Big Bend State Park

[FJRMGM]

Tim Wilkin and I met up with Buzz and Steve and rode out from Houston to Alpine Tx to use as our base camp for riding Big Bend State Park and around the Ft Davis area. We stayed at the Sunday House Inn in Alpine and it was a decent motel.

The total distance out and back was 1985 miles.. We rode some of the best routes in Texas on this one because we came back through the hill country west of Kerrville Tx.

this link will take you to a Photobucket slide show of our pictures. Use the "Full Screen" option in the lower right of the screen.

Enjoy this magnificent splendor. If you have never been out there, these pictures don't begin to show what it really looks like.

The first morning we were in Alpine the humidity was seven percent.

Please note the dates on the pics are wrong because some idiot set the date wrong in the camera.

We were there on March 30 - April 4th 2011.

slide show of Big Bend trip

here are Tim's pics - the first couple of pics with wooded hills are in the Hill Country west of Bandera Tx.

more Big Bend pics

 

[ktown]

Great slide show-going to have to make that trip sometime. How were the temps? Looks like just right by the gear?

 

[TWILKIN650]

Great slide show-going to have to make that trip sometime. How were the temps? Looks like just right by the gear?

Lows were in the low to mid 50's, the bulk of the riding in the Ft. Davis area was in the 70's to low 90's and on the river around 101-103. Humidity was low, so that took some of the bite out of the high temps. Mesh gear with a light liner in the morning worked fine. LD Comfort shorts under mesh in the afternoon. It would be tough in mid-summer.

 

[FJRMGM]

the temps for the most part were good. Just Saturday down by the Rio Grande it was hot - 103 at 4:30 pm.

The best time to go to that area is either late November or anytime from mid-February to end of March.

It will start to get hot out there now so if you are going - git there soon!!

Make the trip and you will be like me - can't wait to get back out there.

 

[ktown]

the temps for the most part were good. Just Saturday down by the Rio Grande it was hot - 103 at 4:30 pm.

The best time to go to that area is either late November or anytime from mid-February to end of March.

It will start to get hot out there now so if you are going - git there soon!!

Make the trip and you will be like me - can't wait to get back out there.

Thanks for the info I will keep in mind for a early spring trip. I ordered some of those LD shorts and a long sleeve shirt just this week. How do those compare to anything else for heat and comfort?

 

[TWILKIN650]

the temps for the most part were good. Just Saturday down by the Rio Grande it was hot - 103 at 4:30 pm.

The best time to go to that area is either late November or anytime from mid-February to end of March.

It will start to get hot out there now so if you are going - git there soon!!

Make the trip and you will be like me - can't wait to get back out there.

Thanks for the info I will keep in mind for a early spring trip. I ordered some of those LD shorts and a long sleeve shirt just this week. How do those compare to anything else for heat and comfort?

Before I had the LD Comfort shorts, I used bicycle shorts, UnderArmor, various other wicking shorts, but the LD's are the best I've found. MGMFJR ordered a second pair just for this trip....

LD Comfort shorts + Russell Day Long = supreme riding experience. The LD Iron Butt guys are dead right on this one...

 

[FJRMGM]

those LD Comfort under shorts are just the ticket for all day riding in hot weather.

I had been looking for a pair of extra thick shorts to wear under my Olympia Airglide pants and this was EXACTLY what I needed.

As Tim said, I liked the first pair so well I ordered another pair before this trip.

 

[BwanaDik]

those LD Comfort under shorts are just the ticket for all day riding in hot weather.

I had been looking for a pair of extra thick shorts to wear under my Olympia Airglide pants and this was EXACTLY what I needed.

As Tim said, I liked the first pair so well I ordered another pair before this trip.

+1 I've got a couple of pair for long rides on hot days. Plus a Nike "wicking" shirt. Excellent combination. Only problem is I look like a reject from the Village People if I ever take my 'Stitch off (spandex shorts, ghey shirt, BMW BOOTS? underneath)

 

[Fred W]

Very nice ride report and pictures guys.

Tim clued me in to keep an eye out for this post, and he was right-on.

Looks like you guys had a great time and saw some pretty cool sights. Definitely not what I'd have imagined it was like in that area. Pretty damn scenic I'd have to say. Thanks for taking us along :thumbsup:

 

[FJRMGM]

Very nice ride report and pictures guys.

Tim clued me in to keep an eye out for this post, and he was right-on.

Looks like you guys had a great time and saw some pretty cool sights. Definitely not what I'd have imagined it was like in that area. Pretty damn scenic I'd have to say. Thanks for taking us along :thumbsup:

we wuz glad to go and share the experience with others.

Big Bend and the area around it is quite a sight to see.

 

[fjrchik]

Ohhhh I so wanna gooooo! It's the last thing on my TX bucket list. Between your pics, Hellcreep's from last fall and John Richburg's from this Feb., I WANT TO GO TO BIG BEND!!! Thanks for the great pics guys, oh and by the way, fabulous to see that TWilkin guy out doin a big ride again, miss you dude! :clapping: Where's the Prada store pics??!!

 

[H-Town FJR]

Thanks for the pics. I am headed abck at the end of April. Hope the fires going on now in the Ft. Davis area don't riun the view.

https://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/42522089/ns/weather/

 

[FJRMGM]

Thanks for the pics. I am headed abck at the end of April. Hope the fires going on now in the Ft. Davis area don't riun the view.

https://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/42522089/ns/weather/

don't worry, everything that is burnable should be gone by then..

We commented when we were out there how dry everything was and how bad it would be if it ever did catch fire.

 

[H-Town FJR]

Thanks for the pics. I am headed abck at the end of April. Hope the fires going on now in the Ft. Davis area don't riun the view.

https://www.msnbc.msn...089/ns/weather/

don't worry, everything that is burnable should be gone by then..

We commented when we were out there how dry everything was and how bad it would be if it ever did catch fire.

This was from a controlled burn by the McDonald Observatory this past Sunday, April 17th. I will be down there next week. I'm interested in what I will get to see.

 

[FJRMGM]

Holy Crap that picture is wild!!