2023 Ride-In­™ Wrap-Up

Following are my daily summaries from the Women On Wheels® 2023 International Ride-in™ that was held in Harrison, AR, in early July. This annual get-together is considered somewhat like our WOW “family reunion.” Every year we meet to see old friends and meet new ones. There are seminars and conferences, scheduled rides, and downtime to socialize. You can do as little or as much as you want. I was so busy during the event that I didn’t post until I was home.

Sunday, 2 July 2023

Jenean planned a route (no interstates, just back roads) from Warrenton, MO, to our hotel in Harrison, AR. She and I met at Phillips 66 in Warrenton at 7am on Sunday. We planned to meet our other wind sister, Marie, in Rolla at a gas stop at 9am. Just as Jenean and I pulled up to the intersection, we saw Marie turning at the stoplight heading for our meetup place. Exactly at 9am, as planned.

Our route continued to a roadside attraction photo stop in Edgar Springs (getting pics of your bike with roadside attractions is our region’s 2023 Touring Contest), a gas stop in West Plains, lunch at Rapp’s Barren Brewing Company in Mountain Home, and 51 miles later ending at the Hampton Inn in Harrison, AR. The route (from 1^st meetup to the hotel) was 288 miles at 5 hours and 40 minutes. We took longer than that when you included the gas, photo, and lunch stops. We arrived after 3pm, hot (cooling vests definitely helped), and ready for a break off two wheels.

We had dinner at Colton’s Steak House & Grill.

Sunday’s personal mileage (home to the hotel): 317.2

Monday, 3 July 2023

The Ride-in™ didn’t officially start till Tuesday, so we used this day to RIDE. The Hampton had several motorcycle riding guide booklets available to take. Jenean, Marie, and I looked over several of the rides listed. We looked at and considered Jasper Disaster, 378 scenic curves, 3 hours, 60 miles. The Ozark Moonshine Run looked like an extension of the Jasper ride, so we decided to do the Moonshine Run instead, 662 scenic curves, 2 hours 45 minutes, 113 miles. I “offered” to lead. Jenean wrote up abbreviated directions so I could tape them to my windshield. I did NOT read the write-up in the booklets; specifically, “take your time and enjoy the scenery but be careful of the many curves along this route. Some parts can be tricky and slightly dangerous.” If I had, I may have reneged on my “offer to lead.” Lol.

It was a fantastic ride, and we agreed it was technical, possibly not one to try out for beginners. We enjoyed the sweeping curves and tight twisties and felt accomplished after conquering several even tighter 10mph hairpin curves on 123S. We saw two deer on the road. Fortunately, no issues; they scampered off. We stopped at a scenic overlook (foliage was overgrown, so we didn’t see what was so “scenic”) and saw a turkey crossing the road. When I tried to take some pictures, a Polish chicken (I described it to Jenean, who enlightened this “city girl” of what kind of chicken it was), a rooster, and the turkey (I think Jenean said she was a turkey hen) came out from under a tree. Turkey was domesticated and I got pics of Jenean feeding and holding the turkey. So, besides the deer, this was the only other “wildlife” I saw on this ride. You could tell the turkey was comfortable around people. She was working the crowd, getting attention.

Dinner at Los Aztecas

Monday’s personal mileage (hotel to hotel): 120.9

• 

• 

• 

• 

Tuesday, 4 July 2023

The official start to the Ride-in™ began with meetings in the afternoon. Knowing that I had meetings, Marie and I rode to downtown Harrison to get a picture of a roadside attraction and of murals throughout. Since it was the 4th, the courthouse block was decorated with flags, and we saw children arriving for the annual children’s parade. While at the monument (roadside attraction), we met two older people (sister and brother). She lived in Harrison and her brother, from Texas, was visiting her. She told us some of the history of the 4th of July events downtown and directed us to where there were murals as we wanted to take pictures of our bikes in front of them.

As a WOW chapter director, I went to the Chapter Director/Regional Ambassador meeting at 1:30 and stayed for two more meetings. Because of this, I didn’t put many miles on my bike on Tuesday. Scheduled later that evening was the Opening Ceremonies/Fireworks Bash. They provided a shuttle to the community center and back to the hotels. Our group chose to take the shuttle because we figured traffic could be a mess (and it was).

At the Fireworks Bash, food trucks sold everything you would expect at a fair—funnel cakes, lemonade, rootbeer floats, sodas, burgers, hot dogs, nachos, etc. The Pappy’s Smashburger and fries I got were good.

Dinner at Fireworks Bash

Tuesday’s personal mileage (hotel to hotel): 7.2

Wednesday, 5 July 2023

The activities/options for this day were a First Timers Ride, a Support Members Ride, an Ice Cream social with an opportunity for axe throwing too, self-guided rides (Ride-in™ program had QR codes for ten routes), a bike show, a movie viewing of Women in the Front Seat with the filmmaker, Indy Saini, who was there to answer questions after the viewing.

