Skip to main content

Rolling across America

By

Our pants  are on fire- we are belting across America. It must be the pull of home. We are not tired, we are enjoying it and don’t really want to stop. And of course we want to make the most of the good weather 

And we reach a milestone. We cross the mighty Ohio river then 5 minutes later the mighty Mississippi. During that 5 minutes between the rivers we were in Illinois. The Ohio crossing 



The mighty Mississippi 







Now we are in Missouri 

Then we ride along the levee on the other side. Never saw a Chevy on the Levee though.

And then it is through the cotton fields. The cotton is just being harvested and there are cotton fluffs a’blowin across the road 



We stay at a town called Poplar Bluff

Next day the weather forecast looks a bit dodgy 




Fortunatly  we only have about 30 minutes of light rain 

It is pumpkin time in America 





This little number below is called a “Hubbard Warted Squash “. Truly !  Not to be confused with a “Watered Squashed Hubbard “! Is’nt beautiful? Warts and all you might say 



Noting that the Hubbard name has worldwide recognition we ride on in a happy frame of mind 

Missouri is a conservative state. It has a Mennonite community. However times are changing 




Then if you prefer Opioids then you pop into this shop -  very conveniently located behind the local McDonalds 




From Missouri we flick into Kansas after staying over in Joplin, Missouri. Joplin is on the old Route 66 as it used to wind from Chicago 
 to LA 

At Joplin we watch the Democrat election debate on TV. 10 candidates vying for the nomination and the chance to roll President Trump. It was a fascinating window not just into American politics but also the American psyche. No where else in the world would you get 10 people appealing to the nation to allow them to become President of a nation. But at the moment in America there is a feeling that democracy is being redefined and not in a healthy way. The most powerful statement from the debate in my opinion was the one that said that the possible impeachment is not just about Trump but it is about the future shape of American politics for generations to come. Interesting times indeed in America and we were lucky to see through the window of the debate 

Back to the road 

Kansas is cattle country - big time. There is quite a silo mentality here - there are feed silos everywhere



There is a big meat works just out of the town we are staying in. It processes 6,000 steers a day and produces a total of 1,000,000 lbs of hamburger patties a day. And it is not the only plant on town 

We go to a steak restaurant for dinner. I think that if you asked for a vegetarian meal in this town they would call up the sheriff, run you out of town and leave you naked on the roadside. I have a steak thanks. !

We are now only 6 days riding from LA. It is getting close. Two more blogs? 



Comments

JennySowry said…
Always an entertaining read and play on words. It is quite a historic time in American politics with an impending implosion and clash of our coequal branches of government as they were defined by our founding fathers. Yet today we have a despot who believes he can obstruct and destroy rule of law. It’s quite disturbing to watch. I and friends are engaged in our Democratic Party activities encouraging new voters to vote out Trump.

Home is calling and you are full of energy to leave this place behind, rightfully so. Home is home and what an epic accomplishment to have circumnavigated our globe on the red head! It truly is wildly amazingly fantastic! What is the odometer reading on the redhead ? Safe journey home! Jenny and Scott
17 October 2019 at 21:35
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The last post!

By
How do you summarise a motorbike trip around the world from Tokyo to Los Angeles?. With difficulty!   Well we are not into record setting. But we believe we are the oldest couple in the world to ride a motorbike “ two up” ie with pillion passenger, right round the world on one season  Let’s start  off with the statistics for the little trip  -                                                                    Total mileage.        34,416 km *                                                        No of days travelling        165                           ...
2 comments
Read more

Chapters 1 and 2

By
WHY MOTORCYCLE ADVENTURES ? I have always been interested in adventure. Over the years I have climbed mountains, parachuted, had my private pilots licence, dived, sailed and done various adventurous pursuits (with various degrees of success I might add!). Motorcycling has been one of the later activities. Why motorcycles?  Firstly it is all a bit easier on the body as one gets a little bit older. This is of course on the assumption that one does not inadvertently part company suddenly with said machine!  Secondly, it does also require a bit of brain power - intellect you might say if that does not sound snobby. There is also, to me, an element of "man and machine" about motorcycling. Then if that is not enough justification in itself there is  the scenery and the absorption into the landscape you are passing through. On a bike you see much much more than in a car, bus or train. You are aware of nuances in the landscape, you smell the smells and you become more than ...
3 comments
Read more

And a volcano stopped us!

By
What a day. First thing this morning it was off to check the rear tyre of the bike. Oh the relief !  The tyre was rock solid and the same pressure as after fixing yesterday.  So it is a pack up and first day on the road today. We get on the way with a just a little bit of nervous excitement.  On to the  Japanese motorway system we go. And what a delight. The traffic is orderly, calm not going to fast and not too thick. We track right in towards Tokyo itself before bearing West. Yes, there were lots of spaghetti junctions - It looks like The Los Angeles motorway system but it is so much easier (and slower). Japanese politeness really shows thru’. However there were lots of toll booths - we had chopped thru  about NZ$50 in the first hour and a half  Then we are on to the slow bit and off the motorways.  It was about a four hour stop and start crawl thru the urban sprawl of greater Tokyo. However I did find time for some serious reflection - I also saw a...
3 comments
Read more