Sunday, Windsailing anyone?

  It appears that everyone wants to get an early start on the ride home. We are not sure what the weather has in store for us today. Right now it is not too bad but it is quite windy. Everyone meets in the parking lot while we check out of our rooms. While waiting for everyone, I take this opportunity to snap a few more pictures of the bikes and people. Then we head South on US 171 looking for gas. It is about 9:15am.

  When we reach the turn off for Hwy 392 there is a train crossing the road. Duane, Scott and Pete are waiting patiently when we arrive. We pass them and head for a gas station a few blocks down the road. Closed! So we head back toward 392 and I spot a place that is open. Those in need of gas begin topping off their tanks... slowly. It seems that the pumps run at half speed if more than one person is pumping at a time. Then when we get inside to pay, the man behind the counter starts yelling for his wife to come help him. It seems he has no idea what to do with a credit card. Good grief, we have fallen off the edge of the civilized world! But we get taken care of and get back on the road. Duane, Scott and Pete are gone, never to be seen again (but they do get home).

  It is now about 9:45am. Being concerned about the front approaching us from the West, I pick up the homebound pace a little. When we reach Hwy 191, guess what? There is a huge fancy nice pay at the pump gas station. I totally forgot about it. Oh well, I'll remember it next time. The run South back toward the Toledo Bend Reservoir dam is quick. This time everyone is watching for the curve and gets set up for it. Then we are off into the woods on Fm 692 heading for Burkeville. This really is a fun little stretch of road, especially the last few miles before Burkeville.

  It is getting a little more overcast. The temperature is holding pretty steady around 72-74 F and it feels pretty good to me, but it is incredibly windy. Fighting the wind to keep my line is a chore. We make pretty good time getting to Jasper. We keep on going, not stopping for a break. The West side of Jasper is quite interesting. Highway 190 runs through a real swampy lowlands area. It looks a lot like the pictures one might see of the Lousiana swamps with Cypress trees standing out in the middle of the water, lilly pads everywhere, but no turtles today. We soon reach FM 256 and turn North back into the woods again.

  I really like riding out in these woods. It really makes me feel isolated from the rest of the world, something that helps me forget the world and its' nutcase problems. There is not a lot of spectacular scenery off in the distance to distract me. The trees are right up near the edges of the roads and I have to keep sharp. The wind is so bad that even down here in the trees, it is still blowing me all over the road. Nonetheless, I find myself having quite a bit of fun. The only trouble is that everytime I relax and start having fun, I have to keep making myself slow down! It takes very little time to reach Colmesneil. I figure eveyone might be due for a break and some may need gas, so I pull into the local Exxon.

  Apparently those who normally eat breakfast, but did not this morning, are getting hungry. I have no idea where to get something good to eat in this tiny town. I spot what appears to be a good looking young local and ask her opinion. Beth eyes me warily as I approach her, wondering what I up to ;-) But I risk it for the good of the party. The young lady informs me that, "Just behind that bank over there is a big barn with great food, cain't miss it." What the heck, exploring is what riding is all about. I let everyone know where to go and we head over behind the bank. Sure enough, there is a large barn with a loose gravel parking lot. It is the Texas Star Cafe / (Pic two). It smells good out here!

  We get in and get seated. The service is great, they get right on our orders and get the food out fast. The decor inside is very homey and comfortable. I look out the window and see the trees whipping in the wind. One of the women waiting on us changes their TV channel to the Weather Channel so we can get an idea of what might be in store for us ahead. There is a lot of rain activity, but I think most of it will be drifting off to the Northeast and we might be able to slip in under it without getting hit. The food arrives and we dig in. The food is great. I highly recommend this place and will likely make it a stop on future rides out here.

  We finish up and get ready to roll. Brian and Shane are going to split from the group here and head North on US 287 towards Dallas. David and Deanna are following us back to Huntsville where they left their truck. At least if it rains when they get near Dallas, they'll be in the nice cozy truck insted of on the bike. Will and Achim still have to get all the way back to Austin. Charlene just lives about forty-five minutes South of us in Northwest Houston. The next forty five minutes or so will be the best part of the ride, too bad for Brian and Shane ;-)

  When we leave the restaurant, I get confused. It must be all the blood pooling in my stomach. I have never run this route this direction and I don't recognize the turn off point. After making everyone turn around, I get it right and we only waste a minute or so. I was looking for FM 1745 and forgot that we first have to head out of town a mile or so on FM 256 before we pick up 1745. Nothing like the leader inspiring confidence in the troops.

