9 days out west

[searsboy]

Just got back from a 9 day 2500 mile to Big Bend, Tx and SE New Mexico. This ride was epic!!! The roads and weather was fantastic. We never had to slicker up!

Day 1:

Originally my buddy Lynn and I were going to leave Wednesday around 8 and ride backroads to Junction, Tx. The weather was not looking good until you got pretty far west, so we left at 5:30 and rode 600 miles to Alpine, Tx.
This is from an overlook area at Fort Lancaster.



Lynn is on a 2014 Honda CB500X. The bikes are pretty loaded down because we planned on camping as much as possible.
We super slabbed it west on I-10 to Sheffield and then had nice roads the second half of the day. We hit a little rain and some wind, but it turned sunny soon after heading south.
It was a long day, on a seat made by sadists, so we snagged a room at out fave in Alpine. This bug has always been parked there...in the same spot...I thought it wasn't driven until I saw the inspection and tags were current. Looking closer revealed a sweet ride!



After a long hot shower we found a good Italian restaurant and finished the day with Mr. Jamison!

 

[Old Can Ride]

I was in Ft. Stockton, recently. There is a lot of fraction drilling going on in that area, so hotel rooms were not so easy to come by in that area. Are you going to Ft. Davis also?

 

[searsboy]

Absolutely!
That's coming up in day 3

 

[searsboy]

Day 2:

We had a normal morning, for us anyway. Lynn and I have done many roadtrips together. We get up around 7, find a cafe, have breakfast and are on the road between 8 and 9.
Today we rode from Alpine to Big Bend National Park. The senior pass for $10 got us in for free! We road Old Maverick Road, unpaved, to Santa Elena Canyon and great paved roads like Ross Maxwell Scenic Hwy and the road to Chisos Basin.



Originally this was going to be a TAT ride on the eastern sections, but all the rains forced us to change direction. Even though most of Texas has been pounded by rain, the Big Bend area has not seen much. So a couple of days before departure we made the decision to go west. What we didn't know was that in Terlingua a giant chilli cookoff was going on. All campgrounds and motels were full, so we kept riding west. We decided to take river road (Hwy 170) to Presidio. River Road is generally rated the top motorcycle road in Texas. It's an awesome road, but there were times the sun was blinding.
I have been through Presidio, a border town, a half a dozen times but have never stayed overnight there. It's a small rundown town and the thought of staying there was not too appealing. But with the sun getting low we had no choice. Fortunately we found a very nice motel just to the north of town. It was on a hill overlooking the town and after dark the lights of Presidio looked pretty darn nice....lucky score!
After dinner, Mexican food of course, and our adult beverage we were hitting the sack and anticipating tomorrow's ride...Pinto Canyon Road!!!

Here's a video from Old Maverick Road.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sOagQ6uwfvU

 

[Old Can Ride]

Great roads you are riding. Some all time best roads.

 

[searsboy]

Thanks OCR.

 

[misterk]

nice report, keep it coming

 

[searsboy]

Thanks misterk.

 

[2brnut2b]

Really happy to see you recovered well and in a great shape !

 

[searsboy]

Really happy to see you recovered well and in a great shape !

Thanks, I really appreciate that!
My health is a big question mark right now. My legs are doing better and that's why I am back on two wheels, but I would not say that I'm in great or even good shape. My prognosis is not so good and I have bad days. I take full responsibilty for us not camping on several occasions!!! I just wanted a real bed! lol
I'm honestly just trying to make the most out of every day...whether it be riding or spending time with family and/or loved ones.

 

[searsboy]

Day 3:

This day was greatly anticipated...we were riding Pinto Canyon Road! I had ridden it once before, so it wasn't a new experience but this place is magical. They have had some rain out there recently which is highly unusual for this desert area. We actually had some water crossings! Ok....they were barely puddles, but still surpisingly and fun!!!
We had a short ride west on Hwy 170 to the start of the road



The weather was fabulous. A little chilly, but sunny and the wind was calm. The road was a little rougher than last time. The recent rains had washed out portions of the road. They used fist sized rocks to fill in these areas, but we made it through with no harm to bikes or bodies!!! After Pinto Canyon we rode up to Fort Davis...tonight a star party at the MacDonald Observatory!!!



I had a little trouble posting these pics. Some were too large to upload and some repeated...sorry.

