Today is the actual first day of the Neches 400 ride I have planned.
It is called this because the Neches River runs right down the middle
of the area we will be riding and each day "should" be about 200
miles. That said, some of my longest rides have been those that were
only supposed to be 200 miles...
We have six riders that have shown
up at the hotel: Me (Husky 701 Enduro), Daniel (my son, KTM 690
Enduro), Tim (Aprilia Tuareg 660), Ryan (Yamaha Tenere 700), Jeremy
(KTM 530 EXC) and David (Kawasaki KLX 300).
I check the forum to see if there were any late posters saying the
might show up and find none. So we roll out of the hotel parking lot
in Crockett, Tx., at 9:02am under a solid cloud cover. I repeat to
myself over and over, “25% chance of rain… 25% chance of rain…” That
means we have a 75% chance of good weather right!? I mean, who
wouldn’t like those odds?
Normally I would give detailed descriptions of the route for the day,
but today we will be changing roads and directions like a one legged
drunken sailor trying to find his way back to his ship. Suffice to
say, we are planning to run as many county and forest service roads as
possible in the Northern half of the Davy Crockett NF and the area all
around the Neches River between Crockett and Jacksonville.
It is not cold out, but the humidity is so bad my helmet visor fogs up
if I close it. Not a big deal as I often like to ride with it cracked
open a bit just to get better airflow through the helmet, especially
when it is this muggy. Otherwise it actually makes me feel a bit
claustrophobic even though that is not an issue I normally have to
worry about. I have a Pinlock insert and it works great, but they get
scratched so easily by the dirt that it causes visibility issues of
its own... First world problems, I know.
Just a few miles out the East side of town we get on dirt. It is a
hard packed heavily traveled county road. There are a good number of
homes and driveways, so we have to take it easy and keep our eyes open
for people pulling out and loose excitable dogs. I don't like blasting
through what are essentially neighborhoods. It does not take long
before we are riding soft two track with high grass along the sides.
We soon cross Tx 7 and skirt along the edge of the DCNF toward FM
1733. The roads are in great condition. There is zero dust!!! At least
in front of me
I don’t hear much complaining about it behind me so
it must not be bad back there either
Daniel has settled into being third in line. When I pull up to an
intersection where we are changing directions, I stop to wait for the
rider behind me. Usually Daniel and Tim, are right with me. So Daniel
waits for the other guys while Tim and I take off. This lets him ride
a more “exciting” pace until he catches up to us. He isn’t running a
GPS, so I don’t want him taking off out front and missing a turn.
About the time I am thinking this is a good arrangement, he catches up
to us again and comes over the coms and mentions how well it works
with him being third for the reasons I just explained. Great minds and
all that…
The FMs in this area are a lot of fun, at least compared to most other
roads in Texas. We’re not going to talk about places like Arkansas and
North Carolina…
The river valleys in East Texas create a lot of fun
and fast elevation changes, kind of like a roller coaster through the
trees. Every now and then we pop out into the open and there are
beautiful green rolling pastures, and then we slip back into the
woods. I like to refer to them as Tunnels of Zoom. We run South
towards Kennard, but turn back onto dirt just before we reach town,
heading North.
We eventually cross FM 227 and keep going until we are due North of
Ratcliff. Ratcliff is four miles East of Kennard on Tx 7. Almost 20
miles later we arrive in Ratcliff to take a break. Also, Daniel’s KTM
690 Enduro can only run about 120 miles before he starts getting
serious gas anxiety! So he never likes to pass up an opportunity to
top off when we are out wandering around in the boonies where gas
stations are not always plentiful.
We head Northeast out of Ratcliff towards the Neches River. This road
is a blast, up down back and forth, the woods tight up against the
edge on both sides. A smoky haze fills the air and the smell of burnt
pines is strong. The forest service has been doing a LOT of controlled
burns this year and the trees here are charred near the ground. There
are a few places still actively smoldering. The good news is that the
lack of undergrowth should make it easier to spot deer!!
