2011 Hooterville 400

[zzzzip]

I got home about 2:30 after riding some of the route again, encountering 3 dogs (what the hell???.... do you guys in Hooterville keep them as an emergency food source?) with no close encounters of the 3rd kind.

Stopped in Cuba for fuel and coffee and had a chat with some BMW guys who had been in Potosi this weekend (nice guys) and then stopped and jawed for a while with a couple of Troopers (nice guys.... told them how awful is is to be retired) and kicked the tires on a Missouri Highway Patrol Harley in Hermann. The motor man also rides Ducs and actually knew what I was riding-- other guy was into Suzuki dirt bikes.

Had time to put the V Strom back together and play with my grand daughter for a while.

Was a great weekend-- hope to make the next one.

Thanks to all.

 

[wheatonFJR]

Thoughts, excerpts, and anecdotes from the 2011 Hooterville ride...

Friday - on the way down

HD rider splitting our lanes uninvited on the Bridge across the Mississippi

Worst traffic of the day - in Hooterville itself. Who knew the Homecoming parade for Hooterville High could be that long?

Petey arriving at Smitty's in the mean green Alaska Versys machine .

Meeting Matt/canyonman for the first time and Russ/Rushes(again?)...great to finally get together at Hooterville.

FJR beer run...and BSing in the parking lot with new and old friends before the Catfish Kettle...

Service for 18 at Catfish Kettle...all you can eat family style..mmmmm gooood! (pictures to come from others)

Meeting Gary/RydTym and SO Lisa, meeting Brian/blrfjr

Smitty handing out maps

Saturday - Hooterville 400

Rise and shine...Huddle House for breakfast. Owner says that the DogNSuds is closed. The new hwy that bypassed the DogNSuds did her in...very sad.

Gramps and petey decide to visit the quarry again. (not my fault)

griff and company can't trip the traffic light at MO 8...( I did trip it today promptly with my centerstand down)

Passing a few slow Beemers on the way to Bixby... :assassin:

Karl/airboss showing off his braking technique.. :blink:

At Bixby: "Do you smell gas?"

Also, "There may be some high speed triple digit wide open sweepers ahead...but I'm not gonna go that fast".

Picking up the pace on KK...

Ramblin' through the country on County B...passing the "Flood picture"

Beautiful sweepers on 106 to Eminence...

How many RV's can you fit on 19 between Eminence and Winona??

"whup-tee-doos" on 19 southbound...did you get air? :yahoo:

Hwy 160...did Gramps ever catch that little 650 cc Versys ridden by the unassuming gentleman??

BBQ at Big D's!!!! :yahoo:

Cattle country on Cty K...

Airboss shows off his braking technique again on K...that's strike 2 Karl. :assassin:

Rock and Roll on Hwy 34 :clapping:

Straightaway ahead...Ambulance... Eric (ET) has bumps and bruises...but is amazingly okay after a Great Dane!!! runs into the side of his front wheel. Gear works. Ambulance and helicopter is for the other guy. Same dog takes out 3 riders and two bikes.

Eric rides in the babe seat of my bike all the way back to the motel. I took it easy on him so as not to scare him...he's had enough drama for the day.

Regrouping and talking about the great day's ride back at the motel. Beer runs are made...

Everybody in the reserved room at the Pasta House...thanks Smitty for setting that up! :clapping:

Sunday - get home day

Getting up early to go the the Huddle House for breakfast. Thanks Griff for letting me use your spare GPS...very generous of you.

A solo sightseeing, "sniff the flowers" tour of the Hooterville route...Farmington to Bixby (store closed on Sunday am)...heading south and east on 49 to Annapolis...lots of horses in the country. Head east on C...fantastic road...come around a curve and what do I see? Three horses and two goats at the edge of the pavement. Untethered. All three horses looked up in unison at the sound of my bike. They didn't bolt..thank God. I had visions of the E.T. situation. I looked back in my mirrors and couldn't see any people with the animals. I laughed to myself...the animals got out and were having a great old time...the horses and goats in cahoots...I saw a couple working in a front yard just down the way...and they said they might know who the animals belong to...and will contact the owner.

