33rd Goldwing Invitational to San Antonio

There were four bikes from our chapter that made the trip to San Antonio for the 33rd Goldwing Invitational over the weekend of October 27th and 28th. We were joined by two other bikes and our little group of six had a great ride on a beautiful day. It was a little cool when we started out but the temperature rose to a very comfortable 79 degrees by the time we hit San Antonio.







We were met at Langham Creek High School by our daughter and family for a send off.


There were a few stops along the way and the route we took was really nice. The scenery was excellent on the Texas back roads.







We made a stop in La Grange for gas and lunch which were both provided by our sponsors, Northwest Honda, Pasadena Honda and Honda of Houston. All seemed to enjoy the BBQ and links before heading back out to finish the ride into San Antonio.

There was one mishap with a Goldwing in another group that we came upon. A woman hit a dog and was thrown from her Goldwing suffering a broken collar bone and some road rash. Thankfully that was the extent of her injuries because she was a long way from help. I'm sure it must have taken at least 30 minutes for an ambulance to get to her.





We arrived at the Radisson Resort around 4:30 PM and were greeted by free beer upon check-in. We gathered at the bar for some refreshments after freshening up and prepared for the evening festivities.

The Mexican Buffet was really good. We enjoyed the music of the band was entertaining. Some of us really had a good time. The trip was well worth the $50 registration and the cost of the hotel room. The sponsors provided the meals and a tank of gas. The comraderie of fellow riders is always a treat.

More pictures at http://picasaweb.google.com/fleming49/GoldwingInvitational07

Florida Run

First stop was at the Alabama Welcome Center for a photo op. We took this little run to get the state of Florida for those in the group that didn't have it. As you can see in the picture, the weather was perfect for riding... not too hot and lots of sunshine.
The next stop was at the Florida Welcome Center and another photo op. We enjoyed fresh Florida orange and grapefruit juice courtesy of the State of Florida.
We were able to pull our bikes under this jet for a great photo.
Ed's Seafood Shed was the stop for lunch. Always good food here and the company around the table is the best, as always when a group of Goldwingers get together.
Looks like we got a really big one about to bite! I guess this means that Rex is hooked on Ed's... if you will pardon the pun.

More pictures are available at:

http://picasaweb.google.com/fleming49/FloridaRun

Mississippi Rally

Our trip started with a stop in Beaumont for breakfast at IHOP. They did an outstanding job in accommodating so many of us on such short notice. I didn't hear a single complaint and the food was served in a timely fashion.














We made a fuel stop in Louisiana at a place with a live tiger exhibit. The ride over was a very pleasant one. The weather was absolutely great for riding and the company couldn't have been any better.








The group getting registered for the rally. The people made us feel very welcomed and they expressed their gratitude for our attendance. The resilience of the people on the Gulf Coast in Mississippi is amazing to me. It makes me feel proud to have gotten to meet them and be a part of their efforts to rebuild and go on. It was a very emotional time for many of them and it showed.

Tickets, tickets everywhere! But did they win anything? You'll have to ask them.

















The bingo was fun, not because anyone won in our group, but because Mark was caught in the bull's-eye of the rubber band fight.







for more pictures, go to http://picasaweb.google.com/fleming49/BiloxiMississippiRally

Home again.

After such a long and wonderful trip, seeing so many beautiful places in 15 states, meeting some really nice people, we are finally home for a while this time. What you see in this picture is my favorite part of Oklahoma

And the best part of Kansas is getting out of Kansas, and away from the smell of cattle!!



It really is bad... but the pool at the hotel was sure nice after the heat of the day.
















The pool in Chadron was also nice after the ride.











The faces of Crazy Horse and Rushmore were worth enduring the heat and cold and smells to get there.

















North Dakota had some beautiful sights. The pheasant was something to see as well as the owl and deer.

Montana, Wyoming, Idaho, Utah, Nevada, California, Arizona, New Mexico and Colorado all had something worthwhile to make the trip to see. If I never get to go anywhere again, I can say that I was fortunate enough to see some of the most beautiful places in the good old USA on a motorcycle with some very dear friends.

Thanks to all who have kept up with our travels and I will post again on the next adventure.

Old Santa Fe

Old Santa Fe is very nice. We spent a little time
looking through some shops had some lunch and did some site-seeing.















There were beautiful sculptures in the galleries there. This is just one of the bronze statues on display around the town. See the pictures in the albums for more of these. The detail is amazing.












This is billed as the miracle stairway. It is located inside the church in the next picture.






















The Loretto Chapel. This church was built in 1873 and has been the subject of an "Unsolved Mysteries" TV show.


More pictures http://picasaweb.google.com/fleming49/OldSantaFe

The Grand Canyon

We made a run up to the Grand Canyon on our way to Rio Rancho. It has been 43 years since my brother and I were there and Billie and my sister-in-law had never been. The last time we were there it was free admission I think. Now it is $25 per car for a 7 day pass. 5 million visitors a year keep this place packed. It is still something to see.

Billie and I standing on the south rim trail overlooking the Grand Canyon.

This lone tree on top of the rock was sort of odd so I took the picture. It is a wonderful place to visit but stay away from the edge if you have a problem with heights. It is about ten miles across and a mile deep... not for the feight of heart for sure.

I found this hole in the side of a cliff and wondered how anyone could get there to actually chisel out the opening in the rock face. The conclusion was that they were lowered by rope over the edge and worked. There sure is no trail to it that I could see.

more pictures http://picasaweb.google.com/fleming49/TheGrandCanyon

The Giant Redwoods and Eureka area

As we headed up the coast from Fort Bragg we came through this little stretch of highway. The trees formed a beautiful canopy over the highway. There is such diversity along highway 101 and highway 1. You just don't know what to expect around the next turn. What a beautiful drive.






This is the world famous tree house from Ripley's Believe It or Not. Unfortunately it was not open either day we were by it. We still stopped and took some pictures.













Note that I cannot get the tops of these trees in the picture, even rotating the camera did not help. These trees are hundreds of feet tall and live up to the title of this section of highway 101, "The Avenue Of The Giants" around Fortuna.













When we got to Patrick's Point we went out to the park and found these sea lions on a rock just off the coast. They were at least a half mile away and we could still hear them above the roar of the waves. They are incredible!

More pictures http://picasaweb.google.com/fleming49/SequoiasAndEureka