Are you confused about that cryptic title? Those are all the states I visited, in order last weekend. On Saturday Dash and I participated in the 5 State Run. This is a charity event held by the Iron Thunder Motorcycle Club...a one-day poker run through five states, covering 300 miles! I don't often post photos of myself on this blog so if you were ever curious, here's your chance to see me as I share our trip.
The poker run starts in Guymon, OK which is about 300 miles from our house, so this wasn't a one-day trip for us. We planned on two nights away. Packing for motorcycle trips takes planning...everything we take has to fit in two saddlebags and the trunk. After dropping Molly off at the doggie-hotel and Dash and I were off.
It was gorgeous weather on Friday. Blue skies with bright white clouds. Just cool enough to need long sleeves by the time we reached the Kansas border...I know it says, "Welcome to Oklahoma" we were going the other way!
We stayed Friday night in Liberal, Kansas. There are NO HOTELS anywhere near the poker run. I am not kidding. If you want to stay the night near Guymon on a Mother's Day weekend you'd better have your room booked well in advance! Other travelers at the hotel and restaurant we ate at were noticing the extreme number of motorcycles in the area and asked us what was going on. As for where we ate, if you are ever hungry in Liberal, Kansas go to Billy's Blue Duck BBQ. That was some of the best barbecue we've ever had. The brisket, especially, was out of this world.
Saturday up before dawn and on the road to get to Guymon by 7. It was a crisp 46 degrees. Chilly at 70 mph on a motorcycle! We grabbed a doughnut & coffee and our registration packets.
Busy place!
Ignore my excessive pudginess, I am wearing jeans with leather chaps, a t-shirt, a long-sleeved t-shirt, a rain-suit jacket, a hoodie and my leather vest. I felt a little like the kid from A Christmas Story, "I can't put my arms down!" But I was warm.
Our Poker Hand at the first stop. This is a "blind" run. One doesn't know the hand until the end. At each of the five stops we draw a numbered poker chip. The attendant punches out the corresponding spot on the packet. At the last stop they open the envelope to reveal which "cards" you drew.
This is at the 2nd stop in Clayton, New Mexico. The volunteers there served us some very yummy chili. We've already been through Texas. I saw a large herd of Pronghorn Antelope on the way. No photos as they would have just looked like tan dots in a sea of tan grass.
Now headed for Colorado. It's warming up and I've been shedding a layer of clothing at each stop, I think!
The Colorado stop involves going down a dirt road (mostly sand, scary) and over cattle guards in the road and lots of twists & turns. It was gorgeous there though.
The 4th stop was in Elkhart, Kansas. I totally forgot to take photos there as I was too busy eating brownies so I snapped this as were were headed back to Oklahoma. Every time we stop, either at a punch stop or just a stretch-your-legs stop, people ask us, "What is going on?" Every gas station we passed or stopped at looked like it was being taken over by a biker gang. Sorry folks!
Our poker hands proved a bust at the last stop, back where we started in Guymon, Oklahoma. I only thought about saving my card as we were leaving...they just automatically trash them unless they are in the top three. Poo! The top prize is $3000 so would be quite a thrill to win it. All said, there were 896 bikes with 282 passengers so that makes 1,178 people that participated! What a fun day!
We completed the poker run in about 7 1/2 hours. We didn't stay for the dinner since we still had 125 miles...or about 2 hours...to ride to get to out hotel in Woodward, Oklahoma. On the way to Woodward the temperature reached 94 degrees and I was down to a t-shirt & vest, remember we started the day at 46! At some point, a bug got up my sleeve and started stinging. He got me about 12 times before I finally decided I had enough and Dash stopped so I could strip my vest & shirt and remove it. Apologies to anyone shocked at the sight of pudgy me, half naked in the middle of the road, slapping at my back.
In Woodward we unpacked and headed out to find somewhere to eat. Dash had looked up a place on Google but we never could find it. We ended up at Wagg's (no website) another BBQ restaurant but they had a big "catfish" sign out front. Very, very yummy fish! (I adore fried catfish.) I even splurged and had a slice of Key Lime pie - absolute heaven. In the middle of dinner, I remarked to Dash that I was suddenly, utterly, exhausted. He felt the same so we made it an early night.
Sunday found us headed for home. Windy. Windy. WINDY. I think we rode the whole way home sideways. Cold? No problem. Heat? No big deal. Rain? I'll dry out. Wind? I hate it. Wind will wear you out in no time! I unpacked as soon as I got home, started the laundry and had a nap!
With such a busy weekend and right back to work on Monday I'm still tired! My soul is refreshed but my 46 year old body is exhausted! Horrors, I've not even felt like stitching...
