and headed into Greenfield to the Nodaway Valley Cafe before they closed at two for some lunch. Very good place to grab some food if you are in the area. Neat, quaint little place. Very friendly people and the food is good. Decently priced as well. After lunch, we got some pictures of the rock outside of Bubba's studio just across the street and prepared to head for stop #3. This stop was in Diagonal, which is south of Creston but those of you that know me know I don't usually go the most direct route. From the restaurant, Don and Kathy had to leave us as they had things to do. The rest of us headed west to Fontanelle and then south and west on a series of back roads that took us to Corning. A stop at Casey's in Corning to stretch and some of us fueled. Back on the road to Hwy 34. East to Why 25 and south again. East on J23 took us into Diagonal and our next site. Again he did a magnificent job of taking a barren piece of rock and turning it into a tribute.
Back on the bikes we headed up through Creston and east to Lorimor. Then north into Winterset. A butt break and fuel stop at Kum and Go was our next stop. From here, Rick had to leave us. We wished him well and sent him on his way. We took off not far behind and headed up Hwy 169 with the next destination being Waukee. When we got to the interstate, Carl and Donna broke off and we were now down to 3 bikes and 6 people. Made our way to Adel and then east to Waukee. This destination actually has two rocks. Once again, a very nice tribute.
From here, the 6 of us headed to Woodward and the Whistlin Donkey where they were having a steak dinner special for Father's Day. They were out of the New York Strip but gave us a nice Ribeye in place of it for the same price. Whistlin Donkey is a nice place to grab a bite if you happen to be in the area. Nice decor, good food. A little noisy but still a fun place. For those of you that know the cook that used to be down the street at Lou's Diner, he is cooking here now.
After dinner, we bid Ray and Judy farewell. Scott and Beve, Donna and I headed back for Des Moines. Donna and I got home almost 13 hours after we had left. Kassie was glad to see us along with the cats.
It was truly a most enjoyable day. A great day of riding spent with good friends seeing some wonderful things that Iowa has to offer. My sincere thank you to all those that were able to come out. This is what makes it worth planning stuff like this for. For those that could not make it, maybe you can make it the next time. I'm working on ideas for seeing the two up north that were a little out of range for this ride. Will incorporate it with other things to do in the area. Who knows, by then, he may have other rocks done to check out as well.
Monday, June 17, 2013
Sunday, June 9, 2013
Return to Hannibal Trip
Over the memorial weekend, a number of us took a return trip to Hannibal. Attendees were Donna and I, Glenn and Pat, Ernie and Louise, Carl and Donna, and Don and Wanda.
Glenn and Pat drove down starting out Friday morning taking the scenic route and doing some stopping along the way checking things out. The rest of us started out after work and got a little later start than was hoped for but it couldn't be avoided. Don and Carl took off with Donna and Wanda in the car behind them. Donna decided to drive due to the weather forecast. Donna and I along with Ernie and Louise were the last to get under the way. Not sure about Don and Carl's route but the trail party took the most expedient route to get down there.
Ride down was nice. Beautiful weather and scenery. One hiccup was when we stopped at a Denny's in Wayland, Missouri to have some supper. After about an hour of waiting, we still had not gotten our food. We were not the only ones in the restaurant that had not been served. Seems as if they were short staff and about the only thing they seemed to be able to produce was breakfast. It was getting late and we still had a fair distance to go so we opted to forget getting some food in our stomachs and hit the road. Denny's lost a lot of business that night. We jumped back on the bikes and headed for the road to start south again. I don't remember now but I believe it was around 10:30 when we finally reached our destination in Hannibal. A few were still up and we had our greetings and went to bed.
Next morning we got up and rain and thunderstorms were in the area. Also found out a tornado had gone through the town the previous Monday. Parts of the town were still without power and there was a lot of tree damage. We went to breakfast at a restaurant next to the motel and weather was still not looking so good. We were trying to wait it out but it seemed as if it was not going to quit so a couple of the women talked me into going and renting a car so that we could get everyone in a vehicle and travel around to some things instead of sitting in the motel. Of course after we got back with the car, the weather started to clear up. We still took the cars and did some sightseeing. Later on, we took in a haunted house tour. It was kind of interesting. The couple running this attraction made it a fun time. Back to the motel for some socializing and then hit the sack.
Sunday came and the weather was breaking although the forecast was for more showers and thunderstorms. A little slow to get around but finally got moving and decided to take the car back before going on a ride. Don and Wanda decided to head back home and we bid them farewell before taking off and riding some of the local roads. Got in about 4 hours of riding before coming back in. Dinner and back to the motel for more camaraderie before heading to bed.
Up and at it somewhat early as the weather was not looking good. We got on the road and were able to get out of town before the storms hit. Glenn and Pat left after us and said not long after we left it rained very hard. Very similar to what we had to travel back home in the last time we visited Hannibal. While it was gloomy we didn't have any rain until after we stopped in Hills to fuel up and take a break. We donned rain gear here and put Donna and Louise in the car with Donna White just to make it easier on the riders. From Iowa City to Grinnell we hit rain but it was not as bad as it was forecast to be. Once we got to Grinnell and took a break, we hit the road again and made it home without any more troubles.
All in all, despite the weather, it was a fun time once again. I would consider doing it again down the road. Maybe some time we can pick a time when the weather will cooperate with us. We are looking at maybe going down this winter and checking out some of the stuff we didn't get to do this time, or the last time for that matter. Looking at staying at a bed and breakfast and taking in some of the local flavor.