Marie, Jenean, and I rode the Support Members Ride. Due to construction and unscheduled “stops,” we did not get to ride the original planned route. I still enjoyed the ride with its sweeping curves and tight turns (I even scraped pegs). We had lunch with the group at Pizza Hut. Some of the group headed to Eureka Springs. I headed back to my hotel, gathered some info, and then went to Berryville, AR, for two roadside attractions.

I returned in time for the movie showing, which was at 7pm. A few Women On Wheels® members were featured in the movie. Missy Benoit Parfumorse (one of our own, a current WOW member from Massachusetts) introduced Indy to the group. Missy was interviewed by Indy, and her story was included in the movie. The movie was GREAT and very inspirational. After the Q&A, there was merchandise available for purchase. I bought a DVD and many other items and had Indy autograph the DVD cover. There were shirts, stickers, patches, and some WITFS bottle openers/keychains free for the taking.

Dinner at Dairy Queen

Wednesday’s personal mileage (hotel to hotel): 207.9

• 

Thursday, 6 July 2023

Thursday was another opportunity to participate in self-guided rides. We didn’t start until late morning but knew we needed to be back by 3pm (in time for staging for the Ride-in™ Group Photo, which was at 3:45), so we chose the Peel Ferry Route, 378 scenic curves, 3 hours, 113 miles. Marie led this ride. Again, Jenean wrote directions for each of us, so we had a copy to tape to our windshields. This route had rolling hills, sweeping curves, and twisties (got to scrape my pegs again!). A ferry ride from Peel, AR, crossed Bull Shoals Lake into MO. We stopped in Branson for lunch and arrived back at our hotel around 2pm, in time to freshen up before the group photo. As always, the ride was very enjoyable.

After the 4pm group photo, the schedule showed a banquet from 6pm-7pm, Entertainment (after the meal) by Shelly Watson (she was great, lots of fun), and Recognition and Awards from 7pm-9pm. The meal was catered by Jamie’s Local Flavor, and the food was very good. After the Closing Ceremony, we had time to give and get hugs and say goodbye to the old and new friends we don’t often get to see and probably won’t see again until the next Ride-in™. Then back to the hotel to pack what I could, bedtime, and 7am KSU to head home.

Dinner: WOW Banquet

Thursday’s personal mileage (hotel to hotel): 110.5

Singing our “Women On Wheels®” song, written by Dody Davies, second from right.

Friday, 7 July 2023

Heading home. KSU at 7am. Jenean led our group plus two more (Jo and Dave) via interstates, 65N to 44E. I got home right at noon. After taking off my boots, I fell asleep on the couch. Later, got up, unpacked, and washed dirty clothes. Now it’s back to reality and back to “work” at daycare by grandma in the morning.

Friday’s personal mileage (hotel to home): 274.5 miles

My total mileage: 1038.2

By Alice

Rabbit Holes

I seem to be spending too much time looking for things that aren’t all that important in the big scheme of things. I’m getting older, and my mind can be forgetful, even a little unforgiving, but this isn’t new.

It all started about a decade ago. Each year, the Missouri Chapters of Women On Wheels® participate in an Annual Touring/Photo Contest that revolves around a theme—an annual scavenger hunt. This began the entry into rabbit holes I cannot seem to exit.

One year, I searched for designated cities starting with the letters A to Z. For the record, Yancy Mills no longer exists, but I spent hours riding in circles, determined to find it. In other years, I rode on gravel roads—something I normally avoid–to photograph state parks and historic site signs. Veterans memorials were a theme I really enjoyed. Barn quilts are beautiful, but too often, on rural roads and that means missing the perfect photograph because there is no safe place to park.

This year, while researching, riding to, and photographing roadside attractions, I can’t help but notice the barn quilts I missed or the state parks and historical sites I still need to visit. Roadside attractions, in and of themselves, can be interesting. I’ve learned about history, science, geography, and art. Yes, art. My newest rabbit hole.

Missouri has seven “Mural Cities”: Cape Girardeau, Chillicothe, Cuba, Joplin, Kansas City, Louisiana, and St. Louis.

Newton County, in the southwest corner, plans to install 18 murals in the towns of Diamond, Grandby, Neosho, Seneca, Newton, and Stella.

Cities like Hannibal, Lebanon, Liberty, Nevada, Springfield, Puxico, Boonville, West Plains, Puxico, Bernie, Slater, Bloomfield, Hermann, Sikeston, Sedalia, Clinton, Dexter, Dixon, Florissant, Clayton, Ironton, Saint James, and Willow Springs get mentioned as places with street art but are not recognized as a “Mural City”. Cities like Crane, Lexington, Cabool, Nixa, and Wentzville are not always mentioned but are worthy of a visit.

Missouri has nine cities with murals that also count as roadside attractions, according to roadsideamerica.com, the official list for this year’s contest:

Cape Girardeau – Taft Mural: Visit Us Again

Cuba: Route 66 Mural City – Two collages from my visit on July 2. I hadn’t planned to spend so much time looking for/at these beautiful murals, but my entrance into the mural “rabbit hole” began that day.

