Inside the museum I appeared to be the only “customer” and after paying the minimal admission fee I was approached by a very knowledgeable docent, who offered to answer any questions I had about the motorcycles or the museum. There were a couple of other people working there as well as a young guy going around straightening placards and wiping off fingerprints. There are four sections to the museum: a history room, a racing room, a sidecar room, and a custom room. Sculptures are lined up along the walls in all the rooms. The bikes are displayed on pedestals, each of which is custom made and has a unique border - in the history room the borders are marble and different marble is used for each display. The bikes rest on mirrors so you can see the underside, and there is room around each bike so you can get close and look at the details, and also so you can get good photographs. There is minimal signage; just the name, model, and year of the motorcycle and one or two sentences about the significance of each bike The curators want you to spend your time looking at the machines and not reading.
The creator of the museum is Bobby Haas, 71, a financier who has a fascinating back story. He’s very successful but has always operated somewhat under the radar, letting his partners be the front men so to speak. If you Google “Bobby Haas” and go down three or four entries to the museum website you can read about him and the museum. There is also a story from the Dallas Morning News of this year which provides a little more info about his business endeavors. Briefly, Bobby Haas grew up in Cleveland, received degrees from Yale (psychology) and Harvard Law, and went into business. Later in life he developed an interest in photography, particularly aerial photography, and he has had six very successful books published by National Geographic. He’d always been interested in motorcycles and at the age of 64 finally acquired his first one, a Ural side car rig, and immediately began collecting bikes. He has the sensibility of an artist, so the bikes in the collection seem to be chosen as much for their aesthetic appeal and uniqueness as for their mechanical prowess or success in the marketplace. Here’s a picture of the historical gallery.
And here’s a picture of the New Motorcycle (green) and the Majestic (red) both by the same designer and both very rare and with beautiful Art Deco design.
Even the bikes in the racing section seem to be chosen more for their design interest than for their success on the track. The sculptures along the walls contribute to the experience.
This sculpture is constructed around a BMW R75/5 engine, which is of particular interest to me because my first BMW, which I still have, is an R75/5.
Bobby rides a Harley with a sidecar, and although I don’t usually care for sidecars, the selection of rigs, again chosen for their aesthetic appeal, was fascinating.
When I heard that there was a “custom” room, I figured it would contain Harley choppers, but the bikes therein were very much works of art. Bobby worked with a couple of well known builders to create several bikes that incorporate his own ideas.
The sculpted details on this cafe racer took years to create.
Finally, the “shop” has a half dozen or so motorcycle books for sale as well as smaller sculptures and painted leather jackets (prices for the jackets are $1200-1800).
When I left there was one other person looking around - he seemed to be a Japanese tourist. The museum hasn’t been written up yet in the motorcycle magazines, but it probably will be soon, and I predict the place will become as much of a go-to destination for motorcyclists as the Barber Museum outside of Birmingham, Alabama. It should also attract people who have only minimal interest in motorcycles but appreciate unique design and mechanical art.
Reluctantly, I dragged myself away from the museum at around 1:30 and followed the GPS to the AAA office a few miles away where I obtained replacement maps for the ones that became water-damaged yesterday. Following the GPS I was soon in I-30 heading east out of Dallas. Afternoon showers were predicted for the area, and sure enough the sky turned gray. After a half hour traffic came to a stop, and after creeping along for 15 minutes and watching my oil temperature climb, I took the next exit to get gas and have a late lunch. The T/A service area had a Burger King and Starbucks, and I could view the Interstate traffic as I ate and drank my coffee. I found out that there was a short section of road construction and there may have also been an accident. After about 45 minutes the traffic seemed to be moving a bit, so I put on my over-pants, rain gloves, and zipped up my jacket vents. I took the frontage road for a mile or so before getting back on I-30, and after a short distance was moving along at 75 mph again - a good thing because since the temperature was about 90 with equal humidity I felt like I was in a steam room under my riding gear. There was a brief shower of about 10 minutes, but gradually the sky cleared and it became a pleasant, sunny, and warm day.
