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Post Xmas East Texas Butt Burner 12/26/03

Tourmeister

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Location
Huntsville
First Name
Scott
Last Name
Friday
Howdy,

:tab I am thinking of doing some kind of ride when I come across Bill Bray's post here asking if anyone is going to be doing any riding after Christmas. BINGO! Bill likes to knock down the miles on his R1 so I know he's good for a full day of hard running. I decide to make a full blown ride out of it and see who we can get to attend. A few other people kick around the idea of coming but in the end, it looks to be just myself and Bill. That's cool. Seems everyone has to work hehe.

:tab Friday morning I am up and about, getting ready and expecting Bill anytime. I hear this odd muffled ring ring, ring ring, ring ring Crap!! That is my cell phone! Where the heck is it?? Following the noise I find it and manage to answer before it rolls over to the voice mail. It's Tony a.k.a. TexRex. He's in town at the Texaco and has just gassed up and is here to ride. Cool. A few minutes after he arrives, Bill shows up. The skies are clear and the temperature is just under 60F. Awesome!

:tab We head out of town at 10:00am. I'm sure Bill and Tony are lost as we wind our way through town, hitting stop signs and lights all the way. Once out, we pick up FM 980 and run Northeast. Beth and I put a new front tire on the VFR last night and it feels great! The old one was pretty bad, almost bald :oops: There is very little wind and only scattered high clouds. Already the temperature is into the low 60's. The cool air feels good against my neck.

:tab We pass through Riverside and keep going until we reach Waterwood Parkway. This is a seven mile long strip of realllly fast sweepers that connects FM 980 to US 190. It is smooth with no surprises. It is one of those roads that if you are not careful you will look down and realize that you are running at go to jail speeds without even feeling like it. We drop out on US 190 and head East over the Lake Livingston causeway. The lake is glimmering in the sunlight. It is a little cooler here with a slight wind coming off the water.

:tab We make a quick stop for gas in Onalaska to make sure everyone has a full tank before we head back out into the boonies, well... more boonie than Onalaska :P I think having a fishing license is a requirement for citizenship here. Gassed up we run US 190 out of town to the start of FM 3152 and head into the woods. Everything is brown except for the pine trees which are less and less prevalent everytime I come out here.

:tab It's hard to believe that at one time, much of East Texas had been deforested as a result of severe timber harvesting. Then the lumber companies came to their senses and realized they could better sustain their industry if they replanted. Now much of East Texas is covered in patches of woods where all the trees are the same height and spaced real close together so they will grow taller. This is interspersed with large tracts of land that look like they were trashed with a nasty tornado, splintered and broken limbs everywhere on the ground.

:tab When we reach FM 350 We turn North and head to Moscow. This part of the ride has a nice up and down quality to it as the hills right in this area are steeper and closer together than in other places. It also seems to be a very popular deer hunting area. I see numerous deer stands off in the woods a few hundred yards from the road. In Moscow we head South on US 59 about a mile to the start of FM 62 and run over to Camden. Both of these towns used to be bustling places at the turn of the century. Logging was in full swing and the rail lines came through here to carry away the timber. There is not much left now except for a large lumber mill in Camden. The smell of fresh cut lumber hangs in the air. I have the strange urge to build something :shrug:

:tab After passing the mill in Camden, FM 62 continues over to US 287. This section of road is nice and smooth with long fast sweepers. Great fun! We turn back West and run a few very straight miles up to the South end of FM 352. I've never run this road so this is a bit of an exploratory mission for me, Bill and Tony are my test rats :twisted:

:tab After a somewhat less than spectacular start, the road starts to twist and curve through the woods. I crest a particularly tall hill and start down the backside towards what appears to be a fast left hander. There is an elderly man on the outside shoulder that looks up as he hears us coming. He bends down and scoops something up. As I zing past I catch a glimpse of what looks like small puppy cradled in his arms. That could have been ugly...

