Blue Knights TX XX Weekday Ride--Mangum Oklahoma 3-2-09

Today, Monday 3-2-09 the Blue Knights TX XX had its monthly weekday ride. Today we went to Mangum Oklahoma where we ate at The Burger Inn. On the way back to Texas we went thru the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge. Today was supposed to have been 71 degrees. When we met at 9:30 a.m. it was 38 degrees. It did not get much higher than that until after we left the Burger Inn and started home. When I rolled into my garage at 5:01 p.m. and 223 miles later, it had reached 59 degrees. Scroll down and ride with us on this "brisk" day and REMEMBER: IF YOU WANT TO SEE THE PICTURE BIGGER, JUST CLICK ON THE PICTURE.







We met at RED RIVER HARLEY DAVIDSON at 0930hrs with KSU scheduled for 1000 hrs. Being a weekday and cold, we didn't know who was gonna show up.. But the six brave souls who braved the elements were: Russ, Bud, Steve, Jennie & Matt and me (John). Here are Bud (left) and Russ (right) as they head to the bikes to leave.. For more on RED RIVER HARLEY DAVIDSON, click this link: http://redriverharley-davidson.com/Default.asp

Jennie gets ready to mount up as her husband Matt, fires up the Harley and backs up. Jennie use to work at RRHD but now works at Four Star Motorcycle Ranch in Henrietta Texas. For more on Four Stars Motorcycle Ranch, click this link: http://www.fourstarsautoranch.com/

Russ on his Harley ready to roll. Russ is a Road Captain in the Blue Knights TX XX and the Road Captain on today's ride. Steve was tailgunner.

Steve puts on his gloves prior to getting saddled up on his Screamin' Eagle. Matt & Jennie wait patiently for me to quit the photo thing so we can go..

And we're off. Russ leading the way Westbound on US 287 towards Vernon Texas, where we will swing North on US 283. I am the current Blue Knights TX XX President and I ride in the #2 slot.

Here are Bud, Matt & Jennie and Steve as we put Wichita Falls Texas in our rear view mirrors.

The small group is looking good, forward and rearward. Still Westbound on US 287

We get to Vernon and stop at the service road and US 283. We were frozen and questioning our sanity at this point. I hear one of the riders say that eating in Vernon would be okay. But after going thru saddle bags, everyone eventually got warm gloves and feeling back into their extremities and we pressed on. BUT, since we were stopped, I used this as a photo op session. Here is Jennie. She was shivering.

Jennie got a pic of Russ & I with our backs to here. These are the old colors made with that fuzzy material. The new colors are regular patch material

Matt & Jennie doing the North Texas Shiverin' Shuffle

Steve getting his gloves adjusted. We stayed here for about 10 minutes gettin' re-warmed. It was actually a warm 38 degrees sitting & standing around. At 70 mph it was a horse of a different color.. I'll have to find a windchill chart and see what the temp was at 70 mph. Update: the windchill at 70 mph was 16 degrees....bbbrrrrrrrrrr..

Bud is a FORMER Marine (there are NO EX Marines) and this is the back of his vest

The Bundled Brothers: Steve, Russ & Bud

The ones your parents warned you about: Left to right- Steve, Russ, Jennie, Matt & Bud

The Frozen Five: Steve, me, Russ, Bud & Matt Taken by the Frozen Sixth: Jennie

Thaw time is over. We get ready to swing North up US 283, into Oklahoma

Well, maybe one more pic before we leave

We leave Vernon Texas, cross into Oklahoma, go thru Altus & Blair. We turn West and go to Mangum. Here are the bikes parked across the street from The Burger Inn

The group by the original Hamburger Inn. You can still get "to-go burgers" there but the restaurant is in that big building behind them and adjacent to the original site.

Inside: Russ doing the text thing and Bud. Warm never felt so good...

Matt gives Jennie some sugars...awwww...ain't that sweet?

