Not to be deterred by the warm wave we are having here in Houston these days...my girlfriend and I suited up early Sunday morning, fueled by a nice ice cold fruit smoothie and ventured out for an easy 200 mile loop on some of the nearby favorite roads on the Norge. Having recently bought a backrest for the Corbin before our Arizona adventures back in May, she loves riding even more than before, and I was curious to try out my new Alpinestar boots as well, certainly lighter weight than the River Roads...but very comfortable on first fitting.
A short slab ride out of town to Brookshire, plugged in the Windy Route option thru Cat Spring on our way to Fayetteville to see if we could find a route not ridden before. Up and down we go, leaning left and right...It's always fun to ride these mini hilly country side roads, first inhabited by Czech and German immigrants from the 1800's, and their names still live on today - Micak, Mikeska, Friedenhoff and other names of similar origin.
The Norge rolls on and off so smoothly, leaning left and right, occasionally scraping the center stand reminds me I've got it leaned over far enough...we are one as we both lean left and right in unison. Finally, we reach Fayetteville...peel off helmets and gear, chat for a few minutes with the owners of the V-Strom and Triumph parked next to us in the shade, and head into Orsak's for a sandwich and a fresh piece of Pecan Pie...good enough to rival any of the pie houses in Pie Town New Mexico or the Pie Shop at the top of Mt. Lemmon. Downing a quart of unsweetened Ice tea to hydrate, we head out for a little stop at Lake Fayetteville - tons of folks out enjoying the warm weather on boats, and then take the long way around to Round Top and Warrenton...both eerily quiet by comparison to when the Antique shows are in full bloom. From there, a twisty route back to Belleville, we pour a bottle of water over ourselves as the temps reach triple digits and we're starting to feel the heat...and then a short slab ride back to Houston. A beautiful 200 mile ride...pulled into the driveway, and the Norge ticks right over at 20K miles, and ran so smoothly I just grin like an idiot as I pull off the helmet.
Want to go again I ask my girlfriend...she chuckles, smiles and says...Next weekend!
A good day for a ride!
