Detailed topics:
Quint and Lori in Athens, Georgia
EvesGarden in Marathon, TX
Visiting Cynthia in Carthage, TX
Visiting Cynthia in Hempstead, TX
Ride to Columbia, South Carolina
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Hi Y'all,
Oops, RideLikeRon came to an early end this year with the diagnosis of sudden, imminent motorcycle drive spline failure. This developed in Houston at MPH Cycles (aka MPH Automotive) when I had my rear tire replaced because it had one "small" bald spot near the valve stem despite having good tread everywhere else. The mechanic, Mike Haven, impresses me as being a nice guy and very capable. He told me that my final drive splines are 75% gone .. only 25% left. When those teeth shear, the bike will stop. The repair takes more than two weeks because only three machine shops in the country will fabricate a new part and weld it in place. When asked if I could get another 10,000 miles before repair he said flatly no.
After considering the inclement local weather forecast for the next week (freezing rain), the lonely miles in West Texas and the frigidity of Salt Lake City at this time of year, I reluctantly decided to turn tail and ride I-10 back to safe haven in South Carolina.
Read on for the one page synopsis, or skip ahead to the complete story in 15 pages.
Hey guys, your turn. Supply a few details, names, dates, etc. Has anyone put pictures of the trip on the web somewhere?? Do any of you have unused web space from your ISP??
Now that my buddies have returned to Maryland, Ohio and work, my trip is just beginning. I wonder where I will get to this time. Amusing to think that I've traveled 3300 miles by motorcycle before starting to RideLikeRon. (Although obsolete, this paragraph conveys my philosophy and expectations when starting a ride.)
The first day's ride was a lovely one, from Mt. Vernon, Texas to Carthage, TX. It was bright and sunny with plenty of wintertime greenery in the fields, very bucolic and peaceful. The route involved several Texas "Farm roads," specifically TX 3122 to 3007 to 21 to 11 to Pittsburg and US 271 south through Gladewater to TX 135 to Kilgore and US 259 south to Henderson and US 79 east. It reminded me of the rides near Uricksville that Lee likes. Why did the group ride so many miles when such pleasant scenery is so close to John's home?
The twisties near Big Bend and the outrageously rugged mountains thereabouts are mind blowing, but the long miles getting there and back seem out of portion for the four hours of Big Bend. I'm not complaining - it was a great trip with great company, but these guys need to retire so that we can have the time to ENJOY leisurely trips.
Getting from Columbia, South Carolina to Mt. Vernon, Texas involved a deadline of December 27th and winter weather which limits choices and dulls scenery. My passion for genealogy was rewarded with the enjoyments of meeting two new genealogy cousins (Quint & Don) and finding good stuff during three days at the Hargrett manuscript collection at the University of Georgia in Athens. One day of magnificent weather crossing northern Alabama on old US highway 82 was balanced by one day of absolute misery crossing Arkansas in cold winter rain.
The rain tapered off south of Texarkana. It was a relief to get to John's house on Christmas day and very nice of John and Debby to welcome me on such short notice, especially since Debby and I had never previously met (although she had seen my bare butt in one of Jonathan's photos from an earlier trip). I slept on the deck before realizing that it had no view of the stars. The day in Dallas shopping with the family for sister Rose's birthday presents was a hoot and sister Betty is delightful.
The group assembled in Dallas, but I rode alone to Abilene, so it was quite a surprise at the motel when a total stranger asked if I was riding with John & Walt. Jim is a childhood buddy of Walt, John, and Lee; and provided his car as a "sag wagon" to tag along on this ride.
The scenery got flatter and drier throughout the entire westward ride to Marathon. Once I stopped trying to keep up with the group, the wind became less difficult and the ride to Marathon became very enjoyable - and I caught up at every gas or meal stop. It was mind blowing to see Elk alongside the road. EvesGarden Bed and Breakfast in Marathon is an experience in alternative art and architecture with a futuristic yellow turret overlooking a billowing white canopied courtyard. Clyde and Kate are fascinating and provide good healthy food.
It rained all night, all morning, and all 90 miles to Big Bend National Park. Bob's offer of a ride in the car sounded good to me, and only drawback was missing the twisties and full view of the outlandish rock formations along the river road to Presidio. Impressive blooms of the century plant were another highlight. The guys said that a coyote darted across the road between the lead riders.
The ride back wasn't very pleasant for me although seeing Paul Talbeck's sculpture portfolio and the stop at Braum's Ice Cream helped. West Texas is awfully flat and barren, but the next day of riding was worse after developing a fever and having diahrreha. Ugly, yes, and my New Year's partying was limited to three conversations with my concerned friends while I "slept" in my tent in the yard to keep the infection to myself.
A day later John and Debi left for Oklahoma and I rode to Carthage as described above. Cynthia and her family were individually very different and great fun. Another Cynthia in Hempstead graciously allowed me to work in her guest house on the Bankston genealogy. Her hospitality was repaid by several time-saving computer shortcuts I enjoyed showing her.
And now we've arrived at the opening paragraph of this travelogue. There was nothing unusual about the return trip to Columbia except the rain, all those deer in Alabama, and the duration, 1050 miles in 23 hours.
Here is the full blown story.
Packing for an extended absence always takes longer than expected. Visiting with cousin Sharon in Hilton Head the previous weekend had shaved a couple of days from the original schedule. Sharon and Hugh are marvelous hosts who provide an air mattress on their balcony for me to sleep outside overlooking the Atlantic in the moonlight. Tres Magnifique! Words fail, pictures fail, TV fails. Some things can be explained only by experience.
My first destination was the University of Georgia at Athens, Georgia to research Bankston genealogy for cousin Roy at the Hargrett Manuscript collection, and to visit with Sharon's son Quint. Even with those "extra" days for packing added into the schedule, I was still five days "late" leaving Columbia, South Carolina at 7pm Dec 18th, 2006. Daylight provides better visibility, better safety, and better scenery, so I usually will not ride after dark, but on the Interstates those disadvantages are often offset by reduced traffic and most of the distance was on I-20. The first surprise was that the exit for highway 17 so close to the SC border. After confirming directions and checking the map it was obvious that Quint lives nowhere near Athens. His directions were good, but his cabin is way back in the woods and street signs are very obscure in the darkness. I missed one turn and doubled back needlessly a couple of times. The gravel road and "turn at the second set of mailboxes" indicate how far off the beaten track it was.
Sharon's son, Quint, and wife Lori near Bowman were waiting up for me and were as delightful as Sharon had promised. The stars in that remote location were beautifully bright and clear, a fringe benefit of my choice to sleep outside every night. There was a good dew, so I took my time the next morning drying my sleeping bag before riding in to Athens.
Following the advice of Pat and Frank, I parked for free at the University Information Office. As I started walking the two miles to the library, a bus pulled to a stop at the intersection and I asked the driver if it was a campus bus. He said, "Hop in and I'll give you a ride." He was pleasant and we chatted most of the 20-minutes there. As I got off, I remarked, "You really like your job, don't you?" He said he loved it. It is remarkable to be given a free ride by a city bus driver.
Since it was close to noon, so I called Quint and we arranged to meet in front of the university library to go to lunch together. I was able to get registered as a researcher with the Hargrett Rare Books and Manuscript room before lunch. We went to an Indian restaurant and enjoyed a delicious buffet with good curry.
That afternoon of paging through court debt records at the Hargrett yielded three documents with Thomas Bankston's original signatures. If you were hooked on genealogy, you'd understand that this is exciting. Cousin Don Clarke is a natural-born historian and has spent a lifetime researching his ancestors and the Georgia Bankstons, so I decided to hustle off to Lithonia (Li'thonia) to visit with him about them.
..The ride to Lithonia was not bad. The traffic after 5pm was somewhat heavy at first, but soon dissipated and the countryside was pleasant. The big surprise was the town of Snellville which was built up into an endless shopping mecca.
..Don's directions were good, so I was able to drive directly to his house easily. I very much enjoyed meeting Don, although I didn't spend the time his collection warrents. He contended that the Georgia Archives probably had microfilms of the records Roy wanted me to page through, so I volunteered to rent a car to take him there.
..Next morning after coffee and newspaper I rode my bike over to Enterprise to rent a car. En route to the Archives, we stopped at the cemetery to check that his mother's inscription had been done correctly. In "Atlanta", the Georgia State Archives are next door to the National Archives, and Don gave me the complete tour. Their genealogical collection is much better than at many other state archives. As he had stated, Don was able to find a transcription in the court books of one of the documents I had found the previous day.
..Quint and I enjoyed meeting for lunch each day I was at the Hargrett. Athens has several good eateries.
..The remainder of the week at the Hargrett in Athens was mostly unproductive. I'm guessing that the Bankston's moved on by 1810.
..Friday afternoon the school closed early for Christmas holiday, so Quint and Lori and I
Early in the morning of the 21st I packed and left Quint's. The humidity was such that all my sleeping gear was still damp.
..The ride across northern Georgia and Alabama on I-20 was pleasant with far less traffic than I expected two days before Christmas. The weather was beautiful and the scenery was good for wintertime with more greens than elsewhere. Life was lovely and motorcycling was a pinnacle. This day felt like it would never end.
..The day's ride across northern Georgia and Alabama was splendid, with ideal weather and very enjoyable green scenery.
..That second day's ride started with motorcycle maintenance under cloudy skies before a chilly ride across northern Mississippi, and degraded into slogging across all of southern Arkansas in the rain.
..Once Birmingham occupied the rear view mirrors, I started looking for old US highway 82 which would take me around Tuscaloosa and all the way to Texarkana.
..I slept at the back of the lot belonging to a large architectural firm just inside the Alabama border.
..Since I had used 5W-30 oil and some synthetic, the bike used oil and the tappets had become very loud, so I adjusted the valves under cloudy skies the next morning.
