I was supposed to get off work yesterday at 8 AM and rush home to get our daughter from Grandma’s house so Grandma (Amy’s mother) could go to work.  As luck would have it, there was a semi-truck crash about 30 minutes before shift change, so I was unable to get Kaitlyn in time for Grandma to go to work.  A few phone calls were made and Kaitlyn was on the way to the Wayne County Fair with my Father and Stepmother.  I ended up leaving work about 3 hours later than expected, but this was not a problem.  Since I had nothing else to do now, I decided to ride through Ohio’s Amish Country and go eat at Der Dutchman Restaurant in Walnut Creek, OH.  

I had wanted to eat at Der Dutchman for several days.  I knew what I wanted for several days, so it was easy to order when I arrived.  I got there at 12:40 PM and feared that I would have to wait in a long line.  There was a tour bus in the parking lot, which has not been uncommon when I have been there before.  I walked in the front door, and was surprised that there was no line.  I was seated and the waitress was there in seconds to take my drink order.  I ordered my drink and food, as there was no reason to pretend that I needed to look the menu over.  I ordered sweet tea to drink, they have only had it for 3 weeks now.  For my entree, I had the noodles over mashed potatoes, the full order.  
My food arrived and as expected, there was a ton of it.  I have had many of the menu items at Der Dutchman, but the noodles over mashed potatoes is my favorite.  With the homemade rolls, it is a carb lover’s delight.  After eating, I was so full that I was almost in pain.  The waitress asked about dessert.  Unfortunately, I could not eat any dessert, I really wanted some chocolate cream pie.  Check out the Der Dutchman website.  This really is one of my favorite places to go to eat.

Leaving Walnut Creek, I traveled Rt 39 to Dover and then went to the BMW dealership in New Philadelphia (or New Pennsylvania if you are running for President of the US).  I wanted to pick up an o-ring for the oil cap on my R1200RT.  There is a slight leak right now, as can be seen in my photos from the Cherohala Skyway post.  While at the BMW dealership, I looked at a couple of motorcycles that may be a part of my collection one day.  First, I looked at the BMW G650 Cross Country.  This was a nice bike, and LIGHT.  The G650 Cross Country felt like a toy after riding the R1200RT all of the time!  According to the dealer, there are people getting 65 and 70 mpg on this bike.  This kind of mileage is normally reserved for scooters.  The other bike I looked at and really liked was the BMW F800GS.  Again, it is very light, and gets great mileage.  The dealer reported that there have been people getting 60-65 mpg on the F800GS.  Outside in the used bike area, there was a Kawasaki KLR 650 with only 500 miles on it.  All three of these motorcycles would be very nice to have.  I cannot have all three, and I am not ready to purchase any of them right now, but one day I would love to have a “dual sport” or “scrambler” to ride.  I would like to keep the bike as light as possible as I would probably ride it when the weather is less than ideal.  There are people on the year round riders forum  that put studded tires on their motorcycles and ride in the snow.

After leaving the BMW dealership, I rode my favorite road in the area.  This road is OH 416, on which the dealership is conveniently located.  I rode south to Rt 36 then  turned around and rode 416 back past the dealership and to the north end of it, where it terminates at Rt 800.  I then followed Rt 800 noth to get home.  With the exception of the stretch of 416 where it passes through downtown New Philadelphia, it is a very fun road.  I don’t even mind the part in town to much, as New Philadelphia is a great city.

The weather was a nice 75 degrees for most of my ride yesterday.  I saw many bikes out, mostly BMW motorcycles for some reason.  I did see two or three Harley Davidson motorcycles and one Gold Wing, but I saw at least 20 BMW motorcycles.  Of the 20 or so BMWs I saw, only 4 of them were near the dealership.  I never notice this many BMWs in our area, as they are not nearly as common as other brands.  I have no idea why there were so many on the road yesterday, but it was great to see others out enjoying their bikes too.  

Once again, I took a trip through one of the most beautiful areas in Ohio and did not take my camera.  I need to work on that.  Until recently, my focus has been on riding, and I didn’t really need too many photos of rides.  This has changed some now that I have started blogging.  I will try to remember my camera to take some photos

About one year ago, my Dad and Uncle had an idea that it would be fun to ride 630 miles for supper, then ride home the next day. Not being one to turn down a great meal and a motorcycle ride, I went along. My sister, who lives in Atlanta wanted to go along but could not get a flight into Akron Canton Airport. She did the next best thing and went to Cincinnati and we picked her up on the way. After picking her up, we headed for LaGrange, KY (where I lived as a small child). We met with my Uncle Greg in LaGrange and headed west toward Sikeston, MO, the home of Lambert’s.

Here are my family members that went with me to Lambert's Cafe. Uncle Greg and Aunt Jo on the BMW K1200LT. Dad and Stepmother on the Kawasaki Voyager. Not Pictured is my sister, as she took the photo.

Lambert’s cafe has been featured on the Food Network several times. It is “The Home of Throwed Rolls.” Their website is http://www.throwedrolls.com .  I have been to their Springfield, Mo location three times.  They have some of the best food you could imagine, and portions that keep them from selling desserts.  The first time I ate there, I ordered a full rack of ribs that was served on a plate that looked more like the lid of a garbage can than a plate.  The ribs were hanging off of the plate on both ends.  I was asked what sides I wanted and I replied “Okra and fried potatoes.”  I was told I could not order those, because the walk around with pans serving those to everybody.  So, I ordered two different sides and still got my okra and fried potatoes.  The thing that Lambert’s is most famous for is the rolls.  Here is a short video of the guy throwing the rolls.

