Wildguzzi.com
General Category => General Discussion => Topic started by: Daniel Kalal on May 13, 2019, 09:47:00 PM
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(http://www.dankalal.net/2019trip11/map0001.JPG)
The idea was to ride down to Oklahoma City for a bit of maintenance (that I didn't feel like doing myself) and then return via Cedar Vale and the annual Wild Guzzi get-together that Dusty puts on.
(http://www.dankalal.net/images/stateOK.png) Oklahoma
As is evident by the trace on the map, I didn't take a very efficient route. Instead, I made a wide detour to the west to avoid the worst of flooding that had the Kansas Turnpike shut down as well as several other roads. It never reached fifty degrees and the wind was very strong (but pushing me).
I'll leave the bike at Motiv Cycleworks and in the capable hands of Don Moomaw for: brake and clutch fluid replacement, swingarm-pivot grease, rear shock linkage grease, steering-head grease, replacement of the alternator belt and re-torque the top-end engine attach bolts.
As it happened, the swingarm-pivot was in real need of grease and one of the top-end engine attach bolts had dropped out. The shock links and steering head looked fine. The engine bolts had been torqued before, so that's something to keep an eye on (and hope blue Loctite does the trick). All this had been done, before, so it's not as if the factory skipped a step.
(http://www.dankalal.net/2019trip11/phone0005.JPG) (http://www.dankalal.net/2019trip11/phone0006.JPG)
I've been to a number of Oklahoma City places, but never the American Banjo Museum. Wow! Two floors of exhibits and more banjos than you can imagine. The whole history is here, from very old handmade, fretless banjos with a heritage from Africa to some pretty exotic electric banjos. I also learned that 4-string players do not always see eye-to-eye with 5-string players...
(http://www.dankalal.net/2019trip11/phone0001.JPG) (http://www.dankalal.net/2019trip11/phone0003.JPG)
Now, on the return ride, through Perkins, Oklahoma where I had lunch at a surprisingly good Italian cafe.
(http://www.dankalal.net/2019trip11/photo0001.JPG)
Pawnee County, Oklahoma. You'd be hard-pressed to put a shovel into the ground without striking rock.
(http://www.dankalal.net/2019trip11/photo0004.JPG)
(http://www.dankalal.net/2019trip11/photo0005.JPG)
The Arkansas River near Ralston, Oklahoma. All that flooding is draining into this river. It's running very high.
(http://www.dankalal.net/2019trip11/photo0006.JPG)
This is the new bridge...
(http://www.dankalal.net/2019trip11/photo0007.JPG)
...and, this is the old bridge (note the same Ralston water-tower in both photographs.
(http://www.dankalal.net/2005trip2/photo49.JPG)
The steel truss bridges of Oklahoma are now over a hundred years old and are being replaced or removed. There are not many that remain.
Shidler, Oklahoma.
(http://www.dankalal.net/2019trip11/photo0008.JPG)
(http://www.dankalal.net/images/stateKS.png) Kansas
KS-15 making an east/west adjustment in Cowley County.
(http://www.dankalal.net/2019trip11/photo0011.JPG)
Paved roads will sometimes make these unexpected turns while following meridian lines--nothing to do with the terrain.
I'm not bringing food, but cattle are always hopeful.
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Cedar Vale, Kansas.
(http://www.dankalal.net/2019trip11/photo0014.JPG)
The cold weather (and rain) probably kept some away, but there was a nice turnout. I'd be moving on before too long as I do not like riding at night.
(http://www.dankalal.net/2019trip11/photo0018.JPG) (http://www.dankalal.net/2019trip11/photo0019.JPG) (http://www.dankalal.net/2019trip11/photo0020.JPG) (http://www.dankalal.net/2019trip11/photo0021.JPG)
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(http://www.dankalal.net/2019trip11/photo0026.JPG) (http://www.dankalal.net/2019trip11/photo0027.JPG) (http://www.dankalal.net/2019trip11/photo0028.JPG) (http://www.dankalal.net/2019trip11/photo0029.JPG)
(http://www.dankalal.net/2019trip11/photo0031.JPG) (http://www.dankalal.net/2019trip11/photo0030.JPG) (http://www.dankalal.net/2019trip11/photo0032.JPG) (http://www.dankalal.net/2019trip11/photo0038.JPG)
(http://www.dankalal.net/2019trip11/photo0034.JPG) (http://www.dankalal.net/2019trip11/photo0035.JPG) (http://www.dankalal.net/2019trip11/photo0036.JPG) (http://www.dankalal.net/2019trip11/photo0037.JPG)
Cooks at work.
