September 5, 2004 ... it was a KLR650 fest in the southern Flint Hills of Cowley, Elk, and Chautauqua counties. Making the ride this day: Brady Allensworth - Wichita, Randy Snyder - Belle Plaine, and Roger Baugh - Wichita. All riders were mounted on KLR650s, Brady's KLR is now approaching eighteen years of age. We arrived at the breakfast rendezvous at Laurie's Kitchen in Mulvane, KS ... only to discover that no labor was being done in the kitchen this day .... closed for the holiday. We decided to try our luck further down the trail in Grenola. It turned out to be a good decision, as we had a good lunch at a reasonable price there. We explored southern Cowley and southwestern Elk counties. We even strayed a few miles into northern Chautauqua county. We stopped for a number of photo opportunities, particularly since motorist traffic was extremely light ... encountering only two motorists the entire off-highway section. We ended up meandering about 200 miles in the thules, including a number of dead-end roads. It didn't matter ... riding conditions and scenery were just too good to not try out a few unmarked roads leading back into the hills. Well into the ride, Brady decided to cool off at a stream crossing. To see more ... click here (QuickTime video) Another day where Kansas was visually at its' best ... and we were fortunate enough to experience it! Note: The broomweed has just started to bloom in the southern region ... worth a ride into the Flint Hills the next couple of weeks as the prairie turns a vivid yellow-gold. 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