Texas FFB Meet → September 12 - 17, 2002
Day One - Thursday, September 12, 2002
We got up at a little after 4am and were on the road at 5am. It was dark out until our first stop on the other side of Winston-Salem when the sun was just starting to rise. We were heading due west into Tennessee and after a full day of riding, spent the night in Holladay, TN. We rode 620 miles of Interstate 40, making 5 stops along the way, and arriving 13 hours later, at 6pm (we had crossed into the next time zone, so it was 5pm in Holladay, TN). Nothing exciting happened on this day, as it was a fairly boring ride. We crossed the mountains, and went through Knoxville and Nashville with fairly little traffic. We ate supper at a truck stop just down the road from the hotel and I had the best chiliburger I've ever had in my life. The Days Inn that we stayed at had absolutely the most comfortable beds I've ever slept in at a hotel before, even though it was out in the middle of nowhere and right beside a strip joint.
On this day I observed that people in Tennessee drive slowly, but with good reason, there is law enforcement everywhere.
Day Two - Friday, September 13, 2002
We set out at 6 in the morning, headed for Texas. We passed through Memphis briefly and then crossed over into Arkansas for the most boring part of the whole trip. Highway 40 through Arkansas is flat and unimpressive, and this stretch was very uneventful. We passed through Little Rock and picked up Interstate 30 to head down towards Texas. There was a little excitement as we went by Hot Springs as they were having a bike rally that weekend so there were lots of people to wave to on the road as we went by. I remembered that Ralph said he was attending that rally so I sent a wave in that direction as we scooted on by. Of course every time we stopped somewhere everyone would ask us if we're on our way to Hot Springs. We went ahead and had supper at a Chili's somewhere in the middle of nowhere between Texarkana and Dallas. This is where I learned that there is NO sweet tea in Texas. When we got near Lewisville the most direct route was to take a couple state roads, but unfortunately traffic was so bad it took an hour just to get a few miles down 121 to where the hotel was. After a total of about 605 miles we finally arrived at the Super 8 in Lewisville, TX. I immediately called Boomer to let him know we were there and we planned to meet at 6:30 the next morning in the hotel parking lot.
On this day I observed that people in Arkansas like white pickup trucks with dark tinted windows, and people in Texas drive crazy and have no patience.
Day Three - Saturday, September 14, 2002
We were just finishing up packing our bikes when Boomer and his fiancé, Bennie, and Goober and his wife, Cathey, rode up in the parking lot. We took off towards Creep's house and found out what a crazy rider Boomer really is. After racing to Creep's house we met up with him and his wife, Cathy, and went to breakfast at Denny's. We usually don't eat breakfast, but they had a neat combo plate for just $2.99 so we decided to give that a try (and I could use some coffee). Come to find out it was a good thing we had a big breakfast - more on that later. Creep ruined his reputation by picking up the breakfast tab. After breakfast we hit the road towards Llano to meet up with the rest of the group. A few miles down the road we pulled into a gas station because Boomer had a big welt of a bubble on the side of his rear tire. He went to a local Honda shop to get a new tire put on and the rest of us continued on. After several more miles down the road we went through a small town called Cranfills Gap, which happened to be having a festival called "Septemberfest". They had all of Main Street blocked off for a parade. Since our path was blocked anyway, we shut the bikes off and watched the parade go by. After that little break (that set us back an hour) we continued on to Llano and met the rest of the group, who had already eaten lunch at Coopers BBQ. Since we were running so late, we got there in the busy part of the day and would have had to wait in line for lunch at least an hour. The others had been waiting there a couple hours already so they were more than ready to go, and we didn't want to wait in line that long, so we all hit the road again. There were 13 bikes in total. Bill & Wendy, Lizz, Richard, Hogsheriff, Hogsherriff's son-in-law (I didn't catch his name), Fat Pappy, Creep & Cathy, Goober & Cathey, Darrell & Vay Lynn, DaveT, Pops, Marty and myself. We went through Willow City Loop, which is a small road through part of Texas Hill Country. It was a neat road taking us up and down hills, curves, over cattle guards, and through a few low-running waterways. A little over halfway through the loop we went over some low-running water that had a lot of algae growing on the bottom. Just about everyone slid a little. I saw DaveT, a couple bikes ahead of me, twist hard to the right and hard to the left and then recover, so I just coasted as carefully as possible over it with no trouble. At the top of the hill Creep stopped and said that he didn't see Darrell behind us anymore, so I stayed where I was and a few others went back to find him. Unfortunately he'd slipped and gone down in the water. Fortunately both he and Vay Lynn were fine (although she was a little wet and he was complaining of a pulled thigh the next day). We finally regrouped and headed further down the trail to a pullover where we took a break and snapped some pictures. Nearing the end of the loop we passed by a young calf that, spooked by the loud pipes, darted around and then crossed the road behind me (and in front of Hogsheriff's son-in-law). After a very close call we all got through the loop and back to civilization where we gassed up and headed towards Luckenbach. After getting some gourmet burgers ($5.50 for just a burger) and buying a t-shirt and checking out some of the other bikes there, a few people in our group went their separate ways. Hogsheriff and son took off towards home, Bill & Wendy had to go back to get ready for Bill's trip to Turkey, and Pops had to head home as well. However, Boomer and Bennie finally caught back up with us at Luckenbach. So we left there and headed to Fredericksburg, which happened to be only a few miles down the road. We all checked into the Sunday House Inn and took a couple hours to get all cleaned up and take a break. Everyone ate dinner at the Sunday House German-American Restaurant just down the road. Thanks DaveT! After chatting for a while and planning to meet at 8:30 for breakfast the next day, everyone went back to their rooms. We went with Darrell and Vay Lynn so that we could plan out what we were going to do the next day. Ended up chatting with them until about 11 and then crashed in our room next door. What a day!