Oh, and by the way, I was never charged for the rental car so we made out good on that.
Thanks to everyone that went. Without you all, it wouldn't be as much fun.
Glenn and Pat drove down starting out Friday morning taking the scenic route and doing some stopping along the way checking things out. The rest of us started out after work and got a little later start than was hoped for but it couldn't be avoided. Don and Carl took off with Donna and Wanda in the car behind them. Donna decided to drive due to the weather forecast. Donna and I along with Ernie and Louise were the last to get under the way. Not sure about Don and Carl's route but the trail party took the most expedient route to get down there.
Ride down was nice. Beautiful weather and scenery. One hiccup was when we stopped at a Denny's in Wayland, Missouri to have some supper. After about an hour of waiting, we still had not gotten our food. We were not the only ones in the restaurant that had not been served. Seems as if they were short staff and about the only thing they seemed to be able to produce was breakfast. It was getting late and we still had a fair distance to go so we opted to forget getting some food in our stomachs and hit the road. Denny's lost a lot of business that night. We jumped back on the bikes and headed for the road to start south again. I don't remember now but I believe it was around 10:30 when we finally reached our destination in Hannibal. A few were still up and we had our greetings and went to bed.
Next morning we got up and rain and thunderstorms were in the area. Also found out a tornado had gone through the town the previous Monday. Parts of the town were still without power and there was a lot of tree damage. We went to breakfast at a restaurant next to the motel and weather was still not looking so good. We were trying to wait it out but it seemed as if it was not going to quit so a couple of the women talked me into going and renting a car so that we could get everyone in a vehicle and travel around to some things instead of sitting in the motel. Of course after we got back with the car, the weather started to clear up. We still took the cars and did some sightseeing. Later on, we took in a haunted house tour. It was kind of interesting. The couple running this attraction made it a fun time. Back to the motel for some socializing and then hit the sack.
Sunday came and the weather was breaking although the forecast was for more showers and thunderstorms. A little slow to get around but finally got moving and decided to take the car back before going on a ride. Don and Wanda decided to head back home and we bid them farewell before taking off and riding some of the local roads. Got in about 4 hours of riding before coming back in. Dinner and back to the motel for more camaraderie before heading to bed.
Up and at it somewhat early as the weather was not looking good. We got on the road and were able to get out of town before the storms hit. Glenn and Pat left after us and said not long after we left it rained very hard. Very similar to what we had to travel back home in the last time we visited Hannibal. While it was gloomy we didn't have any rain until after we stopped in Hills to fuel up and take a break. We donned rain gear here and put Donna and Louise in the car with Donna White just to make it easier on the riders. From Iowa City to Grinnell we hit rain but it was not as bad as it was forecast to be. Once we got to Grinnell and took a break, we hit the road again and made it home without any more troubles.
All in all, despite the weather, it was a fun time once again. I would consider doing it again down the road. Maybe some time we can pick a time when the weather will cooperate with us. We are looking at maybe going down this winter and checking out some of the stuff we didn't get to do this time, or the last time for that matter. Looking at staying at a bed and breakfast and taking in some of the local flavor.
Oh, and by the way, I was never charged for the rental car so we made out good on that.
Thanks to everyone that went. Without you all, it wouldn't be as much fun.
Wednesday, May 8, 2013
Iowa Rendezvous 2013
April 27th a number of us from the chapter went to Elk Horn to attend the GWTA Iowa State event this year called Iowa Rendezvous. In attendance were Donna and I, Ray and Judy, Ben and Sherrill, Carl and Donna, Glenn and Pat, Harry and Bev, and Ernie and Louise.
3 bikes met at the Quiktrip in Grimes and left at 7am. We took Hwy 44 over and picked up Ray and Judy in Panora and continued our trip over to Elk Horn on Hwy 44. This is a nice road to take. Some nice scenery. When we took off, it was sunny and in the mid 40's. It was really pretty nice. By the time we got to Panora, the sky had clouded up, the wind came up and the temperature seemed to drop. It was a somewhat gloomy and cool ride the rest of the way over.
We arrived in Elk Horn around 9am. There were a few other people there when we arrived. Ben and Sherrill arrived about the same time we did. Glenn and Pat and Harry and Bev arrived later.
We bellied up for breakfast. I was a little reluctant to drive all the way over for breakfast, thinking we maybe should have eaten before we left but I am glad we did not. Breakfast turned out to be well worth the drive over. Scrambled eggs, biscuits and gravy and sausage links were all very good. I'm sure I forgot something but the point is, all the food was very good.
We hung out and talked for awhile kind of hoping the weather would break. I had made plans to do a ride and end up in Neola for lunch at The Buck Snort. Around 11:30 we finally decided to go for the ride. Still cool and overcast but we wanted to put some miles on. 8 of us took left for the ride. 2 went on their own ride and the rest stayed at the community center in Elk Horn to continue to mingle.
