de Tocqueville Tour

The day started out reasonably cool with light clouds and minimal wind. Leaving Uvalde we headed west on US-90 to Del Rio. US-90. Like US-2 it is a major east-west artery, but differs in that, while US-2 is the northern most route, US-90 is the southernmost. It begins in Jacksonville Beach Florida and runs 2628 km west to Van Horn Texas.

Light traffic and high posted speeds led to a rapid traverse to Del Rio, after which the terrain and road both became more interesting. Crossing the Amistad Reservoir we had to make a short stop at a Border Control point. This was not a border crossing point; rather it appeared to be a control point along US-90 to monitor movements along that stretch of the US-Mexican border. We simply declared our Canadian citizenship and were ushered through.

Train Bridges

From there wound through sandstone hills, with great views on each corner. The canyon cut by the Pecos river was particularly stunning. The road ran close to the meandering Rio Grande at points, offering a few fleeting views of the canyon formed by the river. It was a great stretch of road. Some windfarms were located just south of the road; so it was not a surprise to see to see several wide load transports moving blades for new wind generators on the road.

The road straightened through Dryden, but then started to get curvy again as we entered Sanderson Canyon. Stopping to fuel in Sanderson itself, we met a local resident – a tarantula resting on the window at the Stripes Service Station.

A quick jaunt down to Marathon and we stopped for a coffee break at the V6 Coffee Bar- a reference to a local ranch (who’s ownership included the coffee shop) and not to an automotive engine.

The approach to Alpine revealed a series of peaks and hills on the horizon; a suitable name given the backdrop for our destination today. We arrived at the hotel avoiding rain

Our trip thus far has been ‘rain free’, that it we haven’t encountered any rain while on the road. Not that there hasn’t been any rain around us. Severe thunderstorms hit Austin overnight but had dissipated by the time we started out. Slight cloud cover and relatively cool low 20’s temperatures greeted us.

Travelling west on 290 we headed towards Johnson City, where we found a motorcycle museum that would have been worth a quick visit (if it were open). The town also had some unusual retail establishments.

Continuing on to Fredericksburg, and then on to Kerrville, we drove by dozens of small wineries. We’d been through wine country previously (in Washington State and Napa Valley in California) where the vineyards cover everything in sight. Not so in Texas. There were only a few vineyards visible from the road – most of the time it was Texas scrub brush along the roadside. Perhaps it is a sign of a viniculture in it’s early stages. There were also several ranches with elaborate entrances.

West of Kerrville we took 16 to Medina. This stretch of road is one of the top rated motorcycle roads in Texas. It has some very twisty sections and some unexpected tight turns. It is marked with some ‘sobering signage’ to remind motorcyclists that it is a road to be respected.

The jaunt to Medina set us up perfectly to tackle the ‘Twisted Sisters’ – Farm Roads 335, 336 and 337 – collectively the best loop of roads in Texas. We tackled 337 first, and then swung onto 336 at Leakey and then back around on 336 south. Great roads throughout. 336 was twisty, 335 was like a roller coaster and 337 had both elements. The route gave us a great view of Texas ‘Hill Country’.

After leaving 335 we continued on Hwy 55 to Uvalde, arriving mid-afternoon. A quick fuel stop and we made it over to Robb Elementary School, the scene of the tragic shooting of school children that took place in May 2022. It was a sad scene, with the school effectively closed up and a well tended shrine to honor and remember the victims. Driving in town there were many ‘Uvalde strong’ stickers. It is an event that will be long remembered in this town.

Sunday was a great day to visit the State Capitol in Austin. The weather was warm but not oppressive. There were several visitors, taking pictures with recognizable backdrops. The building was stately, the grounds beautiful and welcoming – and the Capitol police were present in good numbers and well armed with assault rifles to deal with any immanent insurrections.

Signage regarding concealed carry visitors were again in evidence much like we had seen at previous capitols on our trip. Not a big deal.

