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- Joined
- Feb 28, 2003
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Howdy,
Our first attempt at getting together and Wes & Sonny Wessel's home on Lake Conroe after a ride did not turn out so great. It rained and more than half the riders bailed. We still managed to go riding later in the day but did not do the after ride get together. This weeked we tried something different. We still did the route originally planned for the first ride, but insted of doing a cookout afterwards, we decided to pile into Wes's party boat and take a little cruise and get dinner on the lake.
Everyone starts showing up around 9:15am. When I peek out the window through my squinting eyes, I see Kent "Kocook", Paul "MrcleanVFR", Gavin "Skid", Will "Birdwh", and Debbie "Snoopster" hanging out in the driveway. Mike and Aaron call to tell us Aaron is having front rim issues and they will try to meet up with us in Onalaska around 11:00am. We roll out of the driveway right on time, 10:00am. It looks a little iffy in the weather department but unless it storms bad, I plan on riding anyway.
We head out of town on FM 980 towards Riverside. Off to the North there is a line of thunderstorms moving East, the direction we are heading. As we get near the Prison Feeder Slab hog farm, it starts to rain. Up ahead it looks like it is raining hard. I pull off into a gravel drive to don the rainsuit. It seems that other than Debbie, I am the only one with a rainsuit, although Kent has on a nice looking Stich. While I am hopping around getting the rain pants on over my riding pants, an elderly farmer type pulls up in his truck and tells us it is raining quite hard up ahead. Well, at least all of my aerobic jumping around will be worth it 
Or not... We get back on the road, go about a mile, and the rain stops. Now I'm just freaking hot! I don't want to stop again and remove the suit only to have to stop yet again and put it back on if it starts raining again.
We pass through Riverside and continue on our way on FM 980 out to Waterwood. Here we take the Waterwood Parkway South to US 190. It sprinkles a little from one dark cloud but otherwise it is dry. There are a few tar snakes that are wet and they make the rear end of the GS slide around a little when I hit them while leaning the bike. Kent is bringing up the rear because he is still breaking in his bike and can't exceed 4000rpm, about 70mph in top gear. We reach 190 and wait a few moments before he comes over the hill into sight.
I'd like to hit another favorite road only a few miles away but I am afraid that we won't make it to Onalaska in time to meet Aaron and Mike. So we turn and head East on US 190 across Lake Livingston and cruise into town. We park under the cover of a closed down gas station and wait. Soon they call and tell us they are just up the road. Once we are all in the same place, we continue East on US 190 to FM 3152 and head into the woods. Having spent nearly an hour in Onalaska by the time everyone gassed up, we are now running a little behind, so I make an on the fly route change and decide to head straight for the lunch stop. Of course no one is the wiser because I am the only one that knows the route 
We run FM 942 East through the woods just North of US 190 until we reach FM 1745. The clouds are no longer dark and ominous looking. There are still tons of them cluttering up an otherwise beautiful sky, but they don't look like they will be dropping any rain. The thunderheads I saw earlier seem to have spent there moisture and faded into the noon sky. Since Kent is breaking in his bike and can't run very quick, I just settle into cruise mode where we are not going real fast, but neither do I slow down much for any of the curves 
That is one of the nice things about the roads out here. They are just endless miles of fast fun sweepers, perfect for rythm riding. At 1745, we turn and continue East to Chester.
Normally, I would make Chester the first stop of the ride. However, since we already stopped in Onalaska to hook up with Mike and Aaron, I decide to keep moving. We drop down US 287 a few blocks and continue West on FM 1745 to Colmesniel. I really like this little stretch of road. It runs through some really nice wooded areas, past some beautiful rolling pastures with pretty lakes, and has lots of elevation changes. The time passes quickly and we are soon pulling into the parking lot of the Texas Star Cafe. They get us seated quickly and take great care of us. The food is good as usual. With all the tea that has been consumed, I think I will need to plan another stop in the not too distant future!
