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RR: Hunting for Rubber in West Texas

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Feb 21, 2005
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Location
SW Austin
Monday rolled around and AusWife and I had 5 days off with no obligations so we planned to head west to Fort Davis and New Mexico.

We started packing and AusWife pointed out she was not happy with any of the packing options' prospects for protecting our cigars. She came up with this BRILLIANT idea to tape them to the top of the top box. It worked like a charm.

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While we are on the subject of packing...several people we encountered along the way were curious about our kit and how we packed it so here are a couple shots of the bike loaded for two people for a week of camping and hotelling and the contents of that kit.


The bike loaded up (on the road to McDonald Observatory):
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The Kit (this is actually what we unloaded off the bike when we got home):
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The sunsets were spectacular:
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More later....gotta meet a friend for lunch.
 
We took the scenic route from Austin to West Texas through Boerne, Bandera and Uvalde down to 90 then the hard west run to Sanderson then Marathon, etc. It adds about 100+ miles and about 2 hours for us but we enjoy this route much better when we have the time. We didn't bother to take any pictures because we were having such a good time riding.

The heat started to catch up to us by Sanderson but we stopped, wetted ourselves down, drank a Monster and were ready to go for the last couple hours of riding. We stormed straight into Davis Mountains State Park and took to setting up camp:

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I made a quick run into town for snacks and refreshments then we took turns stalking each other with the camera:
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She says she was "bird-watching" but I suspect she was looking at my butt while I unpacked the bike:
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Amazing how comfortable a rock can be in camp at the end of a good day's ride, sitting in the mountains with a beautiful woman and drinking the first cold beer of the day. There was nowhere and no-when I would rather have been at that moment:
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We went for a walk to the Indian Lodge for dinner and watched india ink flow across the sky as the horizon sprouted rainbows:
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We turned in to the sack just before dark as thunderstorms came to life to provide a fireworks show to challenge any Independence Day display. The cacophony of thunder, wind, rain and pelting hail unwittingly served as perfect aural concealment for the sound of air hissing out of my back tire as we slept peacefully and unknowingly....

Every adventure needs an antagonist and, in this event, that role was played by this tiny little fella...
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But, I need to get ready for my long run tomorrow morning so that part of this account will have to wait....
 
Every adventure needs an antagonist and, in this event, that role was played by this tiny little fella...

I see the hugger for the rear on the ground... But after seeing what was "unloaded from bike after you got home", I bet you were prepared......

:popcorn:
 
I just love ride reports from Texans. We know how to pack.

:clap:

Love ride reports from the AusFletch! 8-) Guess I'll have to wait for the rest....

Thanks, y'all. I'll try to vomit out the rest of the story out now. Here it goes... :puke:

Coffee is very important to me. Like air is important. I always bring my own coffee and stove when I travel on the bike - even if I'm not camping. AusWife bought me a JetBoil for my b-day last year. I had not used it yet. It works great. Really great. I'm ready to be a sponsor. Where do I get some stickers for my bike? At about 2/3 to 3/4 flame it boiled a half liter of cool water in about two minutes and a full liter in under 4.
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We drank coffee and woke up then hopped on the bike to head into Fort Davis to seek out breakfast before going for a ride down 170 for the day. We dressed, loaded up and SPOTTED THE FLAT TIRE! To be fair, it was only flat on one side but unrideable just the same. I set to work on tire repair while Paige, of course, documented the event for y'all.
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Remember that little, teeny-tiny pebble from the first posting of this trip? Well, it was shaped like the world's smallest arrowhead and had managed to slice right through the tread and through the tire. I plugged it with some rope plugs then loaded up with a new mission for the day - find a tire.

We rode to Fort Davis and borrowed an air pump and a phone book from a gas station. The attendant said there was a bike shop in Alpine and the phone book confirmed it - Big Bend Cycles. Repeated phone calls reached only a fax machine so we decided to head into Alpine to check it out.

We found the shop easily but it was, well, rustic and, of course, closed up tight. We set out to find a bite to eat and re-group when I spotted a KLR parked outside a bicycle shop. I stopped to try to find the owner figuring that anyone on a KLR - at a bicycle shop, no less - out here would know some of the moto folks in the area. I was VERY lucky to meet Mike Latta who owned the KLR. He went out of his way to help me out by calling a friend who re-builds airheads in Alpine but was, tragically, away riding in Utah. Mike and I pondered our other options which included El Paso, Las Cruces, Del Rio when he remembered CycleTek in Study Butte. Mike gave me the phone numbers. I called and learned Ralph - proprietor - had a Conti Trail-Attack in stock. We gobbled down the last of our BLT and avocado sandwiches then jetted out for the 75 mile ride to CycleTek. Ralph and his crew turned out to be great guys who changed the tire and had me back on the road in no time. In case you're reading this: Thanks, Mike and Ralph. You guys are super and I appreciate the assist.


"Driveway" to CycleTek:
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Paige watching the Cycletek guys do their best pit crew impersonation:
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We were soon back on the road feeling very impressed with the friendliness and helpfulness of the West Texan. 210+ miles later we were back in camp with a brand new tire and a rejuvenated sense of confidence.
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The storms arrived again in the late afternoon but evaporated in time to make a Star Party - the reason we were in the Davis Mountains - a reality. We ate a picnic lunch of cheese and salami and red wine in a coffee mug on the swings at the Indian Lodge then headed to McDonald Observatory. If you haven't been to a Star Party, go. Seriously. The darkness is unreal. It swallows your headbeams on the way home but, while you're at the Observatory, stars explode out of the blackness. I've been several times and enjoy it like a little kid every time.


