More sightseeing

I have been busy enjoying the beautifully HOT weather and a manageable work load for the last couple of weeks, so although I have lots to share, my photography lately hasn't been able to do justice to all the cool things I've been seeing and doing!  I did a little exploring at the Patee House Museum and Jesse James Home as well as sampled quite a few restaurants in the Kansas City and St. Joseph areas.  Sprinkled in the last couple of weeks has also been some riding and eating time with my extended CVMA family and new friends.  So, although I don't have a ton of pictures to post on all of those adventures, I do have some fun pics from another adventure. 



City Market in Kansas City

In a testament to the smallness of the world, I've reconnected with an old Navy buddy from my Spain days whose here for the same school as me.  Kevin and his wife, Kristie, like to explore the local area as much as I do and invited me to tag along with them and their two kids for a festival in City Market this weekend.  We ended the festival with a visit to a museum located right in the City Market.  The Arabia Steamboat Museum ended up being one of the coolest historic sites I've been to yet!

Parts of the steam engine...still functioning!

Although most of us tend to only think of covered wagons moving people and goods around the wild west frontier of the 1800s, steamboats were actually critical modes of personal and commercial transportation up and down the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers.  The journey may have been commonplace back then, but it certainly was not without peril.  One of the casualties of that treacherous journey was the Steamboat Arabia. 

Dishes, glasses and pots from the Steamboat Arabia

In 1856, the Arabia sank 6 miles west of Kansas City when it struck a fallen tree sticking up from the bottom of the river.  The steamboat was loaded with 130 passengers and 200 tons of winter supplies when she went down.  Fortunately, all of the passengers made it off alive, but the supplies intended for settlers in 16 towns up the Missouri River sank with the ship, along with an unfortunate donkey :-(

Bolts of cloth, clothes and thousands of buttons (each cleaned individually!)

Just like the Mississippi River before being damned and levied many years later, the seasonal changing flow of the Missouri River caused it to alter course over time.  In 1987, a group of adventurous souls embarked on a treasure hunt fueled by tall tales, newspaper clippings and historical records, to find her.   What used to be the resting place of the sunken Steamboat Arabia in the Missouri River in 1856 had become her grave 45 feet under agricultural land.  In spite of harsh weather, limited excavation time and imperfect knowledge of fresh water artifact conservation, this group of explorers have painstakingly assembled an awe-inspiring collection of well-preserved treasure.  It was fascinating to hear the story, in a movie and in-person from one of the discoverers, of how they managed to extract and preserve the wooden hull of the ship as well as fabrics, metals and glass that comprised the supplies once intended to help settlers get through a long winter.

Barrels of nails painstakingly excavated and preserved.

The families who made the discovery, along with volunteers over the years, have all the items they've been able to preserve, so far, on display in the museum.  Some of the uncovered treasure included still-edible jarred pickles and jars of perfume that could still be used today.  There are many more items frozen in blocks of ice waiting to be thawed, cleaned and preserved (freezing them keeps the materials from deteriorating any further while waiting to be preserved).  The museum even has a section where you can see the preservation process and handle some of the artifacts...great for kids and adults alike.  Click on "Arabia Steamboat Museum" in the second paragraph of this post to access the hyperlink which will take you directly to the museum's website to read more about this interesting tale.

First two blobs are barrels of nails not yet preserved

That's if for now...have a great week!

Reflection

The problem with restarting this blog is that there is an expectation for consistency in posts!  I truly don't mind the prodding though; I can always use more practice in writing.  I am still struggling to find some balance in this risky world in which we now live.  A balance between sharing enough of my thoughts to make this blog worthwhile to the folks who read it in order to stay connected with me, and not sharing too much as to make myself a target for physical harm or professional liability from people who don't.  A friend of mine previously penned a post that sheds some light on some of the concerns of those of us who choose to put ourselves out in the public domain.

Since I last posted, I've had a significant amount of down time.  In fact, more than I can remember ever having since entering the working world.  This time to "take a knee" has afforded me ample opportunity to explore my new surroundings, read, and workout whenever I feel like it.  It has certainly given me motivation to retire at an early enough age to do all this permanently while I can still enjoy it!