(http://www.dankalal.net/2019trip11/photo0041.JPG) (http://www.dankalal.net/2019trip11/photo0042.JPG) (http://www.dankalal.net/2019trip11/photo0043.JPG)
Coffeyville, Kansas. This is the weather that everybody wanted, yesterday. In 1892, the Dalton gang thought they'd rob two banks at once, and do it brazenly in broad daylight. The town thought otherwise.
(http://www.dankalal.net/2019trip11/photo0044.JPG)
Independence, Kansas.
(http://www.dankalal.net/2019trip11/photo0046.JPG)
Elk City, Kansas.
(http://www.dankalal.net/2019trip11/photo0047.JPG)
Longton, Kansas.
(http://www.dankalal.net/2019trip11/photo0048.JPG)
US-160 runs from Missouri to Arizona (crossing Kansas, Colorado and New Mexico) and is one of the better routes across Kansas (I-70 being the undeniable worst).
(http://www.dankalal.net/2019trip11/photo0051.JPG)
This ridge is fairly abrupt and extends pretty much north-south across Kansas. It would have been a challenge (or at least an annoyance) when the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway built the railroad through here. The long-gone town site of grand Summit isn't far from here.
(http://www.dankalal.net/2019trip11/photo0056.JPG)
(http://www.dankalal.net/2019trip11/photo0055.JPG)
This is central Cambridge, Kansas in 2019...
(http://www.dankalal.net/2019trip11/photo0057.JPG)
...and this is central Cambridge in 1982. There's a Guzzi in each, but not the same one. A couple of buildings have gone missing.
(http://www.dankalal.net/1982trip1/march019.jpg)
Stony Creek Road, Elk County. You'll not need to worry about traffic, but you might want to watch for deer.
(http://www.dankalal.net/2019trip11/photo0058.JPG)
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Latham, Kansas.
(http://www.dankalal.net/2019trip11/photo0064.JPG)
Latham was never on any significant road, but it once supported a service station on each corner of the T-intersection in the center of town.
(http://www.dankalal.net/2019trip11/photo0066.JPG) (http://www.dankalal.net/2019trip11/photo0067.JPG)
A nice day for riding.
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Fabulous photos, as always!! Thanks, Daniel! :thumb: :cool:
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Thanks Deke :thumb:
Dusty
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I always enjoy your photos and commentary
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Next time you're in Pawnee, you might head over to Pawnee Bill's Ranch. Great view from up there.
Don's a great guy. Glad you included him.
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Thanks yet again Daniel. :thumb: :thumb:
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Latham was never on any significant road, but it once supported a service station on each corner of the T-intersection in the center of town.
(http://www.dankalal.net/2019trip11/photo0066.JPG) (http://www.dankalal.net/2019trip11/photo0067.JPG)
A nice day for riding.
Great Pix, as usual! Latham probably had a lot more going on a hundred years ago, when the railroad ran through town, and none of the current highways existed.
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Latham probably had a lot more going on a hundred years ago, when the railroad ran through town, and none of the current highways existed.
You're right. And after diesel-electrics came and then grain elevators became regional and very large, places like Latham no longer had a reason for being (and the railroads no longer had a reason for tracks through these places). The good times didn't last very long (1915 - 1945)--even though the idea of many prosperous small towns across Kansas remains as the perfect, idyllic time for many.
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Thanks!
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Excellent pics Daniel. :thumb:
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You're right. And after diesel-electrics came and then grain elevators became regional and very large, places like Latham no longer had a reason for being (and the railroads no longer had a reason for tracks through these places). The good times didn't last very long (1915 - 1945)--even though the idea of many prosperous small towns across Kansas remains as the perfect, idyllic time for many.
These things always intrique me, so I did a little digging. Latham dates to 1885 and was founded as a railroad town and had a post office. Original line was called "Kansas City and Southwestern Railroad", but was later absorbed by the FRISCO (St. Louis - San Francisco Railway). and became a branch of that road from Beaumont to Winfield and Arkansas City. Couldn't search up when the branch through Latham was pulled up.
The town had a few newspapers over the years: Latham Signal, Latham Mirror, Latham Advertiser. Latham's population peaked at 364 in 1910, and has steadily declined since, with big drops in the 1940s and 1960s. Currently about 138 people reside there.
Paved highways, improved farm mechanization, jobs in Wichita, all probably helped leave these small towns languishing on The Great Plains in the early/mid-20th Century.
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As always, thanks for the pics and comments.
I read that in the early 1900's 95% of the people were engaged in agriculture. Now it is 3%.
Also, the article said that a lot of the wood buildings were torn down as they were a safety hazard.
Tex