I’d thought about leaving the Interstate at Mt. Pleasant and following US 67 through what looked like an interesting area along the Sulphur River, but there were small towns every few miles and I thought that it would be a slow ride, so I stayed on I-30. At one point I was about to pass a truck, when it slowed and its emergency flashers went on. The driver leaned his arm out the window and made a slow-down motion, so I backed off and got behind the truck, positioning myself so I could see his side mirror. I thought that perhaps the driver knew of a radar trap ahead, although the speed limit was still 75 and he was only going 60. Soon we came on a an accident scene in the median, complete with a couple of emergency vehicles, several troopers, a tow truck, and a pickup on its side. After that the truck driver stuck his arm out and gave me a thumbs-up and I responded in kind when I passed him - many truck drivers are also motorcyclists. I usually stay off the Interstates, at least partly because there are so many big rigs and I don’t like the diesel smell if the traffic is slow (at speed you don’t notice it). However, I’ve found that the vast majority of truck drivers are professionals doing their job, and they are usually courteous and keep a close watch on their surroundings.
I-30 is pleasant enough, passing through rolling hills and woods and by lakes. In Arkansas I stopped at a Walmart to pick up more plastic bags, and a couple of peaches and also to shed my over-pants and rain gloves and to open the vents on my jacket. I have to say that everyone I’ve met in this part of the country has been very friendly, courteous, and outgoing - Carol thinks it’s a southern thing. I checked into my Best Western in Hope, AR (spending the big bucks tonight) and had dinner at Dos Loco Gringos about a quarter mile away. Back in the motel room I mapped out my routes for the next two days and made motel reservations. (288 miles)
(Tuesday, July 10). The breakfast at the motel was good, and I had a leisurely start since The Lassis Inn in Little Rock, where I was having lunch, doesn’t open until 11. On I-30 I moved along at 70-75 until it began raining hard after 75 miles. It took 10 minutes to get to an exit so I could safely pull over and put on my rain gear. The forecast for the area said possible showers mainly after 2 PM. I’d opened my jacket vents before I left and was wearing my light gloves since it was hot and humid, and of course the gloves were soaked as well as my jeans. I put on my rain gear and closed the vents, and of course by the time that I did that the rain stopped and the sun came out. I arrived at the Lassis Inn at 11:20 and took off al my rain gear and left it on the bike along with my light gloves, which I laid out to dry.
As you can see it is very small and unpretentious. Inside there are about a dozen old booths and a counter where people order and pick up take-out. Mr. Washington, the chef, works his magic in the back. On the advice of my friend, Clark, I ordered two whole catfish even though they are not on the menu.
I also ordered a side of fried okra because that is something I can’t get outside of the south.
The meal was delicious and I managed fairly well with de-boning the catfish even though it has been a half century at least since I’ve eaten whole catfish. I didn’t eat all the french fries or okra, but I did eat every morsel of the fish. At one point one of the customers pointed out that it was raining and that I might want to bring in the stuff I’d left on the bike, so I went outside and retrieved my gloves and jacket.
After washing up (eating catfish is messy business) I said goodby to Mr. Washington and went outside. There was still a little sprinkle, so I put on my over pants and rain gloves and zipped up my vents and followed the GPS for a few miles out of Little Rock and onto AR 10 heading west. This is a pleasant country road that goes by recreation areas and there was little traffic on a weekday. After about 10 miles I stopped to stow my rain gear since the sun had come out and it was about 90 degrees. I followed 10 to the town of Ola, where I turned north on AR 7 which goes north through the Ozark National Forest. I’d ridden on this rode a few years ago from north to south and it’s well-paved, scenic, and hilly and moderately curvy until after about 70 miles where it gets more steep and curvy. Naturally in that section I hit road construction, but all in all it was a very pleasant ride. Before 7 ends at Harrison I went east on AR 206 to Bellefonte, went south for a couple of miles, and then east on US 412 towards Mountain Home. This road has more towns and traffic since it goes through a recreation area, but everyone was going the limit and I enjoyed the scenery. Mountain Home has a small downtown with a 3/4 square but the area around it has a lot of shops and services since Bull Shoals and the White River are close by and the town is a launching area for water sports.
