All summer long I’ve been intending to get down to southwest Kansas and ride the Gypsum Hills Scenic Byway. (http://www.naturalkansas.org/gypsum.htm) Tomorrow, I’m actually going to make it happen.
The Scenic Byway ends in a small town called Coldwater…which happens to be about 25 miles south of Greensburg, Kansas. Greensburg was leveled by an F5 tornado in May of this year. I figured I’d ride up and have a look around at what’s left (literally nothing) on my way home. (http://www.kansas.com/static/slides/050507tornadoaerials/)
All told, it should be about a 350 mile day…no problem at all with the new bike. The weather forecast is ideal…sunny and warm with a high around 90F.
I’ll post a few pictures tomorrow night after I get home…
Bloody hell mate, sounds good You’ve got the bike for the milage! I’d like to do someting like that sometime. Looking forward to the pictures mate! Be safe…
Here are a few snaps from various scenic overlooks along the Gypsum Hills Scenic Byway…gorgeous. I had never been to this part of the State of Kansas before and was kicking myself for putting it off for so long. It was well worth the effort…
And now for the the UNBELIEVABLE, in a bad way, pictures.
In May of this year the town of Greensburg, Kansas was literally wiped off the map by an F5 tornado. The tornado was over a mile wide with winds approaching 300 miles per hour. Virtually EVERYTHING above ground was destroyed…trees…homes…business…utilities…EVERYTHING.
We arrived in Greensburg about 3 this afternoon…4 months after the event…and the place still looks like a war zone. It was sad…so sad…to ride through what USED to be residential areas to see nothing but broken trees and empty lots where homes used to stand…there were 2 buildings left standing on Main Street…two…out of the 30 or so that used to be there.
It will take YEARS for this town to rebuild…if it ever does at all. How do you rebuild a town when there is literally nothing left to build around?
You have two of those bikes :w00t: quivers* kin size of that back tyre :w00t:
The blue sky scenary pics look familiar, some of the UK looks like that.
Love how you get your bikes in all the pics hell, if I had a ride like that, I’d have used a 1gb memory card Damned shame about the town - maybe they should move on to greener pastures (no pun intended).
Most of us are now drooling over a) your bikes b) the open roads c) your ability to blat up them without traffic cameras
The M109-R is mine…The VTX belongs to my best friend. And yeah, the 109 is a real head turner with that HUGE 240 rear tire. I’ll try to get a video posted so you can HEAR it, though…it has an AMAZING 1800cc V-Twin motor. If you like motorcycles at all, you’ll be grinning from ear to ear when you hear it. :DI rode all day yesterday…300+ miles…and never saw a member of law enforcement. We don’t have speed cameras here (thank GOD…I’ll get my rifle and go all revolutionary on them myself if/when that day ever comes) so it’s just get out onto the open rode and rip it. :w00t:
1800cc!!! fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuk don’t need a video, I could prob hear it from here. 240 back tyre… sorry, i have a ‘thing’ for bigfuckoffbacktyres - it’s something that’s plagued me since my childhood:D
In the UK there are members of society who have used dynamite and petrol bombs on speed cameras but that’s around Norfolk/Suffolk area mostly (according to the news that is). I’d love to get that on film
Um… if you wikipedia search the word, it’s not very nice as it’s an insult. However, in the UK it’s a very mild swear. E.G - ‘oh you jammy git’ is like when you are playing pool and they get the 8ball in after a whizz round the table. It doesn’t mean what it used to. Don’t be offended.
You’ve got the bike for the milage! I’d like to do someting like that sometime. Looking forward to the pictures mate! Be safe…
