Wild Motorcycle Tales: Trip to Llano

Wild Motorcycle Tales

Trip to Llano - Part 4

We rode another 20 miles till we just got out of Goldtwhaite and stopped at a Dairy Queen. From then on we would push on until we reached Dublin and make a stop there to have a root beer float. We parked in front of the restaurant and walked into an almost empty dining room area. However 5 minutes later the place was packed with church goers! We didn't arrive a minute too soon. We could see through the window how Zeb got all the attention and cameras flashed! He had jumped back on my bike and it looked like he owned the thing!

The weather was great but still windy, although not as bad as when we came down. We mounted our horses and took off. This was going to be the longest stretch of the trip without a pit stop. The roads were fantastic and gently we could see the landscape go back to a more familiar shape.

Just before this picture was taken we passed Baby's Head Cemetery! Wonder how that came about.

The ride went flawless although my butt started to complain and the vibrations made my right hand numb. I could see little Pocket in front of me letting go of the throttle once every few miles and wiggle some blood flow back into her fingers. Triumph is not necessarily recognized for comfort. But who's complaining? All went well.

Dublin, the home of Dr. Pepper, came in our sights and so did the craving for root beer and ice cream. Out of all places during our trip this little town outside Stephenville had the only traffic jam! How ironic. Luckily we could swing to the right and pull into the parking spots in front of the Dr. Pepper museum.

Unfortunately, we didn't have the luxury of time and we only could visit the gift shop and ice cream parlor. We would have to come back to see the museum. A perfect one-day trip for the future. We picked up a few souvenirs and t-shirts and treated ourselves to the long craved root beer float. They made it all from scratch and that with a couple of scoops of Blue Bell Vanilla ... Speechless!

Best float ever!

Jill at the controls of the camera again. It's OK baby. My boots were dirty anyway and the face of the statue was not all that well done!

Zeb, mesmerizing about his blanky back home. I could see the tiredness on his snout.

The last stretch was going to be the hardest. We all were tired and wanted to hang out on the couch ASAP. We were ready to tackle the last leg of the trip and again off we went. Traffic was almost nonexistent until we hit I-20. There we were back smack dab in the middle of it and more wind joined into the mix.

Meanwhile Jill, with no worry in the world, was zooming the interstate at 75 mph. One hand on the throttle the other scratching her nose and pushing her helmet down! I felt Zeb's teeth in my back trying to stay in his seat and myself clutching the handlebars, holding on for dear life! That girl knows how to enjoy and use her windscreen to the fullest. #*#@)%!!! Sure I looked cool without a shield, if only in the reflection of a window or at a stop sign but at 80 mph and 30 knots head wind, it's a different story. Anyway she slowed down a bit after awhile and when we pulled off one more time to get gas, I asked her If she could go any faster. All she did was grin and with wide open big brown eyes said she was only trying to make up time!

Finally Marsh Lane and the last few miles to a warm shower and feet up. It was a great ride and I loved every minute of it. My wife is the best thing that ever happened to me and I'm glad we're doing this together. I think we both earned it. There will be more to come!

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