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Summer on the Harley

March - October 2021
A 198-day adventure by Nancy Webb...Pat Bonetar Read more
  • 192footprints
  • 1countries
  • 198days
  • 1.0kphotos
  • 19videos
  • 48.4kmiles
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  • Nancy Webb...Pat BonetarSummer on the Harley
    Day 21

    Back in Emory

    April 9, 2021 in the United States ⋅ ☁️ 73 °F

    I made it to Sulphur Springs yesterday and, because I had to use the restroom when I arrived, I enjoyed a moment in the Glass Bathrooms in the town center. I've had to pee in public before, but, you know, you find a tree or car door to hide behind. No hiding necessary here. The park also has chess tables, war memorials, and large chess and checkers boards. Pretty cool place. The courthouse is a Texas historical landmark (more info: https://www.thc.texas.gov/preserve/projects-and…).

    After my morning appointment, I went back to The Barn in Emory to adjust my pack a bit, like offload my big camera that I haven't been using and scoop up my swimsuit that I forgot.

    Right now, I'm at my uncle's house across the pasture waiting for the rain to pass before heading out again. The adorable tiny Yorkshire Terrier is Dixie Rose "Rosy," who must be about 4 or 5 months old now.

    So long [for now], and thanks for all the fish! ✌️

    Day 20 mileage: 47.0 (total 4638.2)    Read more

  • Nancy Webb...Pat BonetarSummer on the Harley
    Day 22

    DFW Dealerships & BBQ

    April 10, 2021 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 55 °F

    Since I was so close, when I left my uncle's house I headed into the middle of the Dallas Fort Worth (DFW) metroplex to see my mom. On the way, I hit three HDs in the north Dallas area. I actually went inside Black Gold because the pin on my front brake lever was coming out and the kickstand seems to be going too far forward. They didn't see anything wrong with the kickstand, but fixed the pin pretty quickly and didn't charge me anything. Nice.

    The next morning I decided to hit the rest of the HDs in the area. There are only 8 🤣. My mouth started watering when I pulled into the third one, Stampede in Burleson, so I had to get me some grub at Hard Eight BBQ. Actually I've ordered a 8-ounce ribeye, baked potato, and blackberry cobbler. Heaven.

    So long [for now], and thanks for all the fish! ✌️

    Day 21 mileage: 197.3 (total 4935.5)
    HD Dealership Challenge: 6 (total 58)    Read more

  • Nancy Webb...Pat BonetarSummer on the Harley
    Day 23

    Last Day at Mom's

    April 11, 2021 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 61 °F

    I hit one more HD yesterday, then did some shopping for mom. She's had her first COVID shot, but my brother and I keep her home as much as possible.

    When I got back to the house after shopping, I again noticed the kickstand went too far forward and wasn't springing back up as well as it used to, so I headed 1.6 miles away to Texas HD. ~~~ I grew up seeing the bar & shield highway sign and always wanted a bike. But I'm a girl. Motorcycling wasn't something girls were supposed to do. ~~~ The dealership is in a fairly new building, and the city built a road just for it, Texas Way, but the original building is still there as a used bike shop. Anyway, Service said the kickstand stop is worn, but they have to replace the entire assembly and didn't have the parts. In fact, only one HD in Texas has the part in stock...in Round Rock near Austin. So, I didn't get it fixed. I'll just be careful until I get to Austin. 🤞🤞🤞

    This morning I ran for a few groceries and got my cheapest premium gas so far (except when I was forced to use low-grade a few times): $2.96 a gallon for 93 octane. AND I got 3 cents off of that for using my Kroger membership. Wow! The highest I've paid was $3.99 in the Everglades at the only gas station, but all of Florida was more than what I've seen in Texas.

    So long [for now], and thanks for all the fish! ✌️

    Day 22 mileage: something's wrong with my daily math, but the running total is correct (total 4938.2)
    HD Dealership Challenge: 1 (total 59)

    [No selfie today.]    Read more

  • Nancy Webb...Pat BonetarSummer on the Harley
    Day 24

    Heading South

    April 12, 2021 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 73 °F

    I left mom's this morning heading east to Tyler to see my uncle in the hospital and stopping at the last DFW dealership.

