30 Days of 30

Last month I half-jokingly designated January 30th + February + March 1 as my "30 Days of 30".

I will turn 30 on the 6th of February, a date that is now fast approaching. Thinking further about it, and with the BF bringing it up again and taking it much more seriously than I originally did, I've made it a goal to do something neat and out of the usual rut for myself on a regular schedule during the 30 day period.

I think a daily activity is probably an unattainable goal (a bit too much like a grueling IBA ride) so I'll go with a number-riffic! THREE out-of-the-ordinary activities per week.

It's only Monday and I've already gotten two down.

W1A1 (week 1, activity 1):
(Jan 30 - Feb 1)Last weekend was spent in Austin, TX. BF, I, and some of BF's friends attended a showing of "Master Pancake Theater : The Matrix" at Alamo Drafthouse Downtown. We had dinner and drinks in the theater while 3 comedians spent some time mocking the movie but mostly focused on Keanu's acting skills (or lack thereof). Before heading back to Houston in the morning we stopped at Kerbey Lane, a cute local cafe. I had some of the best buttermilk pancakes ever (sorry Dad!).

W1A2:
(Feb 2) I attended a Bike Night! It's been FOREVER since I managed to get myself out for a ride after work. The GS accommodatingly roared to life after a night on the trickle charger. I was a good little rider and made sure to top off the tires before riding off to Sugarland and the Live Oak Grill. I only realized after I'd gotten on the freeway that the last time I'd worn my winter/touring jacket was in July and all the vents were open, streaming 50 degree plus a 70 mph windchill air onto my body. Brrrrrrr!

Ponder Pie Run

This day-ride report is a little late, but I have a few pictures to show and several gear comments that tie-in nicely:

The sun had not yet risen when I left my garage for the Ponder, TX Pie Run. At 277 miles each way, it was an ambitious ride for a late January day in Central Texas.

Route-wise, I spent the majority of the ride on I-45, switching over to US287 in Waxahatchie (love that name) to avoid going through the Dallas side of the DFW Metroplex. 

Some people who attended the pie run said that it was the worst fog they'd ever experienced. Having ridden in Tule fog in central California, I couldn't agree, but it was certainly thick.

It was also cold. The temp gauges I passed said it was in the 40s (F). My Widder vest got it's first workout of the year and the grip heaters were on high.

My first stop was around the 200 mile mark to get gas. I let my fingers defrost briefly in the gas station while I sipped some cappuccino. I probably should have been wearing the Tourmaster Coldfront Carbon gloves instead of my Racer Multi-Tops. The Racers were warm enough with the addition of grip heaters, but having to grip tightly was making my fingers cramp up uncomfortably. 

The Widder vest performed perfectly, but I still wish a little that I'd purchased something with sleeves. I've had this setup for around 5 years at this point and never regretted spending the money. Widder is going out of business at the end of this year (retirement). I need to snap up some $80 arm-chaps while they're still available.

I arrived at the Ranchman's Cafe, aka The Ponder Steakhouse, right on time at 11am. Lunch was a quarter pound "kid" cheeseburger followed by a slice of buttermilk pie.

The sun had come out by the time I was ready to point the R1200ST home. Dwayneinfo tried to tempt me into going to Motoliberty (fantastic Dallas moto-gear store), but I really wanted to be home (or at least close) by dark. 

I had my SPOT in tracking mode for the entire trip. Looking at the log, it appears to have missed a few reports while going through Dallas, but still performed adequately as far as I'm concerned.

Tripled my Dirt Experience!

I met Rebecca in Brookshire on Sunday afternoon for my first *Easy* dual sport ride.

Rebecca assured me that she would turn around if any of the roads were iffy because the rear-tire on Wilbur, her V-Strom, was almost bald. She gave me a quick refresher pep-talk on how to handle dirt and we were off!

Perhaps 20 miles of the 70-mile route to Fayetteville was on unpaved roads. Slightly damped down dirt with a little bit of gravel on top, it was very scenic and mostly one lane. There were even a few paved twisties that I would never have reached on the R1200ST.

I had one slight pucker moment when the rear tire fishtailed a little while I was downshifting for a turn, but for the most part the ride was easier than any of the scary gravel construction that I've experienced in my travels. I found myself mostly keeping to about 40mph on straights, much faster than I've ever gone on dirt with the R1200ST.

During our late *lunch* at Orsak's in Fayetteville, I joked to Rebecca that the ride had probably at least "tripled my dirt experience!"

It was after 4pm when we got back on the bikes for the ride home, so we decided to take the most direct route, avoiding unpaved roads. My shoulders and back were pretty sore. I think that I was so focused on staying loose on the bars that everything else tensed up!

It's my hope that these kinds of rides will build my confidence on dirt so that it won't be so scary to encounter road construction on the R1200ST. I won't say that I was having fun on the dirt roads, but I am optimistic for the future. The F650GS is just beginning to earn it's keep.

My camera was buried in my tank bag the entire ride, but Rebecca took a few pictures. I'll steal them once she posts them.

