Day One

 

We got started late because we were trying to make sure we had remembered to pack everything we would need. Then instead of riding an hour or so before breakfast as we normally would, we decided we would rather eat before we left. So we stopped at the Farmers Daughter Restaurant in Rogersville.  This turned out to be a very good choice. If you are looking for a place in this area where you can get an excellent home cooked meal, friendly service, gift shop, great ambience, and even great cuts of meat to go, this is the place to go. We decided on a standard breakfast of bacon and eggs, but what we got was much better than standard. The bacon was perfectly cooked and a good hearty piece of meat. The eggs were cooked exactly as we requested and nothing was left out. It is not often that someone cleans their plate to a point that there aren’t even any crumbs left, but that was how we left our plates.

 

We left the restaurant abut 10:30 am and headed north on the B Hwy. As we rode up this road I could not help remembering how hard it was in southern California to find a good road for riding. Here in this place, it seems like a great road for riding is the norm rather than the exception. Hilly roads and just the right number of curves to make it interesting, make for a great ride. We did have a little concern about the weather as we looked at the sky and noticed the darkness of the clouds. They didn’t last long though and mostly we just saw some we roads where it had rained earlier. I guess the delay in leaving was a good thing.  The creeks and rivers were running low and no problems there.

 

I was thinking about how the farms around here, whether they raise corn, hay, cattle or horses, or in many cases a combination of the above, they represent the majority of the land in this great state of Missouri. When I think about how we keep turning more and more of it into residential areas and watch the farms disappear, I am glad to be living here now.  I watched the land in Southern California turn from farms that grow fruit and vegetables for thousands of people, to concrete covered land in about 20 years. Now there is no land that can be used for anything except commercial and residential.  I fear that one day it will look like that here.

 

We stopped to fill up or tanks in Marshfield and almost immediately were questioned about how our children in fur coats ride with us. I felt a little like we were trying to run out on them, but we did have a ride to make. A few miles down the road and as my bike rolled over the 64000 mile mark, I remembered that I was going to get oil before we left, so a quick turn around and back to Marshfield for a quart of oil to top of and off we went again.

 

Buster couldn’t seem to get comfortable and kept moving around trying to find that certain place, and finally decided lying forward on the tank was where he wanted to be. Still every few minutes he had to look back to make sure Karen’s bike was within site.

 

Something we take for granted out here is the beauty of the cloud formations. They happen over cities, but it is difficult to see. Out here, especially after a storm, it is almost common. Most people do not take time to appreciate them. If they do, then it is usually done as screen savers on their computers. The clear air and the smell after a storm cannot be understood though without being outside in the midst of it.

 

As we turned in Camdenton I could not help notice the Ozarkland Bargain Center, even though we knew it was a tourist wonderland, we could not resist the gaudily decorated building. It seemed almost like a candy cane building with icing on it. Once inside, looking through the humor printed on almost every kind of trinket from t-shirts to key chains, and chucks of shiny wood to coffee cups, presented in all their fancy displays, still did not convince me to buy anything. Still it was a fun distraction from the ride.

 

We rode across the river and into Osage Beach where we stopped for lunch. The traffic there was so intense that we had difficulty trying to get in and out of the parking lots, so we just kept riding.

 

A few minutes later I noticed a car next to me trying to take a picture of Buster as we rode, so I took out my camera and took a picture of them. Then as they went on by, the next car was doing the same thing, but this time it was two girls in the back seat, both with cameras. I did the same and took a picture of them. Then amazingly there were 2 more cars right behind them doing the same thing. I have had people do this before, but never 4 cars in a row. I guess we are a bit of a curiosity. Still most who saw us gave us a smile or a thumbs up.

 

A few more miles down the road at freeway speeds and as we rode over a hill, my bike started stuttering and I smelled an awful smell. Then it just shut off. As we pulled over to the side of the road, I realized that we were in a valley with all ways off the freeway up hill. This bike is about 850 lbs fully loaded and there was just no way to push it. So I pushed it onto the median at a turn-a-round, unloaded, removed the seat and found the problem. A connector to the charging system had shorted out and melted into a big glob. I was able to cut the connector off and hard wire it, but the battery was dead. Fortunately a “Highway Angel” stopped to offer help. She had jumper cables and luckily it started. I let it run a few minutes and then turned it off and it started on it’s own. It is unusual to find someone who will stop and offer help, and to find one that was willing to stay with us till we were able to continue on our own, well that was just a blessing. Thank you Highway Angel !

 

Then as luck would have it, 2 miles down the road was a turn off with a gas station. We no longer needed it, but it was getting close to dark, and with my luck I decided to just stop here in Jeff City and spend the night. We found a motel right off this exit that was friendly to children in fur coats, so we checked with a very friendly attendant, unloaded and took a needed break. After letting Diamond and Buster run in a field for awhile, we got some dinner and called it a day.

 

I suspect that tomorrow will be another good day, because that is the only to start a vacation day. So till next time, I’ll see you on the by-ways……………