to view pdf file of current issue - Wing World Magazine Archives

View from theMcDonaldObservatory.This Month’s GWRRA“Exclusive”Member Special(Photo by Lewis Watson)come. About an hour later, the smoke detectorstarted beeping. I got up and fanned at itand moved the air vent on the air conditioner,hoping to keep the smoke detector quiet.Then, at about midnight, the alarm clock wentoff! After banging around on the clock for aminute to get it to stop, I found the cord andyanked it out of the wall socket. Ah…peaceand quiet at last! But just an hour or so later,the muscle cramps started in my thighs. I gotup and started stomping the floor, trying towalk out the cramps. I finally got them to relaxby using hot compresses in the shower. Finally,I slept okay for the next few hours.It was a rough night, but it taught me to staybetter hydrated on the future hot ride days by#1–drinking plenty of fluids and #2–drinkinigeven more fluids!Day 3We got up around 7 a.m., ate a good breakfastbuffet, and drank enough water and coffeeto float a raft. Then we started day 3 outthrough Terlingua and on to Highway 170 tothe town of Presidio. Much of this highwayruns parallel to the Rio Grande River, and thedrive is about 100 miles of some of the mostbeautiful and awe-inspiring views you will findanywhere. We took tons of pictures andstopped several times to look at the sceneryand to drink lots of water!We refueled in Presidio and got snacks tohold us over until we got to Fort Davis. TheFort Davis Drug Store, Hotel and Restaurantwas our destination for the day, and we had alight meal before checking in.We rested for acouple of hours then went across the street tothe Hotel Limpia’s dining room for a wonderfuldinner, a few gallons of iced tea, and a greattime of fellowship.We also looked around thegift shop for a few minutes and heard about anice cream shop called “The Caboose” on thewest end of town.So we jumped on our bikes and headed upthe road a short distance, where we found agreen train caboose that was set up as an icecream shop.They even had cinnamon-flavoredice cream. Now that put a smile on Billy’s face!It was another beautiful night, so we satoutside the shop and had our ice cream andenjoyed the cooling evening.Then, it was backto the hotel for a good night’s sleep. Only itwould have been a little better if the air conditionerhad not frozen up and stopped cooling.Oh well, at least I didn’t stomp the floor withleg cramps during that night!Day 4We slept in a little on Thursday morningbefore going up to the McDonald Observatory.Theview was beautiful from the overlookareas around the observatory; the sky wasclear and the weather was perfect for sightseeingand riding. The Davis Mountains aremuch different than the mountains to thesouth of them.We opted for the day pass, with a tour ofthe 107-foot telescope and the newerdesigned Hobby-Eberly telescopes and buildings.After a sandwich at the Star Date Caféand a cold drink, Billy wanted to sample thefreeze-dried ice cream (developed for use bythe astronauts when in space). Don’t kid yourself;it tastes even worse than it sounds. EvenBilly wasn’t impressed, and he is the ice creamguru. In fact, he never met an ice cream he didn’tlike—until then. It tasted a little like artificialstrawberry Styrofoam!SADDLEBAG LINER - LARGEGL 1500/1800 Hopnel Saddlebag Liners are justthe right size for any touring motorcycle. Built to last,the liners are designed to make loading and unloadinga breeze and are made of sturdy urethane coatedweather resistant polyester. The convenient carryinghandles make the liners versatile and user friendly.Reg. $19.99GWRRA Promo:Buy One Get One FREE.Sale ends February 28th, 2009!1-800-728-GENEhttp://www.genesgallery.comThis Month’s GWRRA“Exclusive”Member SpecialThe Best Trike AlternativeRetract-A-TrikeGWRRA Special$300 OFF orders placed in MarchSee our ad in this Issue!You bought the best, keep it that way!1-888-452-2552www.trikealternative.comMarch 2009 75