Part One
This past weekend, I had an opportunity to ride with some locals who had loosely organized a ride & camp weekend in North Texas & a portion of Oklahoma. I had never met any of these guys but it gave me a chance to ride my freshly self serviced R1150GS & do some camping off the bike, which is always fun.
I spent about 10 days prior doing general maintenance stuff & adding some tasteful farkles and it was a perfect opportunity to get away for a few days. As a maintenance & farklizing side note, it goes as follows... new front & rear Galfer SS brake lines, brake bleed, new brake pads, oil/oil filter change, final drive & gear oil change, LED headlight/turn signal conversion, Kisan tailBlazer module (compliments Pirate), charcoal cannisterectomy, Rugged Roads oil cooler guard & accessory plate (for a fuse block), extensive wiring re-wrap, Heed crash bars, a set of Shinko 705's & a set of Pivot Pegz foot pegs... and I still have a few things left to do.
The organizer's plan, for those that wanted to get an early start, was to meet at his ranch near Possum Kingdom Lake (3000 acres!) Thursday afternoon and ride the next day as a group to our day's end destination, Palo Duro Canyon State Park. Saturday's destination was kinda up in the air but the thought was we would end up at Caprock Canyons State Park. Another objective for the ride, was to get on as much dirt as we could during our travels, as the ride was also billed as a dual sport ride, big heavy pigs accepted. In addition, we would seek out a few sites that had to do with early Texas history. The weather looked iffy for Saturday night with rain in the forecast, but other than that, it was all systems go!
Since I couldn't get away until Friday, I would have to meet the other riders in Turkey, TX, around noon, which meant I had to leave the house at 6am. When I opened the garage door to leave, it was still dark & I was greeted with thick, heavy fog... WTF? I can't remember seeing that much fog around here, ever. It was super thick & I rode through it for 70 miles, all the way to Decatur. Holy crap! Good thing I had the new LED headlights installed versus the crappy OEM headlight, it made a HUGE difference.
I made it to Turkey right about noon & couldn't find anybody on a bike, so I assumed I had missed everyone. Turkey is pretty much a blip on the map & it would be nearly impossible not to find other motorcyclists had they been there, so I decided to gas up after a quick bite to eat & make the ride to Palo Duro on my own. Next to the gas station/c-store was a taco truck, so I asked the clerk what she thought about the food there. "Oh, it's great! Several of the folks that work here love it!". Cool... as I sat there eating what was probably the absolute worst pork tamale I've ever tried to eat, followed by a near dry heave, on-the-verge of a vomit inducing beef taco, here comes a group of riders into the parking lot. Good thing I hung around cause these were the guys I was suppose to hook up with... right on! As for the food truck sustenance, I was surprised the rolling canteen cuisine was so bad, because the gal running it & doing all the cooking, was a little old Mexican lady so I figure that clerk knew what she was talking about & it'd be some good chow. Guess you really can't judge a book by its cover or a cook by their kitchen.
Welcome to Turkey, TX
Turkey, TX Rush Hour
My Big Girl Posing With Bob Wills & His Texas Playboys Tour Bus
After I'd met all the other riders & we'd exchanged pleasantries, they decided to eat before we made our way to Palo Duro. Palo Duro is in the Texas Panhandle region and has supported human activity for over 12,000 years. It, like Big Bend, is a pretty special place and like Big Bend, it's in the middle of freaking nowhere! The Canyon is 120 miles long, 20 miles wide in some parts, has a maximim depth of 800 feet in some places and its elevation at the rim is 3500 feet. In other words, it's a big hole in the ground & the only other hole that's bigger in the U.S. is the Grand Canyon.
After lunch, we all saddled up & took off for Palo Duro. A couple of the guys leading the way were using their GPS' to find dirt roads and some of them were pretty remote. Up till then, I hadn't had the GS on much dirt since I got it, other than gravel, so when we hit some deep sand in a few spots, I had more than a few pucker moments. But I made it without dumping the bike and it was fun to see how I would do. Not sure about the new model GS', but with my model year, the factory didn't add a steering damper, so when I'm riding it, it feels like a giant mountain bike with a motor. Maybe it was a good thing I spent all those years riding the mountain bike!