The Capitol police were quite sociable, and were a touch amazed that we would travel all the way from Canada to visit on motorcycles. Not a lot of motorcycle tourists in Texas I suppose. One of the troopers was planning to visit Banff in the next few weeks so we bestowed what modest suggestions we could muster as to highlights to visit while there. In the end he seemed most concerned about how cold it might be and to ensure he had the right clothes.

The Texas legislature session was closed (and it would be otherwise quiet on a Sunday). The house was open for visitors, but the Senate chambers were closed. One thing for sure is that headwear is not tolerated. Upon entering the House chambers we were instructed by a local intern to remove our hats.

A stroll around the grounds revealed many furry denizens for whom the trees and foliage provide them a home.

The Capitol gift shop was closed while were there, so we took a short trip to the nearby Bullock Texas State History Museum to purchase a seal or decal as a momento of our visit. We parked within view of the infamous tower at the University of Texas – Austin where the infamous tower shootings took place in July 1966. On that sad and tragic day 14 people were killed and 31 people wounded by the assailant. An event that was a grim predictor of numerous violent shootings since then.

There is this great scene from “Good Morning Vietnam” where Robin Williams describes a hot day in Viet Nam. His monologue would be an apt description of today’s weather as we travelled from Winnie to Austin. The signs early on were not promising in that the morning news show from Houston said that today was already a record ‘hot day’. It was not clear whether the high today (in the mid 30’s) was the hottest June 3 on record or whether it was the hottest day in Houston thus far this year. Either way, it was hot.

The roads were otherwise non-descript. Straight pavement between A and B for the most part. In planning the route there was an attempt to build in some ‘motorcycle roads’ based on internet information, however the selections proved to be underwhelming.

Leaving Winnie we followed I-10 west to TX-61 and then looped around Turtle Bayou and then north on TX-583 which was a pleasant ride, with tree cover providing good shade against the sun pouring in from the east. The pleasant ride ended at Liberty where we picked up TX-146 to Moss Hill. This was a faster, straighter route without protective cover, so the growing heat of the day started to penetrate.

The roads did not improve much as we looped through Cleveland, Shepherd and Cold Spring on our way to Conroe. Only the short section into Conroe was to our taste. Doing it again we would likely spend more time on the network of FM or ‘Farm’ Roads in the area.

Heading west on TX-105 we stopped at a Starbucks by a marina on Lake Conroe, and then topped off our fuel at the adjacent Shell station. After that it was just endless super slab under the relentless Texas sun.

At Brenham we popped onto TX-290 and then TX-237 where there was a nice stretch of road through Round Top. There were some really funky businesses in this quaint little town. If not for the need to maintain airflow we might have been tempted to stop.

Just north of La Grange we stopped for a quick break before our final push to Austin. While there we were approached by a young Hispanic boy. With earplugs in it wasn’t at first clear what he was on about, and then he clarified that he was offering ‘Tamales’ for sale. Tempting as that was we refrained and saved our appetite for dinner. We arrived in Austin well ahead of the massive thunderstorm system moving into the area later in the evening.

An early start and we were quickly heading southeast from Baton Rouge along I-10 before picking up LA-70 to Donaldsonville. The loop into this quaint town passed by the Convent Refinery, the first of many refining and processing plants we would see on our route.

In Donaldsonville we stopped briefly at Ascension Catholic Church, which was founded in 1772, four years before the war of Independence started. There were several catholic institutions evident throughout Louisiana, no doubt a legacy of the original French Catholics that settled the area.

Picking up LA-70 we made good time winding down to Morgan City where we picked up LA-90 west. Along this stretch we noticed some new forms of ‘road kill’. The racoons that we encountered further north were replaced by other species. We’d seen several turtles, some actually risking a venture across the road. Also armadillos. Today, though we saw several alligators as well. Not terribly large, but surprising all the same. And finally, we nearly crushed a snake slithering across the pavement. Not sure if it was an asp, but you never know!