In Mountain Home I went north on AR 5 and after a few miles I had the road mostly to myself. It’s a country road with a few farms, forests, hills and curves. It stayed the same into Missouri to the town of Ava, where I’m spending the night at a Super 8. (400 miles)
(Wednesday, July 11) The rain that I’ve experienced off and on for the last couple of days is bothering other people somewhere else and today was sunny with a few scattered clouds, but hot - 95 most of the day and humid. Not terrible as long as I was moving, so I kept moving as much as possible. I stayed on MO 5 north through rolling hills, gentle curves, farms and woodland. In Mansfield I took a brief detour to look at yet another Laura Ingalls Wilder house, this one apparently where she wrote many of her books later in her life. It is a much nicer house than the others I’ve seen where she lived when she was growing up. There’s a large museum and gift shop near the house, but everything was closed this early in the morning. The town itself is typical of this part of the midwest - a large central square with trees and a small pavilion and shops on the streets around it. I continued north to Lebanon, a sizeable town, where I had an excellent breakfast at the Elm Street Eatery. (The Super 8 breakfast was the usual plastic wrapped pastries, and stale cereal. I had a small muffin, an orange and coffee just to get me going.) North of Lebanon 5 becomes a busier road as it carries traffic from I-44 to the Lake of the Ozarks and Osage Beach area, which I rode by. It looks to be a big recreation area with outfitters, boat services, etc. Once by all that 5 becomes a small country road again with little traffic. In Versailles I went west on MO 52 to US 65 north, which is a four lane divided road (mostly) through Sedalia, across I-70, to Marshall where it becomes two-lane again and goes west to Waverly. I forgot to get gas in Marshall, and Casey’s in Waverly only had regular and diesel - not uncommon out in the country. Fortunately, the bike is getting excellent mileage (over 50 mpg) running at 60-65 mph on the country roads and the Sinclair station in Carrollton had premium with no alcohol - bonus.
US 65 crosses the Missouri River after Waverly and goes by the Big Muddy National Wildlife Refuge. There was some road construction with one lane and a pilot car, but otherwise not much to hold me back. The town of Princeton has a lot of trees and red brick buildings in the downtown area. The highway goes right through the downtown in some of the towns, in others there’s a little bypass but you can look to one side or the other to see the downtown. I stopped at the Hometown Cafe in Lineville, which is on the Missouri/Iowa state line. The cherry pie and coffee were good, and the few people inside asked if I wasn’t hot (I was).
In Iowa the road surface becomes better, there was little traffic, fewer hills and curves, and the speed limit went from 60 to 55. This is farm country, mostly soybeans and corn as far as I could tell. In Osceola I crossed US 34, which I’ve ridden on several times. Indianola is a fairly large town and Andrew and I stopped here once (we were on a car trip from Cleveland to SF) to visit my high school drama teacher and play director. The traffic picked up the closer to Des Moines I got and the GPS directed me on I-235 east around the city to I-80 and then west to my exit for the Quality Inn where I’m spending the next three nights. There’s a reason this was one of the cheaper motel options in the area - it is somewhat run down, and it isn’t near anything. However, I’m not too fussy and I’ll be spending most of my time at the BMW rally at the fairgrounds, which is 7 miles away. (412 miles)
(Thursday, July 12) This morning I ate breakfast at the motel with two cousins who are here for the rally - one from Pennsylvania and the other from Santa Cruz and Alaska (he has a fishing business in Alaska where he lives during fishing season). Bob, the Santa Cruz/Alaskan, highly recommended the Adriatic Motorcycle Tours. I was considering their Balkans tour a couple of years ago for Carol and me but for one reason or another we never went. I’ll go to their seminar on Saturday to get more information.
Registration at the rally went smoothly and I parked the bike and went inside the very large air-conditioned pavilion where most of the vendors are set up. There are about twenty vendors outdoors, including a couple of tire installers, a maintenance station, and two or three people installing accessories. I didn’t envy any of them working in the 95F/90% humidity conditions. Indoors it was much more pleasant and I wandered around along with everyone else looking for stuff to try on, accessories for the bike, or things that I didn’t know I needed but look interesting. Fortunately, I have most everything I need and I wasn’t tempted by the cool things that I didn’t really need. I met Jack Riepe (and later attended his seminar), who writes a column for the MOA News, and has also written two books, both of which I have. He was supposed to attend last year but suffered a medical emergency related to his knee replacement for arthritis and couldn’t travel, although he did phone in what was to be his presentation.
