Acrobat_imp
Running like a top
Amazing Stichill! Thank you. This is real motorcycling. Just wonder how it would be if you were on your CB....:clap:
The Cheese Weasels Do Big Bend, Texas
- Thread starter Stichill
- Start date
Stichill
Road warrior
Thread starter
I think a CB would handle this road very well! A CB is still in my future. Although I admire the CB...I didn't buy one yet!Acrobat_imp said:
Acrobat_imp
Running like a top
Yet.. I wish you soon..
Stichill
Road warrior
Thread starter
Day 04 - Monday 26 March 2018 - Study Butte-Terlingua through Big Bend State Park
The long day of riding and hiking though Big Bend National Park left us rolling into the Big Bend Resort & Adventures Motel & RV Park well after dark, so it was interesting to come outside at daybreak and take a look at our surroundings.
The ride through Big Bend National Park left us at the intersection of TX 118 and TX 170, near Study Butte-Terlingua.
We checked the bikes for any unseen damage from the rough ride over the washboard gravel road. Other than being dirty, the bikes appeared to be in complete condition. I have to give a tip of the hat to Harley Davidson. No longer can it be said that someone needs to ride behind a Harley to pick up any parts that fall off. These bikes were put together right and took a beating while holding together just fine.
Note the oil cooler mounted low right behind the front tire.
Owing to the late arrival the night before, we rose a bit later than usual and didn't hit the road until 8:40 am.
Packing up and getting ready to roll.
The long day of riding and hiking though Big Bend National Park left us rolling into the Big Bend Resort & Adventures Motel & RV Park well after dark, so it was interesting to come outside at daybreak and take a look at our surroundings.
The ride through Big Bend National Park left us at the intersection of TX 118 and TX 170, near Study Butte-Terlingua.
We checked the bikes for any unseen damage from the rough ride over the washboard gravel road. Other than being dirty, the bikes appeared to be in complete condition. I have to give a tip of the hat to Harley Davidson. No longer can it be said that someone needs to ride behind a Harley to pick up any parts that fall off. These bikes were put together right and took a beating while holding together just fine.
Note the oil cooler mounted low right behind the front tire.
Owing to the late arrival the night before, we rose a bit later than usual and didn't hit the road until 8:40 am.
Packing up and getting ready to roll.
Stichill
Road warrior
Thread starter
Absolutely. I have to think there are aftermarket guards for it, and thanks!Flynrider_imp said:Yikes! No wonder you were worried about riding a dirt/gravel road. It would be hard to find a worse place to mount that oil cooler. Even on paved roads it would see occasional pebbles thrown off the tire.Stichill_imp said:Day 04 - Monday 26 March 2018 - Study Butte-Terlingua through Big Bend State Park
The long day of riding and hiking though Big Bend National Park left us rolling into the Big Bend Resort & Adventures Motel & RV Park well after dark, so it was interesting to come outside at daybreak and take a look at our surroundings.
The ride through Big Bend National Park left us at the intersection of TX 118 and TX 170, near Study Butte-Terlingua.
We checked the bikes for any unseen damage from the rough ride over the washboard gravel road. Other than being dirty, the bikes appeared to be in complete condition. I have to give a tip of the hat to Harley Davidson. No longer can it be said that someone needs to ride behind a Harley to pick up any parts that fall off. These bikes were put together right and took a beating while holding together just fine.
Note the oil cooler mounted low right behind the front tire.
Owing to the late arrival the night before, we rose a bit later than usual and didn't hit the road until 8:40 am.
Packing up and getting ready to roll.
Loving the ride report!
Glad you're enjoying the report! Yes, we were riding Harleys but we are not Harley riders...we just rented what was available! Definitely looked like fish out of water, lol.Aussieflyer_imp said:
You might enjoy these prior rides if you haven't already seen them (reported on another forum):[ul] [li]Georgia Bound[/li] [li][url=http://f800riders.org/forum/showthread.php/285057-The-Cheese-Weasels-Do-Death-Valley]The Cheese Weasels Do Death Valley
[/li][/ul]
Thank you. I agree, you'd be able to see a lot more of the park on a KLR650. There are many miles more unpaved than paved roads from what we could tell.pdedse_imp said:
Stichill
Road warrior
Thread starter
You bet! We all need inspiration as this endless winter keeps dragging on! I live near ferret and it was a shock coming back to reality! I'm looking forward to warmer, sunnier weather too!silverbub_imp said:
Day 4 - Monday 26 March 2018 - Texas 170 Big Bend State Park
We left Big Bend Motel & RV Park and headed straight west onto TX 170. 170 winds through the town of Terlingua and then passed through the town of Lajitas right on the border of Big Bend State Park. During my search for lodging in the area, I completely missed Lajitas Resort / Badlands Hotel. It looks pretty nice if you're interested in high-end accommodations.
