This trip was 470 miles round trip. If I was to do it again, I wouldn't have done it in the fall so here goes..


Checking the weather.

8:00 am December 24th, 2006. The forecasts from 5 different sources said rain and clearing for Waco and Austin after 12 noon, highs 50 degrees.I figured I was good to go. I put on my thermo underwear and heavy flannel shirt and thought I was good to go. Packed up all the toys in a sport bag and essentials and strapped them to the back of my bike. I put on my leather jacket and my insulated gloves and was good to go.

Time to leave.

9:00am I got everything together and rode off. The weather was nice, but cloudy. 20 miles south of home I felt like biker bliss. Not a care in the world.


Rain?


I started to get some light rain in Desoto. 30 miles south of my original starting point. I pulled into a Firestone to take a break and hoped the rain would clear up. I decided to get a plastic cover for my bag. It would prove later to be a damn good idea.lol. The rain let up alittle and I decided to press on.

Houston. We have a problem.


Between Dallas and Waco, the rain gotten worse. I had to pull over and found a abandoned gas station to pull into to figure out what I was going to do next. As I pulled in, I got stuck in a 2 by 15 foot trench. Don't ask how it happened. My gloves were starting to get wet, my pants were wet from the knee down and my boots started to get wet from the inside. Do I go back? I figured, What the hell? I made it this far.. I got my act together and pressed on.


Waco.


Finally got to Waco. The halfway point. It rained the whole way!! I wound up at a MacDonalds. I was soaked by then. My Jacket must have weighed 50 pounds and I was shivering like a wet dog! I took the jacket off and had a hard time getting my credit card out because I was shaking soo bad! It took me 30 minutes to thaw my hands out running them under hot water in the bathroom. I left filled up and went on..


Temple.


I finally made it ouside of Temple. It's half way between Austin and Waco. Rain has gotten worse. I had to pull over because I couldn't feel my hands. I pulled into a truck stop. By then I was soaked. I talked to a lady there and told me that their was some stuuf in the back. At that point I threw out my gloves and bought some work gloves and some heavy rubber gloves to cover them. I proceeded to Austin. My boots were filled of water and all of my clothes were soaked. The map I had was destroyed and I put my wallet and smokes into a plastic bag. The Harley performed awesome thoughout this entire ordeal!


Over shot my mark!

I missed my exit by 20 miles! I pulled into a HEB food store in Hancho. I couldn't ride anymore. I was exhausted and cold. I called my brother, and didn't have a clue were I was at. I asked the people there where 290 was and they had no idea. I walked around the store and finally found a place to sit down. I was shivering and couldn't stop! The people there asked if I needed help. I told them I would be fine in a few minutes. One person told me a Walmart was behind the store. I almost went there to buy new clothes, but decided to go on. I finally made it. Must have been about 2:30. Will never take a long trip in the fall ever!!

 

Wow, what memories! Thanks for sharing your ordeal. Glad to hear you made it. At least your fuel mileage should have been good!

 

Don't give up on the fall for long trips. Look at this trip as a learning experience. Now you know how to prepare for your next fall trip. Proper clothing and rain gear would have made that trip more enjoyable. You didn't say if you made the round trip in one day or spend the night. If you spent the night, how was the trip back? Did you have a good visit with your brother?

 

Twenty bucks round trip. Had a great stay. The ride back was pretty cold until I got back to Waco. By then, it went well. Going from there to Dallas was pretty good. I plan on doing many trips this spring. I rode my bike this morning to work, 40 degrees and loved it!

I won't do anymore rain trips. I don't ride at 32 degrees or under. Other than that, everything else is cool.

 

Like Joe said, "a learning experience trip." Certainly a set of leather chaps would have helped but in this instance some good foul-weather gear would have made a big difference, well worth the cost for trips this time of the year.

Glad you posted the report and had a good time in spite of the lousy (typical) Texas weather.

Ride on........

Ron

 

I've been there! Both with proper gear and also without proper gear. Makes a world of difference. Here you have an experience that will stay in your mind forever, which is o.k. With proper equipment it would have just been another enjoyable ride.

 

Hey Dallastx,
Glad to see you made it..probably is going to be your most memorable trip. Notice the sig pic...in the bags is a set of HD rain gear whichkeeps me reasonably dry and also is great for blocking cold wind.
It's easier to stay dry than to get dry......of course you know that now.

Olesalt

 

Glad you made a safe return. I agree, this was a good learning experience. I also agree....I DON'T RIDE IN THE RAIN!!! Except of course when I get caught in a "10% change of a scattered shower." They somehow always seem to be scattered in 100% of where I'm riding.

 

Nothing more miserable than riding in a cold rain....

I don't enjoy it, but many times myself and the guys I ride with have to spend a lot of time on the road, in miserable conditions.

Good rain gear makes all the difference in the world, both in the summer and in the colder winter months. But do yourself a favor and get a two piece suit that breathes, or you will be hot, sweaty, and miserable wearing it during warmer weather. You also want to get something that is 'packable' and doesn't take up much room.

Quite a few people I know carry a set of the Frogg Togg suits, and they are good for the price (around $45). They fit pretty good, but don't have the stirrups (sp) on the bottom of the legs. This could cause them to raise up too high, causing water to get in the tops of your boots. They also don't have the exhaust heat shield in the leg, but many guys just put a couple layers of duct tape on the bottom area of the leg to solve that problem. But if you only get caught in the rain from time to time the Frogg Togg's are a good deal.

On longer trips (or if I know it is going to rain) I carry the Harley Canal Street two piece suit. It fits better than the Frogg Toggs (doesn't balloon out as much at higher speeds), has exhaust heat shields built into the legs, and also has stirrups on each leg to keep them from riding up when using forward pegs, etc.

The Canal Street rain gear is a little more expensive (around $100), but will pay for itself the first time you have to ride a few hours in conditions like you experienced. LoL....

 

Man I've been there. A trip from San Antonio to Longview. It started raining just north of Austin. I was at a dead stop in traffic on I35 in Round Rock, no shelter , overpasses, nothing. Found a Wal-Mart got a cheap rain suite that was shredded within 50 miles. It rained all the way to Longview. Within a week of this trip a guy came up to me and said "nice bike, want to sell it" I did. Didn't get back on one for nearly 20 years. I've come to regret that. I wish I had just bought a good rain suit.