South of the Border

No one would ever suggest that a trip across Texas during the month of
August would be anything other than HOT.. That was exactly the case when we
left Irving on the third of this month..

For some reason, the heat was bearable, the traffic on IH-35 seemed to run
smoothly, but for some reason.. it took almost four hours to run to Austin..
Maybe the late start had something to do with it..

IceMan and his wife, IceLady were waiting for us in Austin.. along with the
Superfly Silverman.. We took a much needed break and had a good visit at
Dorsett's Truck Stop restaurant.. Even though we were running over two hours
late, they had perservered in that hot parking lot.. Now.. that's what I
call dedication.. Jailcall couldn't make it, but he sent his regards and we
appreciated that.. Seems like those guys over there can't operate without
benefit of his presence..

The run on across the border was uneventful, even boring.. That truck
traffic is fearsome on both sides of the line.. After clearing Customs, the
trip on down to Saltillo went smooth..

A couple of mexican bikers decided to ride for a ways, and being local, they
knew the city well.. Their company was appreciated and we made it through
the many construction sites without event..

About sixty miles south of Saltillo, the skies began to get dark and
ominous.. Just as we commenced climbing into the foothills of the mountains,
lightning commenced and the late afternoon, the light show was spectacular..
When the rain started, it poured.. A mixture of sleet and rain drove across
the highway with vengeance..

South of Zacatecas, the rain became steady and strong and those mountains
were dark as pitch.. Some of the electric grids went down and many of the
small towns were without lights and that meant that gasolene wasn't
available.. Not a good place to run out of gas, you can be sure.. At one
point, just south of Jalpa, one of the guys in a Pemex station tried to talk
me out of continueing to Guadalajara.. Failing to do this, he siphoned some
gasolene from his pickup and filled my tank..

Reaching the edge of Guadalajara, and civilization, I met a couple of police
officers at another Pemex station.. The streets inside the city were flooded
and there was zero visibility.. Those officers escorted me almost to my
destination.. After six or seven hours of riding in that driving rain, I was
soaked to the skin and both boots were full of water..

The rain stopped sometime during the night and next morning, Thursday was
bright and sunny.. The family was preparing the quincinera for my neice on
Friday.. There was massive amounts of food and the excitement for that
little girl's birthday was apparent to everyone.. Sometime during the day, a
couple of the bikers dropped by and invited me to run with them to a nearby
town where an equivalent to a rally was taking place.. They do "those
things" down in Mexico, also.. We arranged to make the trip on Saturday..

The mass for my neice was spectacular and beautiful and the party afterwards
was a raving success.. Mariachis serenaded my neice and her escorts until
the wee hours, while the rest of us ate, drank and danced..

Saturday morning, we left Guadalajara with my biker friends to go to
Chapala, furthur up into the mountains.. Three of us left Guadalajara
together, with my neice, two up behind me.. By the time we cleared the city,
several other bikers joined us and we were quite impressive as we wound our
way through the countryside.. In Chapala, about 150 bikers were gathered at
a lakeside restaurant and my friends introduced everyone..

Motorcycle enthusiasts in Mexico are somewhat different than all of us in
the U.S. The motorcycles are not recognizeable as to models or makes.. Most
consist of parts that are salvaged and put together by the biker himself..
Not much chrome is evident, but the paint jobs are spectacular.. You better
believe those things will run.. Few are over 650 cc's, although you see a
couple of older Goldwings, occasionally..

Some of the pueblas, or small towns test the skills of any biker, just
passing through.. Most of the streets are constucted with irregular pavers
and they will throw you in a heartbeat.. Barely wide enough for one full
sized vehicle, they wind through the little town and are slick as snot when
wet..

We spent the day, riding with men whose names were an adventure, in
themselves.. "El Negrine".. "Dante". "Enoch".. and "Cascobel" were the most
notable.. Those guys may have been the best bike handlers I have ever ridden
with.. These dark and talented men are some of the most creative bikers,
imagineable.. Their machines are reflections of their own personalities and
wouldn't win a show in the U.S., unless of course, we judged them on the
paint and artistry, as well as performance..

The trip back to Texas was uneventful, except, of course.. that rain again..
Seems like those mountains between Zacatecas and Saltillo were having their
rainy season and it came down every day.. I came through Austin about
midnight and blasted straight through.. Sorry IceMan.. I know better than to
try and call you after nine PM.. LOL.. Next time.. ol' buddy..

Your friend in Irving
Bill Walker

 

Hey buddy! Glad to have you back safe and sound! From the read, it
appears that you had a really good run, and a really good time. I
wish I could say the same, here, but it will come in time.

You are fortunate that you hooked up with some nice folks along the
way as it sounds like your trip could have been a lot worse.

I just got back from Chicago, where the high was about 63, and I am
heading out to Cali tomorrow. :-(

No rest for the wicked....or the lame.

