We all agree that it is much better to get to be able to set up camp in the daylight. Even though we again rode over 400 miles yesterday, a little better planning and support from Karen and Kathy got us to the Hi-Ho campground before 6:00 pm. Got the camp set up, and following the managers recommendations have dinner at the Acapulcos Tex-Mex Restaurant. The park manager describes the portions as not ‘all you can eat’, but ‘all you want to eat’ – definitely true. Dan and Chris head back to the camp and Ray heads over to WalMart to get a bigger tent, some laundry detergent and a lantern. He liked the tent so much, he ‘misplaces’ it somewhere between WalMart and the Campground and has to go back and get another one; since there so cheap, he could probably get two or three as spares. Chris comments that Ray is Sam Walton’s target customer: everybody claims to hate them, but if you step into one of their evil stores, you come out with $100 worth of stuff. Ray now has a new ‘outfit’.
Laundry is done. There are three washers and three dryers, perfect; there’s three of us. Each of us take a machine and dump our clothes in; no separating colors, whites, towels; dirty is dirty. To wash and dry it costs me $2.00.
I make a couple of recommendations on approving places to stay: Campground needs to be secure, allow tents and bikes, reasonably priced, mostly quiet and not in a ‘dry’ county. Chris walks to a gas station about 100 yards from the camp to find they only sell sodas – no beer. Dan and Ray comment that this is the first day Chris hasn’t had any beer. Oh well, at least we’ve still got the Scotch.
First stop this morning is back to the Acapulcos restaurant for breakfast. Again, huge portions, great food and very friendly service (actually the same waitress from last night).
Next stop is a Yamaha dealer. Ray finds his cruise control and Dan buys a summer-weight riding jacket; good price and will be much cooler for the Texas and desert riding.
Karen has found us a boot store, so I punch in the address and we’re off again. Short ride through Dallas (too much traffic and lane changing idiots), we find the store, but they are now a wholesaler. They recommend a store a few miles away and were off again to ‘Boot Town’. If we were looking for footwear to ‘Poke Cows’ and ‘Rope Goats’, this would be the place; very limited motorcycle boots. One of the clerks recommends another
Boot Town in the direction that we’re heading and off we go again. This store has a better selection of ‘work boots’ that will be good for riding. They also have ‘motorcycle’ boots, but they look like something Frankenstein’s monster would wear. Ray and Chris find acceptable boots and we’re off again. Across the freeway is a Home Depot; Ray has a spare key ‘blank’ for his bike that he needs to get cut. Their machine is not capable of doing his key. Chris finds a USB cable plus another card reader. So, I am now able to post pictures again.
1:38 pm Alvard, TX. 3.1 gals 2119 ODO. Strong winds from the south east; shouldn’t be a problem since our direction is northwest.
4:51 pm, Chillicothe, TX. 2251 ODO 2.7 gals.
Chris checks the weather in Amarillo with his cell phone and is alerted that there is a ‘Red Flag Wind Advisory’ for the area until 9:00 pm tonight. We are definitely feeling it. The riding is worse than coming down through Indiana; now we have semi-trucks going in the opposite direction, turbulence is ‘strong’. I’m squeezing the grips so hard I expect plastic puss to come shooting out of the handlebars. With the big fairings, the Goldwing’s are more affected by the wind than Ray’s FJR. Ray say’s he is actually drowsy riding and is going to stay at the gas station, take a nap and meet us at the Big Texan in Amarillo. So, Dan and I head north.
8:00 pm Claude, TX. 2384 ODO. 2.76 gals @ 3.93 per gallon. Gas prices are going up.
8:30 pm – Big Texan restaurant, Amarillo, TX – another milestone waypoint. 2400 miles on the ODO. Ray is already there, he must have overtaken us at a rest area. Our butts were sore. Nobody takes the challenge on the ‘free’ steak dinner.
The last time I was here, it was a 60 oz steak and you had to eat it in one sitting. Now it’s a 72 oz steak and you have 1 hour to finish the whole meal. There was one guy that attempted it while we were there, but he lost the challenge. If you loose the challenge the cost is $72.
