Big Ben Ride (BBR) April 29 - 2 May 2016

Destination

Many of us have “Bucket Lists” and many of our lists have items relating to motorcycles and peculiar destinations. I have ridden throughout the Southwestern United States and have made numerous trips across Interstate 10 from San Antonio to El Paso, Texas and all the way into Southern California. On many of my trips I passed signage pointing to Big Bend National Park, but I never seemed to have enough time to take a spin and spend a few days seeing the sights of Big Bend. That was soon to change. One of the benefits of being a chapter member in GWRRA is you have a multitude of people working on riding ideas you might not have gotten around to planning. Tux loves Rick and Pat Kendrick, who did their homework, put together a plan and made a proposal that 21 people eventually decided to accompany them to Big Bend National Park during the April 29 - 2 May 2016 timeframe. Their plan encompassed four days and three nights; travelling approximately 1300 miles of scenic roads through some of the remotest parts of the old Republic of Texas.

An overview of the more scenic part of the BBR

Tux found the following tidbit while doing research on this trip and while it was too obvious, felt he had to share it. “The Big Bend is named for the vast curve of the Rio Grande in remote southwest Texas.” (Tux was a little misinformed when he heard we were going to Big Bend for a motorcycle trip. He thought we were referring to Big Ben, as in the clock in London, England and although not disappointed he just had to realign his thought process for Western Texas versus England.) Waiting to go on a trip of this scale is pretty suspenseful and our departure date seemed pretty far away. Fortunately, Chapter U had a host of events on the calendar prior to the Big Bend Ride (BBR), i.e., GWRRA Region and District Rally’s and local events, i.e., Hot Winter Nights at Kent Power Sports in Selma, Texas. The old saying “There is no rest for the wicked” can also describe the activity of Chapter U, just change wicked with busy.

Pat says, “Hydration and sun screen.”

Preparation is the key to travelling success. We started preparing for the BBR around the first of February; prices were checked and hotel reservations were made, roads were reconned on paper, and information was exchanged with those who had made this ride before, activities were canvassed, and budgets were squeezed to ensure dollars were available to put as much FUN, travel and sightseeing as possible into our adventure. Pat and Rick also advised to gas up at every opportunity, carry extra water and hydrate frequently, all very good advice. They also recommended layering of clothes as it could be in the mid/high 80’s in the desert low lands and Big Bend National Park and near freezing in the mountains at night. This all proved to be sound advice. Tom Hendricks and Larry Hammond elected to depart a day early in order to be fresh and somewhat awake for the Friday Star Party at the McDonald Observatory. Awakening at 4:30 a.m., and driving all day and then watching the night sky for 2-3 hours was a little more than they wanted to cram into a day. For the rest of the BBR Riders, Thursday night was early to bed, as they had to be in Boerne, TX at 7:00 a.m. for the group rendezvous and departure. Working their way through the San Antonio morning traffic was a chore but traffic let up, to a degree, once they started riding outside the Alamo City.

Debbie and Donna were up early and eager to go!

Day 1. Congregating in Boerne, our entourage on this adventure included Scott and Debbie Hay, Court and Diane van Sickler, Pat Wall, Pete Ryson, Rick and Pat Kendrick, Ed and Helen Smith, Sal Pesta, Steve and Donna Van Gilder and invited guests Gene and Rhonda Barta, and John and Carolyn Bregel, brother and sister-in-law of Diane van Sickler. Sam and Shelia Morris also rode out a day in advance, stayed the night in Junction and met up with the consolidated group in Fort Davis.

Comfort and gas stop

The first day riding instructions were simple, go west for about 365 miles and then head south at Balmorhea, toward Ft Davis, for 35-40 miles. Interstate 10 is good road throughout Texas and travel was steady although a bit boring after driving for a few hours. Due to the number of vehicles in our group we elected to drive approximately five miles below the speed limit and when we combined that with fuel stops we planned to arrive in Fort Davis at 5:00 p.m. The weather was almost perfect with some heavy winds every now and then, traffic light, and road conditions were ideal which facilitated arriving in Fort Davis earlier than expected. It was a great day for riding and time passed quickly.

The flowers were still blooming along I10

Upon arriving at Fort Davis, we checked in at the Indian Lodge in the Fort Davis Mountains State Park. The lodge was a historic Civilian Conversation Corps built lodge, which had been renovated with modern conveniences. A quick shower, a nap for them’s that needed it and we were off to round out the afternoons/evenings activities. There were many choices, some rode to the McDonald Observatory and stayed for the evening Star Party and others took the in-town tour of the old Ft Davis National historic site. Tom Hendricks and Larry Hammond rode the Scenic Loop drive through the beautiful Davis Mountains, which provided a nice preview of what our group would see over the next few days. Tom also rode the Skyline Drive in the park and was treated to a wonderful 360-degree panorama of the area around Fort Davis. There was one restaurant at the Indian Lodge and after a good meal and discussing the day’s ride some elected to be early in bed after a day of riding the Interstate.