Pony Express Museum, Marysville, KS

As usual, upon establishing a new residence, I've identified some sights and activities I'd like to experience during my time here.  This whole area is just steeped in American history of the westward movement in the 1800s.  The Santa Fe, Oregon, California, Lewis & Clark,  and Pony Express Trails all run through this area and are chock full of museums and historic natural and man-made sites to visit.  There are so many details about that period in history I just don't remember learning about in school, so I'm excited to get to experience them physically and not just through the pages of a book.

Though classes haven't really started yet, I've had a few interactions with fellow classmates that have enabled me to make new friends.  The diversity of students here promises to provide as much of an education through interactions as through coursework.  As I forge new friendships though, this week has given me pause to reflect on old ones.  I'm not always great with remembering birthdays (thank goodness for email and Facebook reminders), but there are three significant birthdays that are easy to remember since they all occur in the same week:  Karla's, my mom's and Dave's.  Birthday wishes conveyed to my mom and Karla are easy and joyous.  Dave's birthday however, is another story.

Jim, Dave and me at 2001 Blue Angel half marathon.

Me, Jim and Dave were the Three Amigos; inseparable for more than a decade.  Not only did we fly hundreds of hours together, we were family.  I can recall so many significant events the three of us shared:  my college graduation, Dave's Chief pinning, Jim and Karla's wedding, Dave's daughter Jessica's high school graduation, Dave's retirement, Jim's commissioning, countless parties, road races, triathlons, BBQs and just hanging out...we were always a part of each other's lives.  Time, distance and life circumstances tested our friendships over the years, which redefined our roles as our brother's keeper.  But through it all, I think we each kept a profound sense of connectedness to each other.  So, within this context, I am no more prepared to celebrate his birthday today than I was to render that final salute at his funeral last October.  I'm sure there are so many lessons to be learned, but today I just miss my friend and brother.  Whatever the circumstances, make an effort to stay connected to those who have impacted your life...you won't always have that opportunity.

Toto, we're home!

Texas contingency for 2015 National CVMA meeting

It's been a bit of a whirlwind since I last posted, but I'm all settled in and ready to catch y'all up.  The National meeting ended with 1400+ full members in attendance.  There's no doubt that with 13 chapters, Texas had the largest contingency.  Though the mechanics of running a meeting of this size does not seem to be well-oiled in this organization just yet (which makes for a very long day), business was successfully conducted.  The final act of the day was to induct Medal of Honor recipient Don "Doc" Ballard as a full member into the organization.  He's the only member whose entrance into the room rendered 1400 people to stand and salute!

Scenic stop along the Missouri River on the Lewis and Clark Trail

The day ended with a whole lot of "see you next time" (I don't like saying "good-bye"), dinner and an escort to my new home.  Without a car or household goods, there wasn't much for me to get done before my flight back to San Antonio to pick up my car, so I took advantage of still being on vacation and on two wheels and spent a day riding and exploring my new surroundings.  As some of my CVMA family headed towards Colorado and others towards North Carolina for more riding, I rolled out a few hours on the Lewis and Clark National Historical Trail.  The scenery is beautiful out here and the roads are pretty motorcycle friendly, so I see a lot more exploring in my future.

My stuff has arrived!

It took me all of 19 hours to fly from Kansas City to San Antonio, load up the remainder of my possessions and drive back to Leavenworth.  It was a long day, but actually wasn't that bad.  I had finally shook off my head congestion and lost voice, so I had my own mini concert in my car with the radio :-)  It was probably a good thing that I made this journey alone! 

Per tradition, my mom flew out here to help me unpack my household goods.  It's such a relief to have someone else put the kitchen together!  The movers showed up with a whole gaggle of summer-job labor, so the move-in took no time at all. 

Mom and I enjoying 4th of July festivities

My mom and I got everything situated in time to enjoy fireworks on my favorite holiday!  We reminisced about the spectacular 4th of July weekend we spent last year and agreed that it would be hard to ever top that one, but we enjoyed hanging out and spending a little down time together.  We don't get to do it often, so I cherish our time together.  It's taken me a lot of years to really appreciate how special this time together is, but now I savor every moment.

