August 4, 2002 found nine riders coming in from Lenexa, Lyons, Chanute, Emporia, Durham, and Wichita to make the early morning rendezvous in Cassoday, KS. Along for the ride were: Kraig Bailey - Honda XL350R, Allan Patton - Honda XL250R, Bill Dolski - KTM 640 LC4, Troy Dall - Suzuki DRZ400, Mike Bailey - Kawasaki KLR650, Greg Mitchell - Suzuki DR350, Dan Mitchell - Suzuki DRZ400, and Roger Baugh - Kawasaki KLR650. Tom Harmon rode in on his Kawasaki KLR650 to visit with everyone, but a prior commitment prevented him from joining us on this ride. With the continuing dry conditions, the dust was thick. Fortunately, most of our riding ran east to west, so the constant southern wind kept the roads fairly well windswept. When we ran north and south, it required spreading out a good distance between riders to avoid being stuck in a perpetual dust plume! We ran southeast out of Cassoday to the former town of Lapland. From Lapland, we rode to the east to Hamilton, KS. Once in town, we discovered a true soda fountain open for the day. What a treat after the heat and dust! After leaving Hamilton, we proceeded to the north and east to Burlington, KS, and lunch. After lunch, Kraig, Mike, and Troy struck out for home. The remainder of the group then turned back west towards Matfield Green. South of Emporia, Greg and Dan headed north to home, while the remaining three ran along the North Fork of the Verdigris River up into open grazing land north of Tetervile, KS. From Teterville, a short sprint to Cassoday .... then home. As always .... a most enjoyable ride ... with a lot of good visuals thrown in! 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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