My plan was to get out, get some riding in, grab a bite at The Buck Snort and be back in time for the games. As many of you are aware, my plans usually do not go as I have planned. We took of north and then west to Harlan. Then west from Harlan to Woodbine. Somewhere in here, the clouds broke and the sun came out. At this point the weather was absolutely gorgeous and perfect for riding. In Woodbine, I had planned on going south but decided to take the back road to Pisgah as it is a wonderful road to ride. After a short break in Pisgah, we headed back a ways toward Woodbine and then went south to Missouri Valley. Fueled up and continued south to Cresent, Underwood, and into Neola. Found The Buck Snort but by now it was almost 3pm. While we didn't have time to eat now as we were going to be eating at 6. The owner invited us in anyway saying we could at least have a drink of some kind. Take a break. The Buck Snort is a very nice little place. The menu looks inviting and I expect we will be making a trip back over to eat there at some point. We all had something to drink and a few tried a snack. They had a fried bread pudding. Never heard of that. Didn't think it was anything special but was interesting. I was told the ice cream that came with it was very good.
We hung out here for awhile and a few bought T-Shirts before we decided it was time to hit the road again. Took the back roads in through Minden to Avoca where we stopped at the Motel 6 to check into our rooms. Time was running short so we headed back to Elk Horn for the evening meal and events afterwards. We missed what apparently were some very fun games and some camaraderie but we really did have a great day riding.
Got back in time for the meal. Ham with a pineapple glaze that Karen made. The glaze was a big hit with everyone and many asked for the recipe. Mashed taters and gravy, salad and desserts. I'm sure I missed stuff here too. Everything was very good. Thanks to Karen and her crew for putting on two wonderful meals. Well worth the cost of registration.
After dinner, they had some awards. Our own Harry Cinnamon got an award for all the work he does on the websites at his own cost on his own time. Thank you Harry for all you do. Another very big award was that Ben and Sherrill Ress were announced as the State Family of the year. They were up against another couple and brought home the goods. There were a number of other awards given out to members from various chapters. Our chapter got awarded $25 for having the largest attendance from an Iowa chapter. One award I was most proud to see was one that went to Darrell and Judy Peters for all their work as State Directors. It was very nice to see them. We have not seen much of them since Judy had the stroke. She seemed to be doing quite well this weekend and that was very nice to see.
Later on, they gave anyone that wanted to the opportunity to roast anyone they wanted. Jo Allen of chapter P roasted JR Green. We all presented him with a roll of toilet paper. I think there will be some pictures coming soon showing the results of that. After Jo Allen, I got up and I roasted two people. I roasted Harry for his fascination with redheads and Ray for a story about a lost shoe. If you'd like to hear more, get with me and I'll tell you the stories.
After this, things were officially over and we all began our exit. Cleaned up, said our goodbyes and took off. A few headed back home. 8 of us stayed at the Motel 6 in Avoca as we had planned a trip along old route 6 on the way home on Sunday. That plan changed as locals told us that road was in disrepair and not a real good road to take. If you are in the area and need a place to stay, I would recommend the Motel 6 here. The owner was most hospitable. He really went out of his way to make our stay a nice one.
Sunday we got up and headed north before coming back east. Ernie and Louise headed for home on their own as they had things that needed to get done. Didn't find any place to eat breakfast until we made way for Carroll. Mac's corner cafe is an interesting place. Food was pretty good. Worth the stop. From here, we headed to Ray and Judy's. Judy offered to feed us supper and who can turn down an invitation at Judy's Country Kitchen. We got there around noon I suppose and just spent the afternoon talking and having a good time. Later on, Ernie, Louise and Nick were able to come back up and have supper with us. As usual, Judy made a wonderful meal. More than all of us could eat. We all left stuffed. Some more conversation and we finally had to make our way home. Wanted to get out before it got dark. I didn't want to ride the gravel road after dark.
All in all, it was a very fun weekend. Glad to see everyone that made it out. Was nice to get a good ride in with friends.
3 bikes met at the Quiktrip in Grimes and left at 7am. We took Hwy 44 over and picked up Ray and Judy in Panora and continued our trip over to Elk Horn on Hwy 44. This is a nice road to take. Some nice scenery. When we took off, it was sunny and in the mid 40's. It was really pretty nice. By the time we got to Panora, the sky had clouded up, the wind came up and the temperature seemed to drop. It was a somewhat gloomy and cool ride the rest of the way over.
We arrived in Elk Horn around 9am. There were a few other people there when we arrived. Ben and Sherrill arrived about the same time we did. Glenn and Pat and Harry and Bev arrived later.
We bellied up for breakfast. I was a little reluctant to drive all the way over for breakfast, thinking we maybe should have eaten before we left but I am glad we did not. Breakfast turned out to be well worth the drive over. Scrambled eggs, biscuits and gravy and sausage links were all very good. I'm sure I forgot something but the point is, all the food was very good.
We hung out and talked for awhile kind of hoping the weather would break. I had made plans to do a ride and end up in Neola for lunch at The Buck Snort. Around 11:30 we finally decided to go for the ride. Still cool and overcast but we wanted to put some miles on. 8 of us took left for the ride. 2 went on their own ride and the rest stayed at the community center in Elk Horn to continue to mingle.
My plan was to get out, get some riding in, grab a bite at The Buck Snort and be back in time for the games. As many of you are aware, my plans usually do not go as I have planned. We took of north and then west to Harlan. Then west from Harlan to Woodbine. Somewhere in here, the clouds broke and the sun came out. At this point the weather was absolutely gorgeous and perfect for riding. In Woodbine, I had planned on going south but decided to take the back road to Pisgah as it is a wonderful road to ride. After a short break in Pisgah, we headed back a ways toward Woodbine and then went south to Missouri Valley. Fueled up and continued south to Cresent, Underwood, and into Neola. Found The Buck Snort but by now it was almost 3pm. While we didn't have time to eat now as we were going to be eating at 6. The owner invited us in anyway saying we could at least have a drink of some kind. Take a break. The Buck Snort is a very nice little place. The menu looks inviting and I expect we will be making a trip back over to eat there at some point. We all had something to drink and a few tried a snack. They had a fried bread pudding. Never heard of that. Didn't think it was anything special but was interesting. I was told the ice cream that came with it was very good.
