The sky to the east was just beginning to break a few light streaks when we finished our breakfast at Joe's Coffee Shop, Saturday morning.. The three of us was on the Interstate and headed in the direction where the sun would rise.. We took IH-20 and circled the metroplex before the city actually came alive for the day.. Just a few semis out and about.. not many cars, at all.. By the time the sun was out in all it's glory, we'd go beyond the limits of Dallas and branched off to go through Terrell.. We made a fuel top off and picked up a couple of their local riders and ran up toward Quitman to go east again over Lake Tawakoni.. That's a fine time of day to ride the lake.. Emory was beginning to wake up when we went through that little town and we bore off to the east again, toward Gilmer.. North of Gilmer we finally leveled off and set the sights on Texarkana, as one option destination.. There were some suggestions about Mena, Arkansas, but no one really had the time and that would more than likely have turned a little day run into an overnighter.. None of us had the time, and besides.. the day's heat was befinning to beat down.. We'd drifted north into the four states area and the city limits of Texarkana came into sight.. There she was, the world famous Twin Cities.. (someone has started a rumor about a "Twin Cities" up north somewhere, but they are imposters, I'm sure) lol.. Rather than all the restaurant scene, we picked up a few items at one of the stores, there.. Wright Patman Dam and Lake was nearby, so that's where we chose to eat a good picnic lunch of crackers, cheese, sardines and bologna.. A few boaters were on the lake and several bikes came by to visit with us for a bit, while we munched down.. That's pretty good eatin' when you are taking a break from such a nice ride.. We landed on Hwy. 82 at New Boston and headed west.. Other than gas topoffs and a Dairy Queen stop, for ice cream, we rolled on west until we got to Paris.. I got busy in Paris and finally got my old friend Jeff Smallwood on the phone.. He grabbed a boxful of old, and I'm talking old, pictures that he'd been saving and met us in a local truck stop.. Sheesh.. those pictures were dated back to '85 and we were comparatively youngsters, then.. LOL.. Broken Bow, Okla... Brady, Tx. Hot Springs, Ark and Mena.. Ruidoso, NM and someplace in Colorado, which neither of us could remember the name.. Back in the day, Jeff Smallwood and me sure covered some miles together.. Eureka Springs, Ark. and Branson, Mo.. were well represented with all those pictures.. Jeff and I made those runs up through that Arkansas country pretty often.. We reluctantly called the visit to a halt and headed on in to the home base of the metroplex.. Coming back in between McKinney and Plano.. there was a pretty good traffic jam, so I had an opportunity to practice my white line skills for a few miles.. Just as we emerged from the snarl up.. hmmm.. never did figure out what the problem was.. didn't see a wreck or anything.. I passed a DPS officer near the break out.. He was only doing about 45 MPH and cheerfully waved when we single filed past him on that white line.. That smile on his face was sure nice to see, when I went by ... Phew.. some of those guys just don't take kindly to the white line thing.. The good companions that ride with me Saturday split off and headed for their cribs while I nailed it up loop 12 to La Casa.. We waved each other off and I made it to the house about 11:00.. Helluva day .. Take care.. Bill Walker Irving
