The Thin Blue Ride - Part 1 - Supplemental Report 1

Supplemental Report:

Just a quick note to inform the reader that we're en-route to the Grand Canyon.  I'm posting simply because there is no cell service and only (very) limited wi-fi at the Grand Canyon. The Park Service having apparently been overtaken by a bunch of savages, this of course means that I'll be unable to post until we return to civilization.  Right now, it looks like that will be the evening of the 29th.

Until then, I'll leave you with this...

Internet bonus points to the reader who can predict what picture will show up when I post after leaving the Grand Canyon.

Until next time...

The Thin Blue Ride - Part 1 - Day 3

Albequerque, NM to Petrified Forest National Park, AZ:  243 miles

Ride Report:  26 miles, 26 total miles, 15.1 mph avg, 2017 calories, 1,112 ft. climbing.

A busy, and unusual, day - so let us get straight to the matter at hand.

It began as a normal travel day: 243 miles...

Gotta say that the scenery was better today.  While I still won't call rock formations "pretty" I've  concluded that they can be visually stimulating.

How this one ends up in the middle of a flat(ish) plain I've no idea.

We made our 5th state today.  Arizona, as the astute reader will note.  Gotta hand it to Arizona, they know where to draw a state line that gives the sign some pop.  Check out that backdrop.  Coincidence?  Me thinks not.

Interestingly we crossed the continental divide today.  It was a rather mundane affair.  The people who decided where to place the continental divide should consult with the people who decided where to draw the state line for Arizona.

Susan saw this sign and got all excited.  Apparently this casino has space to park the "big rigs".  I was driving.  We didn't stop.

So, at the conclusion of the drive we found ourselves at the entrance to the Petrified Forest.  I believe there may be one in California, where locals are still debating who should be held responsible for felling these old growth trees...

Interestingly, our presence at the entrance presented me with the rare opportunity to ride thru a 270 million year old petrified forest.  We decided that I'd get out and go by bike while Susan drove The Rig and would leap frog me thru the park.  We paid our money and in we went.  There are a number of interesting things in the park and the pics below will recount them in no particular order.

This Studebaker (I believe it was a 32 - but don't hold me to this) was located where the original Route 66 passed thru the park.  Another intrepid tourist took this pic for me.  I think I look kinda like Clyde Barrow.  (Think Bonnie and Clyde)  That would make Susan Bonnie...

This is the, "that hill is gonna suck" face.  While it may be difficult for the reader to make out, the road climbs to the top of the bluff behind me.

Delta got out to stretch his legs today and found this photo op too good to miss.

Then he cajoled me into posing with him for this one.  It was taken by a very nice Chinese tourist.  I later saw him snapping a pic of me at another viewpoint.  I think he was enamored of the spandex pants.  Note the fetching red bands around the bottom of the legs.  They're all the rage in communist China.

At the conclusion of the ride and at the south end of the park there are a number of fallen, petrified logs around which the Park Service suffers tourists to meander.  We traded taking pics with some other folks.  These things were scattered over all the hillsides in the area.

And finally, at the south end of the park there are two tourist trap restaurant/souvenir shops - one of which allows people to set up in their parking lot.  Hey - its free.

Finally, the reader may wonder what this pic is doing here...

This is my Dad and me in the fall of 1979 in front of the apartment building in Manhattan, KS where Susan and I lived right after we got married. It was a great day.  He rode down with my sister Deanna. (We all later learned that he let Deanna drive - she was maybe 16 then?) Deanna stayed with Susan while Dad and I toured Ft. Riley where I was assigned as an MP at the time.  The story here is that I had always thought I'd like to own Dad's Moto Guzzi some day and refurbish it.  Many years later I inquired of Dad concerning the bike only to learn that he had sold it.  He never sold anything!  But for some reason he sold the bike.  I tracked it thru two additional owners, it had been stolen once.  But I lost the scent when the second owner told me he sold it to a guy in Australia.  Seriously.  He even sent me pics of the bike being loaded for transport to Australia - of all places.  But the pics did help me confirm it was a 1972 Moto Guzzi El-Dorado.  So much for finding that specific bike. I began looking for the same make/model...

