2018 4th Annual Midwest Scarecrow Run
- Thread starter ckangaroo70
- Start date
Was just browsing around youtube watching some vids and just happened to come across some vids with our new riding buddy Scotty in there. Thought to myself....that bike and beard sure look familiar.lol They have some nice scenery there where they ride.
Well, the bike hasn't been started since the last meet.. Should probably give it a once over soon
Mine's in a similar state......probably has done less than 50 miles since the meet. Still in the middle of the Stihl carb switchover. Oh well, I perform best in a pressure situation! (At least in my own little mind....)
My bike is new with less then 20 miles on it and I will still probably break down before you guys.lol
4 weeks to go! Please try to get here early on the day of the meet. Do not want to roll out of here and leave anyone behind. Especially hate to see someone drive a long distance to join us only to find we have already hit the trail. We will head out straight up 10am. So try to come early to make introductions and do a bike check before heading out for a 70 mile ride.
This will be an all day event. We will make several stops and take time to enjoy the cruise. So be prepared for a 5 hour cruise and time to enjoy a good provided meal with us afterwards and a few beverages.
This will be an all day event. We will make several stops and take time to enjoy the cruise. So be prepared for a 5 hour cruise and time to enjoy a good provided meal with us afterwards and a few beverages.
Our artist friend Kirk presents another masterpiece for our ride. I will be seeing if I can get some t-shirts made up like last year.
Ok...a bit of route change....again.lol One of the roads I was going to use..they have ground up to re tar and chip. So I am going to avoid that route until they get that road finished. Kinda screws up the route to the covered bridge.
So we will be going from London Mills to Fairview Ill and then back to Ellisville Ill and from there to Avon Ill and then from there to Little Swan Lake and then to Greenbush Ill and then to Berwick Ill. From Berwick we will go to Abingdon Ill and then to Gilson Ill and then from Gilson back to London MIlls. That is a 69.1 mile round trip according to Google Maps.
There are 6 parks along this route and 3 gas station convience store stops as well. 95% of the route is rural blacktop road with minimal traffic. Only just a couple short sections of "not to busy" highway.
Please double check your bike or bikes before you come to make sure your bike is safe to ride and up to snuff. Please triple check any fenders you might have for fatigue. We want to have a fun and safe ride and want everybody to leave in as good a shape as when they come. Unless you get into the beer cooler after the ride and then theres a chance you might be leaving in a slightly worse condition, but we really want to see everyone get back home in one piece.
Bring your own fuel or use any of the 3 gas stations we will be visiting. Most bikes using the small peanut type tanks that come stock with a 2 cycle china girl kit will generally not make the entire trip without filling up at least once.
Bring a few tools or parts you think you might need in an emergency. This is a pretty long stretch and works the bikes pretty good. Any weak parts of the bike will probably make themselves known.
Please be sure to pack water. Some of the route has nice shade and some will be right out in the hot sun. Please drink plenty of water and stay hydrated.
We have a nice lady who follows the group with hazards on to let traffic coming up from the rear know to watch out for us, but it makes it difficult for passing traffic to get around us if we are strung out in a mile long line. We won't encounter a whole lot of traffic...so please either take the shoulder when a car is passing or travel in groups that are seperated enough to let cars get around and get back in without having to try to pass a mile long line of bikes. At least one mirror on your bike is a good thing to have for these long rides.
Illinois has no helmet law, but its your noggin. A little bright color or a flasher not such a bad idea either. We have all had someone come into our lane with there head down texting or worse..someone come up from behind texting. So not a bad idea to try to make sure you are highly visable to other traffic.
Again. Please make sure you are here before 10am! Earlier the better if you want to get a chance to meet and greet the other riders before we leave. I am going to feel terrible if someone drives all the way to this event only to get left behind. So please be here before 10am.
Again. Please allow all day for this event. Older people like me need lots of breaks during the ride and I want to have ample time before, during and afterwards to talk and get to know better everyone who attends. My wife will also be providing outside dinner and drinks after the ride.
Cya here!
So we will be going from London Mills to Fairview Ill and then back to Ellisville Ill and from there to Avon Ill and then from there to Little Swan Lake and then to Greenbush Ill and then to Berwick Ill. From Berwick we will go to Abingdon Ill and then to Gilson Ill and then from Gilson back to London MIlls. That is a 69.1 mile round trip according to Google Maps.
There are 6 parks along this route and 3 gas station convience store stops as well. 95% of the route is rural blacktop road with minimal traffic. Only just a couple short sections of "not to busy" highway.
Please double check your bike or bikes before you come to make sure your bike is safe to ride and up to snuff. Please triple check any fenders you might have for fatigue. We want to have a fun and safe ride and want everybody to leave in as good a shape as when they come. Unless you get into the beer cooler after the ride and then theres a chance you might be leaving in a slightly worse condition, but we really want to see everyone get back home in one piece.
Bring your own fuel or use any of the 3 gas stations we will be visiting. Most bikes using the small peanut type tanks that come stock with a 2 cycle china girl kit will generally not make the entire trip without filling up at least once.
Bring a few tools or parts you think you might need in an emergency. This is a pretty long stretch and works the bikes pretty good. Any weak parts of the bike will probably make themselves known.
Please be sure to pack water. Some of the route has nice shade and some will be right out in the hot sun. Please drink plenty of water and stay hydrated.
