Texas Ride: By the Numbers

I left Mariposa on April 26, bound for Houston, Texas.  My goal was exploration and camaraderie.  I used the NRA Annual Meeting and Show as my excuse to go.   I achieved both goals.  This article is a recounting of the trip, by the numbers.

Total days = 16.  Riding days = 10.  Total miles = 4662 BMW odo miles.  The GPS miles are different but I lost some tracks.  Gallons of gas consumed = 108.6.  Cheapest gas = $3.29.  Average mileage = 43.  Worst = 40 mph on fast headwind freeway.  Oil inserted in bike, 1/2 liter.  Oil sprayed on my left leg, 1/4 liter.  Max speed = 85 mph.  Max moving average speed = 65.5 mph = boogity, boogity!.

Totals riding hours = XX.  Fastest moving average day = 65 MPH.  Slowest day = 0 MPH of course.

Most expensive motel was the Days Inn Flagstaff at $169 plus $30 taxes.  Tip, in May check if the city you are passing through will be holding university graduation that weekend. 

Highest elevation of 8550 feet near Alpine, AZ.  Also lowest temperature at 40 F.  Highest temperature in Rio Grande canyon near Presidio, TX at 95 F.

Birds killed = 2.  Bugs dispatched = uncountable.  Rain days = zero!

Small towns seen = many, each unique.  Big cities bypassed = many, less unique.  Best instant detour was Sunday morning in Albuquerque, NM when I dived off I40 at the Historic Downtown sign.  The square block town center came complete with trees and gazebo and 100 singing parishioners of the Catholic Church next door.  Special moment!

Small towns in Texas with Dairy Queen, seems like every one.  Days with DQ Crispy Chicken Salad for lunch = 8.

Best hotel, Hampton Inn Westchase, Houston. Cheapest hotel, Buck Owens Best Western in Bakersfield; also best courtyard and pool.  Best hotel not stayed in: Hilton Americas in Houston next to the George R. Brown Convention center.  Do it if you can afford it - my uncle Chevron ain't paying no more.  Best motel not expected:  Leakey Inn cabins in Hill Country.  Miss Dallas, the new owner, is a delight and very motorcyclist oriented.

Best TX roads:  Highways 39, 335, 336, 337 near Leakey, TX, are called The Three sisters.  39 is a bonus along the Guadalupe River out of Kerrville.  All have real turns and twists.

Best discovery, Big Bend National Park.  It looks like Nevada at first, and then startles you with a unique mountain setting.  Second best was the McDonald observatory – see next article.

People attending the NRA Annual Meeting, over 70,000.  Zero arguments.  Best speaker at NRA convention, Glen Beck.  Best comedian Frank Caliendo (www.frankcaliendo.com )  Best Mr. Lover-of-life:  Ted Nugent.  Houses given away to veterans at Ted's event:  two.

Close calls of the safety kind - one.  A poorly thinking gentleman of about my age, riding a blue K1600 BMW managed to place himself between me and a Honda CRV that I had just about passed.  I didn't know he was there until he was 5 feet away beside me.  This was classic lane splitting, but considering we were at 75 MPH and the only three vehicles on an otherwise empty Mojave desert freeway, this close call pass was startling, foolish and unsafe.  I spent the next 25 miles composing the things I would like to say to him.  Amazingly, I got the chance at the Dairy Queen in Ludlow, CA.  His defensive response was that it was lane splitting and implied everyone did it.  You can all imagine my comebacks to that.  The man needs an Advanced Rider Course if anyone ever did.

New friends made from WY, MN, IL, FL, TX, OK.  You meet the nicest people at "redneck" get togethers and on motorcycles.  My wife can expect some visitors she has never met.

Best money spent was a deal on a new Vortex rifle scope with stunning optics.  Worst money spent was Chinese food in Flagstaff.