Riding Three Sisters

The Twisted Sisters. Texas 335, 336 & 337. Medina, Vanderpool, Leakey, Camp Wood...sprinkle in Utopia, Bandera, Garner State Park, Texas 16, Texas 41 and Texas 39 and you have a real ride. Front the whole affair with 1431, Texas 29, Park Road 4, 71, Enchanted Rock, the Willow City Loop and Walt Wilkins on stage in Luckenbach and Old Number 9 under bright clear cool skies over three days and you have motorcycle nirvana.

Fri
     AM
     https://goo.gl/maps/N8foN

     PM
     https://goo.gl/maps/D8z2j

Sat
     https://goo.gl/maps/0rSfV

Sun
     https://goo.gl/maps/B5EgS

I cannot claim any new deep spiritual insights from this trip. It was just fun. Ok, maybe that is a deep spiritual insight. This life affords too little fun. It was great to go get some.

We rode slowly, savoring the views and the sweep of the curves, rarely seeing any other human traffic but enjoying every hawk, turkey, buffalo, deer and wild pig along the way. Even the buzzards took on majestic airs.

Ok, I admit it. It a non-sustainable selfish way to pass the time. We each burned a gallon of gas every 50 miles, ate away 900 miles of tire tread and killed a few dozen bugs. Sure, we should have ridden bicycles rather than pushing 800 pound monsters through the wind. Well, we didn't. Take me back 100 years, I would have gladly done it on a horse. Take me forward 50 and I will go on a solar powered hover bike...and if I make it that long, I will. But I am here now and this is how it is...and I'm not going to miss it.

Come springtime...looking for a 1200 mile weekend in the twisties...with wildflowers!

Northbound

My 2nd ride from Austin to Chicago is coming up. The last trip was mostly done as an Ironbutt 1k / 24 run. Not this time. This time the run is almost all two lane road and lots of curves. Arkansas 7 is on the menu.

I got an almost 1000 mile ride done in the spring, but some good distance has been calling...and 40 hours of highway meditation will do me good. 1100 miles up and another 1100 back should do the trick.

TENMA Lessons

So...enough of the tech stuff. What about the touchy-feely stuff? As Craig Ferguson's cat asks; "What did we learn..."

For starters, let me say this was a great experience on several levels. First on the list, but for not making it to Banff as planned, I did it...and that feels great. I don't mind saying I was a little apprehensive about the whole deal and having pulled it off successfully without having had to come home in a bus, an ambulance or a hearse feels great. And the trip had everything you could want...a little challenge, a little problem solving on my feet, a little romance, some rest, lost an inch or two, breathed some clean dry air, saw some stunning sights...and most importantly, fulfilled a longstanding dream.

I will say to anybody who does not LOVE being on a motorcycle, don't do it. I learned that I may need to rebuild my motorcycle seat with a gel pad rather than the stock foam. Surprisingly 6 plus hours a day on a motorcycle can begin to make you think humans should be built with more butt padding...and I have an abundance already...but that is skirting the deeper issues.

I don't spend much time on the bike with music or any other distraction...I did a lot of thinking. I believe I discovered I am not a very deep thinker. I am more of a repetitive thinker. I guess if I wanted to dress it up I would say I am a meditative thinker... but I think that may be putting a little too much polish on it. Still, I managed to distill a relationship nugget out of the experience to share with my long-suffering wife. Not surprisingly to anybody who knows me, it took the form of an apology (it's between us, so keep guessing).

I will say that what I believe to have been her greatest hope for this enterprise (that I get it out of my system) remains completely disappointed; I can't wait to go again. I do have enough sense to recognize the fact that it cannot be a regular thing...and that I will indeed need to wait.

But how long?

TENMA Fuel Report

Odo	Date	Gal	$/Gal	Miles	MPG	TTL Miles	TTL Gal	Avg MPG	TTL Cost
22,589	9/1/12	6.13	3.86	224	36.5	224	6.1	36.52	$23.66
22,766	9/1/12	5.18	3.76	177	34.2	401	11.3	35.44	$43.13
22,922	9/1/12	4.07	3.96	156	38.4	557	15.4	36.22	$59.23
23,035	9/2/12	3.30	3.90	113	34.2	670	18.7	35.87	$72.10
23,210	9/2/12	3.59	4.04	175	48.8	845	22.3	37.95	$86.59
23,301	9/2/12	2.02	4.00	91	45.1	936	24.3	38.54	$94.66
23,431	9/3/12	2.71	3.94	130	48.0	1066	27.0	39.49	$105.33
23,622	9/4/12	4.32	3.88	191	44.2	1257	31.3	40.14	$122.08
23,784	9/4/12	3.31	3.91	162	49.0	1419	34.6	40.99	$135.01
23,987	9/4/12	4.71	4.00	203	43.1	1622	39.3	41.24	$153.85
24,067	9/5/12	2.56	3.76	80	31.3	1702	41.9	40.63	$163.46
24,250	9/5/12	3.91	4.30	183	46.9	1885	45.8	41.16	$180.25
24,446	9/6/12	4.22	4.20	196	46.5	2081	50.0	41.61	$197.95
24,634	9/7/12	4.25	3.90	188	44.2	2269	54.3	41.82	$214.53
24,821	9/7/12	5.06	3.86	187	37.0	2456	59.3	41.40	$234.05
24,907	9/8/12	2.35	4.50	86	36.6	2542	61.7	41.22	$244.62
25,077	9/8/12	4.09	3.92	170	41.6	2712	65.8	41.24	$260.65
25,236	9/8/12	3.31	4.19	159	48.0	2871	69.1	41.57	$274.52
25,445	9/9/12	4.91	4.50	209	42.6	3080	74.0	41.64	$296.59
25,606	9/15/12	3.63	4.26	161	44.4	3241	77.6	41.76	$312.03
25,792	9/15/12	4.33	4.30	186	43.0	3427	81.9	41.83	$330.63
25,946	9/15/12	3.56	4.49	154	43.3	3581	85.5	41.89	$346.60
26,128	9/16/12	4.06	4.42	182	44.8	3763	89.5	42.02	$364.54
26,202	9/17/12	1.93	4.50	74	38.4	3837	91.5	41.95	$373.21
26,313	9/17/12	2.45	4.40	111	45.4	3948	93.9	42.04	$383.97
26,538	9/17/12	5.08	4.08	225	44.3	4173	99.0	42.15	$404.68
26,751	9/18/12	5.39	4.76	213	39.5	4386	104.4	42.02	$430.31
26,895	9/19/12	3.81	3.98	144	37.8	4530	108.2	41.87	$445.46
27,062	9/19/12	3.37	4.08	167	49.6	4697	111.6	42.10	$459.20
27,237	9/20/12	4.14	4.02	175	42.3	4872	115.7	42.11	$475.84
27,499	9/20/12	5.43	4.00	262	48.3	5134	121.1	42.38	$497.54
27,700	9/21/12	4.42	4.06	201	45.5	5335	125.5	42.49	$515.51
27,899	9/21/12	4.27	3.94	199	46.6	5534	129.8	42.63	$532.33
28,111	9/22/12	5.46	3.88	212	38.8	5746	135.3	42.48	$553.51
28,303	9/22/12	5.20	3.90	192	36.9	5938	140.5	42.27	$573.78
28,516	9/23/12	5.73	3.85	213	37.2	6151	146.2	42.07	$595.82