First rides of the year

Last weekend was pretty busy, riding-wise.

I went over to Motorcycles Unlimited on Friday to pick up the R1200ST with new Ohlins shocks installed front and rear. Patrick had us up on a lift setting up the suspension for my weight + the luggage.

On Saturday morning, I rode up to Huntsville for a ride instigated by JacknTexas.

We followed Debbie out to Colmesneil via twisty backroads. Lunch was homestyle cooking at the Texas Star Cafe.

After lunch, Rebecca, Debbie and I decided to continue east for a few more rarely traveled twisties. About 20 minutes after leaving Colmesneil, we hit rain.

We shrugged it off and continued on, running FM777 and FM1414 in the downpour. We stopped in Burkeville, a stone's throw from the Louisiana border to regroup before slogging home via 190.

As Rebecca put it, "None of us wanted to ruin the others ride by turning around!" I think we were all pretty miserable on tight curves in the rain.

On Sunday I took the F650GS out for our first unpaved....ummm... road?

Ara (Beemerchef) was in town on his way to Georgia. His host was holding a BBQ in his honor at an acreage southwest of Houston. The driveway was long and unpaved, but the GS (or should I say *I*) had no problems.

I took no pictures. All pictures stolen from others, but hosted on rocketbunny.

Quick Ride to the Gulf

I haven't been doing much "riding for fun" lately. Really, all I've done since September pull out the bike for an occasional bike night.

I replaced my then 2-year old battery right before one such ride when the BMW wouldn't start in the morning before work. I figured that it was time.

Waking up around 9 today, I decided to take the BMW out. It was too late to get in one of my epic 500-milers, so I settled for a quick jaunt down to Galveston for lunch via Crabb River Road.

Crabb River Road is a favorite among the southwest side squids. It's got a few good turns (maybe 5 total) each separated by at least a mile of straights. Last time I rode it, I remember being pretty scornful, with a "Why bother?" attitude. This time, with less traffic, I concluded that it wasn't bad, if you didn't have anything else worthy within an hour's ride.

Reaching the coast at Surfside City, I rode east on the Blue Water Highway (FM332).

I was surprised to find that I had to pay a $2 toll to cross the bridge onto Galveston Island. Luckily I had a few dollars in my wallet (I don't usually carry cash).

Lunch was grilled shrimp, scallops, and redfish at Casey's... the sister cafe to the famous Gaido's of Galveston. While eating lunch, I periodically glanced up from my book to watch waves break on the seawall.

Evening Ride

When I left work at 6:30 tonight, I fully intended to go home, have dinner with my family, and attack the R1200ST with a hose and bucket of warm soapy water.

When I was about halfway home, I realized that the evening was just too beautiful to waste. I decided that I would gear up and head into the city for the bike night at Ming’s Cafe.

Riding out of my neighborhood, seeing the sun still relatively high in the sky and enjoying the mild evening breeze flowing over me, I somehow found myself turning west on the highway instead of east into downtown.

I raced daylight up to Waller and FM362 where I followed a fellow motorcyclist off the highway. I passed him after a few turns and settled into the business of leaning my motorcycle. It took a few turns to warm up, but I quickly settled into the wonderful feel of setting up for a curve and then accelerating smoothly out.

By the time I hit my favorite close-to-home road, FM2979, I was feeling good. I slammed down the road in 3rd gear, the ST raging out of the corners. The road was lined with yellow and orange flowers, with the occasional stray bluebonnet. The pine trees along the road were casting lengthening shadows when I turned around to do a repeat heading east, away from the setting sun.

I try not to ride backroads at night, so my fun was essentially over at this point. I debated what to do next. I was too far from Montgomery to crash the meet there and too far from the city to have time to talk to people before needing to head home again.

I idly explored east on FM1488, rolling through Magnolia, TX before heading south on 249 to Tomball. Feeling hungry, I stopped at a chain restaurant in Tomball and enjoyed a strawberry lemonade and dinner accompanied by a book that I keep in my sidecase for times like this.

It’s been a long time since I’ve made time for an after-work ride like tonight’s. I can partly blame it on my overriding (pessimistic?) feeling that there isn’t anything close to my house that is truly worth a quickie ride...but the smile that I can’t seem to wipe off my face tonight emphatically says otherwise.

Not My Weekend

Rebecca and I rode up to Hico last Saturday for a TWTex pie run at the Koffee Kup Family Restaurant.

The day started out with a little rain storm as we were leaving Houston and then culminated in some of the windiest, dustiest weather I’ve ever ridden in….which contributed to less than stellar gas mileage on the R1200ST’s part and less than stellar decision making on my part.

Read Rebecca’s ride report for the day on her blog here.

Having spent the night with a friend in Huntsville, I planned a nice relaxing Sunday enjoying some east Texas Piney Woods riding.

The day started with a dash of adrenaline as I used my ABS to avoid colliding with a left-turning farm truck that decided to ignore my approach and then stop in the middle of my lane. The event was made more exciting by the waiting truck following the original truck, which was taking up the other lane, giving me no escape route.

