Road Trip 3.3

     Saturday started early for me as I decided to head to the dealership on the western edge of Fort Worth.  My plan was to be sitting in the parking lot when they opened at 8am and be back at the hotel to pick up Sharon at 8:45am.

    My part of the plan worked to perfection.  I left the hotel at 7:15, which I figured would give me a few minutes to eat breakfast once I arrived in the area.  I found a Whataburger and ordered a breakfast platter...either I wasn't hungry or it wasn't very good because I didn't eat much of it.  After breakfast, I drove over to the dealership and pulled up in front at 8:02!  After waiting a couple of minutes, I went in, found the place to get my passport stamped and was back on the road by 8:15.  A 25 minute drive would get me back in plenty of time.  Sharon was going to be very proud of me for being on time.

     As I neared the hotel, I called Sharon to tell her I was about to pull up outside.  She informed me that she needed 10 minute more before she was ready so I decided to park in the lot.  When I pulled in I realized that there was an afternoon game at The Ballpark and control of the parking areas had already begun.  After explaining my problem to the attendant, he directed me to the correct lot.

    I went up to the room and helped Sharon finish packing and then she headed to checkout while I went for the car.  I pulled around to the circular driveway in front to wait...which I did, for a long time.  Finally, I put my flashers on and went in to find her still at the desk trying to check out.  Seems their computer had messed up during the night so no one received a bill.  In addition, her bill was messed up.  And to make everything worse, they only had one person working the desk...that makes me angry!

    We pulled away from the hotel about 9:30...an hour later than we had wanted...and headed to Plano as fast as we could.  Fortunately, the traffic gods were smiling on us and we arrived at the hospital about 40 minutes later.

     On the way over, I had mentioned to Sharon that there was one more dealership...not too far from Plano...that I might try to get to if she thought it wouldn't be a problem...to which she said, why not?  About 11am, I excused myself and headed to Corinth...25 miles away.  I got on the tollroad, only 3 blocks or so from the hotel, and then merged onto I-35 headed north.  Traffic was beginning to get heavy as people began to get out and about. 

     As usual, this newer dealership was on the interstate...easy to find...but coming from the south made getting there a little more difficult.  My GPS had me exit south of the place and then took me around behind, through neighborhoods, and back out to the access road.  After finally getting to the parking lot, my stay there was about as long as usual...10-15 minutes.

    The entire round trip was a little over an hour and I was hardly missed.  Now to be a good son and care-giver and spend a little time with my mother.  Earlier in the day we had a visit from the Cardiologist and she had cleared her to go to rehab so now all we had to do was get the final clearance from the other doctor...and make arrangements for the transfer.

     The Case Manager at the hospital came by to get some signatures and we talked about what needed to happen.   Now it was time to wait...which we were getting pretty good at.  We watched a little football on TV before I realized how late it was getting...I had a wedding to attend in Palmer.  Sharon had decided to stay at the hospital and coordinate the move to rehab so I left to go get changed.

     I left town a little after 2pm and arrived in Palmer about 3pm.  My GPS took me to the address of the church...which I had looked up on Google...and to my surprise there was no church to be found.  Palmer has a very small downtown so I figured I'd just drive around and find it without a problem...so much for figuring.  I drove around about 30 minutes...also using addresses provided by Julie...mother of the groom...and Courtney...I still couldn't find the church!

   By this time Courtney and family were approaching from the north and Cassidy was coming in from the south and they needed the correct address.  About the time I was giving up, I stumbled upon the church so I was able to call them both and give them directions.

   Luckily for all of us, the wedding didn't start on time and besides, our side of the family was the main attraction so they couldn't start without us, could they.  The wedding went well and we stayed for a short reception and to watch the newlyweds leave the church...then we hit the road home.

    We will head home on Sunday afternoon so no more road trips from the DFW area...looking now towards hitting a couple of dealerships in San Antonio on the way to Kingsville next Friday....standby for more.  Thanks for following along with me.

Road Trip 3.2

      Today started only a short distance from the hospital as I spent the night in my mother's house in Richardson.  This morning she was still in her new room.  There was a chance she was going to get to move the rehab facility today...until the Cardiologist came in and decided she wanted her to stay one more night so they could ensure her heart rate was under control.  That was the highlight of the day at the hospital...everything else was routine.

