Spring Fling Texas Style

[MAXIMAN]

Last week I rode to Jacksonville, TX for the TeXSive Rally that Wayne Ilfrey puts together annually. His rallies are always a blast with good routes and fun people.

I saw a lot of old friends and met a few new ones there as well. I even met the High Priest of Temple Eleven himself, Bob Jones of Merriam Cycles. Of course being a lowly Guru he had no idea of who I was. Maybe if I had walked into the café that morning dawning my cape with a big “M” on the front of my chest he’d have recognize me as “MAXIMAN”.

Here’s the parting shot before Bohn Frazier, Miles Baker and I left for the rugged peaks of the west Texas desert.

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We rode from Jacksonville to Brady and spent the night. I find it amazing how expensive motels are getting. The place was a sub-standard Days Inn. The carpet looked awful and the room had no towels and it was still $80. Seems Bohn is right, ya don’t get what you pay for…you pay for whatcha get!

Next morning we rode from Brady toward a small desert village, Study Butte (pronounced Stoody Butte). We hit several rainstorms between Brady and Ft. Stockton. The worst was west of Ozona, TX about 30 miles. Bohn was leading the pack and we were cruising at almost 90 mph. It wasn’t actually raining at that point. We came over a rise on I-10 and there were cars all over the place…on the side of the road and water running across the road. Luckily it was only an inch deep. Apparently just a few minutes before it was several feet deep as a flash flood washed across the interstate taking 5 or 6 vehicles completely of the pavement. One was way down in the ravine. Emergency vehicles were already assisting so we rode on. But it is very unnerving to think just a few minutes sooner and we’d be surfing three Eleven’s down an ephemeral path.

We arrived in Ft. Stockton and the weather looked good toward the park so we rode 60 miles to Alpine. Upon our arrival the road to the south appeared stormy so we decided to stay for the night and continue to Big Bend National Park early the next morning.

I called a high school buddy of mine that now lives in Alpine. We both grew up in west Texas and I knew he loved to ride. He joined us and took us on a guided tour of our old stomping grounds.

David Wilson is the extraordinary rider. Much like our own Dan Meyers, Dave has logged in XS of 300,000 miles on two wheels. He has had a myriad of cycles and a plethora of experiences. Ask him about the time he hit a havelina hog on a Goldwing!

Recently Wilson fell in love with one of the coolest bikes being made. The Triumph Bonneville America. This is a modern retro parallel twin with a 270 degree crankshaft. The sound of this machine is incomparable and the vibe is like Steve McQueen. It doesn’t get any cooler than this.

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David Wilson on his Bonneville America

[MAXIMAN]

We left his office in downtown Alpine and headed south for the 80 mile trek to the park.
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Here’s a shot of Bohn at the entrance to the park with his trusty 80 SG at his side, Miles 81 SH and my 82 XJ close by.
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If you’ve never been to Big Bend I highly recommend it. The scenery is spectacular. High up in the “Basin” are big pinion trees and cool air. The peaks in this part of the park XS-eed 7,000 ft and the air is cool and dry. The road into the Chisos Basin is XS-treemly twisty with numerous switchbacks. It traverses Panther Pass at 5800 feet and descends into an erosional basin at the top of the mountain.

Here’s Miles and Dave at a rest stop up in the high mountain “Basin”. The basin is actually and erosional feature high in the mountains carved out by eons of wind and rain into the surrounding igneous rock. The peaks of the high mountain basin are spectacular and rugged.

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We rode to several places in the park and departed mid-afternoon. After lunch in Study Butte we continued north to Alpine where we stopped at Dave’s shop to make some minor adjustments. Zilla was fouling the plug on #3. I replaced the it with the standard BP6ES and took the air idle screws in a little to try and lean it up. We then rode to Marfa where stayed the night.

Marfa is a slick little town on the south slope of the Davis Mountains. You may recall a movie years ago with Rock Hudson and James Dean titled “Giant”. It was shot on location in Marfa.

Marfa is also famous for mysterious lights. The lights of Marfa have been an enigma for on the horizon of west Texas for at least a century. Strange lights dance across the desert sky at night seemingly from nowhere to nowhere. Watching these lights is entertaining and puzzling at the same time. If you’re ever near Marfa check ‘em out. There is a viewing area 7 miles east of the city ripe with lore and equipped with telescopes.

The next morning we had breakfast at the Brown Recluse in downtown Marfa and head north to Ft. Davis. Ft. Davis is yet another quaint village in the mountains of west Texas. It was an army outpost a lifetime ago. A small town has grown up around the old fort that is now a tourist attraction.

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Miles and Bohn viewing officers quarters
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Me standing outside the old infirmary
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Next we rode west to the McDonald Observatory high on Mount Locke. West Texas is an ideal place for astronomy. The very dry climate with little overcast skies and it’s remote location to the big city lights make it idea for studying the constellations.

