Day 3

Finally a day without rain.  Instead we were rewarded with oppressive heat.  And road construction.  Miles and miles of orange cones and one-way interstates.  It might have been faster to plow through the fields of the heartland.  This was the first day that actually required us to be on a schedule.  We were to meet Mr. and Mrs. Chainsaw (sadly, not their real names).  The Chainsaw family had fed and put Ron up for a night at their home in Kansas when he was conducting his Tour of the 48 states last year.  The idea was to meet in Salina, Kansas and ride together to Kansas City where more forum members were gathering for some signature Kansas City treats, namely KC strip steaks.  We hadn't gotten quite as far  as we had hoped the previous evening, so in order to reach Salina on time we were required to get up at what those in the military refer to as O-Dark Thirty.  It is normally pretty quiet in small town Eastern Colorado on a Sunday morning - until Mutt N Mutter roll in, that is.  As we dutifully started the engines on our trusty Road Glides, and let them gently warm (a neccesary procedure to both preserve head gaskets and enrage the neighbors) we noticed curtains flying open, lights flashing on, and we're pretty sure that in the distance the gumball machines on top of the local law enforcement vehicles on the way.  We didn't stick around to find out - it was time to get to Kansas.  We rolled through the plains, spotting our first corn sighting, stopping to high five.  We noticed the heat building a bit, and removed our jackets.  We trudged onward toward Salina where the temperature continued to rise some more.  Remaining hydrated became a high priority.  


In Salina we met the Chainsaws, had a meal and set off for Topeka where we were meeting up with more forum members, JayKS, and BigJack, our KC area host, Chainsaw on his awesome black "Dragon Slayer" Road Glide and Mrs. Chainsaw on her equally awesome limited edition Screaming Eagle CVO Road Glide.


The CVO has a large engine by Harley standards, featuring 110 cubic inches of displacement.  Harley engines are air cooled.  That's a bit of a problem when the air that's supposed to be cooling the engine is warmer than the air that is igniting in the engine's combustion chamber.  Yes, it was that hot.  And here is proof:

That is Mrs. Chainsaw's leg, and no, she didn't lean up against the barbeque at Big Jack's - this was the result of simply sitting in the riding position.   Suddenly that rain is starting to look pretty attractive - at least to Mrs. Chainsaw.


Things We Learned Today:

• The world's largest prairie dog resides in Oakley, Kansas
• When spitting with your helmet on it is important to lift the face shield first.
• The rumors are true - Kansas is in fact in color (courtesy of Shrug)