Here's a video of Pinto Canyon Road!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZeDsN_UQ8bw

 

[Old Can Ride]

Is the CB500 able to hold highway speeds. I really like that bike.

 

[vman1313]

Great Ride Report...keep it coming!

 

[searsboy]

Is the CB500 able to hold highway speeds. I really like that bike.

The 500 did great. Lynn said it was very good on the highway, in the twisties and in the dirt! Kinda sounds like the NC!!!! We did a roll-on once from about 40 to 90mph. The bikes were pretty evenly matched with the NC getting the win! Lynn also has a BMW R1200GS. He was thinking about selling it, but wasn't sure about the 500X. After this 2500 mile adventure he's a believer and will definitely sell the GS! He's leading in some of the videos and you can see how smooth the little Honda is.

 

[searsboy]

Great Ride Report...keep it coming!

Thanks.
We were originally going to ride the eastern tat. I was looking forward to catching some Georgia riding on the way up there!

 

[searsboy]

Day 3 continued:

After we rode the unpaved part of Pinto Canyon Rd we rode the northern part into Marfa. This section is very a nice motorcycle road! We then took Hwy 118 north out of Marfa toward Fort Davis and the Davis Mountains. Hwy 118 and paved Pinto Canyon Road are both very scenic with sweepers, mountains and big skies!!! We got in to Ft Davis around 1:00 and ate lunch at the general store. All homecooking here...I had the beeftips with pie a la mode. nom nom nom
We secured a room for the night, unloaded our steeds and did the Hwy 166 loop. The Davis Mountains and Big Bend are very different. Big Bend is a rocky and dessert terrain. Ft Davis is rocky, but much greener. There are pastures and antelope are generally seen here. The videos for the paved roads are not ready yet and I have few pics from today.
After the loop we gassed up and went to the observatory for the star party. BTW, the CB500X and NC get almost identical mileage. The CB has a larger tank so Lynn's range is longer than mine. The star party was an A+++ (highest rating). A crowd of about 60 people gathered at an amphlitheatre. It was getting dark out, but not pitch black. A young man started the show by pointing out stars. He used a flashlight that somehow highlighted stars and constellations. After a few minutes it was pitch black and the sky was filled with stars and planets. We saw a shooting star, some kind of flare that he knew precisely when and where it would appear and the milkyway like I've never seen before. It was educational and enjoyable...sometimes hard to achieve both at the same time! After the tutorial we were free to visit the many telescopes they had set up for viewing specific objects. Some scopes were in a dome and some free standing. We saw a blue object through one and another that looked like clear ice crystal. It was a perfect night...clear sky and crisp air. After bthe viewing we saw a 10 minute film entitled "The Power of 10". It started with a guy laying on a blanket in a park and started by zooming out from him 15 meters. The next view was from 150 meters (15 times 10). This repeated until we left earth, left the solar system and even left our galaxy. Then it started zooming in, quickly backtracking, until it reach his skin. It then went microscopic until atoms were splitting I think!!! It was cool. We then rode back to Ft Davis. It was about 4 or 5 mile ride...no street lights...and very curvy through the mountains. Only saw a couple deer, but we were going slow and staying alert! There were a few cars that got stuck behind us, but I think they understood our circumstances and didn't pressure us. What a great day...and night!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[dduelin]

I'm glad you rejoined the forum after coming to terms with a health issue and shared this ride. The fact is we all given 1 day at a time until we have no more days. A ride in a place of beauty with a friend to share it is a great way to spend some of those days. Thanks for sharing with us.

 

[drdubb]

Loving your report.

If you ever decide to ride the Eastern TAT, let me know. I might like to join you. I went as far as Arkansas a couple of years ago and might like to do it again.

 

[searsboy]

I'm glad you rejoined the forum after coming to terms with a health issue and shared this ride. The fact is we all given 1 day at a time until we have no more days. A ride in a place of beauty with a friend to share it is a great way to spend some of those days. Thanks for sharing with us.

You're absolutely correct Dave. One day at a time...cherish every moment and every loved one!

 

[searsboy]

Loving your report.

If you ever decide to ride the Eastern TAT, let me know. I might like to join you. I went as far as Arkansas a couple of years ago and might like to do it again.

Thanks.
The eastern tat is still on our bucket list. Will keep you posted! We had so much fun in New Mexico that it created even more desire to ride the tat!