Desoto: Rat Fink and Sinclair Dino Mural

• Joplin: Route 66 Mural Park
• Kansas City: Mini-Baseball Diamond and Superman of Kansas City
• Lamar: Studebaker-Truman Mural
• Lebanon: Route 66 Murals

Louisiana: Fake Mural Painter in the Town of Murals – Alice and I searched for this roadside attraction, but upon my return home, it was clear that my GPS took us to the wrong location. I thought the mural we were looking for had been painted over (it happens). To document our visit to Louisiana, we stopped at this one—from the 20+ possible–highlighting religious denominations.

St. Louis: Cartoonville Mural – “Walls Off Washington” currently displays street art on several storefronts, including this mural of brightly-colored cartoon-like robot faces.

Hannibal has almost 30 murals, many of them with Samuel Clemens or Mark Twain. Others highlight more famous people from the city—real or fictional—like the “Unsinkable” Molly Brown, Tom Sawyer, Huck Finn, and Becky Thatcher.

Dictionary.com defines a mural as “a large picture painted or affixed directly on a wall or ceiling”. While roadsideamerica.com does not specifically list the images on a portion of the Berlin Wall at the National Churchill Museum in Fulton this way, in my opinion, it qualifies as the most rabbit-hole-worthy mural in Missouri.

Can you guess what theme I may propose for next year’s Touring/PhotoContest?

By Cris

On Cloud Nine

“The sky and the sun are always there. It’s the clouds that come and go.” – Rachel Joyce

Dictionary.com defines “cloud nine” as “a state of perfect happiness (usually in the phrase on cloud nine)”. A day of motorcycling with sunny skies, warm weather, and scenic twisty back roads always makes me happy, regardless of the purpose or the destination.

For the 2022 Regional Touring/Photo Contest, WOW members in Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Missouri, and Oklahoma could ride to, and take photographs of, any water tower, tank, or standpipe in the region with a city name on it.

For most years, “touring” is the focus of the Contest for me. How many miles can I ride today? How many water towers, barn quilts, state parks, historic sites, etc., can I find today or this year?

As a motorcyclist, I pay a lot of attention to the weather. I’m always hoping for those sunny, warm days. I know what cloudless days, fluffy clouds, whispy clouds, rain clouds, storm clouds, and snow clouds look like and the impact they can have while on the road. Photographing them, however, has never been my focus.

Taking photographs of tall vertical objects with different architectural styles means looking at clouds or noticing the lack of them. It seems that somewhere along the way, the “Photo” portion of the Contest also came into focus this year.

These are a few of my favorite water towers.

International Female Ride Day^© (IFRD) is celebrated annually on the first Saturday of May and celebrates women motorcycle riders in a globally synchronized “JUST RIDE!”^© day. That day we visited all three of St. Louis’ historic towers–from left to right: Compton Hill Water Tower, Grand Avenue Water Tower, and the Bissell Street Water Tower.

These twin towers in St. Clair capture the attention of those traveling on Interstate 44 about 50 miles west of St. Louis.

On the first day of the Contest, at dusk.

A clear blue sky and a tower close enough to home to safely ride “Cubby” on backroads at 35 mph.

The different hues of blue and white and the vertical, horizontal, and diagonal lines make this photo a favorite.

I love how the Laddonia tower appears over this old building, truck, and asphalt compactor.

These grain bins in Wellsville gave this “farmer’s daughter” pause.

This tower in Donnellson, Iowa, was the first outside Missouri. I love these old “pot belly” towers–my word to describe the older design.

This photo has some interesting things to look at in the background, despite the city’s name.

During the riding season, the Missouri members of WOW meet monthly for lunch. In June, we gathered for a photo under the Versailles tower.

This “two-for-one” photo of a water tower and tank in Vandalia was a nice surprise, although it only counts as one point for the Contest.

By Cris

Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of (other) Eagles

Cold weather may not be a motorcyclist’s friend. It may keep some Heartland members from riding their motorcycles, but it does not keep us from getting together for other activities. One of the activities we considered doing during non-riding weather was eagle watching along the Great River Road in southwestern Illinois. (Cold weather, especially with ice on the river, is the best time to see eagles.) Every Saturday, during the month of January, there is an eagle ‘meet and greet’ at the Alton or Grafton Visitors Centers, where one can see a live bald eagle up close and personal.

Marie researched this activity, shared the info with us, and planned our meet-up. Six of us met at the Alton Visitors Center on Saturday, 14 Jan 2023, transferred to one vehicle (Jenean’s) so that Marie could act as our “unpaid” eagle-watching tour guide, and then we headed to the Grafton Visitors Center. From 10am to 2pm there is a live bald eagle and the bird’s handler. You can learn about the American bald eagle, ask questions, and take pictures.

Featured at the Grafton location was Liberty, a 32-year-old, male bald eagle. His handler shared info about him and eagles, in general.

Liberty and his handler. Photo credit: from the website https://www.riversandroutes.com/things-to-do/outdoors-and-recreation/eagle-watching/

We learned Liberty was originally from St. Augustine, FL, and was injured when he was hit by a car. He was treated for his broken collar bone and then released. Unfortunately, two weeks later he was hit by a car again. This time he suffered neurological damage and was sent to live at the World Bird Sanctuary in Fenton/Valley Park, MO. He has been there since the age of 2. His handler, pictured above, has been with Liberty for 19 years.

