Road Trip - North Texas, etc.

After "passing through" College Station to drop off dirty clothes and get some fresh ones...and warmer ones...I hit the road to Richardson.  My plan was to spend the night there and leave early on Saturday morning, early enough to be in Paris by the time that dealership opened at 8am.

I arrived in Dallas around 5:30pm, just in time to catch the brunt of Friday afternoon's rush hour traffic.  Thinking I would miss the bulk of the traffic on Hwy 75, I took the exit for the Woodall Freeway to get over to I-35 and the Dallas North Toll road...big mistake!  The Woodall Freeway is under construction and packed cars.  I slowly made my way over to the right lane to be in position to exit onto I-35.  Fortunately for me, most of the traffic wanted over to the left lanes to go south on I-35, and most likely on to I-30 towards Fort Worth.

The traffic on I-35 was relatively light and I had no trouble getting on the toll road headed north...along with most of the traffic headed north for home.  I don't think I've ever seen that much, slow moving traffic.  I even had to come to a complete stop 3-4 times before I got north of I-635 and to an exit.  I eventually made it to Richardson and made myself comfortable for the night. 

I left the house on Saturday morning around 6am for the two hour drive to Paris...which I made in 1 1/2 hours.  I found a McDonald's close to the dealership and walked in to have a little breakfast while I waited for them to open.  I think the entire senior citizen population of Paris, Texas was there having breakfast.  It was definitely the place to be at 7:30 on a Saturday morning.

Driving over to Paris in the dark didn't allow much sightseeing...probably not much to look at anyway.  I could definitely tell I wasn't in West and/or South Texas anymore by the number of creeks I crossed going to Paris...Sister Grove Creek, Pilot Grove Creek, Desert Creek, Bos 'd Arc Creek, Bullard Creek and South Branch Pine Creek.  I also passed through or near several towns that I recognized and many that I had never heard of, such as, Melissa, Westminster, Desert, Trenton, Edhube, Bonham, Dodd City, Honey Grove, Maxey, Clarksville and Hugo to name a few.

After an exciting breakfast of oatmeal and sweet tea, I drove down to the Paris H-D dealership where they were still moving motorcycles and 4-wheelers out to the street for display, however, they were open for business.  One of the interesting things about this particular dealership was that it was not a Harley Davidson dealership by itself...they also had Honda's and Yamaha's...that was interesting.  I don't think I had ever seen that before.  It turns out that the dealership started out as a Honda dealership, then expanded to Harley's and Yamaha's later.  I did my business, looked around a little and headed to my second stop of the day...Wichita Falls.

Having lived in Wichita Falls many years ago, I was looking forward to visiting the base and some of the old familiar places...if they even still existed.  The road into town looked familiar, although there were several new things.  One of the places I wanted to get a picture of was the Scotland Park Motel...the place Sharon and I lived with our first Cocker Spaniel for a few weeks while house hunting.  It was cheap and fairly clean and close to a park where the dog could run.  I remember taking her out for a run...which she enjoyed immensely...after which we had to take her into the shower because she was so muddy...that was not an enjoyable shower for either of us.

Well, as you can tell from the picture, the motel has seen better days.  It looked to be abandoned and will probably be totally gone the next time I'm through.  I drove on to the front gate of Shepherd AFB and although it has been spruced up quite a bit, it was still familiar.  However, once past the gate, I recognized very little.  I made a quick stop at the BX and Clothing Sales and then drove out to the 80th Flying Training Wing...which I had to really look for.  The original building is still being used...and I recognized that...but there have been several new additions around it.  The most interesting change is that all the aircraft on the flight line are covered with shade structures.  Wish we could have had those back when I was an instructor there.

Following a tour of the base, I plugged the address on Lenore...our first house...into the GPS and drove off to see what the house/neighborhood looked like.  I probably could have found my way but it was much easier with the GPS.    In a few minutes, I was cruising down our old street and there on the left was 4118.  It didn't look that much different than it did back in 1974...perhaps a little more worn down...but the neighborhood has not fared well.  Either that or I just don't remember how bad it was when we lived there.  It was a good house at the time and easily met our needs.