On this day I observed that Texans, although hospitable in person, are deadly behind the wheel of a car. I also learned that there are a LOT of bugs in Texas and a grasshopper in the shin at 60+ miles per hour hurts! I also observed that Boomer should fix his tires before he rides, Bennie seems very happy and is a hoot to hang out with, Goober is always entertaining and always a dot in the rear view mirror, Cathey is the angel that keeps Goober down to earth, Creep is more responsible than he lets on, Cathy is the angel that keeps Creep responsible, Bill likes to take very short breaks, Wendy is too quiet, Lizz is a doll in person and gives great hugs (thanks Thunderslide), Richard is kind of quiet but a really nice guy, Dave needs to learn when to keep his mouth shut, Fat Pappy takes life in stride and is a very funny guy, Hogsheriff seems always ready to ride, and his son-in-law doesn't like cows anymore, Darrell has a new name for his bike (HydraGlide), and Vay Lynn learned the backstroke, Pops needs a Mustang seat, Sorgy doesn't have to follow me in his car just to get a hug, Thelma is now a "triker", and Cajun is… well… Cajun, Karen is beautiful and they have a beautiful daughter.
Day Four - Sunday, September 15, 2002
We were able to sleep a little late today. Got most everything packed up and met everyone for a breakfast buffet at the German-American restaurant again. It was great - lots of choices - but I think Marty and I ended up inadvertently kicking some old couple out of their table (since we took all the tables over in one room). Thanks for breakfast Goober & Cathey! After breakfast we finished packing up and saying our goodbyes, and then hit the road with Darrell & Vay Lynn. We headed towards Austin and met up with Pops just before we got to Lime Creek. The roads in this area were fantastic! They were in a mostly residential area, but the roads were wide and clean and consisted of lots of nice sweepers. Pops led us through Lime Creek (a bit curvier) and we stopped about halfway through so Darrell could take some pictures of us taking the curves. Marty and I and Pops went about half a mile further, turned around and started going back. We rounded a curve and flash - there was the picture! I went a little ways further trying to find a good place to turn around again, but the only straightaway I could find was on a slope. I figured no problem - as long as I could take it slow (it was a pretty narrow road). So I started slowly making the u-turn and when I got about halfway around I wasn't sure I was going to make it all in one motion so I decided to just walk it around. Well, of course there's that slope thing and so when I put my feet down I was trying to hold the bike perpendicular to the road instead of perpendicular to gravity. I don't know if anyone's ever mentioned, but these bikes are heavy! So mine started going down. The first time I dropped my bike (shortly after I'd gotten it) I remember that I didn't try very hard to keep it up. This time I was going to try harder. So I didn't really drop the thing, more or less let it down. When I just couldn't hold it anymore I let it go and it flung me down the hill (so I rolled a couple times and popped back up) and ran back up the hill to my bike. Marty was just pulling up beside me and I yelled to him "come help me" and he ran over and picked up the bike like it was nothing. He walked it over to the side of the road and we looked it over good. Not a scratch on it! Meanwhile Pops pulled up beside us and Vay Lynn had walked up the road from where they were, and Darrell was getting on his bike to meet us as well. Other than being a little shaken, I was fine. I had hit the back of my head on the pavement, but thanks to my full-face helmet (which now has a scratch on it) it was like lying down on a bed. Also, if I hadn't been wearing my leather jacket, I'm sure I would've had a scratched up elbow. One of the chrome head bolt covers had popped off and was in the middle of the road. I went out and grabbed it and immediately dropped it again. It burned my fingers pretty good, that baby was HOT! I picked it up with my glove and brought it to the side of the road where we all were and dropped on the ground to let it cool off. So the most damage to the bike or myself out of the whole event was a small burn on my finger from the head bolt cover. Pops said he felt bad for bringing us there, but it was not anyone's fault, and as much as we ride through the mountains, it really could've happened anywhere. So we all got back on our bikes and headed to The Oasis. The Oasis seemed to be a resort-type restaurant a short ways from Lime Creek and with an amazing view of Lake Travis. We went up to the top and took lots of pictures and chatted for a little while. We would've stayed longer but the rain was just starting to catch up with us, so it was time to hit the road again towards Houston. Pops escorted us back to the main highway where Darrell took the lead again and we rode the rest of the day through a steady rain to Houston. Just outside Houston someone in a car drove up beside us and started beeping. I looked over and this guy had his passenger window down and was waving and pointing at me. My first reaction was to think that something must be wrong with my bike, but just as he passed me and started doing the same with Darrell, I figured out that it was Sorgy! We were planning on getting