     Breakfast and lunch came and went, as did nurses and aides.  Around lunch time I decided that I was hungry so I left the hospital in search of some good fast food.  As I started the car, I remembered that there was a dealership in Garland...not too far away...so I looked up the address and plugged it into the GPS and off I went.  I would eat on the run.  After doubting the GPS and going the long way, I arrived at the dealership.  It was a nicer, old dealership near I-30 east of Dallas but not on the access road.  I had some difficulty finding the entrance but finally did so by going through the shopping center attached.  I later found out that's the only way in...a bit strange.

     I got the passport stamped and headed back.  I grabbed a hamburger at a McDonald's drive thru and finished it by the time I got back to the hospital.  This time I followed the GPS and saved several minutes on the return trip.  The rest of the afternoon...until I was relieved by my sister at 4:30pm...was uneventful.  We had visits from both the physical and occupational therapists...very interesting people.

    At 4:30, I left the hospital headed for Arlington, to pick up Sharon at the hotel and then meet Courtney and family at Babe's in downtown Arlington...only a few minutes from the hotel.  After running by the house in Richardson to grab my suitcase...staying the night at the hotel in Arlington again...I got on the road to Arlington amidst rush hour traffic.

     I plugged in the coordinates of Longhorn H-D in Grapevine...once again, "on the way"... and headed that way.  I had to endure much of the traffic that drives from Dallas to Fort Worth every afternoon.  In fact, at that time of the day, there's heavy traffic going every direction it seems.

    I merged onto I-635...bad news...moved over to the left lane as soon as possible...and made my way to I-35 headed south.  Now there was a little less traffic but not significantly so.  I merged onto Loop 12 which eventually turned into Spur 408...or something like that.  That led to I-20 and I turned west toward Grapevine and the dealership.  

     Luckily, the exit I needed was only a few miles down the interstate.  I exited and drove up in front of the dealership at 5:45pm...plenty of time to look around and get to the hotel by 6:30pm.  I got the passport stamped and started toward Arlington and the hotel.  It was only a few miles away and the only bad traffic I encountered was nearing The Ballpark...Rangers game at 7:05pm!

     I pulled up in front of the hotel at 6:15pm, parked in front and took my suitcase up the elevator up to room 915.  Sharon was waiting so off we went.  I plugged the restaurant address into the GPS, and as I suspected, it wanted to take us right through the baseball game traffic.  I turned the opposite direction, got on I-30 headed west, went down a couple of exits and then turned toward downtown Arlington.  After about 10 minutes we pulled up in front of Babe's and found a parking space across the street.

     We had a nice dinner with everyone and then retreated to the hotel for a relaxing evening...even though it was almost 9:00pm.  We had a good night's rest and were ready for the next day's activities...back to the hospital and maybe a couple of errands.

     Oh, by the way, there's one more dealership in Corinth...just across the bridge from Lake Dallas...that I might to on Saturday if the conditions are right...guess we'll wait and see.

Road Trip 3.1

    












      Today wasn't what you would normally call a "day trip" and it wasn't very long, thus the 3.1 in the title. I hadn't planned a trip to Dallas/Ft. Worth area but earlier this week I received a call from my sister telling me that our mother was found unconscience and bleeding on the sidewalk in front of the house. Apparently, she had fallen down the steps and hit her head. At least that's what we surmised, since there were no witnesses and she didn't remember.

     As it turned out, Sharon was scheduled to attend, and speak at, a conference in Arlington so I decided I would drive her up to Arlington and see what was going on at the hospital...and if it worked out I might get around to a few of the area's Harley dealerships over the next three days. Sharon and I packed up the car after lunch on Wednesday and headed north. As luck would have it, I hit Dallas a little after 5pm so had to deal with rush hour traffic. Thankfully, I had a EZPass for the car and was able to use the tollroads a lot...although they were bumper to bumper as well.

     This morning, I left Sharon at the hotel in Arlington to attend the conference...she spoke in the afternoon...and headed to the hospital in Plano. The clock in the car said "7:45" as I pulled out of the parking lot. As one of the dealerships was in Bedford...not too far from the hotel...I decided to be there when they opened the doors at 8am. Afterall, it was "on the way" wasn't it?