Matt looking intently into the camera

Jennie & I.. Matt took the pic, so ya'll can quit yappin'

Matt enjoyed taking the pic so much, he took two

Jennie & Steve. Jennie works with Steve's wife, Sissy, down at Four Stars Motorcycle Ranch. Sissy would've been with us today but the engine on her Harley blew. Not to fret, she is getting another engine and will be with us again shortly...

Russ, Jennie & Bud. Everybody bought coffee. Not to drink initially, but to be able just to hold the hot cup to warm the fingers. Poor Jennie shivered all thru lunch...

After lunch, we head to the Wichita Mountain for the ride home. Russ is still lead and I told Bud to go to the #2 slot as I was going to take some more pictures.

Behind me now are Matt & Jennie & Steve

The view as we approach the Wichita Mountains

Russ South bound on US 283

Russ Southbound on US 283

Bud Southbound on US 283

Matt & Jennie Southbound on US 283

And here is Steve Southbound on US 283

I dropped back to the #4 slot and get this pic of Steve in my mirror

The hills are getting closer

Steve is still tailgunning for us...

Matt & Jennie. I might add at this point that Matt & Jennie are new members of the PGR-North Texas Area. So you'll be seeing them on our runs, the impromtu runs and the PGR missions.. For more info on the PGR (Patriot Guard Riders) and how to join, go to this link: http://www.patriotguard.org/ PGR is Nationwide.

The view as we ride thru part of the Wildlife Refuge

Besides the usual run of the mill small critters running wild in the refuge, the sign tells you about the other, larger critters roaming around on this home on the range...

Plenty of curves to make this a good ride along with the company of great friends

Steve still cruising & keeping us safe from the occasional steel four-wheeled predators that creep up on us from behind.

Some of the smaller mountains off to our right as we continue to ride thru the Wichita Mountains

We crested one of the hills and this is the site that greeted us. They apprarently had a prairie fire here recently

The North side of the road was in stark contrast to the south.

Beau coup acreage was burned up with this fire...Wonder where the critters went and if they slowed for traffic when they crossed this strech of Okla 49

We continue on thru the Refuge

Still on Okla 49

Steve still there. Steve stayed with us to I-44 & US 70..

Jennie & Matt rolling down the highway.. I asked Jennie if she was doing the "Elvis as he is now" impersonation...

Jennie & Matt just before we stopped in Cache Oklahoma for a butt break...

Matt & Jennie stretch after we stop at the gas station...

Steve taking off some gear during the stop

Russ & Bud having a chat. Bud is fixin' to join the Blue Knights TX XX

Jennie & Matt. Jennie is STILL cold. I hope nobody catches a cold from this little ride...

The bikes & folks at the butt rest in Cache Oklahoma

Talking prior to making the last leg back to Texas

Bud somehow broke the ear piece to his sunglasses and went inside and bought this nifty pair of shooter's glasses for the rest of the ride home.. From past experience, I can tell you that the yellow lens brighten things up considerably

We leave Cache Oklahoma and Russ leads us home on the final leg of the ride.

The last pic of the ride is of Jennie & Matt waving bye at Missile Rd & I-44. We had stopped there so all the stuff loaned to one another could be returned. Other than freezing the first half of the ride, I had a great time. Actually, I had a great time the first half too, because misery loves company and I had some equally miserable feeling, cold & numb company. (grin). But ya know...that's what being a biker and riding is all about: you take the good with the bad and press on. The great riders ya meet and greater friends that you ride with make it all worth while. I look forward to our next ride whenever it is and where ever it takes us.

Scroll way down for more rides, events & posts and don't forget to click on the "older posts" link at the bottom of EACH page for more rides and posts. Check out North Texas Bikers (1) at http://www.jjskewlstuff.blogspot.com/ for rides, events & posts from January 08-November 08. Until next post, ya'll be careful out there, ride safe, keep the rubber on the road & pray for our Troops & Rodney................JOHN