We met Suters and Rob Runyon at Uncle Smiley's at 8:30. We had plenty of time to eat and then lingered over coffee swapping lies :-). I gassed the bike up before we headed to the Armory so we could start the morning with a full tank. The group from Lebanon arrived right on time and we ended up having 16 motorcycles following Bill as he led us to "who knows where".
We headed due west and were soon leaving Indiana. This part of Illinois is farm land for as far as the eye can see and let me tell you as flat as this area is you can see a long, long way! The corn was well above eye level and still green although the soy beans were changing color from green to brown and would soon be harvested. Rudee and I just enjoyed the scenery and the perfect weather as we rode along.
We did take a quick bathroom break (remember all the coffee we lingered over?) and were back on the road in no time at all. Bill had told us that the ride was about 100 miles and sure enough when my odometer told me we had gone 101 miles he announced we were turning into our destination, Amishland's Country Buffet in Tuscola Illinois. The restaurant is in a huge pole barn that also houses several craft stores. We decided to eat and then shop since eating always takes precedent over shopping :-).
There are several Amish area in Indiana our favorite being the Shipshewana area in the north central part of the state. We have eaten at several "Amish" style restaurants and most are just trying to draw you in by putting the word Amish in their name. This one was no exception. The food was basic buffet type food and nothing led me to believe that the Amish had anything to do with it. The fact is if I were Amish I would be insulted by a business like this trying to make money by attaching themselves to my faith and lifestyle. Rudee and I each had the salad and soup bar since we really can't justify the expense of the full buffet compared to the amount of food we eat.
After lunch we walked around and looked in all the little craft shops and ended up sitting on a park bench for 30 minutes or so waiting on the group to assemble. Here is Dale Beason and Marvin Henry basking in the afterglow of a big meal.
Once everyone was together we headed back towards Indiana. Bill and Jane led a nice ride and invited the entire group to their house for home made ice cream! They even had a cup of no sugar added ice cream for Rudee and I! Thanks guys, that was really thoughtful. I did sneak a couple of bites of the "good stuff" too.
Rudee and I made it back to the KOA around 6:00pm. We picked up some tacos at Taco Bell and ate them in front of the TV and just relaxed the rest of the night.
Sunday we decided to go for another ride. We headed to Brownsburg to pick up our mail and made a stop at Flapjacks for breakfast. The restaurant was busy and we had to wait about 10 minutes before a table became available. Crawfordsville could use a Flapjack's, they have good breakfasts and are reasonable.
We called Rudee's sis and bro-in-law David and BJ to see if they wanted to take a ride with us. They live in Plainfield near Rudee's parents. We arranged to meet them at their house after we ate. My phone rang during breakfast and Niles wanted us to ride down to Seymour with them and look at a truck. Sure thing! We told them we would meet them in Greenwood in an hour, cool. David and BJ were waiting on us and we headed out to meet the Robinson's. Niles took the lead after we all grouped up and we headed south to Seymour. The trucks he wanted to see were for sale at a horse trailer dealership. The business was closed but we could still walk around the lot and window shop.
Niles and Deb have a Heartland Big Horn 5th wheel and he tows an enclosed trailer behind the 5th wheel to haul the bike in. He is weighing his options and is considering hauling his bike on the back of a bigger truck, either an MDT or a HDT (like mine) and doing away with the cargo trailer. Many states do not allow towing more than 1 trailer and several have length restrictions as well. He just can't seem to make up his mind on the "perfect" set up. I feel your pain Niles, went through it myself.
After slobbering all over the windows of the trucks in the lot (they were SUPER NICE) we made a stop at Chili's for lunch before heading towards home. We decided to take SR 135 north thru Brown County. This road is probably the best motorcycle road in Indiana. We made a stop in Nashville for a short break and found the ice cream store still open :-).
Rudee and I made it home around 8:00 and were two tired but happy motorcyclists. We picked up a couple of sandwiches at Mickey D's and carried them home with us for a late supper. We have 1 more week of work and then are going on vacation. We are attending the Montana Owners Club Fall Rally in Goshen Indiana. This is our first outing with these folks and we are looking forward to a good time. The Montana factory is in Goshen and they are having seminars as well as a factory tour and other events. We will be busy getting the rig ready and trying to get all our work done so we can "punch out" Friday. I'll keep you posted.
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