The two pics below are of a 1972 Moto Guzzi El-Dorado - just like the one Dad sits astride in the pic.

I bought it this morning from a nice gentleman in Albuquerque who was forced to sell it for health reasons after having spent 3 1/2 years rebuilding it. He put 120 miles on it since the rebuild.  That's him in the background of the second pic. I was forced to buy it for sentimental reasons.  One does what one can to keep memories alive.  And I would be remiss if I didn't thank Susan, who supported me finding one and making the purchase.  (My theory is that all men marry up.  I certainly did.)  It still sits in the former owner's garage in Albuquerque - we'll be back to pick it up when we make it back to Manhattan after The Thin Blue Ride concludes.

Till next time.

The Thin Blue Ride - Part 1 - Day 2

Liberal, KS to Albuquerque, NM:  380 miles.

Ride Report: None - Travel Day

It was a four bagger today: Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas and finally, New Mexico.  We were wheels up at about 0700 this morning and arrived at the RV park in Albuquerque by 1430.  It was at this point that I learned the first reason not to live here - ya hafta learn how to spell it.  For a guy who spells "have to" as "hafta" this is a big deal.  There are other reasons - this will come later...

As far as the first 6 1/2 hours of the trip are concerned, it went pretty well.  There was that one rain squall in Oklahoma that Susan had to drive thru, but she didn't bat an eye.  To a Teamster squalls are as mist to mere mortals.  In fact, I would go so far as to classify the day as pleasant.  We had a tail wind and it was just generally a good travel day.  Until...

Oklahoma.  I may have made passing reference to Oklahoma's roads in a Texas Test Flight blog.  Suffice it to say that my initial suspicions were confirmed.  I'm pretty sure that the battleship Oklahoma could have floated in some of the potholes encountered during the rain squall.  And Oklahoma makes no pretenses about it.  We were in Kansas and the roads were fine.  And then we were in Oklahoma and they weren't.  I'll just leave it at that.

Ah yes, back to the other reason not to live in A-town.  (I've tired of looking up how to spell it.)  Let me be succinct: WIND.  Holy Cow Batman!  The last hour of the trip today was probably the windiest day on which I've ever had the misfortune to drive a car.  As an added bonus, I wasn't driving a car, I was driving The Rig.  So - Susan and I had planned to split the last hour of driving with her going first.  She didn't want to drive into A-town.  No problem, we'd each have thirty miles on either side of Moriaty, NM.  But when the wind shifted it did so with a vengeance.  Steady winds in the mid to upper 20s with gusts to 50.  Teamsters refer to this as a "mild breeze", but I was edgy.  Neither are Teamsters troubled by the sound of rumble strips passing beneath their tires.  She was cool as a cucumber.  I like cucumbers...  Then I took over for the last 30 miles.

Now I was cool as a cucumber.  However, teamsters apparently have to be in actual physical control of the vehicle to remain cool?  This is a mystery to me.  Actually, I exaggerate just a tad.  Susan gave me no grief during my time behind the wheel - which is good - cause the wind gave me plenty.  I'll just describe the experience as unpleasant and move on.  But we made it to A-town on time and in one piece, if you don't count the lost gas cap.  I don't know what happened.  It was there the last time I looked.  Prolly the wind.  That's my story and I'm sticking to it.  My only other alternative is to blame the Teamsters and I don't wanna end up like Jimmy Hoffa.

Now on to today's pics...

This little church was in the middle of nowhere Texas.  There's a lot of that in Texas, but then its a big state which may mitigate Texas' culpability in the matter.

There is also a lotta nowhere in New Mexico.  Neither Susan or I had ever been to the state before.  There is some pretty scenery and a lot of sage brush, which falls into a different category than pretty.

New Mexico does, however, have some unique (if not pretty) rock formations.  In fact, New Mexico has an abundance of rock.  I dunno what the cows eat out there, but I saw several moseying along with their heads down just like cows in Kansas do when they eat grass.  From this I was left conclude that New Mexico cattlemen have developed a breed of cows that eat sand.