A bit before we get to the river we encounter a mild bit of mud in the
road. When you see the pictures, you will wonder what the big deal is?
To be honest, it isn't a big deal. That said, I have been doing this
long enough to know that even the not a big deal things can reach out
and grab you when you least expect it, so have a camera ready! While I
am trying to convince Tim to go first so I can video him and he's
telling me to hand him my phone and he'll video me, Daniel blows
around us and goes right on through! After that everyone else makes
their way across without issue. All it takes is that one wobble or
slip though...
When we reach the river, there is a long wood planked bridge across
it. It is easily the longest planked bridge I’ve seen in East Texas.
Most have been getting replaced with concrete bridges. However, this
one looks like the planks might have been replaced with new ones not
too long ago. The water is nasty looking, murky, orange, hiding all
manner of debris that has washed down stream over years of flooding
through the forest. The red clay soil doesn’t make for pretty rivers,
streams, and ponds.
After crossing the river we start working North on dirt county roads
that are just West of US 69. A bit South of Alto I miss a turn, a
common occurrence when I am having fun and not watching the GPS. We
get turned around and get on a county road heading West toward Tx 21.
And then It happens…
The odds are not in our favor. We have been seeing seriously dark
clouds off to our right, East of us, so I am thinking we may get lucky
and the rain will have already passed us by as we turn West.
No such luck!!
A few mile South of Alto it starts as a heavy sprinkle and by the time
we manage to stop, zip up vents, don rain liners and do everything
else we can, it starts bucketing down. This is why I don’t gamble…
We appear to have found that 25% chance of rain
After seeing all the little cemeteries everywhere that have little covered
pavilions, I am REALLY hoping to spot one in the next minute or two in the
hope that we might take cover and wait out the rain instead of getting
soaked. We ride on and on, yet I never see one anywhere!? The rain
continues to come down in buckets and I am soon soaked through.
Visibility is an issue now. If I close my visor, almost instant
fogging and I can’t see. If I leave the visor cracked enough to keep
the fogging at bay, rain comes in through the top and bottom, making
it hard to see. Fortunately, the road is hard packed gravel and some
sand, so it doesn’t get nasty and muddy, but it does get twisty, which
brings me back to not being able to see
Obviously the pace comes down considerably! It is dark enough that my
headlight is easily seen on the ground and trees in front of me. We
cross FM 1911 and the road gets even more twisty. After about ten or
fifteen minutes, the rain finally starts to let up and we come out
from under the low clouds and instead there is a higher layer that
still blocks the sun. The good thing is that the temperature has not
dropped, which is expected sometime today.
A few corners later we come upon a church and cemetery with a big
covered pavilion with tons of space for the bikes...
We eventually hit FM 220 and head North a bit before turning West
towards Tx 21 on more dirt. After crossing Tx 21, we soon come to a
locked gate. A quick peak at the GPS and I see what looks to be an
easy go around that should get us back on route. The go around route
actually looks like it will be more fun than my planned route.
This road starts out nice, graded, and flowing with fun corners and
curves. We approach a house and I slow down so as not to be obnoxious
to the locals. The lady in the yard waves and the numerous dogs behind
her fence freak out. Just past her house the road changes drastically.
It becomes hard red clay. It was very wet and soft at one point and
someone came through making deep cross-crossing ruts. In some spots it
is still wet and a bit slick. I pick my rut and run it for all it’s
worth. Occasionally I have to jump to a different rut and/or skirt the
edge of the road when it gets really bad. It is at this point that I
know my choice to ride the Husky 701 Enduro instead of my BMW R1200 GS
was a good one!! The GS could do this, but it would be more work and
I’d be much more stressed!!
The red rutted road continues a while and then gives way to two track
sand and grass with a bit of gravel. About the time I am really
hitting a groove and having fun, I come around a corner and find two
locked gates
The map clearly shows that we are on a county road and
it continues past the gate, but perhaps the county deeded the road
back to the property owner, which is not uncommon. It relieves the
county of the time and expense needed to maintain a road rarely used.