Leaving the old neighborhood behind, I set off to find the Harley dealership...the reason I was in town, remember.  The address was on the Northeast Freeway...a name I never heard before...but I finally figured out it must be Hwy 287 and sure enough, shortly after I got on the highway heading west I saw the H-D sign.  The dealership was a nice new place...not the original location according to the girl behind the counter...with an interesting winged horse sculpture out front, perhaps paying homage to the air base.  I looked around, found a t-shirt and got my passport stamped and headed south to Abilene.

As far as I can remember, I have never traveled on that particular stretch of highway, but I found it easy driving...not too much traffic, just a few cops and fairly smooth road conditions.  There were few, if any, turns so I just set the cruise control, turned up the volume on the radio and let the car eat up the miles.

I neglected to mention that the highway between Paris and Wichita Falls was somewhat familiar and I saw a fair number of creeks...being in North Texas, but soon I would see very few, if any.  I crossed over creeks with names like Caney Creek, Choctaw Creek, Post Oak Creek, Elba Creek, Beaver Creek and  Mustang Creek and i crossed over 2 Tri's...whatever that is...Opossum Tri and Shawnee Tri.  I saw names of towns/cities that I had heard before, such as Sadler, Southmayd (where Sharon had her first real job teaching), Gainesville, Nocona and Muenster, as well as towns I have never heard of before, such as Savoy, Roxton, Tigertown, Ector, Ethel, Moss Lake, Illinois Bend, Spanish Fort, Petrolia and Myra.  Sad looking Nocona Boot Factory!

On the leg between Wichita Falls and Abilene, I rarely saw any creek/river and passed through or near some interestingly named cities, such as Kamay, Electra, Olney, Goree, Aspermont and Roby.  I did cross the Brazos River, however, that was it...I was definitely in West Texas again.  I also saw a lot of examples of Texas' two biggest cash crops...cotton and oil.

I arrived in Abilene about 3:45pm, plenty of time to find the dealership there, do my business and get to Arlington by dinner time.

I found the dealership without too much trouble...only had to double back on the highway once...and found a relatively new dealership, partially hidden on the corner of a shopping center.  No telling which came first, the dealership or the other shopping.  However, I accomplished my business quickly and was back on the road by 4:15pm.

As I headed east towards Arlington, I started noticing more creeks and green fields...leaving West Texas again.  I was making good time until I passed through Baird...not too far from Abilene...when I looked in my rear view mirror and saw an unmarked DPS car with all his lights on.  I recognized it as the car I had just passed so he got a good look at me coming and going.  I hit my turn signal and pulled over to the shoulder, really wondering if he was going to give me a speeding ticket for going 2 mph over the limit.  As it turned out, he had noticed that my front license plate was on the dashboard and not on the front of the car and the rear plate was partially covered by the license plate holder.  I suspected that the former was illegal and I knew the latter was.

I apologized profusely, told him I didn't know about the front license plate requirement and he only gave me a warning.  I promised him I'd take care of both problems that night in Arlington...which I did...and then we started discussing his possible future job with TEEX or one of the university police departments.  It will be really interesting some day if I should run into officer or Mr. Gary Hooper.

The rest of the trip to Arlington was uneventful...if you don't count the many miles of construction and lane closures...and the crazy people going 20-30 mph over the speed limit that kept trying to cut me off or hit me.  I finally...and safely...arrived at my destination and had a nice dinner with my oldest daughter, Courtney, her husband Ethan and my beautiful granddaughter, Ellasyn.

There are 41 dealerships participating in the passport program...I have now visited 39 of them...only 2 more to go!

Road Trip - South Texas

Once again, my trip to South Texas...Laredo and San Antonio...was not planned as a road trip, but rather a business trip to visit the university police departments at both locations.  Of course, why not visit some Harley dealerships if they're on the way. 

With that in mind, my first stop was in Victoria.  I had made a stop there only a week before I found out about the passport program and had not been back until now.  I couldn't very well bypass the opportunity since it wasn't that far out of the way.

