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Centerville 300 Ride -10/13/07

COMBO

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Joined
Mar 7, 2006
Messages
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Location
Santa Fe, TX.
First Name
Bruce
Last Name
Miller
Re: Centerville 300

Hunting was a flop, but the ride and the company were great. I wished I had stayed for the whole ride. Thanks Scott for putting this together.
 

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About 250mi to get a little closer to correct.The ride went off without a hitch.
James,Desmo and Tourmeister came up fri. night.James slept outside with the panthers and coyote's,the rest stuffed in the cabin.Combo and bddolan showed up early sat. morning ready to go.Everyone ready and on the road by 8...Kinda chilly the first few miles until we hit the dirt.Then the dust took your mind off the cold.Guess it could have been worse but it was powdery
and sandy about 3/4 of the trip.Past countless cemeteries and cows.Everyone checking to see if they had a flat due to the "drifting" effect
of the sandy roads.The klr guys did a good job staying up right and impressing me as to how!!!Combo and dbdolan :doh: showing out doing"wheelies" on the super tankers.Had lunch in Kennard at the burlap bag
Pretty good food.Different enviroment,just leave it at that.What do you want,this is east Texas.
Combo cut out after lunch to head back to buffalo.The rest plodded on thru the davy crocket nat. forest. and south around crockett.Lots of cool scenery some real nice homes hidden in the woods.Think Brian was jumped by a deer.
Finishing up in Crockett decided to make a loop around the square to find a small car show.Checked it out and headed to the cabin for a gorge-athon.

James brought a ton of home prepped sausage and pork.Desmo's wife supplying a tub of enciladas.Food was great ,thanks a bunch,now a diet is in order.Couple beers and endless conversations later we called it a day,a long one.Hope everyone had fun,a good group and good weather.

That should hold me to next weekend!!!! should be some pict's coming..
 
Re: Centerville Ride

Can someone ship Combo's pict's over.Has a nice picture of Scott dressed up for the ride!!!!!
 
Thanks for having us Scott, I had a great time. Also thanks for letting me test ride the BRP, man that thang is a hoot to ride. It was good to see everyone again and it was nice meeting you Bruce(Combo). I can't believe you can ride wheelies like that on that tanker:thumb: I am good to get 2 inches :lol2:. Scott the next time we ride up there can you route up some more roads with sand...man I love that stuff. Maybe we need to do a beach ride again.:trust: Anyway, like Scott said it was a dust bowl and I am still blowing dust boogers. Like James Cain once said...."I think I have half of Houston County up my nose.":rofl: It was good to get out, I had not ridden in a few weeks. I just got the KLR washed up and I still have all of my bolts, nothing lost.:thumb: I just threw my helmet and all of my gear in the tub, you would not believe how black the water was.:eek2: My grilled cheese at the Burlap Bag was pretty good although when the waitress asked me how it was? I said it was not that good (being funny because I had only left a few crumbs left) I thought she was going to beat me down.:lol2: I almost T boned a big black cow and then got jumped by a doe, pretty exciting day.
Holy cow that sausage James makes is tasty, I need to get a few of those links from you sometime.
Here are my pics, the dust must have been tricking the camera. Quite a few of the pics were blurry.

250 miles is about all my butt will take on the stock KLR seat. Here is the route that Scott took us on.

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On the road heading to the starting point.

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Over the shoulder action shot, Tourmeister riding sweep.

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Cemetery sight seeing, James Cain back there with his 2005 KLR.

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I caught some nice air on some of those wooden bridges.

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Dust starting to build in all the cracks....

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Some nice relaxing red dirt road riding....

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Desmo and the BRP.

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Tourmeister checking the markers.

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Heading back to the cabin.

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It was a good time, thanks again.
 
Sounds like it was a good ride. Sorry I missed it!
 
:tab Well, I have a knack for seeing long made plans laid waste... And so it was for my original plans to join other TWT riders for the Mexico Recon Ride last weekend :doh: With all the stuff going on with server issues for the website, I just felt that I could not go on the trip with everything up in the air and uncertain. So I backed out. :tears:

:tab I got everything squared away with the new server, with MUCH appreciated help from Wczimmerman!! Now my weekend was free, the kids went to the inlaws despite my trip to Mexico getting canned, and Beth wanted a weekend ALONE! What was I to do...?? :shrug: I decide to hook up with GreaseMonkey and crew for some fun! :flip:

:tab After dropping off the new server in Dallas Thursday afternoon, I had thought about hanging out and doing the local bike night in Plano. That was at 7:30pm and it was only 4:30pm now... Hmmm... Only two and a half hours home and I can get a jump start on traffic, maybe hit the local Huntsville bike night and still have time to get the KLR fixed up for riding up to Centerville. Well, I am sure those N. Dallas folks are real nice and all, but it has been too long since I've had a good ride on the KLR. Sooo....

