Spring 2010 Hill Country Ride

Well today was supposed to be a post about my ride down to the Hill Country and staging for a great day of scenery, twists, turns, ups and downs. But things sometimes change.

Instead I probably won't be hitting the road until about 4pm. Rather than try to make the trek to Kerrville as originally planned:

Original Day 1 planned route

I think I'm going to shoot for Lampasas. Been through there several times but never spent the night so we'll see how that goes. Considering I'm breaking in a new helmet with cheeck pads that feel a little too snug, may not be bad to have a short first day.

February and only an oil change?? FJR 02/10

This is really kind of sad. I can't think of a more boring post, but here goes. February is almost over and the only MC related event I have to talk about is an oil change. It's just been so dang busy and the weather has been unseasonably cold.

Anyway, since I'm getting ready to do a trip to the hill country (hopefully have more interesting things to report soon) and she was was due, the FJR got an oil change. I even took some pics.

Almost got 6k on the nose:


And what kind of feel good juice does the ICBM with wheels get?


And that is pretty much all I have... hopefully the next post won't be about putting air in the tires.

2010 Run for the Border

So this is sort of an emerging tradition. Three times now in the last 4 yrs I've made my run for the border as part of my way to bring in the new year. One year the weather was pretty cold and wet so I skipped it but as long as it's clear and reasonably mild (> 38 degrees or so) it's turned into a great way to sorta let go of the previous year on the ride out and look forward to the new year on the way back. Cheesy symbolism? Yeah, but a lot of life is that way.

Depending on mood, weather and what I had for breakfast, it takes about an hour and a half to get to Muenster, TX where the good riding begins.

Muenster itself is a neat little town of about 1500 people with a strong German Catholic history Wiki-linki.
Between Rohmer's and The Center Restaurant you can easily get your schnitzel fix.



Heading north on FM 373 will take you to FM 677 letting you enjoy nice elevation changes along with some fast sweepers. This will lead you past Illinois Bend where you can take a right and cross the Red River on Taovayas Indian Bridge.



From there I headed back into Texas and caught FM 2953 east to FM 2634 and then FM 103 south into Nocona, TX.



I wish I could say that I then proceed to mosey on down through Forestburg, Slidell, Krum and Ponder but in all honesty... it was too dang cold. So I headed straight east, caught I-35 and booked it south.

It felt like a short ride, but it let me try out my new video camera and test the fit of an EXO-700 helmet on a longer ride. Both were successful I think, but the quality of the 1080p HD video really suffered in the translation. Hopefully that will improve with experience.

Maybe for 2011 I'll plan a trip to Arkansas or Louisiana. After all, a run for the border is a somewhat cheesy symbolic experience right?

International Motorcycle Show 2009

So no riding this last weekend, but I did get a MC fix of sorts. Saturday morning we trekked down to the Dallas Convention Center where we met my brother in law and proceeded to wander around and gawk at all the shiny motorcycles.

Rossi may have this year's championship, but I've got better company:


Or maybe the sexy 848 Ducati suits me better? Would be a better match for my leathers at least. :)


My brother in law tempted by a non-Bavarian lady:


Will it really only be a couple of years before we may be doing this for real???




Maybe I'd feel better about something like this:


Maybe time for an upgrade?


Holy cow! Is that really Lee Parks?? (Total Control)


One last one:


It was a good day at the show. I'm such a big spender you know... bought a hat. We also did get some ideas about Mom's next ride. I won't spoil the surprise but there may be a new set a wheels in the stable by Christmas.

East Texas National Parks in the Fall

Like most things, this started out with an idea. The idea evolved into a plan. And the plan was good. Unfortunately as is the case with primates and rodents, the plan was derailed -- by a cold.

So a new idea led to a new plan. Rather than the original idea of a long weekend trip to NW Arkansas, the new idea was a Friday, Saturday trip to East Texas. This would make it a more manageable trip and hopefully allow us to see some of the fall foliage out there.

The plan was still coming together when the salvos started to fire. First, rather than the standard staffing call that punches a hole in my fridays, a decision was made to add a follow up manager's meeting call to the end of that. That would mean I'd have to figure out a two hour stop somewhere along the way for those calls. A bit inconvenient, but not all that bad. The first real issue to call the plan into question was Peter's battle with a cold. From the sound of things it seemed like it was really questionable whether or not he'd be able to make the ride. As the plan had started to come together, I had invited two other riders to join us for the quick overnight. I hoped Peter would recover in time so we could finally get that long ride we both seemed to really need.

Peter and I spoke Thursday evening and things still sounded questionable so we agreed to touch base Friday morning with the hope that he would be feeling up to the ride. In the meantime, Francisco was looking questionable. Only Cory was still all clear with the trip. Friday morning I got the call from Peter that he would not be able to make the trip and Francisco's plans didn't work out. At that point I touched base with Cory and confirmed a place to meet in Palestine, TX.

The proposed route looked something like this:




I got underway and in Corsicana pulled over to take my 11:00 staffing call. I was hoping to find a Starbuck's or some kind of coffee shop. As I was running out of time and getting frustrated with my search I finally settled on a Taco Bell... Yeah, it didn't sound that great to me either but I was out of options.

