little help through Texas....

[emperkin]

I am planning a cross country ride through souther US. I have plenty lined up for Ca through NM. And I have plenty lined up once I get on the Natchez Trace, but I have nothing for Texas.

Any must see/do in Texas? the fastest route for me will be just on 20 but that sounds boring.

Thanks

[GeoffMiller]

Where do I start ? Can't miss Hill Country. Check out the Marble Dome. Riverwalk and the Alamo in San Antonio. Got to say hello to Luckenbach. Austin is a cool town. Galveston is always fun (if anything is left after the hurricane:cry ). Houston Space Center. The problem with Texas is that it is so big that one ride through can't do it justice. I'm hoping to get back there again in March since I'm already up to my butt in snow here!:brad

[henzilla]

Where do I start ? Can't miss Hill Country. Check out the Marble Dome. Riverwalk and the Alamo in San Antonio. Got to say hello to Luckenbach. Austin is a cool town. Galveston is always fun (if anything is left after the hurricane:cry ). Houston Space Center. The problem with Texas is that it is so big that one ride through can't do it justice. I'm hoping to get back there again in March since I'm already up to my butt in snow here!:brad

I-20 takes you north of all ( most) of the good riding (sorry North Texas,I know there are some spots)... some nice stretches of East Texas Piney Woods after you leave LA, dip down US HWY 79 thru Austin, take in west of Austin on US 290 W or US 71 W, then towards San Antone, and the Luckenbach/Fredericksburg area,if you have time southwest of Kerrville/Hunt along the Guadalupe River into Medina,Leakey,Vanderpool is a "don't misser" with the Three Sisters ride of RM335,336 & 337and a cool motorcycle museum near Vanderpool. Then you can head west towards "don't miss" Big Bend and out the other side of the state...Paul & Voni can fill in the blanks out there!
I live in the middle of this,so PM me for more info if you want.Grew up in Houston/Galveston and retired from Austin last year.

I have a place in Galveston...stay away this year,it really is going to take some time to heal no matter what the tourist folks spin...most hotels are either being repaired or are full of contractors...The Space Center is nice, takes a whole day to do it justice...the area around it,Clear Lake, also got hammered during IKE so it's not as pretty as it has been. The Kemah Boardwalk is still torn up from reports I have heard...BeemerMike from that area may have newer Intel.

[henzilla]

:laugh :laugh :laugh emperkin, sorry

I guess you will be reversing the routes I mentioned coming from CA! :doh

[TexanRT]

For some recommended roads, here's a list of Texas favorites. (http://www.motorcycleroads.com/routes/SouthWest/TX/TX_index.htm) If you're going to pick up I-20 east of El Paso, you're almost too close to Big Bend to pass that up. If you'd stay on I-10, there a lots of Hill Country routes and things to see in and around Austin and San Antonio. You could then take I-35 North from Austin to Dallas and pick up I-20 there.

I haven't been to Galveston since before Thanksgiving, but on my last ride through there were mountains of debris awaiting removal and many businesses were still cleaning up after Hurricane Ike.

I'm not as familiar with Dallas/Ft Worth, but I'm certain you can find some interesting things to see there like the museum at Dealy Plaza. (http://www.jfk.org) There's Texas Motor Speedway (NASCAR) near Ft. Worth, but I don't know if they offer tours. Have a safe trip -- good riding!

[emperkin]

Thanks for the help! This forum is just great for these sort of questions!

not sure on the route just yet. The trip will be going from Sunnyvale, CA, to Tuscon, AZ and ending outside of Boston MA.

The way I see it I have three possible routes, Northern (CO, SD, WI, MI, Canada and down into Boston), Middle (head north through the Ozarks and then cut over through PA), or southern (TX, LA, Natchez Trace, Blue Ridge Parkway and on up)

still trying to work the details.

Thanks again for the advice. I will keep you posted.

[cathdeac]

I'd suggest:
http://www.motorcycleroads.com/routes/SouthWest/TX/TX_index.htm

Lotsa nice roads..

[Voni]

You could swing south to the Big Bend of Texas:

http://www.nps.gov/bibe/planyourvisit/upload/bibemap2.pdf

But I can't guarantee your heart won't get stuck here. Ours sure have!

Voni
sMiling

[TX_RR_337]

emperkin; If you end up near San Antonio, I highly recommend hitting the twisted sisters aka three sisters:

http://www.motorcycleroads.com/routes/SouthWest/TX/TX_3.shtml

The route here shows it ending in Camp Wood, but in Camp Wood, you actually hit RR337 which you can take back to Leaky and on to Medina. We call it the 100 mile loop. It's the best riding in the area! Give it a run! :thumb

[hlothery]

Coming from CA, Big Bend is a must. Then, one can follow Texas Highway 90 out of Big Bend across the Pecos, and through Langtry (Judge Roy Bean Museum) to San Antonio. In San Antonio, you are just South of the Hill Country with Bandera, Luckenbach, Leakey, Camp Wood and the Three Sisters (or Holy Trinity, as it is known by some). If you want to follow the reverse route Davy Crockett took into Texas on the way out (I have done this, pretty neat!) you can leave San Antonio heading to San Marcos, then pick up Texas 21 East, through Nacogdoches, San Augustine, and Crockett (don't miss the OSR loop around Bryan/College Station) and into Louisana via Natchitoches, then on to Natchez and the Trace. This is El Camino Real, and I have done this route many times....it is a great ride through Texas. PM me if you would like more help. :thumb