gulfxray
Apr 8th, 2006, 1:04 pm
I finally finished my trip report. Be gentle, I am no literary master - I am counting on you drawing on your riding experiences to understand some of the feelings/experiences that I couldn't adequately express in text... Full report is on my web site...
Big Bend Trip Report
March 24-31, 2006
I guess I am just a homebody – it feels good to be home! As great a trip as this was for me, I missed the wife & kids, sleeping in my own bed, the clogged sinks, etc.
I’ld like to thank all my friends on the BMWLT.com and BMWMOA forums. I appreciate your advice, encouragement, and the time you took to share your rides. I would especially like to thank my wife who ‘let’ me go and welcomed me (and my laundry) home – love you!
Anyways, here is my feeble attempt at recapping my trip…
Summary:
Like you, I love to ride. Couple that with a trip to Tejas and I am about as happy as can be! I have never been to Big Bend country before except vicariously through some of your trip reports. No matter how well you described it or how hard I try to, I think those that have been will agree with me when I say we will have understated the vistas/experience with our words and pictures. This is one of the places those of you who haven’t been to will just need to go see in order to believe/experience. I missed/skipped enough that I’ll have to go back someday… As an added bonus, you aren’t going to see any traffic once you leave town, the park, etc…
Odds & Ends:
Here are some odds & ends and lessons learned – they may be of some benefit or may just bring a chuckle…
The LT performed flawlessly and it’s gas mileage actually increased over the trip in spite of the load it was carrying and the ‘5 to 9 over’ highway speeds I was running. Maybe it is finely broken in?
If your bike won’t start after a fuel stop, don’t panic. It may be the kill switch. Sheesh, this happened to me at my very first fuel stop in OKC and again at a Border Patrol checkpoint near Alpine…
I have never had a tank bag before. It was very handy for sunglasses, camera, etc. But by the end of the trip it had seemed to accumulate a lot of other ‘stuff’ – is this normal? ;-)
Hydration – love my Camelback. Fill it with ice and water in the morning and I had a cool drink all day long.
ProPlayer Performance shorts – yes, I am going to talk about underwear… These were very comfortable – I’ll buy some more next time I am at Penney’s. I also have a pair of the LD Comfort shorts – they’re great also, but the ProPlayers are a 1/3 the price and just as good IMHO.
ATGATT – Finally started wearing my Firstgear HT Air Overpants. Love them! Wonder why I just had them hanging in the closet for 3 months? Riding without them is a weird feeling now. Easy on/off and good ventilation.
The BeadRider seat I bought a couple years ago really came in handy when it started warming up. It is normally a fixture on the bike anyways during the summer. Maybe someday I’ll break down and buy a custom seat, but until then the BeadRider is a top-value buy in my book…
Take time to visit with folks – it’ll make the trip a richer experience… Being on a bike, folks will strike up a conversation with you.
Rest areas, picnic areas, & historical markers – Texas has to have some of the best rest areas around. Down in the Big Bend area (and maybe elsewhere), there are picnic areas everywhere (and advance warning via signs on the road) – these are usually paved and have 2-4 shaded picnic tables and a nice view in most cases. You’ll wear your self out trying to read all the historical markers in this part of the country, but they do add another dimension to the trip if you have time to stop and read them (again, advance warning on the road and most are paved).
Watch out for the jackrabbits! Some of these guys are as big as our Cocker Spaniel! There are way more of them then there are deer (and I saw a LOT of deer) and you’ll see the unlucky ones on the road. I had nightmares about hitting one…
If/when I go back I will try and stay a couple nights in the basin and be in shape to hike some. I can only imagine what there is to discover along some of the trails!
You can see a few pictures here - http://myweb.cableone.net/gulfxray/BigBend_20060325.htm
Big Bend Trip Report
March 24-31, 2006
I guess I am just a homebody – it feels good to be home! As great a trip as this was for me, I missed the wife & kids, sleeping in my own bed, the clogged sinks, etc.
I’ld like to thank all my friends on the BMWLT.com and BMWMOA forums. I appreciate your advice, encouragement, and the time you took to share your rides. I would especially like to thank my wife who ‘let’ me go and welcomed me (and my laundry) home – love you!
Anyways, here is my feeble attempt at recapping my trip…
Summary:
Like you, I love to ride. Couple that with a trip to Tejas and I am about as happy as can be! I have never been to Big Bend country before except vicariously through some of your trip reports. No matter how well you described it or how hard I try to, I think those that have been will agree with me when I say we will have understated the vistas/experience with our words and pictures. This is one of the places those of you who haven’t been to will just need to go see in order to believe/experience. I missed/skipped enough that I’ll have to go back someday… As an added bonus, you aren’t going to see any traffic once you leave town, the park, etc…
Odds & Ends:
Here are some odds & ends and lessons learned – they may be of some benefit or may just bring a chuckle…
The LT performed flawlessly and it’s gas mileage actually increased over the trip in spite of the load it was carrying and the ‘5 to 9 over’ highway speeds I was running. Maybe it is finely broken in?
If your bike won’t start after a fuel stop, don’t panic. It may be the kill switch. Sheesh, this happened to me at my very first fuel stop in OKC and again at a Border Patrol checkpoint near Alpine…
I have never had a tank bag before. It was very handy for sunglasses, camera, etc. But by the end of the trip it had seemed to accumulate a lot of other ‘stuff’ – is this normal? ;-)
Hydration – love my Camelback. Fill it with ice and water in the morning and I had a cool drink all day long.
ProPlayer Performance shorts – yes, I am going to talk about underwear… These were very comfortable – I’ll buy some more next time I am at Penney’s. I also have a pair of the LD Comfort shorts – they’re great also, but the ProPlayers are a 1/3 the price and just as good IMHO.
ATGATT – Finally started wearing my Firstgear HT Air Overpants. Love them! Wonder why I just had them hanging in the closet for 3 months? Riding without them is a weird feeling now. Easy on/off and good ventilation.
The BeadRider seat I bought a couple years ago really came in handy when it started warming up. It is normally a fixture on the bike anyways during the summer. Maybe someday I’ll break down and buy a custom seat, but until then the BeadRider is a top-value buy in my book…
Take time to visit with folks – it’ll make the trip a richer experience… Being on a bike, folks will strike up a conversation with you.
Rest areas, picnic areas, & historical markers – Texas has to have some of the best rest areas around. Down in the Big Bend area (and maybe elsewhere), there are picnic areas everywhere (and advance warning via signs on the road) – these are usually paved and have 2-4 shaded picnic tables and a nice view in most cases. You’ll wear your self out trying to read all the historical markers in this part of the country, but they do add another dimension to the trip if you have time to stop and read them (again, advance warning on the road and most are paved).
Watch out for the jackrabbits! Some of these guys are as big as our Cocker Spaniel! There are way more of them then there are deer (and I saw a LOT of deer) and you’ll see the unlucky ones on the road. I had nightmares about hitting one…
If/when I go back I will try and stay a couple nights in the basin and be in shape to hike some. I can only imagine what there is to discover along some of the trails!
You can see a few pictures here - http://myweb.cableone.net/gulfxray/BigBend_20060325.htm