lw
11-07-2008, 10:26 AM
Skeeter, you can skip this post since you've already read it on the TXVROC forum. Hopefully you'll be free for the next one.
Re-posting JD's report on our ride to Talimena Parkway this past weekend, since I didn't think I could describe it any better. This was my first true "long distance" tour, and I had a blast.
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Talimena Scenic Byway, 1-3Nov08
Saturday, 1 Nov 08
Day 1; Houston to Broken Bow, OK
Having packed the bike with my chaps, Shampa face mask, balaclava, gloves and gauntlets, and enuff changes of clothes for 4 days (hey, ya never know...) the night before, I donned my jacket and left the house just before 8 a.m. Saturday morning, arriving at Whataburger in Humble just before Master Mac. Within a few minutes, Spork rolled in with LW, and Larry and Garry from his church. After consuming a cup of coffee and a breakfast sandwich, we were on the way at 9:20 with Spork in the lead, and me in my usual spot at tailgunner.
The day dawned bright and clear, with few clouds, albeit a trifle cool, and way off in the distance to the north I could see rain clouds. The jacket and gloves were sufficient to ward off the morning chill as we pulled out onto US59N, and set off on adventure at a brisk pace. Stopping for fuel at the south end of Diboll, we took a quick coffee and butt break, then onward thru Diboll and Burke, turning right off 59 onto FM2108(?) just past Angelina Cty. Airport, to left on FM58 back to Loop287/US59 around Lufkin, thus avoiding the long line of traffic thru construction approaching the loop directly from 59.
Onward around Lufkin, and back on US59 to US59/Loop224 around Nacogdoches. Trailing the rain thru Garrison and Tenaha, we never got wet, but there was enuff on the ground to dirty up the bikes, wasting efforts by those of us that spent time cleaning before the trip. Me being somewhat like Groundhog, my time wasn't wasted. <G> Fueled up north of Carthage at Gill, TX, then on thru Marshall into Jefferson for a late lunch at The Hamburger Store.
Leaving Jefferson, we took TX49 to US259 at Daingerfield, and turned north on 259 for the Oklahoma line, stopping once more for fuel at DeKalb, TX. Stopping just across the D. I. McCullough Memorial Bridge across the Red River, we took a photo opp, and were met by new VROCer Alan "Cutter" Green, a gentle bear of a man on a pretty VN900, from Idabel, OK. It was Alan's first time meeting other VROCers; he's got a couple Harley riding buddies, but they're fair weather weekend riders.
After a few more minutes visiting, we rode on thru Idabel to Broken Bow, and our base camp at the A-OK Motel, where we met up with Larry's brother Mike with his Harley. Larry joined Mike, while the rest of us got checked into two rooms with three beds each next door to each other. We relaxed for about an hour and a half, including the obligatory visit to Wal-Mart a block away, then off to Papa Poblano's a few blocks north for a pretty good Mexican food dinner. After dinner and fellowship, back to the motel, with Alan continuing back home to Idabel, about 10 miles away. More fellowship followed in the cool evening air in front of the rooms, some of us cleaning off the days minimal dose of bug guts, before we broke up for the night, and LW and I watched the final 20 minutes (end of the 3rd, and the 4th quarters) of the Tech/UT game; outstanding finish to a beautiful day, before we turned in to ready ourselves for the morrow.
I was really proud of my girl; Therapy was absolutely loving the weather and the company, getting better than her usual fuel mileage at nearly 50mpg. Total for the day for us was 352 miles.
-----------------------------------
Sunday, 2 Nov 08
Day 2; Talimena Scenic Byway.
Broken Bow, OK to Mena, AR and return
Up at 7 a.m., well rested and showered, we wiped the night's heavy dew off the bikes. Alan met us at the motel, and we headed back up the street to Papa Poblano's for breakfast just before 8:30 a.m. Service was a bit slow, with the restaurant busy and shorthanded, but the food and the company was good. With our bodies refueled, we fueled up our trusty steeds, and the eight of us headed north on 259 about 10 a.m. We stopped briefly at Three Sticks Monument, and then after cutting off 259 west to Talihina on Hwy 63, those up front were treated to the startlement of Bambi's daddy bounding across the road; I didn't find out what the sudden slowdown was 'til we stopped in Talihena for fuel.