I grabbed a sandwich and a peach iced tea at a Sonic Diner in Onalaska, enjoying the beautiful blue skies and light cool breeze. The relaxation and refreshment seemed to set a tone for my ride.

I ran down the roads, heading further and further northeast. The BMW was running perfectly, traffic was minimal, and each field of lush green grass or waving evergreen bough seemed to be exclaiming “Spring is coming!”

Cresting a hill on FM942 east of Leggett, I suddenly found a long 2x6 with a few other misc boards nailed to it (part of a pallet?) taking up most of my lane.

I immediately braked on reflex and then got off the brakes to cross the lumber with neutral input.

It felt like a piece of the wood was caught in my wheel, or perhaps caught between the wheel and the engine. I pulled my speed down carefully, trying not to aggravate the oscillation in my handlebars. Pulling to a stop about 1/8 mile down the road, I deployed my kickstand and dismounted to see the damage.



After a few minutes of well-deserved swearing, I dug in my tankbag to find my cellphone. My tri-mode Verizon phone had one bar of service, but it was enough to interrupt my parents’ relaxing afternoon at home and get them into my truck for the 115 mile (each way) drive to pick me up.

The 2.5 hour wait wasn’t all that bad, actually. I relaxed with a book in the combined shade of my bike and the surrounding trees. The culvert next to the road contained a stony creek, babbling over the rocks.

Many of the cars that passed me stopped to offer help. A couple of them stand out in my memory.

One older gentleman in a work truck pulled up behind the R1200ST about 1 hour into my wait. He was a fellow rider and had seen me sitting there in a previous pass but was busy at the time. He helped me move the R1200ST closer to the shoulder (the bend in the wheel rim was making it difficult to roll).

A group of men in a pickup passed heading toward town early into my wait. Seeing the coolers in the back, I asked if they had any water. They apologized, but offered me a bottle of beer, which I declined. Passing the other direction half an hour later, they stopped to hand me a cold bottled water and wished me luck with my wait.

Mom and Dad finally showed up with the truck around 4:45pm, shortly after I had dug a jacket out of my luggage to ward against the growing evening chill. With some difficulty, we loaded the BMW into the truck and tied it down.

Coming into Houston on US59, we were passed by a huge procession of cruisers. There must have been at least 100 bikes. Red-faced, I sank into my seat and mentally apologized to the R1200ST for the ignominy of being seen on the back of a truck by so many motorcyclists.

I have a few more pictures from the ride that will be posted eventually.

What’s next?

Tomorrow I’m going to be stripping down the front wheel and taking it to a highly recommended local wheel repair shop to see if anything can be done. A replacement wheel will cost roughly $700 from BMW, not counting the tire (which was coming due for replacement anyway). I’ve been unable to source a used wheel…. Those ST’s are just too rare.

I’ll also be taking the downtime to change the front brake pads, do my next valve adjust, and an oil change. The R1200ST is now past 24,000 miles.

Weekend Riding Report

I did some nice riding over the weekend. It was nothing spectacular, but very enjoyable. As seems to be usual for short, local rides, my camera was along but didn’t make it out of the tankbag.

I had intended to make it up to the TWTex Pie Run 250 miles away in Lake Fork on Saturday. I had been eying the weather forcast right up to Saturday morning, feeling more and more positive. I awoke at 6AM to dark skies and pouring rain. The radar was very “green” on top of my house and for what would be the first hour of riding.

I wussed and did my taxes instead. (Yay! Refund!)

After some of Dad’s yummy waffles, I designed a shortened Piney Woods route to get me out of the house and on the R1200ST for the first time (one commute doesn’t count, right?) since my ride to Pensacola.

I really wanted to ride FM1725 between Cleveland and FM150 again, so I headed that direction. Between a 1.5 lane farm road, a pavement-ends turn-around situation, and a 10-minute pouring rain cloud, it was a very pleasant and adventurous outing.

And there was much leaning of the BMW. (Hey! Something had to be done about the I-10 flat spot on my tires!)

Patricia had organized an afternoon ride on Sunday. I met up with her, Billy & wife/pillion Anna, and Ronnie for a pre-ride mocha while we decided on a route. Patricia had a route out to Fayetteville loaded in her (Gavin’s) GPS, but she really didn’t want to lead the ride. I don’t know the Fayetteville route well enough to lead it, but I DID know a fun way to run up to FM3090 in Navasota and then back around on FM149 through the forest.


Surprise! Surprise! I ended up leading the four bikes north through my route.

Those who know me know that I don’t generally enjoy leading group rides. I won’t go over my usual reasons ad nauseam because this ride turned out to be the exception.

It was a beautiful day: clear and cold. The roads were clean and dry for the most part. After the first few turns I got a feel for what a comfortable pace might be for the members of the group and was able to relax. The R1200ST ran smoothly, eating up the miles. With just a touch of pressure to perform, I focused more than usual on holding the bike steady on my chosen line and fully looking through each turn as I powered out. Over the course of the ride I had only a few flubs that needed correction, marked by a chastened shake of the head. (That momentary loss of the rear wheel to a tar snake doesn’t count, darn it! Thrilling, but easily ridden out.)