I didn't need a t-shirt so I looked around a little and then got my passport signed...then hit Hwy 59 headed to Laredo.  I opted to skip lunch so I could have a nice dinner in Laredo...and to save a little time.  As it turned out, the detour to Victoria only cost me an extra 30 minutes over a normal drive to Laredo...not bad.

I had made the drive down to Victoria many times, but thinking about writing this blog I paid more attention to points of interest along the way...as sparse as that may be.  As I have found in my other road trips around the State, Texans are very creative when it comes to naming their towns, waterways and roads.  On the road to Victoria I passed through or near towns with names such as Ezzell, Schulenberg, Carmine, Roundtop, Yoakum and Inez.  I saw a lot of fertile green farmland...a drastically different sight than in West Texas.

The leg to Laredo wasn't much different, except the fertile farm land quickly gave way to acres and acres of ranch land covered with mesquite trees and scrub brush.  I only know much of the area was ranch land because I saw several large, gated entrances to ranches.  I'm not sure what they're "ranching" as I never saw any cattle or horses...or any other livestock for that matter. 

I crossed over the Guadalupe River, Munnehulla Creek, the San Antonio River, Medio Creek and the Nueces River.  The names of towns and roads were no less unique than those seen earlier in the day...Raisin, Colonge, Berclair, Deaf Smith Road, Third Road (and Second and First), Beeville, George West, Goynes Junction and Freer.  I also passed through the historic town of Goliad...population about 1,900. 

I took a short detour through the historic downtown of Goliad to see some interesting old buildings and the county courthouse...then back on the highway to my last stop of the day...Laredo H-D.

I hit the Laredo city limits at 3:30pm and followed Hwy 59 Business until I intercepted I-35 and turned north.  The dealership was about two miles further up the highway.  The dealership looks like it has been there a long time...the building is old and the sign is small...not like Odessa or Big Spring, but not like new dealerships either.  However, inside there was ample space for showroom, merchandise and parts.  The dealership's personnel were very friendly as well.

After getting my passport stamped, I drove on to my hotel near the university.  Tomorrow, I will visit the university police and saftey officer before headed to San Antonio.  On Friday, the plan is to take a short detour up I-10 to Boerne before heading home to College Station.  Once I get home, I will quickly switch cars, go by the house for fresh clothes...as necessary...and then drive to Richardson. 

Road Trip - West Texas, Day 2

Day 2 started very early...about 4am.  My alarm was set for a little later in the morning but as par for the course, I could not sleep any longer so I got up and started getting ready...moving very slowly.  I walked out of the hotel's front door at 5am and got on the road five minutes later.  My plan was to be in Odessa by 9am, then drive down I-20 to Big Spring and then head back to Canyon.  I was supposed to meet the WTAMU police chief at the southeast gate at the stadium at 4:30pm...game time was 6:00pm.

I traveled down I-27 in the dark...not seeing too many other vehicles...covering the same highway I had traveled the day before and wondering why I had not waited until today to go to the Lubbock dealership.  As it turned out, my original decision was a good one.

I made excellent time in the dark, passing through Lubbock on the interstate sooner than expected and headed for Lamesa where my GPS indicated I would head in a more southwesterly direction towards Odessa.  I reached Lamesa and made the turn...still in the dark.  I was beginning to wonder when the sun was going to peak its head up above the horizon...and believe me, there wasn't anything blocking my view of the horizon.

One of the problems with following my GPS is that it doesn't always take the same route as Google Maps does.  Today was no exception, however, since I wasn't familiar with this part of the State, I decided to follow the GPS.  Shortly after I made that decision I found myself heading due south on a farm-to-market road towards Stanton...which did not show on my Google map.

I knew I recognized the name "Stanton" but I couldn't remember why.  Not too long after, I realized that I had passed through Stanton on I-20 many times over the years when we used to drive between Dallas and Midland.  At the intersection of the Farm-to-Market road and I-20, I turned right and headed west toward Odessa...it was about 8am and the sun had been up for about 10-15 minutes.

