It is Friday night in Iola, KS and this town didn't know what hit them when Bill and I roared into town!

We departed DT STL at 0800 sharp. When we were out walking yesterday we noted the entrance to the Interstate was just 100' away from the front door of our hotel. It ended up being, literally seconds off I64 and seconds to get back on, pretty awesome location. Whois that Travel Agent anyway?

So I am good when booking hotels, but my Navigation skills could use some work. I did not fully research our departure route, missing a crucial southerly interchange and added about 70 miles to our exit run. I knew we were headed the wrong way, but there are few places on an Interstate to pull over. When an opportunity finally presented itself we were fully committed to our erroneous route.

We plotted our correction turn-off but as we didn't really know where we were, we didn't really know where out turn off was either. I guess I could have consulted Siri, but it was kinda a throw caution to the wind morning. When our turn off came up, about 30+ minutes later, I wasn't paying attention and was in the wrong lane, passing a truck. I had to take the next interchange, 3 miles away and backtrack.

Finally we were on highway 54, westbound! After some construction, small towns, traffic pileups etc we finally hit the road we love. Tertiary or agricultural, flanked by corn, largely deserted. Nav error not withstanding it took about 3 hours to clear the metro area of STL.

We had stopped for gas once, for Bill, he fills up twice for every once of mine. He doesn't really have to, but is saves him getting caught out in the wilds. When we stopped for the second time for gas for both of us we recognized it was hot. Bill read his bike's thermometer and found it to be 33 degrees, no, wait, misread it, 41 degrees Celcuis! (OK, OK, it was 40.5) That is mind crushingly HOT!

That is the kind of hot that doesn't cool the air even at 80 MPH, it just takes that hot air and flings it against you even harder.

This morning I had removed the throttle rocker thingy I had been using for some time. It makes me grip the throttle funny and causes my middle finger fall asleep. The middle finger needs to be awake and alert, you never know when you are going to need it right? It takes awhile to adjust to not having it, but my sleepy digit stops drifting off.

Bill and I share very similiar riding styles, and every time I get a bit too agressive or do something I think he might chatise me for, he doesn't. Either we have similiar styles or similiarly bad memories. Once today I started a pass a little late and had to really twist the throttle, into 100+ MPH speeds, to get by, but he followed me all the way!

Later, as we approached our stop we came up behind a group of cars bunched up following a slow moving wide load. I surveyed the scene, determined how much room we had, how slow the convoy was moving and passed the steaming pile of s***e in one fell swoop. The pilot vehicles all say 'Wide load' they don't say 'No Passing'. Also that convoy was between me and stopping for the day. Stopping for the day means taking off my leathers, eating fresh popcorn and pouring cold beer down my neck, so I am not going to wait around for them to pull over!

We pulled into Iola, and after a couple of false starts found a nice, cheap, mo'tel. There are only 2 restaurants in towen, both Mexican! WTF! I find a Meat Market Deli we can go to and get a fresh sandwich and salad but it is closing soon and when we get there the Deli side of things is closed. We have a choice now of MacDonalds or Sonic.

Having not eaten at a Rotten Ronnies in, maybe, 20 years, I hope to extend my streak and we go to Sonics, hoping for some kind of SourDough sandwich. Much later I remember the SourDough sandwiches are at Jack in the Box! After dinner we visit a liquor store and get Bill some good Tequila. It strikes me it is too bad I don't like Tequila, hanging with Bill would allow me to sample some of the best!

The liquor store is right next to our mo'tel so we are back in our rooms at, wait for it, 1830! Like I said Iola will never be the same after Bill & Lou get through with it!

I am convinced Bill is drugging me with some kind of slow release Geezer transformator. Back in my youth I would close down the local bar, leave the mo'tel at 1100, drive hungover all day and do it all over again the next night. Now I am in my room at 1830, 1830 fer chissakes! Even worse I agreed to leave at 0700 tomorrow to escape the heat of the day.

Even worse, I suggested it!

Day Nine

St. Louis, MO to Iola, KS

593 kms