Riding to El Paso from Austin for Thanksgiving

[Venom51]

I'm planning on visiting El Paso over the Thanksgiving holidays and wondered if anyone was planning on doing the same. Just thought I'd give a shout.

[John1454]

I am going to BigBend.  is the route I plan to take. 

I have reservations at The Gage for Friday and Saturday night (27th and 28th). I plan to leave the 27th early in the morning and spend the night at the Gage and then fart around riding in BigBend / the Fort Davis Mountains  area (highway 170) the next day (or just recover from the ride there by hanging out at the hotel). And then stay at the Gage a second night and then ride home. I have been to the restaurant connected to the Gage (it was many years ago, but probably one of the best meals I have ever eaten). I have never stayed at the hotel, but it looks nice.

I am new, I got my bike on the 17th last month and only have 2000 miles of riding experience (2000 miles of pleasure riding in less than a month -- can you tell I am enjoying my new bike or what?) And so I have been hesitant to post for fear of getting flamed by people saying I am stupid / crazy for doing a big trip so early in my 'riding career' but I am really looking forward to it! I have asked the only three 'motorcycle friends' I have and they have all had excuses like "I don't wanna get cold" or "I can't take off work" blah blah blah -- so yes, I am going solo, but in some ways, I almost like the idea of going solo. (It will be good to get away from my boys and my wife and truly have some independence / alone time for a few days.) I see the safety advantages of having an extra bike / person, --- but I will be okay.

What are the details of your trip? I hope you have a great time!



Anybody have recommendations for roads to take differently than what is on the map I posted above?

[Venom51]

Hey John 1454,

Congrats on your new ride! Actually, NOT riding enough is flame-worthy.

I plan on leaving the 25th and will go through Johnson City and Fredericksburg to I-10 and then taking that all the way in to El Paso. I don't have much time to mess around (unfortunately) but wish I could take the road from Balmorhea into Ft. Davis...crossing Limpia Creek through that twisty road is great. When do you plan on returning? I'll probably head back to Austin on the 30th.

Enjoy your time away and ride safe.

[John1454]

I plan to head back on Sunday the 29th. However, if I am really enjoying it (right now on Saturday, I plan to do something like 90 - 67 - 170 - 385) so if I wanted to spend Sunday doing Fort Davis roads like what you suggest then I may end up staying in a roadside hotel Sunday night; in which case, I would be heading back on the 30th like you. Shoot me your cell number at JohnAllenDesign at yahoo dot com and if I stick around Sunday night, I will call you and see where you are on the 30th. If I do stay extra, I may end up just taking 10 back... (I would prefer to not stay on the interstate; it has been awhile since I have been that far west, but I remember I-10 seeming like an endless road) but if time is of the essence, I-10 would be quicker.

What road do you refer to specifically with Limpia Creek?

[Venom51]

I believe it's Hwy 17 that goes from Balmorhea to Ft. Davis. If I remember correctly, it crosses the creek at least a dozen times.

I'll contact you before I head back and maybe we'll cross paths. I-10 is 80mph in some sections so that cuts down on that endless road.

[Porsche Monkey]

Some of those roads out that way are very tricky.  You may want to keep that in mind if your new to riding.   

[El Matador]

Hey man! That looks like a fun trip.

I did a couple of 3k+ trips this summer and I can give you a lot of pointers if you want them. It's the little things that really add up when you're putting the miles down. If you want to, head to Ming's on Wednesday and we'll talk.

Cheers!

EM

[John1454]

Ducaholic, I will be very careful. It was "pre-motorcycle" (in an S2000 and a few years back)  but the last time I have been to Campwood, some of the roads had a lot of gravel on them. I think they had just chip sealed them. One of my old S2000 buddies that had a near death motorcycle accident (internal bleeding) is who cautioned me about taking the trip by myself and that is the reason for my comments in my first post on this thread.


Matador, Wednesdays are tricky for me so I do not think I can stop by Ming's but I will try to at some point as I would love to meet everyone here (in person) but I doubt I will be able to stop by before I leave. You all meet there every Wednesday or just once a month? I just installed some bar risers and I bought a cramp buster too -- any other quick advice? Any threads here about your trips this summer? Where did you go?




.... One quick question. Being that we all ride monsters and it is very likely that no one has hard/lockable panniers. I am sure this has come up. But when you are traveling on longer trips and you stop in a restaurant do you take your bags with you inside for fear of someone stealing them since they are so easy to detach... or do you trust that no one will touch them?

[El Matador]

Matador, Wednesdays are tricky for me so I do not think I can stop by Ming's but I will try to at some point as I would love to meet everyone here (in person) but I doubt I will be able to stop by before I leave. You all meet there every Wednesday or just once a month? I just installed some bar risers and I bought a cramp buster too -- any other quick advice? Any threads here about your trips this summer? Where did you go?

http://ducatimonsterforum.org/index.php?topic=26965.0

I went ahead and did that again 3 weeks later. But from Boston 

We meet every Wednesday so if you ever have some time, you're bound to meet more than a few peeps. I'm actually up for a beer most weeknights, so if you want we can meet at your convenience 

[John1454]

That was a most excellent adventure El Matador! I had fun reading through it.

Are you in Houston or Austin? I can come to Houston on Saturday. Or we can meet in Austin on Monday or Tuesday.
If we don't get a chance to hook up before I leave; that is okay, but it would be nice. I will try to come to Mings at some point... so if you go all the time I am sure we will meet eventually.

I put this here instead of PMing or emailing you in case anybody wants to come too (they are more than welcome) so post dates times and locations here in case anyone wants to join us.


Venom51, I am sorry for kind of hijacking your thread... that wasn't my intent when I initially responded. If you want to contact me when you are heading back you will need to call me at 512-773-3527; as I do not do the internet on my phone, so I won't be checking this forum or my email.

[El Matador]

That was a most excellent adventure El Matador! I had fun reading through it.

Are you in Houston or Austin? I can come to Houston on Saturday. Or we can meet in Austin on Monday or Tuesday.
If we don't get a chance to hook up before I leave; that is okay, but it would be nice. I will try to come to Mings at some point... so if you go all the time I am sure we will meet eventually.

I put this here instead of PMing or emailing you in case anybody wants to come too (they are more than welcome) so post dates times and locations here in case anyone wants to join us.


Venom51, I am sorry for kind of hijacking your thread... that wasn't my intent when I initially responded. If you want to contact me when you are heading back you will need to call me at 512-773-3527; as I do not do the internet on my phone, so I won't be checking this forum or my email.

Im in Austin  I'll pm you my number

[Venom51]

That was a most excellent adventure El Matador! I had fun reading through it.

Are you in Houston or Austin? I can come to Houston on Saturday. Or we can meet in Austin on Monday or Tuesday.
If we don't get a chance to hook up before I leave; that is okay, but it would be nice. I will try to come to Mings at some point... so if you go all the time I am sure we will meet eventually.

I put this here instead of PMing or emailing you in case anybody wants to come too (they are more than welcome) so post dates times and locations here in case anyone wants to join us.


Venom51, I am sorry for kind of hijacking your thread... that wasn't my intent when I initially responded. If you want to contact me when you are heading back you will need to call me at 512-773-3527; as I do not do the internet on my phone, so I won't be checking this forum or my email.

Hey, no problem.  I'll give you a ring when I head back to Austin.
I'm planning on going to Mings this Wednesday so the updated info helped.
Now go make your own thread, threadjacker. 

[Venom51]

Well, 1200+ miles later I'm back from my trip. I LOVE my Monster.