Last Chance: GOE XII Poker Run Pre-Ride
Saturday, June 14th, 2008
Well, the countdown is dwindling to the last few days. We had no more chances to look at the rides, and with the weather, we really needed to! With all the weather as of late, roads have been flooded, filled with debris, and in some cases, washed away.
I met my brother and Al at the host hotel. After we waited to see if any others would show up, we headed out. We started by heading east on Crawfordsville Road. Before long we were heading south on Lynhurst, and through the town of Speedway. The town is named for it's major feature, and two and half mile oval you might had heard of?
After traveling quite a while on Lynhurst, we arrived on Kentucky Avenue. It would only be a few miles of traveling south and west until the first stop. I fueled up, and would be set for the rest of the trip. After a brief break, we headed back down SR 67, the road that Kentucky Avenue becomes outside the beltway.
After about 18 miles of two lane highway, we made a right turn just south of where SR 39 heads north. This is Shelton Road. The first place for one of our trademark arrows.
Here is Al in the foreground, not sure if you can see Kevin marking the turn for Shelton Road.
This is a view down Shelton Road from SR 67
After the big turn on Shelton Road, we picked up on Wilbur Road, and then marked the turn at Upper Patton Woods Road.
After marking this turn, we noticed that Kevin was having issues with his bike starting. After running it down a hill to get it fired, we would also run into our first road closure. Berean Road was marked as closed, but traffic was going through to remove debris. My hope was that it would be open by the following Thursday. I used the GPS to find a way around, and we proceeded north on Wilbur Road, then west on SR 42. We turned south on a County Road, and then back east to arrive at Little Hurricane.
Just as in nature, little hurricanes lead to big hurricanes, and so does this path. We turned right on Big Hurricane, and meandered through the woods and farm land some more. We hit a few chip and sealed county roads, and eventually arrived on Oliver Church Road. The Christian Church would be the next stop.
We paused for a short time, and Kevin looked over his bike, arriving at that ideal that his battery had gone bad. The church parking lot was fairly flat, so I gave him a little push to get the bike going.
We continued on down mostly south on Oliver Church, then we headed west for a bit on Base Lane and Turkey Neck Roads. The third "Turkey Neck" was closed on this road, so we proceeded around it. It was a nice ride along a field of amber waves of grain.
We picked back up on SR 67, this time is just single lanes each way. We turned south on to SR 231, and pulled on into Spencer, Indiana. We drove through town, stopping at the Burger King for lunch. We chatted about the route, and the possibility of other road closures, all of us hoping they might be open by Thursday. Kevin decided to pre-ride on Tuesday, so he could mark the route then.
We headed out of town, and begin going north on Rocky Hill Road. Things were looking good, as we were just about three quarters of a mile from getting back on SR 231. But a road closed sing would keep us from going any further. We turned around, and when I saw the next road that went through, I thought it would be perfect for the group. We turned left on Coon Path Road. After cresting a hill, I saw a lake! There wasn't supposed to be a lake there, and most certainly not across the road!
Another U-Turn, and we headed back to Spencer to just go back out north on US 231. We took that for a bit until SR 42. We feared this road would be closed, as it was listed on the state's website. It was smooth sailing all the way, even though we slowed down for a bit through the section where dad had crashed.
After crossing SR 39, we proceeded east on Robb Hill Road. At SR 67, we stopped at the gas station. It was apparent it was not open. Maybe the store flooded, or maybe the owners house flooded? There was a couple there, and the gal looked exhausted. Never did hear her speak or see her face?
We meandered our way east and north, starting on Centenary Road, and eventually getting on to Mann Road. Along a couple of curves, we came upon a motorcycle approaching us, I thought at first he was waving, but he was warning us of the water crossing the road. It was only about an inch or two deep, but about 10 feet long. We all plowed through it, and took some of the water with us soaked in our jeans.
One last stop at a Speedway Gas Station at Mann and Kentucky Avenue. Another push on Kevin's bike, and he was off and running, heading for my parent's house, and to replace the battery. He is staying in town, as he has his Brother in law's Birthday tonight, and then Father's Day tomorrow.
Al and I went up Kentucky Avenue, and then took Holt Road to Tenth Street. We rode past the hotel, and then headed out for home. I headed up High School Road, and the took 38th Street east until it turned into I-65. I rode through town to I-70, then 465 South, and back home.
