Rainy Weekend = Moto Maintenance

Well for those of you living in North Texas, you know that we broke out the canoes over the last few days for sure. No riding either via bicycle or motorcycle. Fortunately for me my partner the ace mechanic caught up on serveral motorcycle maintenance items: new tires for the Kawasaki, valve job for the Kawasaki (pictured) and repair of the steering on the Vespa. Yea!! I'm back on the road on two wheels... if it weren't for the forecast for rain into next week. :-(

Photo: well I guess I should stop asking for a naked bike... fortunately it all went back together and no bolts were extra at the end.

Of note: our next door neighbor a home brewer hosted a brew day yesterday. His 3 bay garage was converted into a microbrewery as the North Texas chapter of Home Brewers took over for about 8 hours. Those guys are great, and very generous with the samples of their handiwork I must say.

The Tron it is a Jumbo...

Well one of my life long wishes has now been checked off as of last night... to see the new Cowboy's ostentatious gargantuan stadium...... FOR FREE. I had laid awake many nights wondering how much I would have to shell out for an event ticket in order to get my taste of Jerry Jone's latest tribute to himself. The tron is indeed jumbo, and during games 6 guys are up in there keeping it going. No kidding.

But as those of you who know me, I don't want to have to pay for it. At last the universe provided my chance. An invitation from a generous friend to attend a charity event benefiting the Warren Center. A great charity group that provides services for developmental delays.

My gf and I glommed on to a backstage tour of the facility to include the press box (pictured), the player's locker room, some VIP suite, etc. Turns out the Cowboys leave their locker room then run through a club bar at the playing field level to get out onto the playing field. Sort of weird, but then again how many of us cruise through a bar before doing battle? Hmmm... perhaps a survey is in our future dear readers.

The event was really cool, it's annual and growing. It's a Fantasy Football draft complete with buffet dinner, open bar, and silent auction. Keep an eye out for next year. Scott Murray hosted, and Tony Dorsett was the celeb in residence.

I now have my own fantasy football team, so now I'll be cool at work when folks bring this up (a first for me). I don't even remember who I drafted other than some dude named Houshmandzadeh. I'm not making this up. He's alledgedly a wide receiver from Seattle. I think he must have an extra wide jersey to get that name on there... not sure.

Cowboys Stadium Summary

Large Factor: *****

Opulent Factor: *

Jumbo Tron Factor: ****

Locker room wow factor: **

Locker room shower / urinal: *

Press Box: **

Outrageous Posted Food Pricing: ***********

Outrageous Posted Drink Pricing: **************

Place I'd least like to be during a natural disaster or national crisis: **************

Busted

Well it had to happen sometime, I guess. My first Vespa repair*. When commuting last week I noticed the steering was a bit notchy. Thought it was my imagination (as it usually is) at first... but... turns out a bearing fixture in the steering failed. :-( As Boz would say "Danger there's a break down dead ahead". Bummer.

A call placed by my ace mechanic to our parts vendor MOTORSPORT SCOOTERS in San Diego had the offending part shipped to our house (arriving today, yea!!)... all for the low low price of $28.95. A lot to pay for that tiny ring of ball bearings, but not bad for 11,000+ miles.

* not to include normal scheduled maintenance: Oil and Filter, Tires. (I'm particulary hard on tires.)

Pie Run to Fairfield TX

My husband suggested we go on a Pie Run that was being hosting by the Two Wheeled Texans. This is a monthly event where the group picks out a meet point, then anyone who wants to shows up. Locations generally are restaurants. This one was Sam's off of I-45 (between Dallas and Houston). We'd been to Sam's many times on the drive to Houston and indulged in their all-you-can-possibly-eat buffet and homemade pies. The food is actually pretty good.

We took a nice route down and meandered East of I-45, stopping in Gun Barrel City on Cedar Creek Lake. Very nice. This would make a nice day ride to go down, swim, get lunch, etc.

The crowd at Sam's in Fairfield was counted to be 114 bikes of all sorts. My bike was by far the smallest. And the coolest. Although my husband told some it was "gutless". My bike was offended.

Pic is outside the courthouse in Fairfield. Total miles this ride 308.

Best Cafe in East Texas

Edom Texas is a small community near Tyler. We've ridden there by bicycle many times, and by motorcycle a few times too. There are several cafes, most notably "The Shed" and the Edom Bakery. The Shed hangs a banner that they were voted Best Cafe in East Texas by Texas Monthly and Texas Highways. Don't let them fool you. Eat at the Bakery. You'll thank me.