We waddle out to the parking lot and remount our respective rides. A few of the bikes in the group have limited ranges so we decide to go ahead and fill up at the local Exxon before getting back on the road. It's close to 2:00pm and getting back to Conroe by 4:30ish will be close. With a minor variation in our route, I decide to just backtrack most of the way and drop a few little side roads off the route. It's disappointing because those two roads really are a lot of fun, but they are out of the way and would take an additional hour at least. I think I need to do another Butt Burner soon so I can spend the time needed to keep these roads from being to lonely 
We head back down into the woods on FM 1745 the way we came. We have not gone very far when I see some seriously bright headllights coming up behind me, fast! Paul pulls up beside me on his tricked out 929 RR and motions for me to pull over. A quick roadside pow wow and I find out that Mike has had to stop. Apparently he has a flat tire, doh! I swing back around and head up the road a few miles to see him, and a few of the others standing around looking at his bike. Time to get out the repair kit and get to work. Ironically, we had the same problem on the last ride Mike came on with us, last week. In his defense, it was Squeaky's rear tire instead of his This tire should have not made the trip, hehe. It is starting to show cords in the center of the tread 
If we can get him to ease off the throttle just a little... he can probably get this one home
Yup... it's flat!
Looking at this helmet you might suspect that Mr. Box rides this R1!!
It's a trick of the lense... really... his head is not that big
Kent, Will and Mike contemplating the situation
Yes that's right, he's toasted a rear tire BEFORE he got his permanent plates!
That's the plug in the center, curtesy of your's truly. At the rate I seem to be plugging tires, I should probably change my username to "Plugmeister"
We let the plug sit a while so the rubber cement can cure and then start emptying CO2 cannisters into the tire. I use my last two and Kent donates one of the big 16gram tubes from his BMW kit. That gives us enough pressure to get down the road a few miles to Chester where there is a gas station that hopefully has an air hose. Kent takes off, muttering something about getting ahead of the pack...
I follow Will and Mike until we get up the road to the rest of the group. I zing on by intent on catching up to Kent and having some fun the next few miles. The others have no where to get lost before the next stop. I love running the GS hard on twisty roads. It just eats up the corners and begs for more. People are always amazed at how well the bike handles corners. Loads of torque has a way of chewing up the pavement in a way that makes it quite fun to pull out of the curves. But where is Kent...? At the pace he runs and the pace I am running, I should have come upon him by now :scratch Maybe he was bitten by the curve bug as well? Eh.. 
I'll catch him at the stop sign.
When I reach the stop sign, Kent is no where to be found I scan around thinking maybe he pulled over in a parking lot or something but don't see him anywhere. Soon the others are pulling up behind me. About the time I am starting to really wonder what is going on, I see Kent bringing up the rear!? I guess he must have pulled over to hook up with the rest of the group and I just missed him as I went zooming past them. Regrouped we head up the road a few hundred yards and pull in at the Exxon station which has a free air hose, a real rarity nowdays. It works too, another rarity! this also makes for a convenient and timely rest stop to dispose of the rented tea from lunch 
We get Mike's tire properly inflated and head West on FM 1745. That last little spirited run seems to have triggered the appearance of that little devil that occasionally roosts on my shoulder. I find myself irresistably drawn into a faster pace now, still a smooth not go to jail pace, but the corner speeds are up and the roll ons at the exits a little firmer. The GS begs for more. I glance back in the mirrors and notice that Will has moved up behind me. Cool. I really enjoy riding with Will. We have done a LOT of miles together on all kinds of roads and have very similar riding styles. We get into sync with each other very easily.
We reach FM 942 and head North towards Camden where we pass the International Paper/Lumber mills. If you like the smell of the lumber section at Home Depot, you'd love this place! The sawdust pile is the size of a small mountain! We pick up Hwy 62 and head West towards US 59 and the tiny town of Moscow. 62 is smooth and fun for a few miles. I am in full fun mode when I crest a hill and spot a little sedan in the road, backing up in that funny weaving pattern. Hard on the binders I haul the bike down and see the driver look up in the mirror and jerk in surprise to see a line of bikes comign up behind her fast! She quickly pulls off on to the shoulder and we zoom on by her.
