Couldn't stand the weather being so nice today. I just had to get out and ride the mighty, mighty KLX a bit. Total trip mileage on the GPS was 141 miles. Not a bad little run, and quite the Adventure too!

Headed out around 8:30AM after a few cups of joe. I like my joe like I like my women... Cold and bitter.
Topped off the tank all the way to the top with me on the bike so that the bike would be level. "Click, click, click." Squeeze that gas in. You'll need it. It was a chilly 48 degrees when I left the house but we had a forecast high in the high 70's today, with light winds. Great weather for riding.

I hit the 2 lane blacktop to slab it out of town. It's about an 18 mile run to get out towards the sticks. Well, that 48 degrees got downright cold at 60-65 miles an hour! The cracks in the pavement were banging out a rhythm that I recognized after a minute or two. It was the "Immigrant Song" by Led Zeppelin. Bum-bunna-bu-bum, Bum-bunna-bu-bum. Ahhh haaaa... ahhh. "We come from the land of the ice and snow, from the midnight sun where the hot springs blow." I started singing out loud for awhile to warm up.


This place use to be my last chance for gas. It closed down a month or so ago. The next stop is 55-60 miles.




On the dirt now.




Eight miles of dirt, the some more slab for a couple of miles. Leaving my home county.



Back on dirt again at Booster Station Road. We're creative with our road names down here.


Our version of Twin Peaks. That's what these two small hills are really named on the Topo maps.




I was coming down a straightaway about 400 yards long and I saw what I thought was a piece of black landscape fabric blowing around near a culvert. My eyes kept going between the ruts in the road, which was my immediate problem and whatever that weird moving black thing was along side the road. Well, about a hundred yards away, with my Hawk-like vision, it dawned on me what it was. THEY were wild hogs! I saw two at first that took off a few yards into the scrub. It was weird that they didn't hook it out of there into the thick brush.

I stopped on top of the culvert pipe to take a picture of the hogs and once I turned off my bike, I could hear a lot more hogs still in the pipe! Banging and grunting and generally sounding like a bunch of pigs.

Here's the pipe.


Another one makes a break for freedom! Out the other side of the pipe! Wasn't ready for that one.




Confusion reigns!


Party's over. About 6 or so split for the brush and these few hung around giving me the FYYFF look.


Man! Have to take a break from this one. I'll post some more later today. I wish we could still insert photos using the [img] tag method.

 

OK, here's the rest of the pics from the ride today.

Wouldn't want to get too close to the edge at night here... Yikes.


More beasts.


Coal burning power plant.


Gas producing livestock.


Picked up some slab again going to the next town. Gassed up with the tank holding 1.3 gallons. Man, come on Clarke.


Heading back pretty much the same route with a few detours here and there to explore some trail heads.

Just to the right of center, on the horizon, you can see Twin Peaks that I mentioned earlier.


Rest of the shots...




















All in all, A fantastic ride! The KLX is great at this sort of thing. With just the free mods, using .44 springs in the forks, and a gearing change of your choice, the KLX will bring you many smiles per gallon.

 

Great photos, Bill - those wild hogs were pretty cool. I've always heard those things are really dangerous animals and you don't want to corner one. Your bike looks awesome, BTW!

 

Very true. Feral pigs and boars are a big problem in Texas. They're considered vermin and can be hunted in any season. I got in over my head real quick not knowing there was more in the pipe. And as you know, a wild animal that doesn't beat it out of there when they sense a human, is probably sick or injured. Either way not too good. I had a Springfield XD .40 in the tankbag if it got hairy(er).

And thanks!

(edited for typos)

 

Very nice pics, looks like you had a great ride and a perfect day for it.

 

any1 else feelin bike fever?
great pics. tommorrow supposed to be 50F or so midday. im definitely firin mine up for a quick spin. Should be ALOT of mud with all this meltin snow!!

 

Nice piece!

Whats the choice of ammo for fending off some wild hogs?

I'd use 155 grain XTP's, if I could pack a XD 40, but thats only if

 

Nice pics, I love the rear fender and black sidepanels. Are you running the C858 rear tire? If so how do you like it so far, I'm loving mine.

 

nice pics...looks like a great ride!

 

Nice pics Bill, Its always fun to see what everyones back yard looks like....

I will be back down in the so Jersey Pine barrons tomorrow with my friend, I'll try to snap off a few...

COME ON SPRING AND SUMMER!!!!!!

(Daylight savings tonight gents!!!!!)