We have a nice lady who follows the group with hazards on to let traffic coming up from the rear know to watch out for us, but it makes it difficult for passing traffic to get around us if we are strung out in a mile long line. We won't encounter a whole lot of traffic...so please either take the shoulder when a car is passing or travel in groups that are seperated enough to let cars get around and get back in without having to try to pass a mile long line of bikes. At least one mirror on your bike is a good thing to have for these long rides.
Illinois has no helmet law, but its your noggin. A little bright color or a flasher not such a bad idea either. We have all had someone come into our lane with there head down texting or worse..someone come up from behind texting. So not a bad idea to try to make sure you are highly visable to other traffic.
Again. Please make sure you are here before 10am! Earlier the better if you want to get a chance to meet and greet the other riders before we leave. I am going to feel terrible if someone drives all the way to this event only to get left behind. So please be here before 10am.
Again. Please allow all day for this event. Older people like me need lots of breaks during the ride and I want to have ample time before, during and afterwards to talk and get to know better everyone who attends. My wife will also be providing outside dinner and drinks after the ride.
Cya here!
Getting close enough now to get a few extended weather forecast for June 9. Of course it will get changed 600 times between now and then, but as of now they are predicting milder weather. My forecast says Saturday June 9 will have afternoon clouds with a low UV index and a high temperature of 82 degrees. There is a 40% of a scattered shower.
If the forecast comes close to that...that would make for a very enjoyable and comfortable ride. A chance of a shower we can contend with by keeping an eye on the radar. We will have lots of opportunities on this ride to find a park shelter or gas station if needed.
There is NO rain date for this event! It is on rain or shine. Just have to plan accordingly.
Update 5/30:
Saturday June 9 with be a high of 87 degrees with only a 6% chance of a shower. Mostly sunny with a 14 mph wind.
Update: 6/02:
Partly cloudy with a high of 89 degrees. Winds 5-10mph
If the forecast comes close to that...that would make for a very enjoyable and comfortable ride. A chance of a shower we can contend with by keeping an eye on the radar. We will have lots of opportunities on this ride to find a park shelter or gas station if needed.
There is NO rain date for this event! It is on rain or shine. Just have to plan accordingly.
Update 5/30:
Saturday June 9 with be a high of 87 degrees with only a 6% chance of a shower. Mostly sunny with a 14 mph wind.
Update: 6/02:
Partly cloudy with a high of 89 degrees. Winds 5-10mph
Last edited:
One week to go!!
Don't forget the sunscreen. Also, seating may be limited...so may be a good idea to bring yourself a lawn chair. There is a known Sasquatch in this area...so be sure to bring your cameras as well.
Don't forget the sunscreen. Also, seating may be limited...so may be a good idea to bring yourself a lawn chair. There is a known Sasquatch in this area...so be sure to bring your cameras as well.
If the 2D bigfoot in the field don't impress you....we do have a lot of bald eagles in this area and those are not fake. So if you don't want to take photos of the squatch...you may want to make sure you have a camera for possible bald eagle siting.
Some things you will see along our ride is the largest totem pole east of the Rockies.... a smaller scale Statue of Liberty. You will see the tiniest library you have probably ever seen. A lot of our riding is along the historic Spoon River which was the backdrop for Edgar Lee Masters "Spoon River Anthology" book.
A couple other areas of interest to pay attention to. Our ride will take us thru two counties....Fulton and Knox. We will be cruising by some of the lowest and some of the highest elevations in both of those counties. We will start at a low point of 520 feet ASL then cruising to a highest 902 feet ASL. A few places where you can see a good 20 miles or more. Of course this isn't big hill or mountain country, but a few nice views to stop and enjoy non the less..
This area boast some of the largest whitetail anywhere in the country. A 37 point whitetail deer was shot here in 2001 that scored a non-typical 304(largest in the state).
Some other wildlife to look for while cruising the countryside at 20 mph are Wild Turkey, Coyote, Woodchuck, Bobcat, Eastern Cottontail Rabbit, Red Fox, American Bald Eagle, Mallard Duck, Canadian Goose, Red and Black Squirrel, Skunk, Raccoon, ground squirrel, cardinals, red wing blackbirds, muskrat, beaver, otter, vulture, red tail hawk.
Illinois farmers rank 2nd in the nation for corn production just behind our neighbors in Iowa. In 2009 Illinois farmers planted 12,000,000 acres of field corn which produced over 2 billion bushels of corn weighing in at 112 billion pounds. So be prepared to see lots of corn, some more corn and then some more corn and then even some more........
This area boast some of the largest whitetail anywhere in the country. A 37 point whitetail deer was shot here in 2001 that scored a non-typical 304(largest in the state).
Some other wildlife to look for while cruising the countryside at 20 mph are Wild Turkey, Coyote, Woodchuck, Bobcat, Eastern Cottontail Rabbit, Red Fox, American Bald Eagle, Mallard Duck, Canadian Goose, Red and Black Squirrel, Skunk, Raccoon, ground squirrel, cardinals, red wing blackbirds, muskrat, beaver, otter, vulture, red tail hawk.
Illinois farmers rank 2nd in the nation for corn production just behind our neighbors in Iowa. In 2009 Illinois farmers planted 12,000,000 acres of field corn which produced over 2 billion bushels of corn weighing in at 112 billion pounds. So be prepared to see lots of corn, some more corn and then some more corn and then even some more........
I completed my first wheel lace yesterday. Needless to say, I'm looking forward to the ScareCrow Run this weekend!
Here's my ride:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/6PZ0AhDgrAILeaBi1
Here's my ride:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/6PZ0AhDgrAILeaBi1
