A Motorcycle Museum in Kansas.

On our way through Kansas, we encountered the St. Francis Motorcycle Museum. This museum is a must-see, even if it takes you a few hours out of your way.

A replica of Peter Fonda's chopper from Easy Rider

100+ year old classics... Notice the pans under the Indian. That means there's oil in the engine and this bike is ready to start up!

Two Goldwings... Top is a 1993 GL 1500; Bottom is a 1975 (first year) 1000cc flat four.

1975 Hodaka Road Toad 🐸. Again, notice the pan on the floor. That thing is ready to ride!

This is just a small taste of the gem we encountered. Check out the link under the top picture. Better yet, if you are traveling through the Midwest, stop in and see them! You will find it worth your while, even if you don't ride. 

Just two more posts and we'll have wrapped up this adventure. It was an outstanding trip and has us looking forward to our next one. I don't think it will be very long before we're itching to take to the road once again!

Blessings.

Arnold and Angela 

The Ouachitas and the Ozarks

Our final nights before heading back towards Idaho were spent in a cabin at Iron Mountain. 

Staying in a cabin in western Arkansas comes with plenty of perks...

Such as meeting one of the local residents.

We took one last ride along the Talimena Scenic Drive. 

Some of the scenery from the many viewpoints along the way...

On Thursday July 11, precisely one month after our journey began, we packed up and started towards home. We took another scenic route, this time through the Ozark-St. Francis National Forest. If you find yourself in Northwestern Arkansas, I highly recommend traveling State Hwy 23 through this gem.

               Angela definitely approves.

We made our way to Joplin Missouri that evening where we experienced a surprise thunderstorm (see Stormy Weather).

Just a few more blog posts to go... Hope you all are staying cool...

Grace and Peace...

Arnold and Angela.

Stormy Weather

The eastern US, particularly the South, is known for stormy weather. The weather was pretty mild until we got to Alabama. When we pulled into the Buc-ee's near Mobile, it was hot and muggy with thunderheads building. A half hour later, as we were leaving, those thunderheads opened up and we got dumped on. 

While we were in Florida, we had thunderstorms about three of the seven days we were there, including one after church on Sunday while we were riding the bike!🌩️🏍️ While we were in Louisiana, we drove through a sudden cloudburst. A "Louisiana carwash", if you will.

Meanwhile, Hurricane Beryl was barreling across the Caribbean but it was so far away and neither Florida nor Louisiana were in its proprojected path, so we didn't pay much attention to it. That was until...

Beryl's storm path as of the evening of July 8. If you look closely at the picture, I placed a pink dot on our position within Oklahoma at the time.

Among Angela's experiences during our trip, she can now say she's experienced a tropical cyclone 😳🙂. Hurricane Beryl was notable for being an early season category 5 hurricane. Thankfully, it did not make landfall at that strength. It swept across the Yucatán Peninsula as a category 3 (still a horrendous storm). It lost strength and reentered the Gulf of Mexico as a tropical storm. It briefly regained hurricane strength before making landfall just south of Houston. It then moved north and east. By the time the center of the storm passed within about 50-70 miles of our position, it had downgraded to a tropical depression. There wasn't much wind but plenty of rain. The rain started early Monday afternoon and increased in intensity through the evening. In just under 24 hours, over five inches of rain fell on the area. The storm beat down the dust and broke the heat in the area which made for some wonderful riding.

After a couple days of delightful weather, we made our way to Joplin Missouri...

This is a frame from a video taken at 4am on Friday, July 12. We were awakened by a sudden thunderstorm that blew up over us in Joplin Missouri. The storm dumped 4 inches of rain in about as many hours.

As we continued our trek west, we rolled through spotty thundershowers all across Kansas and Wyoming. 

As many of you know, we have arrived safely home. Now we're dealing with smoke from wildfires... 😒😖 I'd much rather put up with thunderstorms and cloudbursts... Oh well...

There are many more adventures to share so stay tuned. Keep cool, dry, and breathe easy. 

