ND/Texas Tour Ride – Day Ten

Another great start today. Was up and on the road by 9:00. I couldn’t have left any later, tree trimmers moved right next to me while I was loading up. Had I tried to sleep later it would have been a futile attempt. It was a cool start, almost chilly.

We left out to head to our first stop, the Texarkana Post Office/Court House. It’s just down the street from where I stayed the night. It sits in the middle of Stateline Avenue, the same street I had to cross just to buy beer last night. It’s a rather large concrete building with a touristy sign our front. As far as I know, it’s the only government building that straddles a state line. It’s a fairly busy morning here and all the parking is full so I’m parked in a no parking area. I get my photo real quick and then head for Paris, about 100 miles away.

Mostly pastures out here. I’m also on the last two lane roads I’ll see this trip. We make fairly quick work of the mileage and get to Paris a little before 11:00. Our first stop is the Harley Davidson dealership. I get my photo here and run inside to check out the inventory. The building is much larger then it looks from outside. There’s a lot of pretty colors jumping out at me but I’m not here to buy, just look and say hello.

The next stop is just a few miles away, an Eiffel Tower replica. This tower was constructed the same year as the one in Paris, Tennessee. The Tennessee tower stood just a few feet higher than this one and the Texas tower was being billed as the second largest Eiffel Tower. This was later rectified by adding a cowboy hat to the top, tilted to add even more height. It no longer matters however as Las Vegas now has one that is taller than both.

Next stop is also just a few miles away. This one is South Main Iron, another motorcycle dealership/shop. This place is really cool. Their inventory is slim compared to Harley but the interior looks great and is still being worked on. They’re also working on building a live music area, bar and kitchen. It’s gonna be a really great place.

I got to play with the new electric motorcycle Harley has produced. It’ll get about 130-150 miles per charge and can be plugged into a Tesla charger or an outlet in your garage. It’s very cool and absolutely quiet, something I don’t think I’d be too crazy about. There’s some ego involved with a loud motorcycle but it’s also a safety issue. Being heard means you’re being noticed, and being noticed on a motorcycle can save your life. I didn’t get to test ride it but the bike was certainly a highlight for me. I hope to return to this place next year after the temperatures come back up and their renovations are complete. Maybe a weekend trip.

Aside from lunch, South Main Iron would be our last stop for this trip. We’re about 230 miles from home so we should be home by early afternoon. The two lane roads are behind me now. All divided highway from here on out. It’s mostly just pasture and grassland but a few cotton fields pop up for a few miles. Before long we’ve gotten into the Dallas area, very short distances between towns and we’re no longer running into stop lights or 30mph speed limits.

Hit some slow moving traffic coming up to Lake Ray Hubbard, just outside Dallas. Bumper to bumper and crawling for a good twenty minutes before we got to the cause. A truck had run off the road, demolishing the guardrail. I roasted, but still not as bad as day one (or was it day two?). We finally got going and I got to cool off.

Stopped for a quick lunch, just a burger, cold glass of water and a Miller. Then we headed south towards home. Just a little over 100 miles to go. I know where I am now and don’t have to rely on Libby’s GPS anymore. After a long couple of hours, we finally pulled into the drive way, just after 4:00pm.

Libby is absolutely filthy and about ready for another oil change but she’s completely unloaded and nestled in the garage next to her sister Bertha. Sometime in the next few days she’ll get a good bath and polish.

This has not been the greatest trip and I’ll likely rank it as the worst. That doesn’t mean I didn’t enjoy it. I certainly did. I always enjoy my time out on the road. Plans always change, it’s inevitable. But they’ve never been completely altered on day one. And I’ve never spent three days in a rain suit. I didn’t camp near as much as I wanted to either. But I still enjoyed it. I missed my family and friends dearly but I’ve come to embrace these few days alone every year.

Libby and I tackled 4,621 miles this trip. We also conquered North Dakota, the 48th state. I said it before, there’s a lot of mixed emotion with that. There’s the bittersweet feeling of knowing the mission is complete (for the contiguous states) and the lost feeling I’ve had since day three. Where do I go from here? What’s next? What grand adventure can I think up for next year? The answer to all of those questions is currently, “I don’t know.” But I’ll think of something, something Dad would have loved. Alaska and Hawai’i are a few years away I think so completing the entire 50 is on a bit of a hold. Financing those will be the biggest hurdle, but I’ll eventually get them too, God willing.

If you have any ideas for next year, shoot them my way, I’d love to hear them. Also, you can email subscribe to this “official” blog page (still can’t think of myself as a blogger). You’ll get an email notification anytime I publish a new post, which really shouldn’t be any other time but this week every year. Maybe a weekend trip once in a while.

It’s been an adventure for sure. And I very much appreciate you following me and letting me share my adventures with you. I’ve probably said it before, but it’s nice to know you’re all with me out there.

I’m just a living legacy to the leader of the band.

Dan Fogelberg