Repeat...  Hey - I had nothing better to do.

This is how New Mexico lays claim to pretty rocks.  If the reader disagrees I recommend placement in the "visually stimulating" category.

Home for the night.  the KOA near I-40 in A-town.

And let me close with this.  Tomorrow may turn out to be interesting.  Should that prove to be the case you can read all about it...tomorrow.  If not, the reader will never know.

Till next time.

The Thin Blue Ride - Part 1 - Day 1

Manhattan, KS to Liberal, KS:  304 miles

Ride Report: None - Travel Day

Today is the day that all the planning, the hopes and dreams, the work to recover from Spot's inadvertent encounter with the mini-van, repair work on The Rig, Susan signing on with the plan (Though there wasn't one at the time - God bless her), all of that stuff.  Today was the day it all came together.  After closing down the house we stopped in the yard for a quick pic, a short prayer and...

WE WERE OFF!

We pulled out of Manhattan at about 1045 on the way West.

Somewhere after Ellsworth and while Susan was driving, I started giggling and slapping my leg.  I know, I know - normally Susan slaps me.  (I'm not saying her doing so is unwarranted, just that its unusual for her to have me do it myself.)  But I digress - it finally struck me - we were on the way!

So, this is how things set up.  I’ll be chronicling The Thin Blue Ride in three parts.  First, the trip from Manhattan, KS to Astoria, OR via the RV - known colloquially as “The Rig”.  I personally find this a bit over the top, but Susan insists.  Second, the trip from Astoria, OR to Yorktown, VA via bike (me) and RV (Susan).  Third, the trip from Yorktown, VA to Manhattan, KS via The Rig.  I proffer this information as a means of informing the reader concerning what to expect by simply checking out the title of each blog.  So - there ya go - you’re all organized now.

Part 1 should be interesting.  We’ve some great stuff planned, a couple of national parks being high on the list.  Higher still, our 40th anniversary.  (An aside - where did the years go?  I may post a wedding day pic in honor of the big occasion.  Good Lord, I look like I was 12.  Susan looks like she was 14.  From this the reader may draw his/her own conclusions.)  I shall say nothing more or I might be in trouble...

Part 2 is pretty straightforward.  Ride.  Ride again.  Ride some more.  Repeat.  Rest day.  How tough can it be?  That said, the first half of the country will be more structured.  We're on a time line.  Our son Keith and his wife Kerrie are flying out to join us for a week in Yellowstone and the Tetons.  Then Kelsy and her husband Parker are gonna do a few days with us starting at Breckenridge.  I know, I know.  Hoosier Pass.  I told em.  Training has been a bit tough for them tho, what with the 13 INCHES of snow they got a couple of days ago.  Ready made excuse?  Time will tell.  However, we have no such constraints for the second (Eastern) half of the country.  We've already decided that our approach may change for the second half or it may stay the same.  We shall see.

Part 3 may get a bit messy as we’ve agreed to avoid planning the post bike ride part of the trip and just let whimsy take us where it may.  (People who know me say my middle name is Whimsy, just ask around.)  Susan has a friend on the East coast we'd like to see.  A former employee and friend from RCPD has taken up residence in Maine and invited us to spend a couple of days.  We may get distracted on the way back if the fall colors are changing as we pass thru.  We'll just make it up as we go along.

So, to get things started...

Theses are cups my sister, Deanna, made for each of us in honor of the trip.  Mine has the ride logo and Susan’s has the Powercat.  They’re really cool.  Somehow she figured out a way to paint them and then coat them in clear epoxy.  They started out as silver Yeti type cups.  Amazing.

We decided we needed one more pic in front of KSU stadium.  This time with The Rig - note the new striping.  Can’t recall if the reader has seen it yet or not,  When we got back from the Texas Test Flight, we had to have a couple of things re-done - to include the logo on the front.  It’s all as envisioned now.

