[ST] Day Ride, Fun in Piney Woods

["STeve Duncan" <xhippy@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Well, maybe a 1/2 Day's ride considering I did not get my ass in gear and on 
the road until 10:00am.  Total miles 430, total time 7hrs 05mins, rolled 
back into the driveway and 5:05pm.

Not too bad considering I stopped for a few photos, not many, but a taste of 
the east Texas woods:

http://www.pbase.com/donut/east_texas

All in all, a good, spur of the moment day ride.  So to the details, if you 
are so inclined, read along.

I had meant to get up early and really make a day of it.  However, this 
dream I was having caused me to stay in the sack a bit longer than I had 
planned.  At 49, ya know, dreams are important.
Ten a.m. on the dot and kickstand up and on the road.  I had thought of 
heading west into the top of Hill Country, but decided at the last moment to 
try my hand at the east Texas Piney Woods.  Texas is a big place with lots 
of different environments.  East Texas is very lush, especially this time of 
year, so there is where I headed.  No real route or destination, other than 
I targeted the Davy Crockett Nat'l Forrest as a ride thru.  On your maps it 
sits just between Crockett and Lufkin TX.

So, it was hwy 175 southeast out of the metromess to Kaufman where it turns 
into a 2 lane.  Just before there I come upon a rider running at about 65.  
I can see his t-shirt flapping and his stylish shorts and tennis shoes, at 
least he is wearing a full face helmet.  As I ease past in the left lane I 
see he is astride an R1, sliver/matt grey, an '02, I think.  Doesn't take 
long before he blasts up beside me and gives a sideward glance and pounds 
it.  Now we all know that the mighty Sprint-ST is no match for an R1 in a 
roll on, but I keep pace, at a distance, up to about 150.  We keep that 
speed for a few miles, he looking back to see me still there.  I am quite 
comfortable in my full gear, and I can tell that his t-shirt is beating the 
holy hell out of his back.  Must have felt like a cat-o-nine tails.  After a 
bit, he takes an exit ramp, gives me a big head bob, and some sort of 
deviltry sign.  I respond with my usual "peace sign" (the 60's, remember?) 
and carry on.  That was a fun bit, knowing I had a rabbit just enough out 
front to grab the attention of any LEO's

Heading on down 175 the scenery gets more interesting and I am clipping 
along at a sedate, slightly supra-legal speed, on in to Athens, where I take 
hwy 19 south, into Palestine, and then several FM (farm to market roads) on 
to the south and east.  I can't remember all the numbers, and the map I have 
in front of me doesn't list most of them.  Suffice to say that the further I 
went into the Piney Woods, the better the roads.  Man, I need a GPS.

Once into the Nat'l Forrest, I rode FM 227, 228, 357, 2781, and a few 
others.  Actually I rode a few of them several times, as I wasn't really 
concerned with maps and just kind of went in circles for a while.  Damn fun 
time.  Some of the Harley's I passed, then passed again, then met coming the 
other direction, then passed one last time, must have thought I was crazy.  
They could be right.  And I am certainly not the lunatic they were looking 
for.

Did I mention that I like to push my gas stops to the absolute limit?  I 
hate stopping for gas.  I know my bike pretty well and never even think 
about gas until It's over the 200 mile mark.  Well I look down and I'm at 
215 miles, in the middle of the forrest, miles from anything remotely 
resembling a town and think, "Hmmm, have I pushed too far?"  Coming to the 
intersection of hwy 21 I see two signs, Alto, to the east, 14 miles, 
Crockett, 20 miles to the west.  Considering I only have 5 dollars in cash 
on me, I opt for Crockett, the bigger town and more likely to take my debit 
card at the pump.  Hey, I'm not worried, the little yellow light hasn't even 
come on yet.  I does 2 miles later, but I make Crockett, no problemo, and 
enjoy a beautiful little ride to boot.

In Crockett I fill up, 5.1 gallons (5.6 gallon tank) and head next door to 
the KFC for lunch.  Only one problem (besides the 5 bucks in my pocket), 
there are about 23 boy scouts in line ahead of me.  No time for that crap, 
so I go back to the gas station resigned to beef jerky and a Dr. Pepper.  
But wait!  There is a kind little old lady serving up homemade beef brisket 
BBQ out of a crock pot!!  Yummy!  Real Good, home cooking.  I take my 
sam'ich and go and stand outside the KFC window eating my sam'ich while the 
Scouts look on in envy  :)))

Back in the saddle after my scrumptious meal, I am contemplating heading on 
west, then north for the homestead.  But no, the ghost of Davy Crockett is 
telling me "go back, go back to the forrest, you have plenty of time".  That 
I do.  Back on hwy 7 into the Nat' Forrest once more.  I circulate the 
southern half of the woods this time, then north, finally ending up around 
Alto and hwy 294.  And resentfully, consulting a map I plan for the ride 
home, sorta.  Hwy 294 runs due west, hooking into 84 and then on over to 
I-45 (shudder).  I decide this is my "direct" route home.

Hwy 294 turns out to be a very pleasant road.  One I will definitely ride 
again!  Nice overhanging trees, big sweepers, and not a lot of traffic.  I 
made good time on 294, really good time.  84 was not as nice, and when I got 
to the I-45 intersection, I just could not make myself get on it.  The devil 
is on the interstates.  So a quick re-route and I rode a bunch of glorious, 
if not technical, backroads all the way back up to 175 at Crandall TX.  Then 
it was only 30 miles to home.

Nothing special, just another day in the life of a bikermaniac for life.

Damn, that's a lot of writing for a simple day ride.  Y'all stand back when 
I return from Custer, SD.  I don't know how big this thing's gonna get.  
<bfg>



happy trails y'all,

Steve
   Duncan
Dallas
   Tejas

'00 Sprint-ST
(the redhead)

http://www.pbase.com/donut/east_texas



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