This one started all wrong.. Woke up late and had to rush like hell to beat the clock.. Redshad was waiting for me for almost an hour before I managed to meet him at Collins and I-20 in Arlington.. Besides all that .. the deal was for me to hook up with him at the Fina station, there.. When I got there .. no Fina station .. it was a damn Mobil and I was running up and down the street looking for Fina.. I'd been watching the weather news for a few days.. We all know how unpredictable our Texas weather can be, this time of year.. downright treacherous.. as a matter of fact. The first thing that was noticeable was, that when we got just west of Ft. Worth, the wind commenced to pick up and it was blowing directly into us.. The temperature commenced to fall and by the time we got to Eastland, it was apparent that my vest and shirt sleeves were not going to cut it.. Although I had brought plenty of leather gear, we stopped at Wal Mart in Eastland and I made a few small purchases to make the trip just a bit more pleasant for me.. Buckskin leather gloves, neckband, etc.. We fought that hellashious head wind all the way to Van Horn, Tx. and checked into a motel for the night.. Piss poor gas mileage and performance from the bikes had made it a rough day.. Next morning, we soke up to a beautiful day and hit the highway again.. Both bikes were up to speed and above for the entire day.. Breezed through El Paso like a dose of Epsom Salts going through a widow woman, and in no time, we'd crossed New Mexico and were into Arizona.. Just before sundown, we were entering into Texas Canyon at about 85 mph.. Suddenly, that sun was directly in our eyes and blinding.. Someone pulling a travel trailer had got crossways and the RV was pitched almost over the edge of the canyon.. One lane on the right had been completely block with traffic cones and blind as a bat, I was steady taking those suckers out, with my right hand floorboard.. The law enforcement reps, who were directing traffic were yelling and waving their arms and doing a lot of yelling.. By this time, I'd got my speed down to a crawl and was able to skillfully avert furthur tragedy.. We moved furthur west and navigated Tucson after their rush hour traffic and got to Casa Grande about nine thirty in the evening.. Buddy and his lovely wife, Clara were thrilled to see us and after a nice visit with them, we were all ready to call it a night.. Thursday was a day to ride and see the local area, so we didn't get out so much.. But, Friday, we decided to make a little border run .. We ran up to Gila Bend and took one of the southern highways to some little no-name border crossing town .. Whew, I'd forgotten just how primitive some of those little places could be.. Not much to see there, so we called it a day.. crossed back into the U.S. and made it an early evening so we'd be ready for our return trip.. The trip across Arizona and New Mexico was purely routine, except for the interesting people we'd meet at each of our gas and eat stops.. In El Paso, we crossed into Juarez.. Fellowshipped with a few of the locals and then crossed back into Texas.. The temps had fallen pretty low and after just a few miles and the late hour, we did the motel thing again.. Monday morning was pleasant and we made great time getting across Texas.. From Abilene to Weatherford, we had quite a light show ahead and to the north of us.. As we passed Weatherford, the bottom fell out and it came down in sheets of water.. Fortunately, there was a friendly Valero station right there, so we took refuge while we waited for the storm to pass.. and it was definitely a storm, by anyone's standards. When it slacked off, we hit the highway just in time for the next deluge.. Visibility was damned near zippo, but there was barely any traffic, so we managed to stay on the highway to ride through the storm.. Redshad and me parted company at IH-30 and IH-20.. Darnedest thing I ever seen, I went under an overpass with pouring rain and came out the other side with dry pavement.. The rain didn't catch me again until I got into Grand Prairie.. By the time I got to La Casa, there wasn't a dry thread on me. Talking to Redshad, this morning, he had experienced about the same conditions during his ride to Arlington.. This was a ride that started rough and ended rough.. lol.. All told, it was a good ride and rewarding for the soul of a biker.. Now, I gotta get that Green Vulcan prepared for the next run.. Regards Bill Walker Irving