We ended the ride with a late lunch at Phil’s in Montgomery, one of my local favorites!

Home!

Cali was glad to see me!

I'll post trip stats tomorrow after I get some rest, but I don't see any reason why I shouldn't have my IBA license plate back in six months or so when they finish up verification of the paperwork from this ride.

It was roughly 1100 miles, with a start time of 6 AM and a finish time of 12:45 AM

Going for a ride today...

I'm trying something new. I'm going on a long solo ride today, hopefully to tag a state I haven't yet visited...and something else. We'll see how it goes.

I hooked my cell phone up to my communications system. If you have my phone number, give me a call. It's set to auto-answer after a few rings, so if I stops ringing, just say hello. I won't know that you've called until YOU say something.

NYE Ride and Tire Repair Kit Review

Most of the time, emergency-use items such as first-aid kits and tire repair kits are just so much extra weight. In those rare occasions when they are needed, they are worth their weight in gold.

It was a beautiful Texas winter day, brisk but clear, and the last day of the year. The blue skies and rolling fields beckoned.

Riding out of College Station, where I had spent the previous night at the TWTexans end of year BBQ and Pie Run, I headed north toward scenic OSR (Old San Antonio Rd). It was quite a contrast from riding in west Texas. Lush green farm fields populated with herds of livestock behind white painted fences bordered the small two-lane.

The recent storms had made an impact. I stopped briefly to wait for a pilot vehicle to guide me through an area that had been hit by a tornado. There was trash everywhere; twisted metal, ravaged farmhouses, and bits of paper and wood. The road was covered with mud from the construction crews struggling to re-erect downed power lines.





I fueled up at the intersection of OSR and I-45. The gas station had been there a LONG time. The modern (but still not yet card-reading) pumps were in back, and the older style pumps (not working, but still neat) were in front.



Heading north toward my highly anticipated transition from the “Prairies and Lakes” region to the “Piney Woods” region, I noticed my rear tire wallowing into turns. I pulled over and found that it was losing air but I felt it would probably make it south to Madisonville (a larger town on I-45).

Which brings me to:

Review - Progressive Suspension Tire Repair Kit – Tubeless tires

I’ve been pretty lucky. My last flat tire was back in mid-2002, over 60,000 miles ago. It was a sad, messy affair: That first moment when I realized that something must be very wrong because I was able to flat foot my bike…limping it under power around to the corner gas station…kneeling there looking grimy, cute, and helpless with a just-bought plug kit until a passing motorist took pity on me and did the deed.

In the last hours of 2006, I was in a very different situation. Due to the diligence of a past boyfriend, I was prepared with a never-used plug kit and a little more confidence in my wrenching chops.

After discovering the flat, I slowly rode the bike 15 miles to the first gas station I saw and pulled over next to the air pump. A wandering-by BSG (big strong guy) balanced the bike so I could get it onto the centerstand. Optimistic, I dismissed him with thanks and put 75 cents into the machine to get it to dispense air.

I shouldn’t have wasted my coins. As soon as air began entering the tire, I heard it hissing loudly out. I rolled the wheel around (DOH- should have done this before buying air) to find a staple sized sliver of metal lodged in the tire.



Some needle-nose pliers from my onboard tool kit easily removed the sliver and I was rewarded with a rush of escaping air as my tire went completely flat.

My plug kit included an awl-like implement, several torpedo-shaped rubber plugs, a tube of cement, air cartridges and a tube for using them (not needed in this case), and (happily) a small sheet of instructions.



The instructions were straightforward enough. Ream out the hole with the awl, smear hole, awl, and plug with cement, insert plug (it fit neatly onto the awl for the push), and trim the plug. It seemed easy enough for the greenest novice and much more simple than the sticky string-type plugs I’d struggled with in 2002. The plugs included a “self-vulcanizing strip” around the narrowest part, which I guess is supposed to permanently bond to the tire when it heats up.

The instructions mentioned nothing about drying time for the cement. Just to be safe, I left it to cure while I went into the gas station for more quarters and a bottled Starbucks caramel frappuccino.

I heard no tell-tale hissing when I filled the tire with air, so I felt safe to head home. Throughout the ride, I frequently tested the air pressure by rolling the bike side-to-side to feel for wallowing. It held air sufficiently to get me into my garage.



I would recommend this kit. It’s simple to use and small enough to fit on most sportbikes.

Progressive Suspension Tire Repair Kit, Tubeless Type - $34.95
http://www.ridegear.com/rg/item/F-6232/Progressive_Suspension__Tire_Repair_Kit_.html

Also available as a bare bones kit without air cartridges - $9.75
http://www.parkeryamaha.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=21548

2006 Year in Review

Time for another photostory.

2006 Year in Review

Full Beaver Moon Tech Day

Last weekend, Rebecca, Deb, Eric, and I rode up to Canton, TX to attend a tech day, BBQ, and camp-out held by Howard and Jill from TWTex.