It has really started to get warm. I cannot believe it is Halloween weekend and the temps are in the high 80's and low 90's!? The clouds have really thinned out and the sun is shinning in earnest. We head West on FM 350 back out into rolling pastures and back to back 35 mph corners. Knowing that Kent will be along, I still find myself running a faster pace and really enjoying myself. I cannot help but wonder when I will get a chance to enjoy such a nice afternoon on such a fun road again since our first kid is due December 8th. Hopefully, by Spring of next year, we will have settled into our new routine and Beth and I won't be fighting too much over who gets to take the GS out for a ride
We reach FM 3152 and backtrack to Onalaska. There are several jet ski riders playing on the North side of the causeway on US 190 as we cross over the lake. I pace them for a minute or so and they seem to be running close to 60 mph 
I know from experience that water hurts at speeds lower than that! After we cross the lake, we head South on Hwy 156 from Point Blank and head down towards Coldspring. I throw off the group when I signal for a turn and then cancel when I realize I'm not where I think I am. I wave off but Debbie does not realize what is happening and she turns anyway. Then, like good sheep, everyone else follows her I wait up the road for a few minutes before Mike and Will finally arrive with a slightly puzzled expression on their faces. I send Will back to collect the others and then we are on our way again.
When we reach FM 945, I am now where I thought I was and we turn off, all sheep in tow. The road seems a little rougher than I recall. I notice some recent logging and suspect the logging trucks are really tearing up the road surface. I've seen this all over East Texas. The subsurface of the FM's just cannot handle the weight and the pavement crumbles and buckles in a matter of weeks, even days in some cases. I am sure the locals appreciate the desctruction of the roads 
It may sometimes be several years or more before a road like this is ever resurfaced or even patch repaired. The GS soaks up the pavement irregularities with aplomb and we are soon at Hwy 150 where we head West.
We've been knocking out the miles the last few hours so I'm thinking we have time for a small detour. This section of road was added as a disposable section in case we were running behind schedule. It's about 4:00pm now so I think we can run it and still get over to Wes & Sonny's before 5:00pm. Depending on what maps you look at, the road is listed at either FM 2693 or 2778, the sign on the road indicates 2693. We make a right turn and head North. This section of the road is another of those torn up in recent years. A mile or so into the detour, the road becomes dirt... Well now, I guess the powers that be have finally gotten around to repairing this road, all the way down to redoing the subsurface. Contemplating the situation, I feel a slight sharp prod from the shoulder where the little pointy headed guy likes to sit... It looks smooth... I'd do this on the VFR...
Hmmm...? I wonder how much further this is going to go? It is hard packed and not too rough, at least as far as I can feel through the GS's long soft suspension. A few more miles and the road becomes gravel, the large chunky white kind. The cars have cleared away the worst of it in the tire tracks... Again I feel that sharp prick... Yeah, I'd probably still do this on the VFR... and so the faithful follow... The county line is just up around the bend, surely the pavement will resume there. How often do you see road construction on backroads go beyond the county line? It would seem that there is a first time for everything Surely they have not torn up the road all the way around the loop back to Hwy 150? Besides, we're practically half way there now!
We round another corner, the gravel getting deep and loose. I spot a couple in their yard looking at us with amazement and amusement. As I come to a stop in front of them, they are chuckling and then surprised as the rest of the crew comes around the corner. They assure me that the gravel stops just up the road. It seems the road crews did this just a few days ago, great timing. Not wanting to watch everyone try to turn around in the gravel, we press onward, seeking the promise of smooth pavement. I stand up on the pegs and let the bike slide around. Man... I would hate to be on the VFR right now... 
I'd hate to be able to hear what the others are thinking about me right now 
As promised, we soon reach the comfort of nice smooth pavement, right as soon as the really fun twisties start! I wait for the others to finish their gravel ordeal and then we set off to have some fun. This stretch of the road is the best. The curves are back to back with only short straights between them. However, the right side of the lane seems to be tearing away and sliding into the ditch! This is another recent change to an otherwise great road There are now wide cracks, several inches across, and sometimes dropping an inch or more from one side to the other. I thread my way among them and stay to the left of the lane as much as possible. Hitting one of these could be ugly.