After Perry the roadside structures were increasingly elevated on stilts as we moved closer to the gulf coast. Not doubt a protection against storms surge from hurricanes (although there were examples where this didn’t succeed. Public structures reflected this design approach – first time we saw a high school on stilts.

At Cameron we had to stop for the ferry. A local informed us that it had been broken down for four hours and was being serviced by a mechanic. This would have required looping around via I-10 which would add an hour to our ride, however just as we were considering the detour, the horn blared indicating it was back in service.

A half hour later we were on the other side and on our way. Just west of the ferry was Holly Beach, a resort type of community right by the beach.. Everything was up on stilts.

Continuing on we had a nice stretch of 5 km or so of running just off the beach, before the road tilted inland on our route to Port Arthur. Just before crossing into Texas we passed by the massive Sabine Pass LNG plant.

Following TX-82 we rode through the heart of West Port Arthur,. passing between the Valero and Motiva refineries. Plants were spread out as far as the eye can see. A quick blast along TX-73 and we arrived at Winnie for the night.

Today’s ride included visits to two capitols – the Mississippi statehouse in Jackson and the Louisiana statehouse in Baton Rouge. The former is a conventional building, completed in 1903 in the Beaux Arts Style with Indiana limestone on the exterior. The latter departs from tradition in that it’s central feature is an office tower rather than a Rotunda.

The house chambers were also different, as were the legislative sessions in each Capitol. The Mississippi house had adjourned for the year, whereas the Louisiana legislature was stil in session.

The interiors differed in that Jackson has an open central section beneath the rotunda that links the house, senate and governor’s office on several levels. The Baton Rouge interior is one tall hall, under the office tower.

The office tower, which replaces the conventional rotunda, makes the Baton Rouge capitol the tallest state capitol in the nation.

In terms of the active business of each house, the Mississippi legislature had some unusual items to deal with. One had to do with the use of state/ capitol police to supplement the city police force in Jackson. Another recent controversy involved replacement/ update to the Mississippi flag. At the Baton Rouge Legislature there was lots of activity underway. We noted a lobby effort bringing attention to STEM opportunities for young women.

The grounds in front of the Louisiana statehouse of extensive and well maintained. During our visit there was a field of American Flags placed in front – for reasons we did not discover. The views from the viewers gallery on the 27th floor were fantastic. Leaving us with a fine ending to another busy day of Capitol hopping.

The day started with a visit to the Mississippi State Capitol in Jackson. From there we made our way towards Baton Rouge with a start along a section of the the Natchez Trace Parkway. The Parkway is a 444-mile recreational road and scenic drive through three states. It roughly follows the “Old Natchez Trace” a historic travel corridor used by American Indians, “Kaintucks,” European settlers, slave traders, soldiers, and future presidents.

The Parkway was a pleasant drive, with perfect tarmac, no traffic and a constant canopy of trees overhead to shield us from the heat of the sun (much appreciated as it was low 30’s all day). Imagine a road running through Lothlorien in Middle Earth, except with wind noise instead of elvish choral music.

Stopping in Natchez we grabbed a coffee at the Nanchez Coffee Shop, a busy local diner with a multi-linqual loo. In a discussion with our waitress, we learned that US-61 – our original route to Baton Rouge – was NOT a nice motorcycle experience. So we checked a route on the Louisiana Side that looked more promising and went with that.

We crossed the Mississippi on the I-425 to Vidalia and headed south on LA-131 and LA-15. Along this route we noticed farm lands and then large levees including the Old River Control Structure which regulates the flow of water from the Mississippi into the Atchafalaya River, thereby preventing the Mississippi River from changing course.

Joining LA-1 we continued on to Oscar, a small community along the False River where there were numerous beautiful riverfront homes.

Picking up Hwy 190 and I-10 we eventually arrived at the Louisiana State Capitol for a quick visit before heading to our hotel.