Kathy has booked us a reservation at the Sundowner RV park about 12 miles from the Big Texan. We arrive about 10:30, the office is way closed. We find a piece of grass and set up camp. A couple of shots of medicinal Scotch to help us sleep. We’re now into our second fifth. Lauders and Grand McNish Scotch do the job of helping you sleep, but the taste is pretty strong. But we guess that Scotch in a plastic bottle is sketchy.
We plan to shorten our objective for today. Ray is putting on his cruise control, Dan is adjusting his gear, and I’m at the keyboard.
Love to all and ride easy.
Laundry is done. There are three washers and three dryers, perfect; there’s three of us. Each of us take a machine and dump our clothes in; no separating colors, whites, towels; dirty is dirty. To wash and dry it costs me $2.00.
I make a couple of recommendations on approving places to stay: Campground needs to be secure, allow tents and bikes, reasonably priced, mostly quiet and not in a ‘dry’ county. Chris walks to a gas station about 100 yards from the camp to find they only sell sodas – no beer. Dan and Ray comment that this is the first day Chris hasn’t had any beer. Oh well, at least we’ve still got the Scotch.
First stop this morning is back to the Acapulcos restaurant for breakfast. Again, huge portions, great food and very friendly service (actually the same waitress from last night).
Next stop is a Yamaha dealer. Ray finds his cruise control and Dan buys a summer-weight riding jacket; good price and will be much cooler for the Texas and desert riding.
Karen has found us a boot store, so I punch in the address and we’re off again. Short ride through Dallas (too much traffic and lane changing idiots), we find the store, but they are now a wholesaler. They recommend a store a few miles away and were off again to ‘Boot Town’. If we were looking for footwear to ‘Poke Cows’ and ‘Rope Goats’, this would be the place; very limited motorcycle boots. One of the clerks recommends another
Boot Town in the direction that we’re heading and off we go again. This store has a better selection of ‘work boots’ that will be good for riding. They also have ‘motorcycle’ boots, but they look like something Frankenstein’s monster would wear. Ray and Chris find acceptable boots and we’re off again. Across the freeway is a Home Depot; Ray has a spare key ‘blank’ for his bike that he needs to get cut. Their machine is not capable of doing his key. Chris finds a USB cable plus another card reader. So, I am now able to post pictures again.1:38 pm Alvard, TX. 3.1 gals 2119 ODO. Strong winds from the south east; shouldn’t be a problem since our direction is northwest.
4:51 pm, Chillicothe, TX. 2251 ODO 2.7 gals.
Chris checks the weather in Amarillo with his cell phone and is alerted that there is a ‘Red Flag Wind Advisory’ for the area until 9:00 pm tonight. We are definitely feeling it. The riding is worse than coming down through Indiana; now we have semi-trucks going in the opposite direction, turbulence is ‘strong’. I’m squeezing the grips so hard I expect plastic puss to come shooting out of the handlebars. With the big fairings, the Goldwing’s are more affected by the wind than Ray’s FJR. Ray say’s he is actually drowsy riding and is going to stay at the gas station, take a nap and meet us at the Big Texan in Amarillo. So, Dan and I head north.
8:00 pm Claude, TX. 2384 ODO. 2.76 gals @ 3.93 per gallon. Gas prices are going up.
8:30 pm – Big Texan restaurant, Amarillo, TX – another milestone waypoint. 2400 miles on the ODO. Ray is already there, he must have overtaken us at a rest area. Our butts were sore. Nobody takes the challenge on the ‘free’ steak dinner.
The last time I was here, it was a 60 oz steak and you had to eat it in one sitting. Now it’s a 72 oz steak and you have 1 hour to finish the whole meal. There was one guy that attempted it while we were there, but he lost the challenge. If you loose the challenge the cost is $72.
Kathy has booked us a reservation at the Sundowner RV park about 12 miles from the Big Texan. We arrive about 10:30, the office is way closed. We find a piece of grass and set up camp. A couple of shots of medicinal Scotch to help us sleep. We’re now into our second fifth. Lauders and Grand McNish Scotch do the job of helping you sleep, but the taste is pretty strong. But we guess that Scotch in a plastic bottle is sketchy.
We plan to shorten our objective for today. Ray is putting on his cruise control, Dan is adjusting his gear, and I’m at the keyboard.
Love to all and ride easy.
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