When we finally get back to Hwy 150, we resume our trek West and reach New Waverly where we cross over I-45 and head into the Sam Houston National Forest on FM 1375. FM 1375 is mostly straight. Sections of it are still rough near I-45 but much of it has been recently redone, all the way down to the substrate. It crosses over the Northern tip of Lake Conroe. As we cross the water, I look around and it seems the evening is shaping up very nicely. Most of the clouds have vanished and there is a cool dry breeze blowing off the lake. The water looks a little choppy though so it should be an interesting boat ride later. At the far end of the causeway, we slip back into the woods and the long shadows of the approaching evening.
A few miles past Stubblefield Lake Road, we turn South on FS Rd 237. This is a fun and narrow strip of asphalt. Montgomery County keeps many of their small secondary roads in good shape. In the last few years, they have done a nice job of blacktopping most of them and they are really smooth. There are no shoulders and many of the corners are blind so it helps to stay sharp. We drop out onto FM 149, a road familiar too and well liked by most Houston area riders. We head South a few miles and then slip back off onto another of the less travelled roads. If it has a name, I have never paid attention to the sign and it doesn't even show up on many maps. It runs out to a subdivision on Lake Mt. Pleasant and then heads South to FM 1097. There are some sneaky corners on this road, including a few that decrease in radius. Mark is following me as I slip into a particularly tight left hander that I know decreases. I give a few blips of the brake light to make sure he is paying attention and then dive into the corner. The next thing I hear is a loud THUNK as my left hand pannier smacks the pavement! I really need to get some sliders for these things before I grind through the casing on them
We drop out onto FM 1097 and while waiting for a break in the traffic, Aaron, Mike and Paul let me know they are running on fumes. Man... we've only gone 140 miles!? Hehe, running on a Gixxer, R1, and the CBR, I guess they are doing pretty good to have made it this far I assure them I am aware of their situation and that we are stopping for gas shortly. Worst case scenario, they have to siphon some of my gas to make the next three or four miles. We make it to the gas station without incident and finish the last few miles to Wes & Sonny's home on the lake where we find Beth waiting with them for our arrival.
Sonny has cold water for everyone 
We hang out and cool off for a bit before heading out to the boathouse. The weather looks like it will be perfect for this evening!
Mike, Sonny, Kent and Will
Sonny and Kent
Wes at the controls
The lovely Blue Bomber, happy as she looks, she wants to kill me for pointing the camera in her direction
As far as I can recall, she's never seen a picture of her she has liked
Aaron, Gavin, Kent and Debbie, with our lovely waitress in the background
Wes must have said something amazing because Kent looks shocked
Wes, Paul, Will and Mike
Wes and Sonny
The staff were dressed in scary outfits... really... it was quite scary... I was terrified!
The boat cruise out and back is great. The food is average and the atmosphere nice. Well... except for the lady holding her cig behind her to keep the smoke out of her face and letting it blow in our faces :angryfir: With everyone full we head back for the house. Despite a lack of any moonlight, the lake is much brighter than I would have expected. The wind coming off the water is cool and refreshing. Overhead there are no clouds and the stars are shining brightly. I could spend hours out here! Too soon we are back at the boathouse. We head upstairs to the deck and hang out, enjoying the cool evening and each others company.
