Avoid Kansas

[witttom]

Ok, so it's not a "Best Riding Route". How about "Best to Avoid" route? Avoid it like the plaque. Kansas just plain sucks. :no:

I-70 from Kansas City MO (the misery actually begins well before this) to Burlington CO (and the misery extends beyond). 430 miles across Kansas is pure hell. Just don't do it. Listen to everyone else, you don't need to find out yourself. Go around that State. There is nothing there to see there. In fact, it's not really a State. It's just a vast void of space that fills a block of area on your map. It's hot. The cross winds suck. The the 10% ethenol is pure liquid evil. Stay away.:nono:

:smoke

[bprodoehl]

come on tom,
do you mean to tell us that it took this long to figure out that corn is not a good fuel substitute!

[thom_boles]

I'm with Tom... As a matter of fact. I was with Tom.

Kansas could disappear and I would not be much the sadder.

I actually had one tank of gas (or was that 3 ears of corn) that lasted only 125 miles. (I can get 225 out of a normal tank)

Tom should win the contest for worse place to ride, and I shluld get to split the prize (and it better not be a tank of ethanol gas).

Thom
(from the land of Ethanol, Des Moines, IA.)

[KSLady]

Hey now! Some of us live here and don't have a choice but to ride here. I agree that I-70 is not a great ride, but there are some other parts of the state that are a bit better. If you are in a hurry, I guess they aren't an option to you. Maybe those of us that live here can post those rides instead of blasting the whole state!

I always thought those cross winds were just a challenge to your riding abilities!:D

KSLady

[thom_boles]

Originally posted by KSLady
Hey now! Some of us live here and don't have a choice but to ride here. I agree that I-70 is not a great ride, but there are some other parts of the state that are a bit better. If you are in a hurry, I guess they aren't an option to you. Maybe those of us that live here can post those rides instead of blasting the whole state!

I always thought those cross winds were just a challenge to your riding abilities!:D

KSLady

Wow, you just joined and this is the first post you found. Damn us.... LOL. Really we were trying to make some time to get out West, and it was the most direct route there.

[KSLady]

I hate to admit it, but when we head out to "really" ride we always try and head out of state! :rolleyes:

I just had to say something, even it I don't love it, I do live in Kansas!:)

[witttom]

Originally posted by KSLady
I hate to admit it, but when we head out to "really" ride we always try and head out of state! :rolleyes: I think this definitely says something about Kansas. Hehe...

[FZRdad]

Well, it may not be a great state to ride through but we'd all likely starve without it. Mighty good farming to be had out there.

I will heartily agree about the crosswinds though. I used to drive through there in a high profile vehicle with marginal horsepower. Keeping a big truck up to speed is challenging at best when the winds are a constant 25 mph in your face...and it is ALWAYS in your face...it even turns with you.

The other plus side to Kansas is the look of disbelief it brings to the face of a Japanese engineer. They simply cannot fathom the iea of being able to drive 200 miles and not see a town...or a tree...or much of anything. Texas REALLY gets them! And you should see how the locals in Kansas react to seeing Japanese for the first time...but that's a whole different story...

[KSLady]

Actually, eastern Kansas is not too bad! More hills and curves and a lot greener. Western Kansas/Eastern Colorado . . . well, I try not to ride anywhere that I can close my eyes for a couple of miles and not notice that I have moved when I open them back up. LOL. Not that I would try it while riding.

Those farmers get a little bit antsy when they see motorcycles come through town, much less strangers! Can't be too careful about strangers or city people you know!

[rsweeney]

Hellooooo Tommmm,

Hey, don't blame the terrain flatness on ol' Kansas. You know there's this thing called the Great North American Plain which extends from down in Mexico all the way up into Canada and makes riding pretty straight and boring for about 8 hours if you're going East/West across our continent. There's no way to get around it, not a southern or northern route anywhere that is any better unless you take the back roads through the little towns and find some interesting roads. I've done that a few times and enjoyed the riding, but it takes forever to get to your destination. The saving grace is you can do about 80 or so on the Interstates and reduce the misery. So take Kansas off the hook and instead blame it on Northwest Ohio, which we here affectionately call God's Billiard Table.

[Stan C]

It was posted that:

>you can do about 80 or so on the Interstates and reduce the misery<

Isn't that the truth. The last time we rode thru the Big K our speedo never went below 85 mph, and we were still passed by the locals. We went thru a speed trap at 70 and wasn't even stopped! The radar detector picked it up so far away I didn't believe it was accurate. Go figure.


____________________________
Stan Caudell
81 CB 900F Honda

[casanewt]

Originally posted by rsweeney
instead blame it on Northwest Ohio, which we here affectionately call God's Billiard Table.

Amen Brother! It's sad, but I don't miss the area I grew up in one bit.

[sed_nick]

Being stuck here in KS for the time being, I decided to make lemonade. There are some really nice rides in Kansas - they are just few and very far between.

Cassoday KS bike gathering the first Sunday of every month (except for winter). Cassoday is located in the Flint Hills. Yes, Virginia, there are hills in Kansas. The roads are nice. The scenery is great. Stone fences line the road. The people at the gathering are friendly.

Gypsum Hills. There is a road between Medicine Lodge and Coldwater that runs through this hilly region. Very beautiful scenery. I ran out of gas halfway between. Had to ride pillion back to Medicine Lodge, chug 2 liters of sports drink so I could use the containers for gas, then ride pillion back, ran the battery down trying to prime the carbs. I now carry a spare liter of petrol and jumper cables at all times.

[dmathers]

A guy I met who was from Kansas, told me he lived in the "Corn Desert".

If Kansas is 'cans-as' why is Arkansas 'r-can-saw' instead of 'r-cans-as'????

[vera]

A guy I met who was from Kansas, told me he lived in the "Corn Desert".

If Kansas is 'cans-as' why is Arkansas 'r-can-saw' instead of 'r-cans-as'????

Dave, that's a question I started asking the day I came to the US. But no one was able to explain that one to me.