Of course it is the rarely used roads we love finding and riding!
So….
We spend a few minutes hanging out. It is a really nice spot with nice
views, very peaceful and quiet. Now we have to backtrack. Daniel takes
the opportunity to run point. Tim and David take off after him. You’d
think his hair was on fire!
I slot in behind Ryan and Jeremy brings
up the rear.
In a corner of the sandy section Ryan gets a pretty good wobble in a
deep patch. When we get a bit of room I move on around him before we
get back to the red rutted insanity. I am pretty sure I will be
wanting to carry just a bit more speed through that stuff. I hit it
running a good pace and a bit high in the revs so I’ll have the power
to lift the front when needed, especially for some serious pot holes!!
As I come out of the red stuff back to the regular gravel, I see brake
lights and hear Daniel excitedly saying something indiscernible over
the coms. When I arrive it appears one of the dogs got out of the
fence and almost got run over when it charged out to Daniel and wasn’t
looking at the next bike in line!! Everyone missed him, but he made
sure we all got a good barking and understood whose road we were
playing on!
I looked at the GPS while we were stopped earlier and found another
option that just cuts a short portion of the route and gets us back
where we want to be. Everyone is starting to ask about lunch. I tend
to forget about eating when I am out riding. So I have to really think
about it when leading a group. Most people do lunch at the same time
everyday. I might eat anywhere from 11:00am-4:00pm depending on what
kind of day it is with work. I am hoping there is a place to eat in
Alto. We still have a few miles to go though. It is just more nice
dirt roads. We make quick work of them and roll into Alto on Tx 21.
I tell Daniel to keep an eye out for any place that looks like it
might have decent food. As we are riding past a row of street front
business I spot what looks like a cafe at the end of the row and dive
into a parking spot out front. A sign in the window says, “For Sale”.
The windows have that mirror tinting so I can’t see if there is anyone
inside. Nothing to do but go check the door.
I pull and it opens! A peek inside and I see people eating. Yessss!
They also have some big tables open and a corner booth where we can
toss our wet gear. We are at Mollie’s Diner. The Dr. Pepper is good,
once I finally get them to stop trying to give me tea instead
The
staff are friendly. The locals stare, but a nice elderly couple strike
up a chat with us. Before leaving the wife comes back over to tell us
to have fun and be safe. The BLT is awesome!! They buttered the toast,
a nice touch! The prices are astoundingly low by today’s standards.
This is definitely a place I would visit again.
While eating we noticed a dark and very well defined line of clouds
moving in from the West. It doesn't look like is raining, but I
suspect that sharp line is a demarcation between the warm temps we
have been enjoying since being rained on to much cooler temps that
will make being wet not a lot of fun. I think the predictions for the
evening are low 50s (F)?
After lunch we all gas up our bikes. While we are gassing up a local
guy in a hot rodded rat car stops because he wants to see the bikes
and show off his car. He pops the hood and starts telling us about all
the mods he’s done. As he goes to leave, he stalls it instead of doing
an impressive tear out of the parking lot
Never fails that Murphy
strikes when you try to show off!
We head Northwest out of town and do a loop that brings us back to US
69 just North of town. The roads are a mix of tar "pavement" and
dirt/gravel. This area has a LOT of sand. The county will put down
layers of hot tar and it soaks into the sand. Then they press it with
a steam roller. Over time, it will create a decent layer. However, the
heat of Texas summers can make it soft and it will deform under heavy
loads, like East Texas logging trucks. So the surface can vary from
nice and smooth to rough and chaotic. There are often spots where pot
holes have formed and there will be sand in the corners along the
shoulders. It really does require that we pay attention to the road
and not gawk at the scenery.