They usually do not take it too easy throwing the rolls.  I have caught some fast pitches there.  If you miss, expect to take some heckling from the roll thrower and the crowd.  Lambert’s is a great dining experience.    If you ever get the chance to go there, do it!  Do yourself a favor and make reservations for a hotel (if you need one) ahead of time.  When we were checking in, there were two rooms available at two different hotels.  My sister ended up sleeping on a love seat (we don’t let Dad forget that one).  Check out Hotels.com
 for rates and reservations.

Here are Dad and Flo on their Kawasaki Voyager

The ride there was uneventful, but HOT.  It was a great ride.  It turns out the Lambert’s is on US 62.  US 62 runs right here through Canton, OH.  I had been out US 62 before heading northeast to go to Niagara Falls.  We took interstates to get to Lambert’s as we wanted to make it in one day.  We brought US 62 all of the way home.  US 62 has some great twisties in a few areas.  It is a great scenic route to take to avoid the freeways.  There are some areas where the going is slow, like in Lexington, Ky, but for the most part, you can make pretty good time on it.

On the way home, we got a late start and we spent the night in Bardstown, KY.  Those of you that drink bourbon should recognize that town.  It seems every bourbon distillery in the world is in Bardstown.  None of us in our group drink, so I guess it was a wasted stop for us.  You can see the massive distillery buildings everywhere.  It was pretty impressive to see the huge buildings up on the hills.  We stayed at a small motel across from the Stephen Foster Restaurant.  It was a nice old place.  you could tell that the place was kept up well, but they still had the old door hardware and bathroom fixtures.  The motel had small room by today’s standards, but I would stay there again.  

Here we are at the Cincinnati airport to pickup Liz. I am on the Honda CB900 Custom in the rear. In the front is Dad's Kawasaki Voyager

The next day, we rode the rest of the way home on US 62.  We ate at a Sonic about 20 miles east of Bardstown.  The girl working there asked us what happen if it rains, then she asked if a convertible top was stored anywhere on the motorcycles.  My sister, always a joker, informed the girl that usually when you are planning a ride where it might rain, you always take somebody with you on the back of your bike so they can hold an umbrella.  The waitress believed it!  I can’t imagine trying to hold an umbrella at 70 miles per hour!  

This was a great trip and I hope to do it again.  It is kind of funny trying to make time on a bike that needs to stop for gas every 160 miles and a seat good for 100 miles.  The Honda CB900 Custom doesn’t allow much air to hit the rider with the fairing installed.  The windshield is an extra tall one that has been cut down some so you can see over it and not have to look through it all of the time.  My wife did not get to go to Lambert’s with us because of work.  We hope to go there, maybe even this year.

We are home!  While I enjoy taking trips, I am always relieved to be back home.  We arrived back home last night at about 6:20 PM.  I took the motorcycle to Amy’s grandparents house to pick up Kaitlyn, our 3 1/2 year old daughter.  She was surprised to see us, as we weren’t supposed to be home for another day.  She was thrilled that she got to ride the Nighthawk 650 home with me.  That is one of her favorite things to do. 

On the way home, we decided to take the interstates, as there was some bad weather moving in.  We were able to keep ahead of most of it, only getting caught in a few showers, nothing that I even felt I needed my rain suit for.  I did stop and let Amy put hers on though, as she doesn’t have the weather protection that i do on the R1200RT.  Storms or not, I set the GPS to stop in Lexington, KY at the Taco Tico on Boardwalk Ave.  Taco Tico is one of my favorite restaurants.  Taco Tico is no five star joint.  It is a mexican fast food place.  I used to go with my father to Taco Tico when we lived outside of Louisville, KY and I have always stopped when I pass through Kentucky or Kansas.  I wish somebody would open a franchise in Canton, OH so i could enjoy their food more often.  I always get the same thing when I go there, a couple of combo burritos.  Their hot sauce is probably the biggest reason I go there.  I used to buy hot sauce from them every time I stopped.  I don’t know what it is about the sauce, but it has the best flavor of ANY hot sauce I have ever eaten.  

After our stop in Lexington, our next real stop (other than to let amy don her rain suit) was in Zanesville, OH at A&W for a root beer float and to let Amy have a break from the backseat of the bike.  I think that the front seat of the R1200RT is comfortable, and I have ridden on the back one time with another person driving.  I cannot stand that rear seat.  I don’t know why, but after 3 miles, I’d had enough.   Amy doesn’t complain about it until we do about 300 miles, then she needs a break.  I guess it is not too bad if you can sit in the same position for 300 miles at a time.  On the Honda CB900 Custom that we used to travel on, we were both ready to stop at 100 miles.  

Today, I had to get my hair cut, so Kaitlyn and I took the R1200RT down to the barbershop.  She had a ball.  She was waving at everybody, sticking her hand out in the breeze and gawking at everything.  She loves wearing her helmet, and doesn’t want to take it off when we stop at places.  She has a Fulmer youth small full face street helmet.

We are looking at taking a small trip with Kaitlyn.  We will probably drive the car, as she is too young for any motorcycle trips of any length longer than running to the store.  

We were able to stay with family during the entire trip that we took.  It helps when you don’t have to pay for lodging.  The trip I took before, when I went to Mt. Washington was fun when I stayed in some motels.  There were a few that I was just glad that my motorcycle was still outside when I woke the next morning.  I have decided that I will probably use Hotels.com to check places out and book rooms.  I have used them before and found the reviews to be dependable.  Give them a try, I am sure you will be happy with their rates.