- Joined
- Aug 29, 2022
- Messages
- 235
- Reaction score
- 159
- Location
- Texas
- My Bike Models
- 1985 Kawasaki Concours
1975 Honda GL1000
After a few trips over the past two years I've become hooked on getting out of town on the GL1200. At first it was going to the Indy 500 but now I'm looking at any excuse so when the CAF newsletter appeared in my email with a weekend of Christmas night flight over Midland, Texas in a radial engined Twin Beech I started planning on a trip from Houston. The route:
Expecting chilly to sub-freezing weather I went on a Amazon spending spree, buying heated socks, gloves, thermal underwear, and biker leathers. While the heated gloves and socks went unused the leathers were INVALUABLE in staying warm and dry during periods of light, intermittent rain and temps in the high 30's- low 40's. To prep these leathers I used the technique learned while serving two years in Alaska by rubbing in "Mink Oil" (seems like wax really) on the exposed leather and into the seams followed by a heating with a hair dryer and a buff with a clean cloth.
I left Houston before dawn, hit IH-10 with light rain, and went on a sentimental journey through the hometown of my youth San Antonio with early Motley Crue playing in the helmet (what timing Pandora). Made good time through Kerrville and up to Ozona with feet on the highway pegs. Got that open road freedom feeling fix if you know what I mean.
The routh Google Maps sent me through from IH-10 to Midland for best time was rather rough at times through the Permian Badin oil patch.
Arrived at the airport 30 minutes before my flight. Paid $150 for the co-pilot seat, it was a beautiful flight through perfectly calm and clear skies.
While taxing after landing I was able to have a conversation with the pilot, he was involved with Jim Hall's Indycar team, a motorsports legend who was first to put wings on a car to improve road holding.
Spent the night at a Best Western, left well before dawn. This is when the weather became a factor with heavy fog a few miles out of town on a two lane road. This was really concerning as deer are pretty common in this part of Texas. Broke out of the fog around 30 miles down the road as the sun climbed over the horizon.
The ride through the Texas Hill Country had me really pushing the GL1200 like a sport bike, sometimes too hard to be honest. As this was where I used to ride with amateur road racers back in the 90's just couldn't help myself.
Anyway, going through Austin was a pain with heavy traffic and remained so pretty much all the way to Houston.
Got home alive and in one piece which is the best case scenario. Now I'm looking at an airshow in Larero in mid-February
I regret not taking the time to take pictures while on the road.
Expecting chilly to sub-freezing weather I went on a Amazon spending spree, buying heated socks, gloves, thermal underwear, and biker leathers. While the heated gloves and socks went unused the leathers were INVALUABLE in staying warm and dry during periods of light, intermittent rain and temps in the high 30's- low 40's. To prep these leathers I used the technique learned while serving two years in Alaska by rubbing in "Mink Oil" (seems like wax really) on the exposed leather and into the seams followed by a heating with a hair dryer and a buff with a clean cloth.
I left Houston before dawn, hit IH-10 with light rain, and went on a sentimental journey through the hometown of my youth San Antonio with early Motley Crue playing in the helmet (what timing Pandora). Made good time through Kerrville and up to Ozona with feet on the highway pegs. Got that open road freedom feeling fix if you know what I mean.
The routh Google Maps sent me through from IH-10 to Midland for best time was rather rough at times through the Permian Badin oil patch.
Arrived at the airport 30 minutes before my flight. Paid $150 for the co-pilot seat, it was a beautiful flight through perfectly calm and clear skies.
While taxing after landing I was able to have a conversation with the pilot, he was involved with Jim Hall's Indycar team, a motorsports legend who was first to put wings on a car to improve road holding.
Spent the night at a Best Western, left well before dawn. This is when the weather became a factor with heavy fog a few miles out of town on a two lane road. This was really concerning as deer are pretty common in this part of Texas. Broke out of the fog around 30 miles down the road as the sun climbed over the horizon.
The ride through the Texas Hill Country had me really pushing the GL1200 like a sport bike, sometimes too hard to be honest. As this was where I used to ride with amateur road racers back in the 90's just couldn't help myself.
Anyway, going through Austin was a pain with heavy traffic and remained so pretty much all the way to Houston.
Got home alive and in one piece which is the best case scenario. Now I'm looking at an airshow in Larero in mid-February
I regret not taking the time to take pictures while on the road.