As a “southern” bald eagle, Liberty is smaller than those who live more north. He weighs 8 pounds, and has a 6 foot wingspan. We learned that eagles are solitary and mate for life. They eat mostly fish. Female birds of prey are larger and heavier than the males, and have a 7’ to 8’ wingspan.

Liberty taking a “water” break.

A forward-facing shot of Liberty stretching his wings.

Liberty stretching his wings while facing away from the group.

Proud Liberty

If you want more info regarding eagles, you may start here:

https://www.riversandroutes.com/things-to-do/outdoors-and-recreation/eagle-watching/?gclid=Cj0KCQiAq5meBhCyARIsAJrtdr6BcRaqTeZiYXIfzDyorBySbMAkCCbqAahN49r1CqS7wI7UV4AFHhwaAhmlEALw_wcB

There were six of us who participated in this activity—Heartland members Marie, Jenean, Glow, and I, and my daughter Adrienne and her son Paul. We sat in on Liberty’s presentation, walked through the Grafton Museum, tried to see the screeching owl that we were told was nearby in a tree (it chose to duck inside as we approached, so we were unsuccessful), took pictures, then headed to Hardin, IL. Marie directed us to an eagle’s nest she had seen earlier this month. Along the way, we saw trumpet swans, hawks, but no other eagles, besides Liberty.

Lunch was at Mel’s Illinois Riverdock Restaurant. They are known for their BIG portions of food and home-made pies. I ordered my favorite pie, Bumbleberry Pie, before my entrée so that I was assured I’d have a slice for dessert. Others did the same thing. If you are ever in the area, I suggest you go by and check it out and be sure to get something to eat. Their website is, https://www.ilriverdock.com/.

The only “other” eagle we saw–this eagle statue in front of Mel’s Illinois Riverdock Restaurant in Hardin, Illinois.

As we were about to leave the restaurant, two gentlemen were arriving. One stopped to talk to us, while the other returned to his vehicle. Once he returned, we found out he had a wooden toy he built that he wanted to present to Paul, my 5-year-old grandson.

I didn’t get a picture when the wooden toy was first received, so got photos once we got home.

Showing closer detal of the toy.

The bottom of the hand-made toy.

I took many photos/videos, but no one thought to take a group photo of us. Although we were not riding, I believe we all had a great time together.

By Alice

To Boldly Go

“There’s No Such Thing As The Unknown, Only Things Temporarily Hidden.” – James T. Kirk

I’ve been a fan of Star Trek® for as long as I can remember.

Its mission to explore has translated well into my motorcycling adventures. I doubt that the places I’ve “discovered” were ever hidden from me, but rather, only temporarily out of my sight waiting to be seen and shared with others.

Day 1 of the six-day mission to attend the 36th Annual Women On Wheels® International Ride-In™ found my crew and I stopping at three Iowa water towers including one in Riverside, Iowa. Riverside, Iowa, boasts that it is the Future (03/22/2228) Birthplace of Captain James T. Kirk. Fans can find a mini-scaled starship, museum, banners, murals, statues, historical markers, and other Trek-related items.

We arrived in Winona, Minnesota, on the evening of Day 1. My itinerary for Day 2 was to pre-ride the three routes I was to lead during the Ride-In and have dinner with my family. Winona, and the surrounding area, hold a special place in my heart. I’m an alum of Winona State University. I worked on the family dairy farm 30-ish miles from there from the time I was old enough to be useful until the day I journeyed north for my first teaching gig in 1985. Riding the roads around my hometown of Alma, Wisconsin, brought back so many fond memories.

Buena Vista Park: Alma, Wisconsin. Site of my 1986 wedding and a view that never gets old! (Photo credit: Sandy.)

I was happy that my crew and I had a small bit of time to spend with my parents, brother, and sister-in-law. Although my parents no longer own the diary farm I grew up on, I will always proudly consider myself a “farmer’s daughter”.

Day 3. The official start of the Ride-In found me missing all of the important meetings as I led a group of guy Support Members and a few gals on some of my favorite backroads. I have a fondness for “Alphabet Soup” rides. This day found us on some excellent one- and two-letter county roads that took us through beautiful rural scenery via sweepers, tight turns, and several altitude changes. This 144-mile ride included stops at Buena Vista Park, Maiden Rock, Wisconsin–legendary site of Princess Wenonah’s death–, and lunch at Slippery’s Tavern & Ristorante, in Wabasha, Minnesota. (Princess Wenonah is the namesake of the event’s host city; Slippery’s claim to fame is its part in the Grumpy Old Men and Grumpier Old Men movies.)

Day 4 was a time to welcome our newest WOW members into the family or those for whom this was their first Ride-In. I was honored to lead these new guys and gals (and a few others) on other “Alphabet Soup” roads and introduce them to a high school classmate. Kathy made sure we were treated very well when we enjoyed a patio lunch at Beth’s Twin Bluffs Cafe, in Nelson, Wisconsin. After lunch, we weaved and wandered our way to the magnificent Soldiers Walk Memorial Park in Arcadia, Wisconsin, for a personal group tour.