All in all, a great vacation and relocation.  My new residence is starting to feel like home, now it's time to get back into a student mentality and soak up some knowledge!

Ride to National WWI Museum

Staging for the ride

Looking back at all the pictures I took on Friday, it's hard to believe we fit so much into one day!  After early morning shenanigans around Chief's RV in the parking lot, we staged as a chapter in the ride to lay a wreath at the National World War I Museum in downtown Kansas City.  I'm really bad at estimating distance or quantity, but several people agreed that there must have been between 1000-1300 bikes that made the 18 mile ride from the Hilton at the airport to the museum.

23-3 taking off in the line-up

It's pretty amazing how smoothly the ride went, especially after such an eventful evening.  A storm ripped through Kansas City on Thursday night which left a wake of carnage in the vendor tent area.  Chief and Babycakes said they thought their RV was going to roll over during the storm.  There were some pretty large tree limbs scattered about on the country roads before we hit the interstates, but nothing that really affected the route.  Not only did we have law enforcement officer escort the whole way, they actually shut down the southbound lanes of the interstate for our ride!  I'm sure most of the Friday morning commuters were cursing us, but there were still some folks lined up along the roads waving flags. 

Riding into Kansas City on cleared interstate

Once at the Museum, we paid tribute to the fallen of WWI and laid a wreath in their honor.  The guest speaker at the ceremony was Medal of Honor recipient Don "Doc" Ballard.  He was awarded the MoH for his actions as a Navy corpsman with the Marines in Vietnam.  It was pretty cool to meet another Navy enlisted that went Army officer later in his career.  Chief, Kickstand, Purkiss and I got to meet him later at the hotel and hear about the great work of  the various foundations and organizations with which he is involved.

Medal of Honor recipient Don "Doc" Ballard 

After the ceremony, Lucky Joe introduced us to an iconic Kansas City BBQ joint, Gates Bar-B-Q.  Between living in North Carolina, Texas and now Kansas, I will have quite the spectrum of BBQ experiences.  Even though it's the sauce that seems to make people like one style over the other, it's the sides that sway me.  Baked beans, cole slaw, corn on the cob, potato salad- those are the flavors that conjure up happy BBQ memories from growing up. I'm looking forward to exploring the KS way of doing those sides over the next year.

Learning balance early

After BBQ, we headed back to the hotel for the delegates meeting and to check out the re-established vendor area.  The auxillary members of various chapters from around the nation set up booths and sell all kinds of unique CVMA and biker items.  The best part of the vendor area though is the people watching.  Never a dull moment!

Kickstand, Doc, Chief, Sunshine, and Purkiss

Although most folks ended up going to Worth Harley-Davidson for the CVMA bike nite, the day ended for me with more social time hanging out at Chief's RV and enjoying Babycakes' blender concoctions.  I was still suffering with a congested head and scratchy throat, so laying low with good friends was just what the doctor ordered :-)

Factory tour and hanging out

Kansas City Harley-Davidson factory

Looks like I'm gonna have to back up a bit to catch y'all up.  I've been so busy riding and hanging out with my CVMA family that I just haven't had time to post.

Although this whole trip is centered around the National meeting for our organization, there are always other events besides the annual meeting going on as well.  The host hotel was just up the road from the Kansas City Harley-Davidson factory where they produce the Sportster, Dyna, Street and V-rod series of motorcycles, which provided a great excursion on Thursday.

Starry, Babycakes, Lucky Joe, Chief, Kickstand, Bonnie, Freebird and Body Slam

The factory was in a some type of transition, so we got to see some production out on the factory floor, but it wasn't the hub of activity we were hoping for.  Now that I will be in this area for a while, I'll have to go back and take the tour again once they are up and running with their new assembly lines.  It was still fascinating to learn about the point when a new Harley is considered a unique bike and no longer just parts being assembled.

