January 2011 East Texas Dual Sport Ride and Campout
Since purchasing my BMW F800GS new in November 2009 it has not had a lot of serious off road action. As a matter of fact, it still has the stock Michelin Anakee street tires on it and you will read later where these tires added some extra excitement during the trip.
When Rick(Trailace) from Two Wheeled Texans put together a dual sport ride through East Texas that was to include camping on Toledo Bend Lake I booked the weekend instantly. Rick had planned a great route out to the lake and back over some beautiful dirt and paved roads.
Rick's Route to and from the lake
Since the start of the ride was 250 miles south of me I decided to ride down on Friday night and camp at Lake Livingston State Park. With the help of Scott (Tourmeister) I plotted a course south from Van, Texas down to the state park. Riding through the rolling hills the scenery was perfect. The traffic was very light and the fresh smell of pine filled the air. I ran out of daylight halfway through the ride down and I will definitely add this as a must do ride again during the daylight in the Spring.
Bike loaded and ready to go!
Once I got close to Lake Livingston State Park, I stopped for some provisions and then headed into the park. I'm not sure what my opinion of the park is yet and I'll have to give it another try. The camping area was crowded and noisy and there must be a rail track nearby because the 4:00 AM train is pretty LOUD!
Friday night dinner for one!
Saturday morning I woke up and broke down camp and met the group in Moscow, Texas. I've never ridden with any of these guys before and I really did not know what to expect. I should have known I was out of my league when I pulled up and I was the only bike that had hard bags attached and street tires. Introductions were made and the group was off for a weekend of adventure in the Texas dirt
Our posse!
Once we hit the first dirt road I could immediately feel the loss of traction due to my street tires. I'll inject here and say I knew going into this trip that the tires were not the best choice, but they were what I had to ride with so I was going to make due. Everything was going well until I hit a small patch of mud about 10 minutes into the ride and my tire reality struck hard. The real wheel starting sliding right while the front wheel starting sliding left and I wound up laying in a ditch with the bike resting on the dirt road 180 degrees from its original direction of travel. You can see and hear it all for yourself in the video below. Be sure to keep listening even after the video is lost.
I did not suffer any damage other then to my pride and a bruised knee. The bike made it through pretty well also. Its damage included a broken front blinker, broken clutch lever, broken left Touratech hand guard, scratched up windscreen, and some minor fairing damage. With the help of the group I got the bike put back together and with apprehension I decided to keep going. I really did not want to become a burden to the other riders though, so I had decided if the next few miles proved to be difficult I'd bail out and take the pavement to the lake. Luckily I had no other serious incidents and I was starting to get the feel for how the bike would respond under the road conditions so I kept on going.
The entire group was awesome in making sure I was OK after the fall. Thanks Guys!
Time to start searching Ebay for replacement parts.
The roads were mainly dirt with an occasional stretch of sand, mud, or gravel. In some cases where the mud was so bad, we just made our own path through the trees to avoid it all together. That was not always possible though and I decided it was time for me and the bike to take a mud bath.
Once again the group came to my rescue!
My passenger was not having a very good day!
At some point we stopped for a burger and had some good laughs at the condition of my camera after the accident. With perfect weather we forged on to the campground. I was able to remain on the bike for the rest of the ride, but not without a few exciting moments in the sand.
Smile!
We arrived at Holly Park Marina on Toledo Bend Lake with enough daylight left to setup our tents and then head out to The Fisherman's Galley in Many, LA for dinner. Despite the fact we were less than 5 miles from the restaurant as the crow flies, it was at least a 12 mile ride there on mostly unpaved roads. This proved to be a good challenge for me since my night vision is not what it used to be. We all made it to dinner and back without incident though. The food was very filling and a few folks brought back some libations for the campfire.
Tents all setup for the night.
We were all hungry!
Enjoying the campfire.