gas anyway, so we pulled into the next station and started filling up and Sorgy pulled in beside us and kept us company and collected a couple more hugs before we all hit the road again. What a coincidence! After a couple hours of battling with Houston traffic in the rain and then taking the HOV lane, which was empty, practically across all of Houston, we arrived at our hotel, the Holiday Inn in Channelview. Darrell stayed with us while we checked in and found out our room number, then they went to their house to clean up and we went to our room to clean up. Darrell and Vay Lynn came back a little while later in their nice dry comfortable truck to pick us up and we went out to eat. We were going to meet Cajun & family for dinner at a Tex-Mex place, so we had some time to kill before they would be there. So Darrell showed us a few of the sites around Houston. We went on a ferry, saw the San Jacinto Monument (which is taller than the Washington Monument), and saw the USS Texas (also seen in such movies as "Pearl Harbor"), lots of boats in the largest marina I've ever seen, and some of Houston's refineries. We then went to The Cadillac Bar at this boardwalk place where I had the best Tex-Mex food I've ever had (by a long shot), and had the pleasure of meeting Cajun and his wife, Karen, and their daughter. While we were there, a party boat went by a couple times. They seemed to be doing the Mardi Gras ritual of giving out beads, except a little backwards. I did not see it but I looked up at Cajun and Marty and both their eyes were wide and they had this shocked look and a big grin on their face. Evidently one of the rather inebriated ladies on the boat had flashed us. Fortunately, I managed to get some beads myself and not have to flash to be flashed. We had a great time (thanks for dinner Darrell). After that we rode back to Darrell and Vay Lynn's new house. Learning about the refineries in the area and seeing them all lit up at night and the flares was really neat. And the house was just amazing! I loved meeting their dogs (just can't get enough of them), and what a neat house! It is unreal how relaxing it is there… just like everyday is vacation. Would've liked to see it when it was light outside, but the darkness added eeriness to the water that was really neat too. After a tour of the house and a nice long chat (we have a lot in common I think) it was back to hotel for some more goodbyes and bedtime!
On this day I learned that I should keep my bike perpendicular to the gravitational pull of the earth, not the sloping road it is on. I was proud of myself for not allowing any damage to my bike and glad I had my helmet and jacket on. I observed that Darrell takes friendship very seriously, even though he doesn't always say it, and Pops and Darrell and Vay Lynn are all good people. Oh, and thank goodness for the HOV lane!
Day Five - Monday, September 16, 2002
We really should've gotten an earlier start, but I was not feeling too well on this day. Evidently I had pulled my back pretty good while trying to hold my bike up at Lime Creek and hadn't realized it. This led to a 1 hour later start than we'd planned. Fortunately riding didn't hurt my back (just the stopping, walking, bending, basically any type of movement). The intenseness of the trip was finally starting to catch up with me too so I was tired much of the day's trip. Of course shortly after we hit Interstate 10 we were detoured off the interstate and through an intersection where ALL of the traffic had to get through a stop sign where there was no police assistance so the traffic was getting quite backed-up. This stopping and starting and the very uneven road was not helping my hurt back at all. After we got through that lame intersection we got on this service road that ran parallel to the interstate for a few minutes. The problem was an overturned 18-wheeler tanker was blocking all the lanes. Of course the only way to get off the service road (other than traveling on to the next town and taking the next entrance ramp which was several miles down the road) was to climb this dirt hill (it had been raining remember) to cross over to the interstate. All the cars in front of us were going this way, so up we went. My confidence was a little shaken due to the drop of the previous day, but I didn't have any trouble at all. Despite the pavement being a good 4 inches higher than the dirt I was on, my bike did exactly what I asked it to, and we were on the Interstate again. We rode through Louisiana on I-10 and crossed a really neat 12-mile bridge before we took I-12 to Slidell, LA (to avoid going through New Orleans). Way behind schedule and not feeling very well we were taking longer and longer breaks. I had hoped to have time to have a quick lunch and meet with Buzzard (Mike) around New Orleans, but we were running way behind and had a long ways to go still. At Slidell, LA we hoped on highway 59 North and crossed over into Mississippi. Fortunately we'd been able to avoid the rain all day. The radar showed 2 bands of rain going the same direction we were. It seemed that we were able to stay in between them and only had a few drops here and there. Shortly after getting into Mississippi it was a little after 6pm. We were so far away from our destination (Tuscaloosa, AL), it was obvious we would be getting there late, so I went ahead and called RoadRocket (Mike) and told him we wouldn't