August 17, 2003 was a day spent exploring some of the more remote areas of Greenwood and Elk counties .... with a little Chautauqua county thrown in for good measure. Six riders rendezvoused at the Beaumont Hotel in Beaumont, KS for the start of a great adventure. An early morning start was determined to be optimum, as temperatures were forecast to reach over 100 degrees by mid-afternoon. Jeff Hund of Wichita rode in on his DR650, along with his son Mike who brought his Honda 250 v-twin motard. Four riders came in on KLR650s: Brady Allensworth of Wichita, Dave Dixon of Derby, Steve Prewitt of Wichita, and Roger Baugh of Wichita. A counter clockwise loop was run out of Beaumont which included the areas around Latham, Howard, Longton, Oak Valley, and the Quivira Scout Ranch. Terrain was varied, from the uplands prairie of the Osage Questa region of the Flint Hills, to the riparian forests of the Chautauqua Hills. We were also greeted on this ride by a variety of wildlife at close range .... a coyote, a couple of white tail deer, elk, and one very low flying vulture. Human presence throughout the area could be detected only in air-conditioned structures! It was hot, it was dusty, it was a great ride! 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