October 1 thru 9
Crews'n (Jeremy) posted for a handoff for Woody's journal and
I jumped on the opportunity to participate in this memorial to Ed Barry.
Last time the journal rode through Dallas I got to sign it but did not get to
take in its essence of camaraderie and tribute. This time I would get to have it
for a few days and just in time for Erin and I to take a trip to Arkansas during
Fall Break (she's a teacher and gets a week off).
Jeremy had picked up a new VTX today in Corsicana and rode
back to Austin. Said he and his buddy Steve were going for a ride and to play
some pool...I said "How long you riding for?"....
He said...What? You want to do this tonight?
Mind you it is already after dark, I am in the middle of a brake pad swap on the
Valk, and Erin is inside on the computer.... Lets do it!!
Jeremy picked Waco at a Kracker Barrel that would be about 100 miles for both of
us...and off we went!! About 9 we are on the road. We meet up at 10:15 and
Jeremy and Steve are already there and had just bought a soda from Burger King
next door. We meet and go in for about 45minutes and get to know each other,
snapped a picture, some funny stories, and had to head back home....
Ed (Woody) would be so tickled to see the fuss that is being made over him and
his memory.... a journal, a phone call, talking to people we never have met
before, riding 112 miles to meet them, sitting and talking like old friends, and
parting ways to continue the stories.....
I am sorry he couldn't be here to see it.....
Gonz on left, Jeremy on Right
on Sunday, Oct 2nd, we were meeting up with LastChance (Dave) and his wife Amy to go to the Stevie Ray Vaughan Memorial Ride and Concert. The came over to the house about 8:30 Sunday morning and we snapped off this pic before we left. You see!! We do clean up nicely! LOL
Erin, Gonz, Dave, and Amy
We were also meeting VWFarm (Mike) from Ennis in downtown Dallas before we headed in for the line up. We found him at the gas station and headed in. We were there relatively early and got within the first 300 bikes I would say. There were reportedly 3000 bikes at the concert. We took Woody along for the ride and too look at some of the bikes. Dave, Amy, and Mike got a chance to look through the journal a bit and sign it. Mike took the following pictures of this event.
It is a bit humid out but the morning overcast is keeping it bearable, until about 10:30 when it started breaking up and getting sweaty! Here is a Blues group playing outdoors at 9a.m. on a Sunday morning in Deep Elum, right across from the bike line up area.
Here are Dave and Amy in front of their Sabre. We have about two hours before the parade.
Here is a shot of the first staging area, Dave, Amy, Erin and I are off in the distance.
Lots of Bikes, and this isn't a shot of the ones lined up in the streets after this lot was full!
There were some decent customs there as well as nice paint jobs..
Nice custom work...a little off on the symmetry, but the paint is cool.
The Parade lead to Cowboys in Arlington and held up quite a bit of traffic. I was never really interested in a group run like this and now my feelings are compounded and I probably won't do one like this again. I will however go down there and line up and look at all the other bikes. Hopefully I will have the Hondian with me next time!
At Cowboys we have a beer and play pool for a couple hours. They had lots of leather goods and doo-rags, etc., and they were really well priced. Here Dave takes his shot...
A groups shot of the guys... I know....we need a group shot of the wominz next time!! Mike has his electric Coors hat on. LOL Just kidding....that sign is in teh background!
Gonz, Mike, Dave
We left and went to get some Mexican food and headed up to Gonzos-Garage to look over Dave's battery issues. I think his regulator/rectifier is gone.....a new one is on the way.
I spent the next two evenings reading through the journal and recall the rides from the forum and now get to see the entries in the journal to refresh my imagination. This is an awesome book of peoples thoughts and well wishes for Ed's family. I too am honored to have been a part of it. In my entries I tried to show through text and pictures how so many strangers that share a common interest are meeting and sharing with each other, and it is all possible through this forum that Ed also shared so much in.
Erin and I take Wednesday through Friday off and plan on coming home Saturday evening. When we left Plano Tx, it was still hot out but there was a cool front on the way south. We were planning for 70 degrees highs the next few days. We headed north to Oklahoma to run the Talimena Scenic By-way into Arkansas and planned on spending our first night in Hot Springs. The following photos document that part of our trip.
Here is the start of the Scenic By-way where we break out the camera.
We start up teh winding roads for some spectacular views of the rolling Oklahoma hills, called the Ouchita (Washita) Mountains.
There are overlooks everywhere to stop and look at the views. We hit the first and second one and snap a few pics. We then pick and choose a few more along the way.
At the second overlook we snap a few shots of us and the bike.
Here Erin catches a shot of a Dragonfly landing on a plant.
A timed shot of us on the bench.
Erin taking in the view and the utter silence up there. It is strange, we run across two pick ups on the side of the road, probably out hunting, and one car coming the other way. At no time during this scenic road, does a car come up behind us. We were the only ones there.
A shot on the run.
A nice shot of the road. They follow the mountain tops mostly winding back and forth and up and down.
It is pretty hazy out and the clouds are a welcome break from the sun.
Nice curves.
We make it into Mena Arkansas and get diner at a little Mexican place. The rode got real twisty near the end and was lots of fun. We head out to Hot Springs as night falls. One of the roads we have mapped out was fun until we came around a curve and found ourselves on gravel road. I shut'er down and turned around to go back to the main back highway. We are tired and ready to get off the bike!! No more short cuts for us!! The roads are twist coming into Hot Springs and I try to keep the locals off my tail by staying ahead of them, but some like to tailgate and push me a little harder. I saw a trailer being pulled up ahead and I nestle up behind it so I cannot be pushed anymore. It is nice to have something to follow so I can see which way the road turns.
We get to a hotel in Hot Springs and check in. Coming out to move the bike towards our room it won't start. The battery has died. I had my suspicions so I packed a new battery with a fresh charge. I do not touch it that night and assure Erin it will start in the morning. I didn't tell her I had the new one with me! ;-)
in the morning it won't even turn over and Erin is thinking we need to find a jump[. I proceed to take the battery out, she's thinking I am crazy. It isn't any good, why have it in there!!?? Then I pull the new one out and get backhanded! LOL I have never heard the Valkyrie turn over as fast as it does now since I have had it!! Good to know that is all it was and we are going again. At breakfast we call Tony (ARShadowRider) and plan to meet up. We met him and his wife Rebecca and chatted for about an hour before heading out. They got to see the journal entries over lunch and I think our wives hit is off talking about schools and kids!
Erin, Gonz, Tony, and Rebecca
The next part of our ride takes us up Scenic Highway 7 towards northern Arkansas. I drove this a month ago in the car and knew we had to come back....
Gonzo
02' Shadow Spirit "Vicious Cycle", 98 Valkyrie "Eragon"