I don't know if you've noticed, but its been raining biblical amounts lately.  From our perspective on the way to Liberal, this is true of pretty much the entire state.  This shot is from around Salina, KS.  But it didn't matter where we were.  There was standing water and full creeks all the way to Liberal. Now understand that Liberal is the province of yucca and sage brush - more commonly seen in dry environments.  Liberal is close to that step on the rainfall chart where cactus and gila monsters exist.  (Google it)  This, no doubt, has engendered many complaints from the local fauna - farmacus complainus alotus.  Farmers feel the same way about rain that cyclists feel about wind.  They've never met one they liked.  (Of the rain...) It fell all at once, it fell so slow that I had to delay my field work,  there was too much, there isn't enough, it was too wet - you get the picture.  OK - I made that last one up.  But I'll issue internet bonus points to any reader with a verified sighting of an actual farmacus complainus alotus saying this.  I'll need video...

There was just a whole lotta this today...

For the uninitiated these are wind powered turbine electrical generators.  Windmills.

These things are HUGE!  I've been on bike rides and had components pass me on the highway.  I don't know how long the blades are, but I'm gonna guess around 150 feet.  That's about half a standard city block.  I wonder what the power company is gonna do with them in 20 years when they start looking worn and rusty.  Be a great set for some post apocalyptic movie.  I can just picture Mel Gibson (If you're under 30 Google him.  If you're under 19 never mind, just imagine a video game.) crashing around in some beat up pickup with horns on the front and a grill made of old railroad rails.

So there you have it.  My ramblings for the day.  Tomorrow is the longest day of our trip.  We plan to make Albuquerque.  Yowza.

Till next time.

WE’RE BAAAAAACK

Yeah - that was my best Jack Nicholson.  Apologies to Jack Nicholson fans everywhere.

Won’t take long with this post, just wanted to let everyone know that today we drove back to Manhattan from Downs.  While we both grew up in Downs, and will always consider it home, we’ve lived in Manhattan since 1976 (Susan) and 1978 (Brad) and consider it HOME.  This is how you know you’re home...

Not a better burger/french fry/wife combination in Manhattan.

Absolutely not a better stadium/selfie combination in the Big 12.  And yes, sorry Texans, this includes any stadium in Texas.

Till next time.

TEXAS TEST FLIGHT - DAY 23 (Final Texas Blog)

Ride report: None as it was a planned travel day from Wichita, KS to Downs, KS...

So, this is pretty much the end of the line for the Texas Test Flight series.  I’ll post additional blogs, but likely as The Thin Blue Ride approaches.  That was kinda the plan all along, post when I actually have something to say.  For me that’s more frequent than not, but we’ve got plenty to do in the run-up for The Thin Blue Ride.  Hope this doesn’t disappoint (Actually - that’s a lie.  It would stoke my ego if it did disappoint.) But regardless, the reader will notice from this point until around May 22nd that the number of posts drop off.  Let the reader be warned.

This doesn’t, of course, mean that I don’t have anything to post today.  But most of what I have is linked directly to pics.  So, let us get to the point at hand...

So, last night Susan is browsing the interweb (the whole thing apparently) and stumbles across this.  Not sure what sort of Google search one asks for to find this, but here it is none-the-less.  For the record, I saw only one snake on the entire trip.  Though I didn't mention it in the blog for the day, I saw about an 18 inch snake in the low water crossing the day I took an unplanned bath.  It caused me no alarm and swam off laughing.  As events transpired, I didn't believe it merited attention.

As we're pulling out of the RV Park this morning to head for Downs, I noticed this.  Its not every day that one runs across a golf cart with a roof rack.  Hey - this was a high class place.

Speaking of high class place, we were passed by this on the road between Wichita and Salina.

It turned into this...

Holy crap!  This thing took 5 minutes to get past us.  I'm not sure what's in that trailer, but its as long as the motorhome, which probably was in the neighborhood of 45 feet.  Since most people with a motorhome this large also tow a vehicle for every day use, I was left to conclude that these people are NHRA types who keep their top fuel dragster in it.  Make for a quick trip to the grocery store, me thinks.

