BMW MOA Rally – Springfield, MO

June 16, 2022
This year is the twentieth birthday of my K1200RS BMW.  I thought it would be fitting to ride Katrina up to the MOA Rally in Springfield.  Rob had put the word out for a small group to ride up on Thursday and I joined in.

Debbie snapped a photo of me in my slightly messy garage before I departed.  I joined up with Rob, Al and Niclas in Melissa early in the morning.  We headed up through Paris and into Oklahoma where we made a fuel stop in Grant.  It was a bit painful to see filling up the tank typically took more than $20.  The price of petrol is a bit out of control…  I split from the group at Poteau to pick up some AULDR and Tour of Honor stops.

In Alma, there was a 911 monument and a service dog memorial to document for the ToH.

Galena offered some AULDR stops in Kansas with an old Texaco gas station and a Roadside America stop where old trucks were made to be alike those in the Movie Cars.

I stumbled across a historic path of Route 66 and turned east on it to head back into Missouri.  It was fun thinking back on the motor history of this iconic road.  Stopping at Gay Parita’s Sinclair was a must both for a cold soda and to document yet another AULDR category as an old gas station in Missouri.

It was friggin’ hot in Springfield.  I checked into the motel and walked across the road to see some of the BMW DFW members.  Along the way, I saw a 1987 BMW K100RS just like the one my longtime friend had from technical school, Troy Martin.  I sent him the photo of this beauty.  (Troy lives in Colorado now, and is not the IBA and rally master Troy Martin.)  Troy rode this bike on the road alongside the Black Canyon of the Gunnison.  I was riding my ’92 K75S on that ride.

June 17, 2022
I headed out to check out the rally.  There were a lot of eclectic owners milling around of both old and current BMW motos.

Marty’s K75 was a surprise to see after seeing it 10 years ago at another rally.  Nice guy Mario Winkelman of LD Comfort stopped to say hello while heading over to the vendor area.  I listened in on Keith Smith’s talk on suspension and wound up being the media man to advance the slide show on his computer.

Midway through the day, I decided to do a ride around Springfield to pick up some additional ToH stops.  Springfield is considered the birthplace of Route 66.  They even have a park honoring the notion.  I was looking forward to finishing up that hot city ride to relax in the cool air conditioning of the Springfield Brewery.  The pulled pork nachos were out of this world!  I wound up taking half of it back to the motel for the next morning’s early breakfast!

June 18, 2022
I woke up at 4 AM and decided to ride back early in an attempt to jump-start the heat.

My route back would be south out of Springfield through Branson and then I would hit the small twisty roads of Arkansas.

Once I arrived at Jasper, I knew the ride would be fun.

The traffic in front of me was non-existent all the way between Jasper and Dover.  That was really unusual and very fun for Arkansas twisties!  It was a fun short trip, and I actually looked forward to getting back into the relatively drier Texas heat after being in the humid Missouri summer temps!

Photos:  https://photos.app.goo.gl/5FWpxbjeVQ2N5eWo7

Tracklog:  https://www.alltrails.com/explore/recording/202206-bmw-moa-rally-8ad3c1d