We hung out here for awhile and a few bought T-Shirts before we decided it was time to hit the road again. Took the back roads in through Minden to Avoca where we stopped at the Motel 6 to check into our rooms. Time was running short so we headed back to Elk Horn for the evening meal and events afterwards. We missed what apparently were some very fun games and some camaraderie but we really did have a great day riding.
Got back in time for the meal. Ham with a pineapple glaze that Karen made. The glaze was a big hit with everyone and many asked for the recipe. Mashed taters and gravy, salad and desserts. I'm sure I missed stuff here too. Everything was very good. Thanks to Karen and her crew for putting on two wonderful meals. Well worth the cost of registration.
After dinner, they had some awards. Our own Harry Cinnamon got an award for all the work he does on the websites at his own cost on his own time. Thank you Harry for all you do. Another very big award was that Ben and Sherrill Ress were announced as the State Family of the year. They were up against another couple and brought home the goods. There were a number of other awards given out to members from various chapters. Our chapter got awarded $25 for having the largest attendance from an Iowa chapter. One award I was most proud to see was one that went to Darrell and Judy Peters for all their work as State Directors. It was very nice to see them. We have not seen much of them since Judy had the stroke. She seemed to be doing quite well this weekend and that was very nice to see.
Later on, they gave anyone that wanted to the opportunity to roast anyone they wanted. Jo Allen of chapter P roasted JR Green. We all presented him with a roll of toilet paper. I think there will be some pictures coming soon showing the results of that. After Jo Allen, I got up and I roasted two people. I roasted Harry for his fascination with redheads and Ray for a story about a lost shoe. If you'd like to hear more, get with me and I'll tell you the stories.
After this, things were officially over and we all began our exit. Cleaned up, said our goodbyes and took off. A few headed back home. 8 of us stayed at the Motel 6 in Avoca as we had planned a trip along old route 6 on the way home on Sunday. That plan changed as locals told us that road was in disrepair and not a real good road to take. If you are in the area and need a place to stay, I would recommend the Motel 6 here. The owner was most hospitable. He really went out of his way to make our stay a nice one.
Sunday we got up and headed north before coming back east. Ernie and Louise headed for home on their own as they had things that needed to get done. Didn't find any place to eat breakfast until we made way for Carroll. Mac's corner cafe is an interesting place. Food was pretty good. Worth the stop. From here, we headed to Ray and Judy's. Judy offered to feed us supper and who can turn down an invitation at Judy's Country Kitchen. We got there around noon I suppose and just spent the afternoon talking and having a good time. Later on, Ernie, Louise and Nick were able to come back up and have supper with us. As usual, Judy made a wonderful meal. More than all of us could eat. We all left stuffed. Some more conversation and we finally had to make our way home. Wanted to get out before it got dark. I didn't want to ride the gravel road after dark.
All in all, it was a very fun weekend. Glad to see everyone that made it out. Was nice to get a good ride in with friends.
Friday, April 26, 2013
2013 Motorcycle Safety Forum
Today, a few of us went to the motorcycle safety forum. It is put on by the state every year and they have vendors and speakers. They cover a wide variety of safety related topics and other stuff as well. Donna and I along with Sherrill and Glenn and Ernie and Louise were in attendance. Saw a lot of former members and lots of members from other organizations as well. Nice to see such a huge turnout at this event.
This year, the forum was moved to the varied industries building to accommodate a larger crowd. It has been in several places since we started attending these. Once in West Des Moines, once in Cedar Rapids and several in Ames. Last year they had 400 attendees and this year was projected to bring more and the facility in Ames just wouldn't hold more. I did not hear an official total this year but I'm pretty sure they had 500 or maybe more people show up this year.
The facility worked out pretty well. Lots of room for more vendors than I think they have ever had. Lots of vendors for the women as well. The conference area upstairs had plenty of room for the seminar.
For your $15 registration you got doughnuts, fruit, juice and coffee for breakfast. Snacks and drinks throughout the day and a lunch. This year was lasagna, with salad and breadsticks. It wasn't the best I've ever had but it was edible.
They also draw for quite a few door prizes and in the past, as well as this year, they have a drawing for a trailer. You get your choice of a cargo trailer or a bike hauling trailer. This year, they even drew for a motorcycle. When it came time to draw for the trailer, we were very surprised to hear that Pam Beverage, Chapter director of Chapter H, was holding the winning ticket. Congratulations to her. I'm sure she can put whichever trailer she chose to good use.
A few downers from my perspective. The meal was not the greatest as I've stated in my opinion but many enjoyed it. Many people don't know how to be quiet when a speaker is on stage. Too many sidebar conversations, many on cell phones were going on. Very rude in my book. The bathroom hand dryers were very noisy and drowned out some of the speakers. I don't know if this could have been negated if they had turned up the speakers or not. Lastly, some of the speakers had very dry topics with lots of statistics to talk about and this is very hard to make for something that will keep your attention and be entertaining. It is not always this way. Many years the speakers are very interesting and enlightening.
