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Southwest Texas
Destination: Big Bend National Park
This land is beautiful and cruel. Cacti and creosote dot the ground and bloom from the road’s edge to the far horizon. Long, sharp spines flare from the waxy stems, ready to draw blood.
We go from one extreme to another – desert roads that never seem to end to green vistas of misty mountains. From blazing heat to bone-chilling cold. From a grand river to a parched desert. Riding in southwest Texas is certainly no day at the beach, but its reputation as a top-notch riding destination warrants investigation.
So far, fighting wind, rain, and heat on US 90, we aren’t impressed. My KTM Adventure LC4 enduro seems a match for the landscape, and Christian rides comfortably on his Agusta MZ, but these roads are so long and straight. The fun must be hidden elsewhere. Finally, we arrive in Del Rio, an Air Force town, where the jet fighters that streaked the horizon throughout the day are based.
Population: 40,000, many of them servicemen, and a fair portion of those are venting some steam in their cowboy hats and boots, dancing with the ladies in the bar across the street from our rooms at the La Quinta Inn. The map still shows a full day’s ride to Big Bend National Park and, unfortunately, the dot of Del Rio appears to be the only major oasis along the way....
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