..The scenery and road surface across northern Mississippi was almost as good as Alabama, but the cloud cover was anxiety producing.
..In Arkansas the ugly, rainy side of motorcycling raised its ugly head.
..The light rain started 30 miles inside Arkansas and continued all day & all night.
..I continued until dark since I was wearing a rain suit and had wrapped my gear in waterproof plastic tarp. Still riding all day in the rain is not pleasant.
..That night I slept behind an agricultural extension office under the roof of the coffee klatch/ smokers patio.
..Next morning my gloves and shoes were still soaked but proved comfortable and surprisingly warm.
..The rain continued for the last 40 miles of Arkansas and during the five phone calls it took to get directions to John's house. (My cell phone batteries kept dying since the signal often cycled to analog.)
The welcome by John and Debby at the lake house was heartwarming and comforting. This was the first time that Debby and I have met face to face.
..John's sister Rose & nephew Brian are from Nashville and are nice people. Brian also rides bikes, but held firm in his plan to drive mom back to Nashville.
..Next day we drove into Dallas to Jonathan's city house to pick up sister Betty at the airport. She is a fun gal and smiles a lot.
..Wednesday the 27th everyone else left early to drive into Dallas, but I lingered until about 11am waiting for the weather to warm.
..Interstate 30 was the best choice to Greenville where I exited onto US 380. At first it was uncrowded and pleasant but chilly. Approaching McKinney the traffic increased to an annoyance which lasted through town, a surprise for two days after Christmas. I feared that Denton traffic would also be heavy, but it was ok. It would have been a treat to stop to visit Dorothy as intended, but a quick calculation indicated that I would be riding after dark if I did. Outside Denton the scenery again was rolling farmland in southern winter greens and browns through Decatur, Bryson and Graham where I turned south on TX 67 to Breckenridge, then west on US 180 to Albany. The strong crosswind was an annoyance all day.
..Gigantic wind generators were the highlight of the ride down Texas 351. This new wind farm is under construction, and it puzzled me that no blades were turning despite the very strong winds. Several towers were under construction and, without their blades, looked like futuristic air traffic control towers. The road passed so close to one tower that its massive size became obvious. They are HUGE!
At the junction of I-20 in Abiline, I had to wonder where exit #288 was. Once I reread Danny's directions and saw the sign for the Comfort Inn, the Ah-ha was heartfelt. The welcoming clerk at the motel said that the motorcyclists had not yet checked in. A stranger arrived just behind me and asked me if I was associated with Walt and John. What a surprise! Bob had driven a rental car up from Corpus Christi to join the group and tag along in comfort. He is another 922er from Urichsville although he has gone a long way since then: Peace Corps in Brazil, recreation director for the city of Corpus Christi, and now retirement with residence in Corpus Christi and Brazil.
Twenty minutes later the place was suddenly awash in motorcycles when the other eight riders arrived. Walt and Danny were on Harleys; John, Jonathan, Lee, Danny, and Kevin were on BMWs; but Jim was the sole bad boy riding a Gold Wing. We headed out towards Chili's for dinner, but were distracted halfway across the block by a "hole in the wall" Mexican restaurant that appealed to Walt. It was good food. Hey guys, what was the name of the place?
Walter had a couple of Christmas presents for me - the BMWMOA book (that he used later on the trip), and a groundcloth/ bedroll container. Ten days later, I still have used it only as a groundcloth because my duffel bag organization will be changed when I use the bedroll protector.
..Pressured by the plan to be on the road within a 30 minutes of sunrise, I conceded to sleeping indoors with Walt and John. It was a bad choice for me as I awoke at 2am and was unable to get back to sleep for hours.
Since the temperatures were only a few degrees above freezing I wore my snowmobile suit. What a wonderfully warm decision that was.
..The next morning, we headed out soon after sunrise and breakfast towards the southwest on US 277. I kept up for the first leg at 85 mph, but the cross winds were still bad, so I told the guys I'd ride slower and catch up when they stopped. From that point forward, the scenery improved and the wind was less bothersome and my enjoyment was intense. We followed US highway 67 a long way across West Texas and I am happy to report that it was a pleasant ride with a nice surface and interesting scenery (for West Texas).
..San Angelo is a West Texas town where Marsha and I had found a very good Mexican restaurant, but the guys hadn't waited for me there. Ice cream is a recurring thought to me, and I wondered if Blue Bell ice cream could be found this far west. The SuperWalMart on the western edge of town provided the answer with two pints: strawberrys and homemade vanilla for me and chocolate covered cherries for John. Gas was cheap in San Angelo, but I waited until the scheduled gas stop thirty miles later in Barnhart. There was only one expensive station in town and the guys were nowhere to be seen. I had no choice but to eat both pints of really soft, delicious ice cream.
..About the time I figured that I wouldn't see the guys again until evening, the slew of motorcycles were parked at a restaurant in the next town, Big Lake. The guys were 80% done eating and shared leftovers with me, so I ate a little of several things and was quite happy.
..They quickly disappeared at speed again and I tagged along to Fort Stockton and down US 385 to Marathon. On this leg of the trip, a deer crossed the road in front of me and, sure enough, a second one was following, a six or 8 point buck which kinda scrambled across as I braked hard. Later I could not believe my eyes that espied two elk grazing close to the roadside fence. Elk in West Texas? Apparently it is a preserve of some sort. A hawk or kestrel gave me a good sighting within 30 feet also.
In Marathon the bikes were not visible, but Danny's directions said that EvesGarden was behind the Gage Hotel. The guys were still removing riding gear and heading toward the bed and breakfast. How peculiar that they had ridden so much faster and arrived only minutes before me. Apparently they scattered about Fort Stockton looking for a part in several auto parts stores.
..EvesGarden is housed in a surreal structure with a bright yellow turret above the white "pillows" that cover the main courtyard. Kate had promised a sleeping spot on the roof for the weirdo that refuses to sleep indoors, and it was a gem with a fabulous view. Since the guys were renting three rooms we got the grand tour. Kate is quite a sweetie and Clyde is quite a character. Kate is the artist and Clyde is the hyperactive builder. Kate has the inspirations and Clyde has the intelligence to figure it out. Papercrete is his building material of choice in that arid land. If you want to observe an alternative construction and environment, EvesGarden is a must.
..Clyde is committed to building "green" and living in harmony with the earth. Only if I walked could I damage the earth less - and this year's plan is to hike the AT. Clyde and I enjoyed a long conversation about the world's problems & solutions, so I got to bed rather late. Their son, Noble, is also involved in "green" solutions in Costa Rica, so I should arrange introductions to Quint and Bob.
..The first raindrops landed just as I was drifting off to sleep. Fortunately the rain started slowly and I had ample time to realize that it wasn't going to stop soon. I covered the motorcycle and set up the new MSR tent that John & Linda gave me for my birthday, but the rain had stopped, so I didn't use the rain fly. Light rain resumed as I was drifting off again, and I had to arise and cover with the rain fly. It rained consistantly all night and heavily at times. In the morning I was disgusted to find water inside the tent. Water running off the tent had landed on the plastic bedroll protector groundcloth and had pooled under the tent. I should have folded the groundcloth to fit ENTIREly underneath the tent.
..During the night my hair got quite wet once when I arose to relieve my bladder. As I returned to sleep I remember thinking that a wet head usually gives me a cold.
..Because of the rain, and since Bob was driving a car, I asked to ride with him for today's loop through Big Bend. It was a very good decision. The rain continued all 80 miles south before it quit. All the other guys have electrically-heated, waterproof clothing, so they were warm and comfy.
..Bob has a couple of hair-raising stories about machine guns and militia in Brazil. We enjoyed each other thoroughly throughout the day. He says that he owes his life to basketball. He made a living as recreation director for Corpus Christi.
..Century plants were blooming on the roadside. I counted four and wondered if the guys knew about them. These blooms shoot up higher than telephone poles in a couple of weeks. After Study Butte in Terlingua I found postcards showing century plants next door to our high-class lunch stop at a pink hot dog & chili trailer GUYS, help me out with a name here. I was given the opinion that the rain was sufficient to bring the desert into bloom in another few weeks. I hope I get to see that. (Nope, I'm back in South Carolina.)
..In Lajitas we stopped at the Judge Roy Bean museum. Not much to see there except the bar/courtroom. Judge Roy Bean was certainly one of the old "wild west" characters.
..Danny lead most of the trip and the improvement in his skills brought good feelings. AttaBoy Danny.
..The only time I would have rather been on a bike was on the road to Presidio where the scenery is awesome and the road is curvy.
..The return north on US 67 through Marfa and Alpine to Marathon and EvesGarden was dry and flat.
..Clyde had given me the OK to light a fire and burn several pair of holey socks for Danny, but that night I was too tired and went straight out to my tent to sleep. It did rain a bit more.
Normally I am up at the first light of day and riding soon afterward. However this group gets up a couple of hours before dawn and is fully caffinated and antsy to roll by dawn. My AM timepiece in winter is the position of the constellation Orion, but it was cloudy and I was debating going back to sleep when the Christmas cross on the nearby church blazed into green lighted life. I guessed 6am, but it was probably 5am. I had packed my sleeping things and struck the tent by the time Jim came out to awaken me at 6am. So this was my second night without enough sleep, and I think the germs were incubating now, especially as I had a bit of a sore throat in the morning.
Kate is a terrific cook and she and Clyde prepared us a wonderful continental breakfast early that morning. This day the scenery was mostly flat desert and the winds were gentle, so I keep up with the group on US 90 east to Del Rio, Uvalde and Hondo. The bike actually seems to run more smoothly at higher speeds, so it isn't a stress to run fast. One drawback to riding in a group is that you cannot gawk at the scenery because you have to pay attention to the riders in front of you. On this leg of the trip, the scenery was less gawk-worthy. Everyone was surprised that I kept up.