After crossing US 69 we head North away from Alto. Now we are getting
into some fun corners! There is a stretch between FM 241 and FM 851
where the corners come fast and often, twisting and climbing up and
over several hills. Like so much of the area, the woods are dense and
dark, especially with the overcast skies. When we come out on FM 851,
we head North. This too is a dark tunnel through the trees.
The pace has settled into a rhythm where Tim, Daniel, and I typically
have a gap back to Ryan, Jeremy and David. This means that the three
of us have to do a lot of U-turns when I miss turns. However, this
particular time, it turns out that I in fact DID NOT miss a turn! This
part of the route just has a side loop that comes right back to this
turn, so if you aren't paying attention it might look like we are
supposed to turn, which the last three guys do. Thinking this might
happen, I had already pulled over to see if they would keep coming the
right way. They don't. Daniel and Tim wait while I go back for the
other guys and find them stopped at the intersection. I think one or
more had to take a nature break, so I didn't have to chase them down
to get them going the right direction.
Once heading the right direction we soon hit FM 343 and head East
across the Angelina River. This FM is just a long series of fast
sweepers dropping down to the river and then climbing away on the
other side. At FM 1648 we head North. The plan is to run some dirt
back across the river to complete the loop and get us back to the
intersection where I found the other guys waiting. FM 1649 is another
fun fast road of back to back sweepers and hills. Just South of the
town of Sacul, we cut West. The road is a lot of fun and we are having
a great time, until we come to a gate. It is not locked. In fact,
there isn't even a fence, just the gate. There are no signs or
indications that it is private property and the maps show the county
road continuing. I can see on the map that we are pretty close to the
river. So Daniel goes around the edge of the gate while the rest of us
wait. When he returns, he lets us know that the bridge that used to
cross the river is no longer functional. He met a dad and son that
were fishing and they said it has been this way a long time. So we do
what we so often do... We backtrack.
I take another look at the GPS and decide that we'll keep running
North up to Reklaw on US 84, then cut back West to FM 2962 and run
that South back to the start of the loop. Earlier Tim had mentioned
that he'd like to stop when convenient to get some more water for his
backpack. Sacul is barely a town from what I can see when we reach FM
204. So we head up to Reklaw, which is only slightly larger. We spot a
little place on the side of the road near the intersection of FM 204
and US 84 that has the word "Grill" on the sign. So we head over to
check it out.
It is actually a convenience store that looks like it used to be an
OLD gas station or some kind of general store. They have a small grill
inside where they do burgers and other stuff. We grab drinks, and more
importantly, ice cream. I don't are how cold it gets outside, I can
always eat ice cream. And, speaking of cold, the temperature has
definitely been dropping! The young lady behind the counter is super
friendly and chatty. They aren't busy so some comes out and talks with
us. She is 4' 8", and 18 years old. She is convinced she's done
growing. She is also convinced that she can make a great burger on
that grill! IF only we hadn't just eaten a short while ago... Snacks
consumed and beverages downed, we get back to the bikes and get
moving. It is 3:45pm and we still have some miles to pound. I do drop
a way point to remind myself that food is available here for future
rides!
We quickly make our way down to the start of the loop and then head
West again, but not before stopping at the same intersection so a few
people can take a nature break... again! The bathrooms at the place
back in Reklaw were out of order because they had a plumbing problem
they were waiting on the plumber to fix. Once everyone is done taking
care of business, we head West on CR 1101. This is short, just a few
miles, but it is very twisty and fun! It kind of takes my mind off the
cold. Then Daniel asks me if I think it just got a LOT colder all at
once...
Why yes. Yes it did in fact. Now I am pretty much freezing, thank you!
