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Last day of the ride today; just have to bust out 600 more miles today to get home. I haven't taken a single pic of Oklahoma or Kansas so far as, quite frankly, there's nothing to see. Just me mile munching miles across the plains - pretty boring. Looks like I'll hit a good window to get home without it snowing, but it is pretty cold. Waiting on the Sun to come up so I can get going today.

Maybe I'll see a train or abandoned building on the way home today - not holding my breath though. So here's a pic of the bike outside my hotel as filler....

I guess I did take some pics of Oklahoma - when I stopped to pee next to a cotton filed...

I did see some weird stuff in Arkansas though - old woodworkers store. That pile of oak boards in his open shed is worth some good cash right now...

But instead was purely a place for six and extreme to hang out together

The village and school were there years before they started tipping at tip No7 so you should have said :- Tip an unstable slag heap above a village, what could possibly go wrong?

Certainly do. Prizegiving day in school and one of the governors being given a message. Lots of whispering then an announcement, somewhat vague as I remember, and a minute's silence. Saw the raw reality of it all on tv when I got home. My blood still boils remembering how the government took a huge chunk of the public appeal fund money.

Why the font used is so important!

Strange features? Like ginger hair?

@XTreme believes it though

Now you know why I forgot I took the pics - nothing out here....

The roads in Arkansas are smooth as you like - and without any traffic....

You've got to feel sorry for the wankers who make this shit up, what sad fucking lives they must live

You never saw the rocky horror picture show?

I think mine has about 115 but I want a busa so looking at 190 odd, yes I don't need all that power but I WANT IT!!

Well they are very stretchy

Blimey, someone’s been gossiping. Always partial to a takeaway Pete. Dunno, I do like a curry and of course there’s always an Italian…..

Autumn colours in the kitchen

still got my Nacho Libre luchador Fighter Pants and cape and mask... and it still fits

Yeah that’s what I tell the old sod it’s to low, he’s now 74, fit bastard though, but he also has a Mt10 which he rides most of the time. and fuck can he ride them.

Aberfan has always affected me greatly. I wasn’t born when it happened but my family talked about it when I was a kid because I grew up in a Colliery village in the North East and we had a slag heap nearby. When I was old enough to understand I watched a documentary in my teens that shook me up and even now I still can’t imagine what those poor kids must have experienced. The episode of The Crown about the disaster is a tough watch but brings it home the horror of it all.

Anutter bright side is you will never be off topic.

nobody around whilst I was there and the 1 or 2 people I know in Chablis have never heard of it. Pedro's sunday morning idea is plausible but a biker gathering I would know about, or somebody I konow would. I still think it's a hippy / new age/ anarchist/ knit your own wholemeal yoghurt whilst hig on drugs type thing.

How about, '' I may be a while, i'm just off to curl out a patootie ''

Yep we have had it, my wife & daughter, me, the daughters partner, and our mate have all had bad cold and cough still getting over it now.

Muppet, you have correct hub types fitted to the old rims

And here’s the old git taking the pic and the old gits bike

Ner he’s to tough to let it bother him.

Be careful he may flounce

I believe that is the general opinion people have of him!

You saying he’s a trouble causing cunt then.

9/11 was during my very short bikeless phase. I had just bought my house so cash was tight. I was using the bus to get to work. The news had already filtered through to us.. as a 'shocked kind of rumour'. no more than that. I got off the bus in town, the stop was very close to an Australian themed sports bar, it had TVs in the window and I will never forget the sight. A fairy large crowd of people standing in total silence transfixed by the visuals. But, the black day that will always remain with me was rather different. A black day for the nation, but one of the best days I have ever had. The day of Dianas funeral. I was living in Manchester. at the time and couldn't bear the idea of wall to wall doom and gloom on the TV. so I went out on the bike, up through Bowland and then over to the lakes. And it is no exaggeration to say it was like the scene from '28 days later'. for hours on end I never saw a car, vehicle of any kind. person. Nothing. Places that are normally mental with tourists.. deserted. Windermere, Ambleside, Keswick. you name it. Nobody out. I called in at a petrol station to be greeted by a red eyed assistant in floods of tears. Coming back I came down the M6 for some of the way.. and only saw a few trucks. stopped at Lancaster south. deserted aside from staff and a few truckers. was bizarre to be parked up in an empty car park on the motorway. Its a day I'll never ever forget. absolutely wonderful. (though extremely weird)

As it is only right for you to be, you were after all his mod promotions manager

I was late back from lunch at work because I'd been skiving and thought I would be in trouble. But I walked in to find a portable tv had been set up and everyone was gathered around it and all telling me that a plane had hit a building in America. I think I was there when the second one hit, not sure.

Recap of yesterday's fun...

Gay.

Oh look, Six has his own thread, how sweet.

9/11, was at school finishing lunch, someone turned the cafeteria’s tv to see the news and saw the second plane hit the towers while people still thought the first one was accidental.

Bizarrely, that actually made the french news this morning ( obviously at the time as well but I wasn't born then) I couldn't make out why this year and not previously, like on the 50th anniversay for ex?

I was away walking the Dorset coast path with a nutty mate. Said mate pissed me off so I made my way home early. Walked in the house and the first thing Mandi said was "Diana's dead". Not, what are you doing home, want some food or even hello.

It's an artform for sure. But it sounds soooo much nicer than "I froze my ass off" when in mixed company.

I often quote you, what’s the biggy? You know what if its some sort of savagery Ive missed, leave me out of it, I’m distinctly in the fluffy blanket, hot chocolate, life can bugger off zone at the moment.

You know all this constant sniping back and forth is getting a bit wearing now, I've mostly been reading around it, but if anything it's getting worse. Why don't the main contenders just pm each other so the rest of us don't have to read it?

My hotel had an adjacent chicken wing restaurant, it would have been rude not to...

Which is ironic because it’s about the same size, too