Bonnie, Al, Jump Master, Freebird, Body Slam, Hooker and Princess

Pretty much the rest of the day was spent just hanging out and socializing.  This trip was the maiden voyage for Chief and Babycakes' new RV.  There were some vendor RVs staged out in the back parking lot, but Chief's was the only one out front.  He parked it on the edge of the parking lot so we were not only able to park our bikes next to it most of the time, but there was also a nice little side yard of grass for us to hang out on.  His bike trailer ended up doubling as seating and a pseudo bar and the  RV the hang-out and rally point for much of the rest of the week.

Gunny, Warrant's mom and Warrant

At this point I should probably mention that all these shenanigans were happening at a fairly swanky Hilton Hotel.  The place is near the airport and had quite a bit of meeting space, so it's obvious that this is a common place to hold large meetings and conventions.  In fact, there was another large meeting happening simultaneously with ours.  I literally busted out laughing when I saw another  registration table set up near ours labeled "Gambling and Addictions Counselors Meeting."  I kick myself now for not taking a picture of one of the signs that I walked past everyday!  I stopped and asked one of the women manning their registration table if she knew who our organization was.  She smiled sweetly and replied that yes, they had looked it up and were thinking about putting some flyers out :-)   

Sunshine and Starry (photo by Body Slam)

Over 500 bikers staying at one hotel can definitely be intimidating to other guests and I genuinely felt bad for the  non-biker guests at the hotel.  From the flight crews getting off the airport shuttle at the hotel to the random families in minivans, the look on their faces indicated that the hotel had not informed them of our event when they booked.  Though there were large groups of leather-clad, scruffy looking folks milling about drinking and telling stories, there were no fights or drunken disorderly events typically associated with this kind of group.  I'm not sure if our presence helped to change the biker stereotype or added to it.

All in all, it was a nice relaxing day as we geared up for the days ahead.

We have arrived!!

For those of you wondering if the day off the bike being medicated  worked.... yes, it did!  I woke up this morning with an annoying, scratchy cough, but the pressure in my ears had subsided and my sinuses had opened up a good bit.  The surest sign that I was on the mend though was that I woke up giddy with excitement that I'd get to ride again!

Missouri backroads

We rolled out of Harrison, AR and rode Hwy 13 all the way into Kansas City, MO.  The countryside through MO was rolling hills of wide open space.   We didn't hit much traffic until we got into Kansas City and had the roads mostly to ourselves for much of the riding.  We covered somewhere around our daily average of 250 miles today.  It's hard to describe all the random little sites and events that are experienced in those miles.  I take lots of pictures, but not everything translates well into a photo.  One of the things that always makes me smile is cars rolling by with the driver sticking his/her hand out the window giving a thumbs up sign or little kids in the backseat waving like crazy.  Today, Body Slam was riding on the bike directly in front of me when I saw her waving to the backseat of a car we were riding past.  When I got next to the car, it was two adult women and a couple of little girls just grinning from ear to ear waving excitedly to us.  It always leaves me wondering if this little exchange may be recalled later by those young girls and give them the nudge to ride a bike of their own one day.

Bridge into Kansas City

We were rolling comfortably along at one point when I looked up into the sky and saw a B-2 stealth bomber moving across the sky.  A few miles down the road, we passed an Amish family riding their horse-drawn buggy along the interstate and a guy working  a field with a horse-pulled plow.  It's a little mind-boggling how these two technologies can co-exist.

Princess pillow

Speaking of technologies, here's another random event that gave us all a good chuckle and one of our fellow riders a road name.  It's no secret that riding for eight hours a day can take a toll on your backside if you don't have a really great seat.  Most riders who do long distance have after-market cushions made of foam and/or gel to help soften the miles.  Hooker's passenger was new to long-distance riding and needed a little extra padding for his two-up seat (notice I used the family friendly name for the passenger seat :-)).  With not much available in the little town in which we were departing, they went to Walmart and picked up a regular chair cushion.  There are so many high-dollar after-market accessories for our bikes that it was pretty amusing to see the low-budget "princess pillow" on Hooker's top-of-the-line ride!  When it comes to road names, you don't really get a choice on what you will be called, so Lisa has evolved into Princess :-)  Now everyone will assume she's high-maintenance with a name like Princess so she'll get to retell the story for years!  Good thing Hooker already has a road name with longevity, or his might have changed to the Prince since he purchased another one for himself the next day!