Danny had said that some of the most impressive changes in scenery would appear today and the change from flat desert to hill country was indeed impressive and quick. The rolling hills and less arid landscape is a pleasure. Just past Uvaldi we switched to minor roads, TX 1049 north to 127 northwest to merge with U.S. 83 at Concan and past Garner State Park to TX 1050 east into Utopia, then north on TX 187 for two miles and east on TX 470 through Tarplay to TX 16 into Bandera. It was a long day and dark fell as we circum-scribed the northern suburbs of San Antonio in heavy traffic on TX 46 to overnight lodging at a Quality Inn in New Braunfels, Texas. This allowed us to meet and enjoy dinner with Paul Tadlock, John's favorite sculptor. New Braunfels is a tourist destination, and on that Saturday night, restaurants were packed and the wait for dinner was an hour. Paul showed us his portfolio and chatted and the time flew bye. His figures are amazingly lifelike and detailed, but the pictures in his portfolio don't do justice to the sculptures themselves.
It was late by the time I set up my tent in an empty lot 400 yards from the motel. It was a foggy night and the lot showed no signs of partying, so I assumed that the gate I found unlocked was normally locked. The only unsettling factor was that the Hispanic population nearby was conversing on their front steps.
New Year's Eve I awoke at 4am, too early again, and was out-of-sorts from the get-go. I dozed briefly, but was concerned that I might delay the group's early start at 7:30am.
..Again I packed my damp gear and took my time getting everything situated. When all was done I opened the gate and rode the bike over to the motel where I found that John was already up packing his bike. The four early birds of this group are all achievers, Danny, Jim, Walt and John.
..As expected Danny was up for breakfast and preparing to leave the group heading south. We all enjoyed complimenting him on the trip planning, on his improvement in riding skills, and on our satisfaction with the trip.
..Walter had uncovered his bike before dawn and the fog had dampened everything.
..Jim Sweet came down for coffee still dressed in shorts and sandels so I assumed that we would get a late start.
..After saying good by to Danny, I added oil and was putting on my snowmobile pants when Kevin rode up followed by the rest of the crew and they abruptly left without any conversation about route or anything.
..Bob pulled up in the car as I was starting my bike, but wouldn't leave when I waved him on.
..I had absolutely NO idea where the group had gone. They were no longer in sight, I didn't know which roads they were plannin to ride, I didn't know where they went from the parking lot. And Bob kept pulling over and waving me by him.
..I finally parked the bike and walked to his window and explained that I had not a clue where they went or which road to take or anything.
..Bob explained the route to be north on I-35 a couple of exits to Texas highway 21 which we would ride for several hours nearly to Nagadoches.
..There were no signs for highway 21 on the interstate and Bob soon pulled ahead of me and over to tell me that highway 80 a couple of exits back provided a short connector to 21. I was pretty disgusted at being left in the dark and being uncerimoneously abandoned. It looked like we could take the next exit and ride a different connector to 21, but Bob vetoed that in case the guys were waiting for us at the I-35 exit.
..Personally I would have bailed and headed south to Hempstead if Bob hadn't been there to herd me along.
..As soon as we were back on 21 and trailing the group by a good fifteen minutes already, I couldn't remember the last gas, so stopped to fill the tank.
..The sore throat had gone away the previous day, but today my bowels seemed unsettled. I felt a need to stop, but pushed on another 30 miles thinking that the guys may have stopped for gas.
..After about 80 miles, I did decide to make a pit stop and fill up on gas, but when I got into the men's room my spincter started spasoming and my clothing clung obstinately as I struggled to free myself. The gyrations to get out of the coats and pants further exacerbated the loss of control and I literally s_it my pants filthy down to my socks.
..After all that frustration and hysteria and contortion, it was a huge relief to sit down. There are a couple of "good" sides to this story. First the filth was entirely contained in my pants with only a splash on the coveralls. Second, nobody else needed the rest room the entire time I was in there cleaning up after this mess.
..I put my snowmobile pants back on and carried the wet pants back to the motorcycle. Now I finally pumped gas and returned to the rest room with clean underwear and socks. The day had warmed up so that I was comfortable the rest of the way in only the snowmobile suit.
..Bob was very understanding during this trying episode. He even offered me fresh underwear and long johns. He had been on the phone talking with friends in Brazil.
..Bob echoed my thoughts that we would probably not see the other riders again until arriving at John's for the New Year's party.
..This left me free to ride at a more leisurely speed and enjoy the scenery. Texas 21 is a pleasant road without lots of traffic and there was more greenery than I had seen in several days. The road passed through Basrop, Bryan and Crockett to where we turned north on TX 37. I pulled over at Rusk to tell Bob that I'd stop for gas in the next town. He opined that lunch would be good, so I kept an eye out as we entered Jacksonville and pulled over when we saw a Braum's ice cream store. The signs announced Chili and Bob was game, so we stopped there for lunch.
..After being served, but before seating ourselves, we were amazed to see several motorcycles, our friends, swarm into the lot.
..They had stopped for lunch in Alto and had seen my unmistakable bike in the lot at Braum's. They also knew that I had been looking for a Braum's the entire trip. They were happy to stop there for dessert.
..A flight of birds that looks like a big black swarm is so very impressive and we rode right "through" one of those today.
..When we left Jacksonville I kept up with the group through that wooded lake country until they got lose to home and Kevin and John flew off ahead of the group. I was quite surprised that Lee kept up with them easily on John's 2006 GS. I was hanging in there for a while until I realized that they were going 90 or 100 mph on the straight aways. Again, being out of sorts for the day, that irritated me.
..We arrived at the lake house well before dark and were quite ready to party, but once I sat down alone for ten minutes, I knew I felt feverish. I hugged Pam when she and Walt and Jonathan and Lalah arrived from Dallas. She dryly "thanked" me for the hug when I warned that I felt feverish, and that convinced me that the right thing to do was to go to bed ASAP.
..I didn't want to explain or argue, so I just carted my gear out beside the house and set up tent and retired.
..Several times during the evening Walt and Jim and John came out to inquire whether I was still alive, really wanted to be outside, needed anything, etc. It was kinda touching that they were so solicitous.
The next day my symptoms were very mild but Lee suffered from a vicious migrane which had been incubating since leaving Marathon. The previous day when Jonathan's "old" bike had poured gas from a carburetor, Lee had mentioned the migrane to me while lying down with Jonathan's seat as his pillow.
One of the perks about traveling with these guys is that someone always picks up the tab. I tried a time or two, but the guys vetoed my attempts or sneaked off to pay the bill on the sly. They "Just Don't Understand", but I'm not complaining.
Update of 20 Feb has lots of tweaks above and text below
The first day's ride was a lovely one, from Mt. Vernon, Texas to Carthage on a route planned by my new Garmin GPS (URL ??). The device is wonderful and it would be excellent to acquire that RoundTuit needed to mount it for use while riding. The day was bright and sunny with plenty of wintertime greenery in the fields, very bucolic and peaceful. The route involved several Texas "Farm roads," specifically TX 3122 east to 3007 north to 21 southeast to 11 east to Pittsburg and US 271 south through Gladewater to TX 135 south to Kilgore (where I missed a turn and wandered a bit) and US 259 south to Henderson where the final turn on US 79 east took me to Carthage. The total distance wasn't much, about 100 miles, but the mid-day ride was glorious. It reminded me of the rides near Uricksville that Lee likes. Why did the group ride so many miles when such pleasant scenery is so close to John's home?
US 79 comes into Carthage from the west and Cynthia lived on Partridge Lane nearby, so I scouted about. A man waved hi from a front yard, and I circled to ask directions. His face was horribly scarred and disfigured from burns, but he thought a moment and directed me accurately. At her house I decided not to knock as my cold symptoms were not the kind of thing I want to share with a 86-year-old. Another inquiry helped me find the Sammy Brown Public Library where I was invited to settle into the reference room. The librarians were all very nice and allowed me to place local calls trying to locate cousin Cynthia who seemed unavailable. Those same delightful librarians directed me to the Ice Cream parlor associated with the Lone Star Cafe for hand scooped Blue Bell ice cream. Blue Bell sells a mocha almond flavor to those outlets that is unavailable in grocery stores.
The library closes at 6pm. Rain was forecast and approaching, so I rode about town looking for a good spot to camp or shelter under. Since I needed recouperative rest to recover from my cold, I needed a private spot so that I could sleep late if needed. I looked at several churches, but it is Wednesday night, so there may be prayer meeting. Similarly school athletic fields are usually good, but not on school nights. The spot of choice was a pathway into a small woods off an access road to some gas line pumps. The access road was visible from US 79 and the pumps were within walking distance of Tractor Supply, but the pathway was blocked by stumps and overgrown with thorny vines. It showed no signs of parties or hunting (cans, bags, shells, etc). This was a perfect place and was so good that I left my camp set up there for tonight also., and found a near-perfect woods at the edge of town where a short pathway into the woods was blocked by stumps
I slept for a bit with the tent open, but closed it up every time the rains came. It was a long, warm night's sleep, from 8pm until 8am or so. The bank thermometer gave a reading of 51 degrees at 9:15 am when I rode to the library.
..It is a dreary, overcast day, so I ate pancakes and scrambled eggs at the Lone Star Cafe.
..Today my cold and fever symptoms are still with me, but again seem milder. Cynthia will be out of town until Saturday night, so I will wait to see if my symptoms disappear completely before getting antsy to move on to Hempstead.
..Cynthia's daughter Ruth just dropped by the library to assure me that my messages had been heard and that her mother is returning on Saturday. I heard myself say that I'd happily wait until Saturday to be able to visit with her.
..I've been eating hand dipped Blue Bell ice cream at the Lone Star Cafe in Carthage, and am happy to report that Mocha Almond is available in the large tubs. No telling why it is not sold in half gallons.
..Saturday morning I packed up my campsite and was disappointed to find that the Lone Star ice cream adjunct was closed.