Before, after, and in-between these rides there was plenty to do. At Tuesday evening’s Opening Ceremony, we enjoyed locally made root beer and ice cream floats and were introduced to the Little Warriors Drum Line, a group of amazing, spirited musicians aged 7 to 16.

Image copied from https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100068680974681.

On Wednesday evening, nearly everyone in attendance enjoyed the picnic celebrating the 40th Anniversary of Women On Wheels®!

After the picnic, a few of us explored the city and visited the Princess Wenonah statue and took in a breathtaking sunset view at Garvin Heights City Park. (Credit Alice for the photo of Winona.)

Thursday afternoon found us on the Pearl of the Lake paddleboat enjoying a 90-minute cruise on the widest lake on the Mississippi River. Lake Pepin is 2 miles wide and 22 miles long and offers breathtaking views of the area from a different perspective.

Thursday evening’s banquet and recognition ceremony offered an opportunity for us to see how some of our hypnotized members surfed, body built, rode a motorcycle, performed in a rock band, and other female-oriented activities.

Donelson Cycles, Inc., was recognized for their 10 years as a Women On Wheels® Participating Dealer! Congratulations and thank you to everyone at Donelson Cycles’ Saint Ann, Missouri, location!

I was honored to be recognized as a Past President (2009-2011, 2013-14) of this WOWderful organization and am deeply grateful to everyone who has shared my 25-year mission to boldy go in search of things–so many only temporarily hidden from me until enjoyed with my wind sisters and brothers.

By Cris

“Ear’s” the Story . . .

Our calendar showed there was a ride scheduled for Sunday, 12 June, but we did not have a ride leader nor a route planned. Based on a poll I posted, there were only two of us who would be able to make this ride.

So Jenean and I planned to meet at a Phillips 66 in Foristell at 12:30 pm. I got there early and heard thunder and saw lightning around 12:23. I called Jenean and she was just leaving church. We decided to still meet at the gas stop and decide then. I was able to get under the covering at the gas station; she was caught in the rain and got drenched. Radar showed it was a quick-moving storm moving east. Jenean had a ride planned heading west. We waited for the rain to stop and headed out.

Our route had stops along the Katy Trail. The first was to Peers Store in Marthasville. It is a Conservation Outpost on the Katy Trail and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. There was a 3-person string band (Missouri Possum Tamers) playing on the porch. It was cool inside the store, a welcome break from the heat. There was ice cream we could’ve purchased, but we didn’t as it was so hot it probably would’ve melted once we stepped outside.

From there we headed to Treloar, another stop along the Katy Trail. See magnificentmissouri.org/treloar-mercantile/ for more information. At this stop, I found a huge carving of a large ear of corn in the side lot next to the Mercantile Building. See the link above, but specifically the article, Missouri Corn Carving, for its history. “When we bought the 100+ year-old Treloar Mercantile Building, it came with a large, dead elm tree. To pay tribute to the historic success of the town of Treloar, and one main reason it prospered for many years, we decided to turn the stump into an ear of Missouri field corn. Here’s its story . . .”

While visiting this stop Jenean suggested today’s route and a stop for lunch as a possible future route for a group ride later. 

After Treloar, we stopped in Truesdale so that we could both get photos of its water tower (this year’s Region Touring Contest), and then we each headed home.

By Alice

Another successful Missouri State Rally is in the books. It was held in Boonville, MO, at the Isle of Capri Casino and Hotel and ran from 3-5 Jun 2022. Heartland was the host of this year’s rally. As Heartland’s director, I am proud of the many members and support members who helped make it a success. 

Cris started off our “rally project” by presenting her proposal for considering Boonville as the rally site. The proposal included hotels in the area, considerations for other activities to do and possible sites to see on your own during your free time, and possible sites for a group photo. Jenean and Marie made the calls to six hotels getting info for comparison purposes, which they then presented to the chapter. We voted during a monthly meeting on which hotel was the best choice. The Isle of Capri Casino and Hotel was chosen. On Mother’s Day Jenean and Ron rode to Boonville to pre-ride routes for the rally. There were several members who returned to Boonville to pre-ride the Saturday group ride as they would be group ride leaders. 

Cris, Jenean, and Marie also helped out by making necessary copies for the rally.

We have Jenean to thank for one of the items in our goody bags. Her talent is folding dollar bills into hearts. She then created a card that had the Heartland logo and the phrase, “We put the ♥ in Heartland” and glued those dollar hearts on the card. Every goody bag had one included in it.

Speaking of goody bags, Donelson Cycles, a Missouri WOW Participating Dealer, donated the bags and keychains. At registration attendees signed a release/waiver, received a goody bag, which included a name tag, one raffle ticket, a WOW pen, WOW nail file, a MO official highway map, a brochure of scenic rides in MO, a keychain, and two small bottles of water. Each person received a printout of the rally agenda and a map of the proposed Saturday ride, and each person could choose one bag of assorted chips, one Nutrigrain bar (strawberry, apple cinnamon, or blueberry), and 3 pieces of assorted chocolate bars. (Thanks to Marie for shopping for these “goodies.”)  