Thank you for visiting my blog today!
xox
34 comments:
Wow!!! I gotta say you and Dash are the luckiest. I've only been riding on the back of my boyfriends bike (Kawasaki 800 Vulcan Classic) for the last 2 years. The longest we've ridden is a 100 mile round trip. I ended up with monkey butt for a few hours after that. [ha ha] Some day I hope to get a bike of my own. I was really nice to see what you and Dash look like. And no you don't look old or fat.
Waving small paw at ya ... lovely photos of you ... I know the feeling well about riding in the wind ... not good is it ... adore your bike and just love the names on it ...lol and hope you have recovered now :) love mouse xxxxx
Great photos Daffy!! Thanks for sharing :) Ok....I admit....when you said you took part in a charity run over 5 states....I thought for a few seconds that you meant an actual run....with your 2 legs :D
What fab pics.
I've yet to get my backside on motorbike :(
Wow what a ride!! Thanks for the picture tour; you look cute in your gear. Glad everyone had a safe, fun run! Rest up.:)
Wow so much fun :)
Wow! What a fun adventure! Except for the bug bites! Hope you're rested and gotten some stitching in!
That was a very cool trip! Thank you Sharon for sharing this. I will never participate in such an event, and I really enjoyed learning and seeing about it. :)
Congratulations on the run, runs are a hoot, many of my family members do runs for the Men and Women in the Military who have been wounded or in need of financial support.
I am sure you had fun, bugs yuck, they are so sneeky.
Catherine
Wow, what a fun day! I know exactly what you mean about the wind. You are the only other bike riding stitcher I know of other than myself. Too bad you two live so far away from us, it would be fun to go on a ride sometime. I feel the same way when I get all my gear on too. LOL!
Wow 5 states! My boyfriend also has a bike and he has done poker runs but never of that size! It looks like you guys had a lot of fun. I may have to start going with him.
What an experience...glad you had a safe journey.
What a fun weekend! Reminds me of the geocaching machines my DH has done all over the NW where you get a list of caches in the area and see how many you can do from sunup to sundown. :)
Sounds like a great day out. You were riding in armchair luxury though!!
The furthest we did was 500 miles to Scotland on a 650 Honda Nighthawk (think small Jap imitation Harley!)
Nice to see a photo of you though and see that you are not a small dancing cow after all!
Now there is a motorcycle mama for you! Looks like you guys had a lot of fun.
What fun - glad you made it back safe and sound. I would need a 3 wheeler with a very large windshield and side rails that doesn't go over 25 mph. I am chicken, hear me cluck!
What a trip!! You'll never forget that one, that's for sure! I'd never seen a photo of you before, Sharon, but you're honestly exactly as I imagined you :)
Wow What a trip.
That must have been so cool!!
Awesome to do that. But Im very afraid of motors. So not for me. Hihi
Oh wow! What a epic ride and weekend!
Don't think my 49 year old body would have stood up to that! Well done you :o)
Hugs x
It sounds like a fabulous time. Such beautiful weather ( except for the wind part) from your photos. Brings back memories of our bike runs 30 years in the past! I've tried to get my Mr. W to get a bike again but he is not interested. Alas, I guess i will just have to spend my time stitching and not riding.
wow! thank you for sharing, loved reading your post and looking at the photos
That sounded like a lot of fun. My hubby and I had a bike, seems like a hundred years ago, but I still remember riding on the back. Wouldn't have the nerve to do it now. You looked great.
Thanks for sharing your trip. We pass through Liberal once a year on the way to the WOW Sprint Car races in Dodge City. Now we will have a reason to stop for some BBQ.
CJ
What a wonderful weekend. Interesting post.
Glad you had a fun weekend, love the pics, thanks for sharing. hugs lynda
I'm totally jealous of your bike run! Your photos made me homesick for the west as I used to live in New Mexico, Colorado and Texas.
Everything is so beautifully open... I only feel claustrophobia in the South now.
Love the pics! Looks like you had an wonderful trip and lots of fun. Thank you so much for sharing :)
That sounds like it was a lot of fun!
That trip looks like an absolute ball (except for buggy bites!)
Hi,
It looks like you had lots of fun in your road trip!!!! Except those bugs bites.
Such a fun post! Sounds like you're the go-to guru when it comes to packing small and dressing for any weather! Sorry about the bug bites and that you didn't win (can you imagine the stash that prize money could buy? LOL)
But I'm so happy that you were safe, part of a "biker gang (hee hee) and made lots of fun memories! :)
wow !
I love your pictures ;)
what an experience, really great !
and that blue sky....... :)
xxx
Wow, what a fun adventure! Thanks for sharing your pictures, travelling across states is something I really want to do someday, although I don't think I'm brave enough to do it on a motorbike! :)
Best wishes.
Come to Las Vegas and we'll take a ride to Stitcher's Paradise! :)
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