Texas Hill Country Day 8

Day 8

approx 170 miles

Got an early 7am start today, everyone was anxious to get home, me included.

It was a perfect riding morning, cool, dry, and peaceful as we headed north on hwy 59

through Siloam Springs, Sulfer Springs, Noel, and Anderson.  The smell of blooming honeysuckle was especially discernable in the breeze.  Before long we were cruising into Cycle Connection Harley Davidson in Joplin.  I ordered the part for my trip meter and they told me how to get it to function until the part comes.  I can now tell you the total miles for the trip was 2145--about time for another new back tire and oil change to get ready for the next trip.  Check back in mid July when I'll blog about my next trip, a 2 week solo trip in South Dakota, Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, Utah, & Colorado.

Thank you to GOD for His faithfulness to keep us safe and give us good riding weather, no rain at all!

Texas Hill Country Day 7

Day 7

approx 350 miles

It was cloudy and cool this morning at 8am when we headed out.  I wore long sleeves, was still chilly for about and hour, then comfortable.  We rode through the Dallas-Fort Worth area, lots of traffic on the interstates there, not very relaxing. 

We passed the Texas Motor Speedway, then stopped at American Eagle HD in Denton.

The sun came out and we applied suncreen, the tan is looking good (on the arms that is).

We stopped for lunch in Gainsburg, then on to Paris, TX to the HD dealer there.

It got real windy this afternoon, made for some tense, white-knuckle motorcycling.  I think it made us extra tired at the end of the day.  One thing, though, it was not so hot.

For the last leg of our journey today, we headed over into the hills near Talihina, riding scenic 271 through the Ouachita Forest eventually stopping in Poteau for the night.  Anxious to ride home in the morning, I think we have 4-5 hours in front of us, plus stops.



Texas Hill Country Day 6

Day 6

approx 250 miles

Today three of our bikes (four people) parted ways with us to take a different route through Texas.

So we are 10 people on 8 bikes now. Before we headed out this morning, some of our group went shopping in Fredericksburg, some rested some more, and I went to see the WWII pacific theater museum.  It was awesome, and emotional.

One of the exhibits dealt with the battle for Peleliu, which holds special meaning for my family as my wife's Dad fought there with the First Marine Division, the first troops to land on that island to fight for control of the airfield.  It was one of the bloodiest battles in the pacific. We are very proud of William G. Cornelli and all others who fought for the freedoms we enjoy.

This is a twin to the Fat Man atomic bomb that was dropped on Japan to hasten the end of the war. This was an awesome museum, even had a Jap submarine, a B-17 bomber, a fighter plane, and tank.  The history and exhibits seems so comprehensive, a great history lesson.  Don't miss the Nimitz Museum if you are ever in Fredericksburg.

We headed north on highway 16 a little after 10am.  It was much warmer today, so I opted for a sleeveless shirt for comfort and to get some tan on the upper arms (too much detail?)

First stop was a hill called Enchanted Rock.  It was rocky, barren, and popular with the hikers.  We were by no means dressed for hiking, so just a quick look and then back on the road.  It gets so hot that you have to keep moving or stop in the shade.

Look closely in the center of this picture and you will see a deer.

Stopped for BBQ lunch at Lairds in Llano, a mom  & pop joint, good stuff!  BBQ must be very poplular in this part of Texas, I think we passed a joint in every town we went through.  I've noticed that the sauces down here are thinner.  Its good though to taste different BBQ in different regions of the country, especially if you're partial to BBQ.

After lunch we continued riding north.  It was sick hot.  Passed a cemetary with a sign that said "Baby Head Cemetary"  Strange.  It was a first for me today when a bee decided to come inside my shirt while I was riding, had to pinch him dead with my fingers through the shirt, hope Toni can get that stain out (thanks honey!)

Saw lots of wildflowers growing by the roads today--reds, oranges, yellows, blues.  It dawned on me that another difference besides the trees here being squatty, is that they are more sparce, spaced further apart, so you don't get a forest look.