After fueling, and a short restroom/butt break, we left Talimena on OK1, stopping briefly at the Visitor's Center and entrance to the Talimena Scenic Byway, before continuing on the Byway into the Winding Stair Nat'l Recreation Area. There are several Vistas for photo opportunities along the Byway, but time constraints and at times slow traffic constrained us to just two stops, before we crossed the Arkansas line, where OK1 becomes AR88. Once in Arkansas we passed Queen Wilhelmina State Park, and rode on into Mena, AR, for a very late lunch at the Limetree Inn.
Words do not do the ride justice; winding road, steep climbs and drops, sharp curves, and beautiful fall scenery accompanied us the whole way. The photo links at the bottom of the page tell the real story.
Leaving the Limetree, we rode a block or so to the Exxon/Baskin Robbins/Wendy's that serves my company as a bus station, and fueled up. With the time change in effect, darkness coming earlier than we were used to, and for a view of the "other side of the mountains", we rode up US71N about 3 or 4 miles to Acorn, AR, where we turned off on US59N/US270W to US259S, and back to Broken Bow, stopping for a few minutes at a place Alan says is called The Narrows. I have no idea what river it is, but the scenery was gorgeous, even with dusk setting in. Alan said it's right across 259 from the area occupied by survivalists that have been in the news. Between there and Broken Bow, it finally came to my attention that Larry had no taillights, and LW noticed he had no headlight, so we pulled off just north of town about 9 miles, got him sandwiched in the middle, and headed on into base camp, arriving at the motel right at full dark.
Back at the motel, we said our goodbyes to Alan, and he headed home to Idabel. Larry hadn't been feeling well all day, and decided to check out his headlight problem the next morning in daylight; he was rolled up in bed in minutes, and Mike prolly wasn't too far behind. Still full from the late lunch, the rest of us again enjoyed some late evening fellowship in the cool night air, before turning in for the night. Approximately 270 miles; my speedo cable came loose sometime after leaving Talihina for the Byway, and I didn't notice it 'til we left the first stop; didn't get it back on 'til the second stop.
-----------------------------------
Monday, 3 Nov 08
Day 3; Broken Bow, OK to Houston, TX
Up at 6:30 a.m. Again well rested and showered, we left the motel for MacDonalds and breakfast down the street at about 8. Larry and Mike fixed Larry's light problem in MacD's parking lot, replacing a blown fuse, and we rolled across the street and fueled up. At 8:55 a.m., with me out in front this time on the Half Bike, we rode out of the service station on US259S bidding farewell to Broken Bow.
Making a brief stop at the US259/I-30 intersection, we said goodbye to Mike, and as he rode west towards Dallas on I-30, the Southern Six continued south on US259, stopping for fuel in Lone Star, then at the recently opened Bodacious BBQ in Henderson for lunch. We fueled again just north of Nacogdoches, and again in Cleveland. At Cleveland, we bid Master Mac farewell, I said my goodbyes, and Spork again took the lead, taking us for one more all too brief backroad ride via FM1010 onto Plum Grove Road, then left on FM2100 into Crosby. I split off at Old 90 and headed back to Channelview, while the rest went on thru Highlands, arriving home just before 5 p.m.
On the odometer was 864 miles; add the 20 from my house to Humble at the beginning, and ~60 lost when my speedo cable came loose, and a fantastic 944 mile Mental Health Weekend came to a close with hugs and kisses from my four-legged kids. Fed them, grabbed a couple Pop Tarts, checked the mail, made quick posts to the forums, downloaded the pics in my camera to the 'puter, and rolled into bed.
------------------------------------
Tuesday, 4 Nov 08
Afterword
This was one fantastic 3-day weekend. It was great meeting Alan Greene from Idabel, OK, and Larry Scurlock(sp?) and his brother Mike, and great to see Spork, Master Mac, Garry and LW again. As for the riding, I couldn't have searched for and found better companions than the seven I rode with the past few days; as great, maybe, but not better. Thanks go to Joe "Spork" Sharp for putting this ride together, and leading us; also to Spork, Dennis "Master Mac" McHenry, Larry "LW" Sellers, Garry Ican'teverrememberhislastname <G>, Larry and Mike Scurlock, and Alan "Cutter" Green for your friendship and fellowship. Good friends, good food, this beautiful country, and two wheels; it don't get no better than that.
