Voni and Paul Glaves
Summer - 2009             
After attending the 2009 Blitz to Branson, we embarked on Leg 1 of our Summer 2009 travels.  Quick stops in Kansas and Iowa were followed by a visit to Olympia and Lacey, Washington on the way to Hyder, Alaska.

Olympia and Lacey, Washington
Our first stop was at friend Doug Crow's in Olympia, Washington.  We had a good visit with Doug and his brother Jim.  They have often invited us, and we are glad we found this trip to be the perfect opportunity to test their guest quarters.  From there we traveled the five miles or so to Voni's Aunt Genevieve's in Lacey, Washington for a couple of days.

Genevieve decided she would drive us up to Mt. Rainier National Park since the weather was perfect - cool - clear - dry.
Mt. Rainier was "out" in all of its glory the whole time we were there.

Soon it was time to ride on northwards to Hyder, Alaska.  We had to keep moving or we'd wind up staying a while.

900,000 sMiles

At 10:43 a.m., on June 3, 2009 Voni logged her 900,000th mile riding BMW motorcycles.  We were on our way to Hyder, Alaska, and she passed this sMilestone about 20 miles south of Meziadin Junction, where 37A branches off of 37 east of Stewart, BC.  She is holding up 9 fingers in this photo of her exuberant wave.

p.s.  Paul is the amateur with 650,000 miles.


Hyder, Alaska
From Washington we entered Canada at Sumas and proceeded through Prince George to Hyder, Alaska.  We were early for the weekend's Hyderseek, but were on a schedule that required a return to Minneapolis for our nephew's wedding.

As  always when visiting Hyder, a visit with Caroline at the Boundary Gallery was a highlight.
Everybody who goes to Hyder should eat at least one lunch at the Bus!

Minneapolis and Wedding Bells:

Off to Minnesota for the wedding of our nephew, Ron Starn and his lovely bride Melissa.  Two years ago we canceled a trip to the Alaskan interior due to the wedding of our a niece.  Last year we went north from Hyder:  this year - a dash back south to Minnesota.


 Sometimes the GPS wasn't particularly helpful.
We had good weather most of the way and found a beautiful sunset on the banks of Big Stone Lake at Ortenville, Minnesota.

Voni's sister Sylvia and her husband Bruce gathered some of their motorcycling friends to celebrate Voni's 900,000 BMW miles with a good bonfire and party the night before the wedding.
But ... yes, indeed, the wedding went off without a hitch the following day.  Ronnie and Melissa led us out of the Church ...

... and to the reception, where Voni and grandson Brody showed the whole crowd how to get down boogie baby!
Things often get a little confusing when this clan gathers!  Look at the camera?  Which camera?  Where's the camera?

Touch-and-Go:  Iowa and Kansas


 Leaving Minnesota behind, we did "touch-and-go's" at Melanie's in Iowa and at Mike's in Kansas.  Shooting some hoops with Brody and getting tormented by Mike's cat Winston.  Oh, and changing 4 tires, doing 2 oil changes, valve adjustments, and other routine maintenance on both bikes.

Back to Bismarck and Mandan

We passed near Bismarck, North Dakota headed east to Minnesota, so after the bike maintenance in Kansas Voni decided that back to Bismarck/Mandan was the perfect way to go, on our way to Arkansas.  Since Paul could see, or be made to see, the logic - off to Bismarck we rode.  Voni has several Aunt's, Uncles, Cousins, and other relatives in Bismarck and Mandan.  And fond memories of her childhood there.

Voni's Grandmother Mork lived many years, cooked many meals, and spoiled many grandchildren in this modest farmhouse on the banks of the Missouri River north of Mandan.
Fort Abraham Lincoln (State Park) lays high above the west  bank of the river South of Mandan.  A popular spot for children and adults alike.

And, of course, visiting relatives was a high point, and the purpose of the trip.  Andy, Grace, Chuck, Tim, Kim, Paul, Maxine, Doug, Doris, Vern, LaRayne, Rich, Carla, Matt, Glenn, Paula ...... it was fun!


Then More Nostalgia at Grand Forks, ND

Paul was raised in Grand Forks - Voni was born there but moved away when Paul moved there at age 4.  But, we met there while attending the University of North Dakota.  And, Voni and the kids lived there while Paul was in the Air Force in Alaska.  And, we moved back there after that Air Force stint.  Since we had time, and it was almost on-the-way, we decided to visit Grand Forks on the way to Arkansas.
One of our first stops was at the Student Union on the Campus of the University of North Dakota, where we met as undergraduate students.  My, my, my, how the campus has changed - but not the Union building.  Outwardly it looks about the same.

