Road Trip on Swan – East Texas

Swan is my best road trip buddy. This Harley has taken me to some of the most exciting places in Texas. There is a rich history throughout Texas for State Parks, small towns, friendly people, and miles of country roads. I pack her up with a tent, sleeping bag, food, and enough film to capture the wonders of my birth state.

First Day – "Good for Righties and Lefties"

My first day's travel brought me to Caddo Lake, just north of Marshall, Texas. I picked the first full moon week in October out of habit, but this year the temperatures were lower than expected. As a result, I had to stop and put on more clothes, plus my heavy rain gloves, before continuing. I made the drive in excellent time. I pitched the tent and decided to travel to Jefferson to see the Scarlet O'Hara museum.

I made the mistake of asking the gate gal for directions to Jefferson on the way out of the park. She said, "Oh, it is very complicated but go out the front gate and turn left. It'll take you to downtown Jefferson." I followed her directions but unfortunately ended up in Uncertain, Texas, which, by the way, marks the end of that road. I knew it was not Jefferson. I made a u-turn then rode another 15 minutes to the end of the detour. With the help of my GPS, Swan and I made it to Jefferson. Jefferson is a motorcycle rider target destination on the weekends. Downtown Jefferson was packed. After a short tour of the city, I headed back to Caddo Lake. Never did find the Scarlet O'Hara museum.

Time to Move On

Someone is bound to ask, how much rain did you get while at the park? Sometime in the middle of the night, I heard thunder, and it started raining. I was dry in my nifty tent. However, by the time the sun came up, okay, it was brighter outside; I was humming the Credence Clearwater Revival tune Who'll Stop the Rain?. The rain would not let up. I finally decided that I would get moving during the next lull and get ready to leave. As it turned out, I ate in the rain, loaded up in the shower, and drove out in the storm. Just so you know, you cannot squeeze out the water in your tent while rolling it up in the rain. I finally got that lull I was looking for, but it was Sunday afternoon and 200 miles south before it happened.

About halfway to Jasper via US 59, on my way to Martin Dies State Park, I found the dividing line between the cold front I was trying to outrun and the warm air to the south. I welcomed the temperature change. The rain began to subside but not before every piece of glass on Swan, my face-shield, and my glasses became utterly fogged. This provided a reasonably exciting drive time until I could clear everything. I took the jog to US 96 and stopped at a Wal-Mart to secure a tarp that could be used for more shelter if it started to rain again. As it turned out, the tarp was an invaluable acquisition, so more on that later.

Day Two and Three

I sacked up my provisions for a two-day stay at the Martin Dies Park on US 190 and began the drying out process for the motorcycle plus all the gear. The rain and I saw some blue sky sneaking through the clouds from time to time. This is a great State Park with large pine trees along with lots of other flora and fauna. Did I mention the signpost when coming into the park, Do Not Feed the Alligators? Alligators?!?! There on the Neches River, they have American alligators. I wondered if there were European alligators too? It was a little unnerving to be in a tent if the alligators did their food shopping at night, so I opted for a cabin. This also allowed me to hang up and dry out my gear. I was able to wipe down Swan. I didn't bring her jammies, so she had to sleep au natural.

The following day was dry. After breakfast, I wanted to do the nature walks and see the park. After a good night's sleep with no rain and hearty breakfast, I decided that I would be remiss if I didn't at least see some alligators, so off I went.

The paths wind by the Neches and over several areas that look more like bayous and bogs from Louisiana than Texas. It looked like a prime area for alligators, and I expected to see some soon.

I crossed several footbridges with terrific panoramic views. There was something of a pier stuck out into the Neches, which was over in another section of the park.

My area of the park had several large pine trees and an excellent view of the pond, a stone's throw from my cabin. However, I didn't see any alligators during my explorations which begs the question, "If the signs say beware of alligator's in the forest, and you don't see any alligators, are they still there?"

I didn't realize how vast the Neches River was until I saw this picture.

Just so you know, I had the camping area of the park all to myself and only had to share it with Texas-sized mosquitoes. You know, the kind that set on the edge of your bed at night and argues about which one of them gets to go first. I am told that a Colt .45 automatic with 2 clips is the only thing that will save you from those beasts feasting on you. Since State Parks do not permit you to shoot their wildlife, I did not get a chance to test this theory. A camping tip: don't bother going to sleep until you get all the mosquitoes in your tent/cabin. If you don't get carried away by them, you certainly won't survive their onslaught during the night. After 2 days with the vampire mosquitoes, my new nickname was lumpy.