We skirt around the South side of Rusk on the loop and head West away
from town on a little tar road just South of US 84. When I get to the
bottom of the hill and there is a sharp left corner, I notice there is
no one behind me. I hear Daniel say something about liners before the
coms cut out. I guess everyone else is getting cold as well. So I pull
out into a dirt area at the corner and bust out the sweat shirt that
has been in my pack pack, which normally keeps things mostly dry. My
sweatshirt is indeed mostly dry, but quite wet in a few places around
the chest. No worries though, it is my arm that are cold, not my
chest. I also get out my neck gator which was in the pocket at the
bottom back of my Gore-Tex jacket. It is not mostly dry... It is
mostly damp, but it will still keep the wind from coming down my neck
through the collar area. Lastly, I bust out my wet weather/cold
weather gloves. They ARE dry!! My fingers have been freezing and it
feels quite nice to get them inside dry warm gloves. Now if only I had
ordered the heated hand grips for the bike...
The other guys eventually come rolling down the hill to join me and
then we get moving again. I immediately miss a turn, like seriously,
not even a hundred feet from where I was stopped! In my defense, it
look more like a drive way than a county road. So we have to do
another u-turn before we can really get moving again. Just past the
house that I thought the "driveway" led to, the road goes around the
edge of the yard and becomes tar paved. A bit beyond that and after
another odd intersection, it actually becomes a paved FM, FM 1248. So
I am cruising along, setting my line for a sweet fast left handed
corner and I see my next turn flash past in my peripheral vision. It
was a dark tunnel and the road was down behind the banking of the
turn, so not easily noticeable if you aren't looking for it. Everyone
else manages to slow in time to make it, so at least I am the only one
having to do a u-turn this time.
Now we are back in the deep woods again, heading toward the Neches
River again. I have to admit, I am getting kind of tired. We have been
running a pace that demands total concentration without a lot of
breaks. I'm cold. I did not sleep great last night because the hotel
A/C cycled on/off about every five minutes and was loud as a train
coming through the room. For the few minutes it went off, the humidity
would spike so fast I felt like I was glued to my sheets. When it came
back on, I had a few blissful minutes of being wide awake without
feeling like I was glued to the sheets. Anyway, my normal 250-300 mile
per day stamina is not what it should be today.
The planned route is supposed to take us South of Maydelle and US 84
near the river, then come back up into Maydelle where we will then
start heading North towards Jacksonville, our destination for the
night. We head South and tee into a road running East/West. Look on a
map and it looks fairly uninteresting. Look on the ground and it
starts out as just a nice gently twisting gravel road. Then the red
rut insanity starts. It is at least dry, mostly. Given how hard it
rained on us earlier, I am a bit surprised. I guess maybe this was the
75% chance of NOT rain area...
Okay, red rutted clay. These ruts are deep and have well defined
edges. If you have ever watched those riding drills where people have
their front wheel on one side of a log and their rear on the other
side as they crab along trying not to fall over, this is part of the
reason why you would practice that. There is a good chance one wheel
will not be following the other. There is not a clean high center
between the ruts either. Nothing really to do other than pick a rut
and make it your mission to ride that rut like your life depends on
it... When it crosses another rut, you at least get to pick which one
you think will be better. Doing this I am able to run about 45-50mph
and let my suspension do its thing, providing a stiff whack of the
throttle when necessary to lighten the front end for harsh
transitions. It takes some commitment, so if you have commitment
issues, I don't recommend this, or deep sand, or serious mud, or
riding in general actually. :p
The red stuff goes on for quite a while. I see our next turn
approaching when I chance a glance at my GPS, only to look up a split
second later and see that the once dry red clay is about to become
very wet and rutted red clay right in the corner! I manage to haul the
bike down and get off to the side. It is soon obvious we will not be
turning here. Yet another county road is hiding behind a locked gate.
Hunting is big money in East Texas and there are TONS of massive deer
leases and hunting club properties. It would be interesting to know
just how many acres of land in East Texas are dedicated to hunting. It
would appear that this road has been lost to that cause. But... beyond
all that mud, the road continues and there is a little dotted line on
the map that is so close to the edge of the river that it almost looks
like it is part of the river, and if it goes through it will hit part
of tomorrow's route that we can run backward to get us back up to
Maydelle and get us back on route. A quick chat with the others and it
is agreed. We keep going.
