Hey... our first ride report!
One of the reasons I couldn't make this year's DGR, is I had a pre-planned trip to see some music scheduled for last Saturday the 15th in Austin. I had purchased tickets earlier this year to see Al DiMeola, who for those that don't know, is a guitar virtuoso of a supreme degree. I've been a big fan since his early days with Chick Corea's group, Return To Forever.
Harts Firehouse BBQ
After finishing off my cerveza, it was back on the road & see if I could beat the rain getting into Austin. From the looks of it, I liked my chances. 183 out of Lampasas runs right into Austin and very close to my daughter's house. About 10 miles out of Lampasas, I could see a car coming up behind me pretty quick. Hmmm... I was already doing 85, so he was really booking. Turned out to be a BMW M550i & as soon as he passed me, I got in behind my 'rabbit' and for the next 35 miles I ran with him anywhere between 95 & 105. It was fun & at first, I think he thought he could ditch me but after a few miles he realized that would be a no go.
As I got on the street to turn into my daughter's neighborhood, a few big rain drops started to fall. Uh oh... as I pulled into her driveway, I managed to scoot the Mighty Mighty under the garage door overhang just as the sky fell out... perfect timing! All in all, a pretty good day on the bike.
Gary picked me up & we went to a little Cajun joint he knew about from his days living in Austin, Evangeline's. The food was really good and we had a couple of icy cold Lone Stars to wash it all down. Really hit the spot too. After that, we took off for the One World Theater to see Al DiMeola. The OWT is probably my favorite place to see live music in Texas. It's a pretty neat venue architecturally, has great acoustics & only seats maybe 200 people. You can also rent the venue for things like weddings & other kinds of get togethers. Gary & I had reserved seats on Row B, seats 1 & 2, center stage. Perfect! I've seen quite a few of my favs over the years there too... Stanley Clarke, Dave Mason, Jean Luc-Ponty, Robin Trower, Lee Ritenour & Terry Bozzio. Al was good but I think the music was a little too eclectic for Gary's taste.
Waiting For Al
The Man Himself
The next morning I was up early and gone by 8am & left in some soupy fog, but that burned off by about 9am or so. I took the same route home as I did getting to Austin. Pretty much a picture perfect day... cool temps up until lunchtime and very little traffic. I decided to stop outside Glen Rose to take a break at the Loco Coyote & maybe grab a burger. This is the place Steve & I discovered heading down to the THCR last May. By the time I got there, I wasn't really hungry, so I settled for a beer & watched all the bikes roll in. The Loco Coyote is a very popular ride/lunch destination for bikers... Harley riders in particular. I had the only Euro bike there & there was probably 100 bikes or more.
Ahh... An Icy Cold Shiner
Before Long The Sons of Anarchy Showed Up
Then The Mayans Rolled In
After some people watching, I finished my beer & made ready for the final leg of my trip home.
As I passed through Glen Rose, I spotted these two beauties.
The vans were in really great condition & it was fun taking a close look at them.
The ride from Alvarado into Dallas is 40 miles of pretty boring road because there's a fair number of lights & traffic can be heavy, particularly when you're coming into Dallas. I had been running with an Audi Q7 for about the last 20 miles since Cleburne, when we got to the traffic light in Venus. As we sat waiting for the light to turn green, I noticed a Harley several cars in front of the Q7 & figured we could dispense with him pretty quickly as we headed into Dallas. We had been running around 80 or so, but now the driver in the Q7 was being pretty timid about passing the Harley. I got in the right hand lane & managed to get close enough to see the Harley was a police bike! Turned out he was a Dallas city cop riding into Dallas to start his shift & he was hauling ass. So I got behind him and followed him for 30 miles or so into Dallas. We made pretty good time too & when he took his exit, he gave me a little wave. It was fun because anytime he came up on a car in his lane, they'd see a cop behind them & get out of the way & we'd just zoom right on by.
Even though it was a short trip, it was a lot of fun & just what I needed. The Mighty Mighty was running great as usual & for an 11 year old bike it's still a fantastic machine. Such a great touring bike... I went over 79K on this trip. Now the clock's ticking down for the Hillbilly & I can't wait. Got a feeling this year will be the best yet.
