Photos taken near Teterville, Kenbro, Elco, Saffordville, Cottonwood Falls, and Clements on April 14, 2002. The day started out cool with dense fog. By afternoon, skies had cleared and temperatures were in the low 80s. Seven riders on this trip: Tom Hamby - KTM LC4 640, Tom Harmon - Kawasaki KLR650, Joe Blanchard - Kawasaki KLR650, Clay Bastian - BMW R100GS, Bill Snyder - BMW R1000GS, Steve Prewitt - Kawasaki KLR650, and Roger Baugh - Kawasaki KLR650. Wichita-based riders started the morning with a rendezvous in Valley Center. From there, we rode secondary paved roads to Cassoday. Jumping off pavement at Cassoday, we proceeded to Teter Rock, then north up to Texaco Hill. At Kenbro, we crossed the North Fork of the Verdigris and rode up to Elco, near the stone entryway shown below. Most of the hills had already been fired to promote spring prairie grass growth. However, we did get to ride close to a valley that was in a state of burn between Elco and Cottonwood Falls, with flames visible from miles away. Tom Hamby and his KTM made a successful vertical run up the "big hill" at Saffordville. After the "high fives", we then proceeded on to Cottonwood Falls. A great lunch was enjoyed at the Emma Chase Cafe in Cottonwood Falls. We then rode on to Elmdale, where the group split-up for their respective rides home. One item to note: On the return trip, a rider went down hard on a dirt/gravel road after his front wheel got caught in a dried mud groove. Fortunately, he ended up with only a slightly jammed thumb, and little else. His selection of protective gear made the big difference in the results (see last frame below). Another good note ... the bike emerged virtually unscathed from the mishap. Click on a thumbnail to view a larger image. Use your browser's "back" button, or the "left" arrow in the navigation bar to return to this page.

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