Once in a while some clouds would roll in and it would seem cooler, but then they were gone and we baked again.  I heard it was 100 degrees today.  We made lots of gatoraide stops and one DQ stop.  We are stopped in Mineral Wells, TX for the night.  I'm glad tomorrow is another clean-pair-of-jeans-day!  Not exactly sure where we will end up tomorrow night or what route we will take, going to play it by ear and see what works out, a nice way to approach traveling sometimes.



Texas Hill Country Day 5

Day 5

approx 200 miles

(the knob came off my trip meter)

It was cloudy and chilly this morning.  We checked out of our sub-standard accomodation, then ate an amazing bunkhouse breakfast at a local diner with about 4 cups of coffee. Yum!

Then off to ride the renouned Three Sisters or sometimes refered to as the Twisted Sisters, highways 337, 335, and 336.  They are hilly, curvy, and scenic.

We saw a lot of wildlife, mostly deer.  There were tall fences on both sides of a lot of the roads, maybe to keep the deer in, or maybe to keep them off the road.  Also drove across a lot of cattle gaurds and low water bridges.  Not a lot of places where 11 bikes can safely stop for photo ops, so most of the images are stored in my brains memory.

Ate lunch at this shady, roadhouse type place near a town called Lakey after we had ridden the sisters.  Their gift shop sold some raunchy T-shirts about having ridden the twisted sisters, I passed on them.  Then we took highway 87 (I think) in an area called Los Maples, gorgeous again.

The cactus were blooming along the roads, and I'm told you can eat the red fruit they produce.

The sun came out and it got super hot, we were sweating and baking, looking for shady spots and cool drinks.

For the final leg of today's journey, we rode along the Guadalupe River.  I was dreaming that we had brought swimsuits and could pull over for a dip!  It was one of the prettiest streches I have every been down.  The whole day was so nice, the scenery and pace were very relaxing and enjoyable.

And, we are back in Fredericksburg at the same motel as Monday night, which we are very happy about.  Will be heading north tomorrow on our way home.



Texas Hill Country Day 4

Day 4

152 miles

We didn't ride a great number of miles today, and it was nice to not work so hard, had more left at the end of the day.  It was sunny and upper 50s when we left Fredericksburg, although we split into 2 groups, some stayed to tour the Nimitz museum, the rest of us went to Bourne, TX where one of our riders got a new back tire at Javeline Harley Davidson, he had a slow leak and was having to stop often for air.  It was only 58 miles, and we waited just over an hour.  The pic below shows one of our group getting a little more rest while we waited.

We rode past so many big Texas ranches, big houses, long driveways, lots of land, and each had a massive entrance with their names on the tops.  Interesting.

We headed on over to Bandera, checked into our "Resort".  Well, it might have been nice years ago, but not very nice now.  No other rooms in town, so we tough it out, hope the bed bugs don't bite.  There's no WIFI, but guess what, the clerk hands me a wire and says I plug in directly, its been a while since I've done that.

We went for a ride in the Hill Country.  Lots of curves, rolling hills, dry land, and nice houses.  It was hot, too.  Glad I had a cooler with ice water on board.

Relaxed at the hotel for a while before supper.  The breeze in combination with shade made it comfortable to be outside.  We divided up for dinner, I went with 4 others and ate my favorite--BBQ!  Then DQ for desert.  Each day ends with a much needed shower followed by some visiting and then a good nights sleep.  Very thankful for a good roommate.

Changing plans tomorrow, we are checking out of the Fleebag Inn, riding the Three Sisters, then going back to Fredericksburg to the great place we stayed last night.



Texas Hill Country Day 3

Day 3

193 miles

Another great day started at 9am when we left the motel, it was 59 degrees and partley cloudy.  We rode a short ride to the Texas Rangers Hall of Fame and Museum (see pic below)

Enjoyed learning about the Rangers, their history and contibution to Texas.  We left Tempel at 1030 and headed south.  The sky was blue, the sun was allready hot, and we rode without jackets, so nice!