Road to Observatory:
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Observatory Entrance:
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The Big 'Scope:
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Sunset at the Observatory:
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In the "it's a Small World Category" I saw a couple guys with Sharpie-d numbers on their calves like they'd just run a triathlon. I asked if they had run the Cap-Tex tri in Austin the day before and, before long, we realized one of the guys had run in my marathon pace group several years before.

We rode slowly through the blackness back to camp and tried to remember how to find all the constellations we'd just learned as we dozed off....

Next morning, more coffee and a short walk for breakfast at the lodge before we hit the road again....
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We decided to ride the loop north of Davis Mountains. It's one of my favorite rides anywhere, anytime. It's about 80 miles around. We saw two cars. Like usual, we were enjoying riding too much to snap photos. Sorry. We did stop when these guys were crossing the road. There were probably 60 of them.

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After making the loop we pondered our options. 170? Balmorhea? Marfa? Head West? We settled on riding to Marathon and spending a day or two luxuriating at The Gage and it's fabulous pool.

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We spent most of the next two days at the Gage's fantastic pool but I did go for a couple rides in the area and had another "Great West Texan Moment". Paige and I went for a run on the road out to Post Park and a local man we are acquainted with was coming the other direction. We chatted for a minute then continued our run. As we were heading back about an hour later we spot a big diesel pickup - the first vehicle we've seen on this road - lumbering towards us. As we approach it slows down and my acquaintance is behind the wheel. He said that he runs that road and knows how tough the run can be. He said he wanted to make sure we were okay and had bought us several big bottles of cold water that he handed through the truck window. Thanks, Danny, you're a good man.

We finished the run then did some PT in the gardens above.

Other than spending $145 on tequila :chug: in the White Buffalo Bar that pretty much sums up our adventures for this short 4-day run to West Texas. We jetted home on I-10 the next morning - 5 hours 15 minutes from saddling up in Marathon to pulling into my driveway in Austin some 400 miles later. I-10 may sure be boring but it ain't slow. :trust:


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My apologies for so few travel and scenery photos but when the riding's fun or we're covering ground in huge gulps we hate to stop for anything. It seems that in West Texas you're always on a fun or fast road so pictures take a back seat. Again, my apologies.

We love West Texas and this trip, on several occasions, reminded me that there are still a lot of good people out there.


Cheers and ride safely. -Fletch
 
I see the hugger for the rear on the ground... But after seeing what was "unloaded from bike after you got home", I bet you were prepared......

:popcorn:

If I had half as many skills as I do tools and toys I'd never get stuck anywhere.
 
Looks like it was a fun trip. Ralph is a great guy and runs a wonderful shop out there in the desert. He helped our crew out in February when a little T-dub had a cracked fuel line. A short length of Beemer fuel line got the little 200 reliable for its rider.
 
hey i just installed a set of trail attacks on my gs...i sure like the reviews on them...

love the pics...looks like you had a great time...

you've inspired me...

goin on a little daytrip week after next....

http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=U....005863,-103.584595&spn=3.380225,4.921875&z=8

That is going to be an awesome ride. I think I have ridden every mile of your route. 170 and the McDonald Observatory loop are two of my favorite roads. You'll also like the 'back way' to Marfa. Stop by Chinati Hot Springs if you haven't before. Cool hound dogs and it's for sale. Still sorry we missed you. I'll make it work eventually. -Fletch
 
Looks like it was a fun trip. Ralph is a great guy and runs a wonderful shop out there in the desert. He helped our crew out in February when a little T-dub had a cracked fuel line. A short length of Beemer fuel line got the little 200 reliable for its rider.

Ralph was fantastic. I almost just rode on the plug until I got home but figured it was an omen that I was meant to meet some new people. That turned out to be prescient thinking. It was worth the flat and the 'lost' day to meet such a good crew and learn about an important resource like Ralph's operation.

I can't really do justice to how pleasant and kind everyone always treats us in west Texas. I didn't even mention the people we met in the campground or the store clerks or the police officers I bumped into. Good people all.....

I could move out there tomorrow if I didn't need to make a living. -Fletch
 
Yeah, but as a retirement gig, the beer money isn't bad. I'll bet your qualified for the job though.

True AND it would be a PERFECT way to finish learning Spanish. Besides, it may be one of the only other jobs I'm qualified for anymore. Hmmm....
 
What the.....all that thought and prep goes into packing the cigars.....and you didn't even enjoy them.:shrug:
 
Second sentence, first picure. Then in the third pic, upon return, the 'gars are at the bottom, next to the pistola.
 
But where the heck does she SIT?

She doesn't actually get to SIT on the motorcycle. Hahah. Actually, I think that picture may have been a bit of an optical illusion. The bags are on top of each of the cases and the seat is clear. Paige actually likes the bags there as improvised armrests.

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FWIW, the top case is essentially empty. I like to leave room to throw in food and clothes and stuff as day progresses.
 
Not even a hint as to what cigar they packed. Seriously missing a detail here.
I enjoy the occasional Punch.

Sorry.

The light colored one is an Arturo Fuente (Gran Reserva, I think) and the dark one is Macanudo Maduro.

The tin is some random cigarillos that we soak in bourbon before we smoke them. That's what we actually ended up smoking on this trip.
 
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