:tab A few curves later, I enter another long left hander. I'm coming in wide on a delayed apex when I see that it is about to tighten up pretty good. I pick my entry point for the decreasing radius, lay the bike over and give it some gas. Have I mentioned that I love the linear power delivery of the Honda V4? Stable and nice as can be, the bike accelerates out of the corner without so much as a twitch. A quick glimpse in the mirror and I see Tony right behind me, Bill brings up the rear. I can't see their faces, but I know they're both sporting a grin from ear to ear. The next few miles back to US 59 just North of Corrigan are more of the same kind of fun.

:tab We head North on US 59 looking for the start of the next little road I want to explore. However, I cannot remember the number. I pull over to check the map and take the opportunity to change into my warm weather gloves. They give a better feel for the controls than the bulky cold weather gloves. We're looking for FM 1987, which happens to be right where we are stopped. So, we head East back into the woods.

:tab The first half of the road is long fast sweepers. Most of the scenery consists of logged out tracts of land and rolling hills. The road makes a gentle turn to the North for a few miles and crosses a few creeks. Then it makes a sharp left and heads back West to US 59. This last section is a little more twisty than the first half and is quite fun. The pavement is not fantastic, but it is not so bad that we cannot comfortably maintain a fairly spirited pace. Once on US 59, we tunr North and run up to Diboll.

:tab Once in Diboll we pick up FM 1818 which is part of the Texas Forest Trail, a selection of Texas roads and highways that run through most of the National Forests and parks in East Texas. The first few miles outside of town are nice and fun, gentle ups and downs with fast corners. Once we pass FM 58 the road seems to enter a low lying area with lots of swamp and marsh areas on each side. The road is built up like a small levy. The tree branches make a canopy of dried, scraggly, and boney arms and fingers clawing at each other from each side of the road..

:tab As I am reflecting on the quiet peacefulness of the area I am snapped back to immediate reality by a painful sting on the right side of my neck!! :x Something has got me! I reach up and rub the area to make sure there is not a stinger lodged in my skin. There is no where to pull over so I have to just keep riding. I can feel the burning sensation spreading up my neck towards my ear and down toward my collarbone. In a few minutes the whole side of my neck is getting stiff and feeling slightly numb. When we reach FM 844, I pull over in the parking lot of a small country church. A quick inspection by Tony and Bill shows there is nothing left except at nasty red whelp.

:tab With nothing really to be done about the sting, I put my helmet back on and resolve to continue riding. When I thumb the starter to refire the VFR, it turns over in a very sluggish manner before finally lighting up and running. Strange?! Then I notice that my dash clock and trip odometer have been reset. Hmmm... Could it be that after 45K miles of faithful trouble free service my VFR is developing the dreaded regulator/rectifier curse? With an uneasy feeling in my gut, we get back on the road and head up FM 844 to US 69. I just try to put this and the sting out of my mind and focus on riding.

:tab We stop in Huntington on US 69 for gas and a restroom break. When we go to leave, the bike fires right up on the first try with no hesitation. So my battery is being charged as I ride. Could I have an intermittent problem? While I am worrying about this, Tony is concerned about his rear tire making the whole trip. It looks fine to me :shrug: Then I notice that my rear tire is not looking so good. :| Geez, I don't really have that many miles on this tire! I just put it on at the beginning of October, made one trip to the Hill Country and another to Arkansas and Missouri. I trailered to both events so I didn't even put the to and from miles on the tire. :? One more thing to keep an eye on for the rest of this ride.

:tab We leave town running on FM 1669. As I come up a slight rise towards a right hander, I notice the tire track sections of the pavement are shiney. Fearing this might be slick I start adjusting my line to run along the inside of the outer tire track. When I come to the apex at max lean, I'm looking up the road when I feel both tires start sliding. :shock: Apparently I have caught the edge of the tire track. Now I am drifting wide. There is no traffic coming the other way and I am mostly straightened out, so I just stay on the gas and wait... The bike slides over the double yellow a few feet before the greasiness wears off the tires and I feel them grab again. I make a quick glance back to see that Tony has held the line tight and missed the slime. Bill follows suit. Whew...!