I only took a few pictures, but the photo thread is here on TWT.

I didn't get anything done on the R1200ST, but I *supervised* while Rebecca did an oil change, replaced brake pads, and did a brake fluid bleed. Deb got assisted with some electrical wiring, and Eric was along for the ride.

The hosts were prepared with excellent smoked turkey and brisket. The bonfire was huge, and made even more entertaining by the meteor shower happening that night. The four of us snuggled up on Rebecca's queen size air mattress to get a better view (and keep warm).

The ride back to Houston on Sunday took a little detour through Tyler and the piney woods with lunch at a cafe in Henderson. We were having such a good time that it almost didn't matter that we were eight miles from the Louisiana border at sunset.

The ride into Houston in darkness was a good test of my new winter gear. My on-board temperature gauge was in the high 40s to low 50s. I was using my Widder vest, heated grips, and balaclava. I was very glad of the extra clothes I'd brought for layering purposes.

September Pie Run and Ride

The TWT September Pie Run was held today in Brenham, TX at "Must Be Heaven," a 50's style soda fountain with a gourmet deli attached.

The lunch was excellent. I shared a Muffaletta with "The Big Spank Daddy" aka Chris. We then split slices of "Bourbon Chocolate Pecan" and "Sawdust" (banana, coconut, & graham cracker) pies.

I rode out there solo, but hooked up with Rebecca and David afterward. We went over some goaty farm roads, a very old iron bridge, and visited a couple of hundred-year old "Painted Churches of Fayette County" near Weimar, TX.

Light twisties on FM-362

Low bridge underpass on Scenic FM-390

Overlooking Lake Somerville
From a website about the churches:

"The term "Painted" comes from the elaborate faux-finished interiors - painted by itinerant artists who advertised in church bulletins and newspapers. Several were resident artists in San Antonio. Gold-leafed, stone and polished marble columns and ceilings are (upon closer examination) actually finely-fitted woodwork. The paint - mixed on site - is still vibrant and bright - even after all these years."

St John the Baptist, Ammansville, TX - 1919

Rebecca in her element. Dirt!

Oldest Still-in-Use Iron Bridge in Texas

That thar bridge dun't like them heavy auto-mo-biles

Sts Cyril and Methodius, Dubina, TX - 1912

I did about 300 miles today...bringing the R1200ST to 18,500 (aka 500 miles late for the 18k service)

New Helmet! and another TWT Pie Run

Yesterday was yet another TWTexans Pie Run. This one was held in Hutto, TX, just a little NE of Austin.

I've been wanting to visit Lone Star BMW in Austin for a while, mainly because I'd heard a nasty rumor that they carried Caberg brand flip-up helmets.

My trusty 3 year old Arai had been damaged in the crash in Nashville in June, so I was in the market for a new helmet and really wanted to try a flip up. Dante's Dame had a Caberg Justissimo (link goes to a review) at the STN WV meet, and I really liked the features. Unfortunately her head is a bit smaller than mine so trying on her Xtra Small wasn't going to work. I don't like buying helmets without trying them on, so I've been delaying my purchase and just wearing my Arai.

According to Mapsource, it was 130 miles from my door to the pie run location in Hutto. Figuring in the 20 miles from Lone Star BMW to Hutto, I determined that if I gave myself 3.5 hours to get there, I'd have time to shop a little in Austin.

Well, after slabbing out to Austin on 290, they had Cabergs, but the only medium was a glittery (not flat) black. I kind of wanted a silver, but all my previous helmets have been black, and I'd rather reward the dealership for carrying these rare helmets. The sales assistant seemed knowledgable and was able to demonstrate the features of the helmet. A cheaper version of the Schuberth flip ups, the Caberg has an integral smoke shield that drops out from the helmet internals (no more extra shield to carry!) and the clear main visor has a fog-free coating. The flip up catch is metal (supposed to be better than the plastic ones seen on cheaper flip ups). It seemed to have adequate vents, but I don't generally sweat that much. My only concern at this point is that the Caberg is reputed to leak in rain, but we'll see how much of an issue that is.

I wore the helmet in the dealership for about 20 minutes to make sure the fit was correct with no pressure points. The price onthe box was $299... but again, I was able to try it on...so I figured on paying for that convenience. Happily, it only rang up to $250 at the register, much more inline with online prices. I got out of there in the $270 range including tax.

I walked out of the dealership and sat in the parking lot to transfer my helmet speakers from my Arai (note - I will need to buy an open-faced Starcom speaker kit with a boom mic). The Arai and the collapsed box for the Caberg all fit snugly into my trunk. I headed off to the pie run to show off my purchase.

After being social and consuming a pretty good mushroom swiss burger and some very rich peppermint patty pie, I decided to ride home on a somewhat twisty route. Rebecca had made her own way to the pie run, and wanted to ride back with me. I was fine with that, but didn't really want a large group since I knew I was the one with the route on my gps...and would be leading.