The F750GS has been struggling of late each morning before we set out on our trip. The battery doesn’t have enough juice to start the bike, so each morning for the past few days we ‘bump started’ the bike. No problem. After this initial ‘push’, the bike was fine for the rest of the day. (e.g. each time it was stopped for fueling it turned over). However THIS morning not so lucky. After several ‘bump starts’ it was necessary to pull out the emergency charger. After being connected for some time we got it started, and went in search of a motorcycle dealership to get a new battery.

We were successful at Doug Reynolds Suzuki. With new battery on board we hit the road around 10 am. Starting out on I-40 east we dodged an endless number of FedEx trucks heading towards their main hub in Memphis. We continued southeast towards Clarendon and picked up US-49 towards the Mississippi. We crossed over into Mississippi just east of Helena West Helena and made a quick stop at the Isle of Capri Casino Hotel Lula to get a photo of the bridge. We bypassed a security gate to access a good view but were quickly chased out by a security agent. So had to settle for a shot of the bridge through trees and foliage.

Continuing on to Clarksdale where we joined up with the Blues Highway, which is a route that passes through the American heartland where the Blues flourished. As this is a viewed as a famous route on par with Route 66 we hoped it would be a good motorcycle road as well.

The ‘landmarks’ along this stretch of the Blues Highway included the Ground Zero Blues Club in Clarksdale, the Highway 61 Blues Museum in Leland and the BB King Museum and Delta Interpretive Center in Indianola. These may be exciting for Blues aficionados but the roads connecting them are as long and dull as any we’ve seen on this trip. Enough to leave us more than a little ‘blue’ about the roads in Mississippi.

After a somewhat arduous ride we arrived in Clinton, in anticipation of visiting the Capitol the next day.

When planning our trip we checked the hours for the Arkansas Capitol and found that it was closed at 3:00 on weekdays (closed weekends), so we settled on a rapid visit before it closed. So our usual in depth examination wasn’t in the cards.

A quick sampling of the exterior, interior and house/ senate chambers and it was off to the gift shop for the essential decal/ sticker for the state. Unfortunately they were all sold out (but fortunately there were fridge magnets that work as well).

It is sometimes interesting to see what issues are before a legislature at a given time. The more recent Arkansas bills deal with a variety of issues. SB43 deals with “Adult Oriented Performance” (?) and HB1718 confirms gold and silver as legal tender. There are also the all too familiar bills that deal with bathrooms (HB 1156) and gender affirming care (SB199).

As is true for the other states we visited, the house and senate have adjourned for the year. Governor Sarah Huckabee is still busy however she was not on the premises at the time of our visit.

Based on a suggestion from our ‘ferry mates’ of the previous day, we adjusted our route to take in a portion of AR-23 known as the “Pit Tail Scenic Byway”. Leaving Harrison we struck westward towards Huntsville to pickup AR-23 south to Cass. True to form, this AR road proved to be just as good as the others we had been on. The tight hairpins down into Cass were reminiscent of the roads in Europe.

When the route was initially programmed, there was a loop south of Cass that would work back towards the northeast. However, instead we found the Garmin insisting we reverse adn head back to the AR-16 junction (so we had a second go at the Pig Tail – even nicer heading north) We followed AR-16 west to AR-7 (our original plan) and found the sweetest road of the day. More linked sweepers, perfect tarmac and no traffic. Turning south on AR-7 we continued on to Russellville where we grabbed I-40 to make it into Little Rock in time to visit the Capitol.

Our arrival at the Capitol was somewhat delayed as the Garmin Maps we downloaded for our trip did not yet reflect the recent changes to the Interstates around Little Rock, so when our ‘exit’ failed to appear as planned we had to exit further away and make our way back, only to find that the location (in Garmin) for the state Capitol was incorrect. No trip is complete without at least a few ‘Garmin Glitches’