First of all, let me start by saying that I have never written a RR (Ride Report) and you guys are my testing ground for ADV if/when I ever do one there - lol
So here we go .....
I got on the move a little late, and left Elgin about 20 minutes later than I had liked. When I got to IHOP in Morris, I saw this:
I could not believe the turn-out (actually I could, it was sooo nice out!)
Go inside, eat some pancakes and bacon (YES, we ALL need BACON! It can cure cancer I tell you) sorry I did not get a shot, but most people have been to IHOP - lol
Get back outside to take a closer look at some of the bikes and OMG:
Yes, there is a really nice assortment of AWESOME bikes, and I am a bike freak, so I love 'em all.
Get on the road, and the first little bit (maybe 20 or 30 miles) was great, but that was just the beginning for me. Here was the first stop, and it was time for a smoke and a couple pictures too:
Ross and Sharon (our fearless leader!):
Bad boy mid 90's GS model with new knobbies!
We go for another ride, and then another break - this is going GREAT, great pace, great roads, great weather (just a little windy) and the best was yet to come still!
Then, all of a sudden, I see someone else take off on Raddicks KTM950 and when it came back, I ran over to Raddick (Here he is with Fritz):
Is it KTM Demo day? Can I take it for a spin?
He says ..... "Sure"!
Here is a partial pic of this MACHINE I LOVE on the right side:
WOW - That is WITHOUTADOUBTINMYMIND ... my next bike :)
Anyway, I digress, on with the ride .....
Some people decide to leave, while others decide we are going on some side roads and then some gravel too - I was like YAY!
So we take off, not too many pics of the side roads, and none of the gravel :(
Here we are at a stop sign, Sharon in the lead:
And the rest of these crazy people follow her wherever she may go:
So we all decide its time, time to end the ride and head home - looks like rain is starting to come in and I personally would love to get home without getting soaked. Already seen a report from someone on the ride getting just that - this is the problem with smart phones, sometimes they give you TOO much info!
On the way home, me and a couple other KLR dudes, decide to jet, and we run into a FREAKIN TRACTOR PARADE, we must have went in 1st or 2nd gear for 5 miles or something crazy - I was going to hit the shoulder (I have a dirt bike!) but I thought there might be a cop in this parade somewhere and it was not worth the chance:
I decide its time, time to EAT - I have not eaten since breakfast and I am starving - its almost 2 now so c'mon, lets eat! We all decide that is a good idea, and stopped here for a GREAT burger (maybe its because I was starving, but it really was GREAT!)
Then, we were off again:
We stopped again one time to go potty, and then again we stopped to put our rain gear on:
It was getting NASTY outside, and I just wanted my gear on just in case, I was hoping to make it through without needing it but look:
Well, after we left here, I took off on my own, and wanted to take it nice and slow - now I am all by myself by choice. I take off and right away, I realize, I need to stop and have a smoke - LOL
So, I take my time, I pull off at this little gas station, I am having a smoke and all of a sudden, 2 dual sports pull in:
They were on a ride with a bunch of HD's for ABATE and could not find any other dual sports to ride with! I told them all about our group, and they seemed like nice people - hope they find us here and do some rides this season - Nice meeting you guys (Ed and Hudson, if that is really their names - Ha Ha!)
So, it is looking pretty bad now, and all of a sudden I hear a siren, and then a cop flying by, I gotta check this out, so I take off and start following this cop down Rt. 47, it starts getting darker, the wind starts picking up, then it gets worse, then the rain starts, all of a sudden I can barely see, only going about 30 and speed limit is now 55 and I am afraid that I am holding people up, but I do sneak a peek and there is nobody behind me - whew!
I keep riding thinking if I pull over now there is NO protection at all, just a big field and cars flying down the road, so I keep my head down and hope for the best - FINALLY, I make it up to Rt. 30 and duck under the overpass.
Now, I wait it out:
Yes, I was bored, I actually had my camera in the center median, timed exposure and then ran across 2 lanes of traffic, yes, I timed it perfect after like 9 attempts - LOL
Then, it started looking a bit better, I figure another 20 minutes and I am outta here:
I take off, its sunny and warm and just a little wet, but not nearly as windy!
So I say .... C-YA:
Its all behind me now:
Keep riding, get home safe, so we can do it another day:
So I got home, safe, had some dinner (Tuna fish on a PITA with some fruit salad, trying to eat healthy sometimes!) and now I had to share my experience with the BEST group of people I know. I would like to ride with all of you every day for the rest of my life.
Thanks again for ANOTHER great ChicagoLand Dual-Sport Ride! [:D]
