585 mile KLR weekend camping trip

[ed29]

With an early start Friday morning myself and another rider were off on a Labor Day getaway camping trip. The ride was mostly about the places along the way, with the fun roads between as a bonus.

The KLR earned a nickname of "Pack Mule" on this trip.

The panniers were full, along with a few things strapped to the tops. A cooler occupied the top box. I figure there was close to 100 lbs of stuff packed on the bike. This was the only time that I have been able to flat foot the KLR.


There was some gear evaluation going on on this trip too. There were three stoves packed in there. I wanted to see which would be best for when I bike camp on the 250. I will not be packing that bike as heavily. using the stoves on the patio at home comes close, but having to rely on it at camp really shows whether it will work.

Day one was mostly spent getting to the lake, choosing the spot for the tent, and setting up camp. At first we were told that we would have to camp in the RV section with power and water.... the area we wanted was reserved. Once we had 'settled' for what we hoped would be the best we could do we went back to the office to let them know what spot was chosen. As luck would have it a cancellation had been called in for a spot in the better area.

Did we want to move camp???? YOU BET!! everything was packed back on the bikes while the best spot in the place was staked out. We had not yet set the tent, but everything had been unloaded. Packing for the short haul was not as effective as it had been for the road trip, but it got the job done.

Late afternoon.... relaxing by the water.

Some eager kids were just wild about the bikes.... future enthusiasts no doubt.

 

[ed29]

Day 2...

The Jet Boil stove was tagged for making hot water for coffee, and it did its job very well. It did this so well that it will be the stove of choice for lightweight camping. At least 'my' choice. A less expensive Bruton stove went to work making scrambled eggs. The plan had been to make an omelet, but a local racoon had opened the cooler during the night and made off with the smoked sausage and cheese. Lesson learned... each night after that the cooler was placed back in the top box for safe keeping.

First stop Fort Belknap.

The visitor center was packed with goodies, including a map of Peter's Colony drawn by R.B.Marcy.

The old Belknap cemetery has some very historic graves inside.

This one is one of the earliest graves I have seen in Texas. It is a Texas Ranger buried in 1841.

Mid day, we were hungry and the bikes needed gas, so we found this hole in the wall place to eat.

It really is 'The Hole in the Wall'. I recommend this place if you are very hungry. The half size burger was more than enough. (Half size was a half pound of beef with a 1/4 pound of ham for good measure) You will find this eatery in Newcastle, TX.

After lunch we set out in search of bridges, historic cemeteries, Indian attack sites, Butterfield locations, and a picturesque church. I was getting tired, and did not fool with the camera after the bridge.

Getting out on the bridge involved riding through a section where the old road was torn out to keep vehicles off the bridge. That is a challenge that the old KLR ate up as dessert!

 

[Curtis]

Oh MAN!

If I hadn't had mouth surgery Thursday I would have gone with you guys.
I have a boat load of camping equipment just begging to get out again.
I spent the 5 day weekend packing and repacking it for a trip somewhere someday.

I have 18 days of vacation left this year, so if you do it ( go bike camping ) again get in touch with me. I've been thinking of just taking off and doing a walk about real soon.

So come on, post up the rest of the story. I spent the last 5 days dreaming of just such a trip.

Curtis

 

[ed29]

Ahhh to be free as a bird.....

Days 3 and 4 are folded in together.

On Sunday we headed out across the southern edge of Possum Kingdom Lake. There is not much there. the roads do not hug the lake like on the east and north sides. One feature of the southeast corner will not pass the filter test here. A certain 'gate', not heaven's gate either. You know what I mean!

I thought there was a way to get to it by land and there was.

It is quite high. I do not know or worry just exactly how high. Here is a view of boats and jet skis to put it in perspective.

I like the irregular edges and how they almost mirror each other from this angle.

Here is a certain rider hanging feet off the edge to get just the shot.

I am intrigued by the contrasts in houses along the gate. I tend to like the more rustic.

The rest of the day was spent exploring the peninsula, and the eastern end of the lake. Lunch at Rockin' S Bar and Grill was pretty good. Ice cream was found at the Rock Creek Store on what else but Rock Creek Road. I was remiss once again with leaving the camera in the bag after lunch.

Monday we broke camp after coffee and headed for Fox Hollow for breakfast. It is right next to Possum Hollow. Just higher on the 'food chain'.

We took most of the day getting back to the world of jobs and responsibilities, choosing to explore the town square in Graham first thing after breakfast.

It is purportedly the largest town square in Texas.

There is some interesting and impressive art around this square.

This arch is all that is left of the third courthouse. It was saved when the old building was torn down.

With that my camera was dying. I popped in fresh batteries, and no dice. It was done for the trip. i will have to get another pack of batteries and see if the spare set was bad, or if the device has failed.

Several hours and pleasant road miles later the trip officially ended at The Malt Shop east of Weatherford.

The next one is not soon enough.

 

[ed29]

Stove test results addendum:

Here are the three stoves tested in the order of preference for the next trip.

First is my favorite of the three:

The Jet Boil is compact as can be, storing the fuel and the burner inside the pot makes it wonderful to pack. It has a quart of water in a full rolling boil in under three minutes. Setup is ten seconds or less.

Second of the three:

The Brunton Raptor was the least expensive one here. All of $35.00 at Academy with a fuel canister included. Setup of the folding wing pot support takes some getting used to. you have to deploy the three wings halfway at first in order to articulate them into place without interference. Once you get this trick down setup is a 15 second exercise. No storage or wind protection comes with the stove, and heat regulation is difficult at lower settings. It is easy to burn the eggs if you are not on top of it.


Last place:

The MSR Whisperlight International was the most expensive of the three tested on this trip. Setup is complicated for this one with six steps before you
are cooking. The warning on step 5 that 'a brief soccer ball size flame is normal' is no joke. This stove will take the hair right off the hand that lights it. The yellow flame smokes badly until it comes up to temperature and the flame goes blue. Once at that stage it is easier to regulate temperature than the Brunton was, but not by much.

 

[Tourmeister]

I love the old cemeteries. There is one not far from my home with a grave from the early 1800's as the death date. The birth date was pre Colonial Revolution. I believe the person was a Methodist circuit preacher that founded a church near the cemetery. Used to be a small town out there. Nothing left but the cemetery now, which is still in use. There are many graves around here for War of 1812 and Civil War veterans.

 

[jbh]

Hey, you found the way into H**L's gate. I have riden there several times and taken a few folks there. I always intended to lead a TWT ride there but never got around to it. I am always in awe of the height of it and love hanging out there.

Looks like you had a good time.

 

[donroger1]

My Old Neighborhood!!!!

Cool stuff.

PS. You couldn't fool me. I recognized the "un-named" rider's driveway.

You guys did well!!

 

[John Bennett]

Cool ride! Good report. Thanks.