sedaliahog

Friday, Aug. 3, 2007 we met Ernie & Shirley Craig, Mike & Kathy Smith at the Moose in Sedalia and
took the official photo of our departure. Our first stop was the Brickyard Barn, Bed & Breakfast a 1920’s
dairy farm that has been converted into 3 guest rooms, living room and kitchen with an outdoor pool,
hot tub and lots of privacy. We got acquainted with our rooms and left to visit the “Kickstart Saloon”, a
biker bar that is owned by a friend of Jerry’s. We later returned to the Brickyard barn and settled into
our rooms. Scott the owner of the BYB is a well known chef and also runs a catering business in the
morning he prepared a breakfast of Monte Christo’s with fruit, juice and we were on our way.

Aug.4. Leaving Topeka we took 75 N to 36 W to 81 N at Bellville Ks, then I-80 W to Grand Island, NE.
Then Hwy 11 to 2 Hwy to Broken Bow, NE. We arrived at 4pm, it was 92*. A couple of hours later it was
72* as a cold front moved in and dumped buckets of rain.

Aug. 5 Leaving Broken Bow, we rode Hwy 2 to 385 across NE through the NE National Forest. The
sandhills were cooler with grass covered hills, numerous lakes and the air smelled of silage. We spent
a few minutes at Carhenge north of Alliance, NE. It is a NE artist’s version of Stonehenge in which he
has buried cars in the middle of a farm field much in the pattern as Stonehenge. We rode through
historical Hot Springs, SD a town bustling back to its former elegance and high above the main street
out of the bluff there bursts a waterfall of hot springs. Soon we were riding through Wind Cave National
Park and our first view of the season of the roaming buffalo. We arrived at Hill City, SD where we carry
reservations from year to year at the Super 8, Motel.

Aug 6. We started the day on old Keystone Hwy for some sight seeing in Keystone and shopping. Rode
up Iron Mountain Road to the wild life loop and got great photos of the wild donkeys, antelope, buffalo
and prairie dogs. We stopped at Blue Bell Lodge for lunch then on to Needles Highway. Then on to 244
Hwy up around Mount Rushmore. We came back though Keystone into Hill City for some food, drink
shopping and people watching.

Aug. 7 We rode 385 to Deadwood, then Hwy 12 to Sturgis, I got more photos of the characters this year
than the bikes and met two interesting twin brothers Tim & Jim that looked like ZZ Top. They indulged
my picture taking and were fun to visit with. We visited the Broken Spoke Saloon, signed our names to
the wall at Big Bad Berthas Biker Bar, ate lunch at Famous Bob’s restaurant and registered for the rally
at the Civic Center. At 3:00 a rain storm blew in and cooled everything down from 92* to 72* and we
returned to Hill City around 6:00.

Aug 8 We left Early for Rapid City, Civic Center to collect our HOG & MDA rally pins, then visited the
Harley Davidson Expo and viewed the 2008 models. We ran into Jim Ollison, Rick Yeager, Bernie, and
Melissa’s Husband and thanks to Bill Taylor for posing with me on the new anniversary model Heritage
Softail. We all tried on our favorite bikes and filled our wish lists and too soon we had to say our
goodbyes to Shirley and Ernie who were departing to Cheyenne WY. If you know Shirley and Ernie,
you know how much fun we had and you know how we hated to see them go. Mike & Cathy, Jerry & I
rested in the HOG hospitality room, took silly photos of ourselves and then rode out to Rapid City HD to
check out the vendors. Then back to Hill City for a great lunch at the Hill City Café and some relaxing
on Main Street with a great view of the endless parade of motorcycles and characters of every size and
description.

Aug. 9 We said our goodbyes to our good friends Mike & Kathy Smith as they headed for Sedalia and
we headed for the East Coast, via Williston, ND. Our route took us through the Roosevelt National Park,
into the Little Missouri National Grasslands and across the Missouri River. The temperature was in the
high 90’s but the ride was in full view of farmers combining their fields of wheat, and hundreds of acres
of sunflowers in full bloom. The ride was interesting as the fields and grasslands suddenly fall away
into steep canyons much like those of the Badlands. Every town we pass through has huge bronze
sculptures of elk, buffalo wolves, and mountain lions everywhere.

Aug 10 Leaving Williston, ND we rode 2 Hwy to Devils Lake ND. We passed though the Geographical
Center of North America with its rolling hills, fields of sunflowers and wheat and perfect weather, until
the sky opened up with a stinging rain. We found the Davis Motel backed up to Devils Lake which is the
largest body of water in ND and is located outside the Spirit Lake Indian Reservation. It is 100,000 acres
and has hundreds of miles of shoreline and sports the reputation of being the “perch capitol of the
world”, some weighing in at two pounds. It is 15 miles from the Historical 1868 Fort Trotten and was
one of the early centers of European settlement. The old Ultra rolled over 90,000 miles today. My
daughter Kristen and grandson Chaz spent two weeks last year on a mission trip with UMC renovating
the Spirit Lake Indian Housing. It is a place worth your time and energy to visit.