     The route I chose took me through the city streets so I avoided most of the worst traffic until I merged onto Hwy 183, just a couple of miles east of my exit. As I neared the point where Hwy 121 merged into 183, the traffic became extremely heavy. Fortunately, I only had about 1/2 mile before I could get off and away from the mess. The only problem is that I needed to move over three lanes through traffic coming off 121 trying to move the same three lanes in the opposite direction. I made it off without hitting anyone and found the dealership a block on the other side of the stop light.

     I went in, looked around a few minutes, got my passport stamped and headed back east towards Plano. I went down 183 towards the airport...bad idea as it turned out...to get on the George Bush Tollway headed north. Suddenly the traffic screeched to a halt...turns out there was a 4-car fender bender in the left lane and everyone had to go around it. It must have just happened because there were no cops or wreckers.

     With only a slight delay, I made the tollroad exit and got on headed toward Plano, once again...and Carrolton, the site of another dealership...after all, it was "on the way". I found the dealership at the corner of the tollroad and I-35, about 100 yards off the tollroad. This time I didn't even look around...just got the passport stamped and got back on the road.

     After all was said and done, I arrived at the hospital and went straight to room 333.and discovered it was occupied by a man...Geez, the moved her to rehab without telling anyone! I went down to the nurse's station to find out what was going on. It turns out that they merely moved her to another room around the corner. Well, no harm, no foul.

     I visited with the doctor a bit, talked with the occupational therapist and then it was time for lunch. I decided that I'd go to lunch so she could take a nap after she finished eating. Since I was just "down the road" a bit from Sherman, I decided to head north during my lunch hour.

     My trusty GPS took me straight there...just north of Sherman on Hwy 75. As usual, I walked around, found a t-shirt and got my passport stamped. Out the door again in about 15 minutes, I thought I should drive by the old house at 817 Pelton before heading back. Again, the GPS took me straight there. The old neighborhood doesn't look too good but the house was about the same...even had the trim painted brown like I left it in 1982. It's hard to believe that's it was almost 30 years ago that we lived there, but then time does fly when you're having fun.

     Because to the little side trip to the house...and the fact that Sherman is farther away from Plano that I had thought...I was late getting back to the hospital. I engaged the cruise control at 75mph and sat back to enjoy the '60's music on the satelite radio.

     As I neared Allen...the site of yet another dealership playing the passport game...I decided to make a quick pit stop and get another stamp. I was there less than 10 minutes and then back on the highway...this time definitely headed to the hospital. The Allen dealership was "on the way" so how could I not drop in...right?

     Perhaps I'm a bad care-giver and a bad son...but then, I never claimed to be otherwise. I do what I can....sometimes. Sharon says that I'm a pretty good person sometimes...despite myself. I guess she should know. I'm afraid my little road trip incurred the wrath of Sharon so I might have a little making up to do when I see her next. My rationalization was that she was eating lunch, watching TV and then taking a nap...and didn't need a babysitter. Apparently, my reasoning was faulty. Perhaps I'll think twice before going on Road Trip 3.2...tomorrow!

Road Trip #2

Technically, this is the first dedicated road trip to get my Harley passport stamped. I visited four dealerships while on a trip for business so you could call this "Road Trip #2", which I am.

On a recent business trip to Tarleton (Stephenville, TX), I visited the dealership in Waco and on the way I made a stop in Killeen at TAMU-Central Texas and while I was in the area visited the Fort Hood dealership and the Temple dealership. I left Temple and went home by way of Round Rock, where I got my fourth stamp of the trip.

Visiting some of the dealerships when I go on trips for work will get me a few stamps but overall it won't get it done by the deadline of November 20, so Sharon decided I should make plans to make a trip somewhere...San Antonio, Austin, Dallas/Ft. Worth or Houston. For Road Trip #2, I chose Houston.

I carefully planned a route that would allow me to go to seven dealerships in the Houston area...not all are participating...covering an area from Cypress on the northwest corner to Pasadena on the southeast corner , Stafford on the southwest corner to Kingwood on the northeast corner. I threw in Angleton...45 miles south of Stafford...for good measure.

