Vernon, TX - Shreveport, LA Motorcycling

Heading to I-20 eastbound from 35W freeway in Dallas.

33. The 640 km ride between Vernon and Shreveport was highlighted by strong wind for the entire trip, hot (35 degree C) and humid weather, and the beginning of great Lousiana BBQ food.

34. We stopped in Bowie, a small cowboy town about 90 km east of Fort Worth, on Route 287 for DQ blizzard to cool down. We stopped at another DQ in Tyler, about 160 km east of Shreveport, to ward off dehydration. We spotted the DQ signs on the road and simply followed the directions in both cases. To get back to the highway, we ask the locals; quite often though the way back is self-evident. I use the GPS unit not to tell me where to go; I use it to check whether the route I planned the night before is being implemented on the road.

35. The construction at the end of Route 287 concealed the beginning of 35W freeway near Dallas. The ensuing traffic jam made the riding very uncomfortable: slow, hot, and thirsty. Luckily I already planned the route to reach the I-20 so that we didn't get lost by making a wrong exit.

36. The bad part though was the crazy-busy traffic around Dallas. There were so many trailer trucks that move at the highway speed limit of 70 miles per hour. Most truck drivers are good, but they block view, and when three or four of them are forming a convoy the traffic will definitely slow down as they choke one lane. More seriously, I counted about 10 incidents of car drivers changing lanes without giving any signs. They are concerning for motorcyclists since we're the weakest vehicles on the highway: we have no steel cages to protect us.

37. We accidentally found a great Lousiana BBQ - Dave's BBQ - in Duncanville, off the Exit 463 on I-20 eastbound. We were originally going to get Subway, but it was next door and quite inviting. We didn't make a mistake. The chicken BBQ smells very good and the baked beans is exquisite. One thing we really enjoy while in the US is the excellent sweet iced tea everywhere we go. It makes me forget how good hot coffee can be, as the iced tea is simply the best thirst quencher.

38. We learned that northern and eastern part of Texas, from Dumas to Marshall, is as flat as bread. There were not many picturesque camera shots along the way. We find more greenery as we neared Lousiana.

39. One Texan greeted me when I parked my motorcycle in front of Dave's BBQ. "Is that F800GS?", he asked. Then we had a 10-minute parking lot conversation on Kawasaki KLR650 he now owns and  his plan to replace it. At a gas station near Shreveport airport, another fellow – an airplane pilot – said he'd wish his motorcycle was a GS, not an RT. The two codes – GS and RT – refer to BMW motorcycle models, and then we had a 5-minute conversation. Motorcyclists share the same passion, and we feel we belong to a tribe. We wave hands when seeing each other on the road. We nod our heads to each other when we meet in a gas station. It's a wonderful thing.

Green trees lining the I-20 near Texas-Lousiana border.