:tab I pull up to the local bike night moments after it started. We have a great visiting with everyone and then I am off to the house to work on the KLR. I have to refab a license plate holder. During the Arizona trip last May, I bottomed out the back end pretty good and the knobbies ripped up the previous holder :doh: Snoopster is over working on her SV650S and keeps me company in the garage as I snip away on some sheet metal for a new bracket. I get that all taken care of, refit my tank panniers, try and fail to fix my malfunctioning high beam, pack my bags, load the GPS with maps, and call it a night.

:tab It seems to take forever for the end of the workday to arrive Friday. I race home, do some last minute stuff like hugging Beth, hop on the bike and head North on FM 247. The temperature is PERFECT! The KLR is running great and the wind through my mesh gear is awesome. The sky is mostly clear and the sun is low, making everything glow with that soft warm fuzzy look. Ever on the lookout for deer, I buzz my way up through Midway to OSR, FM 1119, then 811. At a "town" called Centerview, I cut to the NE on some unpaved county roads. These turn out to be great! I drop out on Hwy 7 and head East a few miles to the county road that leads up to Scott's (GreaseMonkey) property to find him and James Cain already enjoying the evening on the porch. I grab a beer and make myself comfy :chug:

Scott holding down the porch
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Looking out towards the lake from the porch
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:tab James grills up some of his famous Jalepeno deer sausage and we chow down. I love the stuff. It is hot, just enough to make me sweat, but not enough to keep me from coming back for more :eat: Desmo arrives before long and we retire back to the porch to enjoy the cool evening, howling coyotes, bright stars, and cold beer. We finally knock off around 10:30pm to dream of fun to come...

:tab I awake to sounds of people moving around outside. Man... I am so NOT a morning person... :yawn: No point making everyone wait on me. So I get up and start the process of getting ready to roll. Bryan "dbdolan" and Bruce "COMBO" have shown up bright and early. All told, there are six of us, a good size group for this kind of ride.

The morning sun lighting up the trees on the far side of the lake
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The mist rises off the lake
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A better view of the front of the cabin
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:tab As the result of a tornado last year, Scott's cabin got relocated from its original position to its current position with a MUCH better view of the lake. Amazingly, the cabin suffered very little damage despite being picked up and dropped in its new location!! Just as amazing is how little damage there was to the trees right around the cabin. One tree split down the middle. However, they pulled it back together and wrapped it with some tie down straps and it has been doing good ever since!

Bruce's home made and adjustable backrest for his KLR :clap:
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And the whole gloriously green thing... :shock:
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:tab It does not take long to get everyone ready to roll. Desmo warms up his XR650R with some wheelies across the yard... show off... :roll:

Scott on his XR (yes he wears a helmet :-P )
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Desmo looking excited and ready to go!
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Waiting on Scott to lock the gate before we leave
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[That is all for now, I'll pick up when I get home this evening...]
 
:popcorn: Did anybody get a shot of the rooster jumping out of the back of that old man's truck?:lol2:
 
Okay, back to business...

Here is a screen shot of the track:
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And here is the GPS track file in .gdb format. (Right click, save as) and in .gpx format (Right click, save as)

:tab It is pretty damp and chilly as we start off. The sky is clear and bright. Even though I am nicely bundled up now, I know it will get toasty soon and I'll be looking for a chance to shed layers. We start of heading East on Hwy 7 and then cut North on some county roads. The sand starts early... I learned to ride sand on my R1150GS :eek2: Ironically, it felt more stable in the sand than my KLR does. I finally figure out that the KLR wants to be going about 40-45mph in deep sand and then for the most part, it is quite happy to wiggle its way down the road with no worries. :rider:

James waiting for the crew to get moving
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:tab Sand, gravel, sand, red clay, sand, some rocks, sand... and so it goes...

Scott waits while a few of us snap pics...
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Most of the ride was in the shade through tree lined tunnels
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Bruce "COMBO" scooting on down the road
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One of the less dusty roads
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It was a brutal day for riding, but we braved it and took one for the team that had to stay home today... :sun:
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A nice rest stop... LOTS of crickets still chirping at full blast... strange to hear them so late into the morning :scratch:
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One of the mild, somewhat packed, sand roads
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Around 10:30-11:00, I was starting to get a bit warm. Peeled off the layers at noon while stopped again
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Just another great road. There were so many that I missed taking some great shots because I was just having so much fun :doh:
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:tab I don't know exactly where we are, but as we turn off a paved road, the county road immediately goes to DEEP loose sand. Bruce is in front of me and his KLR is soon doing the end swap dance and it looks like he might be going down any moment... with me entirely too close in the same track! I gun the KLR, jump the center berm into the left rut and get on the gas... Hopefully, I don't hose him too bad, but there was just no way for me to slow in time to avoid him without plowing in myself. When the bike stops squirming like a greased pig, I catch a glimpse of him still upright and slugging along behind me :thumb: No doubt he is wishing he had some knobbies on his bike right about now... ;-)

:tab We stopped for lunch just before 1:00pm at the Burlap Bag Cafe just outside of Arbor. It doesn't look like much, but the service was friendly and the burgers quite good! :eat:

