Longview, TX - Childress, TX Motorcycling

Motorcycle convoy can be joyful and stressful.

55. As soon as we rode back along I-20 westbound toward Dallas from our overnight stay in Longview, we were accompanied by 5 riders who rode together as a convoy. Group riding makes one feel better and safer. Up to a point, I find. Six of us formed a staggered riding position, and their ride leader decided most of the time to stay in the left lane. There were always trailer trucks on the right lane, and our average speed was above the 75 miles/hour limit. Occupying the left lane for a 10-minute stretch at a time for a 6-motorcycle convoy wasn't a good idea in the end for me; there were several cars and SUVs that moved faster than ours and weren't patient with us occupying the left lane. So I decided to break off from the convoy and slowed down.

56. Entering Dallas, I decided to take Highway 635 northbound and then 35E northbound to skirt the traffic congestion around the 35W and 287 connection near Fort Worth. We rode all the way to Denton on 35E, which was about 80 km along the route, and had to contend with continuous construction for that distance. It was quite stressful since I had to watch for road bumps and cracks, in addition to heavy Fourth of July weekend traffic. The opposite directions, all toward Dallas downtown, had much worse traffic congestions though.

57. One thing we learned in our long-haul riding is to not overeat during lunch. We stopped for gasoline and lunch in Denton. We ordered one plate of chinese food and shared it together. We bring a thermos filled with steamed rice. After lunch, we continued on Route 380 westbound and joined Route 287 northbound in Decatur. I stopped to have a half-hour nap in a rest area south of Bowie; I think the drowsiness came from a combination of the 39 degree C temperature and the lunch. It was a scorching hot riding day! We also stopped for rest room in a Walmart near Bowie. It gave us a chance to drink a lot of water before continuing riding.

58. I felt better after the nap in the rest area and replenishing the sweat that filled my jacket. We passed through Wichita Falls, Vernon, and finally stopped for rest in Childress. Wichita Falls has rather confusing highway exit connections since they curve several times inside the city. This can be challenging in a busy traffic. We stopped in Vernon for rest room again and refueling. We toyed with the idea of riding all the way to Amarillo, which was another 190 km from Childress. But our better judgment decided that it would be safe to stop in Childress. It was a good decision. We covered about 610 km between Longview and Childress on Friday, July 1.

59. Motorcycling brings conversation with strangers on the road. In Vernon, we had a great conversation with a Texan wrangler who showed us photos of Monument Valley and Mesa Verde. In Childress, one guy approached to tell me he brings a Ducati Monster on a trailer to Colorado to ride in the mountain. Especially, when they see our Alberta license plate and then think that we're crazy to ride all the way from Calgary to New Orleans.

Dallas traffic - or any big city traffic - is stressful for a guy who just wants to pass through.