Our next stop was Horney Toad Harley Davidson.  We picked-up some neet T-shirts there, I think they sell more shirts than Harleys.  My shirt has a cartoon pic of ZZZ Toad playing rock music on the back, are you jealsous?  Then we headed southwest, getting into the beginnings of the hill country.

We stopped at a great roadside, BBQ joint called Hart's Firehouse BBQ, ate in the shade outside on picnic tables.  Some of the most tender meat and spicy sauce I have ever enjoyed!  Wow!  We ARE livin the dream!

As we headed south after lunch, the country side changed to rockier, and scrubbier trees with cactus.  There were abundant orange and yellow wildflowers.  The sun was warm, the breeze cool, the scenery amazing, just a fabulous ride.

Next, we stopped at Luckenback (photo above).  What an enjoyable atomosphere of shade, old trees, dirt paths, and a country singer specializing in old Merl Haggard type songs.  I think we spent an hour there, hated to leave.  Then a short ride into Fredericksburg to spend the night, a german town.  We ate geman food for supper, then enjoyed some live blues at the same restaurant out on their patio.

Finally, after 3 days, I'm getting back into my riding groove, felling at one with the bike, taking the turns easier, relaxing, and really enjoying the ride.  The new friendships are a lot of fun, too.  Tomorrow we head to Bandera, the real hill county.

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Texas Hill Country Day 2

Day 2

428 miles

What a great day we had today!  Thank you and praises to God for giving us beautiful weather and keeping us safe.  It was sunny and 54 degrees when we left Broken Bow at 8am.  We were headed south, enjoying the blue sky and brisk, cool breeze.  Our first stop was Omaha, TX followed by second stop at Longview for lunch.

This is a picture of us at the state line except for Joyce and
 Tanya who were taking the picture.  We went to the Harley store

in Longview (pic below).  It was ok.

After lunch it really warmed-up, we took off the leather and rode in T-shirts, and we remembered the sunscreen.  My nose is still a little crispy, though.  By 2 oclock we turned and started heading west.  It seems that everything in Texas is bigger--the trees are taller, the roads wider, the curves longer. I would say that you experience Texas better on a motorcycle.  Growing season here is ahead of back home, we say and smelled lots of fresh mown hay fields.  We honestly enjoyed every mile today, everything was great!  However, our little map misled us and we went out of our way to the tune of maybe 50 miles.  I got the privalege of leading us into Wace to the hotel as I had the only working GPS.

The day ended with a much needed shower and a fabulous mexican dinner.  Joe and Jill were here waiting for us, and another guy from Carthage, so we will have 11 bikes and 14 people when we head out in the morning for day 3.  First I need some rest, some of my riding muscles are pretty tired.

Texas Hill Country Day 1

Day 1

331 miles

Excited to be starting my first motorcycle trip of the season, an 8 day trip through Texas with the Cycle Connection Harley Davidson group. We have 8 bikes today with 11 people, w

ill meet 2 more tomorrow evening in Waco. Joyce is our leader again, she is a lot of fun and very capable.Headed out from Joplin at 8am, it was chilly! Temp in lower 40s, could see my breath. But it was sunny and beautiful! Headed south through Senneca, taking it slow, everyone covered in leather and warm clothes. Stopped for coffee and breakfast in Siloam Springs, AR, started getting to know some of the folks traveling with me.

The scenery and terrain through western Arkansas and eastern Oklahoma was very pretty, so nice to be on the road again. And, finally, another Heritage was in the group. He was in the 2 slot just infront of me. Nothing remarkable happened, an uneventful ride to Broken Bow, OK.

My roommate is Randy, and we seem to have a lot in common. I'm sure we will get along good and become friends. Supposed to be warmer tomorrow, must remember to put on sun screen. Today I only needed it on my nose.