Missouri's wine country (and a lovely trike)

After meeting up with our riding buddies last Saturday, we got off I-70 and headed into one of the most lovely areas of Missouri I've seen yet.

We stopped for gas and a pit stop at Crossroads Bar and grill. As with all the bars in that area, bikes were lined up out front. When Cliff and I took the motorcycle safety course, one thing we learned was that, in 45% of motorcycle accidents, alcohol is involved. Come on, bikers... don't drink and drive!

Even from a distance, Hermann, Missouri is quite picturesque.

There are at least a dozen wineries in the area.

We stopped briefly at this one. I'd have liked to go on the tour, but our riding buddies prefer to spend their time riding, not taking winery and museum tours.

There were three artists, painting away.

As we were heading to our motorcycles, we stopped to admire an 1800 Gold Wing trike belonging to an older couple. We chatted with them awhile, and the lady invited me to try it out and see how comfortable it was.

The folks were from the Kansas City area. We learned that the gentleman has had knee surgery and several other operations, and didn't have the strength to ride a regular Gold Wing; so they had their new bike made into a trike. This is an option Cliff and I will consider as we grow older, so it was nice to talk to someone who actually owned a trike.

It seemed a good fit for Cliff, too. Honda doesn't make a trike; it's something that has to be done after the motorcycle is purchased, and the cost of the conversion is somewhere between $10,000 and $12,000. Yeah, it's pretty pricey.

This couple has been to Colorado on their Gold wing, and were highly enthusiastic about their adventures.

Fast Eddie's

Cliff and I rode 850 miles on our Gold Wing over the three-day weekend. One of the places his sister and her husband wanted us to see was Fast Eddie's. It's a bar the likes of which I've never seen. Keep in mind, though, that I haven't been in many bars.

There's a special parking lot for motorcycles, and it was jam-packed.

My sister-in-law pointed out that the cheap prices shown in the picture below are genuine. Here's the catch: There's a long, long waiting line, and it wraps around a three-sided bar. The drinks are NOT cheap. People who indulge in alcoholic beverages would, of course, have to do something to make their two-to-three-hour wait more bearable. I wish I'd taken a couple of pictures inside, but like all bars, it was pretty dark in there, and I doubt they'd have turned out.


I availed myself of their facilities; then we went ahead with our ride north along the Mississippi River, taking time for one more picture in the parking lot before we left.

Does it bother anyone else that all these people on motorcycles are in a bar getting a buzz? Seems like the sensible bikers would wait until their ride is over before they start drinking.