BIG BEND 2009
  
 

Day 06

March 2

  
 

Since this is a 'slab day' and we've only got around 600 miles to go, we can kick back a little bit. At least it ain't 21 degrees outside! Ken piles us in his CRX and we head for beautiful downtown Coppell - pronounced Co - pel (long on the o) not Copel.

 
 
 
 

This place he is taking us for breakfast is highly recommended and several celebrities have eaten here. So today, we three 'celebrities' are gonna give the "Home of the Stubbs" a whirl.

  
 
 
 

I just order what Ken recommends and I'm sure not disappointed when it's ready. Sausage and bacon and eggs and cheese on Texas toast - might fine to me! And it tastes just as good as it looks ...

  
 
 
 

As we enjoy our Stubbs, I tell Ken -

"Well buddy, you hit it out of the park again on this one. You sure know how to pick good eatin' places."

It's just one of those local joints that you may or may not find out about unless someone takes you there. That's one of the reasons I love to travel with local folks wherever I am - they know where to go and what's good and what's not. I never cared much for Dallas, having spent quite a bit of time there in my other job but Babe's and now the Stubb has raised my opinion of the area up a notch or two!

  
 
 
 

But we still have 600 miles to go, Dallas morning traffic to deal with, and the low temps we know we will hit as we head home. We get all our stuff packed up, and as we pull out I tell Ken -

"Next year the Hill Country. Let's see how we can work it out. And always remember - the Holler Hotel is always open!"

Ken has been a more than gracious host and Andy and I both really appreciate it. And it would be great to ride with him in the Hill Country since he is familiar with it - and probably knows of some really good restaurants! We're off and out into the fray pretty soon, but it seems as if we are headed in the opposite direction of most of the traffic. Dropping back to our 'signal then move over' strategy, we make it out of town without hitch and get back on the open road.

  
 
 
  Our first gas stop is in Mount Pleasant, Texas and we make it quick. The temps are starting to chill, so we try to keep moving. We know as the sun goes down later, so will the temps.  
 
 
  For the most part, we have the slab pretty much to ourselves once we get out of the towns. It's just long and mostly straight and this kind of terrain makes the electronic cruise I have on Frost greatly appreciated.  
 
 
  The next time we need gas, it doesn't seem like there are any places we can get to from the slab. I want to fuel up before we get to Little Rock, which one mean one more fill up and we can make it home. I finally find get on the side road that parallels the interstate and we find a place that works in Benton, Arkansas.  
 
 
  The miles just click away once we hit I40, a road I could probably ride in my sleep. The bridge across the Mississippi River into Memphis is always a welcome sign to me, cause I know I'm within 200 miles of the Holler. And of course, there's that lovely Pyramid that sits in the river bottoms to greet us.  
 
 
  The temps are really starting to drop, and a sense of 'accumulated fatigue' starts to set in for both of us. We are approaching over 3,000 miles on this trip of six days. Once we are out of Memphis and with a 'tankful' of home, I pull over at the same Cracker Barrel that we ate breakfast on the way out. The fire in the fireplace once again feels really good as we ponder the ride home.  
 
 
 

While we are waiting for our food, Andy calls his lovely wife, Faye, to check on what the weather will be as we get into Nashville. There is still plenty of snow laying on the ground around here but fortunately the roads are clear. Turns out the lows are supposed to hit 18 tonight which means a really cold ride for the last 180 miles or so. Over our meal Andy and I talk about our options -

"Well, I really got cold as we came across Arkansas with that north wind hitting us."

"Yep" I tell him "I almost stopped and put on my heated pants, but I figured we'd be stopping soon."

I have the distinct advantage of having heating pants and heated socks as well as a heated jacket and heated gloves. Andy only has a heated jacket and heated gloves. Given the situation, he decides that his best option is to grab a motel across the way and wait until it warms up tomorrow.

"Well Andy, discretion is the better part of valor. And you know what makes sense for you. My big concern is hitting a patch of black ice in the dark so I'll have to be extra careful."

I've seen too many cases of where riders decide to rush on and end up in deep trouble when hypothermia sets in. I'll hate to make the last leg in the dark by myself, but I appreciate his wisdom in making the right choice for him. After we finished up our grub, we head back out to the bikes. One thing I hate about putting on the heated socks is I have to pull my boots off in the cold! But I get all suited up and wired up and I'm ready to go.

"Reckon I'll see you later" I tell him. "You can just bring the stuff back when we do your rear tire - which you're gonna need pretty soon."

We both laugh, and he heads for the motel and I head back to the slab. I've got the heat up at full tilt and the heated grips cooking but I can feel the wind on this one little spot on the back of neck. Without making a stop, there's no way to 'fix it', so I just motor on, counting down the miles to the Holler. With the persistent cold, I'm glad when exit 196 turns up though the heated gear is doing its job very well. It's a short run past our new church building then home. Once again I've enjoyed the road with good friends and have created some more good memories. But it will be nice to fall asleep in my own bed, under my own roof - and I do.