There was an interesting display of vintage BMWs, among which was this 1929 model that ran in the Cannonball run across the country.
Note the scroll mounted in a box on the handlebar for following your route - the way it used to be done before GPS.
Tomorrow I’ll return to the fairgrounds to see if there’s anything I missed and to attend a couple of more seminars.
(July 13-14, Friday-Saturday) I met Bob and Carl in the motel breakfast room again on Friday and we chatted over our meal before leaving for the rally. I spent the day attending seminars and wandering around the vendor area, talking to the people at the booths and even buying a few things. After the big rush Thursday morning things were quieter on the floor even though there were more people wandering around. These rallies are a great place to see new products from the motorcycle accessory companies, tire companies, and a couple of dealers were there with wares from their shops. Also, many tour companies had booths and presentations in the seminar rooms. The display of vintage bikes doubled and then tripled in size. I went to the Adriatic Tours presentation on their Tuscany tour, and in the afternoon went to Jack Riepe’s second show. Word must have spread about how funny he is because the large room was packed with people lined up against the walls, and he did not disappoint.
Later in the afternoon I attended a seminar called “Travels With Barley” about long distance riding with a dog in a sidecar. Not that I’m interested in sidecars, but I am interested in dogs. It turned out to be very interesting and the presenter, Peter Burke, was engaging, droll, had a good speaking style, and gave out good information about traveling with a dog and the accommodations that have to be made. His rig is quite the setup.
It rained a bit Friday night but no heavy thunderstorms. Nevertheless there was a good chance of rain for Saturday according to the weather report so I was prepared with light pants under my waterproof over pants, rain gloves at the ready, and all my jacket vents zipped up. Apparently, the best way to keep rain from happening is to be totally prepared, because, although it became cloudy and gray a few times, it never rained.
When I went for breakfast at the motel Bob and Carl were waiting for their ride to the airport, and Bob said that he’s seriously considering the Adriatic Tours Slovenia trip next year and said that I should go on it as well. At the fairgrounds I attended the Balkans presentation and thought that it looked like an interesting and fun trip. The company has been around since 2004 and now has 120 motorcycles and 30-40 employees and guides, so they must be doing something right.
There haven’t been enough pictures of motorcycles in these daily entries, so I’ll include this sweet and elegant 50’s BMW single.
UPS had a convenient booth set up in the rally pavilion, so I mailed a package with excess gloves, paper, and a fleece jacket and left the rally at about 12:30. I followed the GPS out of Des Moines to IA 5 which angles southeast and then south. I stopped after about 45 minutes in Pleasantville, which is a, well, pleasant little town with a small square and a few businesses and shops around it, one of which was a bar/restaurant where I had lunch. I stayed on 5 to Centerville and then went east on IA 2 to US 63 where I turned south into Missouri and then to Kirksville, where I’m spending the night. Kirksville is home to Truman State College (President Harry Truman was from Missouri) so the town has a college town feel to it. Dinner at the Highway 54 diner close by was fine and I’m all set for a good ride tomorrow, although there’s a chance of thunder showers.
What I didn’t do today: 1) I failed to visit Riverside, IA (east of Des Moines and a little south of Iowa City) which, as everyone surely knows, is the future birthplace of Captain James T. Kirk of the starship Enterprise. 2) I did not stop at the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame in Knoxville, IA. Just not interested in sprint car racing, although it is fun to watch live. The riding and roads today were what I fondly remember about the Midwest with some divided four-lane with local access but mostly two-lane with rolling hills, and gentle curves through farm country and little traffic. I’m hoping for the same tomorrow. (180 miles)
(Sunday, July 15) The be-prepared-for-a-downpour-and-it-won’t-rain trick didn’t work today. It was warm and partly cloudy when I left the motel and followed MO 6 south and east to US 24/61 south and then into Hannibal. I did not stop to see the Mark Twain house, or to whitewash and fence and did not stop at the Mark Twain Cave and Winery. The old downtown of Hannibal actually looks like it might be worth a walk around someday - old red brick buildings - but it was deserted on a Sunday morning. Carol and stopped in Hannibal about 40 years ago. I picked up MO 79 south, a scenic route that follows the Mississippi River, although said river is mostly obscured by trees even when the road is close to it, but most of the time the road is a mile or two away from the water. Still, it was a nice ride with no traffic, some decent curves and hills and numerous nature preserves and small parks.