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Desmo loves having his pic taken. I can't keep him from getting in the shots :roll:
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The Burlap Bag Cafe in all its glory... Dang! There he is again!
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Half of Bryan, James, Scott and Bruce
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Steve had to have his own shot... such a ham... :-P
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Our gracious cook
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:tab Sorry, no pics of the food. It was gone so fast I forgot to take pics :doh: After lunch, Bruce had to head on home so he peeled off and the rest of us continued on, suffering such horrible riding conditions... :suicide:

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:tab The after lunch stuff was more of the same great back roads. More sand and dust like a sandstorm in the middle of the Sahara :shock: At times the bike in front of me just disappeared into the brown haze. I seldom could see where the road was going and had to really slow down to wait for the dust to clear enough to see. A few times corners snuck up on me, but I was able to keep the bike under me and upright despite some flopping around in the loose stuff. At one sharp corner, Bryan made such a cloud I lost the road completely and just had to stop and let it clear. I thought he had gone down, but as the cloud drifts off to the side, I see the tail end of his bike zip off down the road... I set off in pursuit.

:tab We finally finish up with the dirt stuff, hit the pavement and make for Crockett for a run through town and then out Hwy 7 back to camp. While cruising through the town square, we spot a small car show and stop for a peek.

There was a cool Gold Wing there as well
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And now for you car buffs out there... Name that Car!!

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This one was being raffled off at something like $65 a ticket!! Too rich for me :shrug:
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Outfitted with 4 wheel disc brakes
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After getting our fill of the cool oldies, we hit the road and headed out of town on Hwy 7 West.
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That dark dot on the top hill center right is Bryan testing the offroad worthiness of his KLR, hehe.

:tab We make it back to the cabin after a bit of "spirited" riding and get to working on dinner.

Bryan's sweet Toyota and James' nice Ford "sleeper" ;-)
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A few views of the pond, note the nice ducks :-P
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Looking back toward the cabin from the pond
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One of Scott's ATV trails?
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The first course... :eat:
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If you like to eat, invite James on your ride!! :thumb:
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Desmo and Dbdolan enjoying the dust removal medicine... :trust:
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Bryan loading up for the drive home
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Note that hand over there on the end of the bed by the tailgate...
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:tab It ALMOST got smushed... Desmo has some fast reflexes!!

Scott is still dazed from staring through the dust all day, the medicine has yet to take effect ;-)
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:tab And so the sun begins to set on a fantastic day of riding. James cooks up some pork tenderloins to go with the sausage... :drool: The man knows his food!! By the time Demo's enchiladas are ready for eating, I am stuffed and feeling the lazy thing coming on hard... The beer probably did not help :doh: After eating, we hang out a bit longer. Bryan is going to be heading home and offers to let me toss my junk in the bed of his truck and haul it to the house for me so I don't have to mess with loading up the bike. Some time around 8:00pm we head out and I follow him down I-45 back to Huntsville. It is good to be home and to sleep in my own bed. With the kids still gone, I don't roll out until around 1:00pm the next afternoon :sleep: Been a LONG time since I have been able to get away with that :mrgreen:

:tab Sooo.... When is the next get together? :flip:
 
Still no attack chicken???

Great pictures guys.I'm busy for awhile but would really like to do the whole democrat big loop ,
or the moscow to geneva[still on rollchart],or,or,or!!!!!!


If anyone has the chance to do the thanksgiving hillcountry ride with kingham.
That is one nice ride,kinda fast but worth the trip.
 
Great ride report. Scott you are one of the best hosts I have met!
 
Still no attack chicken???

Great pictures guys.I'm busy for awhile but would really like to do the whole democrat big loop ,
or the moscow to geneva[still on rollchart],or,or,or!!!!!!


If anyone has the chance to do the thanksgiving hillcountry ride with kingham.
That is one nice ride,kinda fast but worth the trip.

I am in for the democrat loop!! here is a shot of the rooster.
 

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Yea the chicken came flying out of the back of the truck,kinda caught us off guard.Did you notice the horns sprouting from Brians head!!!!!


Trying to do a better job with the pict's,just upgraded from disposables.
Besides I'm not a photo-guy I'm a greasemonkey
 
Well growing hair just ain't going to happen, it is in my genes. :lol2: The helmet vents a little too well, I need to get me a doo rag.:pirate:
 
Helloooo Desmo....come in Desmo.....I guess he made it back home after this ride? He hasn't posted up, Desmo where are your pics?
 
Ok I finally got time to size the photos. I especially like the DB Dolan shot.
 

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Has anyone ever met these riders?
 

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Dang, why didn't y'all tell me I was that dirty.....:lol2: After I made it to my part of town I stopped in at Sonic, I was wondering why the sonic girls were looking at me funny.
 
James, any chance you might make it to the Mountain Home, Ar., TWT Rally? I'll bring the grill and fund the food :-P I guarantee you will have a blast on the KLR even on the pavment!
 
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