    Now, I've turned south, hoping to miss the storm coming up from Del Rio.

    So long [for now], and thanks for all the fish! ✌️

    Day 23 mileage: 4.7 (total 4938.2)
    HD Dealership Challenge: 1 (total 60)    Read more

  • Nancy Webb...Pat BonetarSummer on the Harley
    Day 25

    Secession, Dynamite & Longhorns

    April 13, 2021 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 77 °F

    On my way southeast towards Houston, I trusted my TomTom NOT to take me on unpaved roads. It let me down. 😱😭🤣

    The most interesting thing I saw on my way was a big billboard with a picture of an old-timey soldier brandishing a sword while standing next to a cannon with the huge word SECEDE underneath. Well, at least they spelled it correctly.

    Here's another piece of Texas history for you: Texas has the unique ability to split into five separate and equal states. Chew on that for a minute.
    More info: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/more-150…

    I spent the night in Lufkin intending to call Central Texas HD in Round Rock (north Austin) about repairing my kickstand today. Then I did a facepalm and rerouted the GPS to just take me there. So, this morning I'm riding through Davey Crockett National Forest on part of the Texas Forest Trail route. I'm stopping at the many state historical markers along the route, most about towns. The one pictured had me laughing. "It was dynamited several times"? Texas doesn't seem to do well with boundaries 😅😂🤣.

    So long [for now], and thanks for all the fish! ✌️

    Day 24 mileage: 229.7 (total 5167.9)
    HD Dealership Challenge: 1 (total 61)    Read more

  • Nancy Webb...Pat BonetarSummer on the Harley
    Day 26

    There is always room for pie

    April 14, 2021 in the United States ⋅ ☁️ 75 °F

    Yesterday, Central Texas HD was able to fix the kickstand while I waited. After that, I made it to the Motel 6, which was next door to a restaurant. I had Taco Tuesday at Torchy's! Yummy! Blackened salmon on one, grilled shrimp on another, and a side of street corn. Heaven. Plus a breakfast taco with chorizo, egg, and cheese for this morning.

    Speaking of heaven, that's where I've stopped for lunch, Must Be Heaven Sandwich Shop in Brenham. It's been a very slow day. I just couldn't get into the groove. In just 3 hours, I stopped for gas, stopped to adjust my helmet, stopped to put on the rain jacket, stopped to make my GPS miss the wet dirt roads [only partially successful], stopped to adjust my luggage rain covers, and stopped to take off the rain jacket. Ugh.

    To top it off, my check engine light came on just before noon. Uh oh. 😳

    Hopefully this afternoon will be better, but right now it's pretty good. Peach Praline pie and coffee. I'm expecting Twin Peaks' Dale Cooper to say, "Damn fine cup of coffee." 🤣

    So long [for now], and thanks for all the PIE! ✌️

    Day 25 mileage: 237.3 (total 5405.2)
    HD Dealership Challenge: 2 (total 63)
    MCGTTX Stops: 2 (total 9)    Read more

  • Nancy Webb...Pat BonetarSummer on the Harley
    1
    Day 27

    A 6.5-Hour Loop

    April 15, 2021 in the United States ⋅ ☁️ 66 °F

    So, my check engine light. After coffee and pie, I hit one more Texas Tour stop as I made my way to the closest HD, The Ranch, about 40 miles away in College Station, home of Texas A&M Aggies. They pulled the diagnostic codes off the bike and looked them up. Loss of communication with the right control module. Sounds like a NASA problem 🤣. But the code made sense because a few times I've tried to start the bike and nothing happened when I hit the button. I honestly thought it was me.

    Anyway, the only HD with the part on hand was Cowboy Alamo City in northeast San Antonio. So, off I went, back to Round Rock and then south. The larger than life COVERT sign was funny at 09:40, but not so much when I drove by it again at 16:20 with 100 miles of road left. I made it to SA before dark, and, luckily, there was a Super 8 right next door to the dealership.

    I was at the service department at 08:50 and, because they were expecting me, they pulled me straight in. I went upstairs for coffee and talked to several guys, including Miles Jones who also retired from the Air Force. We were at many of the same bases, just at different times. Super small world.