Aug 11 We rode Hwy 2 east Between the sunflower fields, the Pine & Birch trees, purple wild flowers,
cattails and ferns lining the roadways there is an occasional “canoe crossing”, or “snowmobile
crossing” sign along the roadway warning motorists. There are also “wild rice” for sale signs like the
“crawfish” signs in Louisiana this is the local flavor. The weather is between 70-85* and we enter MN.
At Grand Forks at 11:00am. We passed through Ironwood, where there is Iron River, Iron Mountain and
guess what, the first Iron Ore was discovered here! The irony of that! We crossed the Red Lake, the
Mississippi River, the St. Louis River and into the Chippewa National Forest on to Duluth, MN., and
entered WI thru the Chequamegon National Forest where we stayed in Ashland, WI on Lake Superior.
We arrived as the sun was setting on Lake Superior. I was surprised to pay $1.69 for a bottle of water in
the Land of Lakes where water is abundant and in Missouri we pay $.89 for the same size.

Aug 12 Riding through the Hiawatha National forest we spy a baby bear running across the four lane
and up into the trees. I did get a photo, he is small, but visible. We arrive at Tyelene’s motel at Garden
Corners, on Hwy 2 near Manistique. Last night we took photos of Lake Superior, tonight it is Lake
Michigan as we comb the beach for anything the lake has abandoned. A few snails and shells and
small sconces are all that is left behind and as I look far out into the water I see two heads bobbing in
the water, the lake is shallow for a long distance and you can wade very far out for a swim. Three men
on a Ninja, Triumph, and Suzuki are here and spend the evening talking motorcycles with Jerry. The
only thing visible from our motel room is Lake Michigan. The motel owner’s niece runs the café next
door which has excellent food, not fast….excellent! Richard & Lisa Pichette’s Tyelene’s Motel is
decorated in a nautical theme, impeccably clean and $42.00 a night. The view is priceless! If you ever
travel the Big Bay de Noc on the Garden Peninsula, this is a great place to visit.

Aug 13, Leaving Garden Corners we stop in Manistique to shop and I see shirts with “I’m a Yupper”
“Yupper girls rule” etc. So I gotta ask…..what’s a Yupper? Apparently Yuppers are people who live
above Mackinaw Bridge, those who live below the Bridge………….are trolls! A little local humor. We
rode I-75 Hwy. across the Mackinaw Bridge, the lane we were in was solid concrete, but the lane next
to us was grated metal and I got some great photos of that. We find Hwy 23 on the other side and
continue our ride south along Lake Huron. Tonight we stay in the Bambi Hotel on Lake Huron in East
Tawas MI on the bay. Ducks and seagulls are everywhere and we walk far out into the lake on a town
pier. The motel owner Bill Childs has a TV, fire pit, and chairs in a common area and extends an
invitation to anyone interested in watching the baseball game with him. On all the menus in the
restaurants I see ‘Pasties’, so I ask Bill what are they. They are a piecrust folded over like a calzone,
filled with rutabagas, meat, potatoes, carrots and spices. They are an old lunch that the miners wives
baked early in the morning and the miners put them in their coat pockets next to their hearts and
carried them work with them. At noon, they were still warm inside their coats and they had a warm
lunch. I missed getting one. I love to try the local flavor, and this one I missed! Most of Lake Huron is as
primitive as when the Huron Indians inhabited the area.

Aug 14 We stopped at Sonny’s on the Bay for breakfast and sat by a window with a view of the sunrise
on Lake Huron. We ride Hwy 23 S and stopped at Williams Cheese Factory at Pinconning, I was hoping
to find something to ship back home to my work mates and what better than the food of the great
lakes….cheese! The family owned business allows us to photograph the cooking of the cheese, cutting
and wrapping and it is absolutely the best cheese ever! Their Pinconning spreads are super. In
Chelsea, MI we pass the Jiffy mix mill, now I know where that comes from. We took Hwy 3 to 13 around
Bay City where we visited Great Lakes HD, then 46 W and caught 52S all the way to Ohio where 52
turns into Ohio’s 109. Then skipped over to 6 E to Bowling Green Ohio. Ohio has the prettiest farms.

