Day #7.....(Sunday).....Corydon, Indiana To Hutchinson, Kansas.....708 miles (2901)

Well everyone......I made it home at 8:00 p.m. this evening after a long day in the saddle. It was great getting to see all of you again (yes....even you Carol) and getting to meet some new faces. I ended up riding a total of 2900 miles in 8 different states.
See you all in Colorado, in August.
Motor Mike

Day #6.....(Saturday).....Breaks Interstate Park, VA to Burkes Garden, VA to Corydon, Indiana.....481 miles.....(2193)

I awoke early this Saturday morning in anticipation of riding to the Thumper Cafe site, and helping Jack in getting everything set up before the members showed up. I looked out the window and it was pouring down rain......the weather had finally caught us. We delayed our departure slightly, hoping it would quit, but finally went ahead and left in fairly heavy rain, for our 80 miles trek. About 3/4 of the way there it quit and we had dry pavement the rest of the journey, but it didn't last long. Shortly after arriving at Burkes Garden it started to rain hard. Bikes started showing up, seemingly oblivious to the current weather. It only rained for about 45 minutes, then it turned out to be a great day. If I remember correctly there were 47 that braved the weather to come to this Cafe. Everyone enjoyed getting to see past friends and making new ones, before and after we ate our delicious meal.





After our normal after the meal meeting. it was time for me to start home. I rode until dark and ended up in Corydon, Indiana, about 400 miles away. I had my 500 miles before lunch in order to get my decal, and I almost had 500 miles after lunch.The trip overall was a great success, and this area is a beautiful part of our great country.
Motor Mike

Day #5.....(Friday).....Breaks Interstate Park, Va to Mt. Airy, NC to Breaks Interstate Park.....343 miles (1712)

I left Breaks Park this morning under cloudy skies that looked like they could open up and soak me at any time. There was an 80% chance of rain today, so I left the room assuming I was going to get wet. I had about 5 miles of wet pavement in the first few minutes of my trip, just enough to mess up the bike, then it was dry the rest of the day. I rode down to Mt. Airy, North Carolina, also known as Mayberry, RFD. This is where Andy Griffith grew up, and I got to see the house he lived in, along with Floyd's Barbershop and the local garage.



I walked down Main street which was like walking back in time. The music playing in the background was the theme song to the television show. It was well worth the trip down, and a great day to ride.

Tomorrow is the BIG DAY. The site of the Thumper Cafe is great and it looks like it will be well attended.

Day #4.....(Thursday).....Harlan, Kentucky to Breaks Interstate Park, Virginia.....281 miles (1369)

Guess what......I've finally got pictures. My computer agreed to allow me to post pictures if I didn't call it any more names.
We were up early Thursday morning so we could get a good start on the day. The fog was fairly dense, but it burned off quickly and was mostly gone before we left. This part of the country is very beautiful and really scenic.
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After arriving at Breaks Interstate Park, we checked in then headed out to ride some of the scenic loops. We rode to Tazewell, Virginia then on to the site of the Thumper Cafe on Saturday, Burkes Garden. We then rode a scenic loop that took us into West Virginia, then back to the Interstate Park for the night. I've been gone for 4 days now and have ridden in 6 states. Tomorrow if the weather cooperates I'm going to ride to Mount Airy, North Carolina. This is the hometown of The Andy Griffith Show and Mayberry RFD.
By he way...the last picture is the view out of our room.

Stay tuned for Friday evenings update....
Motor Mike

Day #3.....(Wednesday).....Princeton, Kentucky to Harlan, Kentucky.....369 miles (1088)

Today was another picture perfect day, under mostly cloudy skies, with the sun peaking through at times, but no rain. It was cool enough I ran a touch of heat in my coat most of the day. We rode through some beautiful country on very twisty roads, where logging trucks and lumber mills were a familiar site, along with coal mines. We lost an hour today with the time change, so we stopped just shy of our destination for Thursday, which is Breaks Interstate Park, Breaks, Virginia. We plan on riding a 220 mile scenic loop after arriving at the park tomorrow. The park is 80 miles away from Harlan, KY.
Stay tuned for Thursday night.
Motor Mike

Day #2.....(Tuesday).....Marshfield, Missouri to Princeton, Kentucky.....369 miles (720)

Today was a picture perfect day. A cool, crisp morning under sunny skies and no wind. We rode a lot of twisty roads across southern Missouri, then crossed the Mississippi River at Cape Girardeau.

The architecture of this bridge was amazing, but unfortunately they didn't allow traffic to stop, so I couldn't get any pictures. Riding across Illinois we crossed the Ohio River at Cave in Rock, riding a ferry across the river.

This was an experience I've never had before and it was great. The ferry is actually a free ride, and links Highway 1 in Illinois with 91 in Kentucky. We finished our day in Princeton, Kentucky.
Tomorrow we will continue on East towards Breaks Interstate Park, where we will spend Thursday and Friday evening, before the big event on Saturday.
Stay tuned for Wednesday night.
Motor Mike

DAY #1..... (Monday).....Thumperville (Hutchinson) to Marshfield, Missouri. (351 miles)

Jack and I finally got out of town at 11:00 this morning. It was a beautiful day to ride and it was dry. We're headed towards Kentucky in the morning. We postponed our trip for 2 days and 2 hours to get the dry weather, and at the first gas stop in Eldorado, Ks. an employee of the Quicktrip washed down the sidewalk while we were inside and got my bike all wet.


So much for keeping a clean bike!!! We stopped in Marshfield, Missouri for the night after having a great day of riding under skies that looked like they could soak us at any time. Stay tuned for Tuesday night.
Motor Mike