Wednesday North Central ROMEO Lunch Ride for 2-10-16

[Richard]

Guys - Just checked the weather report for next wednesday and it looks like it's a go! Temperature currently shows up as 51 degrees and sunny and there's a possible chance that it many be even warmer. As long as we're hoping, let's hope for mild wind as well!
Jim Langford gave me a news article recently that indicated a brand new restaurant in a small town of 900 or so that replaced one that had burnt down. We had just visited the older one prior to it burning to the ground, so I hope they hold no hard feelings toward us over the other one. Actually, I think it was just a coincidence....our being there so near it's demise.
The town has been without a place to eat for a number of years now and chances are that no one remembers us so I think we're good! We're at least welcome again because I called and told 'em we're coming and they said OK.
They are off to a good start and, being new, everybody is trying them out and they seem busy with regulars and highway truckers early on so they gave me a suggested time of arrival that wouldn't upset their schedule and suggested that we try to stick closely to their request. I told 'em we would so guys....pay attention.....

Here's the time...............................................12:30 pm

Here's the place.......................................The Barn Restaurant
307 Dean St.
(Hwy 50)
Burrton, Kansas 67020
620-463-8056

As always..........................ride careful, ride safe and I'll see you in Burrton. Richard
http://bit.ly/1uLkbOc
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OK guys, this is the first chance I've had to get on the computer since the Wednesday ride to Burrton. The weather cooperated mostly and gave us a nice riding day. I took the lod Burmac road and went past some great examples of the sandhills. This might still be the cheapest land left in Kansas....but don't count on anything being able to grow there other than sandburrs and scorpions. Almost like places in Oklahoma where I grew up!
Just a word here about the turnout....we had a respectable 30 show up for lunch at the new restaurant and our High Mileage rider today was Rob Bird from Culver with 120 miles to lunch.
I was quite impressed with the building. Food....not so much. I had the special as did so many of the rest of you. If mine was an example....they have a long way to go for me to reschedule another ride there. Let me explain! I don't like to criticize so let me just call it a review.
First, the menu prices aren't geared toward the working class person. Nor the retired! And the thing that set things south to me was the request for three ROMEO shirts from the lady that operates the place. She notified me no less than three different times that I wasnt to leave without contacting me about some of our shirts. Fine so far, but after I went to the bike to get what small supply I had she picked thru them and selected a sm, a med and a lg. Fine so far. But after I had paid for my meal, she disappeared with my shirts, never to be seen again leaving me to stand at the counter for a good 15 to 20 minutes waiting all the while Denny and a few others were waitiing on me to ride with them to see the Indian Motorcycle shop in Wichita.
I finally got my fill of waiting and I summoned a staff person as they walked by and asked her to run down the lady in a charge and tell her I either want me shirts back or be paid the 39.00 cost to allow me to leave.
I waited a further period of time and a guy came up to me and holding two twenty dollar bills, slammed them down on the counter and turned around and left. I left a dollar bill at the register and left.
This left me with a bad taste in my mouth for the place. After all, I consider that we are indeed trying to help them...not the other way around. As you guys know, there is no financial requirement to belong to the Romeo's. I buy these shirts at cost a few at a time for a convienience to you so we can become known as a beneficial friendly riding group to the restauranteers, not for personal gain so how can this have been twisted into something we should be obligated to do for them? We had alread served them by favoring their place of business! I've never felt as abused by a place we have attempted to help as this place. Just call me old fashioned but if this is the new business model...count me out!

[Roadpounder]

If you've ever wondered what happens to a lemming when he ventures off on his own, I found out on Wednesday. After our usually resoundingly successful world problem solving summit at Spangles on Tuesday I left with the understanding that the Salina group was meeting at the Sleep Inn at 11:30 for the ride to Burton. Laboring on that assumption I gassed up and headed for the rendezvous arriving at 11:10. Much to my surprise and wonderment I was the only one there. So I parked and waited for the others to arrive. "Unusual" I thought but I felt confident the others would show. 11:20 rolls by and and still alone I sit. Surely someone else will show. If not I'll head off on my own. After all, when I mapped it out it was straight south and just a mile or two west. A blind man should be able to find it with his cane. 11:30 and its launch time. My belly is already growling from lack of breakfast, so I'm looking forward to a good lunch. With moderate temperatures and sunshine I settled into a pleasant ride. Paying more attention to the clock than the odometer I figured I should be getting there pretty soon. Working off the memory of the map in my head I rolled blissfully along confident in my innate navigational skill to deliver me to a satisfying meal. As the time marched on toward my ETA, with no sign of Burton my thoughts started to drift in the direction of the possibility that I may have missed something. Stomach growling more persistently now I start a more diligent search for my destination. Before too much longer I find myself at the intersection of the road to nowhere and K15. Suddenly I find myself staring the cold hard truth in the face. I am hell and gone from Burton. K15 as most of us know runs North and South. Parallel to my intended course. I'm also in some small town of East Nohope, or somewhere like that. At this point being an hour late and resigning myself to the ugly truth that I'm hopelessly lost I opt to head north on K15 until I find something remotely familiar and head home, writing the day off to a nice ride. It wasn't long before I found I 135 so I jumped on and headed north. About the time I reach Lindsborg I noticed my low fuel light. Now Guzzi fell a little short in the design of the idiot lights on their bikes since, much like those who rely on them, they aren't very bright, and all but invisible with the sun at your back. Consequentially I had no idea how long the light was on. When the light comes on I have about a 40 mile range, so I was reasonably confident that I had enough to get home. Well my guardian angel of fuel was following me as I pulled into my garage. I entered the house to be greeted by two dogs that I'm sure had convinced each other that I had abandoned them to starve to death. And speaking of starvation I was about to whither away myself. And for those of you who know me that would take SOME whithering. In sheer desperation I decided to make a couple gas house sandwiches, AKA Egg in a basket. If your still hopelessly confused, you cut the center out of a slice of bread and fry it up with an egg in the hole you just made. That held me til supper which was the obligatory chicken leg quarter. Well now you know what happens to a lemming who ventures out on his own.