All in all, I highly recommend attending if it is at all possible for you to do so. It is always the last Friday in April. Keep it in mind and think about attending next year.
This year, the forum was moved to the varied industries building to accommodate a larger crowd. It has been in several places since we started attending these. Once in West Des Moines, once in Cedar Rapids and several in Ames. Last year they had 400 attendees and this year was projected to bring more and the facility in Ames just wouldn't hold more. I did not hear an official total this year but I'm pretty sure they had 500 or maybe more people show up this year.
The facility worked out pretty well. Lots of room for more vendors than I think they have ever had. Lots of vendors for the women as well. The conference area upstairs had plenty of room for the seminar.
For your $15 registration you got doughnuts, fruit, juice and coffee for breakfast. Snacks and drinks throughout the day and a lunch. This year was lasagna, with salad and breadsticks. It wasn't the best I've ever had but it was edible.
They also draw for quite a few door prizes and in the past, as well as this year, they have a drawing for a trailer. You get your choice of a cargo trailer or a bike hauling trailer. This year, they even drew for a motorcycle. When it came time to draw for the trailer, we were very surprised to hear that Pam Beverage, Chapter director of Chapter H, was holding the winning ticket. Congratulations to her. I'm sure she can put whichever trailer she chose to good use.
A few downers from my perspective. The meal was not the greatest as I've stated in my opinion but many enjoyed it. Many people don't know how to be quiet when a speaker is on stage. Too many sidebar conversations, many on cell phones were going on. Very rude in my book. The bathroom hand dryers were very noisy and drowned out some of the speakers. I don't know if this could have been negated if they had turned up the speakers or not. Lastly, some of the speakers had very dry topics with lots of statistics to talk about and this is very hard to make for something that will keep your attention and be entertaining. It is not always this way. Many years the speakers are very interesting and enlightening.
All in all, I highly recommend attending if it is at all possible for you to do so. It is always the last Friday in April. Keep it in mind and think about attending next year.
Sunday, March 31, 2013
Western Iowa Cycle Riders Dinner
March 30, 2013
Donna and I along with Ray and Judy Busch met up and went over to Denison for the yearly business meeting of the Western Iowa Cycle Riders.
This is a group of people, spread out quite a bit but who still enjoy getting together and sharing the fun of motorcycling.
Donna and I have been members in this group, off and on for a few years. This would be Ray and Judy's first time.
We drove up to Ray and Judy's in time to visit for awhile and of course Judy had to force her homemade ice cream down my throat. Those of you that know me, know it wasn't much of a force job. Donna also got to try some cupcakes that Judy had made using Donna's newest adult beverage addiction, RumChata. I tried a little piece and they were very good.
We piled in to Ray and Judy's car and made the trip across Hwy 30 to Denison to Cronk's Cafe Restaurant and Lounge where they have had this dinner for a few years now. Nice place. Food is very good. Nice buffet dinner.
We got there just after the social hour had started. After paying our membership dues, cheap at $13 per person (this then gets you your dinner as well), we sat down and it didn't take long to start meeting new people. They are a bunch of very nice people. Not a young crowd but then again, I'm not that young. Average age of this group is probably a little higher than most of the other groups we ride with but that is no matter. Still a bunch of fun people to get together with.
During social hour, Ray met a couple of people he know from the past and hadn't seen in some time. One guy he used to have a common interest of flying ultralight aircrafts. They talked for some time and it was neat to listen to their stories. We found out there are several people from Jefferson which is just a hop, skip and a jump from Ray and Judy. They may run into each other more often.
About 6pm, after a quick greeting from the clubs president, they started sending us in to the buffet line. Really didn't take long to get in line and get your food. Plenty of good food and if you went away hungry, it was definitely your own fault.
After dinner, they always have their business meeting. They elect some officers, go over old and new business, discuss the finances etc. They are good at keeping it pretty short.
Also discussed is there rides. They have 5 rides. One each month from June - October. This year October may be something different, still in limbo at this point. However, usually what happens is they have a poker run starting in whatever town decided to do it for that month. After the run, they feed you and have prizes. $10 per person registration. They always seem to have good rides set up and the food is always good. Made by the members. They also have something the call their Iowa Tour or something like that I think. Anyway, what it is, is different sights to see throughout the state. Some sort of theme is used. This year, they are highlighting train depots. Kind of a fun way to get you to get out and travel the state.
This year, Donna and I volunteered, along with 2 other couples, to help out with the Iowa Tour for next year so we will be looking for some ideas as to what might be an interesting theme of things to see throughout the state that people can plan rides to next year.
After all this was done, meeting was adjourned and people packed up and went home. We headed back to Ray and Judy's and visited more before realizing it was getting very late and headed for home.
I will post their rides and Tour as soon as they send them to me. Be on the lookout.
Next years meeting will be March 29th once again at Cronk's in Denison.
If you can make it, you should plan on doing so. It is always a good time.
Donna and I along with Ray and Judy Busch met up and went over to Denison for the yearly business meeting of the Western Iowa Cycle Riders.
This is a group of people, spread out quite a bit but who still enjoy getting together and sharing the fun of motorcycling.
Donna and I have been members in this group, off and on for a few years. This would be Ray and Judy's first time.
We drove up to Ray and Judy's in time to visit for awhile and of course Judy had to force her homemade ice cream down my throat. Those of you that know me, know it wasn't much of a force job. Donna also got to try some cupcakes that Judy had made using Donna's newest adult beverage addiction, RumChata. I tried a little piece and they were very good.
