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Inspired by Hoop's report of his ride along what was once Hwy 87 I decided to check it out for myself. I departed from League City around 9am and rode 40 miles to catch the Boliver Ferry. Once off the Ferry it was 28 miles to the junction of Hwy 87 and Hwy 124. Hwy 87 ends about 200ft from the junction and the deep sand begins. I haven't ridden off road in over 20 years and the deep sand was a real eye opener.
Not sure how fast a seasoned DS rider can ride in deep sand but I couldn't get above 20mph in 2nd gear. In addition to deep sand there were some patches of deep Pea Gravel type material. For those who don't know, this whole route is remote beachfront backed by a National Wildlife Preserve.
It was nice to stop the bike and just listen to the waves roll in for a few minutes.
At around the half way point there was a crew working on a pipeline with a crane, front end loader and trackhoe. I wondered as I passed how they got their equipment in place. They were over 10 miles from the nearest road. Continuing on, I found they had cleared a path behind the fence line with a grader to drive in. Not wanting to get stuck behind a fence I elected to continue to travel the beach. Thankfully, there were what appeared to be tracks left behind by a front end loader. Only later would I discover what actually left these tracks.
The whole way I had my eye out for three things. A Bull, quicksand like mud and nudists. I came upon the bull shortly after seeing the huge hoof prints Hoop spoke of. Thankfully he was behind a fence. One down two to go.
A couple of miles after the Bull I started coming up on sections of mud. For the most part I was able to stay clear of the mud by picking my way around it. One section offered no alternative other than to ride in the tracks mentioned earlier. I thought it was a safe be since they looked dry on the surface. Luckily I approached with some speed and momentum carried me through after sinking what seemed like 6 inches. This mud is nasty and kind of smelled like Antifreeze burning on the header pipe.
I stopped one more time to take in the Ocean sounds and heard the unmistakable sounds of a heavy Helicopter approaching.
It was a Navy MH-53 Sea Dragon at about 700 feet. My brother in law flies this same Helicopter out of Norfolk, Virginia.
I finally came upon what left the tracks along the beach. Apparently, this beast is used to shuttle material to the pipeline repair jobsite. It was parked on the end of the Highway 87 near Sea Rim SP.
Motorcyclists beware?
No warning sign like this on the other end of the beach?
I elected to take the long way back to High Island via the pavement. Lots of blue tarp roofs and FEMA trailers in Sabine Pass. Had lunch at the DQ in Winnie and headed back to the Boliver Ferry. A nice couple riding a Harley Ultra Classic parked next to me on the Ferry. They were from Illinois and had trailered down to Mississippi and were just wandering Texas. They were headed to Corpus for the night and I told them to not miss the Hill Country if they had time. I must be nice to be able to just ride for a week with no real plan. They were both in full gear btw which surprised me for some reason. I know, I need to drop the Harley stereotype.
Rode the highways home put the bike away and took a nap. Overall, a great way to spend a day off.
Not sure how fast a seasoned DS rider can ride in deep sand but I couldn't get above 20mph in 2nd gear. In addition to deep sand there were some patches of deep Pea Gravel type material. For those who don't know, this whole route is remote beachfront backed by a National Wildlife Preserve.It was nice to stop the bike and just listen to the waves roll in for a few minutes.
At around the half way point there was a crew working on a pipeline with a crane, front end loader and trackhoe. I wondered as I passed how they got their equipment in place. They were over 10 miles from the nearest road. Continuing on, I found they had cleared a path behind the fence line with a grader to drive in. Not wanting to get stuck behind a fence I elected to continue to travel the beach. Thankfully, there were what appeared to be tracks left behind by a front end loader. Only later would I discover what actually left these tracks.
The whole way I had my eye out for three things. A Bull, quicksand like mud and nudists. I came upon the bull shortly after seeing the huge hoof prints Hoop spoke of. Thankfully he was behind a fence. One down two to go.
A couple of miles after the Bull I started coming up on sections of mud. For the most part I was able to stay clear of the mud by picking my way around it. One section offered no alternative other than to ride in the tracks mentioned earlier. I thought it was a safe be since they looked dry on the surface. Luckily I approached with some speed and momentum carried me through after sinking what seemed like 6 inches. This mud is nasty and kind of smelled like Antifreeze burning on the header pipe.
I stopped one more time to take in the Ocean sounds and heard the unmistakable sounds of a heavy Helicopter approaching.
It was a Navy MH-53 Sea Dragon at about 700 feet. My brother in law flies this same Helicopter out of Norfolk, Virginia.
I finally came upon what left the tracks along the beach. Apparently, this beast is used to shuttle material to the pipeline repair jobsite. It was parked on the end of the Highway 87 near Sea Rim SP.
Motorcyclists beware?
No warning sign like this on the other end of the beach?
I elected to take the long way back to High Island via the pavement. Lots of blue tarp roofs and FEMA trailers in Sabine Pass. Had lunch at the DQ in Winnie and headed back to the Boliver Ferry. A nice couple riding a Harley Ultra Classic parked next to me on the Ferry. They were from Illinois and had trailered down to Mississippi and were just wandering Texas. They were headed to Corpus for the night and I told them to not miss the Hill Country if they had time. I must be nice to be able to just ride for a week with no real plan. They were both in full gear btw which surprised me for some reason. I know, I need to drop the Harley stereotype.
Rode the highways home put the bike away and took a nap. Overall, a great way to spend a day off.
I want to know why hoop didn't take photo's of that encounter. I wouldn't mind taking that run to check it out myself, I haven't been down that way since I was a youngster. We used to live in Liberty and would drive to the former High Island pier to shark fish back in the mid 70's.
Wonder if it can roost? 