Aug 15 As we leave Bolling Green Ohio we ride 50 Hwy e to 303 & 44 N the road is dotted with corn,
cabbage, cucumbers and nicely manicured farms. We take Hwy 20 east which meanders through small
towns with wonderful old homes in grand condition. Town squares with stately old courthouses and
shops bustling with activity. We passed the Morton Salt factory at Geneva Ohio today, so I know where
that comes from now. We stopped in Mantua, Ohio at “the Deck & had lunch and it is an 1820’s stage
coach stop renovated to sports bar/coffee café. Mantua boasts it is home town of local hero Jack
Lambert of the Pittsburg Steelers. We visited HD shop and headed east to PA. I do not recommend Hwy
20 E through Erie Pa. It is Erie! We continue to the village of Westfield NY, and we dined on seafood on
Lake Erie, walked the beaches, and took photos of the lighthouse and Norsemen’s boat dry docked. We
stayed at the old Theatre Motel where in the lot sits a rusty old 1949 Chevy, four door fast back pulling
an old 1940’s silver travel trailer. The old drive-in theatre and Starlight Café connected to the motel are
no longer in business. The town is just as quaint, full of 200 year old homes, hundreds of acres of
grapes and yes Welch’s has a plant here………..now I know where my juice comes from! This region
attracts lots of under water divers as Lake Erie is reputed the most treacherous of Lakes and is a watery
grave to may an unfortunate vessel.

Aug. 16 Leaving the Village of Westfield we travel 20 E to Albany, NY. When I said there were hundreds
of acres of grapes…make that thousands! The road is lined with Victorian Mansions, antiques shops
and we ride through a 3 mile line of over 1,000 antique vendors who set their shops up on the road side
of a grand sell-a-thon. The antiques of the Great Lakes region are unique and it’s a good thing we are
on a motorcycle. There are lots of dairy farms and I think these cows are really happier than the
California cows. Lots of farming, some farms grand some in poor condition, as if the land has been
swallowed up by the larger farms and the old homes lay in disrepair. 20 Hwy runs though the heart of
Albany, NY and soon we are in neighborhoods of row houses from the early 1900’s and decide to
detour to I-85 to avoid the stop and go traffic and soon find our way back to 20 Hwy E.

Aug 17 Leaving Albany NY we rode 20 Hwy E to 22 N to 67 E to Bennington VT & caught 9 E to Concord
NH, today I finally got a photo of a wooden silo in NH, I’d never seen one. On to 4 E to Dover Maine,
then 111 W to Hwy 1 which took us to Kennebunkport. This 1700’s settlement is full of wonderful old
homes, boats of every kind and people everywhere. We grabbed a motel room and headed for the Bull
& Claw, where we had fresh Maine lobster. Yes! I never saw so many antique shops. The houses are
huge, bigger than anything I ever saw for one family to live in. Wildflowers line the roads and there are
streams running along side the road much like the Black Hills of SD. I also got a photo of Robert Frosts
home.

Aug 18 Leaving Kennebunk, Maine we rode I-95S to NH, then I-495 to 126S & got a little turned around
in Woonsocket RI, which has really nasty drivers. We caught 6 W to Willimantic RI and picked up 66S to
I-691 then I-84 W. We finally gave up in Jervis Point, NY close to the state line of PA. Although I have
two hate too’s: riding the interstate and riding in the rain, I survived both of those simultaneously.
Otherwise, with the mountainous range and short roads you have to travel 50 different roads to get
across country. The weather was 70* today and in MO, it was 103*.

Aug 19 Today we were just trying to make some time, and as usual I’m a couple of days late getting
back to the office……. We did get 470 miles in today and only ½ day of rain. It is starting to flood all
around us as we are leaving this area just in time. We are in Cambridge Ohio, and I have a new
appreciation for Bob Evans Restaurant as I have a warm meal of turkey, dressing, potatoes and gravy. I
love to ride, but I really miss home cooked meals. We take off for the Pennsylvania Turnpike and pass
through the tunnels in Blue Mountain, Tuscardra Tunnel and Allegheny Tunnel, some of these tunnels
that go through the mountains are more than a half mile long. We passed through Forbes National
Forest and the clouds were below the mountain tops and they remind me of the Smokey Mountains of
Tenn. We caught the corner of West. Virginia today.

Aug. 20 Monday Leaving Carlisle, PA, to I-70 and I-465 S to Hwy 50 W south of Indianapolis with no rain
until Olney Ill. We crossed the Red Skelton Bridge over the Wabash River and into the Martin National
Forest into a big thunderstorm. We end up staying in Olney Ill and head for home in the morning.

Aug 21 We rode a part of 50Hwy home that we had not been on before, through Ill, to Sedalia. We
arrived at about 4:00 ending a journey that took 18 days through 23 States and 4,700 miles through
some of the most awesome picturesque part of the country. We make big talk on the road about selling
our stuff, putting our keepsakes in storage and just staying gone, but it is always nice to see home
again. We were truly in God’s graces to be blessed with such an experience. Ride Safe and enjoy our
beautiful country.

Susan & Jerry Horton