My plan was to leave College Station around 7:30am so as to arrive at the first dealership when it opened at 9:00am and be home by 6:00pm, just in time to take a quick shower and go to a movie with Sharon.

The day started out almost exactly like I had planned. I left the house about 7:15am, made a quick stop at Kroger to get a bite to eat and headed out around 7:45am. Having debated over the past few days between riding my motorcycle or driving, I finally gave in and drove the Corvette. However, taking advantage of the nice weather, I took the top off.

The drive down to Cypress to my first stop went quickly...no traffic to speak of...and I arrived 15 minutes early. Good news! Academy was next door and opens earlier than 9am. I needed some new racquetballs anyway so I went in and burned 15-20 minutes. The first dealership was Mancuso's Crossroads H-D. I got my passport stamped, looked around a few minutes...seems the polite thing to do...and took off for stop #2.

Stop #2 was only 20 minutes away on Loop 610...or whatever they call it in Houston...Northwest Freeway, North Freeway, etc. I almost missed this dealership because it was very small and didn't have the best signage in the world. It sat in a not-so-nice part of North Houston but I imagine it had been there for quite some time. This was Mancuso's first establishment called Mancuso Central H-D.

You can usually tell which dealerships are new and which have been around for a while. The older ones are the typical motorcycle dealership...small, old-fashioned buildings, with limited parking and small showrooms. The newer ones are much larger, typically have tons of showroom space...to hold all the accessories and clothing Harley has now. The newer dealerships are also very modern looking with large signage that shows up from a long way off.

The lady at the reception desk was very nice and stamped my passport as soon as I walked in the door. After looking around a little...again to be polite...I departed for location #3...Stubbs H-D...on the south side of town on 610. I knew that Stubbs was hosting their annual Pre-Lonestar Rally party. I swear I heard this was the 45th year, but that can't be right...can it?

Anyway, from where I was on the loop, heading towards I-45 through downtown was the shortest direction so off I went. By the way, I used my old GPS, which worked flawlessly. It helps to have the correct address to put in...fortunately the passport had the correct addresses.

As I neared downtown, I noticed the traffic slowing down...not too strange but it was early on a Saturday so I thought something might be happening up ahead. As I came abeam the downtown area, my suspicions were confirmed...a car had been rearended and had caught fire. Fortunately, the incident was on the northbound side of the interstate and I was on the southbound... however, due to folks slowing down to look, the traffic did cost me some time.

I arrived at Stubbs at 10:15, only 2 1/2 hours after leaving home...making pretty good time so far. As I drove up in front of the dealership, I was surprised to see the huge number of motorcycles arriving for the event. Even this early, there must have been 200-300...and still arriving by the minute. Cars weren't even allowed to park at the dealership, rather they were sent down a side street to park in a vacant lot. At least the lot had supervision, which I appreciated since I still had the top off the car. I decided that in order to enjoy the top being off I couldn't afford the time to put it on and take it off at each stop so I merely rolled the windows up and locked the doors. If someone reaches over and unlocks the doors from the inside, the alarm will sound so I thought I was pretty safe.

I walked the block and a half to the dealership, taking my life in my hands to cross the street between cars and motorcycles. The place was packed! There were bikers of all types milling around. There were folks like me, dressed in normal street clothes, looking at the motorcycles. And, there were a handful of folks dressed like pirates...I'm guessing that's what you would see if you were to attend the Lonestar Rally in Galveston. I got my passport signed quickly, walked around outside among the vendors and then made a hasty retreat. Total, I was there a little over 30 minutes, including the walk to and from the car.

Next on the itinerary was the dealership in Stafford...about 20 miles south of town on Hwy 59. Once again my trusty GPS took me directly there. This dealership...Republic H-D...was typical of the newer style...large, modern architecture and tons of space inside. Interestingly, inside they had 3 floors...perhaps they might be called mezzanines because the area directly above the showroom was open to the ceiling. Floors 2 and 3 had all the clothing and miscellaneous accessories...not counting accessories for the bikes themselves.

