The Long Ride

Fall 2014 (part 1)

So we are 2 weeks back and I'm finally done with the videos

Heres the break down

8 days

2259 miles

100+ miles in the rain

3 days in South Padre Island Texas

3 days in New Orleans

great food and good times

We left out of OKC on Friday afternoon Oct 3. trying to get a jump on the weekend traffic.

We headed west to Hwy 81 heading south out of El Reno Ok. We know south I-35 on a Fridays 

is rough and extremely busy, so taking the back road would be safer but slower. We would hook up

with I-35 down in Texas around Ft. Worth. and go from there.

This trip was going to be a bit different than years past. Yes we would be on 2 wheels ( is there another way to take a trip?) but we would be taking Voyager. She is Voyager 2 but in all aspects a

clone of our first Voyager. This will also be the longest ride we have taken on this bike.

We stopped for supper in Bowie Texas at a Italian restaurant. Great food!

We gassed up and headed out again.

Now the ride so far was great with zero headaches, but we had not made it to Ft. Worth yet.

Now ridding in big cities doesn't bother us. We have rode in big cities all over the country.

But the thing about Dallas and Ft. Worth is the Hwys, they are always tore up and the traffic is 

so bad. Well it was really bad this night, seems there was a wreck and we got stuck in stop and go traffic. Now we can deal with that BUT Voyagers are known for not liking sitting still and running .

They run hot and after being on the road for almost an hour well shes already hot and getting hotter.

With the temp gauge showing almost to the top end of hot we had to get off and find a way around this cluster fuck.Off ramp close and we are off and moving again. We work our way around and back on the hwy and we are headed out of Ft. Worth. Good bye! We find a place to bed down for the night and get ready for the next day.We wake Saturday morn ready to make our way to SPI, now if you have read this blog you know the story behind SPI for Lynn and myself. We have been going to SPI since 1979. We have seen it grow up and become what it is today, at one time we even thought about moving there (but thats another story). We made it with no problems and no more traffic jams.

We seen some old friends and visited some familiar places and even did a few new things.

So the Theme of this trip was set by a flag that I had bought for the ride. It is a pirate flag that says                     "the beating will continue till morale improves"

                    And we can't have a ride to the ocean with out the ocean and bike pic

 Our time here had come to the end and it was time for the ride along the gulf coast. Now we were headed to Galveston Island and to ride the ferry across to Port Bolivar and Hwy 87.But first we have to make past these guys.

Hmmmmmmmmmmm must be a rough job, what with checking our text on our phones while drug dealers and illegals sneak past. Well we made made it past now on to our next adventure.

WOW we have never rode or drove the gulf coast of Texas, I can tell you besides all the hwy work it was great. The weather was perfect and the people were nice. We made it to the ferry later than what I wanted but we seen some great sights and had some good food. By the time we got off the ferry the sun had gone down and we were on the search for a place to bed down, so we rode for around 29 miles to find a family owned motel called Gulfway Motel in High Island Texas. I know we missed a lot of sites stumbling around in the dark but thats the way it goes some time.

It would have been nice to stay and maybe play in the pool but day light was here and it was time to roll to our next adventure. From here we were going to ride inland to interstate 10 to Lafayette and then take hwy 90 south and around to New Orleans. We had one stop in mind OakLawn Manor an old plantation where the Drowning Pool was filmed.

From here New Orleans seemed to get further and further away. Every time we would stop for gas I would ask how far is New Orleans and they would always say about 2 hours. Really am I backing up or just going the wrong way?
  Well we make our way from hwy 90 back up to interstate 10 because it had rained and there were motorcycles down all over the hwy (I kid you not) traffic was bad and course it was almost 5 o'clock on a weds so you know we are screwed in a traffic jam. I get off on the one exit I know and then thats when I screwed the pooch. It seems that Katy Perry was in town and the concert was tonight and we are sitting right by the one place I really didn't want to be the Super Dome and the concert was here and now.

Streets closed off plus road work being done had us stuck in down town New Orleans and going in circles. We met up with a guy and ask how to get to where we were going, he said he was headed that way and could take almost all the way. So we said ok he got on his bike and we took off. He stopped at the red light and said 2 blocks up hang a left then it's just up the street.we thanked him, the light turn green and he was gone and we had finally made it to the B&B.

Well we have 2 days and nights to rest and play and we did but we had so much fun that we stayed an extra day and night.

Oh New Orleans until we meet again be safe be free and enjoy life. We met some great people had some great food and had a really great time. We will miss you New Orleans but it's time for us to head home.
   Sat morn Oct 11 and it's time to roll out to home. Today will be another test of machine and man and woman. Voyager has done good on this ride the clutch is slippin but she will get us home. Home thats our goal for today. It's only 718 miles can we make that in 1 day? We know rain is in our future for this day, radar shows showers by Shreveport and back to the west from there. Maybe it will clear off by the time we get there?

Or maybe not LOL.
We woke up in New Orleans Sat morn and went to bed in OKC.
718 miles
13 hours
3 food stops
6 gas stops
over 100 miles in and out of rain, at some points a down pour
We lived thru I-35 all tore to hell in Dallas
plus OU football traffic headed back to Oklahoma
and still made it back in one day
I will let you do the math on our speed.
Anyone Anyone that tells you riding a full dresser is like driving a car is full of it
anyone that tells you, you don't feel the weather or that your out of touch with what a true"biker" is when you ride a couch glide is full of SHIT!!!!

I can tell you ridding a bike that is 917 lbs dry weight then you add me, Lynn and all our stuff (cause we pack heavy on Voyager) is not easy and not out of touch.

So we are getting ready for part 2 of our Fall Long Ride
we leave n Oct 29th late afternoon on Skull and head to Grafton Il.
so look for an update early Nov.
Till then be safe
WhiteWolf