Dallas to Big Bend (and Back Again).
6 døgn / 1531 miles / 1 døgn, 4 timer og 15 minutter
Early May group ride to Big Bend - Mon May 8 through Sat May 13. The goal of this ride is not to get to Big Bend as fast as possible, but to travel along some of the best motorcycle roads in Texas and see visit some of the more beautiful and remote places in the Lone Star State.
The ride is a total of 1559 miles and 30+ hours of riding. The average ride per day is 5 hours, and 248 miles.
Dag 1
Clay will leave Dallas by 8AM to ride through backroads through Hico to eventually meet up with Chris and Will in Burnet
8:00 am - 109.4 miles / 1 time og 52 minutter - 9:52 am
10:52 am - 89.0 miles / 1 time og 24 minutter - 12:21 pm
Chris and Will will leave Austin around 10:30 and we will all meet up for lunch at Mama's Home Cooking in Burnett. https://www.yelp.com/biz/mamas-home-cooking-burnet
After lunch we will ride south to Johnson City and then west through Fredericksburg, Kerrvile and Medina on the way to Leaky.
The route from Kerrville to Medina is a scenic beautiful Texas back road. A few reasons to ride with cautious vigilance here - be watchful for deer, especially if you happen to be riding in the early morning or late evening hours. And due to the number of turns, gravel can surprise you in certain spots due to cars running off the road edge. That being said, there's beautiful scenery in the spring and fall. Ride along with lots of great twists, tight turns, sweeping curves, beautiful scenery and several river crossings.12:21 pm - 87.5 miles / 1 time og 25 minutter - 1:46 pm
2:06 pm - 69.4 miles / 57 minutter - 3:30 pm
Dag 2
The group will arrive in Leaky by 4:00 PM to rest and wash up at the Leaky Inn. Dinner at the Bent Rim Biker Bar.
The crew will leave Wednesday morning to ride the first leg of the Twisted Sisters to Camp Wood.9:00 am - 21.3 miles / 26 minutter - 9:26 am
The route from Leaky to Camp Wood is one of the most beautiful and challenging legs of the Twisted Sisters ride.
Locals call this great motorcycle ride Texas' own 'Tail of the Dragon', and for good reason. These roads carve and twist among clear rivers, through the dense green hills of Central Texas. There's constant switchbacks for miles, sweeping curves looking out over some nice vistas and some nice downhill curves - all of which offers motorcyclists an extremely technical, fun ride to navigate. Most motorcyclists agree that spring time is the best season to ride here as far as the scenery. The flowers are in bloom everywhere and the colors are terrific.10:26 am - 89.2 miles / 1 time og 48 minutter - 12:14 pm
Lunch near Amistad National Recreation Area
Crew will stop for gas and lunch in Del Rio, then west on 90 to Marathon and the Gage Hotel.
1:44 pm - 161.9 miles / 2 timer og 40 minutter - 4:25 pm
Dag 3
The crew will arrive in Alpine Texas around 5:30pm. We will stay at the Adobe Vista AirBnB and dine in Alpine.
9:00 am - 56.7 miles / 52 minutter - 9:52 am
The team will fuel up and by 9AM be on the road heading north on I-90 to Alpine and then travel west on I-67 for the 60 mile jog to Marfa, Texas.
Originally founded in the late 1800’s as a railroad water stop for steam locomotives crossing the West Texas desert, Marfa is now a major center for minimalist art and home to a number of different cultural attractions that are unique to the city.
In Marfa we will stop for gas and lunch, possibly at Marfa Burrito.11:22 am - 59.4 miles / 57 minutter - 12:20 pm
Departing from Marfa head south to Presido to fuel up and then head east along the Texas-Mexico border. This route in the Chihuahuan Desert is suitable for more experienced riders who are looking to get a full day of exploring under their belt in the farthest reaches of West Texas.
If your motorcycle has a limited range (<120 miles), consider carrying some extra fuel with you via a fuel bladder or RotopaX, just so that you won’t have to worry about running out of gas may you decide to do a bit of extra exploring between gas stations. Given the altitude and dry climate, be sure to begin hydrating days in advance and definitely pack in more than enough water for a full day on the bike.
It is strongly advised against riding this route during the summer, as the combination of extreme heat and sun exposure can be very dangerous. On a long route such as this, it’s also never a bad idea to pack a lunch or at least a few snacks that you can break out while stopping at different points along the route.12:50 pm - 86.6 miles / 1 time og 54 minutter - 2:45 pm
Dag 4
We will arrive late afternoon at Terlingua Ranch Lodge, our basecamp for two nights. https://terlinguaranch.com
On Wednesday morning we will ride into the Big Bend National Park for a ride through the Santa Elana Canyon, returning back at the Ranch late afternoon.
On Thursday morning we will head north on 385 for a 3 hour ride to the Balmorhea State park for a swim in the natural springs.9:00 am - 36.8 miles / 1 time og 21 minutter - 10:21 am
BIG BEND NATIONAL PARK RIDE - FM170, Santa Elena Canyon Rd
The Big Bend area is certainly spectacular riding, and this is one of the best motorcycle roads in Texas. From west to east, the ride itself is a nice ascent into the mountains. Start this route on FM170 from Lajitas and follow to the Ross Maxwell Scenic Drive. It's an incredibly scenic ride, with mountains, valleys, hills and curves. The tail end of this route leads along the Rio Grande to the amazing Santa Elena Canyon Overlook. The Chisos Basin area of the park has some winding switchbacks and has monumental rock formations to ride through as well. Then a return back to Camp Elena for a second night.11:21 am - 36.8 miles / 1 time og 21 minutter - 12:43 pm
Dag 5
We will arrive late afternoon at Terlingua Ranch Lodge, our basecamp for two nights. https://terlinguaranch.com
On Wednesday morning we will ride into the Big Bend National Park for a ride through the Santa Elana Canyon, returning back at the Ranch late afternoon.
On Thursday morning we will head north on 385 for a 3 hour ride to the Balmorhea State park for a swim in the natural springs.9:00 am - 137.6 miles / 3 timer og 14 minutter - 12:14 pm
We will arrive at Balmorhea State Park around noon for lunch and a swim. Balmorhea is a 46-acre state park located on the San Solomon Springs in Reeves County, Texas, opened in 1968. Texas Parks and Wildlife Department manages the park. The park is open year-round, and visitation is capped at 900 people per day.
2:14 pm - 56.5 miles / 47 minutter - 3:02 pm
Lunch and gas in Ft. Stockton and the east on 67 to San Angelo.
3:22 pm - 165.8 miles / 2 timer og 50 minutter - 6:12 pm
Dag 6
Pearl On The Concho Surestay Collection By Best Western
The group will leave Balmorhea a little after 2 and arrive at The Pearl On the Concho in San Angelo around 6 pm. After they check in and rest they will go out for a final group dinner.
On Saturday morning the group will split up with Clay and Bert heading back to Dallas and Chris and Will traveling back to Austin.9:00 am - 156.9 miles / 2 timer og 38 minutter - 11:38 am
Clay will eat here on the way home.
12:38 pm - 110.2 miles / 1 time og 39 minutter - 2:18 pm