I finished the twisties on C. C is why I came this far south on Sunday. What a great road! As the end of C occurs near the DogNSuds, I stop there to zip out my liner and pay my respects. The outdoor menu is still there, hanging from the roof. A medium root beer float is still $2.25...but the service is non existent. I am sad at the death of this small place where we used to talk over the day's ride and have a refreshing cold root beer in the heat, served by a high school age waitress trying to earn some money. Just sad.

Well, it's getting late and my Sunday morning Missouri ramble is about done. I get to Chester Illinois at about noon with 200 miles on the trip meter.

I take a few state roads to US 51 north and avoid the Nascar race on I55 between St Louis and Chicago. Takes longer...but is more relaxing and enjoyable. 600 miles on the day and about 1400 miles on the weekend.

What a weekend! wow.

EDIT-One last thing...to that HD rider blocking traffic in the left lane on a busy highway for no reason...screw you....and oh yeah, didn't keep me blocked now didja when you tried to use that noise control thingie with your right hand.

 

[canyonman]

Hey was one of those goats black? sounds like he called out reinforcements

 

[wheatonFJR]

BTW I stopped for a milkshake on the way home.

Intervention time there Marty...I think that was your 10th for the weekend????

 

[smitty141]

Just got home..10.2 miles from the motel. :lol: (last night)... What a ride... Nice seeing everyone, and what great weather.

Ride safe everyone, Smitty

 

[wheatonFJR]

There was one incident when I got home, the neighbors ankle biter dog took a shit on my front porch which I unknowingly stepped in and tracked into the house. payback? :eh-smiley:

...payback? Matt, did you crap on your neighbor's front porch or sumpin??? :lol:

 

[wheatonFJR]

Just got home..10.2 miles from the motel. :lol: (last night)... What a ride... Nice seeing everyone, and what great weather.

Ride safe everyone, Smitty

Smitty, I thought you were kidding when you asked to borrow someone's gps.

Even Bungie can get home faster than you.

 

[canyonman]

There was one incident when I got home, the neighbors ankle biter dog took a shit on my front porch which I unknowingly stepped in and tracked into the house. payback? :eh-smiley:

...payback? Matt, did you crap on your neighbor's front porch or sumpin??? :lol:

no. not yet anyway. :innocent: I figured maybe his dog was some how related to the piedmont great dane and was dishing out a little retribution on motorcyclist in general.

Im tellin ya those animals are out to get ya dogs, goats, horses, cars full of teenage girls..... oh wait that was a whole different deal. :wacko:

 

[airboss]

I got home about 2:30 after riding some of the route again, encountering 3 dogs (what the hell???.... do you guys in Hooterville keep them as an emergency food source?) with no close encounters of the 3rd kind.

Stopped in Cuba for fuel and coffee and had a chat with some BMW guys who had been in Potosi this weekend (nice guys) and then stopped and jawed for a while with a couple of Troopers (nice guys.... told them how awful is is to be retired) and kicked the tires on a Missouri Highway Patrol Harley in Hermann. The motor man also rides Ducs and actually knew what I was riding-- other guy was into Suzuki dirt bikes.

Had time to put the V Strom back together and play with my grand daughter for a while.

Was a great weekend-- hope to make the next one.

Thanks to all.

Met your motor man at the gas station in Hermann, talked about Ducs and Harleys. Harleys are not good at chaseing down speeders on the interstate, he hopes Missouri will see the light and get some C-14's.

We must have bummed him out, meeting two retirees touring on their bikes in the same day. :lol:

 

[ShowMeMo]

After another wonderful nights slight on the hunchback of NotreBed, left around 5:45 and was home before football...

Had a great time! Thanks to everyone, especially Mark and Smitty for organizing this thing... Weather was great as were the roads.

 

[wheatonFJR]

After another wonderful nights slight on the hunchback of NotreBed, left around 5:45 and was home before football...

Had a great time! Thanks to everyone, especially Mark and Smitty for organizing this thing... Weather was great as were the roads.

Great seeing you again Scott. :clapping:

I think you need to check into one of the adjacent motels next time for a better bed. I may be wrong, but I think this is two years in a row for bad beds for you...