-------------------------------------
Photo links:
Joe: http://tinyurl.com/5u8zu8
LW: http://good-times.webshots.com/album/568476032IZvDLX?start=0
Master Mac: http://www.sungshilkwan.com/vulcan/Talimena_Trip.htm
JD: http://good-times.webshots.com/album/568475468ziRXQK
Talimena Scenic Byway: http://www.talimenascenicdrive.com/
Re-posting JD's report on our ride to Talimena Parkway this past weekend, since I didn't think I could describe it any better. This was my first true "long distance" tour, and I had a blast.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Talimena Scenic Byway, 1-3Nov08
Saturday, 1 Nov 08
Day 1; Houston to Broken Bow, OK
Having packed the bike with my chaps, Shampa face mask, balaclava, gloves and gauntlets, and enuff changes of clothes for 4 days (hey, ya never know...) the night before, I donned my jacket and left the house just before 8 a.m. Saturday morning, arriving at Whataburger in Humble just before Master Mac. Within a few minutes, Spork rolled in with LW, and Larry and Garry from his church. After consuming a cup of coffee and a breakfast sandwich, we were on the way at 9:20 with Spork in the lead, and me in my usual spot at tailgunner.
The day dawned bright and clear, with few clouds, albeit a trifle cool, and way off in the distance to the north I could see rain clouds. The jacket and gloves were sufficient to ward off the morning chill as we pulled out onto US59N, and set off on adventure at a brisk pace. Stopping for fuel at the south end of Diboll, we took a quick coffee and butt break, then onward thru Diboll and Burke, turning right off 59 onto FM2108(?) just past Angelina Cty. Airport, to left on FM58 back to Loop287/US59 around Lufkin, thus avoiding the long line of traffic thru construction approaching the loop directly from 59.
Onward around Lufkin, and back on US59 to US59/Loop224 around Nacogdoches. Trailing the rain thru Garrison and Tenaha, we never got wet, but there was enuff on the ground to dirty up the bikes, wasting efforts by those of us that spent time cleaning before the trip. Me being somewhat like Groundhog, my time wasn't wasted. <G> Fueled up north of Carthage at Gill, TX, then on thru Marshall into Jefferson for a late lunch at The Hamburger Store.
Leaving Jefferson, we took TX49 to US259 at Daingerfield, and turned north on 259 for the Oklahoma line, stopping once more for fuel at DeKalb, TX. Stopping just across the D. I. McCullough Memorial Bridge across the Red River, we took a photo opp, and were met by new VROCer Alan "Cutter" Green, a gentle bear of a man on a pretty VN900, from Idabel, OK. It was Alan's first time meeting other VROCers; he's got a couple Harley riding buddies, but they're fair weather weekend riders.
After a few more minutes visiting, we rode on thru Idabel to Broken Bow, and our base camp at the A-OK Motel, where we met up with Larry's brother Mike with his Harley. Larry joined Mike, while the rest of us got checked into two rooms with three beds each next door to each other. We relaxed for about an hour and a half, including the obligatory visit to Wal-Mart a block away, then off to Papa Poblano's a few blocks north for a pretty good Mexican food dinner. After dinner and fellowship, back to the motel, with Alan continuing back home to Idabel, about 10 miles away. More fellowship followed in the cool evening air in front of the rooms, some of us cleaning off the days minimal dose of bug guts, before we broke up for the night, and LW and I watched the final 20 minutes (end of the 3rd, and the 4th quarters) of the Tech/UT game; outstanding finish to a beautiful day, before we turned in to ready ourselves for the morrow.
I was really proud of my girl; Therapy was absolutely loving the weather and the company, getting better than her usual fuel mileage at nearly 50mpg. Total for the day for us was 352 miles.
-----------------------------------
Sunday, 2 Nov 08
Day 2; Talimena Scenic Byway.
Broken Bow, OK to Mena, AR and return
Up at 7 a.m., well rested and showered, we wiped the night's heavy dew off the bikes. Alan met us at the motel, and we headed back up the street to Papa Poblano's for breakfast just before 8:30 a.m. Service was a bit slow, with the restaurant busy and shorthanded, but the food and the company was good. With our bodies refueled, we fueled up our trusty steeds, and the eight of us headed north on 259 about 10 a.m. We stopped briefly at Three Sticks Monument, and then after cutting off 259 west to Talihina on Hwy 63, those up front were treated to the startlement of Bambi's daddy bounding across the road; I didn't find out what the sudden slowdown was 'til we stopped in Talihena for fuel.
After fueling, and a short restroom/butt break, we left Talimena on OK1, stopping briefly at the Visitor's Center and entrance to the Talimena Scenic Byway, before continuing on the Byway into the Winding Stair Nat'l Recreation Area. There are several Vistas for photo opportunities along the Byway, but time constraints and at times slow traffic constrained us to just two stops, before we crossed the Arkansas line, where OK1 becomes AR88. Once in Arkansas we passed Queen Wilhelmina State Park, and rode on into Mena, AR, for a very late lunch at the Limetree Inn.