We had 42 attendees—46 who registered early, 2 of whom had to cancel (goody bags to be delivered later), 5 no-shows (goody bags to be delivered to 4 later), and 3 registered at the event. We had registrants from CO, GA, IL, KS, MN, MO, and WI

Most people arrived sometime during Friday, 3 Jun. Registration was scheduled from 5-8pm. Dinner was on-your-own. Malcolm Wood of Missouri Law Tigers offered lots of pizzas (he bought enough to feed 80!) from Breadeaux Pizza in Boonville. All he asked was for just about 5 minutes of our attention as he explained how Law Tigers can work for you should you be injured in a motorcycle accident and can help you get the compensation you deserve. He also had freebies for anyone who was there. 

Our Saturday ride (4 Jun) went very well. We asked all riders to be ready by 9:30. We had a bike blessing given by Beth and 2022 Bike Blessing stickers were distributed. Afterwards Cris conducted a pre-ride safety meeting. At 9:45 we were led out of Boonville by a police escort. Several Boonville police officers/cruisers blocked streets so that we riders could proceed through lights and turns without traffic. There were 29 total motorcycles divided into four groups, led by four Heartland ride leaders.  

A scenic ride consisted of straight-aways, sweeping curves, and tight turns. Everyone rode her/his own ride and, fortunately, there were no incidents. We had a rest stop in California, MO, and then continued on with more twisties, heading back to Boonville to gas up. We then rode to our BBQ lunch where we were treated to pulled pork, 2 sides, and a beverage, all outside in a shaded area reserved just for us at Meriwether Café & Bike Shop in Rocheport. The food was delicious and reasonably priced.

Afterwards we had a long walk (many jokingly griped about the distance, but that was the only negative I heard the whole event) to a Katy Trail Tunnel in Rocheport for our group photo. Marie had her tripod and camera set up. After a short delay, so that she could join the group, the camera automatically took several photos. 

Then, for those interested, we rode 30+ miles to The Pinnacles, a beautiful rock formation in Sturgeon, MO. We spent some time there seeing the rock formations and enjoying a short break off of our bikes. Fortunately, no one had issues with the gravel parking lot. Then back to the Isle of Capri with a little time to get ready for dinner and awards scheduled for 6pm. 

Dinner and drinks were available from the casino’s The Brew Brothers restaurant, and they did not disappoint. We were set up in the covered patio area (we did not use the uncovered area as it had started to drizzle/rain). 

Heartland members (Sandy, Glow, Alice) collected and/or donated items for the raffle and as door prizes. We had 24 winners of door prizes. The door prizes were randomly stickered with a number, which corresponded to attendee’s registration number (found on their name tag). Door prizes included 8 small stuffed frogs, 9 small bath/pool rubber frogs, 2 ceramic frogs, a bar of soap with frog motif, a splat frog, a motorcycle themed coaster for a car’s cup holder, a frog wind chime, and a frog candle. 

After most people had finished eating I thanked everyone for coming and hoped everyone had a good time. I commented that there were many Heartland members who made the rally a success. “Teamwork makes the dream work.” I then had winners to announce. I had some Heartland mileage awards and certificates, but learned that Heartland was the only MO chapter who submitted both beginning and ending mileage readings to the former State Ambassador so only Heartland members were in the running for the State Mileage Contest. For that reason, I did not use my time to recognize Heartland mileage winners since Cris as our new Region Ambassador would be acknowledging the MO mileage winners and other contest winners later. I then announced the 50/50 and raffle winners. 

We sold $193 worth of 50/50 tickets. $96.50 was won by Irene.  

We had six items for raffle and several generated a lot of interest. Each attendee was given one free raffle ticket to use and extra raffle tickets were sold. Marie collected and had responsibility for holding monies collected. At this time I do not know how much was collected. There was, however, one attendee who was very interested in the large stuffed frog and purchased at least $30 (or more) worth of raffle tickets.  

The raffle winners were: 

Blanket – won by Stephanie

Cutting board (we only regret the rides we didn’t take) – won by Debi

Book “On the Perimeter: The Autobiography of Hazel Kolb Motorcyclin’ Gran’ma” – won by Marie

Frog night light – won by Alice

Cutting board (we ride not to escape life…) – won by Debi

Large stuffed frog – Gail (who would’ve guessed she would win? Lol) 

Then Cris had a few awards she handed out. She recognized the service of our previous State Ambassador, several women who have been WOW members for more than 30 years, chapters who had recent chapter anniversaries, the 2021 Support Member of the Year, 2021 mileage winners (members and support members), 2021 Touring Contest winners, each MO chapter and their participation points, and the MO chapter with the most participation points earned the traveling State Trophy. This year Heartland earned the traveling trophy with a total of 29 points! Yay!

Cris ended by wishing everyone a safe ride home. 

By Alice

Shifting Gears

“We’re going to party like a rock star!” – Joe Wofford

As the calendar changes to 2022, we reflect on 2021 and begin to imagine what kind of party might be sufficient to celebrate our 25th anniversary as a Chapter of Women On Wheels®.