..Strangely my two ground cloths smell of cat piss, but nothing else smells. Since those had been underneath the tent, how could a critter have peed on one without hitting the tent?
..I had already decided upon the two flavors of Blue Bell that I would have for breakfast, but alas, the Lone Star is closed weekends. I decided to skip breakfast and went to the library instead. They close at 1pm on Saturdays and Ruthie showed up with Cameron to lead me over to Cynthia's house where we waited for her and Pat until close to 2:30. As the librarian had assured me, Cynthia is active, interesting, and a lot of fun. Wes came to meet me and showed off his pretty black Harley "Fat Boy". Cynthia treated us all to Brac's all-you-can-eat buffet for dinnner.
..Ruthie had offered to let me sleep on their 3 rural acres, but Wes pointed out that it was cloudy and likely to rain, so I opted to sleep on Cynthia's back porch instead. It did indeed rain about 1/2 inch after midnight, heavy and steady for quite a while. I was glad to have the shelter of the porch, and set up my tent when the wind blew mist over me.
..Next morning we talked and waited for Cynthia's daughter Cully to show up. I took photographs of Cynthia's DeRieux materials for later inclusion in my Rambo genealogy. Cully is also lively, fun and interesting. She is talented and artistic and has a couple of good ideas for making money with crafts from the web. Her daughter Beth just couldn't tear herself away from her new synthesizier ?? to come along with her mom.
From Carthage, I left southwest on US 59 to TX 7 west bypassing Nacogdoches and back onto TX 21 southwest through Crocket to Madisonville where my cell phone battery lasted long enough tocall Rev. Forde and my sister from the overpass crossing I-45 where I had a good signal. ?? Hmm, did I miss my turn and stay on highway 7 towards Bryan?? TX 90 took me south towards Navasota and TX highway 6. Darkness was intensifying when I found a sleeping spot immediately beside the road next to cell phone towers atop a substantial hill. Since darkness had fallen this was about as good as one can do. The instant the front wheel left the gravel it sank into deep sand. Oh well, that could wait 'til morning. The rear wheel was still on gravel. Most times on smaller roads traffic falls off quickly after dark and night becomes quite quite. That road was the noisy exception.
Monday Jan 6th: Today I arose at the first glimmers of dawn and was packed by the first light, but it took a while and substantial effort to muscle the motorcycle back up out of the sand and onto the pavement. The ride south towards Hempstead was smooth and pleasant although a bit chilly. Although I thought Texas highway 6 heads slightly east of south, the sun was in my eyes all morning. Of interest is that the George Bush presidential library (URL??) is in Bryan, home of Texas A & M. (URL??) I'll have to stop there next time. Also motivating was the thought that Brenham was only 24 miles west of my route. I'll have to visit the Blue Bell plant one of these days soon.
After I arrived at cousin Cynthia's guest house, I spread my gear out to dry and found that the sleeping bag still had a frosty coating. As I sit here proofing the genealogy outdoors in the sunshine, I am again thankful to God for this lovely life that He lets me enjoy. My but it is warm and peaceful and exceptionally pleasant here.
..I enjoyed dinner last night with Cynthia and Stan. Stan is such a fine, happy, remarkable guy. He had to go on-site to facilitate a concrete pour of a bridge on I-10. The inspector was flustering Stan's experienced supervisor by insisting that the crew would have to do extra work if they didn't complete the pour by sunset. As owner of the company, Stan was able to mollify the inspector so that the crew could work unimpeded and complete the pour in time. Cynthia bit off way too much with the interim pastorate she has been doing for the last year, and it is disturbing to see the stress in her life therefrom. The interim position is officially over, but her commitment and accompanying stress isn't. They are such wonderful people and the conversation is fun.
..Tuesday: This afternoon is again glorious and warm. The sunshine and the view can heal the soul, even if it isn't broken. I'm outdoors (did you guess) under the porch roof with sunshine warming my entire torso. The grass is green and mowed, the small lake (about an acre) is 100 feet away in my direct line of sight with gnarly live oaks clawing at the sky all around. I've walked around the lake once earlier, but need to walk it again and run several laps to work off some of the half gallon of Blue Bell ice cream that I ate in the last 22 hours (Caramel Almond Crunch - delicious). Later today I will drive back into town to get blueberries, black duct tape, and Blue Bell Mississippi Mud.
..Tuesday: Didn't get to town, but I did walk around the lake three times and jog three laps. Stan says each circuit is 1/3 mile. Cynthia again invited me for dinner, but left immediately and Stan had eaten Salmon for lunch, so I ate along although Stan kept me very pleasant company. We talked all over the place and solved lots of the world's problems.
..I talked to Greg again tonight, but we were again cut short by the failing battery. When fully charged it lasts no more than ten minutes.
..Wednesday: Today was another beautiful day, but I didn't take the computer outside as the wind was just a trifle too cold. I washed the cat piss smell out of the new bedroll protector and ran four laps around the lake. The highlight of the day was the trip into town to get blueberries, OJ, and a half gallon of Blue Bell Mocha Almond Marshmellow.
..I'm still struggling with Microsoft Word document comparison. Word is such a pile of c_ap. Ever so slowly the book progresses.
..Thursday Jan 11th: Today was a warm but cloudy day. I intended to work outdoors, but never made it out. Cynthia invited me to ride to Brenham, so we went about 3:30 to the Blue Bell plant, but the last tour is at 2pm. I'll have to go again. I showed Cynthia find & replace in Family Tree Maker and she is delighted that it will save her so much time.
..Friday: Another cloudy, indoors day.
..Saturday: The ice cream is gone, and it is supposed to rain for days, but I'm satiated, so I'm not going to town to get more just yet.
Sunday: Another day of genealogy
..Monday: was my day to leave, but the rain was intense. The rock wall has developed leaks above the TV and a bookshelf. The my running path around the lake was totally submerged.
..Tuesday: More rain all day, but not so hard, and the bottom fell out of the thermometer.
..Wednesday: The genealogy project is completed and the PDF995 installation went smoothly. The read-only file of the Rambo book on CD is ready to ship. Cynthia printed a map to guide me to my destination in Houston. Too bad my memory provided the wrong name.
Thursday: Despite a rainy forecast and sprinkles during the morning, I packed and left about 11am, but ran into rain several times on the way into Houston. Worse, my map took me to the wrong shop although it was the name I thought I remembered. The owner of RPM Automotive was very gracious and allowed me to use the phone to call the BMW shop. MPH Automotive was the correct shop and I had passed close by en route. A light rain was falling and a Verizon store was convenient, so I stopped to replace my cell phone. The rain stopped about 3:30 when I arrived at MPH Automotive, but Mike said it was late to change a tire that day, so I volunteered to spend the night in a motel and return in the morning.
..Friday: Mike Haven of MPH Cycles (and MPH Automotive) in Houston mounted a new rear tire for me and delivered a disturbing diagnosis that the drive splines will fail within the next 10,000 miles leaving me stranded. It took me all of ten minutes in the parking lot to revamp my plans, discard the very pleasurable anticipations of visiting cousins in the West and spending time with Kate and Clyde at EvesGarden, and heading eastward, despite the forecasts of wet weather.
The return to South Carolina was uneventful, thank God. I don't need more adventure. The threat of rain persisted 600 miles with light rain falling six or eight times for no more than 50 miles altogether. The roadway was wet for perhaps another 50 miles, but that was not nearly as bad as the forecast implied. Traffic was heavy through Houston and Beaumont. It was fun to think of cousin Cynthia when passing by Orange, TX. Traffic lightened considerably in Louisiana, and those incredibly long bridges crossing the swamps for 20 miles were impressive in daylight. The locals at a gas station told me that the forecast called for four inches of rain over the next several days, so any thought of visiting cousin Pat washed away.
In Mobile, Alabama dusk was falling, but I was still cruising and the weather was holding, so I turned northeast on I-65 and kept on rolling. The clouds threw one last departing shower at me for ten miles, but 20 miles later the stars peeked through the cloud deck for the first time. The deer in southern Alabama were grazing along the shoulder of the Interstate in several places. The closest was at the edge of the pavement - far too close for comfort. Once a critter skittered across the roadway 100 yards in front of me. At first it appeared almost small enough to be a rabbit, but as the distance closed the legs were too long. The color was wrong for a fox, so I think it was a small, young coyote who needs to learn to avoid those shiny lights.
At Montgomery, Alabama I-85 heads towards Atlanta and I throughout the night. The thought of all that rain behind me kept me from entertaining thoughts of sleep. Traffic through Atlanta was heavier than anticipated at 4am. On I-20 the Lithonia exit reminded me of my visit with cousin Don last month. In eastern Georgia, shortly after dawn sleepiness overwhelmed me, so I stopped at a rest area 20 miles from South Carolina and laid down fully clothed and helmeted in a shady spot and fell asleep immediately. The sun was upon me when I awoke and I felt well rested, so the nap probably lasted an hour or two.
Soon the Savannah River bridge appeared marking the final state line into South Carolina. The sunshine and warmth provided a magnificent welcome. It was uplifting and soothing to experience the beautiful scenery, the gorgeous sunshine, and the satisfying warmth. It was indeed a religious experience, so I thanked God for the wonderful weather, scenery and safe trip. Words do not exist to adequately describe the contrast of that morning to the previous day and night.
Everyone in Columbia was surprised to see me so soon - 11am. The trip covered 1050 miles in 23 hours.
Sorry that I've dropped the ball on personal correspondance. The genealogy is just too absorbing and preoccupying.
Love from rambling Ron Beatty, temporarily not rolling, but still visiting and typing.