As we exited Lajitas, we entered the park and were quickly entertained by marvelous landscape views and a challenging road to ride. My advice would be to take it easy on this highway, enjoy the scenery but pay close attention to the road. It has a lot of blind hills and curves, and there are areas where gigantic boulders and rocks could fall onto the road in front of you.
I don't have a lot of narration to offer here...the photos speak to the scenes we enjoyed.
Inhouse Bob
Road warrior
Lovely! The weather seems to have treated y'all well.
Stichill
Road warrior
Thread starter
Yes, we were fortunate to have clear skies and comfortable temperatures during the best parts of the trip.
the Ferret
Road warrior
Really impressed with the beauty of Texas that you've shown us. Going to have to add that trip to my list of places to go.
redbirds_imp
Road warrior
Thanks Stichell for this ride report. Beautiful photos and story telling.
Thanks, Stichill, for this fantastic report. I’m enjoying riding along with you and looking at the amazing vistas. I see now why redbirds has always written so enthusiastically about the Texas Hill Country. It looks amazing.
I was interested in your Eagle Rider experience. Pterodactyl and I used them when we came to the US in 2015 and found them excellent. We didn’t rent Harleys; I don’t know if that made a difference.
I was interested in your Eagle Rider experience. Pterodactyl and I used them when we came to the US in 2015 and found them excellent. We didn’t rent Harleys; I don’t know if that made a difference.
Stichill
Road warrior
Thread starter
You're welcome, Cormanus. I really enjoy documenting the "big rides" as it's a good way to reinforce the memories in my own mind as well as create a record for later perusal and reminiscence.
With EagleRider, our experience at Euro Cycle Las Vegas last year was positive. Cowboy is relatively new to the EagleRider system; I think they launched March 1 so it may have been startup problems. I did write to EagleRider about the experience last Friday. I got an automated acknowledgement but so far no actual response.
With EagleRider, our experience at Euro Cycle Las Vegas last year was positive. Cowboy is relatively new to the EagleRider system; I think they launched March 1 so it may have been startup problems. I did write to EagleRider about the experience last Friday. I got an automated acknowledgement but so far no actual response.
Stichill
Road warrior
Thread starter
Day 4 - 26 March 2018 - Presidio to Fort Davis
Leaving Big Bend State Park, we gassed up in Presidio and turned north toward Fort Davis.
As we descended in elevation north of Shafter, an immense expanse opened before us. We could see for miles in all directions west, north, and east across a vast prairie interrupted only by distant mountain ranges. It wasn't safe to stop on the highway until we'd reached a lower elevation, but these images nevertheless hint at the impressive scope of the landscape we encountered.
We reached Fort Davis under increasingly overcast skies and cooler temperatures, and parked in a spacious lot. Then we walk a short distance into town and immediately found an inviting drug store lunch stop.
The wait staff and local customers were very open and easy to engage in conversation. The lunch crowd was sizable and told us that this was the right place to eat the noon meal.
Creative drug store plumbing
We ran short of time to do the entire Fort Davis loop that Redbirds recommended, but we did have a chance to run up and down TX 118 and stop at the McDonald Observatory (hat tip to junipash). I absolutely loved riding 118 and was enthralled with the beauty of the countryside in that area.
We went further up TX 118 and turned around in a wayside picnic area. Here I am punching in a new route to take us through Alpine, back through Marathon and Sanderson, thence onto secondary roads heading northeast toward Sheffield.
Leaving Big Bend State Park, we gassed up in Presidio and turned north toward Fort Davis.
As we descended in elevation north of Shafter, an immense expanse opened before us. We could see for miles in all directions west, north, and east across a vast prairie interrupted only by distant mountain ranges. It wasn't safe to stop on the highway until we'd reached a lower elevation, but these images nevertheless hint at the impressive scope of the landscape we encountered.
We reached Fort Davis under increasingly overcast skies and cooler temperatures, and parked in a spacious lot. Then we walk a short distance into town and immediately found an inviting drug store lunch stop.
The wait staff and local customers were very open and easy to engage in conversation. The lunch crowd was sizable and told us that this was the right place to eat the noon meal.
Creative drug store plumbing
We ran short of time to do the entire Fort Davis loop that Redbirds recommended, but we did have a chance to run up and down TX 118 and stop at the McDonald Observatory (hat tip to junipash). I absolutely loved riding 118 and was enthralled with the beauty of the countryside in that area.