Much love to all...

Arnold and Angela.

A Wedding in Dallas

When we first arrived at Dale and Anna's, we learned that Dale's oldest son, David was getting married on July 5th. The timing was perfect because we were already planning to be back in the area at that time.

David was engaged to Nirvana, a beautiful lady from Mauritius. They decided that it would be best to become legally married here in the US then travel to Mauritius for the formal wedding with her family. So, they set up to be married at a courthouse in Dallas. 

David and Nirvana exchange vows before the judge.

                David kisses his bride...

    Introducing, David and Nirvana Heustis

The happy family with a judge who was an absolute hoot! It was an honor to be witness to the blessed union. 

After the ceremony, we ventured to the Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Gardens...

The Arboretum is a wonderful place to visit amidst the hustle and bustle of Dallas.

David and Nirvana took us to the place where he proposed to her. If you look across the lake in the background, you can see the rain storm that rolled in an totally drenched us! 

What a wonderful day we had with our nephew and new niece! Wishing many years of happiness and health to Mr. and Mrs. Heustis!

Southern Cooking, part 2: Louisiana Cooking

The South is known for its own brand of cooking, but within the South, Louisiana cooking is in a class by itself. So much so, it deserves its own blog installment...

The prime rule of Louisiana cooking: "First, you make a roux." 

Roux (pronounced, "roo"), is flour and some kind of oil or butter mixed together and cooked. Roux is a thickener and/or a flavoring agent. Roux that is not cooked very much is rather pale and is used as a thickener (like gravy mix). Some is cooked to a dark chocolate brown which imparts a toasty, nutty flavor to Louisiana dishes. 

The second rule of Louisiana cooking is the "Holy Trinity". All savory dishes use bell pepper (any color), onion and celery.

Then there's the seasoning. There are as many seasonings as there are cooks. Usually, seasoning consists of cayenne pepper, garlic powder and salt. Beyond that is up to the cook.

For those who fear spicy 🔥 foods, you needn't fear. The purpose of seasoning is not to see how hot it can be made, but to impart flavor. Yes, it sometimes has a bit of a kick to it, but it is never without flavor.

One more thing before I bring out the food... There are two basic styles of cooking in Louisiana: Creole and Cajun. They can be similar, but they are still distinct from each other. Creole refers to the more affluent population and it's cooking incorporates a wider array of ingredients. Cajuns are the "poor" industrious types, the "swamp people" who live off the land. Therefore, their cooking tends to be more subsistance based.

A perfect example of the difference between Creole and Cajun styles is gumbo. The top picture is typical of the Creole style: it's loaded with veggies and seafood. The bottom picture shows a Cajun style gumbo which uses a darker roux and is more soup-like. 

This is not to say that Cajun gumbo is any less flavorful or isn't loaded with lots of goodies. 

Since Angela and I were staying in the Lafayette area, we were introduced to more Cajun style foods, like:

Boudin. (boo-dan... trail off on pronouncing the n) A simple sausage of ground pork, rice and spices in pork casing. It's served steamed and has a very soft and loose texture that Angela didn't care for. It can range from spicy to mild, though one native I spoke to prefers it mild.

Cracklins. Fatty cuts of pork or chicken dusted in flour and fried crisp. You won't want to have your cholesterol levels checked after eating these.

Red beans and rice. I was first turned on to this dish many years ago but coming to the Motherland, I was blown away by how good this dish can be.

Crawfish etouffee (eh-toe-fay). Etouffee basically means "smothered".

If it's served in the South, it's going to be fried. From a restaurant in Lafayette, catfish, oyster, shrimp, crawfish tails and hushpuppies. Yeah, fries came with the order.

Beignets (bin-yay). A breakfast treat from New Orleans we didn't have to go to New Orleans to get. Wonderful with coffee. Can you go wrong with deep fried bread dough covered in powdered sugar? (Don't ask this of your doctor!)

