June 8 - 9, 2002 was the first time where we had back-to-back rides. Making the Saturday ride: Tom Harmon - Kawasaki KLR650, Chester Thompson - Kawasaki KLR650, Tim Edwards - Kawasaki KLR650, Greg Mitchell - Suzuki DR350, and Roger Baugh - Kawasaki KLR650. Saturday started with a rendezvous in Cottonwood Falls at the Emma Chase Cafe. Four riders from Kansas City, Topeka, Emporia, and Wichita met and began the day. The morning included riding east to Saffordville, then north to Lake Kahola. From there, we ran backroads up to Council Grove for lunch. After lunch, we rode to the southwest and rendezvoused with Tom Harmon in Diamond Springs. (The Diamond Springs area is a must for dual sporters, with gravel and two track roads leading to some very scenic views.) We rode south following Diamond Creek to Elmdale ... then on to Cottonwod Falls and Strong City, where the two communities were celebrating the annual rodeo. Tom & Roger stayed over Saturday night at Country Dreams Bed & Breakfast near Marion, and enjoyed a great dinner and comfortable lodging. We also had some time to take in a little fishing on the well-stocked lake ... and were not disappointed for our efforts. On Sunday, we rode the Bluestem Road in Marion County north into Morris County and to the upper arm and wildlife refuge of Council Grove Reservoir. Neither of us had ridden this area before, and we were pleasantly suprised with the great scenery. From there, we rode north and west to White City, and then south again back into Marion County to end the day's ride. Another great day out on the backroads of Kansas! This ride was a winner ... and we'll do a similar route on July 14. 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.

home | safety | links | photo gallery | e-mail | bulletin board