Daylight perspective of McDonald’s Observatory

The Star Party at the McDonald Observatory was fascinating for those not getting an early evening’s sleep. The narrator provided an excellent introduction of the observatory, telescopes and the constellations. After his dialogue we were turned loose to view the sky through the provided telescopes. The night sky at the Observatory location was something to see. I doubt if many people have ever seen the clarity of the night like this. Add in the telescopes and the ability to see the definition of various constellations and stars and you had a world class or universal class evening!

Beauty was seen from the ground to the stars

Day 2. Due the our group dynamics, riding styles and preferences for seeing different aspects of the Big Bend area our riders broke up into 2-3 groups with some going to the Fort Davis National Historical Site, which is the best restoration of a frontier fort in the nation. The Visitor’s Center has a nice display, a Buffalo Soldiers documentary, officer’s quarters, a hospital and hiking trails throughout the fort.

Soldier and ladies at Fort Davis

Eventually everyone departed Fort Davis heading to Study Butte, which was outside Big Bend National Park, via Presidio and the River Road scenic by way. River Road is a “Must Ride” if you are going to this part of the world. In our case Mexico was on our right and the drive was twisty, with some steep grades and you could ride your own ride, slow or fast as your mood dictated. Following lunch we continued our meandering and the countryside was unique and splendid to view, we stopped many times at the various scenic overlooks. Upon arrival in the Study Butte/Terlingua area Tom, Larry, Pete Ryson and Pat Wall decided to ride approximately 90 mile to Santa Elena Canyon in the Park. Like many of the remote rides in Big Bend Park there is one way in and one way out. The grandeur and solitude in this part of the world is unreal, and it really makes one appreciate the men and women who opened up this part of the world and established the mines, ranches and towns. We stayed in the Big Bend Resort in Study Butte for the evening and after dinner some elected to sit outside and have their own “Star Party” while discussing the high lights of the day’s ride. Memories, sharing of the fun, and good friends are making this a good Chapter function!

Big Bend Riders

Day 3. Sunday is a day of rest, and we celebrated by spending the day touring Big Bend National Park. Big Bend National Park is the highlight attraction of the entire region. The 800,000-acre national park contains three basic habitats: river, desert, and mountains and encompasses the largest protected area of the Chihuahuan Desert in the United States. Travelling in different groups we collectively rode several different dead end roads going in and out of the Park, stopped at the visitor centers, scenic stops, and took advantage of hiking opportunities to see some of the off road sights and of course stopped, as needed, for gas and services. In addition to driving to the Santa Elena Canyon some folks made the drive to the Rio Grande Village, which has marvelous vistas across the river to the magnificent Sierra del Carmen escarpment and showcases the scenery of this part of the world. In one twenty miles portion, the road descends nearly two thousand feet and needless to say you ride the same route on your return trip. This is a remote part of the world and Tux said he had not felt so far from civilization except when he was riding the Loneliest Highway going to Reno last year.

What it’s really all about!

Leaving Big Bend National Park we headed North to Marathon, TX for the night’s lodging. Some folks stayed in the Gage Hotel, which has one of the best restaurants in the area and is also famous for their unique hotel rooms, while others stayed in the Marathon Motel/RV Park. Everyone agreed the Gage Hotel has some marvelous cuisine. The food was on a gourmet level and priced accordingly, but it was one of the things to remember on our trip. Sunday evening started to cool down in the Marathon area and weather reports indicated a front was coming into the area we were to ride on Monday.

Bundled up for the ride home

Day 4. Thankfully everyone had listened to Rick and Pat’s advice and had sufficient cold weather gear for the ride home. We looked like a caravan of Michelin men riding down the highway and most of us wore our gear all the way home; and were thankful we had it. We were not cold but were comfy for the ride. Day four meant our trip was not over but that we were headed for new adventures along the route back to San Antonio. This part of the road should have been designated as open range as we had to slow down for numerous cows, goats and deer along side of the roadway.

Hanging out with Judge Roy Bean

We drove old Highway 90 East to Langtry, TX where we visited Judge Roy Bean’s “courthouse” dispensing “Law West of the Pecos”. It was an interesting stop. A few miles down the road we viewed the Pecos River Bridge from the rest area. The bridge crosses the Pecos River and is a mile or so from the juncture of where the Pecos intersects the Rio Grande River. From there we went into Del Rio, TX for lunch and headed home.

Tux and Sal agree, “What a ride!”

Tux says check another one off his bucket list. Big Bend has been ridden, experienced, explored and enjoyed. What a ride! The benefits of two or three-wheeled travel, wind therapy, adventures, new sites and settings, and sharing as a Chapter are hard to measure but have made memories for a lifetime. Thanks to all of U in Chapter U for making the ride safe and memorable. I’m looking forward to the next BBR equivalent ride or event. See you then!

Larry is “Heading on down the road.”

If you want to become involved and participate in a host of different motorcycle related things, then get more involved in Chapter U activities. It’s FUN, informative and can bring you a bunch of satisfaction. Just ask Tux, he’s a fixture when it comes to Chapter U and reaping the benefits of riding, meeting people and having a great time. Ask him about the BBR, but be prepared to listen for a while.

Wide open spaces and blue skies

Write up provided by Tom Hendricks and photos provided by Chapter Photographer Helen Smith and Assistant Chapter Photographer’s Scott and Debbie Hay. Steve and Donna Van Gilder also provided photos.