Click here to return to Ron Beatty's home page,
The following links are of personal interest:
Eve's Garden Organic Bed and Breakfast, a wonderful, eclectic, artistic papercrete alternative living learning mecca in Marathon, Texas
Rambo family genealogy, Bankston & Bankson family genealogy, the Camblin family genealogy, the Dorsey Overturff family, cousin Jean's Schenck and Hageman genealogy, and
Hi Y'all,
Oops, RideLikeRon came to an early end this year with the diagnosis of sudden, imminent motorcycle drive spline failure. This developed in Houston at MPH Cycles (aka MPH Automotive) when I had my rear tire replaced because it had one "small" bald spot near the valve stem despite having good tread everywhere else. The mechanic, Mike Haven, impresses me as being a nice guy and very capable. He told me that my final drive splines are 75% gone .. only 25% left. When those teeth shear, the bike will stop. The repair takes more than two weeks because only three machine shops in the country will fabricate a new part and weld it in place. When asked if I could get another 10,000 miles before repair he said flatly no.
After considering the inclement local weather forecast for the next week (freezing rain), the lonely miles in West Texas and the frigidity of Salt Lake City at this time of year, I reluctantly decided to turn tail and ride I-10 back to safe haven in South Carolina.
Read on for the one page synopsis, or skip ahead to the complete story in 15 pages.
Hey guys, your turn. Supply a few details, names, dates, etc. Has anyone put pictures of the trip on the web somewhere?? Do any of you have unused web space from your ISP??
Now that my buddies have returned to Maryland, Ohio and work, my trip is just beginning. I wonder where I will get to this time. Amusing to think that I've traveled 3300 miles by motorcycle before starting to RideLikeRon. (Although obsolete, this paragraph conveys my philosophy and expectations when starting a ride.)
The first day's ride was a lovely one, from Mt. Vernon, Texas to Carthage, TX. It was bright and sunny with plenty of wintertime greenery in the fields, very bucolic and peaceful. The route involved several Texas "Farm roads," specifically TX 3122 to 3007 to 21 to 11 to Pittsburg and US 271 south through Gladewater to TX 135 to Kilgore and US 259 south to Henderson and US 79 east. It reminded me of the rides near Uricksville that Lee likes. Why did the group ride so many miles when such pleasant scenery is so close to John's home?
The twisties near Big Bend and the outrageously rugged mountains thereabouts are mind blowing, but the long miles getting there and back seem out of portion for the four hours of Big Bend. I'm not complaining - it was a great trip with great company, but these guys need to retire so that we can have the time to ENJOY leisurely trips.
Getting from Columbia, South Carolina to Mt. Vernon, Texas involved a deadline of December 27th and winter weather which limits choices and dulls scenery. My passion for genealogy was rewarded with the enjoyments of meeting two new genealogy cousins (Quint & Don) and finding good stuff during three days at the Hargrett manuscript collection at the University of Georgia in Athens. One day of magnificent weather crossing northern Alabama on old US highway 82 was balanced by one day of absolute misery crossing Arkansas in cold winter rain.
The rain tapered off south of Texarkana. It was a relief to get to John's house on Christmas day and very nice of John and Debby to welcome me on such short notice, especially since Debby and I had never previously met (although she had seen my bare butt in one of Jonathan's photos from an earlier trip). I slept on the deck before realizing that it had no view of the stars. The day in Dallas shopping with the family for sister Rose's birthday presents was a hoot and sister Betty is delightful.
The group assembled in Dallas, but I rode alone to Abilene, so it was quite a surprise at the motel when a total stranger asked if I was riding with John & Walt. Jim is a childhood buddy of Walt, John, and Lee; and provided his car as a "sag wagon" to tag along on this ride.
The scenery got flatter and drier throughout the entire westward ride to Marathon. Once I stopped trying to keep up with the group, the wind became less difficult and the ride to Marathon became very enjoyable - and I caught up at every gas or meal stop. It was mind blowing to see Elk alongside the road. EvesGarden Bed and Breakfast in Marathon is an experience in alternative art and architecture with a futuristic yellow turret overlooking a billowing white canopied courtyard. Clyde and Kate are fascinating and provide good healthy food.
It rained all night, all morning, and all 90 miles to Big Bend National Park. Bob's offer of a ride in the car sounded good to me, and only drawback was missing the twisties and full view of the outlandish rock formations along the river road to Presidio. Impressive blooms of the century plant were another highlight. The guys said that a coyote darted across the road between the lead riders.
The ride back wasn't very pleasant for me although seeing Paul Talbeck's sculpture portfolio and the stop at Braum's Ice Cream helped. West Texas is awfully flat and barren, but the next day of riding was worse after developing a fever and having diahrreha. Ugly, yes, and my New Year's partying was limited to three conversations with my concerned friends while I "slept" in my tent in the yard to keep the infection to myself.
A day later John and Debi left for Oklahoma and I rode to Carthage as described above. Cynthia and her family were individually very different and great fun. Another Cynthia in Hempstead graciously allowed me to work in her guest house on the Bankston genealogy. Her hospitality was repaid by several time-saving computer shortcuts I enjoyed showing her.
And now we've arrived at the opening paragraph of this travelogue. There was nothing unusual about the return trip to Columbia except the rain, all those deer in Alabama, and the duration, 1050 miles in 23 hours.
Here is the full blown story.
Packing for an extended absence always takes longer than expected. Visiting with cousin Sharon in Hilton Head the previous weekend had shaved a couple of days from the original schedule. Sharon and Hugh are marvelous hosts who provide an air mattress on their balcony for me to sleep outside overlooking the Atlantic in the moonlight. Tres Magnifique! Words fail, pictures fail, TV fails. Some things can be explained only by experience.
My first destination was the University of Georgia at Athens, Georgia to research Bankston genealogy for cousin Roy at the Hargrett Manuscript collection, and to visit with Sharon's son Quint. Even with those "extra" days for packing added into the schedule, I was still five days "late" leaving Columbia, South Carolina at 7pm Dec 18th, 2006. Daylight provides better visibility, better safety, and better scenery, so I usually will not ride after dark, but on the Interstates those disadvantages are often offset by reduced traffic and most of the distance was on I-20. The first surprise was that the exit for highway 17 so close to the SC border. After confirming directions and checking the map it was obvious that Quint lives nowhere near Athens. His directions were good, but his cabin is way back in the woods and street signs are very obscure in the darkness. I missed one turn and doubled back needlessly a couple of times. The gravel road and "turn at the second set of mailboxes" indicate how far off the beaten track it was.
Sharon's son, Quint, and wife Lori near Bowman were waiting up for me and were as delightful as Sharon had promised. The stars in that remote location were beautifully bright and clear, a fringe benefit of my choice to sleep outside every night. There was a good dew, so I took my time the next morning drying my sleeping bag before riding in to Athens.
Following the advice of Pat and Frank, I parked for free at the University Information Office. As I started walking the two miles to the library, a bus pulled to a stop at the intersection and I asked the driver if it was a campus bus. He said, "Hop in and I'll give you a ride." He was pleasant and we chatted most of the 20-minutes there. As I got off, I remarked, "You really like your job, don't you?" He said he loved it. It is remarkable to be given a free ride by a city bus driver.
Since it was close to noon, so I called Quint and we arranged to meet in front of the university library to go to lunch together. I was able to get registered as a researcher with the Hargrett Rare Books and Manuscript room before lunch. We went to an Indian restaurant and enjoyed a delicious buffet with good curry.
That afternoon of paging through court debt records at the Hargrett yielded three documents with Thomas Bankston's original signatures. If you were hooked on genealogy, you'd understand that this is exciting. Cousin Don Clarke is a natural-born historian and has spent a lifetime researching his ancestors and the Georgia Bankstons, so I decided to hustle off to Lithonia (Li'thonia) to visit with him about them.
..The ride to Lithonia was not bad. The traffic after 5pm was somewhat heavy at first, but soon dissipated and the countryside was pleasant. The big surprise was the town of Snellville which was built up into an endless shopping mecca.
..Don's directions were good, so I was able to drive directly to his house easily. I very much enjoyed meeting Don, although I didn't spend the time his collection warrents. He contended that the Georgia Archives probably had microfilms of the records Roy wanted me to page through, so I volunteered to rent a car to take him there.
..Next morning after coffee and newspaper I rode my bike over to Enterprise to rent a car. En route to the Archives, we stopped at the cemetery to check that his mother's inscription had been done correctly. In "Atlanta", the Georgia State Archives are next door to the National Archives, and Don gave me the complete tour. Their genealogical collection is much better than at many other state archives. As he had stated, Don was able to find a transcription in the court books of one of the documents I had found the previous day.
..Quint and I enjoyed meeting for lunch each day I was at the Hargrett. Athens has several good eateries.
..The remainder of the week at the Hargrett in Athens was mostly unproductive. I'm guessing that the Bankston's moved on by 1810.
..Friday afternoon the school closed early for Christmas holiday, so Quint and Lori and I
Early in the morning of the 21st I packed and left Quint's. The humidity was such that all my sleeping gear was still damp.
..The ride across northern Georgia and Alabama on I-20 was pleasant with far less traffic than I expected two days before Christmas. The weather was beautiful and the scenery was good for wintertime with more greens than elsewhere. Life was lovely and motorcycling was a pinnacle. This day felt like it would never end.
..The day's ride across northern Georgia and Alabama was splendid, with ideal weather and very enjoyable green scenery.
..That second day's ride started with motorcycle maintenance under cloudy skies before a chilly ride across northern Mississippi, and degraded into slogging across all of southern Arkansas in the rain.
..Once Birmingham occupied the rear view mirrors, I started looking for old US highway 82 which would take me around Tuscaloosa and all the way to Texarkana.
..I slept at the back of the lot belonging to a large architectural firm just inside the Alabama border.
..Since I had used 5W-30 oil and some synthetic, the bike used oil and the tappets had become very loud, so I adjusted the valves under cloudy skies the next morning.
..The scenery and road surface across northern Mississippi was almost as good as Alabama, but the cloud cover was anxiety producing.
..In Arkansas the ugly, rainy side of motorcycling raised its ugly head.