About a half mile later we come to another intersection. Parts of the
road already had water coming midway across it before this. If we turn
North, the entire road is under brown water. Going straight just dead
ends into the river. As far back into the North road as I can see,
there is water with a few high spots where it looks like the road
pokes above the surface. This close to the river it is possible that
the whole area is just flooded. Do we risk it this late in the day
with everyone tired? Do we back track through the ruts and back up
through the woods to the highway?
Daniel quickly volunteers to CAREFULLY ride up a bit to scout things
out before the entire group commits. We can talk over the coms for
about 3/4 mile, so he can report back if he gets into trouble. He
won't go any further though because if it is that bad, it is not worth
the risk. So he heads in as I shoot video. It doesn't look deep. The
water is stagnant, not flowing. When he clears the first section and
reaches the first high spot, it is BIG chunks of white gravel. He
informs me that the bottom feels solid. It would seem that there is
some of that chunky gravel under the water as well. He gets back about
a 1/4 mile and stops. He comes back the same way without any problems.
While we contemplate a course of action, an old jacked up Isuzu
Trooper with small tractor tires on all four rims comes rolling up to
the intersection from the direction we came from. Behind him is a big
fancy side by side. I chat with him and he tells me the road does
indeed go through, skirting the edge of the river. Then he and the
side by side roll on in and disappear. We eventually decide to just
back track. It kind of takes us the wrong direction and we don't have
to back track very far to reach a short cut off that gets us right
back on the planned route. Were it earlier in the day where we'd have
more time to deal with a potential problem, we'd attempt it. So back
through the mud and ruts we go...
We come into Maydelle from the South, cross US 84, and almost
immediately get back on dirt. And just as fast... we come to another
gate
A quick check of the GPS and I decide we'll run North on FM
2138 a few miles where it looks like a road will cut West and
intersect my planned route, hopefully past the private property. 2138
is another of these really nice FMs in the area, fast and flowing. As
we leave Maydelle, it climbs from around 400 feet up to about 650 ft
in elevation. I know that doesn't sound like much to people that live
in places with real mountains, but it is a lot for this part of Texas.
We have real mountains, but they are 12 hours away doing 70-80mph. The
little cross over road does indeed hit my intended route. I drops us
onto the edge of a ridge line that runs North and South, overlooking
the Neches River valley over 300 ft below us. This spot is not any
kind of designated "Scenic Overlook", but it sure could be! We can't
see it, but tomorrow's route will run down near the bottom of the
ridge right along the edge of the river.
While we are stopped, Daniel stresses that he REALLY needs gas. He's
at almost 125 miles and has never gone more than about 130 miles on a
tank. I keep telling him it will be fine, but he doesn't seem
convinced. The planned route goes a bit further North and then cuts
East over to US 69, where we would come up to our hotel on the South
side of Jacksonville. However, the first part of tomorrow's route is a
more direct path along the West side of Lake Jacksonville to town and
gas. So we decide to take that route and do the other section as the
first part of tomorrow's route. Daniel still has that skeptical look
on his face...
As we head North the road starts dropping down into a little creek
valley and then back up over a big hill near the lake. As we start
dropping into that little valley, the sky darkens and the rain starts
coming down again. Now it is COLD and raining! This is NOT my happy
place. Had we made it here 10 minutes earlier we would have likely
missed the rain. Now it is pouring and we are literally a few miles
from the hotel. Oh well... We soon reach FM 787 and keep heading
North. Once on pavement we pick up the pace a bit and quickly reach US
79 and turn towards town. Maybe a mile and a half up the road there is
a gas station. I pull in under the cover at the pumps. Daniel and Tim
are with me, but Ryan, Jeremy and David are no where to be seen. I
wait and watch the road for a few minutes and still don't see them.
Did they not see is turn in and just keep going?
Meanwhile, we realize that this station is a bit of a dive. Few of the
pumps appear to work. They have pay at the pump card readers, but they
all appear to be down. This doesn't look like a recent problem
either... You have to go in and pay first. So none of us end up
getting gas.