Hooker and Princess riding in comfort on Walmart pillows :-)

Well, that's the update so far.  Now that we are at the CVMA National Meeting site, we're just meeting up with old friends and making new ones of CVMA members from around the country.  Will post again soon.

Down day

Well, today was the day it happened.  I just didn't want to ride.  Well, that's not exactly true since I did want to ride, but I knew I needed a day to get my sinuses straightened out.  To clear up the pressure in my ears was going to require some medications that just shouldn't be taken while balancing 850 pounds on two wheels through twisting, winding countryside.  So, I sacrificed a day of riding to medicate and rest.  The plan worked and I'm feeling much better, except for this extremely annoying scratchy throat that remains.

Our little group split into three today- one group rode out to Eureka Springs to check out a wooden suspension bridge and train museum, one group rode up to the Harley-Davidson dealership in Springfield, MO for some bike repairs and I stayed back to recuperate.  We all came back together at the end of the day for a refreshing dip in the swimming pool and then out for dinner.  At Kickstand's prompting, we all put our phones in the middle of the table and agreed not to touch them until the meal was over.  We lingered long after the meal was complete sharing stories and just hanging out.  Although I didn't get to see any new sites today, it was a successful day of appreciation.

Glass chapels, full dams and a broken pig trail

Gorgeous scenery outside Eureka Springs, AK

Day 3 on the road to Kansas City turned out to be sunny and dry.  Though my head cold rages on, my crackling voice is now at least at a discernable decibel.  I know I'm not too sick to ride since I still want to ride.  For today's adventure, we used Eureka Springs as our jump off point for some scenic back roads routes and sites.  There seemed to be no end to the motorcycle friendly lodges and eating establishments in this little town. The twisting and steep road found in the town itself served as a preview for the backcountry routes we were to encounter later in the day.

Beaver Dam

Our first stop of the day was Beaver Dam.  From the water spilling over the 220 foot high flood gates, all the rain that has been pounding the central states has apparently replenished Beaver Lake/Reservoir to capacity.  Throughout TX and now in AR, we've ridden past numerous rivers, lakes and just flooded fields that show evidence of massive, powerful movements of water recently.  From tree tops peeking out above water levels and piles of brush and trees still rammed against bridge supports, it's obvious that the storms and rains we have been experiencing in San Antonio passed through our current route as well.

Inside Thorncrown Chapel

Next on the list was Thorncrown Chapel.  Sightseeing in Europe for me  almost always includes magnificent, hundreds of years old cathedrals, but there hasn't been many religious buildings in the U.S. that have the architectural ability to draw me in.  This small, wooden structure sporting 6000 square feet of glass however, proved to be an exception.  Opened in 1980, it's serene location makes it a nice respite from the constant concentration required for riding safely in the Ozarks.

Deciding on plan B for Pig Trail route closure

After a lunch stop in the historic downtown area of Eureka Springs, we attempted to once again ride one of the most famous rides in this area- the Pig Trail. I say "again" because our attempt at riding this 19 mile stretch of AR Hwy 23 from the southern entrance was thwarted by a road closure.  It seems that all that flooding has taken a toll on the low-lying areas of this famous ride.  After riding nearly 50 miles south on AR Hwy 23 from the northern approach before passing the sign for the famous ride, we were feeling confident the road might have been open (especially since the Dept. of Transportation recording was reporting no road closures).  Only a couple of miles after the sign though, we ran into these barricades once again.  Oh well, this just means another trip to this area will be in order to finish the ride!

Gunny, Hooker, Princess, Body Slam, Freebird, Kickstand, Barbi and Sunshine

Although disappointed with the route closure, the nearly 300 miles we covered today certainly didn't leave us disappointed.  This area of the Ozark Mountains provided lots of overviews of lush, green valleys.  There were some simple, yet beautiful houses with wrap around porches and meticulously manicured lawns sprinkled amongst mobile homes and a few places that would've been heaven for folks who watch shows like American Pickers. This area actually reminded me quite a bit of North Carolina. 