..The light rain started 30 miles inside Arkansas and continued all day & all night.
..I continued until dark since I was wearing a rain suit and had wrapped my gear in waterproof plastic tarp. Still riding all day in the rain is not pleasant.
..That night I slept behind an agricultural extension office under the roof of the coffee klatch/ smokers patio.
..Next morning my gloves and shoes were still soaked but proved comfortable and surprisingly warm.
..The rain continued for the last 40 miles of Arkansas and during the five phone calls it took to get directions to John's house. (My cell phone batteries kept dying since the signal often cycled to analog.)
The welcome by John and Debby at the lake house was heartwarming and comforting. This was the first time that Debby and I have met face to face.
..John's sister Rose & nephew Brian are from Nashville and are nice people. Brian also rides bikes, but held firm in his plan to drive mom back to Nashville.
..Next day we drove into Dallas to Jonathan's city house to pick up sister Betty at the airport. She is a fun gal and smiles a lot.
..Wednesday the 27th everyone else left early to drive into Dallas, but I lingered until about 11am waiting for the weather to warm.
..Interstate 30 was the best choice to Greenville where I exited onto US 380. At first it was uncrowded and pleasant but chilly. Approaching McKinney the traffic increased to an annoyance which lasted through town, a surprise for two days after Christmas. I feared that Denton traffic would also be heavy, but it was ok. It would have been a treat to stop to visit Dorothy as intended, but a quick calculation indicated that I would be riding after dark if I did. Outside Denton the scenery again was rolling farmland in southern winter greens and browns through Decatur, Bryson and Graham where I turned south on TX 67 to Breckenridge, then west on US 180 to Albany. The strong crosswind was an annoyance all day.
..Gigantic wind generators were the highlight of the ride down Texas 351. This new wind farm is under construction, and it puzzled me that no blades were turning despite the very strong winds. Several towers were under construction and, without their blades, looked like futuristic air traffic control towers. The road passed so close to one tower that its massive size became obvious. They are HUGE!
At the junction of I-20 in Abiline, I had to wonder where exit #288 was. Once I reread Danny's directions and saw the sign for the Comfort Inn, the Ah-ha was heartfelt. The welcoming clerk at the motel said that the motorcyclists had not yet checked in. A stranger arrived just behind me and asked me if I was associated with Walt and John. What a surprise! Bob had driven a rental car up from Corpus Christi to join the group and tag along in comfort. He is another 922er from Urichsville although he has gone a long way since then: Peace Corps in Brazil, recreation director for the city of Corpus Christi, and now retirement with residence in Corpus Christi and Brazil.
Twenty minutes later the place was suddenly awash in motorcycles when the other eight riders arrived. Walt and Danny were on Harleys; John, Jonathan, Lee, Danny, and Kevin were on BMWs; but Jim was the sole bad boy riding a Gold Wing. We headed out towards Chili's for dinner, but were distracted halfway across the block by a "hole in the wall" Mexican restaurant that appealed to Walt. It was good food. Hey guys, what was the name of the place?
Walter had a couple of Christmas presents for me - the BMWMOA book (that he used later on the trip), and a groundcloth/ bedroll container. Ten days later, I still have used it only as a groundcloth because my duffel bag organization will be changed when I use the bedroll protector.
..Pressured by the plan to be on the road within a 30 minutes of sunrise, I conceded to sleeping indoors with Walt and John. It was a bad choice for me as I awoke at 2am and was unable to get back to sleep for hours.
Since the temperatures were only a few degrees above freezing I wore my snowmobile suit. What a wonderfully warm decision that was.
..The next morning, we headed out soon after sunrise and breakfast towards the southwest on US 277. I kept up for the first leg at 85 mph, but the cross winds were still bad, so I told the guys I'd ride slower and catch up when they stopped. From that point forward, the scenery improved and the wind was less bothersome and my enjoyment was intense. We followed US highway 67 a long way across West Texas and I am happy to report that it was a pleasant ride with a nice surface and interesting scenery (for West Texas).
..San Angelo is a West Texas town where Marsha and I had found a very good Mexican restaurant, but the guys hadn't waited for me there. Ice cream is a recurring thought to me, and I wondered if Blue Bell ice cream could be found this far west. The SuperWalMart on the western edge of town provided the answer with two pints: strawberrys and homemade vanilla for me and chocolate covered cherries for John. Gas was cheap in San Angelo, but I waited until the scheduled gas stop thirty miles later in Barnhart. There was only one expensive station in town and the guys were nowhere to be seen. I had no choice but to eat both pints of really soft, delicious ice cream.
..About the time I figured that I wouldn't see the guys again until evening, the slew of motorcycles were parked at a restaurant in the next town, Big Lake. The guys were 80% done eating and shared leftovers with me, so I ate a little of several things and was quite happy.
..They quickly disappeared at speed again and I tagged along to Fort Stockton and down US 385 to Marathon. On this leg of the trip, a deer crossed the road in front of me and, sure enough, a second one was following, a six or 8 point buck which kinda scrambled across as I braked hard. Later I could not believe my eyes that espied two elk grazing close to the roadside fence. Elk in West Texas? Apparently it is a preserve of some sort. A hawk or kestrel gave me a good sighting within 30 feet also.
In Marathon the bikes were not visible, but Danny's directions said that EvesGarden was behind the Gage Hotel. The guys were still removing riding gear and heading toward the bed and breakfast. How peculiar that they had ridden so much faster and arrived only minutes before me. Apparently they scattered about Fort Stockton looking for a part in several auto parts stores.
..EvesGarden is housed in a surreal structure with a bright yellow turret above the white "pillows" that cover the main courtyard. Kate had promised a sleeping spot on the roof for the weirdo that refuses to sleep indoors, and it was a gem with a fabulous view. Since the guys were renting three rooms we got the grand tour. Kate is quite a sweetie and Clyde is quite a character. Kate is the artist and Clyde is the hyperactive builder. Kate has the inspirations and Clyde has the intelligence to figure it out. Papercrete is his building material of choice in that arid land. If you want to observe an alternative construction and environment, EvesGarden is a must.
..Clyde is committed to building "green" and living in harmony with the earth. Only if I walked could I damage the earth less - and this year's plan is to hike the AT. Clyde and I enjoyed a long conversation about the world's problems & solutions, so I got to bed rather late. Their son, Noble, is also involved in "green" solutions in Costa Rica, so I should arrange introductions to Quint and Bob.
..The first raindrops landed just as I was drifting off to sleep. Fortunately the rain started slowly and I had ample time to realize that it wasn't going to stop soon. I covered the motorcycle and set up the new MSR tent that John & Linda gave me for my birthday, but the rain had stopped, so I didn't use the rain fly. Light rain resumed as I was drifting off again, and I had to arise and cover with the rain fly. It rained consistantly all night and heavily at times. In the morning I was disgusted to find water inside the tent. Water running off the tent had landed on the plastic bedroll protector groundcloth and had pooled under the tent. I should have folded the groundcloth to fit ENTIREly underneath the tent.
..During the night my hair got quite wet once when I arose to relieve my bladder. As I returned to sleep I remember thinking that a wet head usually gives me a cold.
..Because of the rain, and since Bob was driving a car, I asked to ride with him for today's loop through Big Bend. It was a very good decision. The rain continued all 80 miles south before it quit. All the other guys have electrically-heated, waterproof clothing, so they were warm and comfy.
..Bob has a couple of hair-raising stories about machine guns and militia in Brazil. We enjoyed each other thoroughly throughout the day. He says that he owes his life to basketball. He made a living as recreation director for Corpus Christi.
..Century plants were blooming on the roadside. I counted four and wondered if the guys knew about them. These blooms shoot up higher than telephone poles in a couple of weeks. After Study Butte in Terlingua I found postcards showing century plants next door to our high-class lunch stop at a pink hot dog & chili trailer GUYS, help me out with a name here. I was given the opinion that the rain was sufficient to bring the desert into bloom in another few weeks. I hope I get to see that. (Nope, I'm back in South Carolina.)
..In Lajitas we stopped at the Judge Roy Bean museum. Not much to see there except the bar/courtroom. Judge Roy Bean was certainly one of the old "wild west" characters.
..Danny lead most of the trip and the improvement in his skills brought good feelings. AttaBoy Danny.
..The only time I would have rather been on a bike was on the road to Presidio where the scenery is awesome and the road is curvy.
..The return north on US 67 through Marfa and Alpine to Marathon and EvesGarden was dry and flat.
..Clyde had given me the OK to light a fire and burn several pair of holey socks for Danny, but that night I was too tired and went straight out to my tent to sleep. It did rain a bit more.
Normally I am up at the first light of day and riding soon afterward. However this group gets up a couple of hours before dawn and is fully caffinated and antsy to roll by dawn. My AM timepiece in winter is the position of the constellation Orion, but it was cloudy and I was debating going back to sleep when the Christmas cross on the nearby church blazed into green lighted life. I guessed 6am, but it was probably 5am. I had packed my sleeping things and struck the tent by the time Jim came out to awaken me at 6am. So this was my second night without enough sleep, and I think the germs were incubating now, especially as I had a bit of a sore throat in the morning.
Kate is a terrific cook and she and Clyde prepared us a wonderful continental breakfast early that morning. This day the scenery was mostly flat desert and the winds were gentle, so I keep up with the group on US 90 east to Del Rio, Uvalde and Hondo. The bike actually seems to run more smoothly at higher speeds, so it isn't a stress to run fast. One drawback to riding in a group is that you cannot gawk at the scenery because you have to pay attention to the riders in front of you. On this leg of the trip, the scenery was less gawk-worthy. Everyone was surprised that I kept up.