Around 10:00pm we finally decide to call it quits and head for home. The group splits up and we all head our separate ways. Will and Deb follow me back up through the woods on FM 149 and 1791 to Huntsville. The low lying areas along the way are very chilly, not so much that I am uncomfortable in the mesh jacket, but certainly enough to get my attention and make me really feel alive! The moon is now high enough that it reflects off the roads as they wind into the woods ahead us. We reach the house and pull into the garage. 290 miles for the day. Another great day on the bikes. Deb heads home and Will and I head for the fridge, time for some Blue Bell 
Adios,
Our first attempt at getting together and Wes & Sonny Wessel's home on Lake Conroe after a ride did not turn out so great. It rained and more than half the riders bailed. We still managed to go riding later in the day but did not do the after ride get together. This weeked we tried something different. We still did the route originally planned for the first ride, but insted of doing a cookout afterwards, we decided to pile into Wes's party boat and take a little cruise and get dinner on the lake. Everyone starts showing up around 9:15am. When I peek out the window through my squinting eyes, I see Kent "Kocook", Paul "MrcleanVFR", Gavin "Skid", Will "Birdwh", and Debbie "Snoopster" hanging out in the driveway. Mike and Aaron call to tell us Aaron is having front rim issues and they will try to meet up with us in Onalaska around 11:00am. We roll out of the driveway right on time, 10:00am. It looks a little iffy in the weather department but unless it storms bad, I plan on riding anyway. We head out of town on FM 980 towards Riverside. Off to the North there is a line of thunderstorms moving East, the direction we are heading. As we get near the Prison Feeder Slab hog farm, it starts to rain. Up ahead it looks like it is raining hard. I pull off into a gravel drive to don the rainsuit. It seems that other than Debbie, I am the only one with a rainsuit, although Kent has on a nice looking Stich. While I am hopping around getting the rain pants on over my riding pants, an elderly farmer type pulls up in his truck and tells us it is raining quite hard up ahead. Well, at least all of my aerobic jumping around will be worth it Or not... We get back on the road, go about a mile, and the rain stops. Now I'm just freaking hot! I don't want to stop again and remove the suit only to have to stop yet again and put it back on if it starts raining again. We pass through Riverside and continue on our way on FM 980 out to Waterwood. Here we take the Waterwood Parkway South to US 190. It sprinkles a little from one dark cloud but otherwise it is dry. There are a few tar snakes that are wet and they make the rear end of the GS slide around a little when I hit them while leaning the bike. Kent is bringing up the rear because he is still breaking in his bike and can't exceed 4000rpm, about 70mph in top gear. We reach 190 and wait a few moments before he comes over the hill into sight. I'd like to hit another favorite road only a few miles away but I am afraid that we won't make it to Onalaska in time to meet Aaron and Mike. So we turn and head East on US 190 across Lake Livingston and cruise into town. We park under the cover of a closed down gas station and wait. Soon they call and tell us they are just up the road. Once we are all in the same place, we continue East on US 190 to FM 3152 and head into the woods. Having spent nearly an hour in Onalaska by the time everyone gassed up, we are now running a little behind, so I make an on the fly route change and decide to head straight for the lunch stop. Of course no one is the wiser because I am the only one that knows the route We run FM 942 East through the woods just North of US 190 until we reach FM 1745. The clouds are no longer dark and ominous looking. There are still tons of them cluttering up an otherwise beautiful sky, but they don't look like they will be dropping any rain. The thunderheads I saw earlier seem to have spent there moisture and faded into the noon sky. Since Kent is breaking in his bike and can't run very quick, I just settle into cruise mode where we are not going real fast, but neither do I slow down much for any of the curves That is one of the nice things about the roads out here. They are just endless miles of fast fun sweepers, perfect for rythm riding. At 1745, we turn and continue East to Chester. Normally, I would make Chester the first stop of the ride. However, since we already stopped in Onalaska to hook up with Mike and Aaron, I decide to keep moving. We drop down US 287 a few blocks and continue West on FM 1745 to Colmesniel. I really like this little stretch of road. It runs through some really nice wooded areas, past some beautiful rolling pastures with pretty lakes, and has lots of elevation changes. The time passes quickly and we are soon pulling into the parking lot of the Texas Star Cafe. They get us seated quickly and take great care of us. The food is good as usual. With all the tea that has been consumed, I think I will need to plan another stop in the not too distant future! We waddle out to the parking lot and remount our respective rides. A few of the bikes in the group have limited ranges so we decide to go ahead and fill up at the local Exxon before getting back on the road. It's close to 2:00pm and getting back to Conroe by 4:30ish will be close. With a minor variation in our route, I decide to just backtrack most of the way and drop a few little side roads off the route. It's disappointing because those two roads really are a lot of fun, but they are out of the way and would take an additional hour at least. I think I need to do another Butt Burner soon so I can spend the time needed to keep these roads from being to lonely We head back down into the woods on FM 1745 the way we came. We have not gone very far when I see some seriously bright headllights coming up behind me, fast! Paul pulls up beside me on his tricked out 929 RR and motions for me to pull over. A quick roadside pow wow and I find out that Mike has had to stop. Apparently he has a flat tire, doh! I swing back around and head up the road a few miles to see him, and a few of the others standing around looking at his bike. Time to get out the repair kit and get to work. Ironically, we had the same problem on the last ride Mike came on with us, last week. In his defense, it was Squeaky's rear tire instead of his This tire should have not made the trip, hehe. It is starting to show cords in the center of the tread If we can get him to ease off the throttle just a little... he can probably get this one home Yup... it's flat!
