I followed my normal route along T and Old Hwy 100 to Washington . Once there I stopped off at the Riverfront Park to stretch my legs and go to the bathroom.
I walked down on the riverfront to take some pictures with my new camera...This is my first non Sony digital camera. The batteries stay in the Sony while charging.. With me and my camera in Washington, guess where my battery was.. ARGH!! Ahh well was not enough to alter my disposition for the day.
I hopped back on the scooter and headed back west on 5th street to Hwy 100 West. Hermann is about 27 miles. The speeds vary from 25 to 55 along the route. Majority of the ride is done at 55 mph. Not a long of tight twisties maybe one or two.... A lot of open road so anyone wishing to pass you has ample chance.
I stayed right between 55-65mph and had no issues at all. I am totally impressed how well the Bet&Win handles the higher speeds.
About 17 miles out of Washington you travel through New Haven, speeds drop and vary here. So be aware of the speed limit signs. In the event you would need gas there are a few places in New Haven to fill up.
The ride to New Haven was nice but the ride from New Haven to Herman was amazing. One beautiful rolling hill after rolling hill. The view to the north past the rolling farm hills made me forget what an agriculturally rich state Missouri is.
Once I arrived in Herman one gets the instant feel of coming into a old rural town. The first Winery you see in Herman is Hermanoff, on your left with parking on the right. I went a few more blocks to Hwy 19. I made a left (south) and followed the road through town to pick up HWY 100 West again. My destination was Stone Hill Winery. There are lots of signs to guide to the winery on top of the hill.
Pictures courtesy of the web, not me and camera which was separated from it's battery by 80 miles!!
I walked around the grounds of the winery. I was going to take a winery tour but I knew I wanted to leave Hermann no later than 12:30 to avoid the afternoon storms that were called for..
I stopped in the Vintage restaurant at Stone Hill and ate lunch. I wanted the sausage special but was served over sauerkraut. I was not sure how my stomach would fair so instead I had the smoked cherrywood pork tenderloin.. Yummy! The ride to Hermann was well worth the lunch alone..
I had wanted to go out to the Gasconade River from Herman (about 10 miles) but the pending forecast was still in my mind, so alas I turn back to the east to start my drive home.
Before I left Hermann I visited the Hermann waterfront. Again a very very nice riverfront park. My original plan was to ride across the Missouri River on the Hwy 19 Bridge to 94 East back into Washington. While I was down on the Hermann Riverfront I saw construction work on the bridge as well as some backed up traffic sitting on the bridge. I decided to head back on Hwy 100 East.
I am glad I did, the views heading East are as pretty as they were coming West. Once in New Haven I made my way to New Haven's Riverfront. Talk about a blast from the past! The little downtown area took you back in time. There was an excellent riverfront park in New Haven.
I see a theme running...Maybe that will be one of my day/night trips, the Riverfronts of the Missouri River.
From there I went back into to Washington and followed my normal route home. I pulled onto my street and felt a few rain drops.. Once I parked in the garage the sky opened up..Whew! Perfect timing.. Someone was looking out for me today.