:tab The rest of the run up FM 1669 is fun and uneventful. When we hit Hwy 103 we turn East, more of the Texas Forest Trail and more insane straightness. We cross over the Northern tip of the Sam Rayburn Reservoir. The fisherman are out in force enjoying the beautiful weather. We pick up FM 95 and head North again. This is another road I've never run. It is nothing out of the ordinary, at least the section up to Hwy 21. FM 95 runs North for quite a ways so perhaps that section might be better? For now we turn East on Hwy 21 and head for a road that I know is fun!

:tab Actually, Hwy 21 is a nice ride in many places. However, today we are heading for FM 1196. This is just a short cut road basically that runs along the East side of the Attoyac Bayou between Hwys 21 and 103. I make it a point to always run this road if I am in the area. The pavement is great, the curves are fast and back to back, and there are lots of places where the bike gets light coming over a crest or heavy at the bottom of a draw. There is usually no traffic and not too many houses, just road and woods. It drops out onto FM 1277 at the South end.

:tab A few years back, FM 1277 was black topped. Most of the area had already been fairly heavily logged so there aren't many timber trucks coming through here anymore. Those trucks will destroy a road in a very short time. Now that they are rare, the pavement has stayed really smooth and nice the last few years and will hopefully stay that way for some time to come. FM 1277 is a road made for running the Pace. There are no surprise corners, few driveways, and excellent visibility. All of this adds up to a serious grin factor. It does not take long for us to reach San Augustine.

:tab In town we stop for lunch at Fausta's Restaurant. If you like Fried Chicken, this is the place to come to. They fry it when you order it. It does not sit in a bin under a heat lamp getting soggy. If you don't believe it is served hot, just ask Tony... hehe. I have my standard Grilled cheese and Bill opts for the monster Bacon Cheeseburger. Bill and I get our food a little quicker than Tony. This lets us watch Tony trying to eat his chicken as fast as he can without burning his tongue, too badly. It is quite amusing. After a bit of relaxing, we head out. It is after 2:00pm and we are only half way through our route. If we want to get back before too late, we've got to get on the move!

:tab Once we are moving again, we leave town via FM 353. This road is like a roller coaster! The hills are close together and steep. There are off camber corners, decreasing radius corners, low G crests, loose gravel, driveways, and pretty much anything else you can think of to make the road a serious challenge. It is still quite fun though :twisted: I tussle with a bit of the loose gravel but keep it on two wheels as I am not really pushing through here. Within minutes we arrive at Hwy 87 and turn South.

:tab I am thinking we'll head Southwest on FM 330, a little lane and a half FM that is more about scenery than going fast. However, the road is closed to through traffic. I wonder if they are going to widen it and ruin the little country lane charm that made it such fun to ride in the Spring and Fall? The woods are very thick on both sides. Springtime blossoms abound in March and April, and the Fall colors are warm and soft in September and October. The leaves fall so thick it seems like it is raining foliage. So anyway... back to the road closed thing, we turn around and head South on Hwy 87 again. It means we'll be skipping a few other special little FM's that I like to hit, but the run down 87 through Hemphill is still a nice ride. The real fun begins when we reach the tiny tiny town of Yellowpine!

:tab Hwy 87 has nice consistent quality pavement. Traction is seldom an issue, even when wet. In many places the woods come right up against the road creating a very cozy feeling. Once we pass South of Yellowpine, the road begins to get much twistier. We cross over a branch of the Toledo Bend Reservoir and then vanish right back into the woods with a howl of internal combustion powered joy. Again, the hills are closer and the elevation changes more drastic. More often than not, this makes for good riding, here is no exception.