Somehow rumors spread and we ended up with 6 people total. Grrr.

I was feeling a little off during the first part of the ride. My new helmet was feeling weird - the noise was different and I somehow felt taller on the bike. At one point, I was thinking to myself that I'd had more fun slabbing out there alone that morning than on twisty roads leading a group in the afternoon.

I think I started to relax and have fun when we hit FM696 and I asked Rebecca to lead the 16 miles to Lexington. I waved everyone forward and got to have some stress-free time in the back.

From there it was more of the trading off lead that I'd enjoyed so much during the hill country ride. I'd guide us through complicated road turn-offs and then Rebecca would take over during the fast twisties.

At a turn-off about 80 miles into the ride, I asked Rebecca if she thought the others needed a break. I usually don't take breaks except for gas and food, so I didn't need one. She didn't think they did, so we continued on. About 20 miles later, Debbie passed the two of us and pulled the group over in a shady turn out, complaining that she "thought we'd never stop!"

I was able to rate the day's ride as thoroughly enjoyable by the time we hit US290 and started going separate ways.

I really didn't take any pictures today, but Rebecca posted a pictorial report on her blog

A movie, a ride, and a night out with the girls!

Harrrrrrrr!

I saw Pirates of the Caribbean, Dead Man's Chest on Friday night with a group of people that I met on TWTexans. What a roller-coaster!

I went into the theater expecting some great special effects and was not disappointed. I was pleasantly surprised to find that even the plot was interesting and had me researching pirate lore as soon as I got home. Lots of reviews that I've read since compare it to "The Empire Strikes Back" because it's the 2nd installment of a trilogy and has a lot of neat effects, but it complicates more storylines than it resolves. Let's just say that I'll be spending the $15 (or whatever gawd-awful price) they're charging for movie tickets when the 3rd movie comes out.

After my late Friday night, I was a bit late to the Starbucks where people were meeting for the group ride I'd agreed to go on. Luckily, Rebecca, the ride leader, had just walked out of Bux with a large iced coffee when I showed up, so I felt fine running in for my own breakfast.

The ride was about 150 miles along some nice backroads with lunch at Kings Cafe in Montgomery. We had 4 girls and 2 guys, a very favorable ratio.

I had my camera along, but didn't take any pictures. There is a ride report (by others) posted at TWTexans.

That bike in the picture where I appear to be headless? It's a brand new FJR1300AE with push button shifting. It's a motorcycle with no clutch lever. Really neat.

After the ride, I went home to rest and do some chores before heading out to a downtown bar with Rebecca and Stacey to see a band that Rebecca knew the members of. There were several bands playing that night.

Alternative music is not really my favorite. It just sounded like the bands were puking into the microphones. Furthermore, after all the non-smoking bars in San Jose, I'd forgotten how hard it is to breathe when the entire club smells like an ashtray, but I had a lot of fun going out and wouldn't hesitate to do it all over again.

Coming next weekend.... an overnight trip to the Hill Country with Rebecca! Yeah. I'm excited. I finished planning the route last night. It's packed with some of the best roads in Texas!

May Pie Run & Leading a Group Ride

The TWTex May Pie Run was held last Saturday up in Hico, TX. With the location over 200 miles away, only two riders (me included) from Houston were initially signed up to attend. I planned a nice route and sent map files to the other rider for review. The night before the event, two other riders PM’d me asking for the location of the meet point. I replied with that information as well as gps files of the planned route.

Thus it was that at 7AM on a sunny Saturday, I found myself leading a group of four to a far-off destination. Reason: no one else knew the route.

I. Don’t. Like. Leading. Groups.

And for the most part, I haven’t ever really had to. I mean, how much directing do you need to do when the route is 80 miles, turn left, 50 miles, reverse? Even when we did more complicated rides, like Napa/Berryessa, I (the planner) always led from the sweep position with bike-to-bike radio to the leader.

But Texas is more complicated. You seldom spend more than 15 miles on a road before needing to turn onto something else. That is, if you want to find the twisties.

Anyway.

So I sucked it up and led the way there and back. I can be very self-critical sometimes, and there were a lot of things on my mind during that ride. Let’s just say I had a hard time staying relaxed, and consequently was much more sore than usual after a mere 500 mile day.

I was constantly looking back. I was also analyzing every situation ahead and how it might affect my group. In the forefront of my mind was every action by the leader that I’ve always hated having to deal with when on a group ride.

- On single lane, passing every car in sight and then charging ahead before the group is finished: It means that the last people in the group must speed to catch up. I hate that because I’m usually that last person.
- Not selecting a side of the lane, making staggered riding awkward: The leader doesn’t have the visual clues to remind him/her to stagger, but it’s even more important that he do so. When a leader can’t stick to one side, the rest of the group will have to adjust constantly. Dangerous. And the leader looks like an ass.
- On multi-lane, lane changes that split the group: If the leader puts his signal on, the sweep is supposed to move over and make room first. If the leader just charges in, it tends to split up the group. And then the last people have to speed and make lots of lane changes to catch up.
- Consistent speed on the superslab: If you go too slow, the riders behind will wonder what’s wrong. If you go too fast, they’ll think you’re a crazed speed demon. If you do both, you’ll drive them nuts.