We have six months to prepare to host the 22nd Missouri Women On Wheels® (MO WOW) State Rally, seven months to make plans to attend the 36th Women On Wheels® International Ride-In™ and celebrate the 40th anniversary of Women On Wheels®, and twelve months to participate in weeknight/weekend rides, state lunches/events, monthly meetings, and other spontaneous gatherings.

Below are a few more highlights from 2021. We’ve already written about the annual MO WOW Touring/Photo Contest and International Female Ride Day.

In early May, we had the great privilege to host WOW president, Carol, and enjoyed a day of riding, eating, sightseeing, and laughter.

Later in May, Carol joined the members of MO WOW at the State Ride to Lunch in Warsaw, MO.

In June, we attended the 21st Annual MO WOW State Rally held in Monett. Hosted by Missouri’s Lady Cruisers of the Ozarks Chapter, we enjoyed the scenic roads in southwest Missouri.

Several members attended the 35th WOW International Ride-In in Lake George, NY. After several days of riding in the rain, these four opted to walk to dinner one evening. Cris suggested going down to the hotel’s front desk to inquire about trash bags that could be turned into makeshift ponchos. Hearing this, Jackie proudly pulled three ponchos out of her bag. Perhaps Jackie was a Girl Scout and trained to always “be prepared”?

In October, we took a fall foliage ride through Calhoun County via the Illinois River Road and Kampsville River Ferry. Although the fall foliage was sparse, there was still plenty of beautiful nature to enjoy.

Later in October, we participated in a “Trunk or Treat” event hosted by Jenean’s church. The treats, motorcycles, and Mr. Bones were spook-tacular. The chicken brought out her inner comedi-hen. Her taste in humor is im-peckable; pure poultry in motion.

We are grateful for the leadership of our Chapter Director, Alice, and are especially proud of our “Cover Girl,” as she appears on the January/February/March 2022 “Women On Wheels®” magazine.

Our Chapter lost an “honorary member” in December. Many of us first met Joe at the Lake George Ride-In, his most recent motorcycle trip. At his service, it was said that Joe loved to party. (Photo courtesy Jenean.)

Per Wikipedia, “A party is a gathering of people who have been invited by a host for the purposes of socializing, conversation, recreation, or as part of a festival or other commemoration or celebration of a special occasion.”

We invite interested riders in the St. Louis metro area and beyond to join us in our 25th year. We have 12 months to party! Let’s get started.

By Cris

Itty Bitty City

The 2021 Missouri State Women On Wheels® Annual Touring Contest has ended. The theme to visit Missouri places with the same name as cities in another state took us to cities big and small. These are the tiniest towns as determined by their 2020 population per missouri-demographics.com or a Google search if the city was not listed there.

Foley (Lincoln County), population 89. Foley is located on Highway 79, approximately 20 miles north of Interstate 70 near St. Peters. Scenic 79 is also known as the Little Dixie Highway of the Great River Road. Travel north for another 70 miles and spend a few hours exploring Hannibal, the hometown of Mark Twain.

McKittrick ( Montgomery County), population 77. McKittrick was platted in 1895 when the railroad was extended west. The tracks are gone and trains no longer bring visitors to town, but bicycles do via the McKittrick Trailhead on the Katy Trail. Visitors to historic Hermann can find McKittrick just 3 miles north on Highway 19.

Country Life Acres, Village of (St. Louis County), population 72. Kudos to Alice for finding this one–somewhere around the crossroads of Clayton and Des Peres Roads. Perhaps Country Life Acres, Maryland, is a bit easier to find.

Ionia (Benton/Pettis Counties), population 71. For a while, the post office established in 1867 served the citizens of Ionia City. The city’s name was shortened to Ionia in 1895 and the post office serves patrons in this city that lies in two counties.

Vandiver, Village of (Audrain County), population 63. There isn’t much information to be found about this tiny village, but we were glad to find this sign as we passed through on Highway 54 between Mexico and Martinsburg.

Paynesville (Pike County) population 60. Established in 1821, Paynesville was named after William Payne, a St. Louis-based tradesman. The Meloan, Cummins & Co., General Store, seen in the background, stands at the intersection of Highways H and W north of Elsberry and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1993.

Truxton (Lincoln County), population 59. In its heyday, Truxton had a livery, carpenter shop, wagon maker, milliner and dressmaker, grist and sawmills, two churches, a high school, newspaper publisher, hotel, more than a dozen stores/shops¹, and an estimated population of 250. The city is named in honor of Commodore Thomas Truxton, a Revolutionary War naval officer.

Whiteside (Lincoln County), population 52. William Whiteside was the original owner of the site located on Highway Z off Highway 61 about 14 miles north of Troy. This post office has been in operation since 1883. When Dayton Moxley served as its first Postmaster, first-class stamps cost four cents.

Chesapeake (Lawrence County), population 48. Established in 1850, the city was named to commemorate the capture of the USS Chesapeake at the Battle of Boston Harbor on June 1, 1813, during the War of 1812. Two hundred-twenty six men were killed or wounded in the 15-minute battle against the Royal Navy’s HMS Shannon.