Looking at this helmet you might suspect that Mr. Box rides this R1!!
It's a trick of the lense... really... his head is not that big Kent, Will and Mike contemplating the situation
Yes that's right, he's toasted a rear tire BEFORE he got his permanent plates!
That's the plug in the center, curtesy of your's truly. At the rate I seem to be plugging tires, I should probably change my username to "Plugmeister" We let the plug sit a while so the rubber cement can cure and then start emptying CO2 cannisters into the tire. I use my last two and Kent donates one of the big 16gram tubes from his BMW kit. That gives us enough pressure to get down the road a few miles to Chester where there is a gas station that hopefully has an air hose. Kent takes off, muttering something about getting ahead of the pack... I follow Will and Mike until we get up the road to the rest of the group. I zing on by intent on catching up to Kent and having some fun the next few miles. The others have no where to get lost before the next stop. I love running the GS hard on twisty roads. It just eats up the corners and begs for more. People are always amazed at how well the bike handles corners. Loads of torque has a way of chewing up the pavement in a way that makes it quite fun to pull out of the curves. But where is Kent...? At the pace he runs and the pace I am running, I should have come upon him by now :scratch Maybe he was bitten by the curve bug as well? Eh.. I'll catch him at the stop sign. When I reach the stop sign, Kent is no where to be found I scan around thinking maybe he pulled over in a parking lot or something but don't see him anywhere. Soon the others are pulling up behind me. About the time I am starting to really wonder what is going on, I see Kent bringing up the rear!? I guess he must have pulled over to hook up with the rest of the group and I just missed him as I went zooming past them. Regrouped we head up the road a few hundred yards and pull in at the Exxon station which has a free air hose, a real rarity nowdays. It works too, another rarity! this also makes for a convenient and timely rest stop to dispose of the rented tea from lunch We get Mike's tire properly inflated and head West on FM 1745. That last little spirited run seems to have triggered the appearance of that little devil that occasionally roosts on my shoulder. I find myself irresistably drawn into a faster pace now, still a smooth not go to jail pace, but the corner speeds are up and the roll ons at the exits a little firmer. The GS begs for more. I glance back in the mirrors and notice that Will has moved up behind me. Cool. I really enjoy riding with Will. We have done a LOT of miles together on all kinds of roads and have very similar riding styles. We get into sync with each other very easily. We reach FM 942 and head North towards Camden where we pass the International Paper/Lumber mills. If you like the smell of the lumber section at Home Depot, you'd love this place! The sawdust pile is the size of a small mountain! We pick up Hwy 62 and head West towards US 59 and the tiny town of Moscow. 62 is smooth and fun for a few miles. I am in full fun mode when I crest a hill and spot a little sedan in the road, backing up in that funny weaving pattern. Hard on the binders I haul the bike down and see the driver look up in the mirror and jerk in surprise to see a line of bikes comign up behind her fast! She quickly pulls off on to the shoulder and we zoom on by her. It has really started to get warm. I cannot believe it is Halloween weekend and the temps are in the high 80's and low 90's!? The clouds have really thinned out and the sun is shinning in earnest. We head West on FM 350 back out into rolling pastures and back to back 35 mph corners. Knowing that Kent will be along, I still find myself running a faster pace and really enjoying myself. I cannot help but wonder when I will get a chance to enjoy such a nice afternoon on such a fun road again since our first kid is due December 8th. Hopefully, by Spring of next year, we will have settled into our new routine and Beth and I won't be fighting too much over who gets to take the GS out for a ride We reach FM 3152 and backtrack to Onalaska. There are several jet ski riders playing on the North side of the causeway on US 190 as we cross over the lake. I pace them for a minute or so and they seem to be running close to 60 mph I know from