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The highest point on Texas highways occurs here at Mount Locke. The view of the mile high valley below and home to Fort Davis is breath taking.
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Riding the scenic loop around the Davis Mountains we headed west. There we stopped to view the scenic Sawtooth Peak. The roads in and around Fort Davis are not only scenic but lightly traveled which make for great biking! This is some of the best riding on the globe in my opinion. But you should really check it out for yourself.
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[MAXIMAN]

From there we headed north to Van Horn for gas then onto Guadalupe Peak. This is the highest point the state of Texas with an elevation of 8749 feet. Here’s afew shots of our stop there.

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No trip to this neck of the woods is complete with out a tour of the famous cavern at Carlsbad, NM. Carlsbad Cavern’s are some of the largest in the world. All I can say is “That’s one big hole in the ground!” You could easily spend a full day or more there, but our time was limited and we took the short tour. Here’s a few shots:

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I found this particular speleothem to be quite intriguing.
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Later we stopped at White City for gas and a quick lunch.
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How do ya like that cheesy pose? Miles’ horse (No Name) took the shot.

Our plan was to ride from the Caverns to Artesia, then west over the 9,000 mountain pass at Cloudcroft and descend into the valley of Alamogordo to visit White Sands Missile Range. But we were cut short by this thing.
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We pulled over at Hope, NM and suited up in rain gear. We made one mistake. We should’ve suited up in a CAR!
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Ever ride into marble sized hail at 70 mph? OUCH! It got so slick so fast we almost lost it. Bohn said “…it was like trying to ride on ball bearings!” ROFLMAO. Of course I wasn’t laughing at the time. It hurt like you can not imagine. I was leading the pack when a single stone went “WHACK!” and hit my windscreen. The thought “What the h…” barely escaped my feeble mind when another whacked me in the face with my visor up. I promptly pulled the visor on my carbon fiber HJC down and proceeded to have my knuckles wrapped repeatedly like a mischievous schoolboy by the plummeting ice balls. Again I say “OUCH!”.

If you ever get the chance to ride through a hail storm I highly recommend it…………………….NOT!!!! One more time………….OUCH!

A passing motorist told us we should turn around since the hail was 3 to 4 inches deep farther down the road. He got no argument from any of us and we hauled the proverbial “A” back to Artesia with the storm in hot pursuit. We had not been in town for more than 20 minutes when the gust front struck the trees and began bending light poles. We pulled our bikes under the awning of the friendly Chevy dealer. They said we could park there over night if needed. So we crossed the street and went into a little Mexican café for the evening meal. By the time we got out the fast moving storm had long since departed and we rode onto Roswell and west to Ruidoso where we had a room at the H.I. Express.

This hotel was upscale. The décor was top shelf and the beds were plush. Breakfast next morning was well above par for a typical continental deal. This H.I. served egg omelets, spiced apples and all sorts of other goodies. The normal rate was $99 but because I had done the pre-paid internet special we got it for $74. And to think we paid $80 for the dump in Brady….blah!

We rose early Thursday morning and hit the road headed for home. We had a long 650 mile day ahead and possibly more inclement weather. Here’s a shot of Bohn and Miles in the H.I. Express parking lot packing their bikes.
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Here’s a shot of my HJC Carbon Fiber helmet. Somehow Miles and Bohn got in the pic!
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Finally, I must make yet another recommendation. If you ever have the chance to take a road trip with Bohn Frazier … DO IT! The guy is a hoot travel with. Miles and I have been tripping together for 3 years and have done in XS of 20,000 miles during that time. We both agree Bohn is da BOMB. I personally have not laughed so hard in years…literally until I cried. Mr. Bohn is extremely witty and his humor is drier than a martini (shaken not stirred). As a matter of fact he cut a joke in the Cavern’s and I was laughing so hysterically one of the park rangers threatened to throw us out. Bohn, you are welcome to ride with us ANY TIME.

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PS: I didn't proof this story so please excuse the spelling and grammar.

[Dragonrider]

Great ride report!

[MAXIMAN]

WOW...I take that as a HUGE compliment coming from "DA MAN" himself! Thanks!

[dale_1]

Now that sounds like you had an awesome time.........

You are also welcome at my house anytime ...... I know it isn't that great but glad you stopped by.

[MAXIMAN]

Thanks Mark. And it was nice meeting you at the rally.

[Wildkat]

Very cool MAXIMAN!

and a good time was had by all... except for the hail part... which made for a good story anyway...

The pictures were exceptional! I particularly liked the one taken over your shoulder of Bohn and Miles with your helmet on the side... VERY cool shot!

DEFINITELY makes me want to go for a LONG ride... maybe someday when the kids are a little older (but I'm not rushing that part of it)...

[Special Ed]

Great ride report. Damn, there's a lot of XS riders back there! The photo's made me homesick. I went though Carsbad Caverns when I was @ 3 years old. It is one of my ealiest memories. Went though it again with my wife and daughter when she was a babe. It's the pits. I gotta check out the Ride Reports more often!
E.Liberty

[Pain]

I really need to ride down to TX one of these years. looks like a great time.