I almost missed seeing the floors above. When I first walked in I was concentrating on finding the reception area so I could get the passport stamped, then I would look around. When I approached the reception area, there were a lot of folks talking so I decided to walk around first...I found only 2 racks of shirts and the chrome bling for the bikes. I decided it was time to get my stamp and leave. I went back to the reception area and waited my turn. As I waited, I was looking around and lo and behold, I saw the upstairs area.

I trotted up the stairs...yes, I still had energy at this time of the day...to check out their shirts. I hadn't planned on getting a shirt at each and every dealership but I thought I might at least look. As I began to look, I heard this pounding sound on the roof of the dealership...RAIN!! I couldn't believe it...MY TOP WAS IN THE TRUNK!! CRAP!! I ran down the stairs, out the door, across the parking lot...jumping over puddles like O.J. Simpson in the old Hertz commercials...and dodging motorcycles leaving the place.

I unlocked the doors and trunk as I approached the car, grabbed the top and placed it in place. Because the windows were up, I was able to stop the rain getting in pretty quickly...however, the damage from the downpour was done. I dried as much of the interior as I could then ran back inside...I still didn't have my stamp. Finally, I got the stamp and headed back towards Houston. After all I had to go through in Stafford, I still only spent 25 minutes there.

It was 11:40 am...still time to get to Angleton and back before stopping for lunch. I plugged in the address for the next stop and headed back towards Houston. I was supposed to go east on the toll road but apparently missed the turn in the pouring rain. I typically turn off the sound so I wasn't even aware that I had missed the turn until I noticed the GPS "recalculating". It now showed me going up to 610 and heading east to Hwy 288...I never knew that wasn't what I was supposed to do.

Well, it wasn't a bad drive. Once I got on 288 it was clear sailing with minimal traffic. Only because I thought I was running ahead of time...at least in my mind...I continued on to Angleton because once I saw it was almost 50 miles down there I seriously began to doubt the wisdom of my plan. I had a date at 6pm so I needed to make good time. I thought about it a few minutes as I continued down the road and decided to keep going.

I arrived at GOE H-D, another very old dealership, at 12:40pm...about an hour after leaving Republic. I got my passport stamped quickly, found a cool t-shirt and headed back towards Houston and lunch.

I had seen a Saltgrass establishment up the road and that's where I was headed. A salad and a bowl of baked potato soup sounded pretty good...and I do love their baked potato soup. As I drove north, I looked up the address on my phone...Yellow Pages app...and then plugged the address into my GPS. Once again, it took me there without a problem. After fighting traffic at one of the largest mall areas I've ever seen, I sat down for lunch at Saltgrass.

Lunch took exactly 30 minutes and I left feeling good...stomach full of yummy soup and salad and iced tea...off to stop #6. Pasadena was the next stop...San Jacinto H-D. It took me a little over 30 minutes to get there. Once again, I got my stamp, bought a shirt and headed for my last stop in Kingwood.

Thankfully, the GPS took me mostly on the Sam Houston Tollroad and I made excellent time. I pulled up in front of Kingwood H-D at 3:45pm. I had time to spend a few minutes inside and still make it home by 6pm...assuming the traffic cooperated. I was a bit worried about late arriving Aggies headed towards College Station but even then I should make it on time.

After getting my stamp...and another shirt...I headed for home. Kingwood is on the northeast corner of Houston...not too far from Conroe. The GPS took me through Conroe via a farm-to-market road and a small State highway, but both were excellent roadways...the pavement feeling almost new. Once in Conroe, I hit very familiar roadways. I looped around the city to the south to Hwy 105 and headed west. The traffic around Lake Conroe was very congested and began to frustrate me big time. It lasted all the way to Montgomery, but once I hit downtown Montgomery I was able to get in front of most of it and made good time the rest of the way...at least as good as you can ever make on Hwy 105.

I pulled into my driveway in College Station at 5:45pm...15 minutes early. Of course, I didn't have a clue how long the road trip was going to take when I left the house that morning. I was just playing it by ear and only when the first four stops went so quickly was I fairly confident that I could make the 6pm target I had set for myself.