:tab Just North of Burkeville, I decide to make the short loop around town on FM 1415. I've been meaning to run this little loop and just never have gotten around to it. Funny how I can come so close to roads sometimes and yet never explore them until years later. Ocasionally they turn out to be great roads and I wonder how I could have missed them for so long? This was the case with FM 977 North of Madisonville. It is not the case with FM 1415. While it is not a bad road, it is not a great road either. It just circles the West side of town and comes back out on Hwy 87 on the South side. We do see a bright canary yellow Suzuki Katana go by, a fellow and his lady friend. It's good to see someone else ejoying the riding today. It's hard to believe it is the day after Christmas!? Here it is, late in the afternoon and still 69 F. I love Texas.

:tab We turn back North on Hwy 87 and run up to Burkeville. We stop at the Texaco on the intersection of Hwy 87 and 63 for a break. We are in deep East Texas as evidenced by the numerous old pickups and thick accents. Folks are friendly and most seem interested in the bikes. It seems that most of what they see out here are cruisers. Tony casually mentions that he is feeling pretty good so far. Normally his neck might be a little sore by now but he's doing great today. The normal soreness wouldn't be from trying to hold his head up against triple digit windspeeds now would it? :wink: I thought not...

:tab After resting a few minutes, we head East on Hwy 63 a block or so and pick up the North end of FM 1414, a real sweet road, unless you get careless. I normally run this road from the South. Actually, I normally run our entire route the opposite direction. I decided to backtrack the route because it's a totally different ride even though it is the same roads! This is no exception. Nothing looks familiar and I am scanning the road for braking points, turn in points, and apexes. Curves that might normally seem to be a big deal are nothing in this direction, and curves I would usually think nothing of are quite a bit more challenging now. I just wish this road was not 150 miles from home!

:tab Once we reach the South end of FM 1414, we turn South on Hwy 87 for the quick sprint down to Newton, pick up US 190 and run back West to the start of FM 1012. This road is a lot like FM 1414. It runs through some very small "towns" which are really more like settlements. There are no post offices, police, firemen, anything... not even a Dairy Queen!! Generally the homes look to just be a collection of trailer houses and regular houses, all probably belonging to members of the same extended family. FM 1012 runs about ten or so miles back up to Hwy 63. It's another road I try to hit when I can because it is fun.

:tab We run down Hwy 63 back to Jasper, stop for gas, and then keep West on US 190. I pull over for a few quick pictures on the bridge over B.A. Steinhagen Lake. A large cloud cover is coming in from the South and the winds are starting to pick up slightly. The sun is quickly vanishing behind the clouds. I've managed to not get a single picture all day because I have been so focused on the riding :-D So we pause for a few quickies:

Tony and Bill

Your's truly with Bill in the background waiting patiently

:tab Once we are done with the pictures, we slip into the get on home mode. It is late in the afternoon, almost 5:00pm and the sun is getting low on the horizon. We are still a good ways out and both Tony and Bill have some miles to pound down. Nonetheless, I convince them to run up FM 256, 1745 and 942 rather than just blitzing down US 190. I don't know about them, but I am glad we take the back way. The roads are mostly empty of other vehicles and I never see a single deer, or any other critters for that matter. Even with the sun fading from the sky, it is still 65F. it has been an incredible day of riding. Even the humidty has been low, hovering around 60% or so (verified later via weatherundergroud.com). The clouds are keeping the sun out of our eyes as we cruise West at a very brisk pace. :angel:

:tab When we reach FM 2500, we stop to say goodbye to Tony. He's going to head down to South through the Big Thickett National Forest. He cannot stomach the thought of running down US 59 back to Houston hehe. On the other hand, Bill is more concerned about time now and is more than happy to hit US 59 and make haste for home. He and I continue on FM 942 to Leggett and then head South on 59 to Livingston. I peel off to pick up US 190 and head home. Bill takes off with a wave goodbye and I see his taillight fade into the darkness.

:tab Alone again I start thinking about what a great day this has been. The run back to Huntsville on 190 is quick. It is completely dark now and the wind is cranking really good. I can feel the humidity climbing back to the normal East Texas levels as the moisture from the Gulf of Mexico blows in on the Southern breeze. The clouds have dropped from the stratosphere and are thick and heavy looking, moving fast just above the tree tops. Looks like rain tomorrow, Thank God for the opportunity to ride today!!