We went further up TX 118 and turned around in a wayside picnic area. Here I am punching in a new route to take us through Alpine, back through Marathon and Sanderson, thence onto secondary roads heading northeast toward Sheffield.
redbirds_imp
Road warrior
The Davis mountains were a pleasant surprise for me the first time we visited there. We went there from Presidio just as you did with the idea of getting on US90 for our drive back to El Paso. Once there we wisely decided to spend an extra day in the area; it was lovely and we wanted to linger a bit.
GaryMNM_imp
Running like a top
As mentioned by others, great pic's and ride report, thanks for pulling it together and sharing.
I made some of the same stops back in April of 2012. Coming back from a once annual BBQ gathering held south of Houston. Mine included a stop off at the Spoetzl Brewery in Shiner, TX. My trip was solo, as most of mine tend to be, so I can closely identify with those times of deep contemplation.
I went from sweltering Texas heat to a snow capped welcome home after a stop to tour the Carlsbad Caverns.
Congrats on a great adventure.
I made some of the same stops back in April of 2012. Coming back from a once annual BBQ gathering held south of Houston. Mine included a stop off at the Spoetzl Brewery in Shiner, TX. My trip was solo, as most of mine tend to be, so I can closely identify with those times of deep contemplation.
I went from sweltering Texas heat to a snow capped welcome home after a stop to tour the Carlsbad Caverns.
Congrats on a great adventure.
Stichill
Road warrior
Thread starter
Thanks for the positive commentary, Gary. I've come away with some indelible Texas memories...
Stichill
Road warrior
Thread starter
Day 4 - 26 March 2018 - Fort Davis to Ozona
After we turned around on TX 118 northwest of Fort Davis, we had quite a few miles ahead of us to reach our overnight in Ozona off interstate 10.
We decided to avoid the slab and instead rode through Alpine and Marathon, turning north at Sanderson, making no stops.
As we struck off on a ranch road toward Sheffield, one of our guys was monitoring storm activity to our north-northwest. It was mostly staying north of us but now that we were heading more north, it was a growing concern. We pulled up together and talked it over.
The meeting of the minds...
TX Ranch Road 2400 is a very lonely road. We felt very isolated out there. We saw no human habitation or retail operation of any kind, just an occasional oil/gas installation or lonely industrial shed. It was warm and sunny. with no traffic and no crossroads to worry about, everyone chilled out and we just rode peacefully "in the zone" all the way to the intersection of N State Highway 349.
At the intersection of TX 2400 and TX 349, we finally found a wide spot in the road where we could stop and take a break.
Looking north on 349
Looking south on 349
Looking back west on TX 2400
We made it to our hotel in Ozona, just a standard Hampton Inn motel. We rode a short distance to a steakhouse and had a nice steak dinner. We fueled the bikes on the way back so we'd be ready to go early the next morning.
Parked for the night
Total mileage Day 4
After we turned around on TX 118 northwest of Fort Davis, we had quite a few miles ahead of us to reach our overnight in Ozona off interstate 10.
We decided to avoid the slab and instead rode through Alpine and Marathon, turning north at Sanderson, making no stops.
As we struck off on a ranch road toward Sheffield, one of our guys was monitoring storm activity to our north-northwest. It was mostly staying north of us but now that we were heading more north, it was a growing concern. We pulled up together and talked it over.
The meeting of the minds...
TX Ranch Road 2400 is a very lonely road. We felt very isolated out there. We saw no human habitation or retail operation of any kind, just an occasional oil/gas installation or lonely industrial shed. It was warm and sunny. with no traffic and no crossroads to worry about, everyone chilled out and we just rode peacefully "in the zone" all the way to the intersection of N State Highway 349.
At the intersection of TX 2400 and TX 349, we finally found a wide spot in the road where we could stop and take a break.
Looking north on 349
Looking south on 349
Looking back west on TX 2400
We made it to our hotel in Ozona, just a standard Hampton Inn motel. We rode a short distance to a steakhouse and had a nice steak dinner. We fueled the bikes on the way back so we'd be ready to go early the next morning.
Parked for the night
Total mileage Day 4
Stichill
Road warrior
Thread starter
Day 5 - 27 March 2018 - Ozona back to Austin
There were thunderstorms overnight, which did a fantastic job of washing all the dust and grime off the bikes.
The weather to the east contained spotty areas of rain. The weather outside was cool, in the low 50s Fahrenheit.
We ate the complementary hotel breakfast and were on the highway by 7:30. We decided to just make time on interstate 10 and then hop off at TX 90 through Harper and on through Fredericksburg.