We piled in to Ray and Judy's car and made the trip across Hwy 30 to Denison to Cronk's Cafe Restaurant and Lounge where they have had this dinner for a few years now. Nice place. Food is very good. Nice buffet dinner.
We got there just after the social hour had started. After paying our membership dues, cheap at $13 per person (this then gets you your dinner as well), we sat down and it didn't take long to start meeting new people. They are a bunch of very nice people. Not a young crowd but then again, I'm not that young. Average age of this group is probably a little higher than most of the other groups we ride with but that is no matter. Still a bunch of fun people to get together with.
During social hour, Ray met a couple of people he know from the past and hadn't seen in some time. One guy he used to have a common interest of flying ultralight aircrafts. They talked for some time and it was neat to listen to their stories. We found out there are several people from Jefferson which is just a hop, skip and a jump from Ray and Judy. They may run into each other more often.
About 6pm, after a quick greeting from the clubs president, they started sending us in to the buffet line. Really didn't take long to get in line and get your food. Plenty of good food and if you went away hungry, it was definitely your own fault.
After dinner, they always have their business meeting. They elect some officers, go over old and new business, discuss the finances etc. They are good at keeping it pretty short.
Also discussed is there rides. They have 5 rides. One each month from June - October. This year October may be something different, still in limbo at this point. However, usually what happens is they have a poker run starting in whatever town decided to do it for that month. After the run, they feed you and have prizes. $10 per person registration. They always seem to have good rides set up and the food is always good. Made by the members. They also have something the call their Iowa Tour or something like that I think. Anyway, what it is, is different sights to see throughout the state. Some sort of theme is used. This year, they are highlighting train depots. Kind of a fun way to get you to get out and travel the state.
This year, Donna and I volunteered, along with 2 other couples, to help out with the Iowa Tour for next year so we will be looking for some ideas as to what might be an interesting theme of things to see throughout the state that people can plan rides to next year.
After all this was done, meeting was adjourned and people packed up and went home. We headed back to Ray and Judy's and visited more before realizing it was getting very late and headed for home.
I will post their rides and Tour as soon as they send them to me. Be on the lookout.
Next years meeting will be March 29th once again at Cronk's in Denison.
If you can make it, you should plan on doing so. It is always a good time.
Tuesday, March 26, 2013
Bowling night 3-25-2013
Well we ended up with 15 people at Warrior Lanes in Waukee for a
chapter bowling get together just for the fun of it. A couple of guests
joined us and that was just fine. The more the merrier. 10 actually
bowled. The rest just hung out and visited and rooted the rest of us on.
We did not burn up the lanes tonight. No one seemed to have a handle on getting the ball to do what they wanted it to do. No worries. Was still a lot of fun.
We got a good deal on the lanes. $8.95 per bowler for 2 hours of bowling. This worked out to let us get two games in. This price included shoes as well. Food was decent. At least mine was. Not too badly priced. They really worked with us well. We learned a couple of things. First, for this kind of event, we cannot pay individually so next time, we all have to bring cash. Second, they said we could do this pretty much any time we wanted. This is something we were not being able to get other facilities to do for us, they seem to be booked up with leagues and they are all much higher priced. At least right now.
I think this will be a place we will make a return visit to. Just a fun way to get together and have some fun. Thanks to Sherrill Ress for recommending Warrior Lanes. It worked out much better than our last outing at Val Lanes. Much nicer facility as well.
If you didn't make it tonight, maybe you can join us next time.
Take care
Dennis
We did not burn up the lanes tonight. No one seemed to have a handle on getting the ball to do what they wanted it to do. No worries. Was still a lot of fun.
We got a good deal on the lanes. $8.95 per bowler for 2 hours of bowling. This worked out to let us get two games in. This price included shoes as well. Food was decent. At least mine was. Not too badly priced. They really worked with us well. We learned a couple of things. First, for this kind of event, we cannot pay individually so next time, we all have to bring cash. Second, they said we could do this pretty much any time we wanted. This is something we were not being able to get other facilities to do for us, they seem to be booked up with leagues and they are all much higher priced. At least right now.
I think this will be a place we will make a return visit to. Just a fun way to get together and have some fun. Thanks to Sherrill Ress for recommending Warrior Lanes. It worked out much better than our last outing at Val Lanes. Much nicer facility as well.
If you didn't make it tonight, maybe you can join us next time.
Take care
Dennis
Monday, March 18, 2013
Spring Breakout 2013
Donna and I, along with Ray and Judy Busch, took a road trip and went to Springfield Illinois this past weekend to attend the Illinois GWTA State event called Spring Breakout. They have this every year about this time. We had a good time and I’m going to do a recap here for those that might be interested. If you can find the time to make this event, I think you will enjoy it. They had around 55 people show up this year which is one of the largest groups I’ve seen go to this event and it was nice to see that many people get together to have a good time.
We left on Friday morning. Donna and I both took the day off. Being as we had this extra time to get there, I decided not to take the most expedite route. Just decided to kind of zigzag down south and east through Iowa. Wanted to do the more scenic route and check out some roads for motorcycle trips.
We stopped in Albia at the Main Street Café for breakfast. A small very quaint place. Homemade food. We watched a lot of our food being prepared the old fashioned way. And we watched the owner finish up making a homemade strawberry pie. Food was good and our conversations with the owner and the other workers was fun. I highly recommend this place if you are in the area.
