My Motorcycle Blog: Memorable Rides
by Donald Ray Burger
Attorney at Law

* November, 2006 blog * * October, 2006 blog * * September, 2006 blog * * August, 2006 blog * * July, 2006 blog * * June, 2006 blog * * May, 2006 blog * * April, 2006 blog * * March, 2006 blog * * February, 2006 blog * * January, 2006 blog * * December, 2005 blog * * November, 2005 blog * * October, 2005 blog * * September, 2005 blog * * August, 2005 blog * * July, 2005 blog * * June, 2005 blog * * May, 2005 blog *

My 012345 Mile Run on My Harley

July 6, 2008:
We had family over on the Fourth of July weekend. Everyone was gone by Sunday morning. Once the good-byes were said, I suited up, checked the air in the tires, and was on my way well before noon.

After warming up, I headed for the Shell station to top off the tank. I then headed to Waller for lunch.

Traffic on Highway 290 was pretty light. And there was still a touch of residual coolness in the air. Riding was very pleasant. My goal was to reach mile 12345 on this run. Yesterday, I had racked up mile 12,265, so all I needed was 80 miles.

Once I reached Waller, I turned south on FM 2920 and stopped at El Ranchito for food. The restaurant was surprisingly crowded. Still, I found an unoccupied booth and set my helmet and jacket on one side. I sat facing the door, and immediately ordered an iced tea when the waitress brought a menu. It was too late for their great breakfasts, so I settled for an enchilada and taco plate for $5.50. Tea was $1.25. No gouging here. The chips were crisp and not greasy, and there was a steady supply of salsa and of iced tea.

When I finished my repast, I headed south on FM 2920. I had forgotten my area map, but was sure I could catch FM 529 somewhere south of Waller. FM 529 would take me right to the Half Price Bookstore near Highway 6. And that was the secondary goal of the ride. The excellent meal and the fine day made me adventurous, so I struck out, lack of map notwithstanding.

Quickly, however, I came to regret my omission of the map. FM 2920 dead-ended at Alternate 290. I looked east and west, and could not see a farm to market road heading south. I decided to head east, toward Houston.

I rode all the way to Hockley without finding a two-lane road going south. When Alternate 290 merged into Highway 29, I took the freeway eastbound toward Houston.

When I came to Highway 6, I headed south to the Half Price Books. I was about eleven miles short of my mileage goal. I quickly found a parking place at the Half Price, and spent some quality time roaming the stacks, coming away with a philosophy book, a science book and two novels.

Stuffing the books inside my jacket, I continued east on Highway 290. I was watching the traffic and the odometer as I rode. As I approached the exit for 43rd Street, I decided I would not make it to the exit for 34th Street without rolling past the mileage goal, so I took the 43rd exit. I pulled into a huge parking lot for the Petsmart. Just as I entered the lot, the odometer rolled over to read "012345." I stopped, got out the digital camera, and snapped a picture or two. It will be a lot of miles before 123456 comes up. I was glad to preserve this odometer reading.

I got back on the freeway, and took the long way home. It was still a little cool, and the humidity was not yet back in full force. I had a pleasant return home. When I rolled up the driveway, the odometer read 12,363. It was a good ride.

See you on the road. And don't forget to think.

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For the November, 2006, blog entries, click here.

For the October, 2006, blog entries, click here.

For the September, 2006, blog entries, click here.

For the August, 2006, blog entries, click here.

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For the July, 2006, blog entries, click here.

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For the June, 2006, blog entries, click here.

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For the May, 2006, blog entries, click here.

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For the April, 2006, blog entries, click here.

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For the March, 2006, blog entries, click here.

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For the February, 2006, blog entries, click here.

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For the January, 2006, blog entries, click here.

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For the December, 2005, blog entries, click here.

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For the November, 2005, blog entries, click here.

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For the October, 2005, blog entries, click here.

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For the September, 2005, blog entries, click here.

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For the August, 2005, blog entries, click here.

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For the July, 2005, blog entries, click here.

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For the June, 2005, blog entries, click here.

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For the May, 2005, blog entries, click here.

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*Note to Law Enforcement:

All statements of speeds on various streets are simple estimates, and solely for novelity purposes. Actual speeds vary, but are always lower. I'm sure that legal speed limits are never exceeded, anything in this blog to the contrary nowithstanding.