Actually, Bluepoof did a great post on this a year or two ago (a much more entertaining read than mine). I admit I was thinking about it both last Saturday and that day several months ago when I was on a ride with her and a few other ST.Ners. The leader on that particular ride was particularly bad.

With all this on my mind, I'm sure I was a pretty good leader as far as being considerate to the group, but they weren't the only things bothering me. Another reason that I don’t like leading is that I’m not that fast in curves. Furthermore, I absolutely hate it when someone is behind me to observe my awful lines and “parking” whenever I fear gravel or other traction issues.

But really, I had a great time on Saturday. The ride up was uneventful and the twisties on the way home were a lot of fun. Compared to most sportbike riders, the group (a R1150GS, V-Strom1k, and a VFR) had pretty iron butts. We took breaks only every 80 miles and I’m told they could easily have gone longer than that. I focused on keeping a smooth, relaxed pace with only a few hiccups (read “parked it”) on a section of gravelly chip-seal. When we got closer to home, one of the other riders took over because he knew the route from there better than I did. This helped my state of mind immensely and I was able to have even more fun following him.

Do try the banana-blueberry pie at the Koffee Kup if you’re ever in the area. I’ll post a photo or two later.

A Grey Day in East Texas (and LA!)

What with weather, work, and life, it’s been a few weeks since the R1200ST has seen anything but commuting. I needed a good ride too.

I really enjoyed the “East Texas Group Ride” of a few weeks ago, so I scoured the net for a good description of one of Scott Friday’s infamous E. Texas rides, finally found here. I adapted it slightly to my requirements and loaded it up into my Quest 2 GPS.

I like to say that anytime you make it into another state, it’s been a good ride. This was no exception.

I started by heading toward Huntsville and it‘s Starbucks for breakfast. My GPS acted up a few times. I think it doesn’t really like routes with more than 50 waypoints, because once I deleted a few from the beginning of the route, it stopped locking up after every turn.

Next I crossed Lake Livingston and headed for Colmesneil. I really love the swoopiness of the East Texas forest roads. I feel like I’m flying along and can really gun it out of the curves. The frequent elevation changes add immensely to the fun.

I lunched on fried catfish with hush puppies at the Elijah Café in Jasper before crossing the border. It was recommended in Scott’s route. I must admit that I was surprised when I saw it. While the food was good, I guess I was expecting something with a little more of a local feel.

The sky was very overcast and never really heated up. Many times I considered putting the liner into my jacket.

I found myself reluctant to stop for photos along the roadside in Texas. The scenery was somewhat monotonous. I mean, how many superior photos can an endless tunnel of piney woods provide? Louisiana was a little more interesting, I stopped beside a bayou to document the presence of some large water birds and snapped a shot of the ST beside the reservoir.

The day was waning, so I tried not to stop much on the way home. My new beaded seat cover seemed to help although my butt was definitely complaining as I pulled into my garage. 536 miles according to the GPS with an moving average speed of 70.1 mph.

My route: ( MS S&T File)

Marble Falls Ride

A few weeks ago, when I rode out with Scratch and the Inks Lake camping crew, they all told me that I was turning back “just before the good stuff.”

Well, that’s been weighing pretty heavily on my mind, so I resolved to get out there and check out the alleged “good stuff.” Yesterday I found myself with no planned group rides and my parents gave me a pass to go have fun while dad recuperated from his week in New York on business.

I’ve had this route planned for a few weeks, so I loaded it onto the GPS Friday night and got up early on Saturday morning to belt out a nice 500 mile day including such local celebrity roads as Lime Creek, 1431, and Bee Creek.

I started by heading up 290 to 362 to Navasota. With the plan of doing scenic 390, the La Bahia highway, I took some less-traveled connector roads where I found this little guy in a field. There was a life-size faux giraffe in the next field over, but I was too busy gaping at it and trying to decide if it was real or fake when I rolled past it.

390 was pretty and nicely twisty. It felt good to finally be getting out on my own. It’s fun to ride with other people and socialize during stops, but sometimes I just like to be able to not stress and ride my own pace. I like to stop in the middle of the road and dig out my camera when I see a good shot. You really can’t do that in a group ride. They start sending out rescue squads. It also can annoy the person behind if you are mid-group.

Here’s one that caught my eye at some point. I think it was on 390.


I was intending to do FM 969 through Lexington, but was intimidated by the gravel road construction around the turn-off, so I farted around on some other roads in that area (trying to get through). On FM908 I learned that “pavement ends” means exactly that, even 20 miles after the sign. All I can say is that the road looked fine within sight of that initial sign. Well, it was a nice interlude and a pretty out and back. I kept looking for another way through, but all the county roads branching off it were dirt.

At that point I had to just go to US290 and slab it into Austin. I needed to keep moving if I wanted to be in Marble Falls at a decent lunch hour.

