Starting off in Texarkana this morning my intention was to get to Big Bend by the end of the day.
Obviously, it just didn't work out that way. I stopped in Odessa and liked it. Perhaps I'll get to Big Bend tomorrow. Stay tuned.
Absolutely nothing happened. Just a bunch of boring miles in a truck with a bike in the back and absolutely gorgeous weather. Kinda made me think I should park the truck, unload the bike and ride the rest of the way.
Note to dumbass: Put some luggage on the DR.
But first I have to load the DR. Yes. Let me say that again. I have to load the DR. God, that hurts.
I bought a truck a week or so ago. It was either a truck or a trailer and, well, a truck just seemed like the right and proper thing to do. I also bought a 7 foot loading ramp. The truck's a 4x4 and sits a little higher than most. The loading ramp, even at 7 feet, is still at a butt-clenching angle.
A few days prior to leaving I practiced loading the bike and made it up in one piece, but I was lucky. Towards the top I gassed it a bit and the right side strap came undone. The ramp was tweaked at an angle. It could have made for a really shitty experience and a brutal lesson learned. Would've been a cool YouTube viddy, though.
I've modified the strapping technique to eliminate this issue.
As it turned out I didn't use the ramp to load the bike. I found a nice hill and backed the truck up to it. Almost perfect angle too. Only had to ask one person to come over to help get the bike in the back. And once the bike was in the bed of the truck, I only dropped it once and layed it over once. No damage done to the bike or new truck.
I've modified the strapping technique to eliminate this issue. ;)
So it's 8:48 AM and I'm off. Wait a minute. Son-of-a-bitch! I forgot the ramp. Idiot. Thankfully, I was only at the second light from home.
Ya. This hauling bike gig will be a learning experience. I don't like it. Wish me luck. Wish the DR luck. Wish my truck luck.
I kinda figured getting to Dallas the first day would be a good goal. Driving sucks. I stopped in Texarkana and liked it.
Turner Falls is west of Interstate 35 just south of Davis, Oklahoma. It's located in the Arbuckle Mountains. Yes, for Oklahoma these are mountains. A lot of people visit the falls on the weekends. If you're a people-watcher, then go on a Saturday. If you prefer a more laid back atmosphere, then go up sometime during the week. There's some ok hiking, an abundance of campsites and plenty of swimmin' holes.
I haven't been throughout the entire Arbuckle Mountain area, but I do not ride to that area of Oklahoma for the twisties. There are some good roads in the area, but it's not enough to attract me on a regular basis from Dallas. Instead, I go for the quiet, relaxing atmosphere and the cool springs that a weekday visit offers up.
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I found myself thinking late last night that I need to go to Possum Kingdom in the morning... so that's exactly what I did the morning of August 7, 2001. I intended to visit both sides of PK lake. I wanted to visit and take some pics from the bluffs with the spectacular views on the east side. The west side of PK is quiet, good roads and PK State Park has some fairly decent hiking and a nice swimming hole.
I woke up around 07:00, dropped a load off, showered, grabbed a shirt to wear while hiking, some shorts for swimming, the book I wanted to finish under the sun at PK State Park, and my camera. I packed the beemer bags, attached them to the bike, started the engine and promptly sped off to the Denny's just around the corner. What? Did you think I would start a long day of riding and hiking without putting fuel in my tank?
I was out of the Denny's and down the road by 09:00 and that's when I realized everything I had left behind:
When I gassed up in Jacksboro I bought a pen and pad. I was surprised the rinky-dink gas station had pens, not to mention a small pad identical to what I usually use. It was the beginning of another karmic day, or so I thought.
Here's the map. I chopped off the part between the metroplex and Jacksboro.
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The ride that's worth talking about begins at Farm Road 4 just west of Jacksboro on US 380. This road is marked as FM 206 on MapQuest and in MS Streets/Maps software, but it's marked as FM 4 on 380 road. It's a nice, winding and sometimes sweeping road that goes all of the way to Graford, Tx. Graford is an excellent town to shoot for if you're planning on going to the east side of PK Lake. From Graford, take 254 West. Following the sign directing you to PK Lake will eventually get you to Park Road 36. Now if you go this route, the payoff is a bluff that overlooks PK Lake. The best ones are on some property known as The Ranch. Continue on PR 36 and take a left on La Villa Road. There's a little pizza joint just before the street. Take a left on Scenic Point Drive. Take a left on Harbor Way. Take a right just before hitting the fence. This road is not marked, but it takes you up to the bluffs. The road winds and climbs all the way to the top of the bluff. Take a right and go all the way to end of the road. There's a dirt road at the end that will take you to the observation deck. Here's what you may see:
After taking some pics, chillin' and relaxin' I decided to get back on the bike and go to the west side of PK Lake for some hiking and swimming.