Unfortunately rather than finish one call and go right into the other, we had to push the 2nd call back about 45 minutes to allow someone to deal with rental return and airport check in. That meant that I'd likely be somewhere on the side of the road for that call. I quickly saddled up and tried to make as much progress as I could in the next 45 minutes.

About 20 miles from our meeting spot in Palestine, I ran out of time and had to pull over for the 2nd call. I found what seemed to be an out of use community center with a heavily shaded area in the front. I pulled in and got on the call just as roll call was being taken.





It was about 5 minutes into the call that I realized that the building across the street was some type of school. I started to worry that someone would take issue with the strange motorcycle guy camped out in front of the school. About an hour later, we wrapped up our call and it was then that a car pulled up. The lady seemed nice enough as she asked me if I was lost or needed any help. I explained that I had to make a phone call but was about to get on my way. She wished me well and I thanked her for checking. Chalk up another point for small-town friendliness.

About 20 minutes later I pulled into Palestine and found Cory at the convenience store we had discussed. It was nice to catch up after over 10 yrs. He seemed so grown up in some ways. Turns out he'd only been riding about 3 months. I assured him, we'd take a calm pace and just enjoy the ride. After a quick bite and a fill up, we got on our way taking a round about route to Rusk and then wandering on to Nacogdoches. We had about an hour of light left when I asked Cory if he wanted to push on or try to find a place in Nacogdoches. Turns out Cory may have the makings of an Iron Butt rider in him as he said he was ready to keep going. We filled up again and continued east taking a very scenic route into San Augustine. We wandered around town a bit and eventually stopped in at the police station where we asked the dispatcher what our hotel options in town might be. She suggested the San Augustine Inn. If a local makes a recommendation, you've got to think they know what they're talking about... right?





We checked in and then walked next door to get some dinner at the mexican restaurant. Aside from the fact that I ended up getting sick and losing my dinner later that night... it wasn't too bad. Though both Cory and I agreed that we'd likely consider camping out next time.





Saturday started out near perfect with cool temperatures and a light fog. We left San Augustine and headed for Hemphill hoping to find breakfast.








We didn't find any of that but on the way there, we did find FM1. That may not seem like a big deal but FM roads in Texas are numbered sequentially which would indicate that this should be the first FM road in Texas.


Anyway the day turned out to be great and we stopped here and there for pictures and gasoline. A great easy trip to East Texas and one I'd highly recommend, especially in the fall to appreciate the leaves changing colors.

On the long bridge between Broaddus and Zavala:








A stop in Apple Springs for water, gasoline and angry bees:




We finally parted company right outside of Crockett.


I rolled into the driveway around 6pm. A little on the tired side but some great memories filed away. Google Maps route

The next best thing to a weekend motorcycle trip?

Planning the trip.

So plans are coming together for a weekend of riding in about a week if all goes well. Right now the two destinations are either NW Arkansas or the Texas Hill Country. Is it a sign of a troubled mind that I enjoy the route planning?

NW Arkansas route:



Google Maps Link

Not a motorcycle in sight...

So here's the thing. I started this blog with the idea of sharing my 2-wheeled experiences and keeping the rest of my personal life just that, personal. The following is a rare exception to that idea.

I travel. A lot. Certainly there are many that travel more but over the last 10 yrs, I've covered a lot of miles between the left and right coasts as well as picking up a handful of passport stamps. When you travel heavily, the world aquires a certain amount of anonymity. You're kept company by the constantly changing faces of flight attendants, hotel desk clerks, waiters, gate agents, taxi drivers, and bar tenders. It can feel like a constant blur of passing faces. However, every now and then you find a place that develops a growing familiarity. The anonymity starts to fade and you walk in looking forward to a chance to finally slow down and relax.

The most recent stop to reach that point and earn the spot of my favorite airport bar... Millstream Brewhouse at the Eastern Iowa Airport (CID) in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. I know, who'd a thunk it? I think it's a combination of things but the most important reason as is the case with most things, comes down to the people. Hearing stories about the upcoming college football game, getting updates on job prospects, comparing notes on weekend plans, all those things make you appreciate people that take the time to have a real conversation. So if you find yourself at CID and have some time before your flight boards, stop by Millstream and take a moment to slow down.

Perfect weather and purple twinkies for a track day

This one even has video...

First the pictures (on track):






Peter on the track:






Pictures in our pit area:












And the twinkie video:

A new chapter...

This is a very significant milestone in my motorcycling life -- likely the biggest, definately the most precious.

About a year ago I rode down to Granbury and went for a ride with the Squid Squad. Doug was joined by his daughter and it left a lasting memory seeing the two of them like that.

This last weekend my daughters that are growing up way too fast had their first ride out on public streets. It was such a strange mix of emotions, terrible anxiety from taking my most precious cargo into the world of distracted cagers, hope for the wonderful memories to be made along many miles and many roads, and the joy of finally being able to share the kind of experiences I've had.

They say a picture is worth a thousand words. I think the following probably do a great job of saying what I can't quite put into words.

Suited up and ready to go:


A quick warm up lap before heading out:




Back from our quick jaunt:


Getting ready for the second flight:


Suited up and ready:


Warm up lap:


Back on the ground with a case of "the grins":


They each had about 15-20 minutes worth of a ride and we all came back with those infectious grins you only get from two wheels.

Guess this whole thing should start getting a little more interesting...