Take care!


--Fullstate

Me and Mah 'Priller!

 

You bet it will.. We gotta get you back on both your feet..(and that
"eyetaliano monster") you ride..

Hey yeah.. Couldn't ask for "nicer".. Like I told you before.. "the last
frontier for bikers"..

Good luck on your trip..

Yep.. I know the feeling..

You do the same, pard.. Take care of that old leg.. and give me a holler
when you get back.. OK..

Your friend in Irving
Bill Walker

 

Grateful to have you back, man. I am sure you had a great trip. I'm a bit
jealous.
When are you going next?
Want to go to Panama? I need to start working on getting there, myself.

"Wakko" Waco Glenn NTXNS TOMKAT
'03 FLSTSI - "BlingBling" (The rare pigs reign)
http://www.heritagespringer.com
CRABB MAMBM

 

Welcome back Bill, a cool wave came in two days ago or it would have been
just as hot as when you left. I put on a jacket wednesday for a ride to
work for the first time in months.

I had no idea that sleet even exists in mexico. Guess that is from sticking
near to the border. What was the altitude up there, the highest point you
crossed?

flooded

I noticed last month that the pemex in juarez had uniformed police, it would
appear that is the rule, not the exception in mexico.

This sounds like a hell of a trip with a couple of runs as well.

Mexicans definately know how to celebrate with weddings and quincinera at
the top.

I have never cared for chome, unlike most other bikers the name harley or
seeing a v-twin with chrome does nothing for me. One of the first bikes I
owned had decals instead of paint as kawasaki wanted to make a few more
bucks and did away with the paint. I watch that american chopper programs
and have seen tanks, fenders with really creative painting. It amazes me no
end the amount of detail work it takes to do a really good paint job.

 

I guess those hurricanes down in the gulf has something to do with it.. huh
? Yeah.. I wore long sleeves from the time I hit the rain in Mexico until I
pretty well got home.. Kinda nice, really.. for this time of year..

You know.. I did see some signs that told us the altitude, but damned if I
remember the highest point.. Let me say this, those mountains in that
country are HIGH..

I've heard a lot of stories about the abuses of the mexican police, but
truthfully, they have never been anything but very nice to me.. Those cops
in Guadalajara knew that I might have problems with visibility and flooding,
so they graciously escorted me in the two police cruisers until they were
sure that I would be safe.. Much appreciated because I was really tired..
almost hammered..

We rode every day that I was in Guadalajara..

They surely do that.. Guests.. family and friends were in town from all over
the country..

I must admit that I do like to see a sharp cruiser with nice chrome and
detailing..

One of the first bikes I

Those guys down there have several motorcycles (one had four) in his house..
They were in various stages of fabrication and/or paint.. Identification of
those bikes is very difficult.. Most are assembled from salvaged parts from
various years and models.. Part Harley.. Honda.. and other Japanese models..
mixed up on one bike, no less.. LOL.. Interesting to see how creative those
guys are when they are building their bkes..

 

No need to be jealous.. You and I will be making one of these trips, I
expect.. LOL..

No plans, as yet.. We will plan the next one a little in advance..

I'm not so sure I'd like to go to Panama.. The political situations in
countries surrounding Mexico is volatile.. The instability of their
governments makes me very uneasy.. We can take a look at it, though.. That's
one hell of a ride for an "old timer" like me..

 

You can well believe that I was a bit worried about me, more than a few
times during that ride.. Man.. that weather in those mountains was
fearsome..LOL.. Hey.. sure am sorry I missed you guys when I came back
through, but I know how you treasure your "nap time".. <chuckle> That's
about how I feel about mine.. hmmmm.. maybe not quite.. but close..

I'd sure enjoy getting those pictures.. We gotta start taking more of
those.. Give all the good guys my best regards... all the rest.. wwweeelllll
... you get the idea... Let's plan to get together again real soon.. Next
time, Jailcall has to get some time off and ol' Superfly better change the
color on that "hornet" of his, if he's gonna keep up.. LOL.. I do like
yellow..

Your friend in Irving
Bill Walker

 

scrolled gru qui pursuit realize government terayon adding weeding pull

 

We are talking massive "confusion".. Who knows ? LOL

 

OOOwwww.... I just picked her up from the airport.. Thank goodness it is a
little bit too dark for her to see what I did to those puppies... Yikes...
she's gonna take a FIT.. Maybe I can get her to work in the morning without
her noticing.. LOL... One more day "reprieve"...

Your friend in Irving
Bill Walker

 

Yes! Enquiring minds want to know.

 

Speaking of the weather in the mountains, I am curious to know if you
did the whole thing where you wrapped yourself in cellophane and
mayonnaise to stay dry and warm?

LOL


--Fullstate

Me and Mah 'Priller!