Cheesecake with a praline drizzle over it. Only this was ordered at Avery Island, so the drizzle had Tabasco Sauce in it! 😋😵‍💫 Yes, that is Angela pawing at it. It was all I could do to keep her from gobbling it all up before I could snap this picture.

Well, that sums up our culinary adventure in the South. It's time to start behaving ourselves again.

We've weathered the storm. Beryl is a thing of the past. It did break the heat nicely. The sun is shining and the air is cool (for now). We'll be packing up for an hour's journey up the road then Thursday, we begin our trek back to Idaho.

There's much more adventure to come so stay tuned and Laissez les bons temps rouler! (Let the good times roll!)

Arnold and Angela.

Southern Cooking, part 1

July 8...

Angela and I are laying low in Oklahoma once again. We're getting a bit of rain from Hurricane Beryl which just barreled through the Houston area. We're going to miss the burnt of the storm as it passes to our east; but once it moved ashore, it pushed a bunch of moisture up our way. What an awesome opportunity to catch up with you all and share some of the Southern cooking we enjoyed!

Fried okra. People complain about okra because "it's slimy" but if it's fried, it's an awesome finger snack or side dish. Angela became a fan of it early on in this trip.

Grits. As Cousin Vinny learned, "No self respecting Southerner eats quick grits." Grits is a Southern staple. It's not a cereal; it's a side dish that goes with any meal. Pictured above, is about the best grits (IMO) you'll find anywhere... Served 24 hours a day at Waffle House.

Hushpuppies. Basically, deep fried cornbread but on a higher level. Everyone has their own way of making them. These had green onions in them (I think). Served at a seafood restaurant in Perdido Key Florida, these were the best. Angela is a fan of these as well.

Key lime pie. Another Florida treat; tart and creamy goodness.

Soul Food in Pensacola... BBQ pork ribs, collard greens and fried green tomatoes. The tea wasn't sweet. We saved the sugar for...

Peach cobbler with a scoop of ice cream! It's a REQUIREMENT if you want to say you've been to the South. (By the way, we eventually got some sweet tea later when we found some that was just the right sweetness.)

I had a proper Southern meal at Lambert's Cafe in Foley Alabama: Chicken n' dumplings, corn muffin, black eyed peas, and turnip greens. 

Angela, bless her heart, played it safe with a pork steak, green beans, corn and coleslaw.

While we were in Dallas, we went for some supper. What are you supposed to eat when you are in Texas? Why you're supposed to eat some Texas BBQ! The brisket was fall apart tender and the garlic/black pepper sausage was incredible. Amazing smoky flavor!

Okay... One more... Shrimp and grits. Wasn't that big when I was in the South back in the 80s but it's huge now. It's not without its charm. I guess I'm a purist at heart. I prefer my grits with just plain old butter, salt and pepper.

Well, that's going to have to do it for this installment or else it's going to take forever to upload all the photos. Our next installment will cover the culinary delights we feasted on in Louisiana. 

Until then, blessings.

Arnold and Angela.

Iconic Southern Stops

Buc-ee's, a gas station and convenience store chain based in Texas that puts Walmart Supercenters to shame. We visited the one just outside of Mobile Alabama.

Waffle House, the ubiquitous Southern breakfast cafe chain is open 24 hours a day. They're more common in the South than Baptist Churches.

Only in the South... A grocery store chain called Piggly Wiggly.

We visited Lambert's Cafe in Foley Alabama for some down home Southern cooking and throwed rolls.

Avery Island... Home of Tabasco Sauce... 

Here, Angela poses with her favorite Tabasco flavor.

'Nuff said...

In Lafayette, Louisiana, this is the Best Cajun Market. Be sure to get some cracklins and boudin. "Laissez les bons temps rouler!" (Let the good times roll!)

Ok... Not a Southern thing, but can you expect Angela to stay away from Costco if there's one nearby? This is the one in Mobile, Alabama. We also visited Costco in Dallas and Wichita.

For the next installment, I'll share the delicious food we sampled during our trip.

Till then, grace, peace and blessings...

Arnold and Angela.