I got some interesting pictures of wind generators and pump jacks in the dawn light...yes, I pulled over to take the pictures.  I just wish I had thought to take my good camera.  There were a few more cars on the road...going to and from work...but not too many.

I passed through Midland and arrived at my destination about 8:45...fifteen minutes early.   However, there was only one problem...no dealership!  I thought that I must have put in the wrong address so I got back on the interstate and continued to drive west until I passed the city limits sign for Odessa...next stop Monahans, then El Paso...I was definitely going the wrong direction.

I finally go so frustrated that I did something no self-respecting man rarely does...I called the dealership and asked for directions.  They were on Hwy 80 Business...which wasn't even an option on my GPS.  I should have known that Hwy 80 was replaced in most places by I-20 and perhaps I would have found the place sooner.  As it was I wasted 45 minutes driving in circles trying to find the place.  Once I did find it, I figured out right away why I had so much trouble.  First, it wasn't on a major highway...business 80 may have been a major highway once upon a time but not anymore...and second, they had one of the smallest signs out front that I've seen.

Because I had lost so much time already, my stay at Legacy H-D was very short.  I got my passport signed, visited the little boy's room and headed to the car.  I wondered if finding the Big Spring dealership was going to be equally difficult...perhaps more so...because I could tell by the address that it wasn't going to be found on a major highway.  I plugged the address into the GPS and hit the road.

I made good time on the interstate...just under an hour...and the GPS took me straight to the dealership...as it turns out, the oldest Harley dealership in Texas.  As I suspected, the dealership was not on a main road, rather downtown in a very old part of town.  Their sign was even smaller than Odessa's.  There were no motorcycles outside the building...as is the typical process at most of the other dealerships...and only one car.  I thought they must be closed for business.

I parked outside and walked up to the front doors and found them open.  Inside the metal building, I found a small but nice dealership...not many motorcycles or merchandise but I guess enough for the area.  I did my business but before leaving the area I wanted to find a certain Holiday Inn and Denny's where Sharon and I spent our 1-day honeymoon 40 years ago.  I went back over to the interstate and headed east along the access road, thinking I would find the hotel easily...back then it was one of the few places in town.

Well, over the years the city has changed a little and the hotel isn't a Holiday Inn anymore.  In fact, most of the original hotel has been torn down and replaced by a newer one.  However, the Denny's was still there and still doing business...although it had seen better days.  I guess they must be doing something right to have survived for over 40 years.

The drive back to Canyon was uneventful.  I drove all the way to Plainview...about 50 miles from Canyon...before eating lunch.  I found a descent looking Furr's cafeteria so I decided I'd have a nice meal and skip dinner.  It was about 2pm and the place was packed...I was totally surprised.  The guy in line in front of me asked for roast beef and thinking that sounded pretty good, I asked for the same thing.  OMG!  I got a huge plate of tasty roast beef, mashed potatos, green beans, cole slaw, a roll, and to top it all off, a piece of chocolate pie.  Needless to say, I wasn't hungry for several hours.  I left about 1/3 of the roast beef on the plate...but I finished the pie.

It was a good day, a bit tiring but good.  I saw some interesting places with interesting names...some I had heard before, most I had not.  Tahoka, Pitch Black, O'Donnell Draw, Klondike (isn't that in Alaska?), Big Spring (good memories), Spareberg, New Home, Ropesville and Shallowater.  I didn't see much water...very few creeks and/or rivers...mostly dry creek beds and the occassional livestock pond.  There were thousands of acres, many with only red dirt showing and others with cotton waiting to be gathered up.

I'm not a big fan of West Texas, but the area isn't too bad at certain times of the day...like at night and in the pre-dawn hours.

After a short rest at the hotel, I met the WTAMU officers at the football stadium and had a good evening watching the Buffalos win.  Sunday would be a travel day, flying from Amarillo, through Dallas and back to College Station.

I'll have two days at work...catching up...then it's off to South Texas...Laredo and San Antonio.