    Service couldn't duplicate the problem, so they cleared the codes, which turned off the check engine light. They didn't even charge me for their time. Although I was still nervous that there was a real problem, I took off with the understanding that if the error happened again, I'd call them. 🤞

    In the meantime, I was able to connect with a buddy I served with in both Japan and Germany. We've just had lunch at a really cool place called Wraptitude. It's so very good to see him again.

    So long [for now], and thanks for all the fish! ✌️

    Day 26 mileage: 350.1 (total 5755.3)
    HD Dealership Challenge: 2 (total 65)
    MCGTTX Stops: 1 (total 10)    Read more

  • Nancy Webb...Pat BonetarSummer on the Harley
    Day 28

    Battle Buddies & Texas Caves

    April 16, 2021 in the United States ⋅ ☁️ 66 °F

    After lunch, I had some time to kill, so I went to Natural Bridge Caverns and toured both caverns. Very beautiful...and good exercise 😁.

    Just as I finished, my buddy from Afghanistan called and I went to his house on Fort Sam Houston, where I finally met his wife. Again, it is so wonderful to catch up with friends. We stayed up until around 02:00 just talking. How awesome.

    He's on night shifts right now, so we all slept in this morning. I didn't roll until just before noon, so I'll make this footprint's location his house.

    So long [for now], and thanks for all the fish! ✌️

    Day 27 mileage: 66.8 (total 5822.1)    Read more

  • Nancy Webb...Pat BonetarSummer on the Harley
    Day 29

    Come and Take It!

    April 17, 2021 in the United States ⋅ ☁️ 61 °F

    After leaving Fort Sam Houston, I squiggled eastward to see the Gonzales County Jail, site of the first battle for Texas's independence and where our use of "Come and Take It!" originated.

    More info:https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Come_and_take_it

    Then it was on to Houston. I found a nice hotel next door to Republic HD, so I called it an early day. I decided to eat at Papadeauxs Restaurant. Holy redfish! I won't do that again. It was a great meal, but paying more for dinner than a hotel room is out of my budget.

    I left this morning with the goal of hitting the rest of the HDs around Houston. Thankfully it's Saturday, so no really heavy traffic.

    That accomplished, I went to the next stop on the Texas Tour, the Battle of San Jacinto monument. There was a paid event going on, but the parking guys let me take my selfie without having to pay the entry fee. Nice.

    More info: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_San_J…

    I'm now stopped at the USS Texas battleship docked just across the way from the plinth. Pretty cool.

    More info: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Texas_(BB-35)

    So long [for now], and thanks for all the fish! ✌️

    Day 28 mileage: 223.7 (total 6045.8)
    HD Dealership Challenge: 6 (total 71)
    MCGTTX Stops: 2 (total 12)    Read more

  • Nancy Webb...Pat BonetarSummer on the Harley
    Day 30

    Crude, Corn, Cattle...& Camels?

    April 18, 2021 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 59 °F

    After San Jacinto, I continued south then west to two more Tour stops (anchor and boat). I stopped for the night at a hotel with a bath tub because today has been the third (fourth? fifth? 😩) day in a row of cloudy, sprinkly, and chilly weather. I'm cold, damp, and tired.

    A hot soak was just what I needed. Although today is the same weather, at least I feel warmer. I've continued to hug the Gulf Coast, stopping in Indianola to see the LaSalle monument Tour stop, where I stumbled across another odd piece of Texas history concerning camels 🐪. What?!

    Ever since leaving Houston, all the landscape I've seen has been either crude, corn, or cate. The oil refineries are so massive that they look like small cities poking up above the horizon. The corn is rarely above two feet tall and doesn't appear to have taken any damage from the February freeze. The cows are surrounded by calves, from days or even hours old to almost weaned. The land is very flat except where bridges rise over the bayous and bays to allow boats to pass beneath, but it is quite beautiful nonetheless. At one point, I felt as if I was underwater. The clouds were constant and gently striated, as if I were looking up at the surface of the ocean just after waves broke overhead.

    So long [for now], and thanks for all the 🐫! ✌️

    Day 29 mileage: 280.8 (total 6326.6)
    HD Dealership Challenge: 1 (total 72)
    MCGTTX Stops: 3 (total 15)    Read more

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