Thursday looks like the kind of day I was looking for to go to Mankato. A relatively long ride with mild temps. The weather man is talking about a slight chance of rain 20%. Not enough to concern myself with. We had our weekly summit meeting and made sure the world is still turning. Big Jim was regaling us with his AUTObiography, telling us of some of his more memorable cars. It brought back many fond memories of wheels gone by. When all was said and done we decided to launch from the Iron Skillet at 9:30. See you there.
TIME....................11:00
Here it is.............. Buffalo Roam Steakhouse
740 E South St (Hwy 36)
Mankato KS 66956
785-378-3971
Facebook page........https://www.facebook.com/Buffalo-Roam-S ... 7/?fref=ts
Web Page.............
Map site.............http://bit.ly/1uLkbOc
First I'd like to offer my most profound apologies for not getting this out sooner. There are a few things getting in the way and the back burner is getting pretty piled up. OK, that's all the groveling your going to get out of me.
Wednesdays weather wasn't as bad as the profits predicted, but just about the time I would have rolled into my driveway a nasty thunderstorm hit. This justified my change to Thursday, at least in my mind.
Anyway Thursday was typical for a ride. We had planned to leave the Iron Skillet at 9:30 so after getting the bike and Leo ready and saying a quick prayer over my frighteningly bald tires, I checked that I had everything and we launched. Again that nagging “you forgot something” started gnawing at my mind. About a third of the way to the Skillet it hit me. THE BOOK!! I couldn't quite remember if I had it or not, so I pulled over and checked in the trunk. It's absence was staring at me. Back home to retrieve the lost document. I pulled into the Skillet at 9:25 to a lot devoid of motorcycles. Feverishly reviewing my post on the web I was convinced that had posted the right time and I was on schedule. Shortly Big Jim rolled up and told me that Ken was on his way. After a short wait we decided that we were it and we fired up and hit the road. Now I often get confused between Minneapolis and Manhattan. I think I've finally figured out how to keep them straight. The big Manhattan is way to the east and Minneapolis is way to the west of that. The two in Kansas are similarly situated. Maybe this will bore its way into my skull and I'll keep them straight. Anyway when we got to the road to Minneapolis we were joined by Bruce and the four of us pressed on with Big Jim in the lead followed by Bruce me and Ken. Of course being the lemming that I am I followed along blissfully unaware of the route. Heading west Bruce suddenly slowed for a turn to the north while Jim pressed on to the west. Now my dilemma was, who do I follow. I turned with Bruce and tried to keep an eye on Jim. Just as I lost sight of Jim it looked like he was turning around, just as Bruce was pulling out. Jim caught up and retook the lead. Pressing on it wasn't long before it was déjà vu all over again. Well Jim caught up about a block away after going around the block, this time sliding int 2nd position relinquishing the lead to Bruce. It wasn't long before I saw a sign pointing to Mankato just a few miles down the road. We were running about 20 minutes late and I was hoping that we weren't the only ones to show. We arrived to the sight of a fair number of bikes in the lot which put my heart at ease. I found what little shade there was for Leo and went about the photo thing. After getting the inside shots I hit the buffet. By this time I was darting around like a 3 toed sloth. After a 100 mile ride I was a little worn. The staff kept things coming and the drinks filled. They were quite friendly and out going. And of course they had the holy grail of fruit pies, strawberry rhubarb, for desert. I managed to snag a piece before big Jim and I had to go outside and negotiate for the last one. Leo got some treats and I managed to snag a little for him too, so he did all right. Bruce, Jim, Ken and I joined up for the trip back which was good. Left to my own devices I would still be out there wandering aimlessly. I followed Bruce until we reached K18 where I knew where I was. Jim had turned off to visit some friends leaving Kin and I to follow Bruce. Heading east on K18 Bruce turned north which confused me until the jello in my skull put together that HE LIVES THERE. I tooted farewell and pressed on to 81 and south to Salina. I must have been a bit anxious to get home since I lost Ken in my mirrors. I pulled into my garage, unloaded Leo settled into my recliner and spent the rest of the day staring blankly at the TV, totally spent after a great ride.
We had riders from Salina, Minneapolis, Tipton, Cuba, Culver, McPherson, Lindsborg, and Canton, with Delbert Schriner from Canton making the longest journey at 137 miles.
We were riding Honda, Harley, Yamaha, Suzuki, BMW, Kawasaki, CanAm, And Moto Guzzi.
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