Backroads Touring - May 22, 2010

May 22, 2010 ... A late Spring romp in the Flint Hills. We had four riders gather in Cassoday to ride today including; Thurman Brittingham - Rose Hill - KLX250S, Glen Krause - Emporia - Husky TE-610, RD Woolsey - Derby - KLR650, and Roger Baugh - Wichita - KLX250S. Everyone was able to make the rendezvous time with minutes to spare. After fueling, we ran out of Cassoday to the northwest.

Within a few miles of departure, we encountered a large fallen tree that completely blocked our path. Ditches were deep and water filled, so over the tree we went, dragging skid plates and looking good! Road conditions were better than expected, considering the past four weeks of constant rain. Our main concerns were deep and dried mud ruts. With some moisture remaining in the roadbed, dust was not much of a problem. However, 40+ mph crosswinds did keep us on our toes when running at high speed through dry, deeply rutted areas.

Conditions looked favorable, so we engaged the minimum maintenance Coyne Creek Rd. from the western entrance. What fun! The multiple water crossings were delightful, a small amount of mud was encountered here and there, but nothing overly technical. A huge oak had fallen across the road when we were about half the distance in, but RD, Glen, and Thurman were able to clear away enough dead limbs to allow passage. Imagine our surprise when we reached the eastern upland section of the road and saw nearly a hundred people and scores of cars parked along the single lane road. It was a meeting of planners and volunteers for the upcoming Symphony On The Prairie, which will draw 5,000 attendees and will be held on June 12th.

We were getting hungry, so turned up the tap and whisked on into Cottonwood Falls, about ten miles distant. As always, we enjoyed a good brunch at the Emma Chase Cafe and visited with the owner, Sue Smith. After the KLXs were refueled, we rode south down to the picturesque Den Creek Road, then turned east to Bazaar and the open range Sharpes Creek Road. This time of the season, yearling cattle herds are skittish around riders, and today was no exception. Of the many herds we encountered .... the following ran true: the herd bolted to the right, the herd bolted to the left, or the herd would bolt in all directions! We did encounter a group of ranchers saddling up their horses near the roadbed. From a good distance, we stopped and cut our engines so as not to spook the horses. The ranchers saw our concern, and waived us past them ... smiles and waves everywhere. Courtesy, respect and safety go a long way out on the prairie.

We continued on open range for many miles, and enjoyed quite a few more water crossings, probably over a dozen in total. By the time we reached the ghost town of Thrall, it was time to start working towards home. Glen split off for Emporia, while Thurman, RD, and myself rode to the ghost town of Lapland to enter into wild mustang country. We then rode on to Cassoday, refueled, and crouched against the gale force headwind for our return ride home.

Finally, after so many delays with bad weather in April and May, we got to ride! 270 miles for me on the KLX250s today. It was a good ride, challenging enough for the first ride of the season, and we all worked well as a team.

... rb

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