Day Four

After a 2 day camp in Martin Dies State Park, most of the gear was dry. I loaded up and took a terrific scenic ride west on US 190 to US 59 on my way to Cut-n-Shoot, Texas. Seriously, that is the town's name, just like Uncertain was that town's name. The ride provided forests, winding roads, and logging trucks. What a ride!

The RV trailer park with campsites was dry and relatively mosquito-free, and I got a chance to dry out the remaining wet gear. I would have liked to have found a place to get a T-shirt with the town's name of Cut-n-shoot on it as a souvenir of this destination, but alas, no local entrepreneur was offering this item.

I enjoyed another dry ride from Cut-n-Shoot through Houston's northern outskirts. I took the I-10 freeway to Katy, Texas, to see the Forbidden City, Texas-style. This is a 1/20th scale version of the first Chinese Emperor Chin's city. I understand the whole tour is still available in Beijing. While the Forbidden City's Katy version is quite a bit smaller, it is 8,000-10,000 miles. Measuring time distance, I settled for the smaller version. A determined man of Chinese descent wanted to provide Americans with more exposure to the historical Chinese city. In 1996, he began ordering and assembling tiny replicas of the Forbidden City and an incredible display of the Terra Cotta army for those who can't get to Beijing to see the scaled-up version for themselves.

Stepping in through the gates to get into the exhibit area is like stepping into a time/space dimension warp. You are transported to China. However, you will feel a bit like Gulliver, from Thomas Swift's Gulliver's Travels, as most of the exhibits are not life-size. The replicas are exacting yet smaller and include Dragon Throne, the empress' transport, weapons, several full-sized warriors made of fiberglass, and the Male-Hound gate shown below were regular size.

The Forbidden City tour begins just as it would if you were a tourist in Beijing with the outer buildings and the walk into the city proper. The Forbidden City is outside under a covered arch which protects it from the elements. This is important as the impromptu storm ensued. It was a fast-moving rainstorm that soaked everything not covered. By the time the Forbidden City tour was over, the rainstorm had moved on, leaving the temperature quite comfortable for 10 minutes. Once the sun came back out, the humidity and rising temperatures took over to make a natural steam bath.

To be clear, all the buildings and Forbidden City structures were built in Beijing inside the city itself to ensure authenticity to the original designs. Everything is then shipped to the buyer for final assembly, wherever that might be. The arch structure, even a picture wouldn't reveal this as a miniature display of the real thing.

Below is the building detail that has a cut-away to see some of the construction techniques used by the Chinese craftsmen.

This is the picture of the Empress's carrier. A neat way to be transported. Everyone can see Royalty coming.

Even better is this amazing Dragon Throne. I enjoyed trying out the Emperor's throne for size. I am reasonably sure I could be a suitable tyrant given the proper circumstances, wealth, army, more wealth, babes, etc.

I could see where holding court, even on a replica, would be fun for a while if the seat had more cushions.

At the entrance to the Terra Cotta Army of Chin, the figures above were life-size and made from fiberglass. The others are the same type of clay as was found when the Terra Cotta Army was discovered. The original site boasts 10,000 Terra Cotta warriors.

I liked hanging out with the top dog, which in this case is Chin himself. And, of course, his view of the world with the troops in the lead.

At the entrance to the Terra Cotta Army of Chin, the figures above were life-size and made from fiberglass. The others are the same type of clay as was found when the Terra Cotta Army was discovered. The original site boasts 10,000 Terra Cotta warriors.

I liked hanging out with the top dog, which in this case is Chin himself. And, of course, his view of the world with the troops in the lead.

Behold, the army of Chin…..

Day Five

The ride was a pleasant trip from the Forbidden City to the Texas Hwy 36 exit. It was a lovely late Autumn day. The journey through Sealy and Brenham was agreeable. After securing my daily provisions in Brenham, I made my way to the Sommerville State Park with its vast Sommerville reservoir. The wind was a little troublesome, but it was blue sky all that day and clear into the night. A perfect night of stars and a nearly full moon helped me forget the trip's arduous beginnings.