St. Cloud (Crawford County), population 43. St. Cloud has a total land area of 1.24 square miles. Without this sign posted between Bourbon and Sullivan off Interstate 44, one might enter and exit St. Cloud without the realization of ever having visited.

Pendleton (Warren County), population 34. Pendleton, five miles west of Warrenton, was built for the Wabash railroad in 1858. Today Pendleton has a general store, about a dozen residences, and the Methodist Episcopal Church, erected in 1872 at a cost of $1,000, or roughly $22,670 in today’s money.

Danville (Montgomery County), population 28. At 24, there are almost as many American cities named Danville as there are residents in this town located at the intersection of Interstate 70 and Highway 161 roughly midway between Warrenton and Kingdom City. Founded in 1834, Danville, Missouri, was named after Danville, Virginia.

Champ (St. Louis County), population 13. We’ve written about Champ in a prior blog post. Established in 1959, Champ currently contains six households, a church, and a landfill that opened in 1974.

Mount Sterling (Gasconade County), population 8. One can feel confident knowing there are 14 cities named Mount Sterling in America. Questionable is its population. Depending on source material, the population varies from 8 to 55. This blogger believes the discrepancy is based on the actual number of people who reside in Mount Sterling and those in the 65062 ZIP code serviced by the tiny Post Office inside the Schaeperkoetter Store at 2718 Highway A off Highway 50 between Linn and Drake. In either case, Mount Sterling qualifies as an itty bitty city.

By Cris

¹https://www.google.com/books/edition/History_of_Lincoln_County_Missouri_from/HtEyAQAAMAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=lincoln+county+missouri+towns+truxton&pg=PA451&printsec=frontcover

A Motorcyclist’s Life: The Wild, Weird, and Wonderful

In the book “Secret St. Louis: A Guide to the Weird, Wonderful, and Obscure“, author David Baugher takes readers on a tour of 97 unique and little-known places.

The annual Missouri Women On Wheels® Touring/Photo Contest serves the same purpose. When one visits a place to earn another point for the Contest, one may not know the history of that place. Although we didn’t know it, the Heartland Chapter had already visited a a few of Baugher’s places in 2021 before this blogger heard about the book.

Place 1: The Big Cone
Where: 6930 Weber Road; Affton, MO (on the grounds of Mesnier Primary School)
See blog post “All [Rocky] Roads Lead to Ice Cream“

Place 3: Bigfoot®
Where: 2286 Rose Lane; Pacific, MO
Bigfoot #1, a modified Ford F-250 “Monster” truck, was built by Bob Chandler in St. Louis, in the mid-1970s. Bigfoot #5, built in 1986 is 15′ 6″ tall, weighs 38,000 pounds, and is the Guinness record holder for the tallest and widest pickup truck in the world.

Place 9: The Old Chain of Rocks Bridge
Where: Chouteau Island to St. Louis (easiest access from Chouteau Island on the Illinois side)
The Old Chain of Rocks Bridge was chosen as the cinematic double for the 69th Street Bridge in John Carpenter’s 1981 movie, “Escape from New York”. https://youtu.be/0sZoWuWYBPE

Place 26: Champ, MO
Where: Along Creve Couer Mill Road near the Interstates 70 and 270 interchange
You’ll need good Google Earth or Google Map skills or a friend familiar with the area to help you find Champ–population 13. Incorporated and mayored by Bill Bangert in 1959, today’s Champ is primarily a landfill. Bangert’s visionary plans for Champ were mocked for decades, but his ideas of domed stadiums and shopping malls are now part of the national landscape.
https://www.stltoday.com/news/local/metro/bill-bangert-dies-worlds-strongest-mayor-created-champ/article_79624cf4-353e-5e5f-b4c9-595fffeee048.html

Place 38: Piasa Bird
Where: Illinois Route 100 about a mile north of Alton, IL
The Piasa Bird’s mythology began with Native Americans. Explorer Jacques Marquette is said to be the first European to discover the original artwork of the Illini more than 300 years ago. Attempts to restore the original artwork began in the 1920s and remains a never-ending maintenance project. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piasa

Place 54. St. Louis County is known for its dozens of municipalities. In less than .75 mile on Interstate 170 between Page Avenue and Natural Bridge Road, three different city limit signs are visible at one time. Motorists cross from Overland to Charlack to Sycamore Hills and back to Charlack before motoring on to St. John and Bel-Ridge.

Place 59: Statue for Robert Pershing Wadlow, the World’s Tallest Human
Where: 2800 College Avenue; Alton, IL
See blog post “Where’s Wadlow?“

Place 85: Eureka, MO
Where: Interstate 44 west of the Meramec River
City lore says that the name was inspired by an 1850’s railroad worker who was tired of moving and laying track on the bluffs on the outskirts of town and was so thrilled to finally see a stretch of straight, flat land that he yelled “Eureka!” Eureka translates from ancient Greek to English as “I have found it!”

Every ride is an opportunity to discover something new and unlike anything else. Eureka!

By Cris