About the time I am starting to get concerned I see Ryan and David
coming and I start waving my arms to get their attention. They seem me
and turn back to join us. "Where is Jeremy?" "He ran out of gas a few
miles back and told us to just go on ahead. He knows someone in town
and is going to call them to come get him." Hmmm... I am not wild
about that plan. They tell me he is under cover and not just standing
out in the rain on the side of the road. I still don't like it. I
never like leaving someone in an unresolved situation unless I KNOW it
will be resolved, not might be resolved. While we are milling about
pondering what to do, Daniel finds a water bottle, not one of those
super thin ones with the worthless caps once opened, but one that is
actually fairly thick walled and has a really good cap. He dumps out
the water, goes inside to pay cash, then fills up the bottle and his
bike. I pack away the bottle. Daniel and the rest of the guys head for
the hotels. I head back to find Jeremy.
It is still raining, but it is starting to let up. I turn back South
on FM 787 and start scanning the sides of the road for any sign of
Jeremy. Ironically, I find him sitting under the cover of an old out
of business gas station! He's on the phone with his wife. Apparently,
she drove into town and is staying with him at his hotel so she can do
some shopping while he goes riding with us. He's telling her to go buy
a gas can and get gas when I pull out my half liter bottle. He quickly
tells her never mind, dumps the bottle into the tank, and the bike
fires up on the first crank!! He mentions that he basically coasted
into the place and parked. I had no idea he was even having a gas
range issue! Now he knows he can go about 130 miles on tank. With him
running again I head on into town and he heads to his hotel.
I grab gas at a nice Shell station where the pay at the pump actually
works. Then I head to the Best Western to find Daniel waiting for me.
When we are settled in, we walk across the parking lot to a Chicken
Express and then bring it back to the hotel. They are letting us use
the breakfast room to hang out and eat. Jeremy and his wife show up
with a 12 pack of cold brew! They then head out for dinner. After we
finish up our gourmet meal, it's hot tub time. This is an unexpected
and welcome surprise. I am tired from riding and stiff from the cold.
Ryan joins me and Daniel and we spend a few hours going back and forth
between the hot tub and pool. The lights go off at 10:00pm, the subtle
way of telling us fun time is over.
We call it a day and will meet everyone in front of the hotel in the
morning at 9:00am for day two.
Total miles for the day 225.
Ryan's Tenere 700
Tim and the Aprilia 660
Daniel's 690 and my 701
Jeremy getting ready to roll
David on his KLX 300, ready for action
Jeremy and his KTM 500 EXC
Yours truly, Ryan, David (in back) and Daniel
Little churches and cemeteries EVERYWHERE!
Inside the gas station in Ratcliff
One of several old vehicles across the road from the gas station
The original general store?
Maybe the worst mud of the day?
Neches River crossing
I do not like what I am seeing...
Starting to come down as we batten down the hatches...
Just over the hill it is pouring down rain
Always time for flowers...
Excellent food and friendly service!
There are miles and miles of this out here!
And this...
A relatively smooth part of one of the red rutted roads
Tim I believe
The flooded road
Can't see how far back it is flooded
The unexpected scenic overlook
Under cover from the rain that hit right before we got to town, the cover leaked like crazy
Two hours of this made it all good
Welcome to the Two Wheeled Texans community! 
Feel free to hang out and lurk as long as you like. However, we would like to encourage you to 
Turkey Vultures… They come hopping and flopping out of the woods right into the middle of the road as I am bearing down on them. My rear is locked and sliding. I am working the front brake lever for all I am worth, feeling for that lock up and riding just on the edge. One buzzard gets off the ground and into the woods. Another hesitates… As I brace for impact he hops about six inches to my right and then lumbers into the air, his outstretched wing just clearing my right handle bar by a foot or so. Had he not done that little side hop first, we would have become uncomfortably intimate, which usually involves an evacuation of the bowels… his… not mine… 