One of the reasons I couldn't make this year's DGR, is I had a pre-planned trip to see some music scheduled for last Saturday the 15th in Austin. I had purchased tickets earlier this year to see Al DiMeola, who for those that don't know, is a guitar virtuoso of a supreme degree. I've been a big fan since his early days with Chick Corea's group, Return To Forever.
Harts Firehouse BBQ
After finishing off my cerveza, it was back on the road & see if I could beat the rain getting into Austin. From the looks of it, I liked my chances. 183 out of Lampasas runs right into Austin and very close to my daughter's house. About 10 miles out of Lampasas, I could see a car coming up behind me pretty quick. Hmmm... I was already doing 85, so he was really booking. Turned out to be a BMW M550i & as soon as he passed me, I got in behind my 'rabbit' and for the next 35 miles I ran with him anywhere between 95 & 105. It was fun & at first, I think he thought he could ditch me but after a few miles he realized that would be a no go.
As I got on the street to turn into my daughter's neighborhood, a few big rain drops started to fall. Uh oh... as I pulled into her driveway, I managed to scoot the Mighty Mighty under the garage door overhang just as the sky fell out... perfect timing! All in all, a pretty good day on the bike.
Gary picked me up & we went to a little Cajun joint he knew about from his days living in Austin, Evangeline's. The food was really good and we had a couple of icy cold Lone Stars to wash it all down. Really hit the spot too. After that, we took off for the One World Theater to see Al DiMeola. The OWT is probably my favorite place to see live music in Texas. It's a pretty neat venue architecturally, has great acoustics & only seats maybe 200 people. You can also rent the venue for things like weddings & other kinds of get togethers. Gary & I had reserved seats on Row B, seats 1 & 2, center stage. Perfect! I've seen quite a few of my favs over the years there too... Stanley Clarke, Dave Mason, Jean Luc-Ponty, Robin Trower, Lee Ritenour & Terry Bozzio. Al was good but I think the music was a little too eclectic for Gary's taste.
Waiting For Al
The Man Himself
The next morning I was up early and gone by 8am & left in some soupy fog, but that burned off by about 9am or so. I took the same route home as I did getting to Austin. Pretty much a picture perfect day... cool temps up until lunchtime and very little traffic. I decided to stop outside Glen Rose to take a break at the Loco Coyote & maybe grab a burger. This is the place Steve & I discovered heading down to the THCR last May. By the time I got there, I wasn't really hungry, so I settled for a beer & watched all the bikes roll in. The Loco Coyote is a very popular ride/lunch destination for bikers... Harley riders in particular. I had the only Euro bike there & there was probably 100 bikes or more.
Ahh... An Icy Cold Shiner
Before Long The Sons of Anarchy Showed Up
Then The Mayans Rolled In
After some people watching, I finished my beer & made ready for the final leg of my trip home.
As I passed through Glen Rose, I spotted these two beauties.
The vans were in really great condition & it was fun taking a close look at them.
The ride from Alvarado into Dallas is 40 miles of pretty boring road because there's a fair number of lights & traffic can be heavy, particularly when you're coming into Dallas. I had been running with an Audi Q7 for about the last 20 miles since Cleburne, when we got to the traffic light in Venus. As we sat waiting for the light to turn green, I noticed a Harley several cars in front of the Q7 & figured we could dispense with him pretty quickly as we headed into Dallas. We had been running around 80 or so, but now the driver in the Q7 was being pretty timid about passing the Harley. I got in the right hand lane & managed to get close enough to see the Harley was a police bike! Turned out he was a Dallas city cop riding into Dallas to start his shift & he was hauling ass. So I got behind him and followed him for 30 miles or so into Dallas. We made pretty good time too & when he took his exit, he gave me a little wave. It was fun because anytime he came up on a car in his lane, they'd see a cop behind them & get out of the way & we'd just zoom right on by.
Even though it was a short trip, it was a lot of fun & just what I needed. The Mighty Mighty was running great as usual & for an 11 year old bike it's still a fantastic machine. Such a great touring bike... I went over 79K on this trip. Now the clock's ticking down for the Hillbilly & I can't wait. Got a feeling this year will be the best yet.
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