The day started early with breakfast at a local restaurant where arrangements were made last night for them to open early to feed us. The restaurant normally doesn't open until 11:00 am, but when we inquired at the motel where 14 or so guys can eat in the morning, he called the owner of the restaurant and she said she would open for a large group. Sounded like a good idea, and I guess for being in such a small town in a out of the way place it worked out fairly well.
We all met at the restaurant at 7:30 am, and as promised the doors were open. The menu was scrambled eggs, sausage, pancakes, hash browns, and toast. No substitutions were allowed. All for a nice $11.00. Though expensive for small portions, it really worked out well for such a large group.
After breakfast we headed west on Highway 90 towards Marathon. We made a quick stop in Marathon for some to top off their tanks, since it would be a fairly long distance until we saw gas again. We then headed south on US 385 towards the park. We decided to do the Black Gap before going into the park. This is a thirty mile FM Road that dead ends at the Rio Grande. The FM road is 2627 and is a very scenic road. I really enjoy riding this road when I get the chance.
When we arrived at the end, we took a short break and then headed back to 385. We then headed south into the park. I love this park, it is one of the most scenic parks I have ever visited, but the 45 mph speed limit is a killer. We stopped at the park headquarters (Panther Junction) and took a short break. There we decided to have lunch in Study Butte. We headed there and after taking on some much needed gas we had lunch at the Study Butte Store.
After lunch part of the group decided to run down the River Road, and the rest of the group decided to head north on 118 to the motel. I was in the group that decided to head to the motel. We plan on doing the River Road tomorrow.
It was a nice ride of 118. We stopped at a picnic area for a break, and then continued on to Alpine and then Fort Davis. After we checked into the motel, we found out they didn't have any ice. This was a big pain in the arse, since most of us enjoy having after ride drinks. A quick trip was made to the store and a couple of bags of ice were acquired.
Everyone pretty much did their own thing for dinner. Dick and I heated up some sausage we brought while others went to the local restaurant. Around 9:00 pm I ran the group out of my room and went to bed.
The weather today was about as perfect at it can get. It started cold but warmed up nicely later on. The only mishap today was when Doug hit a rock that knocked his center stand spring off. Though we couldn't replace the spring, a quick fix was made with some quick ties, and he will be able to make it home with only a minor inconvenience.
Tomorrow we do the River Road
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