The Eagles ... not a tribute

The hub and I went last night to the Dallas Arboretum to see "Fast Lane" in concert. They are a local tribute for The Eagles. Who doesn't like the Eagles? The weather was great... cooled off from recent rain, terrific sunset over the lake, lots of sailboats and kayaks coming to shore for the event, the picnic and wine were also terrific. BUT I'm sad to report the band stunk! They played well, but among five of them, no one could sing. Their intonation was so off it was almost painful (and my music teacher would be the first to tell you I have a very untrained ear). The complementary "Tres Leches" cake that Highland Park Cafeteria passed out during intermission really took the edge off. The best cake I've ever had. (And I've had cake!) All in all a very enjoyable evening, but if you ever get a chance in Dallas to go hear this band... PASS ... you'll thank me!

Carpenters Bluff Bridge

Nice ride on Sunday morning up to Grayson county to see an old rail road bridge across the Red River.

Carpenter's Bluff (pop ca. 100) is located east of Denison on FM 120. The bridge can be found just north of the road as you enter the settlement. This impressively high bridge spans the Red River and links Grayson County to Bryan county, Oklahoma. Built in 1910, it was designed to allow trains, wagons, pedestrians, and horses to cross for a toll. In the 1960's, the bridge was deeded to Grayson County, which renovated it for automobile use. It's now a one-lane bridge with the old wooden walkway hugging it on one side.

The Kansas, Oklahoma and Gulf Railway constructed the bridge, and later it became property of the Texas and Pacific Railroad. The bridge became joint property of Grayson County, Texas and Bryan County, Oklahoma in 1966.

Bicycle ride in Blue Ridge Texas

Texas is hot in July, there's just no getting around it. In order to go bicycling, you really need to start early to beat the heat. Today we went riding out in the country starting in Blue Ridge, TX. We started at 7am, which entailed getting up at 5am to make it. (Not that I'm complaining, some friends came from Tarrant county to join us and they got up even earlier.)

Blue Ridge is a small town, population around 800. It's in east Collin County. Our ride actually touched 4 counties: Collin, Hunt, Fannin and Grayson.

Although we've ridden this route many times before, we did have a couple of "interesting" stops... one at a historical monument for Skillet Lick (see photo), and another one at a small General Store in Trenton that had confusing business hours (see photo).

We really did manage to beat the heat and got done in time for lunch back in Blue Ridge. Their Cattleman Cafe makes a great hamburger (huge)!

The Vespa ET-4 rolls 11,000 miles

It's hard to believe but my Vespa is now 5+ years old and through lots of commuting to work, the grocery store and around town errands, I rolled 11,000 miles on it yesterday. (The photo is me commuting to work one February during a rare Dallas snow day.) I've never had to do any repairs on it, other than scheduled maintenance.

Economical? Let's see... the Vespa gets 65 mpg. The Benz gets 23 mpg in town. That's a delta of 42 mpg savings... that's a savings of 262 gallons. Assuming an average fuel cost of $3.00 / gallon (they both use Super Premium), that's a savings of ... well only $786 over 5+ years.

Hmmmm.... I guess I do just ride it for fun and lifestyle after all. :-)

Shakespeare Texas Style

Went with friends to see the Dallas Shakespeare Festival's production of "The Merry Wives of Windsor, TX". Despite the heat... the trick is to go on a weeknight (Thursday is the new Friday), and don't arrive until around 8pm (play starts at 8:15), as the sun is going down. It cools off nicely.

Most of our close friends are gourmets and oenophiles, so our picnics are great. This evening we had a great variety of cold salads, grilled figs, bleu cheese, fresh berries macerated in limoncello, and a great selection of wines (dry roses and a savignon blanc).

The production: a send up of Shakespeare's "The Merry Wives of Windsor" set in Texas in the mid 1960's. A total hoot with all references to geography appropriately substituted, as well as quite a few liberties taken to lifestyle references. It was really a great show.

Catch it if you can, it's only running about 2 more weeks.

http://www.shakespearedallas.org/productions/the-merry-wives-windsor-tx

Arkansas Epic Day 3: The Wet Return Home

Well we were planning to rise early and "hit it" before 7am, however heavy rain that rolled in overnight lingered into the morning. It delayed our start somewhat, but we were kickstand up by 8am. We wanted to go through the Hot Springs National park on their short scenic road, however it was closed (even though the posted time showed an opening of 7am daily). Go figure.

We hit the trail on damp roads, and headed west toward Oklahoma. You'll notice few photos in this post, that's because it was raining the majority of the ride. It actually made the ride pleasant and cool. (Our riding gear held up to the task really well.)

We stopped for a breakfast buffet in Daisy Arkansas. This quaint roadstop featured a full sized Christmas tree alight in Red White and Blue lights and bunting. (There is no accounting for taste in these places.)

We did make one fast stop in Paris (Texas) to see the replica of the Eiffel Tower. (Who could resist such kitsch?)