Words do not do the ride justice; winding road, steep climbs and drops, sharp curves, and beautiful fall scenery accompanied us the whole way. The photo links at the bottom of the page tell the real story.
Leaving the Limetree, we rode a block or so to the Exxon/Baskin Robbins/Wendy's that serves my company as a bus station, and fueled up. With the time change in effect, darkness coming earlier than we were used to, and for a view of the "other side of the mountains", we rode up US71N about 3 or 4 miles to Acorn, AR, where we turned off on US59N/US270W to US259S, and back to Broken Bow, stopping for a few minutes at a place Alan says is called The Narrows. I have no idea what river it is, but the scenery was gorgeous, even with dusk setting in. Alan said it's right across 259 from the area occupied by survivalists that have been in the news. Between there and Broken Bow, it finally came to my attention that Larry had no taillights, and LW noticed he had no headlight, so we pulled off just north of town about 9 miles, got him sandwiched in the middle, and headed on into base camp, arriving at the motel right at full dark.
Back at the motel, we said our goodbyes to Alan, and he headed home to Idabel. Larry hadn't been feeling well all day, and decided to check out his headlight problem the next morning in daylight; he was rolled up in bed in minutes, and Mike prolly wasn't too far behind. Still full from the late lunch, the rest of us again enjoyed some late evening fellowship in the cool night air, before turning in for the night. Approximately 270 miles; my speedo cable came loose sometime after leaving Talihina for the Byway, and I didn't notice it 'til we left the first stop; didn't get it back on 'til the second stop.
-----------------------------------
Monday, 3 Nov 08
Day 3; Broken Bow, OK to Houston, TX
Up at 6:30 a.m. Again well rested and showered, we left the motel for MacDonalds and breakfast down the street at about 8. Larry and Mike fixed Larry's light problem in MacD's parking lot, replacing a blown fuse, and we rolled across the street and fueled up. At 8:55 a.m., with me out in front this time on the Half Bike, we rode out of the service station on US259S bidding farewell to Broken Bow.
Making a brief stop at the US259/I-30 intersection, we said goodbye to Mike, and as he rode west towards Dallas on I-30, the Southern Six continued south on US259, stopping for fuel in Lone Star, then at the recently opened Bodacious BBQ in Henderson for lunch. We fueled again just north of Nacogdoches, and again in Cleveland. At Cleveland, we bid Master Mac farewell, I said my goodbyes, and Spork again took the lead, taking us for one more all too brief backroad ride via FM1010 onto Plum Grove Road, then left on FM2100 into Crosby. I split off at Old 90 and headed back to Channelview, while the rest went on thru Highlands, arriving home just before 5 p.m.
On the odometer was 864 miles; add the 20 from my house to Humble at the beginning, and ~60 lost when my speedo cable came loose, and a fantastic 944 mile Mental Health Weekend came to a close with hugs and kisses from my four-legged kids. Fed them, grabbed a couple Pop Tarts, checked the mail, made quick posts to the forums, downloaded the pics in my camera to the 'puter, and rolled into bed.
------------------------------------
Tuesday, 4 Nov 08
Afterword
This was one fantastic 3-day weekend. It was great meeting Alan Greene from Idabel, OK, and Larry Scurlock(sp?) and his brother Mike, and great to see Spork, Master Mac, Garry and LW again. As for the riding, I couldn't have searched for and found better companions than the seven I rode with the past few days; as great, maybe, but not better. Thanks go to Joe "Spork" Sharp for putting this ride together, and leading us; also to Spork, Dennis "Master Mac" McHenry, Larry "LW" Sellers, Garry Ican'teverrememberhislastname <G>, Larry and Mike Scurlock, and Alan "Cutter" Green for your friendship and fellowship. Good friends, good food, this beautiful country, and two wheels; it don't get no better than that.
-------------------------------------
Photo links:
Joe: http://tinyurl.com/5u8zu8
LW: http://good-times.webshots.com/album/568476032IZvDLX?start=0
Master Mac: http://www.sungshilkwan.com/vulcan/Talimena_Trip.htm
JD: http://good-times.webshots.com/album/568475468ziRXQK
Talimena Scenic Byway: http://www.talimenascenicdrive.com/