We did a drive-by to Caprock Canyons State Park and rode through the park. Indian cultures (Native American) thrived in this area including the Comanche & Apaches with human activity here going back as far as 10,000 -12,000 years ago with the early Paleondian Folsom peoples, who themselves hunted the wooly mammoth & giant bison. The exposed geologic layers in the markdown to the Permian Age, formed about 250-280 million years ago, with each geologic age having a different color. The park is also home to a buffalo herd, prairie dogs, 175 species of birds, 14 species of lizards & 30 species of snakes. It's a pretty place...
?We made it to Palo Duro late in the day but still had enough light on the subject to set up camp & cook dinner. I chose to bring one of my hammocks to hang as did a couple of others but everyone else were in tents. I was the only one who brought their own food and everyone else either went into town or brought a Subway with them. I prefer camp cooking because it helps keep your skills in check for when you get out in the woods, plus it's way cheaper & fun. I did chicken gumbo and cookpot cornbread to go with it. Over the years I've added baking to my meal prep & manage to get it right most of the time & tends to make meal time a little less boring.
Everyone Sets Up Camp & Claims Their Space
?
Home Sweet Home - Site 119
Cookpot Jalapeno Cornbread... mmmm!
Palo Duro Canyon State Park's Pet Texas Longhorn... About As Big As A Minivan!
After dinner, the few of us who didn't ride into town, sat under one of the hammock tarps we strung up over the pad structure & shot the shit for a while. In no time at all, the stars disappeared, the skies turned dark & the rain moved in. It never really got raining hard but there was some pretty wicked lightning across the sky. During the next 20 minutes, we got quite an eyeful with a really good lightning show & heard 2-3 big BOOMS, the kind that make you jump just a bit because it sounds like it's 10 feet away. I was sleeping in my hammock under the tarp & it pretty much sprinkled for the next few hours. It's peaceful laying in the hammock listening to the rain hit the tarp as you're falling asleep.
This past weekend, I had an opportunity to ride with some locals who had loosely organized a ride & camp weekend in North Texas & a portion of Oklahoma. I had never met any of these guys but it gave me a chance to ride my freshly self serviced R1150GS & do some camping off the bike, which is always fun.
I spent about 10 days prior doing general maintenance stuff & adding some tasteful farkles and it was a perfect opportunity to get away for a few days. As a maintenance & farklizing side note, it goes as follows... new front & rear Galfer SS brake lines, brake bleed, new brake pads, oil/oil filter change, final drive & gear oil change, LED headlight/turn signal conversion, Kisan tailBlazer module (compliments Pirate), charcoal cannisterectomy, Rugged Roads oil cooler guard & accessory plate (for a fuse block), extensive wiring re-wrap, Heed crash bars, a set of Shinko 705's & a set of Pivot Pegz foot pegs... and I still have a few things left to do.
The organizer's plan, for those that wanted to get an early start, was to meet at his ranch near Possum Kingdom Lake (3000 acres!) Thursday afternoon and ride the next day as a group to our day's end destination, Palo Duro Canyon State Park. Saturday's destination was kinda up in the air but the thought was we would end up at Caprock Canyons State Park. Another objective for the ride, was to get on as much dirt as we could during our travels, as the ride was also billed as a dual sport ride, big heavy pigs accepted. In addition, we would seek out a few sites that had to do with early Texas history. The weather looked iffy for Saturday night with rain in the forecast, but other than that, it was all systems go!
Since I couldn't get away until Friday, I would have to meet the other riders in Turkey, TX, around noon, which meant I had to leave the house at 6am. When I opened the garage door to leave, it was still dark & I was greeted with thick, heavy fog... WTF? I can't remember seeing that much fog around here, ever. It was super thick & I rode through it for 70 miles, all the way to Decatur. Holy crap! Good thing I had the new LED headlights installed versus the crappy OEM headlight, it made a HUGE difference.
