Texas Hill Country weekend - 1100 miles of fun

Great RR! I did the Three Sisters ride over Labor Day weekend last year, and this year my friends and I will do it during that holiday weekend once again.

It was great seeing your pictures of some of the very places we stopped. Did you get a chance to stop at the motorcycle museum? The ride was excellent, and the time spent bonding over a few beers and good stories at night was equally as good.

It is white and I did gas up in Leakey. Wish you had stopped. They have some of the very best ice cream. Yummmmmmm.


Timbercat
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So are we going back to the Sisters Saturday? Or are you going with Sander? Decisions, decisions! The Sisters ride will be boring as it will be a 'stop often and shoot' event (you've been there.....) I'll be shooting some of the same places seen on this thread, hope I can do as good a job.

Thanks! Enjoy the labor day ride. I didn't stop at the museum because time was lacking.
I ended up riding 1100 miles from Friday night to Sunday night.
Not quite as hardcore as the iron butt guys but still it was long days in the saddle!
For labor day weekend I'm thinking of Big Bend National Park...which is quite far.

My question is what temperature is it just to hot to tour?
I live and commute in Houston and it will be 106 heat index and that is actually ok for about 35 mins even in stop and go traffic.
But all day? even if constantly moving? I am not sure. My gut tells me it would be fine as long as I drink plenty of water and sunscreen. Water because even though the wind makes me 'feel' less hot I am still sweating.

Lobo is about 15 miles south of Van Horn... don't blink... http://goo.gl/maps/WP2Pg

NFE

We all respond differently to high temperatures. As you can see by the pics in this thread, I wear gear no matter what. For my jacket, I prefer leather and even if it is a perforated summer leather, it feels warm when ambient is at 95 deg F and more, even when moving because of the screen on the bike. Also, I always wear a full face helmet, which unfortunately keeps me toasty too. Same for riding pants and boots.. But that's my choice on safety. When it is hot like that weekend and I am sure the coming labor day weekend, I still ride all day but I stop every hour or so to re-hydrate. I drink a lot of water and sports drinks.
I'm glad all my gear as washable liners because.. yea... I sweat in these!

For the labor day weekend, I would like to take advantage of the holiday and go for a three day ride.
I am based in Orange TX, so I can envision something within 10 to 12 hours away.

I was thinking of Big Bend National Park, camp and hike there. But the road to get there seems straight and :huh boring.
Any suggestions?

From Orange I would think the Ozarks up north would be nice. I might be going to from Houston to Tulsa but that is more of a family memory lane kind of thing.

double checked the map and yes, from Orange I think go north until you hit the ozark mountains. Looks like there is plenty of forest on the way too.

I love the Texas Hill Country. I really enjoyed the read...thanks for sharing.

From Houston to Del Rio... yes, a little boring. But, I think Hwy 90 between Comstock and Marathon is one of the most scenic rides in Texas. Wide open vistas and great roads. Turn south on 385 in Marathon towards the park and prepare for pure joy! I just returned from four days at Big Bend, my second trip out there in less than a year.

cool report. im riding through that general area in january on my way from nc to ca.

What should i look at, where else should i go? Generally looking for a good set of secondary/dirt roads across south/middle tx

To quote a wise man I met once, "My motorcycle has 140,000 miles. Some years I ride 500 miles. Some years I ride 15,000 miles. But that's life."

Point being... Enjoy the rides you do make.

Thanks! I think I will go there and camp in Big Bend park (Chisos Basin if I can). Did you ride dirt roads in the park or just on the pavement? I think I might hike there too.

Hello, Oli-San. I'm on an R1200R, so I stayed on the pavement. I camped in the Chisos Basin campground for three nights (8/13-8/15); plenty of sites available. My goal was to get my riding fix on the way out there, and then hike and enjoy the geology, flora, and fauna in the park. I made two longer hikes; The Window Trail (the trailhead is located near site 51 in the Chisos Basin campground), and the Lost Mine Trail (the trailhead is just a short drive from the campground). Both were spectacular, and I'd say the Lost Mine Trail is one of the best in the park!<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-comfficeffice" /><o></o>

Here are a few pictures; I'll upload a few more tomorrow.


Hwy. 90, Pecos River Bridge near Comstock, where the riding really gets good.


Entrance to the park south of Marathon.


Casa Grande as viewed from the campground.

Nice pics! and really nice bike too!!
I am definitely conisdering going there for Labor Day Weekend now!
I hope it is not too hot to camp. Cannot be worse than the Hill country in July..
Thanks again for sharing the pics... and please load some more!

Thanks for the compliment; in my haste I failed to mention how much I enjoyed your report and photos!
The weather should be very mild; according the park’s website it was 61 degrees in the Basin last night (and a high of only 80)! Temperatures were about seven degrees warmer when I was there, and it was still very nice.

Daily reports are available here http://www.nps.gov/bibe/daily_report.htm

I’m just adding a few more pictures of my campsite (#24) and views from the Window Pour-off and Lost Mine trails in hopes they will help cinch your decision. You obviously know what you’re doing, but let me know if I can help with your trip planning in any way.



Camping site 24; there are about 60 and they are all shapes and sizes. I found one to my liking after cruising around for a few minutes.



Agave standing sentry over the Window Pour-off Trail.



Looking south over Pine Canyon into Mexico from the Lost Mine Trail.

You're welcome!

Awesome pictures! Thanks for sharing

Thanks!
I am not from Texas and moved here recently. Also, I haven't ridden a bike in a long time. Actually, since I moved from France in 2004. Now when Yamaha decided to bring the Super Ten, I could not resist and got one. All that to say that I just started riding in Texas recently and I am not the best to recommend places..
However, this trip was definitely awesome. I strongly recommend the Hill Country especially around Bandera, Medina, Leakey and also Fredericksburg. You should clearly go there.
Now I am looking at going to Big Bend National Park. I will let you know if it is worth going there..
Cheers!