  We get back on FM 1745 and the fun starts. It is still very windy so taking the corners is an interesting experience. As I enter a fairly sharp left hander, a huge gust of wind hits me from the left and makes the bike get light. It starts to float to the outside of the turn. Instinctively I lean into the turn a little more to compensate as my pulse rate begins to rise. I clear it with little problem and immediately check my mirrors to be sure everyone behind me does likewise. Then I am off to the next bend.

  For most of the time, Will has been right behind me. But then I keep seeing the distinctive headlights of Achim's Speed Triple occasionally. It seems the roads have scratched an itch in Achim and he has begun to have some fun. He is riding outside of Will through the turns. He carries quite a bit of corner speed on the bike and Will can't do likewsie. His big heavy Trophy starts to wallow if he rides it that hard. It's nice to see they are having fun despite the weather. We reach FM 942 and wait for the others to catch up with us. Then the best part of the run is from 942 all the way back to FM 350. I really get into a groove and just settle in for the ride, great fun.

  When we reach FM 350, I tell Will to wait at the intersection for the others and I ride over to a mileage sign for a quick picture. It is said that Texas has a town named after most of the major cities around the world. We have places like Athens, Rome, Carthage, Paris, and Moscow to name a few. Perhaps one of these days I will put together a tour around the world, all in Texas, hitting most of these historic cities. That would be a fun theme for a weekend. The rest of the gang comes into view and we head out again.

  I am starting to get anxious. You all know that anxious feeling you get the closer you get to home after being away for a while. Besides, my butt hurts. I must be clenching the bike a little harder than usual because of the wind. We turn off onto FM 3152 and make the short run back to US 190 outside of Onalaska. When we cross back over the Lake Livingston causeway, the wind is really howling. It will be good to get home. Poor Will and Achim, they still have about four hours to go before they get back to Austin.

  I am debating just riding US 190 all the way into Huntsville. It is quicker than taking the back roads, but it is also quite boring. I opt for the back roads. After all, that is another one of those motorcycling things isn't it? Take the road less travelled and all that. We turn off onto Waterwood Parkway, a seven mile long stretch of great road. I'm feeling a little frisky and decide to run this at a brisk pace. Apparently, Achim is also feeling frisky because he shadows me the whole way. It must look really cool from behind as we both slice into the turns, holding our separate lines, sort of a synchronized carving thing hehe. Man this is fun. When we reach the end, it is not long before everyone else comes up behind us. I guess everyone must have been feeling a little frisky hehe. Oh well, this is the last stretch of really fun road between here and home.

  We pick up FM 980 and head back toward Huntsville, a run of about twenty five miles. The rest of the ride is pretty sedate and no frills. When we reach the Diamond Shamrock at the end of FM 980 I pull in so folks can get gas. This is one of the cheapest places in town and most convenient. Dave and Deanna want to know how to get to the house from here. I ask Beth to stay with those getting gas and I go on ahead with Dave and Deanna so they can get started with loading their bike in the back of the truck.

  A few minutes after getting to the house, everyone else arrives. What great timing, AMA superbike racing is just coming on the tube!! Dave and Deanna get loaded up, change clothes and they are ready to hit the road. Will and Achim hang out for a bit to relax before hitting the road for the run home. I check the radar and there are several bands of storms between here and Austin. They look light and thin so they should not be too bad. We say our goodbyes and they are on their way.

  It has been a great weekend. I was really worried about the weather leading up to the ride, but we got really lucky. We never hit a drop of rain or even wet roads. The evening in the park was beautiful. Everyone had a great time. I look forward to planning another outing in the not too distant future. Throughout the evening, the emails start to trickle in, everyone letting me know they made it home okay and thanking me for putting this together. If only they really understood how much it truly is my pleasure ;-)