I made it to Turkey right about noon & couldn't find anybody on a bike, so I assumed I had missed everyone. Turkey is pretty much a blip on the map & it would be nearly impossible not to find other motorcyclists had they been there, so I decided to gas up after a quick bite to eat & make the ride to Palo Duro on my own. Next to the gas station/c-store was a taco truck, so I asked the clerk what she thought about the food there. "Oh, it's great! Several of the folks that work here love it!". Cool... as I sat there eating what was probably the absolute worst pork tamale I've ever tried to eat, followed by a near dry heave, on-the-verge of a vomit inducing beef taco, here comes a group of riders into the parking lot. Good thing I hung around cause these were the guys I was suppose to hook up with... right on! As for the food truck sustenance, I was surprised the rolling canteen cuisine was so bad, because the gal running it & doing all the cooking, was a little old Mexican lady so I figure that clerk knew what she was talking about & it'd be some good chow. Guess you really can't judge a book by its cover or a cook by their kitchen.
Welcome to Turkey, TX
Turkey, TX Rush Hour
My Big Girl Posing With Bob Wills & His Texas Playboys Tour Bus
After I'd met all the other riders & we'd exchanged pleasantries, they decided to eat before we made our way to Palo Duro. Palo Duro is in the Texas Panhandle region and has supported human activity for over 12,000 years. It, like Big Bend, is a pretty special place and like Big Bend, it's in the middle of freaking nowhere! The Canyon is 120 miles long, 20 miles wide in some parts, has a maximim depth of 800 feet in some places and its elevation at the rim is 3500 feet. In other words, it's a big hole in the ground & the only other hole that's bigger in the U.S. is the Grand Canyon.
After lunch, we all saddled up & took off for Palo Duro. A couple of the guys leading the way were using their GPS' to find dirt roads and some of them were pretty remote. Up till then, I hadn't had the GS on much dirt since I got it, other than gravel, so when we hit some deep sand in a few spots, I had more than a few pucker moments. But I made it without dumping the bike and it was fun to see how I would do. Not sure about the new model GS', but with my model year, the factory didn't add a steering damper, so when I'm riding it, it feels like a giant mountain bike with a motor. Maybe it was a good thing I spent all those years riding the mountain bike!
We did a drive-by to Caprock Canyons State Park and rode through the park. Indian cultures (Native American) thrived in this area including the Comanche & Apaches with human activity here going back as far as 10,000 -12,000 years ago with the early Paleondian Folsom peoples, who themselves hunted the wooly mammoth & giant bison. The exposed geologic layers in the markdown to the Permian Age, formed about 250-280 million years ago, with each geologic age having a different color. The park is also home to a buffalo herd, prairie dogs, 175 species of birds, 14 species of lizards & 30 species of snakes. It's a pretty place...
?We made it to Palo Duro late in the day but still had enough light on the subject to set up camp & cook dinner. I chose to bring one of my hammocks to hang as did a couple of others but everyone else were in tents. I was the only one who brought their own food and everyone else either went into town or brought a Subway with them. I prefer camp cooking because it helps keep your skills in check for when you get out in the woods, plus it's way cheaper & fun. I did chicken gumbo and cookpot cornbread to go with it. Over the years I've added baking to my meal prep & manage to get it right most of the time & tends to make meal time a little less boring.
Everyone Sets Up Camp & Claims Their Space
?
Home Sweet Home - Site 119
Cookpot Jalapeno Cornbread... mmmm!
Palo Duro Canyon State Park's Pet Texas Longhorn... About As Big As A Minivan!
After dinner, the few of us who didn't ride into town, sat under one of the hammock tarps we strung up over the pad structure & shot the shit for a while. In no time at all, the stars disappeared, the skies turned dark & the rain moved in. It never really got raining hard but there was some pretty wicked lightning across the sky. During the next 20 minutes, we got quite an eyeful with a really good lightning show & heard 2-3 big BOOMS, the kind that make you jump just a bit because it sounds like it's 10 feet away. I was sleeping in my hammock under the tarp & it pretty much sprinkled for the next few hours. It's peaceful laying in the hammock listening to the rain hit the tarp as you're falling asleep.
Attached Files
And there's no way you can do that & tilt your head back to the right position & still see what you're doing. Meanwhile, the top cover is flapping all over the place making it even more difficult to get the zipper going. After about 20 minutes of screwing with it, I finally got it zipped in & could get back in the hammock & try to get some sleep. Good thing I keep my little titanium flask handy filled with my favorite hootch... I needed a few nips to calm down my frustration! 
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