Stopping to add more layers off I-10
We were running the speed limit of 80 mph to keep up with the prevailing traffic. We came upon a convoy of wide-load chase cars that were all towing another chase car. It looked sketchy because they were small cars towing small cars of equal size. I was leading the group and had gotten out ahead when the the other three had peeled off at the rest area to layer up. I noticed the tow cars were weaving in their lanes as the wind, road surface, and loose front suspension on the towed cars caused them to wander left and right out of their lane. I applied throttle and got past them as quickly as possible.
After I had passed them, I went through a construction zone where speeds slowed to 45 mph and the lanes deviated. Behind me, my group approached the same construction zone, only they were behind the tow car convoy. As one of the convoy cars applied brakes to slow for the construction, it jack-knifed directly in front of one of our riders who was leading the following group of three. The guys said this happened only few car lengths ahead. As our buddy applied brakes and backed off, the jack-knifing tow cars did a 360° minuet in front of him, veered to the right, then sling-shotted back across to the left and into the median. The guys said it was one of the hairiest near-misses they'd ever seen on a bike.
At those cruising speeds, we saw that the Harleys were draining their fuel tanks rapidly. We saw a gas station in Harper and stopped to gas up. The store wasn't open on Tuesdays (go figure) but the pumps were working with credit cards. After topping off, we rode on a few more miles and found another one in Frederickburg to refresh.
Harper
Frederickburg
I made the mistake of continuing east on TX 290 past Dripping Springs to I-35 in Austin. TX 290 at that point becomes suburban stop-and-go. Then I-35 is a wild urban interstate jungle. Would have been better to cut back SE from Dripping Springs, using the same route we had on the way out.
We got back to Cowboy Harley Davidson around 12:30 pm, unpacked the bikes, changed clothes, and called an Uber to the airport.
All-in-all, a grand riding adventure over the incredibly scenic and beautiful landscapes of Texas.
Actual route, run clockwise from Austin
There were thunderstorms overnight, which did a fantastic job of washing all the dust and grime off the bikes.
The weather to the east contained spotty areas of rain. The weather outside was cool, in the low 50s Fahrenheit.
We ate the complementary hotel breakfast and were on the highway by 7:30. We decided to just make time on interstate 10 and then hop off at TX 90 through Harper and on through Fredericksburg.
Stopping to add more layers off I-10
We were running the speed limit of 80 mph to keep up with the prevailing traffic. We came upon a convoy of wide-load chase cars that were all towing another chase car. It looked sketchy because they were small cars towing small cars of equal size. I was leading the group and had gotten out ahead when the the other three had peeled off at the rest area to layer up. I noticed the tow cars were weaving in their lanes as the wind, road surface, and loose front suspension on the towed cars caused them to wander left and right out of their lane. I applied throttle and got past them as quickly as possible.
After I had passed them, I went through a construction zone where speeds slowed to 45 mph and the lanes deviated. Behind me, my group approached the same construction zone, only they were behind the tow car convoy. As one of the convoy cars applied brakes to slow for the construction, it jack-knifed directly in front of one of our riders who was leading the following group of three. The guys said this happened only few car lengths ahead. As our buddy applied brakes and backed off, the jack-knifing tow cars did a 360° minuet in front of him, veered to the right, then sling-shotted back across to the left and into the median. The guys said it was one of the hairiest near-misses they'd ever seen on a bike.
At those cruising speeds, we saw that the Harleys were draining their fuel tanks rapidly. We saw a gas station in Harper and stopped to gas up. The store wasn't open on Tuesdays (go figure) but the pumps were working with credit cards. After topping off, we rode on a few more miles and found another one in Frederickburg to refresh.
Harper
Frederickburg
I made the mistake of continuing east on TX 290 past Dripping Springs to I-35 in Austin. TX 290 at that point becomes suburban stop-and-go. Then I-35 is a wild urban interstate jungle. Would have been better to cut back SE from Dripping Springs, using the same route we had on the way out.
We got back to Cowboy Harley Davidson around 12:30 pm, unpacked the bikes, changed clothes, and called an Uber to the airport.
All-in-all, a grand riding adventure over the incredibly scenic and beautiful landscapes of Texas.
Actual route, run clockwise from Austin
Inhouse Bob
Road warrior
A great adventure. I'm so glad no one got tangled up with the cars on the last day. That could have been really ugly. See you in Kentucky!
the Ferret
Road warrior
Simply a great adventure and a great seat time report. Thanks so much Stichill for taking the time. The forum is a mich richer place because of members like you (now if you only had a CB 1100 lol)