experience that water hurts at speeds lower than that! After we cross the lake, we head South on Hwy 156 from Point Blank and head down towards Coldspring. I throw off the group when I signal for a turn and then cancel when I realize I'm not where I think I am. I wave off but Debbie does not realize what is happening and she turns anyway. Then, like good sheep, everyone else follows her I wait up the road for a few minutes before Mike and Will finally arrive with a slightly puzzled expression on their faces. I send Will back to collect the others and then we are on our way again. When we reach FM 945, I am now where I thought I was and we turn off, all sheep in tow. The road seems a little rougher than I recall. I notice some recent logging and suspect the logging trucks are really tearing up the road surface. I've seen this all over East Texas. The subsurface of the FM's just cannot handle the weight and the pavement crumbles and buckles in a matter of weeks, even days in some cases. I am sure the locals appreciate the desctruction of the roads It may sometimes be several years or more before a road like this is ever resurfaced or even patch repaired. The GS soaks up the pavement irregularities with aplomb and we are soon at Hwy 150 where we head West. We've been knocking out the miles the last few hours so I'm thinking we have time for a small detour. This section of road was added as a disposable section in case we were running behind schedule. It's about 4:00pm now so I think we can run it and still get over to Wes & Sonny's before 5:00pm. Depending on what maps you look at, the road is listed at either FM 2693 or 2778, the sign on the road indicates 2693. We make a right turn and head North. This section of the road is another of those torn up in recent years. A mile or so into the detour, the road becomes dirt... Well now, I guess the powers that be have finally gotten around to repairing this road, all the way down to redoing the subsurface. Contemplating the situation, I feel a slight sharp prod from the shoulder where the little pointy headed guy likes to sit... It looks smooth... I'd do this on the VFR... Hmmm...? I wonder how much further this is going to go? It is hard packed and not too rough, at least as far as I can feel through the GS's long soft suspension. A few more miles and the road becomes gravel, the large chunky white kind. The cars have cleared away the worst of it in the tire tracks... Again I feel that sharp prick... Yeah, I'd probably still do this on the VFR... and so the faithful follow... The county line is just up around the bend, surely the pavement will resume there. How often do you see road construction on backroads go beyond the county line? It would seem that there is a first time for everything Surely they have not torn up the road all the way around the loop back to Hwy 150? Besides, we're practically half way there now! We round another corner, the gravel getting deep and loose. I spot a couple in their yard looking at us with amazement and amusement. As I come to a stop in front of them, they are chuckling and then surprised as the rest of the crew comes around the corner. They assure me that the gravel stops just up the road. It seems the road crews did this just a few days ago, great timing. Not wanting to watch everyone try to turn around in the gravel, we press onward, seeking the promise of smooth pavement. I stand up on the pegs and let the bike slide around. Man... I would hate to be on the VFR right now... I'd hate to be able to hear what the others are thinking about me right now As promised, we soon reach the comfort of nice smooth pavement, right as soon as the really fun twisties start! I wait for the others to finish their gravel ordeal and then we set off to have some fun. This stretch of the road is the best. The curves are back to back with only short straights between them. However, the right side of the lane seems to be tearing away and sliding into the ditch! This is another recent change to an otherwise great road There are now wide cracks, several inches across, and sometimes dropping an inch or more from one side to the other. I thread my way among them and stay to the left of the lane as much as possible. Hitting one of these could be ugly. When we finally get back to Hwy 150, we resume our trek West and reach New Waverly where we cross over I-45 and head into the Sam Houston National