A morning ride

On a Sunday morning a couple of years ago, I took of on a ride towards what some people have called the North Texas Hill Country. This is the portion of land north of hwy 82, and south of the Red River situated between Muenster and Nacona. The thing I remember the most about the ride was the fact that about 100 miles from home, I got a flat. Being a Sunday and all of the shops closed, getting home simply added to the adventure. Since that time I have wanted to ride this part of Texas again. I have ridden along 82 on my way to and from Colorado, but never took the time to hit the smaller roads to the north. Usually out of desire to get as close to Colorado as I could on the first day out. Finally this past Saturday, I made the trip again.

I’ve know Alonzo for several years, we’ve worked together, traveled together, been known to throw back a beer or two in a couple of different cities, and get into heated discussions regarding the Dallas Cowboys with the fine citizens of those cities. However, we have never ridden motorcycles together. I’ve been riding a little over 2 years now, and Alonzo has been riding longer. It seems each time he is in my office, or me in his, the discussion moves in the direction of motorbikes. Last weekend Alonzo rode down to Austin, and then through the hill country on the way back. He remarked about what a great ride it had been, and I mentioned the ride I had taken just south of the Red River a while back. Over the next couple of days, we had decided to ride that direction on Saturday.

The unwelcome sound of my alarm clock woke me way to early for a Saturday morning. I was meeting Alonzo at 0630 at the corner of Parker Rd and the Dallas North Tollway. He had mentioned that a couple of his neighbors would probably join us, as I sat enjoying a aromic cup of Starbucks, Robert, Valentino and Alonzo came rolling into the parking lot about 10 minutes earlier than expected. A couple of them had to gas up prior to the ride, so a quick stop at the gas station and we were on our way. A rather unique mix of bikes ventured north on the tollway, Alonzo on his Honda VTX1800, Valentino on his Suzuki Boulevard M109 and Robert on his Yamaha FJR 1300, all followed me on my BMW R1200GS through the glowing light of daybreak. We took the quick route north to hwy 455 – heading up the tollway to 380, then north again on 289 until we hit 455. Then it was west on 455 all the way to Montague. The Texas countryside is amazingly scenic and nostalgic, taking you back to a simpler time, a more relaxed pace than the bustle and stop lights of city life. And the calm of the morning enhanced it even more. We’ve had some good rain this spring and the landscape was almost an emerald green topped by a sapphire sky that was brushed with the white and orange clouds that only reveal themselves in the early morning light. The road was a series of sweeping turns, rise and falls in elevation, with a few tight turns to add a bit of excitement. I am at work each day before sunrise, and on the weekends I rarely get out of bed in time to enjoy it. But Sunrise is my favorite time of day, whether awakening to a view of a prehistoric valley from a precipice in Big Bend, or from the seat of a motorcycle riding the country roads of North Texas; they all bring the same sense of well being to my soul. It is one of the times I feel most alive and at peace.

Once we arrived in Montague, it was a short jaunt up 103 before we headed west on 2634. 2634 is where the riding became exhilarating again. While it is not the mountains of Colorado, or the Hill Country of Austin, this area just south of the Red River can hold its own. The pavement was no longer flat, the road would swell up beneath you only to fall away again around a sweeping turn lined by mesquite and live oaks. Little yellow flowers lined the roadway, while perfectly place trees dotted the rolling meadows on the left and to the right. We didn’t even have to slow down for it, but 2953 jutted off of hwy 2634, which eventually gave way to 677 as we headed south towards St. Jo. These roads, along with 373, which we did not ride on this outing, are some of the roads anyone who rides a motorcycle needs to add to their library of routes. In the pre-noon hours of the day, even the hot Texas weather seems like something distant and unfamiliar as we rode into St. Jo at the junction of 677 and hwy 82.

150 years ago, this area was part of the Chisholm Trail that was used to drive cattle from southern Texas up through Oklahoma and on to Kansas. This area was about the start of where the trail had to cross into Indian Territory so I can imagine it was likely a stopping point before crossing the Red River. Although it has been renamed as Biker Roadhouse, there is a little motorcycle apparel shop in St. Jo that used to be called the Chisholm Trail Mercantile in honor of the history of the area. It is a nice destination and place to stop and rest for a bit. The store is really geared more towards the cruiser bikes like Harleys, Alonzo’s VTX and Valentino’s Boulevard, but I stop there any time I am riding through on Hwy 82. The folks are really friendly and it is a great place to stop for a cold drink and just to rest for a while. I’ve even made a few non-cruiser purchases there myself – from Draggin riding jeans, to tire pumps, to a BMW jacket patch. So no matter what kind of bike you are on, you should stop by this little shop in this little town.






By this time it was around 10:30, Alonzo needed to be back in Dallas around noon so the decisions was made to skip the 373 part of the ride and start making our way back to Dallas. As we headed east on 82 towards Muenster and Gainsville, I pulled over and asked the guys if they wanted to take the scenic route back. Silly question to which was answered by a resoundant “Hell Yes”. As we made our way through Meunster, we headed south on 373, a part of the ride I had planned; we just picked it up at a different point. It was a good choice, the riding was great from 373 to 922 all the way back to I-35. The plan was to continue on 922, along the north shore of Lake Ray Roberts, until we hit hwy 377 and on to 121. However as we must not have paid our train bill, there were two trains in opposite directions that were blocking the path of 922 as is passed under I-35. The north bound train was stopped, and the south bound train was moving at an excruciating slow crawl. After about 15 minutes of waiting, we decided that only course of action was to turn around and head south on 35. We made a quick clip down the interstate until our paths crossed 455 again. What the hell… I pulled off the highway, onto 455 and started heading east. The three other bikes followed in close order. As we made our way east, the number of motorcycle on 455 increased like rabbits on a bunny farm. First 2 bikes in front of us and one behind, then one turned of, but another would follow. Then it was a group of 6 approaching bikes, followed by another group of 4. I don’t know where they were at 6:30 in the morning, but they were certainly out by 11 and on their way to enjoy the afternoon the same as we had just enjoyed the morning.

As I exited at Parker Road and waved goodbye to Alonzo, Robert and Valentino, it was just starting to get warm. It had been a great ride and I still had half the day left. I think I need to wake up earlier on the weekends, and start enjoying my favorite part of the day.