Autumn in Kansas presents wacky weather challenges

Everybody loves those balmy, cooler, slower days of autumn, right? Well, sometimes things work out, sometimes they don’t.

I was really looking forward to shooting photos and video of the dozens of 100-year-old motorcycles scheduled to roll into the Twisted Oz Motorcycle Museum in Augusta last Friday morning on the cross-country Motorcycle Cannonball Run. But Kansas being Kansas, the leg from Parsons to Augusta was drowned out by rain, making it unsafe for riders to be on the road. The vintage two-wheelers were loaded into trailers and hauled to town -- not exactly the stuff of great photos.

I did get to see a few bikes and visit with some spectators, but time constraints meant I had to be on my way, just as the clouds broke up and sunshine flooded the museum parking lot. And because I had another event Saturday morning, I couldn’t document the old bikes leaving for Dodge City.

So naturally, fog rolled in that morning. And not just any fog, but fog so thick I could barely make out the grain elevator across the street from our house. Not exactly ideal weather for my first road trip in a 55-year-old car.

But I pressed on and made it to “Big Papa’s Rod Run,” an annual life celebration for Davey Moore put on by his grandsons at his place near Sedgwick. It’s a perfect spot for an informal car show, with a big field south of the house for parking and a huge tree providing shade for participants chowing down on excellent barbecue.

No judging, no trophies and nobody spending hours detailing their cars. Just a bunch of car guys swapping stories and insults. Like the guy in the insurance commercial says, “Perfect!”

I did shoot a few pictures at both events. Check out the online gallery. For day-by-day coverage of the Motorcycle Cannonball Run, go to motorcyclecannonball.com.

This story was originally published September 22, 2016 at 11:38 AM with the headline "Autumn in Kansas presents wacky weather challenges."