Danny had said that some of the most impressive changes in scenery would appear today and the change from flat desert to hill country was indeed impressive and quick. The rolling hills and less arid landscape is a pleasure. Just past Uvaldi we switched to minor roads, TX 1049 north to 127 northwest to merge with U.S. 83 at Concan and past Garner State Park to TX 1050 east into Utopia, then north on TX 187 for two miles and east on TX 470 through Tarplay to TX 16 into Bandera. It was a long day and dark fell as we circum-scribed the northern suburbs of San Antonio in heavy traffic on TX 46 to overnight lodging at a Quality Inn in New Braunfels, Texas. This allowed us to meet and enjoy dinner with Paul Tadlock, John's favorite sculptor. New Braunfels is a tourist destination, and on that Saturday night, restaurants were packed and the wait for dinner was an hour. Paul showed us his portfolio and chatted and the time flew bye. His figures are amazingly lifelike and detailed, but the pictures in his portfolio don't do justice to the sculptures themselves.
It was late by the time I set up my tent in an empty lot 400 yards from the motel. It was a foggy night and the lot showed no signs of partying, so I assumed that the gate I found unlocked was normally locked. The only unsettling factor was that the Hispanic population nearby was conversing on their front steps.
New Year's Eve I awoke at 4am, too early again, and was out-of-sorts from the get-go. I dozed briefly, but was concerned that I might delay the group's early start at 7:30am.
..Again I packed my damp gear and took my time getting everything situated. When all was done I opened the gate and rode the bike over to the motel where I found that John was already up packing his bike. The four early birds of this group are all achievers, Danny, Jim, Walt and John.
..As expected Danny was up for breakfast and preparing to leave the group heading south. We all enjoyed complimenting him on the trip planning, on his improvement in riding skills, and on our satisfaction with the trip.
..Walter had uncovered his bike before dawn and the fog had dampened everything.
..Jim Sweet came down for coffee still dressed in shorts and sandels so I assumed that we would get a late start.
..After saying good by to Danny, I added oil and was putting on my snowmobile pants when Kevin rode up followed by the rest of the crew and they abruptly left without any conversation about route or anything.
..Bob pulled up in the car as I was starting my bike, but wouldn't leave when I waved him on.
..I had absolutely NO idea where the group had gone. They were no longer in sight, I didn't know which roads they were plannin to ride, I didn't know where they went from the parking lot. And Bob kept pulling over and waving me by him.
..I finally parked the bike and walked to his window and explained that I had not a clue where they went or which road to take or anything.
..Bob explained the route to be north on I-35 a couple of exits to Texas highway 21 which we would ride for several hours nearly to Nagadoches.
..There were no signs for highway 21 on the interstate and Bob soon pulled ahead of me and over to tell me that highway 80 a couple of exits back provided a short connector to 21. I was pretty disgusted at being left in the dark and being uncerimoneously abandoned. It looked like we could take the next exit and ride a different connector to 21, but Bob vetoed that in case the guys were waiting for us at the I-35 exit.
..Personally I would have bailed and headed south to Hempstead if Bob hadn't been there to herd me along.
..As soon as we were back on 21 and trailing the group by a good fifteen minutes already, I couldn't remember the last gas, so stopped to fill the tank.
..The sore throat had gone away the previous day, but today my bowels seemed unsettled. I felt a need to stop, but pushed on another 30 miles thinking that the guys may have stopped for gas.
..After about 80 miles, I did decide to make a pit stop and fill up on gas, but when I got into the men's room my spincter started spasoming and my clothing clung obstinately as I struggled to free myself. The gyrations to get out of the coats and pants further exacerbated the loss of control and I literally s_it my pants filthy down to my socks.
..After all that frustration and hysteria and contortion, it was a huge relief to sit down. There are a couple of "good" sides to this story. First the filth was entirely contained in my pants with only a splash on the coveralls. Second, nobody else needed the rest room the entire time I was in there cleaning up after this mess.
..I put my snowmobile pants back on and carried the wet pants back to the motorcycle. Now I finally pumped gas and returned to the rest room with clean underwear and socks. The day had warmed up so that I was comfortable the rest of the way in only the snowmobile suit.
..Bob was very understanding during this trying episode. He even offered me fresh underwear and long johns. He had been on the phone talking with friends in Brazil.
..Bob echoed my thoughts that we would probably not see the other riders again until arriving at John's for the New Year's party.
..This left me free to ride at a more leisurely speed and enjoy the scenery. Texas 21 is a pleasant road without lots of traffic and there was more greenery than I had seen in several days. The road passed through Basrop, Bryan and Crockett to where we turned north on TX 37. I pulled over at Rusk to tell Bob that I'd stop for gas in the next town. He opined that lunch would be good, so I kept an eye out as we entered Jacksonville and pulled over when we saw a Braum's ice cream store. The signs announced Chili and Bob was game, so we stopped there for lunch.
..After being served, but before seating ourselves, we were amazed to see several motorcycles, our friends, swarm into the lot.
..They had stopped for lunch in Alto and had seen my unmistakable bike in the lot at Braum's. They also knew that I had been looking for a Braum's the entire trip. They were happy to stop there for dessert.
..A flight of birds that looks like a big black swarm is so very impressive and we rode right "through" one of those today.
..When we left Jacksonville I kept up with the group through that wooded lake country until they got lose to home and Kevin and John flew off ahead of the group. I was quite surprised that Lee kept up with them easily on John's 2006 GS. I was hanging in there for a while until I realized that they were going 90 or 100 mph on the straight aways. Again, being out of sorts for the day, that irritated me.
..We arrived at the lake house well before dark and were quite ready to party, but once I sat down alone for ten minutes, I knew I felt feverish. I hugged Pam when she and Walt and Jonathan and Lalah arrived from Dallas. She dryly "thanked" me for the hug when I warned that I felt feverish, and that convinced me that the right thing to do was to go to bed ASAP.
..I didn't want to explain or argue, so I just carted my gear out beside the house and set up tent and retired.
..Several times during the evening Walt and Jim and John came out to inquire whether I was still alive, really wanted to be outside, needed anything, etc. It was kinda touching that they were so solicitous.
The next day my symptoms were very mild but Lee suffered from a vicious migrane which had been incubating since leaving Marathon. The previous day when Jonathan's "old" bike had poured gas from a carburetor, Lee had mentioned the migrane to me while lying down with Jonathan's seat as his pillow.
One of the perks about traveling with these guys is that someone always picks up the tab. I tried a time or two, but the guys vetoed my attempts or sneaked off to pay the bill on the sly. They "Just Don't Understand", but I'm not complaining.
Update of 20 Feb has lots of tweaks above and text below
The first day's ride was a lovely one, from Mt. Vernon, Texas to Carthage on a route planned by my new Garmin GPS (URL ??). The device is wonderful and it would be excellent to acquire that RoundTuit needed to mount it for use while riding. The day was bright and sunny with plenty of wintertime greenery in the fields, very bucolic and peaceful. The route involved several Texas "Farm roads," specifically TX 3122 east to 3007 north to 21 southeast to 11 east to Pittsburg and US 271 south through Gladewater to TX 135 south to Kilgore (where I missed a turn and wandered a bit) and US 259 south to Henderson where the final turn on US 79 east took me to Carthage. The total distance wasn't much, about 100 miles, but the mid-day ride was glorious. It reminded me of the rides near Uricksville that Lee likes. Why did the group ride so many miles when such pleasant scenery is so close to John's home?
US 79 comes into Carthage from the west and Cynthia lived on Partridge Lane nearby, so I scouted about. A man waved hi from a front yard, and I circled to ask directions. His face was horribly scarred and disfigured from burns, but he thought a moment and directed me accurately. At her house I decided not to knock as my cold symptoms were not the kind of thing I want to share with a 86-year-old. Another inquiry helped me find the Sammy Brown Public Library where I was invited to settle into the reference room. The librarians were all very nice and allowed me to place local calls trying to locate cousin Cynthia who seemed unavailable. Those same delightful librarians directed me to the Ice Cream parlor associated with the Lone Star Cafe for hand scooped Blue Bell ice cream. Blue Bell sells a mocha almond flavor to those outlets that is unavailable in grocery stores.
The library closes at 6pm. Rain was forecast and approaching, so I rode about town looking for a good spot to camp or shelter under. Since I needed recouperative rest to recover from my cold, I needed a private spot so that I could sleep late if needed. I looked at several churches, but it is Wednesday night, so there may be prayer meeting. Similarly school athletic fields are usually good, but not on school nights. The spot of choice was a pathway into a small woods off an access road to some gas line pumps. The access road was visible from US 79 and the pumps were within walking distance of Tractor Supply, but the pathway was blocked by stumps and overgrown with thorny vines. It showed no signs of parties or hunting (cans, bags, shells, etc). This was a perfect place and was so good that I left my camp set up there for tonight also., and found a near-perfect woods at the edge of town where a short pathway into the woods was blocked by stumps
I slept for a bit with the tent open, but closed it up every time the rains came. It was a long, warm night's sleep, from 8pm until 8am or so. The bank thermometer gave a reading of 51 degrees at 9:15 am when I rode to the library.
..It is a dreary, overcast day, so I ate pancakes and scrambled eggs at the Lone Star Cafe.
..Today my cold and fever symptoms are still with me, but again seem milder. Cynthia will be out of town until Saturday night, so I will wait to see if my symptoms disappear completely before getting antsy to move on to Hempstead.
..Cynthia's daughter Ruth just dropped by the library to assure me that my messages had been heard and that her mother is returning on Saturday. I heard myself say that I'd happily wait until Saturday to be able to visit with her.
..I've been eating hand dipped Blue Bell ice cream at the Lone Star Cafe in Carthage, and am happy to report that Mocha Almond is available in the large tubs. No telling why it is not sold in half gallons.
..Saturday morning I packed up my campsite and was disappointed to find that the Lone Star ice cream adjunct was closed.
..Strangely my two ground cloths smell of cat piss, but nothing else smells. Since those had been underneath the tent, how could a critter have peed on one without hitting the tent?