Forest on FM 1375. FM 1375 is mostly straight. Sections of it are still rough near I-45 but much of it has been recently redone, all the way down to the substrate. It crosses over the Northern tip of Lake Conroe. As we cross the water, I look around and it seems the evening is shaping up very nicely. Most of the clouds have vanished and there is a cool dry breeze blowing off the lake. The water looks a little choppy though so it should be an interesting boat ride later. At the far end of the causeway, we slip back into the woods and the long shadows of the approaching evening. A few miles past Stubblefield Lake Road, we turn South on FS Rd 237. This is a fun and narrow strip of asphalt. Montgomery County keeps many of their small secondary roads in good shape. In the last few years, they have done a nice job of blacktopping most of them and they are really smooth. There are no shoulders and many of the corners are blind so it helps to stay sharp. We drop out onto FM 149, a road familiar too and well liked by most Houston area riders. We head South a few miles and then slip back off onto another of the less travelled roads. If it has a name, I have never paid attention to the sign and it doesn't even show up on many maps. It runs out to a subdivision on Lake Mt. Pleasant and then heads South to FM 1097. There are some sneaky corners on this road, including a few that decrease in radius. Mark is following me as I slip into a particularly tight left hander that I know decreases. I give a few blips of the brake light to make sure he is paying attention and then dive into the corner. The next thing I hear is a loud THUNK as my left hand pannier smacks the pavement! I really need to get some sliders for these things before I grind through the casing on them We drop out onto FM 1097 and while waiting for a break in the traffic, Aaron, Mike and Paul let me know they are running on fumes. Man... we've only gone 140 miles!? Hehe, running on a Gixxer, R1, and the CBR, I guess they are doing pretty good to have made it this far I assure them I am aware of their situation and that we are stopping for gas shortly. Worst case scenario, they have to siphon some of my gas to make the next three or four miles. We make it to the gas station without incident and finish the last few miles to Wes & Sonny's home on the lake where we find Beth waiting with them for our arrival.
Sonny has cold water for everyone We hang out and cool off for a bit before heading out to the boathouse. The weather looks like it will be perfect for this evening!
Mike, Sonny, Kent and Will
Sonny and Kent
Wes at the controls
The lovely Blue Bomber, happy as she looks, she wants to kill me for pointing the camera in her direction
As far as I can recall, she's never seen a picture of her she has liked Aaron, Gavin, Kent and Debbie, with our lovely waitress in the background
Wes must have said something amazing because Kent looks shocked
Wes, Paul, Will and Mike
Wes and Sonny
The staff were dressed in scary outfits... really... it was quite scary... I was terrified!
The boat cruise out and back is great. The food is average and the atmosphere nice. Well... except for the lady holding her cig behind her to keep the smoke out of her face and letting it blow in our faces :angryfir: With everyone full we head back for the house. Despite a lack of any moonlight, the lake is much brighter than I would have expected. The wind coming off the water is cool and refreshing. Overhead there are no clouds and the stars are shining brightly. I could spend hours out here! Too soon we are back at the boathouse. We head upstairs to the deck and hang out, enjoying the cool evening and each others company. Around 10:00pm we finally decide to call it quits and head for home. The group splits up and we all head our separate ways. Will and Deb follow me back up through the woods on FM 149 and 1791 to Huntsville. The low lying areas along the way are very chilly, not so much that I am uncomfortable in the mesh jacket, but certainly enough to get my attention and make me really feel alive! The moon is now high enough that it reflects off the roads as they wind into the woods ahead us. We reach the house and pull into the garage. 290 miles for the day. Another great day on the bikes. Deb heads home and Will and I head for the fridge, time for some Blue Bell Adios,
Looks like there's some sanding and touch-up paint in my future!