August 18, 2002 turned out to be a fun ride in the central Flint Hills. Seven riders gathered in Cassoday. Joe Williams rode up to Cassoday on his Bandit 1200, so wasn't equipped for the offroad section. (He gets a half-point on rides completed!) Dualsport riders included Dennis Gowing - Suzuki DRZ400S, Chris Greenhoot - KTM 620RXC, Tim Troyer - KLR650, Tom Harmon - KLR650, Tim Edwards - KLR650, Jim Foley - KLR650, and Roger Baugh - KLR650. We rode east out of Cassoday to Teter Rock. From that point we rode north to Texaco Hill. After enjoying the overlook at Texaco Hill, we rode some low maintenance roads east of Matfield Green, eventually running up the Sharpes Creek Valley to Bazaar. From there, it was a short ride into Cottonwood Falls, and lunch at the Emma Chase Cafe. Amazingly, the table was set for us before we even entered the door .... and a great lunch was enjoyed by all. Thanks Sue! The weather was perfect. Most of the ride was overcast with temperatures in the low 80s. Recent rains had knocked the dust levels to nearly zero. However, the locusts (large grasshoppers) were profuse .... we must have killed hundreds when they jumped up to knee level or higher as we rode past them. We also rode a great deal of open grazing country, and had to work our way slowly past several herds of cattle that were lounging across the roadbeds. Once again .... a really good ride with plenty to see and enjoy. 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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