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Well, not a Hummer trip but it was fun nonetheless. I got back yesterday from a 3333 mile, 10 day jaunt from Phoenix to Wichita to Galveston and points in between. My Covid-forced sabbatical from work has given me time for these road trips. Originally it was going to be to Colorado but once I was in KS and saw the incoming snow for CO, I chose to detour south. While I didn't have to dodge any snow, I did hit rain and cold temps nonetheless.
Did the initial day from Phoenix to Liberal Kansas, almost 800 miles. The next day I hit a couple of roadside attractions, including the Dalton Gang Hideout in Meade, Kansas. They hid out here and had an escape tunnel dug to the barn in the background. The tunnel didn't help them as they died in a shootout with a well-armed citizen group defending its town in nearby Coffeyville.
The next stop was Greensburg and the Big Well, claiming to be the largest hand dug well at 109' deep and 32' across. This town was 95% destroyed by an EF5 tornado in 2007. The visitor center/museum at the top was destroyed, and rebuilt, like most of the town.
After a stop in Wichita I headed south and visited the National Memorial for the Oklahoma City bombing. It's an amazing memorial and well worth your time. It shows the attack, the recovery and the rebuilding.
Good food is a key part of any trip. Being in Texas meant BBQ. Excellent brisket at Killen's in Pearland, TX
And the best BBQ I've ever had was at Black's in Lockhart with this beef rib and house made sausage.
Many thanks to V1 Moto in Houston for squeezing me in for an oil change!
Naturally, a trip to Galveston would not be complete without a stop at the beach on the Gulf of Mexico
Heading west out of Galveston I got caught in big rain in Houston. I didn't have the rain gear on, ugh. Later, I did the roads called the 3 Twisted Sisters. Great riding roads, though I took it a bit conservatively with my first trip there and occasional dampness on the road. I found this fawn stuck in a fence, quite alive and likely hadn't been there long. I was able to cut one of the wires on the fence and get her freed. Good deed done for the day!
On the way to the hotel I found more rain for about 50 miles, all at 48 degrees outside. Not fun. The next morning, despite the local weather saying it was not raining, this was my view. Finally I put on rain gear and had about an hour of cold, rainy weather.
At Fort Stockton, TX I turned up towards Carlsbad, NM to avoid the long I-10 slog across west Texas, NM and southern AZ. This trip took my through Roswell and of course I had to stop at the International UFO Museum. Quite an enlightening experience!
Stopped for lunch at Big D's Downtown Dive and had this awesome green chile cheesesteak sandwich.
Stayed a night in Socorro, NM and took US 60 west the next day to AZ. Left really early and dealt with temps between 30 and 32 degrees for over 100 miles of riding in the dark. Yeah, hand grip warmers did nothing to help! Finally stopped for breakfast in Quemado, NM at Largo Cafe and got enough food to feed a family. Hardly made a dent in it, there was too much!
Finally got home to Phoenix with 80 degree temps that morning. A bit tired, a very dirty bike but overall a great trip. Didn't make all of the stops I wanted to in TX as I was trying to beat the rain, but hopefully I can put together another such trip later. David, sorry I didn't get a chance to stop by but rain was due that afternoon and I wanted to get in as soon as possible.
Did the initial day from Phoenix to Liberal Kansas, almost 800 miles. The next day I hit a couple of roadside attractions, including the Dalton Gang Hideout in Meade, Kansas. They hid out here and had an escape tunnel dug to the barn in the background. The tunnel didn't help them as they died in a shootout with a well-armed citizen group defending its town in nearby Coffeyville.
The next stop was Greensburg and the Big Well, claiming to be the largest hand dug well at 109' deep and 32' across. This town was 95% destroyed by an EF5 tornado in 2007. The visitor center/museum at the top was destroyed, and rebuilt, like most of the town.
After a stop in Wichita I headed south and visited the National Memorial for the Oklahoma City bombing. It's an amazing memorial and well worth your time. It shows the attack, the recovery and the rebuilding.
Good food is a key part of any trip. Being in Texas meant BBQ. Excellent brisket at Killen's in Pearland, TX
And the best BBQ I've ever had was at Black's in Lockhart with this beef rib and house made sausage.
Many thanks to V1 Moto in Houston for squeezing me in for an oil change!
Naturally, a trip to Galveston would not be complete without a stop at the beach on the Gulf of Mexico
Heading west out of Galveston I got caught in big rain in Houston. I didn't have the rain gear on, ugh. Later, I did the roads called the 3 Twisted Sisters. Great riding roads, though I took it a bit conservatively with my first trip there and occasional dampness on the road. I found this fawn stuck in a fence, quite alive and likely hadn't been there long. I was able to cut one of the wires on the fence and get her freed. Good deed done for the day!
On the way to the hotel I found more rain for about 50 miles, all at 48 degrees outside. Not fun. The next morning, despite the local weather saying it was not raining, this was my view. Finally I put on rain gear and had about an hour of cold, rainy weather.
At Fort Stockton, TX I turned up towards Carlsbad, NM to avoid the long I-10 slog across west Texas, NM and southern AZ. This trip took my through Roswell and of course I had to stop at the International UFO Museum. Quite an enlightening experience!
Stopped for lunch at Big D's Downtown Dive and had this awesome green chile cheesesteak sandwich.
Stayed a night in Socorro, NM and took US 60 west the next day to AZ. Left really early and dealt with temps between 30 and 32 degrees for over 100 miles of riding in the dark. Yeah, hand grip warmers did nothing to help! Finally stopped for breakfast in Quemado, NM at Largo Cafe and got enough food to feed a family. Hardly made a dent in it, there was too much!
Finally got home to Phoenix with 80 degree temps that morning. A bit tired, a very dirty bike but overall a great trip. Didn't make all of the stops I wanted to in TX as I was trying to beat the rain, but hopefully I can put together another such trip later. David, sorry I didn't get a chance to stop by but rain was due that afternoon and I wanted to get in as soon as possible.
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