When I departed on this trip on Friday, the weather forecast was predicting a cold front to arrive in Texas early Monday morning. That had all changed by Saturday night and now they were predicting rain at the lake starting around 1:00 AM Sunday morning with severe winter weather, READ SNOW, hitting the Dallas area on Sunday. I decided I'd head home in the morning and not ride with the group as originally planned. After a great nights sleep, I broke down camp in a light rain which had started around 4:00 AM. I was hoping I could make it back home to McKinney, Texas before the roads became icy. I said my farewells to the group and started my ride north. The temperature was hovering right around 33 degrees with a light rain still falling, The heated grips and my heated jacket were performing well and my riding gear was keeping me dry. There was very little traffic on the road and I think I only saw six cars in the first hour.
Cold weather riding is all about the layers!
On the road again.
About 50 miles after the start of my day I came to realize my boots are not waterproof anymore. My socks were soaking wet and my feet were getting cold. After about 100 miles I stopped for fuel and a coffee on I-20 near Kilgore, Texas. This was the nicest Shell station I have ever been in and they had a nice roaring fire for me to sit by and enjoy the view of the rain coming down. I stayed here for about an hour and I was able to change into some dry socks. I put some plastic shopping bags over my socks before I put my feet back into the boots hoping this would help keep me dry for the rest of the trip home. I was only 150 miles from the house and up to this point everything was going great.
I took over the fireplace area.
I departed the gas station with a full tank of fuel, a large chili in my stomach, dry socks on my feet and the rain still falling. The shopping bags over my socks seemed to be working and my feet were not as cold as before. About 125 miles from the house the snow started falling. Initially the road conditions seemed OK and traffic was moving along fine and I did not see any ice build up on the road surface. Then I saw the first car over in the grass on the side of the highway. I kept moving forward hoping it was just an isolated incident, but then I saw a second car that had slid off the highway into the median. At this point I took the next exit and pulled into a truck stop six miles from Canton, Texas. Reports from other drivers pulling in said that the roads heading toward Dallas were all iced over and cars and trucks were sliding off the road. It was looking like this truck stop was going to be my home for the next 18 hours until the road conditions improved. The manager said I could stay as long as I needed and that I could refill my coffee anytime I wanted to for free. They also offered to let me sleep in one of the restaurant booths once they stopped serving for the evening. It was really a nice group of people working in this place.
Let the snow begin.
Nothing better than a nice hot country meal when it's snowing outside.
I was at the truck stop about an hour when a guy on a Harley pulled up. He said he was heading back to Dallas and he was trying to call some of his buddies to come get him with a trailer. I told him I was not going any further with the roads iced over. Next thing I know, I see him riding off heading towards Dallas. I sure hope the guy made it home safely.
My bike made a friend.
Good luck!
Three hours passed while I was at the truck stop and the snow started to slow down a little. Traffic on the interstate was almost non-existent at that point. I decided I was going to try to make it the six miles up the road and get a hotel for the night. The ride into Canton was slow going but I made it to a Motel 6 without incident. I checked into the room and enjoyed a nice warm bed while I watched the winter storm unfold on the news. I called my boss and told him I'd be late on Monday and then I had a great nights sleep. Monday morning I woke up to find more snow had fallen throughout the night and the temperature was 27 degrees. The news was reporting road conditions were clear except for one major interchange in Dallas I would have to pass over. I decided I'd take side streets to detour this section. After a short delay because I had to defrost my ignition to get the key inserted, I set off to finish the journey home. As the news reported, the roads were dry and I made it home safely.
Once the thermometer gets above 32 in McKinney I'll get out and clean up the bike so it's ready for the next adventure. This trip was 779 miles and I'd do it all over again in a heartbeat. Yes I'd have dirt tires on the bike though. This ride is a perfect example that you never even have to leave your state to have an adventure. Be prepared and be flexible and you will have the time of your life!
Thanks Rick for planning and leading the ride. A huge thank you goes out to everyone else on the ride for your support and encouragement as well. Also thanks for the use of the photos. See you all next year. Maybe next time we can all ride in the snow!