There was road construction south of Clarksville but the 20 mile detour on County W was every bit as nice as 79. In Winfield I stopped at the Market Grill and ordered what I thought would be a light lunch - salad with grilled chicken and pita bread.
I was hungry and managed to eat most of it, but it was a challenge. Half of the restaurant was smoking and the other half non-smoking - no barrier of course. I’m not in San Francisco anymore... In addition to the Market Grill Winfield has a convenience store/gas station, a tattoo parlor, and a hot rod and speed shop. Priorities. The small towns along 79 are old and fading, but also charming. I saw a few abandoned houses along the road, but also some very nice places especially as I neared St. Louis. In Fallon I got on I-70 east for a few miles and then took I-270/I-255 ring road to bypass St. Louis. It was becoming increasingly overcast and as soon as I crossed the Mississippi into Illinois it began raining. I turned south on IL 3, The Great River Road, and went through Columbia, which seems to be a tourist town. The road was four-lane divided with local access and I cruised along to Waterloo where 3 became two-lane and there were suddenly fewer cars on the road. As I neared Red Bud it began raining in earnest, a real downpour for about 20 minutes, and then steady rain for the next couple of hours, heavy at times. Except for a little leakage around the neck of my jacket, and maybe through the jacket zipper all the rain gear did its job, so I wasn’t uncomfortable. The temperature, which had been 85-90, went down to 75 so it wasn’t cold. It’s a pretty road through forests and farmland and small towns and even with the rain it was an enjoyable ride.
What was not enjoyable was the fact the gear indicator on the bike began acting up. It partially cleared itself, but as of now 1st, neutral, and second are either not indicating correctly or at all. This wouldn’t be a big deal except that the bike will not start unless it thinks it is in neutral or the clutch is pulled in. Since the gear sensor isn’t working correctly, the clutch needs to be pulled in, and the way the bike knows the clutch is in is via another switch, which can always act up. Coincidently, the latest issue of BMW MOA News has an article about replacing the gear position potentiometer and it is not a task for the faint of heart - the back end of the bike has to be partially disassembled to get to the part - and is best left to a dealer.
In Grimsby I went east on IL 149 and then a few miles later in Murphysboro took IL 13 through Carbondale, which is a large town and 13 went right through it. 13 became a local access four-lane for 40 miles and in Harrisburg became a two lane again into Kentucky where the road changed names to KY 56. Almost as soon as I crossed the Ohio River into Kentucky the road surface improved, and there were more hills and curves - very pleasant riding. The rain had stopped by this point and in Morganfield I went northeast on US 60 almost to Henderson, KY where I took US 41 to my motel for the night.
Our family spent a summer in an apartment in Audubon State Park about a mile from here - my father was working on a project in nearby Evansville, IN. It was a great summer and I went swimming in the lake in the park nearly every day. I remember Henderson as being a nice little town, but the area where I’m staying isn’t that part of town. Tomorrow through the Cumberland Gap into Tennessee and onto the Moonshine Trail. (415 - mostly back roads)
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ReplyDeleteI am enjoying the blog especially today. We have had a solid month of fog. So today after the gym I drove down to four corners to get some breakfast and Vitamin D. Surrounded by tables with helmets as centerpieces. Nice kid across the table who was interested in or extremely polite about the museum. He said something about hearing of a Haas Design Method. Need to look around. Maybe he is thinking of Berkeley B school. Anyway I hope you are enjoying your Thursday too.i am at Alice's with Crobt Stills er al in the background. Perfect
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