..I had already decided upon the two flavors of Blue Bell that I would have for breakfast, but alas, the Lone Star is closed weekends. I decided to skip breakfast and went to the library instead. They close at 1pm on Saturdays and Ruthie showed up with Cameron to lead me over to Cynthia's house where we waited for her and Pat until close to 2:30. As the librarian had assured me, Cynthia is active, interesting, and a lot of fun. Wes came to meet me and showed off his pretty black Harley "Fat Boy". Cynthia treated us all to Brac's all-you-can-eat buffet for dinnner.
..Ruthie had offered to let me sleep on their 3 rural acres, but Wes pointed out that it was cloudy and likely to rain, so I opted to sleep on Cynthia's back porch instead. It did indeed rain about 1/2 inch after midnight, heavy and steady for quite a while. I was glad to have the shelter of the porch, and set up my tent when the wind blew mist over me.
..Next morning we talked and waited for Cynthia's daughter Cully to show up. I took photographs of Cynthia's DeRieux materials for later inclusion in my Rambo genealogy. Cully is also lively, fun and interesting. She is talented and artistic and has a couple of good ideas for making money with crafts from the web. Her daughter Beth just couldn't tear herself away from her new synthesizier ?? to come along with her mom.
From Carthage, I left southwest on US 59 to TX 7 west bypassing Nacogdoches and back onto TX 21 southwest through Crocket to Madisonville where my cell phone battery lasted long enough tocall Rev. Forde and my sister from the overpass crossing I-45 where I had a good signal. ?? Hmm, did I miss my turn and stay on highway 7 towards Bryan?? TX 90 took me south towards Navasota and TX highway 6. Darkness was intensifying when I found a sleeping spot immediately beside the road next to cell phone towers atop a substantial hill. Since darkness had fallen this was about as good as one can do. The instant the front wheel left the gravel it sank into deep sand. Oh well, that could wait 'til morning. The rear wheel was still on gravel. Most times on smaller roads traffic falls off quickly after dark and night becomes quite quite. That road was the noisy exception.
Monday Jan 6th: Today I arose at the first glimmers of dawn and was packed by the first light, but it took a while and substantial effort to muscle the motorcycle back up out of the sand and onto the pavement. The ride south towards Hempstead was smooth and pleasant although a bit chilly. Although I thought Texas highway 6 heads slightly east of south, the sun was in my eyes all morning. Of interest is that the George Bush presidential library (URL??) is in Bryan, home of Texas A & M. (URL??) I'll have to stop there next time. Also motivating was the thought that Brenham was only 24 miles west of my route. I'll have to visit the Blue Bell plant one of these days soon.
After I arrived at cousin Cynthia's guest house, I spread my gear out to dry and found that the sleeping bag still had a frosty coating. As I sit here proofing the genealogy outdoors in the sunshine, I am again thankful to God for this lovely life that He lets me enjoy. My but it is warm and peaceful and exceptionally pleasant here.
..I enjoyed dinner last night with Cynthia and Stan. Stan is such a fine, happy, remarkable guy. He had to go on-site to facilitate a concrete pour of a bridge on I-10. The inspector was flustering Stan's experienced supervisor by insisting that the crew would have to do extra work if they didn't complete the pour by sunset. As owner of the company, Stan was able to mollify the inspector so that the crew could work unimpeded and complete the pour in time. Cynthia bit off way too much with the interim pastorate she has been doing for the last year, and it is disturbing to see the stress in her life therefrom. The interim position is officially over, but her commitment and accompanying stress isn't. They are such wonderful people and the conversation is fun.
..Tuesday: This afternoon is again glorious and warm. The sunshine and the view can heal the soul, even if it isn't broken. I'm outdoors (did you guess) under the porch roof with sunshine warming my entire torso. The grass is green and mowed, the small lake (about an acre) is 100 feet away in my direct line of sight with gnarly live oaks clawing at the sky all around. I've walked around the lake once earlier, but need to walk it again and run several laps to work off some of the half gallon of Blue Bell ice cream that I ate in the last 22 hours (Caramel Almond Crunch - delicious). Later today I will drive back into town to get blueberries, black duct tape, and Blue Bell Mississippi Mud.
..Tuesday: Didn't get to town, but I did walk around the lake three times and jog three laps. Stan says each circuit is 1/3 mile. Cynthia again invited me for dinner, but left immediately and Stan had eaten Salmon for lunch, so I ate along although Stan kept me very pleasant company. We talked all over the place and solved lots of the world's problems.
..I talked to Greg again tonight, but we were again cut short by the failing battery. When fully charged it lasts no more than ten minutes.
..Wednesday: Today was another beautiful day, but I didn't take the computer outside as the wind was just a trifle too cold. I washed the cat piss smell out of the new bedroll protector and ran four laps around the lake. The highlight of the day was the trip into town to get blueberries, OJ, and a half gallon of Blue Bell Mocha Almond Marshmellow.
..I'm still struggling with Microsoft Word document comparison. Word is such a pile of c_ap. Ever so slowly the book progresses.
..Thursday Jan 11th: Today was a warm but cloudy day. I intended to work outdoors, but never made it out. Cynthia invited me to ride to Brenham, so we went about 3:30 to the Blue Bell plant, but the last tour is at 2pm. I'll have to go again. I showed Cynthia find & replace in Family Tree Maker and she is delighted that it will save her so much time.
..Friday: Another cloudy, indoors day.
..Saturday: The ice cream is gone, and it is supposed to rain for days, but I'm satiated, so I'm not going to town to get more just yet.
Sunday: Another day of genealogy
..Monday: was my day to leave, but the rain was intense. The rock wall has developed leaks above the TV and a bookshelf. The my running path around the lake was totally submerged.
..Tuesday: More rain all day, but not so hard, and the bottom fell out of the thermometer.
..Wednesday: The genealogy project is completed and the PDF995 installation went smoothly. The read-only file of the Rambo book on CD is ready to ship. Cynthia printed a map to guide me to my destination in Houston. Too bad my memory provided the wrong name.
Thursday: Despite a rainy forecast and sprinkles during the morning, I packed and left about 11am, but ran into rain several times on the way into Houston. Worse, my map took me to the wrong shop although it was the name I thought I remembered. The owner of RPM Automotive was very gracious and allowed me to use the phone to call the BMW shop. MPH Automotive was the correct shop and I had passed close by en route. A light rain was falling and a Verizon store was convenient, so I stopped to replace my cell phone. The rain stopped about 3:30 when I arrived at MPH Automotive, but Mike said it was late to change a tire that day, so I volunteered to spend the night in a motel and return in the morning.
..Friday: Mike Haven of MPH Cycles (and MPH Automotive) in Houston mounted a new rear tire for me and delivered a disturbing diagnosis that the drive splines will fail within the next 10,000 miles leaving me stranded. It took me all of ten minutes in the parking lot to revamp my plans, discard the very pleasurable anticipations of visiting cousins in the West and spending time with Kate and Clyde at EvesGarden, and heading eastward, despite the forecasts of wet weather.
The return to South Carolina was uneventful, thank God. I don't need more adventure. The threat of rain persisted 600 miles with light rain falling six or eight times for no more than 50 miles altogether. The roadway was wet for perhaps another 50 miles, but that was not nearly as bad as the forecast implied. Traffic was heavy through Houston and Beaumont. It was fun to think of cousin Cynthia when passing by Orange, TX. Traffic lightened considerably in Louisiana, and those incredibly long bridges crossing the swamps for 20 miles were impressive in daylight. The locals at a gas station told me that the forecast called for four inches of rain over the next several days, so any thought of visiting cousin Pat washed away.
In Mobile, Alabama dusk was falling, but I was still cruising and the weather was holding, so I turned northeast on I-65 and kept on rolling. The clouds threw one last departing shower at me for ten miles, but 20 miles later the stars peeked through the cloud deck for the first time. The deer in southern Alabama were grazing along the shoulder of the Interstate in several places. The closest was at the edge of the pavement - far too close for comfort. Once a critter skittered across the roadway 100 yards in front of me. At first it appeared almost small enough to be a rabbit, but as the distance closed the legs were too long. The color was wrong for a fox, so I think it was a small, young coyote who needs to learn to avoid those shiny lights.
At Montgomery, Alabama I-85 heads towards Atlanta and I throughout the night. The thought of all that rain behind me kept me from entertaining thoughts of sleep. Traffic through Atlanta was heavier than anticipated at 4am. On I-20 the Lithonia exit reminded me of my visit with cousin Don last month. In eastern Georgia, shortly after dawn sleepiness overwhelmed me, so I stopped at a rest area 20 miles from South Carolina and laid down fully clothed and helmeted in a shady spot and fell asleep immediately. The sun was upon me when I awoke and I felt well rested, so the nap probably lasted an hour or two.
Soon the Savannah River bridge appeared marking the final state line into South Carolina. The sunshine and warmth provided a magnificent welcome. It was uplifting and soothing to experience the beautiful scenery, the gorgeous sunshine, and the satisfying warmth. It was indeed a religious experience, so I thanked God for the wonderful weather, scenery and safe trip. Words do not exist to adequately describe the contrast of that morning to the previous day and night.
Everyone in Columbia was surprised to see me so soon - 11am. The trip covered 1050 miles in 23 hours.
Sorry that I've dropped the ball on personal correspondance. The genealogy is just too absorbing and preoccupying.
Love from rambling Ron Beatty, temporarily not rolling, but still visiting and typing.
Click here to return to Ron Beatty's home page,
The following links are of personal interest:
Eve's Garden Organic Bed and Breakfast, a wonderful, eclectic, artistic papercrete alternative living learning mecca in Marathon, Texas
Rambo family genealogy, Bankston & Bankson family genealogy, the Camblin family genealogy, the Dorsey Overturff family, cousin Jean's Schenck and Hageman genealogy, and