Stopping in Bonham TX for a quick early afternoon lunch, we were informed by a local that there weren't many restraunt options, so we opted to dine at Pizza Hut. The teenage kid that served us couldn't quit gushing about our bikes, and how he would like a Ninja like mine, but how his mother wouldn't allow it.

We arrived at home despite the rain, scratch free and with big grins on our faces, having ridden 770 scenic miles over the course of 3 days. My bike held up really well, although in the hills and when passing cars on the highway, I was longing for more power. Maybe a bigger bike will come for Christmas... who's to say?

Trip to Arkansas - Day 2 - Mt. Magazine, Hot Springs

The morning we were leaving Mena Arkansas, I got a terrific massage from our B&B host Tony. He's got a nice room set up with a table, oils, heating pads, the works! When you stay at the Cedar Rock B&B, be sure and plan time to get a massage. Breakfast was terrific, and we lingered over coffee.

We then hit the road and headed toward Mt. Magazine. The ride over was nice with rolling hills, sweeping turns. The best part is the 15 mile ascent up to Mt. Magazine. It's a fairly technical climb to the summit, with few turn outs, but when you reach the top you'll discover a wonderful state park, that boasts the highest peak in the state. Gorgeous views of the Petit Jean valley, many hiking trials, hang gliding points, and a recently rebuilt lodge await you. We had lunch at the lodge's restraunt which put on a July 4th buffet.

We had to cut our visit somewhat short, due to an approaching storm. The descent down the mountain is the same one road, and was just as much fun down as up. We beat out the storm and took highway 10 east to Scenic Route 7 and down to Hot Springs.

Scenic route 7 was an unexpected surprise. Fun riding with enough turns to keep things interesting.

We arrived at Hot Springs, toured bath house row on foot. Hot Springs was admitedly a disappointment. Sure it's the nation's oldest resort, but it looks like it could also take the nomination for the nation's least upkept or renovated resort. The hotels in the bath house district are incredibly old and need of major restoration. Restraunts were lacking and there was no night life or bars to speak of. Possibly we were in the wrong part of town and should have stayed near lake Hamilton. We did however enjoy a drink in the grotto of Rolando's Nuevo Latino Restaurante. Nice environment, with an accoustic guitar player / singer.

The Talimena Scenic Drive

Day1: Kick stand up at 8am, departed our home in Plano Texas, headed to Oklahoma via US-75. My husband had bought me a gently used 2004 Kawasaki Ninja 250 as an anniversary gift back in May. After a few 200+ mile day trips around north Texas, I was ready for my first weekend tour: a trip up to Arkansas via the Talimena Scenic Drive.

We took a brief rest stop at the Oklahoma border and decided to modify our route to get off the highway and onto the Kiamichi Trace via Durant. This was a nice little find to get us over to the Talimena Scenic Byway, with no backtracking.



Just before getting onto the Talimena drive, we caught lunch in Talihina OK at Pam's Hateful Hussy diner.

What more can be said about Oklahoma road food other than it's cheap, plentiful, and won't kill you. During the first day of the trip I had to learn to interpret the local dialect. For example when ordering iced tea at a cafe, the waitress will invariably shoot back "Sweeter Uhn?". What she is asking is if you would like the Sweet Tea, or Unsweetened Tea (i.e. Sweet or "Un"-sweet). Unless would like to try your luck with type II diabetes, go with "Un" or at the most a blend of "half and half" which they will readily accomodate. (The Sweet Tea can be used as a syrup substitue if pressed.)

The catfish buffet at the Hateful Hussy hit the spot, and after a stop at the Talahina Liquor Store, we hit the road. (Liquor laws get squirly in Arkansas and many counties are dry, so be sure and do your research and necessary purchases ahead of time.)

The Talimena National Scenic Byway is a stretch of road that goes from south eastern Oklahoma and runs 54 miles east into Arkansas. It's great for motorcyclist (and bicyclists), and is very steep, twisty and scenic. It' has dozens of turnouts for vistas, so take your camera and take your time. You will be treated to spectacular views of the Ouchita national forrest.




At the end of the Talimena is Mena, Ark. We found a great B&B, the Cedar Rock. http://www.cedarrockbnb.com/ The hosts Tony and Debra were just great, and invited us to a Crawfish Boil they were hosting for July 4th. They have a beautiful 4 acre property, complete with pool and spa, which was just great after our 260 mile trip from Dallas.

The crawfish were fantastic, as was Debra's popovers. We also discovered that even though the county was dry the people were not. Tony keeps a party fridge in the pool cabana fully stocked for his guests. It was truly an evening to remember.


End of Day 1 was a great night's sleep at a B&B that truly exceeds expectations.