Today I drove 370 miles, visited 7 dealerships, saw some interesting people and did it all in exactly 10 hours. That may sound like a long time and a total waste of time and money to some of you, but as Sharon says, it made me happy and that's what's important. Life is too short to work all the time...you've got to get out and have a little fun once in a while.

In addition to the interesting dealerships and the burning car I saw, I also experienced the wonderful smell of feedlots near Angleton...going and coming...crossed over the Chocolate Bayou, the Hickory Slough...by the way, what's the difference between a bayou and a slough? I also saw the San Jacinto River, Sedona Lakes...a neighborhood with homes in the $200's - $600's...nice neighborhood...Iowa Colony, a city with city limit signs less than 1/2 mile apart on the highway and familiar cities like Galena Park, Belaire, Pasadena and Humble.

Earlier I mentioned that I had debated whether I should ride the motorcycle or drive the car but after I finished the 10-hour day and 370 miles, and drove through 4-5 heavy rain squalls, I was sure I made the right decision.

All in all, it was a good day. I hope this isn't the last road trip for me, whether or not it's to get my passport stamped.

9/11 Memorial Ride

I skipped church for this ride. I wasn't sure how good it would be or where we were going...if anywhere...but I just felt like I wanted to do something in memory of those who lost their lives at the World Trade Center, Pentagon and in Pennsylvania.

I arrived at the local Harley dealership around 9am and was pleasantly surprised to see the parking lot filling up nicely. Although the ride wasn't due to leave until 9:30, there was still a nice crowd gathering. Perhaps it was the coffee and donuts that pulled folks in. No, seriously, I think it was because it was a weekend and because everyone there wanted to remember what happened back on 9/11/01.

When I pulled into the parking lot I was met by a couple of guys from the local H.O.G. (that's Harley Owner's Group) chapter who directed me to a parking location. As it turned out, I was relatively close to the front of the pack so that was good. I parked my bike and wandered around looking at the other motorcycles...see pictures...and speaking to the few folks there I knew. I grabbed a donut...not too good...and settled in for a short wait.

Shortly before 9:30, the organizer from the dealership got on a bullhorn and made a couple of announcements before the Road Captain for the day gave everyone instructions. We were being escorted by officers from the Sheriff's office and the Constable's office...5 cars in all. Plus, there were about 8-9 riders from the H.O.G. chapter providing road guard duties...now, that's an interesting job!

Road Guards do exactly what it sounds like...they guard, or block, entry onto the road that the group is riding on. In this case, the larger intersections were protected by the patrol cars and the smaller ones protected by the road guards. They wore bright orange vests but other than the standard safety equipment ...helmet, long pants, gloves...they didn't have any other protection. The exciting part of being a road guard has to be the fact that once they are finished guarding the road, they get to zoom past the procession to get to the front again. The patrol cars do likewise, but they use lights and sirens. If you're not paying attention, those guys can give you quite a start. Since being startled once before, I now keep one eye on my rearview mirror.

There were just under 200 motorcycles in the group on Sunday...not huge but not bad either. As far as I know there were no incidents or problems. We were led on a route that went around the west side of town, through Bryan on Hwy 21 and half way to Madisonville before turning back toward College Station and eventually entering Veteran's Park. All told, it was about an hour of riding and about 45 miles.

Once everyone parked and made their way over to the 9/11 memorial area, the ceremony started with the raising of the flag by the local VFW, a 21-gun salute (actually only 16-17 as on the last volley not all of the guns went off), the signing of the National Anthem and a short service by Pastor Sam...a biker dude from the Tribe of Judah (a Christian motorcycle club I think). It was a good little ride and a nice ceremony.

I left after the ceremony and headed home...and slept pretty much the rest of the day. Big, bad bike dude myself, huh.

Join me again this coming Saturday for a ride around the Houston area visiting the area's Harley dealerships. I've got plans to visit 7 of them and get them to stamp my passport...a little game Harley is having right now. There's 41 dealerships in the State of Texas participating. After it's all over there will be a drawing for a new motorcycle, trips to Milwaukee or $200 gift certificates. The more places you visit, the more chances you have to win. There's no cost to enter...other than the price of a T-shirt from each location if so desired. My chest of drawers is overflowing right now with new T-shirts.