Well, the countdown is dwindling to the last few days. We had no more chances to look at the rides, and with the weather, we really needed to! With all the weather as of late, roads have been flooded, filled with debris, and in some cases, washed away.
I met my brother and Al at the host hotel. After we waited to see if any others would show up, we headed out. We started by heading east on Crawfordsville Road. Before long we were heading south on Lynhurst, and through the town of Speedway. The town is named for it's major feature, and two and half mile oval you might had heard of?
After traveling quite a while on Lynhurst, we arrived on Kentucky Avenue. It would only be a few miles of traveling south and west until the first stop. I fueled up, and would be set for the rest of the trip. After a brief break, we headed back down SR 67, the road that Kentucky Avenue becomes outside the beltway.
After about 18 miles of two lane highway, we made a right turn just south of where SR 39 heads north. This is Shelton Road. The first place for one of our trademark arrows.
Here is Al in the foreground, not sure if you can see Kevin marking the turn for Shelton Road.
This is a view down Shelton Road from SR 67
After the big turn on Shelton Road, we picked up on Wilbur Road, and then marked the turn at Upper Patton Woods Road.
After marking this turn, we noticed that Kevin was having issues with his bike starting. After running it down a hill to get it fired, we would also run into our first road closure. Berean Road was marked as closed, but traffic was going through to remove debris. My hope was that it would be open by the following Thursday. I used the GPS to find a way around, and we proceeded north on Wilbur Road, then west on SR 42. We turned south on a County Road, and then back east to arrive at Little Hurricane.
Just as in nature, little hurricanes lead to big hurricanes, and so does this path. We turned right on Big Hurricane, and meandered through the woods and farm land some more. We hit a few chip and sealed county roads, and eventually arrived on Oliver Church Road. The Christian Church would be the next stop.
We paused for a short time, and Kevin looked over his bike, arriving at that ideal that his battery had gone bad. The church parking lot was fairly flat, so I gave him a little push to get the bike going.
We continued on down mostly south on Oliver Church, then we headed west for a bit on Base Lane and Turkey Neck Roads. The third "Turkey Neck" was closed on this road, so we proceeded around it. It was a nice ride along a field of amber waves of grain.
We picked back up on SR 67, this time is just single lanes each way. We turned south on to SR 231, and pulled on into Spencer, Indiana. We drove through town, stopping at the Burger King for lunch. We chatted about the route, and the possibility of other road closures, all of us hoping they might be open by Thursday. Kevin decided to pre-ride on Tuesday, so he could mark the route then.
We headed out of town, and begin going north on Rocky Hill Road. Things were looking good, as we were just about three quarters of a mile from getting back on SR 231. But a road closed sing would keep us from going any further. We turned around, and when I saw the next road that went through, I thought it would be perfect for the group. We turned left on Coon Path Road. After cresting a hill, I saw a lake! There wasn't supposed to be a lake there, and most certainly not across the road!
Another U-Turn, and we headed back to Spencer to just go back out north on US 231. We took that for a bit until SR 42. We feared this road would be closed, as it was listed on the state's website. It was smooth sailing all the way, even though we slowed down for a bit through the section where dad had crashed.
After crossing SR 39, we proceeded east on Robb Hill Road. At SR 67, we stopped at the gas station. It was apparent it was not open. Maybe the store flooded, or maybe the owners house flooded? There was a couple there, and the gal looked exhausted. Never did hear her speak or see her face?
We meandered our way east and north, starting on Centenary Road, and eventually getting on to Mann Road. Along a couple of curves, we came upon a motorcycle approaching us, I thought at first he was waving, but he was warning us of the water crossing the road. It was only about an inch or two deep, but about 10 feet long. We all plowed through it, and took some of the water with us soaked in our jeans.
One last stop at a Speedway Gas Station at Mann and Kentucky Avenue. Another push on Kevin's bike, and he was off and running, heading for my parent's house, and to replace the battery. He is staying in town, as he has his Brother in law's Birthday tonight, and then Father's Day tomorrow.
Al and I went up Kentucky Avenue, and then took Holt Road to Tenth Street. We rode past the hotel, and then headed out for home. I headed up High School Road, and the took 38th Street east until it turned into I-65. I rode through town to I-70, then 465 South, and back home.
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