Day Six

The next day Swan and I headed out through College Station on Texas Hwy 60 to Texas Hwy 6 that leads to Navasota. I took a right turn on FM 105, heading west to get to Washington-on-the-Brazos. Washington-on-the-Brazos, for you hard-core Texas fans, is where Texas declared independence from the Mexican dictator Santa Anna in 1836. The scenic drive and historical destination reside on my favorite Texas River, the Brazos.

The Brazos River in the background here at the historical site has a nice but short walking trail to the primary location. There a river crossing was done, and one of the first commercial enterprises began here by charging to get folks across and bring in provisions.

After purchasing a few Texan souvenirs, I took FM 105 back to Brenham, where I picked up Texas Hwy 36 to return to Sommerville SP. For those of you who are World War II historians, Texas Hwy 36 is named/numbered for the 36th Infantry Division. This Texas division was uselessly mauled in the Italian campaign of World War II trying to take Monte Cassino from the Germans on the way to Rome.

Day Seven

After a comfortable, mosquitoes free night's sleep, I was awakened by the pitter-patter of raindrops. The clouds had moved in. The temperature had dropped, and the wind shifted coming from the north. Feeling a little uneasy, I decided to break camp before having breakfast. You know, sometimes you can be clairvoyant with perfect timing to your actions. Well, this wasn't one of those times. Before I could button everything up and at least get under the metal camp covering for this spot, all hell broke loose.

Before I could break down the tent and put it away, I discovered that a ferocious Texas wind from the north can take a tent's rainfly covering and turn it into a drag shoot. That is to say, the wind caught it like a parachute, and I got dragged. The wind blew so hard the now torrent of rain was traveling sideways. My careful placement of the camp gear under the covering was ineffective.

Remember that tarp I told you about earlier? With a few bungee cords and effective placement, I was able to stop the rain from soaking my gear while under the camp metal covering. This gave me time to properly stow the equipment, as opposed to wadding it up, and actually have breakfast.

It may seem silly to the reader that amid a horrific Texas monsoon that I would stop my loading activities, try and start my camp stove, and fix coffee and breakfast, but that is precisely what I did. The reason was that most Texas storms that come in fast with high winds and torrential rains usually don't last too long and move on through. It is said that the definition of logic is the art of being wrong with confidence. Again my logic, intuition, and judgment were consistent, and I was wrong, but at least I had a modest breakfast with hot coffee to go with my confidence.

Kenneth, from the campsite next to mine, saw me loading up my gear and came to give me words of encouragement. "I bet you feel stupid camping here with this kind of storm stomping all over you. You should've been in a car, not on a motorcycle!"

I decided to forgo his camaraderie and loaded up quickly rather than exchange any more pleasantries with him. Then Kenneth wanted to know how I keep the helmet's face-shield and my glasses from fogging up while in the rain. I had to explain to the dear lad that I never had the fogging up problem because all the water from the motorcycle and road always kept "boiling up" into my face, which kept everything nicely fog-free. I even suggested that he do the same while in his truck by leaving the windows rolled down. He nodded and gave me a thoughtful expression indicating that he might try that. I could only hope.

The Park Rangers drove by not once but twice through the park, but at no time did they roll down the windows to ask if everything was okay. It is probably providence that they didn't since I was all out of sarcastic remarks, but I did stop at the main gate and went inside to ask about the weather. The front desk person quickly surmised that it was raining and was very thankful that she had a warm car to travel in, unlike me on the Harley. She indicated that the storm would probably break later on and then commented on my dripping on her floors. This time I could think of several sarcastic remarks but humanely refrained.

I almost made it home that day, but by Waco, my hands were so cold that I stopped for some fresh gloves and to warm up. It turns out that the folks in the park were right, and the rain did stop, but it was almost 3:00 with temperatures dropping. By Hillsboro, I couldn't go any farther. I stopped at a no-tell motel that only offers hourly rates and spent the night before coming home.

Even though the trip was bookended by rain, the elements are not a deterrent for riding my Harley cross country. Next time I am leaving earlier in the year, like April. In 7 days, I covered 1,062 miles of East Texas countryside and used up 25.27 gallons of gas for a 42-mpg rating. All in all, thrilling.