Stretching our legs along Hwy 16

The day ended with a chocolate shake to try to sooth my increasingly sore throat.  We shall see what tomorrow brings...             

Rolling down the highway

Moving day!

Once again, a motorcycle trip has prompted me to pick up my blog again.  It's so much easier to throw some photos up on this site and do a little story-telling than to create a mass email and hope that I haven't left anyone out.  Plus, my travel partners usually get a kick out of my version of the journey :-)

In the never-ending relocation cycle of my life, a couple of years have passed, so it is once again time for me to purge my belongings and turn what's left over to movers.  I hate clutter, so I don't actually accumulate a whole lot of stuff.  The movers walked through my place and decided that it was going to be an easy day...until they saw the garage!  I may not have a whole lot of possessions, but what I do have is very heavy gym equipment. 

Early morning route and safety brief.

Even with weights and ergometers, all my worldly possessions weighed in at around 6000 pounds.  Although considered light by moving standards, I still find it a bit embarrassing that one person requires that much "stuff" to live.  And that wasn't counting my bike or car! 

Only once since I've been riding have I not had enough time to ride my bike to my new residence and had to allow movers to transport it for me.  Even though they did a decent job with the move, I much prefer to ride to my new home.  So, after all my household goods were on the move and I spent a few days tying up loose ends, I rallied with some of my CVMA family for the trek north.

Freebird and Body Slam at the end of Day 1.

Now, I'd love to say that 7 bikes of folks decided to escort me to my new home state of KS just because I was moving, but the truth is that our annual CVMA National meeting just happens to coincide with the same time and location as my relocation, so I lucked out and got to extend my time with them a bit longer.

The first leg of our journey was a bee-line straight for Texarkana.  I left my friend's house in San Antonio in a heavy drizzle before sunrise, but ended in Texarkana about 400 miles later with a slight sunburn.  It was a long day, but miles turned out under two wheels with people whose company you enjoy always seems to be worth it in the end.

Iron horse corral.

After a breakfast-dinner at IHOP, a shower and a decent night's sleep, we awoke to an overcast, but dry morning.  It's always amusing to watch other folks in the hotels in which we stay, wake up to find us packing our bikes in the morning.  Although we can sometimes get a bit loud with our story-telling at the end of ride days, we're not exactly the hell-raising biker types most folks expect when they see this cluster of bikes parked out front of a hotel.

Saying for the day.

The other tidbit to this story is that I started getting a sore throat a couple of days before we pulled out on the bikes.  Although I'm not running a fever or anything, I wasn't feeling 100% as we pulled out of San Antonio and I felt progressively worse towards the end of the ride.  By the time I woke up this morning, I was feeling much better but had completely lost my voice.  Of course it became great fun for my travel partners to banter with me and watch me struggle to rasp out sassy remarks.  I figured I might as well just roll with the fun and wore one of my favorite shirts to help me feel better.  Although I wasn't feeling great for a multi-day motorcycle trip, this saying reminds me that I've been through crappy before, and this certainly ain't it! And just like most other unpleasant things in life, this too shall pass, so just focus on the positive and roll with it.

Tin Man meets tin man :-)

Sure enough, by lunch time and a new town, I was feeling much better and my voice started to crackle back to life, much to the chagrin of my friends :-)  We all have road names, so I try to live up to mine of "Sunshine" even when I'm not at 100%.  My CVMA brother Carlos' road name is Tin Man, because he's had so many surgeries, that he's full of hard ware. As luck would have it, the BBQ joint where we had lunch had a tin man hanging from the ceiling just a couple of tables over from where we were sitting.  So, Tin Man met tin man :-)

Taking lead.

After all was said and done, we've ridden approximately 750 miles since leaving San Antonio yesterday morning.  I have lots of friends who do "Iron Butt" rides and can easily do that kind of mileage in a day.  But for me, I prefer to slow things down a bit and enjoy the scenery and company along the way.  It's a bit cliche, but it really is about the journey, and not the destination.

Enjoy the day and I'll post again from the road soon.