Making your way back down, don't take a right on Scenic Point Drive to go back from whence you came. Instead, take a left. This will you take out of The Ranch and onto FM 2353. Go south until you get to FM 16 and take a right. Go south on 16 until you get to US 180. That stretch of 16 is another nice bit of road. It will thin the chicken strips directly from your tires. Good stretch of road for this part of the country. Head west on 180 until you get to the little town of Caddo. From Caddo take Park Road 33 all of the way to PK State Park. PR 33 is another great stretch of road and is totally recommended if you're in the area.
So I pull in through the park gates, park the bike and walk up to the counter with my $3 daily fee already whipped out. After smiling at the lady who could be my own grandmother, she apologetically informs me that they are not admitting daily usage folks because the park roads are going to be repaved starting that afternoon! Needless to say, I was disappointed. I was going to hike around for a spell, get nice and sweaty and then hop in the lake. What a bummer. So I smiled at granny and told her, "I'll be back!", and walked out of the office already plotting my way back.
As I'm heading back out PR 33 I remember Ranch Road 3253 which eventually gets you to the north shore of PK Lake, but as I'm contemplating how much to brake and which gear I want to manuever the turn in, I think I should just head back home and go through Ft. Worth and Bedford for two reasons. First, I needed to run by BMW of Ft. Worth to purchase an oil filter and see if my license plates had arrived. Filter good, plates bad. Second, I needed to stop by DFW Honda to see if the Kuryakyn accessories came in for my VTX. Accessories good.
Then I went home and figured out there wasn't anything specific in the BMW manuals about what screw is the oil drain plug on my bike. I get to call them in the morning. I also installed the accessories on the bike and wrote this cheesy report of the day's events.
So Wednesday evening I felt the urge to get on the road. i decided to go to Palo Duro Canyon - just south of Amarillo. I was planning on camping at Palo and driving back the next day. I woke up early, packed the R1150RT and got on the road at 6:10a. Here's my route:
114W to 81N - Rhome, Tx
287N - Bowie, Tx
loop 335 South - Amarillo, Tx (signs for Palo begin here)
27S - Amarillo, Tx
217E - Canyon, Tx.
I arrived in Amarillo at 10:50. A total of 360 miles - so far - in 4 hours and 40 minutes. This equates to an average of 78 MPH. BTW, I stopped one time to gas up in Vernon, Tx (180 miles into the trip). That's the farthest I've gone in one leg - so far.
I hiked around Palo that afternoon. It was about 105F on the canyon floor. Needless to say, sweating my tail off got a little old and I thought I'd find a nearby motel in Amarillo. However, on my way I got the urge to see Lubbock - a town I've never even been close to. I took 27S and stopped in Tulia, Tx to recover, gas up, etc.
While sitting at the Grandy's and after replenishing myself for about an hour, I decided to just make the trip a long day of touring and head back to Dallas. Here's the route from Tulia:
86E - Tulia, Tx
70S - Turkey, Tx
82E - Dickens, Tx
114E - Seymour, Tx and home
I arrived home at 9:45p after traveling 825 miles. Here are some stats for the entire trip:
Miles: 825
Fuel: 21.7 gallons
Avg MPG: 38
Avg MPH: 52.4
Note the Avg MPH includes all minutes btw 6:10a and 9:45p.
I was most impressed with the beemer. This was my first 600+ mile day on it. The electric windshield was a real help. I kept it pegged at 90-95 the entire day. The bike enjoyed every minute of it. I did have a few periods 100mph+, but 90-95 was perfect for me and the bike. The 6-speed tranny on the 1150RT is awesome. At 95mph the engine is humming at 4500 RPMs - about 57% engine utilization. I made very few stops. The first was 180 miles into the trip in Vernon. More frequent stops in the afternoon just in order to keep hydrated. While my rear held up well, I'm still considering the corbin seat or the Russell Day Long.
I saw a lot of cops all the way to amarillo on 287. Watch out for them. I didn't see one cop from Tulia all the way home. Most of the roads are straight and made for hauling ass - very few capsules and they were very courteous of bikers - pulling over on the shoulder to let you pass, waving... The whole nine yards.
Here's the map and some pics...
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