11 Sept 2012 Jefferson City MO to Davenport IA

The plan was to ride to Davenport Ia and meet up with Streak and Patty Blackman, old Marine Corps friends.  I got a call earlier and Streaks brother is sick in NYC and Streak is going back to see him but will be back early on the 12th.  The Trip to Davenport was mostly uneventful.  However, that bitch navigator got me off on gravel roads again for about 20 miles and when I finally hit hard surface my black bike was gray.  I used to like her but on this trip she's been suspect.  I think she may be union and waiting for Obama to pay her rent and put her through college.  It was a long trip but good weather and the last thirty miles from Muscatine to Davenport was done on RT. 22 which runs right along the Mississippi river and is very picturesque.  I got to the motel, unpacked and made a cocktail and then traveled a block to the Thunder Bay Cafe for a very good evening meal.  Back to the motel and I crashed.

12 Sept 2012.............Up at 0600 and had a good breakfast at the followed by a two hour serious motorcycle cleaning exercise.  Got a shower and Streak called.  He was back and would pick me up at noon.  We drove around a little bit and then went to a sports bar for lunch and a catch up on twenty or more years.  After that we drove over to John's business office and Met AD and Luke, his sons and his wife, Patty.  Then John took me across the river to a John Deere museum which was outstanding.  Coming off a little dairy farm in CT I was amazed to see the complex machinery they have today to plant, cultivate and bring in the crops.  We then spent an hour on the Mississippi in a water taxi seeing the sights.  It was a beautiful day and very pleasant on the water.  Following that John took me to the house and we had cocktails and Patty joined us and we had another cocktail and then Streak grilled some pork chops and we sat out on the deck and had a great meal and reminesced late into the evening.

13 September 2012Woke up early and had a good breakfast at the motel.  Yesterday was a beautiful sunshiney day with temp's around 84.  This morning it was 52 and overcast.  As I started out it was overcast and a little windy.  About 45 minutes out it commenced a steady rain and it rained until 1:30 in the afternoon.  Wasn't a pleasant ride but thank God for three wheels.  I stopped in West Liberty Iowa for a short time to visit Fred's Feed and Supply store.  I watch a show on Sunday mornings called American Heartland on our PBS station and one Sunday they featured this store on their show so I thought I would check it out.  Tonight I am in Winterset Iowa which is John Waynes hometown and also home to six remaining covered bridges in Iowa.  The Roseman bridge is the one that was used in the movie....The bridges of Madison County with Meryl Streep and Clint Eastwood.  I will visit those spots tomorrow as I head west to Sioux City Iowa for a stay tomorrow night.