No trip to Grand Forks is ever complete without a visit to the famed "Boyhood Home of Paul Glaves" at 816 Reeves Drive.
We also toured what is now Lincoln Drive Park, where 90% of the former neighborhood was devastated by flooding in 1997.  All of the homes within the Lincoln Drive horseshoe east of Almont Avenue - blocks and blocks - have been removed and replaced with the park.  There was a major flood in 1950 - followed by levee construction - which kept the neighborhood safe until the water rose to 10 feet above the previous records in 1997.  Most of the entire city flooded.  Now there are new, taller dikes and floodwalls and a park where the old neighborhood once stood. 


Another Visit to Iowa

Now, finally, again  headed south to Arkansas, we again stopped in Ankeny, Iowa to visit Melanie and our grandboys - Noah (8) and Brody (6).  We stayed a few days and had a great time.
Voni took the boys "camping" in the back yard.  None of them got much sleep that night.
Noah and Brody taught Grandpa (Paul) how to do a high flying sit-down big splash in the backyard pool.   We can't dignify that form by actually calling it a "cannonball."
And ... Melanie and Noah and Brody taught us both how to ride their new Personal Watercraft without falling off - even if the lesson didn't take very well, and didn't last beyond the first 300 yards or so of our maiden voyage - just the two of us.  More "big splash" with no particular form to it.  "Just testing the automatic cut-off and the boarding step", we said.

The BMW Bash

We finally made it to the BMW Bash in Arkansas.  Some time, back in the late 1960s, enterprising entrepreneurs developed a theme park known as Dogpatch USA - styled after the Li'l Abner cartoon series by Al Capp.  We brought our kids there, on our second long motorcycle-camping trip in 1978.  Around that time, the attraction was expanded by the addition of a ski area known as Marble Falls.  But, by the 1990s, some 20 years after the demise of the Li'l Abner cartoons, nobody's young kids had ever heard of Li'l Abner or Dogpatch and the financially troubled attraction folded after years of struggle and changes of ownership.  This history lesson is only meaningful when I tell you that we went back to the remains of Marble Falls and Dogpatch for the BMW Bash.  Some condos remain.  The Marble Falls post office remains.  Many of the old Dogpatch wood buildings remain.  And "The Hub" is now there!

"The Hub - Mid America's Motorcycle Resort" is located along Arkansas Highway 7 south of Harrison and north of Jasper.  It includes a motel and conference center once part of the theme attractions at Marble Falls and Dogpatch USA.
This, the first BMW Bash, was an informal get-together sponsored by nine BMW dealerships, including our long-time home dealership Engle Motors in Kansas City and several other dealerships we deal with and trust:  Gina's BMW in Iowa City, Grass Roots BMW in Cape Girardeau, Missouri and Bentonville BMW in Bentonville, Arkansas as well as others.

*** Red duct tape - courtesy of Voni Glaves - of course! ***




By ones and twos the bikes arrive.
 Riders were soon seen milling around!
 There was a band on Saturday night!



Voni tried out a new bike to see if it fit her!
 Paul did too!

And then, as always, at the end, after all the fun, everyone packed up and rode away!
On to Tennessee

We left the BMW Bash at Marble Falls, Arkansas and proceeded to take nine days to go what could have been a mere 700 mile trip.  It took us a few more miles than that though.  We spent two days riding around the Ozarks, winding up 85 miles closer to the BMW MOA National Rally site than we had been at the Bash, after riding about 500 miles.  Then we headed to Tennessee.  On the way we stuck to the little back roads on the map.

Voni heads into one of the many curves on the Cherhola Parkway between Tellico Plains, Tennessee and Robbinsville, North Carolina.
Paul meets another motorcycle going the other way.  Folks on bikes of all types were out in full force since it was Saturday and a beautiful day for riding.

We stopped briefly at the store at Deals Gap.  Since it was a weekend the place was "insane" with motorcyclists of all skill levels riding almost every type of motorcycle imaginable.



The battered remnants of motorcycle parts under the
Tree of Shame exhibit the results of some skill levels ...
 A stark reminder.
Unless you like crutches
 Be careful - stupid hurts!


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