:tab I pull into the garage at 6:30pm and find Beth and Deb redy to go get dinner. Fortunately, they waited for me to get home. I pull the VFR up onto the centerstand and inspect the back tire. It's finished. The tread in the center of the tire is balling up and peeling away to reveal chords underneath. At least it gave it's all for a good cause, 450 miles of smiles! :mrgreen:

Adios,
 
Your back tire was looking pretty thin when I stopped by yesterday with my parents. :eek: BTW, I like what ya'll have done with the house. Beth gave us the full rundown and tour. :)
 
" We leave town running on FM 1669. As I come up a slight rise towards a right hander, I notice the tire track sections of the pavement are shiney. Fearing this might be slick I start adjusting my line to run along the inside of the outer tire track. When I come to the apex at max lean, I'm looking up the road when I feel both tires start sliding. Apparently I have caught the edge of the tire track. Now I am drifting wide. There is no traffic coming the other way and I am mostly straightened out, so I just stay on the gas and wait... The bike slides over the double yellow a few feet before the greasiness wears off the tires and I feel them grab again "

Glad to hear you didn't panic and hit the brakes. Also glad the tires decided to behave together. There is nothing worse(IMO) than a front tire washing out on you.

Great story. You have a great memory.
 
I see you and Tony too have fallen prey to the rubber eating asphalt beast that feasts on sport tourers in the eastern part of the state and turns seemingly healthy rear tires into "Am I gonna make it home from here?" vulcanized carcasses.
I thought it was just me. :pound2
 
photography

I coulda gotten a better pic of you there Scott. I'm in the stone age. Still using a standard old Cannon FTB. Never used a digital before. Kinda worried about gettin run over also. Used to steadying the camera against my face which is hard to do and still see the screen on a digital. Could feel the camera moving as I snapped the shutter.

Tire wore out just in time. When I yanked the rear wheel off, I noticed the rear pads were gettin pretty thin. Like as thin as a piece of paper. One was actually just starting to curl up from the backing plate. Caught it in the nick of time. Considering I never use the rear brake, I sure go through pads quickly. Third set with 27,000 ticks. Changed the oil. Checked her over real well and got her ready for the next all day ride.
 
Re: photography

tex rex said:
I'm in the stone age. Still using a standard old Cannon FTB.

Nothing wrong with the FTB. I've got one too and it takes great pics. Autofocus features and the like don't agree too well with action shots (unless you're a professional), so the FTB works great for taking pics at the track. :-D
 
Cannon FTB

It's been a great camera. Unfortunately the shutter speed has sped up slightly. Kind of exponentially. An impossible thing to easily compensate for. I have to bracket all my photos and hope I get one with a good exposure. Got so much invested in lenses and filters, that I don't want to give it up.
 
I have to bracket all my photos and hope I get one with a good exposure. Got so much invested in lenses and filters, that I don't want to give it up.

I was like that with my Nikon N70 35mm SLR. However, the savings in film cost and developing have LONG since paid for the digital camera several times over. I told myself I would sell all the Nikon stuff on Ebay to recoup a little of the cost but I just never got around to it. There are some kinds of shots that the digital just cannot do like the Nikon, but for the other 95% of the shots I take, the digital rocks!

You can get a decent digital camera for a fwe hundred bucks now.

My thighs are STILL killing me! I can't remember ever being this sore after a ride!? I must have forgotten to take my Geritol before we left...

Adios,
 
Shoot, I'd of gladly done the entire route again the next day. My neck was a little sore that night, but felt good the next day.
 
:tab Well, we rode about 180 miles on Saturday, but at a much more sedate pace ;-) The soreness is on the front and sides of my thighs, the squating muscles. Sunday is when they really started hurting, toady they are loosening back up a bit and I can actually walk without looking funny :lol: This is actually a little unusual, even after a long day of hard riding. I must be getting soft hehe. It really was a fun ride though.

Adios,
 
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