On another note, 0Face and Gramps....still waiting for those pictures. :clapping:

 

[wheatonFJR]

...Was a great weekend-- hope to make the next one.

Thanks to all.

So do I buddy. So do I.

 

[rushes]

Got home yesterday afternoon. It takes a while with no straight roads between here and there.

Thanks Mark and Smitty for putting it all together! I enjoyed meeting the group.

 

[canyonman]

Here are a few pics, didn't have too many.

Here is Petey, E.T. and Jack checkin out Eric's Feej before the installation of the great dane farkle.

Trippermike, Builderwill, Zzzzip, and Chester (I think) going over the pre flight check list.

Griff and Airboss discussing the advantage of no ABS on the Duc while Marty dreams of milkshakes and kitkat bars

A squadron of FJRs at the Bixby country store "hey does anyone smell gas? gotta light?"

smitty and rydtym getting ready for a nice leisurely ride up KK.

 

[wheatonFJR]

Thanks for the pics Matt...what a great day! :yahoo:

 

[wheatonFJR]

Oh, a few other tidbits from my ride home...

• on the way home I didn't really intend on doing this...but it appears that I did the Illinois State Prison Tour...Chester State Prison, Pinckneyville Correctional Center, Vandalia Correctional Center. I could have stopped in and visited your guys' relatives...but, I'm on a list, so no screenings or body cavity searches for me thank-you.
• I was following a car in southern Illinois and I smelled a burning smell...couldn't figure it out until the lightbulb turned on from a smell I vaguely remember from an ancient past. Yes, you are right...Mary-chew-Anna. Some friends of mine used to smoke that stuff...not me though...I didn't even inhale.

 

[rydtym]

(No) one should be allowed to have as much fun as I did this past weekend, WOW what a BLAST, the ride Saturday was unbelievable!!

Thank-You to Mark for your time and effort for such a great event, plus for showing me how to ride! Also thanks to Smitty for all of your help.

Thank you to Airboss for the reminder just how much I Luv A.B.S. .Your Krazzy Karl !

Thank-you to Builderwill for leading the way back after Eric's mishap,damm you can ride, thanks for letting me catch UP! You can crash here on way up North anytime, Western Wisconsin has some great roads too ride, maybe Trippermike and Gramps will jump the river and join us?

Sorry I brought Hooters to Hooterville you guys, I hope Lisa didn't bother you too much, well anymore then I did, right Gramps? We took the back roads home so Lisa could see some of the fun she missed on Saturday.

It was nice to see Marty, Airboss, and Gramps again and meeting such a great group of guys!

It was an AWESOME time, thanks to everyone that showed up!

Hey I'm thinking of opening a Steak and Shake in Evanston, IL., just wondering how do you guys think it would do??

 

[wheatonFJR]

It was great to meet you Gary...teach you how to ride?? I don't think so...you were kicking my @ss on 160 and reminding me that I have a few things to learn.

I got the mojo back on 34 though...that was great fun. :yahoo:

I hope Lisa didn't mind hanging out with us Hooterville regulars too much. She's invited back anytime. If you're nice, you can join her.

 

[blrfjr]

Thank you Mark and Smitty for ALL your efforts, truely a class act! I had a blast on those roads and learned a thing or two in the process. I felt a lot more confident as a rider on my way home. And maybe just a tad cocky. LOL I slabed it to Terra Haute then shot up 41 back home to N. central Indiana. 350 mi in 6 hrs total. Much better than my way to MO. Got home at 1:30 and left the hotel at 7:40 est. I left my house again by 2:10 with my co-pilot. And we rode another 200 mi. back to southern Indiana. I figured she would want to see some of the beauty I saw. Great freakin weekend! What a great group of guys, I would certainly do it again.

Ride safe everyone.

Eric I hope you go buy some lottery tickets!

See y'all next time, Bryan

 

[wheatonFJR]

Got home at 1:30 and left the hotel at 7:40 est. I left my house again by 2:10 with my co-pilot. And we rode another 200 mi. back to southern Indiana. I figured she would want to see some of the beauty I saw...

Wow Bryan...ride home, then take the wife out for 200 more miles. :clapping:

It was great to meet you. Glad you had a good time. It sure was a blast, wasn't it...