be able to meet for dinner. Shortly after that it started getting dark, due to the clouds. Interstate 59 through Mississippi is rather removed from civilization, so we were getting worried about deer. After it got dark we slowed our speed down to about 60 (the speed limit was 70) and I turned on my flashers so cars and trucks approaching from behind could see us better and not run over us. We did see several deer, but fortunately none of them darted into the road. About halfway to the Alabama border it was dark and an 18-wheeler was behind me for a while and pulled out to pass us, got up beside us and changed his mind and fell back in behind me again. Come to find out about a minute later a group of at least 12 big rigs and several cars came barreling past us. After all that traffic went by and there was nothing as far as the eye could see behind it, the truck went ahead and passed us. I waved as he went by because it seemed like he was shielding us from the on-coming convoy. Shortly afterwards, we took a gas break and Marty and I reflected on the nice trucker-man. Then we hit the road again, crossing the border into Alabama - again at a slower speed and with flashers on. You could tell that the truckers appreciated the flashers, as that little red taillight is hard to see at night, and especially from their viewpoint. When we were about 50 miles from our hotel one of the many truckers that passed us slowed down in front of us to 60 mph. Every time he'd start to accelerate over 60, he'd hit the brakes and pace us. We were no longer as worried about deer, and using his lights we could see tons better. All the trucks and cars coming up behind us could see us better as well. He escorted us for at least 50 miles until we took the exit for our hotel in Tuscaloosa and then he accelerated back up to at least the speed limit and took off. I couldn't believe it. We got to our hotel just a little after 10pm and of course all the restaurants were closed so we ordered pizza and talked about our newfound respect for truckers. After dinner it was off to bed for another painful day.
On this day I learned that those energy drinks really do work, and I tend to get my second wind around dusk. I was disappointed that we didn't get to have dinner with RoadRocket & family at Dreamland BBQ in Tuscaloosa, but I was glad he was able to eat enough for me too. I also learned a whole new respect for truckers.
Day Six - Tuesday, September 17, 2002
This is our final day. My back was hurting again but not quite as bad as it was the day before. I was still tired, and we had a lot of miles to cover and we would lose an hour. We also had to go through Atlanta. We set out around 8am to try to time our going through Atlanta to be well after their lunchtime rush hour was over. After lots of stops and a fairly boring ride through Alabama we crossed over into Georgia and the time changed. As we approached Atlanta I was worried because anyone that's gone through there had told me how bad traffic was. We took the northern loop around the city, and I found out that the traffic wasn't really that bad. It flowed smoothly around 60 or 65 and every time someone wanted to pull in our lane they would actually turn on their signal and wait and look. After riding in Houston traffic Atlanta was a breeze! Shortly after getting through the city we stopped for a quick lunch and then headed towards home. Of course it was 4 o'clock and we were still a long ways from home. We crossed the border into South Carolina around dusk. Fortunately it was just barely light enough to see the big peach water tower. However, it was good and dark by the time we got to the North Carolina border (that's okay, I was so glad to cross over into familiar territory I didn't care how late it was). We stopped in Charlotte and gassed up. Marty went inside to use the bathroom and I was putting gas in my bike. The gas got to the top and I let go of the handle but the gas kept pouring out (and all over my extremely hot bike and myself). I pulled the nozzle away from the bike onto the pavement and had to fiddle with the thing. The little piece of metal that locks the pump open had gotten stuck and I had trouble getting it to unhook. I finally straightened it out and had just finished putting gas in Marty's bike when he walked out. He saw gas everywhere and my bike was smoking (I was wiping it down) and he saw the distraught look on my face so he asked what happened. We moved the bikes over to a parking space and took a nice break while I calmed my nerves. That whole episode shook me up much more than the dropping the bike thing did. It took me several minutes to calm down for some reason. Fortunately we were close to home so about 3 hours and 1 stop later we were pulling in the garage at home. It wouldn't have taken us that long but when we got off the Interstates and on the state roads going through Durham and Wake counties we had to slow down and keep our eyes peeled for deer. It was a few minutes before midnight when we pulled in the garage. We didn't unpack a thing, just pulled the bikes in and went to bed.
On this day I observed that the more days you have covered in a trip, the later you will make it to your destination. I also reaffirmed that although I do enjoy visiting other states, I do love North Carolina. This is home.
States:
Total Mileage: 3092
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