DAY 1 - Columbia, MO - West Plains, Missouri

After the night's sleep in Hojo we were up and ready packing our bikes for the first day of our tour together as a group of three bikers. Packing all the equipment of the motorcycle is quite a production and slowly we are getting better at at. Right as we were leaving we did our morning maintenance check and noticed that Uri's front tire had a leak. Luckily we were a mile away from a Harley Davidson shop and drove there right away. They were really nice and fixed Uri's front tire and even gave him a few spare parts for the future.

Now we are ready to ride!

We headed to Osage Beach and stopped in Jefferson city to fuel up. We took route 63 south and continued on 54 west. Missouri is a beautiful state (so far) and has magnificent views. We drove down to the lake and stopped for a coffee break. There is a feeling that there is not rush at all in our trip and even though we have daily dead lines, we feel as though time is no concern.

We got back on the saddle and headed down south. For some reason Highway 5 south was closed for construction, so we had to alternate our route which took us in rural american roads between state parks. I have to mention that for our first day we lucked out and the scenery became very nice and picturesque. From flat farm lands and dull crop fields in Kansas, we started seeing tall green trees, lakes and meadows. The air seemed a lot more fresh and healthy and we enjoyed the warm breeze which constantly hit our helmets at high speeds.

The sun started to set and we got a bit concerned we wouldn't make it before night fall. Even though we are equipped with all the latest technology, from GPS to laptop, it always pays off to ask a local for assistance. We pulled into the gas station in West Plains to fuel up and asked a local where is the nearest campsite. We found out that the closest campsite is 10 miles west of the town, so we headed to it. It was getting darker and we were getting a bit nervous that we won't make it before night. However after 17 miles down the narrow road we found a sign for a camping ground. We pulled in slowly and parked our bikes and started building our tents. Uri set off to make dinner and Dovid and I found a flat surface for our small tents. We used our motorcycle light to help us see, and got ready in less than an hour. Dinner was delicious and consisted of rice and sauce. However we weren't the only creatures there. Raccoons and Armadillos accompanied us while we sat at the camping table and ate our dinner. Quite a scene!

We woke up this morning and now are headed down to Memphis for the weekend.

200 Miles away. 

The Three!

The hours went by slowly and the time felt as though it was not moving. Kansas was pretty much a state where you just got to clench you teeth and just cruise through. My odometer read more 400 miles when I pulled into the Howard Johnson Inn, in Columbia, Missouri. My ride sure wasn't easy due to the fact that riding alone is awfully lonely. I arrived and got us a room and waited for Uri and Dovid to pull in..

Pre Day 1

At last! the day we were waiting for so long has come. I saw them driving down I-70 Interstate and waved to them so they can see me. I was so happy to see them and the moment will stay in my head for days to come. We unpacked all our belongings and talked about our long ride. There are so many stories already that I can't imagine how much will accumulate when we finish our long journey. While we were admiring each other's bikes we settled in our motel room and went out to eat dinner to kick off our voyage. 

The past two days were the best practice the upcoming tour of ours of North America, and not many people can understand like us what it entitles. 

We plan on starting tomorrow morning by noon so we will have plenty of time to prepare for the drive south and get our motorcycles ready for the trip.

Half way to the meet

We set off.

I left Monument, CO and made my way through the flat and boring roads of Kansas in order to meet up with Uri and Dovid. I stopped to sleep in Hays, KS for the night and plan on a early start tomorrow morning. They began their trip yesterday, stopped in Wheeling, IL and made it all the way to Indianapolis today. The ride is not as easy as it sounds. After an hour on the bike your back and legs start aching and you got to stop frequently to stretch the muscles. We changed our starting point from Kansas city to Columbia, MO and plan to meet up tomorrow before night fall.

391 Miles to go.