After breakfast we continued on south and east. I missed my turn to the route I was going to take on the way down ( me? Miss a turn? Who would believe that? LOL ) so we ended up in Missouri crossing over on Hwy 24 into Quincy Illinois where we picked up the interstate and made a more direct route to Springfield. After getting to our hotel, where we met up with Jo and Bryan from Chapter P, we took a little rest and then went out and grabbed a quick bite to eat and then headed to the host hotel. Bob and Pam Beverage from Chapter H also were in attendance and we met them at the host hotel.
The real event doesn’t start until Saturday but on Friday night they get together informally and just play some games or converse. Just enjoying each other’s company. It’s a good time to get to know people who you may have never met or who you may not see very often.
On Saturday, after a brief state meeting, they start the festivities. They
started with the opening ceremonies recognizing the attendees and
going over the schedule. After that, the fun begins. They always have
dirty bingo. This can be fun, we opted to do it at Thaw this year, and
they always make it a good time. If you don’t know what dirty bingo is,
get with us sometime and we can explain it. It really is pretty fun.
They also have a domino tournament, an auction, and 50/50 throughout
the weekend.
This year, we opted to explore the area instead of participating in the
games and whatnot at the hotel. We decided to explore some stuff
along Route 66. We stopped at an antique store at Williamsville north
of Springfield. Not really my cup of tea but it was a nice place and we
saw some neat stuff. After that, we ended up in Atlanta at a place
called Palm’s Grill. This place has been there since the late 1930’s. A
neat little place with a lot of history. Food was good. We tried a local
dish called a Volcano Pony. This is something they call a pony show,
which is a piece of bread with whatever meat you want on top of that
covered in homemade fries with a cheese sauce on top of that. To
make it a volcano shoe, they put homemade chili on top of that. Both
of us couples decided to each split one of these dishes and it’s a good
thing we did. Each plate full was enough for two people. We all
decided it was a fun thing to try but would probably not order it again.
Most didn’t like the cheese sauce. Either the flavor or the fact that
there was so much of it. Donna and Judy came up with some ideas on
how they would improve upon this dish. I will say, the chili they put on
top was very flavorful. I think the next time I go there, I would try a
couple of dishes one of the local regulars suggested. He highly
recommended a couple of things that are not on the menu but he says
they will make it for you anyway. He says the chicken strips are
excellent as well as the monte cristo. Both homemade. He did say to
stay away from the fish as it is not homemade. I tried a shake and it
was good but nothing super special. Donna and Judy tried some of
their homemade pie and both said it was really good.
After our stop in Atlanta, we meandered back towards Springfield to
be back in time for their supper. We just took it easy, on some back
roads and went through a couple of small towns checking out the historic sites in the area.
We got back just about the time our supper was being delivered. I personally thought the meal this year was very good. They had pulled beef and pork along with homemade potato salad and green beans. I enjoyed this meal more than any I have had there in the past. There was also plenty of snacks and drinks throughout this event provided by our hosts. You don’t go hungry here unless you don’t care for what they provide.
After supper, they had a short safety lecture. Some decent information put out and some good discussion. After that, we had a magic show put on by one of the members. He was very nervous and he obviously doesn’t do this professionally but he did a good job. Some tricks are better than others but he puts on a good show. After that, some got together to play more games and others just sat around and talked. We all had some good conversations with a number of the attendees. Around 10, we decided it was time to call it a night and headed back to the hotel to get some sleep for the trip back home.
Got up Sunday, had a quick bite for breakfast at the hotel and hit the road back. I checked out the maps and located the way I had planned on coming in and decided we would run this route backwards to make our way home. Coming out of Springfield on Hwy 125 to the north and west up to Macomb where we picked up Hwy 136 which takes you all the way into Keokuk. These roads are worth taking if you’re in the area riding. Or driving for that matter. From Keokuk we zigzagged up to Keosauqua, again on some nice motorcycling roads, where we stopped at Misty’s Malt Shop for a quick bite for lunch. Sadly, it seems as if the food is not as good as we remember it when Ben and Sherrill and Donna and I attended the State Line Rally in Keosauqua a few years ago. Judy had a grilled tenderloin and it was good. However, my loose beef sandwich and Donna’s hamburger did not seem to be of the quality we had when we last visited them. Ray had some ice cream and it was still very good.
After Keosauqua, we meandered over to Drakesville to show Ray a bar and grill that he has a t-shirt from. Eilene Baber gave him a shirt from here but he has never been to this place. It is called Ray’s. We plan on making a trip there this summer so we can all visit this establishment. From Drakesville, we went up to Blakesburg where there is an Air Power Museum that I thought Ray would be interested in since he has had some planes in his days. It is a neat display of stuff and if you are in the area, you should drop in and check it out. After this, we just pretty much made our way home. Back up Hwy 5 where they dropped us off at our house before making their way home.
This was a nice get away. Always fun to do trips like this with friends. Try some new things and share the experiences with one another.
If you can find the time, I would recommend putting this event on your schedule for next year. The event is fun and there is a lot you can do around Springfield with all the historic sights. No official date yet but it should be about the 3rd weekend in March. We will let you all know when we know more.
We left on Friday morning. Donna and I both took the day off. Being as we had this extra time to get there, I decided not to take the most expedite route. Just decided to kind of zigzag down south and east through Iowa. Wanted to do the more scenic route and check out some roads for motorcycle trips.