Kansas wildflowers.  They haven't apparently had time to spray em yet.  We also call em weeds in these parts.

Some may have wondered why we're going to Downs rather than Manhattan - our home base. Turns out, its for no less auspicious an occasion than the 88th birthday of Susan’s Dad - Howard.  See pic below...

Kinda a big deal, tons of relatives coming in, lotsa food, you know the drill.

Oh - I almost forgot.  My sister Deanna was the winner of the birthday cake quiz.  It was a spirited competition with three readers having the correct response.  Hers was first.  I'm disappointed that the other 6 of you couldn't figure it out. The answer is that the M&Ms were my age.  Blue ones for decades and all the others for years - 59.

As promised, she wins 100 internet bonus points.  I've made special arrangements with Amazon and all that's necessary to redeem them during her next Amazon purchase is to enter the appropriate promotional code.  I also talked Amazon into using my initials - BS.

Till next time.

TEXAS TEST FLIGHT - DAY 22

Ride report: None.  Travel day from Lawton, OK to Wichita, KS.

Well, the wind finally calmed down.  Waves on the lake this morning were what you might see on a typical pond - maybe 6 inches.  A far cry from what we had been seeing lately.  Two dudes with surf boards showed up this morning and were disappointed.  After I ran them off, we were wheels up at 0830 and made it to USI RV Park in Wichita at about 1330.  No - I’ve no idea what USI stands for.  The park itself is filled with many full-timers and most all of the units are in good shape.  Not much in the way of grass, since the entire park is one giant rock parking lot.  But that’s fine with us as we’re only here overnight anyway.  Added bonus - they sell propane right at the front gate, so we topped off the tank when we arrived.  It wasn’t terribly low, but we did go thru a little keeping warm in Texas.  Whodathunk?  Good to have it done so we don’t have to worry about it before leaving on The Thin Blue Ride.

BTW, not to toot my own horn, but today is my birthday.  59, if you must be so rude as to ask.  To celebrate the event Susan is taking me to dinner at the restaurant of my choice tonight.  The pickings should be good in Wichita.  I’m thinking...Italian.  We’ll see.  Then maybe to some place fancy like the local Dillons grocery store to see if they sell chocolate cake by the (gigantic) slice.  Dare I hope?

Oh - a first for the blog today.  One of my loyal readers (OK - she at least read one post.  Sigh - OK its my sister Deanna) sent me a couple of pics suitable for publication.  You’ll have to check em out below.  All I’ll say here is that Delta has cause for concern.  Reminder to self: Don’t have Susan read me the message and show me the pic while driving.

So, on with today’s pics...

There were an incredible number of tractor trailers (Susan says that's what the Teamsters call em) on the road today.  May God strike me with lightening if what I'm about to say isn't true, but there seemed to be more of them on the stretch that Susan drove. They were driving by waving and smiling.  I finally made Susan roll up the window so they couldn't talk shop while rolling down the Interstate.  It was unseemly. 

Today the rig hit me up for a selfie!!!  Good Lord, between her and the two bikes I've about had my fill.  When she asked for the phone a second time I told her "No" and to pay attention to her driving.  She sulked for half an hour.  Blessed silence...

It didn't help her mood any when I took this just a few minutes later.  Note how Teamsters concentrate when they drive...

Dinner tonight at Carrabas in Wichita,  They tried to force me to order (or carry out) a free dessert, but I said no.  We had plans to find chocolate cake at Dillons.  Unfortunately, there were none.  So - Wally World to the rescue.  It's sitting there on the counter right now just daring me to eat it.  I may succumb.

See. I told ya so...

Bonus internet points to the first reader who figures out what the M&Ms on top signify.  Susan put em there.  Those of you from my former employer (RCPD) know how much I love Peanut M&Ms.  I married the right woman.

Now the reader pics.  They came with this message:

"Mercury wanted me to send you these pictures in the Kansas bluebonnets.  Delta is his new idol.  He now aspires to follow in his pedal strokes."

My god.  I'll never hear the end of this.

Till next time.