It started getting nicely twisty on Bullick Hollow Rd toward Volente. The scenery was decidedly hill-like, with scrubby pines and rocky soil. Lime Creek Road was completely awesome. It was similar in feel to many areas of the Sierra foothills, strongly reminding me of a little trip on Cherry Lake Rd that I took with T and Sean a few months ago.

Not long after turning onto Lime Creek Rd, I came up on another rider on a red sportbike in full leathers. He was riding very relaxed on the straights and putting a knee out on the curves. I followed him and we soon came upon another car moving slowly through the turns. I was anxious to pass, and I think it showed so he waved me by. I was soon able to pass the car, followed by the other rider. He easily stayed in my mirrors through the next turn, so I waved him past me. Showing a good amount of skill, he disappeared in a few corners, but reappeared soon. I like to think that he was intentionally slowing down to warn me about appropriate speeds for the few tighter corners we came up on, but that could have just been his preferred pace. In any case, I followed him until the end of the road, where he took a turn-out to go back for another run. I waved and continued on my way.

There were 50+ riders lined up on the shoulder at the intersection of Lime Creek and 1431 as I made my turn. A few in the rear were holding their hands up in impatience as I passed. A mile or two down the road a policeman was getting himself into place to direct traffic. It was then that I realized that I would not be able to stop for pictures at all during the 30 miles of 1431. I really did not want that line of bikes in front of me.

I enjoyed the curves, but sure enough, about 10 miles from Marble Falls, I started getting buzzed by sportbike riders wearing black vests with big wicked-looking “R” patches on the back. Obviously this local club did not believe in proper riding gear, because I’d never seen so much bare skin going so fast through turns. Lots of scantily clad pillions too. You just don’t see that much in the SF Bay Area.

I’d say about 20 riders passed me by the time I made it to Marble Falls and turned onto 281 toward my chosen lunch destination. The Blue Bonnet Café is world famous for it’s good home cooking, notably chicken fried steak and pie. While I waited in the 20 minute line I overheard someone say that “even President Bush has eaten here.”


When I’m at a local place, I try to eat what the locals eat, so I had a nice serving of chicken fried steak followed by a slice of banana cream pie (always a favorite of mine). Twas good!

I got to chatting with another rider going solo today who was seated next to me on the counter. When I asked where he was from, I could tell he really got a kick out of the hand swoops and turn-counting 1..2..3..…8..9… turns down Lime Creek Rd. It sure would be nice having a commute worth reliving.

I headed out of Marble Falls to the south, taking a few very deserted country roads to get the Bee Creek Rd (two-thumbs up). At one point there was cactus all over the side of the road.


I headed through Austin toward my next road highlight. I’d heard good things about Park Road 1 through Bastrop and Buescher state parks. I got there after the ranger station closed, and only had a ten dollar bill, anyway. The ranger driving a truck around said that it was free if I didn’t stop to take a hike or park to use any facilities.

The speed limit was slow, but the road was single lane and had many blind curves. Beautiful scenery: with piney woods, lakes full of fishers and bathers, and lots of elevation changes.




Getting back on highway 71, I headed for La Grange, Round Top, and Bellville via scenic FM roads. I got onto US290 at Hempstead and headed home, arriving before dark. 495 miles and some very enjoyable roads under my wheels.


Map of my entire day. (mostly correct). Route file in MS S&T.


Close up of the route west of Austin.

Wildflower Ride

So I did a little 300 (or so) mile ride last Sunday. Big thanks to Cindy (Chatterbox) on TWTex for organizing. I’ve been pretty busy this week and didn’t even look at my pictures until earlier today. Cindy posted a nice trip report here. At least *someone* has been on top of things, eh?

Lessee…. We met up at Denny’s in Hempstead for breakfast at 8:00 but didn’t end up leaving until almost 9:30 because people kept showing up and asking if they had time for a “bite to eat”. The group grew to a healthy 10 bikes including one 2-up couple.

“The Big Spank Daddy” led us out through various small towns and mildly twisty roads. We first headed west, and then south under I10. I’m still not quite sure where I am when out on these rides, and it doesn’t really mean anything to most of the people reading this. I'll post a map once I take the time to grab it off the gps.

I would like to note that not long after passing I10 there was a section of road with 3 or 4 uphill sweepers. For just a minute or two, it felt like California’s Highway 9. Then it was back to Texas' mild twisties.

We had lunch in some small Texas town (Weimar?) at the Bel Aire Diner. The food was fine, but I really hoped that the dilapidated looking Bel Aire Motel next door was defunct.

Now for the pics. BTW, most of these are max 800 pixels in one direction, but display smaller on the blog. If you copy/paste the pic link into a browser window, you’ll get the full size. Of course, I have much larger versions of each, but I don’t like to post huge files.

Bikes stopped by field of yellow flowers:

Farmhouse & white flowers

R1200ST with bluebonnets, indian paintbrush and poppies (?)

Bison! And the tractor. Can't forget the tractor.

My favorite!