We stopped in Albia at the Main Street Café for breakfast. A small very quaint place. Homemade food. We watched a lot of our food being prepared the old fashioned way. And we watched the owner finish up making a homemade strawberry pie. Food was good and our conversations with the owner and the other workers was fun. I highly recommend this place if you are in the area.
After breakfast we continued on south and east. I missed my turn to the route I was going to take on the way down ( me? Miss a turn? Who would believe that? LOL ) so we ended up in Missouri crossing over on Hwy 24 into Quincy Illinois where we picked up the interstate and made a more direct route to Springfield. After getting to our hotel, where we met up with Jo and Bryan from Chapter P, we took a little rest and then went out and grabbed a quick bite to eat and then headed to the host hotel. Bob and Pam Beverage from Chapter H also were in attendance and we met them at the host hotel.
The real event doesn’t start until Saturday but on Friday night they get together informally and just play some games or converse. Just enjoying each other’s company. It’s a good time to get to know people who you may have never met or who you may not see very often.
On Saturday, after a brief state meeting, they start the festivities. They
started with the opening ceremonies recognizing the attendees and
going over the schedule. After that, the fun begins. They always have
dirty bingo. This can be fun, we opted to do it at Thaw this year, and
they always make it a good time. If you don’t know what dirty bingo is,
get with us sometime and we can explain it. It really is pretty fun.
They also have a domino tournament, an auction, and 50/50 throughout
the weekend.
This year, we opted to explore the area instead of participating in the
games and whatnot at the hotel. We decided to explore some stuff
along Route 66. We stopped at an antique store at Williamsville north
of Springfield. Not really my cup of tea but it was a nice place and we
saw some neat stuff. After that, we ended up in Atlanta at a place
called Palm’s Grill. This place has been there since the late 1930’s. A
neat little place with a lot of history. Food was good. We tried a local
dish called a Volcano Pony. This is something they call a pony show,
which is a piece of bread with whatever meat you want on top of that
covered in homemade fries with a cheese sauce on top of that. To
make it a volcano shoe, they put homemade chili on top of that. Both
of us couples decided to each split one of these dishes and it’s a good
thing we did. Each plate full was enough for two people. We all
decided it was a fun thing to try but would probably not order it again.
Most didn’t like the cheese sauce. Either the flavor or the fact that
there was so much of it. Donna and Judy came up with some ideas on
how they would improve upon this dish. I will say, the chili they put on
top was very flavorful. I think the next time I go there, I would try a
couple of dishes one of the local regulars suggested. He highly
recommended a couple of things that are not on the menu but he says
they will make it for you anyway. He says the chicken strips are
excellent as well as the monte cristo. Both homemade. He did say to
stay away from the fish as it is not homemade. I tried a shake and it
was good but nothing super special. Donna and Judy tried some of
their homemade pie and both said it was really good.
After our stop in Atlanta, we meandered back towards Springfield to
be back in time for their supper. We just took it easy, on some back
roads and went through a couple of small towns checking out the historic sites in the area.
We got back just about the time our supper was being delivered. I personally thought the meal this year was very good. They had pulled beef and pork along with homemade potato salad and green beans. I enjoyed this meal more than any I have had there in the past. There was also plenty of snacks and drinks throughout this event provided by our hosts. You don’t go hungry here unless you don’t care for what they provide.
After supper, they had a short safety lecture. Some decent information put out and some good discussion. After that, we had a magic show put on by one of the members. He was very nervous and he obviously doesn’t do this professionally but he did a good job. Some tricks are better than others but he puts on a good show. After that, some got together to play more games and others just sat around and talked. We all had some good conversations with a number of the attendees. Around 10, we decided it was time to call it a night and headed back to the hotel to get some sleep for the trip back home.
Got up Sunday, had a quick bite for breakfast at the hotel and hit the road back. I checked out the maps and located the way I had planned on coming in and decided we would run this route backwards to make our way home. Coming out of Springfield on Hwy 125 to the north and west up to Macomb where we picked up Hwy 136 which takes you all the way into Keokuk. These roads are worth taking if you’re in the area riding. Or driving for that matter. From Keokuk we zigzagged up to Keosauqua, again on some nice motorcycling roads, where we stopped at Misty’s Malt Shop for a quick bite for lunch. Sadly, it seems as if the food is not as good as we remember it when Ben and Sherrill and Donna and I attended the State Line Rally in Keosauqua a few years ago. Judy had a grilled tenderloin and it was good. However, my loose beef sandwich and Donna’s hamburger did not seem to be of the quality we had when we last visited them. Ray had some ice cream and it was still very good.
After Keosauqua, we meandered over to Drakesville to show Ray a bar and grill that he has a t-shirt from. Eilene Baber gave him a shirt from here but he has never been to this place. It is called Ray’s. We plan on making a trip there this summer so we can all visit this establishment. From Drakesville, we went up to Blakesburg where there is an Air Power Museum that I thought Ray would be interested in since he has had some planes in his days. It is a neat display of stuff and if you are in the area, you should drop in and check it out. After this, we just pretty much made our way home. Back up Hwy 5 where they dropped us off at our house before making their way home.
This was a nice get away. Always fun to do trips like this with friends. Try some new things and share the experiences with one another.
If you can find the time, I would recommend putting this event on your schedule for next year. The event is fun and there is a lot you can do around Springfield with all the historic sights. No official date yet but it should be about the 3rd weekend in March. We will let you all know when we know more.
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