We got up, grabbed some breakfast, and got back over to BMRA for a morning of wheeling. We met up with one of our fellow Lone Star Jeep Club members for some trails. We re-did a few of the ones we did yesterday and also found a couple more we hadn’t done. We didn’t have many problems, just had to pick better lines for the lower ground-clearance JK. We headed out at around lunch time, stopping to find a geocache near by. After lunch we drove back home and relaxed for the evening.
Author Archives: Pat
Gilmer – Day 1
We packed up the Jeep and hit the road for Gilmer for a couple days of off-road fun at Barnwell Mountain Recreational Area. We stayed on the easier trails, but after all the rain, some of the 2s are closer to 3s. Reese was a little worried about some of the off-camber situations and the hills, but by the end of the day he was laughing and asking for more!
Team Of Rivals
| I decided that it’d be good to branch out a little from the fiction side of the world and picked up this book based on a number of recommendations. It was definitely worth the read, though it’s a long book. I learned a lot about what went on during Lincoln’s administration and the society during the Civil War. Do yourself a favor and pick this one up. It’s worth the time… |
Office Redo – Part 5
The installers showed up this morning and got the new floor put down faster than I thought two guys should have been able to. It looks great! I’ve got the desk put together, and will be moving the computers and stuff back in tomorrow. It doesn’t look like I’ll be done before Reese gets here so I’m going to have him help me do the last bits when we get back in town on Sunday.
Turn Coat
| I stayed up late to finish off book 11 in the Dresden Files series. In this installment Harry’s nemesis, Morgan, shows up battered, bleeding, and on the run from the Wardens, accused of killing one of the White Council. Butcher takes a slightly different tack with this book, and you can definitely see his evolution as a writer. I’m not going to give away anything, but he’s opened a few new doors and I’m really interested to see what’s behind them. The ending was a surprise, I was guessing pretty close to the end, not quite, but pretty close. Now it’s back to waiting for the next installment. |
The Lost Fleet: Dauntless
| I got a start on this one during the road trip, but didn’t finish it off completely so it was at the top of the stack, and true to what I’d already got through, it was a fast, enjoyable read. The story centers around Black Jack Geary, a legendary hero thought dead who is found alive in an escape pod about 100 years later. He’s faced with a difficult situation, trying to get the remains of a fleet back after a lopsided battle and deal with his own legend status and the changes 100 years have made. Lots of fun and I’m going to be picking up more books in the series once I get the stack down a little more. |
2009 Road Trip Day 6
Last day of the trip. I packed the bike up, ate some breakfast and hit the road, heading south on I-540 past Fort Smith, continuing on US-71 to Y City where I got on US-270 and got in to Mena in time for lunch. After a great meal of Mexican food I got back on the road and got on the Talimena Parkway for the highlight of the homeward bound leg. The parkway is great, the scenery is amazing, and it’s definitely a fun ride. I didn’t take too many pictures because I was too busy enjoying the twisties. I got back on US-271 in Talihina and took it over to US-70, heading west. My advice, stay off of it. There’s a lot of construction and it was down to one lane in places and 45 MPH for long stretches due to loose gravel. I picked up US-75 in Durant, OK and beat feet for home. Finally pulling in at around 5:20 PM.
Mileage for the day: 414
Total miles: 1824
2009 Road Trip Day 5
All good things must come to an end, and today was it for the party. After taking down the tent and packing the bike up, I pointed it south on I-55, heading for Fayetteville, AR. The ride was smooth, the sun was out, and no significant issues. When I got to Springfield, MO I hopped off the Interstate on to US-160, then to US-60, then to MO-37. I picked up US-62 at Gateway and rode it over to I-540 and in to the hotel. After getting the bike unpacked and myself cleaned up I got a cab over to the Hog Haus for some really good brews.
Mileage for the day: 388
2009 Road Trip Day 4
Another short hop, just running back from Peoria to the farm. The weather held for the most part, but just outside of Springfield it monsooned again, but the rain gear held and it was dry the rest of the way in. I spent the rest of the day catching up with friends and enjoying some most excellent pork tenderloin for dinner.
Mileage for the day: 122
2009 Road Trip Day 3
Today’s leg of the trip was a bit shorter, but just as much fun. I headed out from the farm to UI-Springfield to get my student ID and meet my advisor for a promised tour of campus. After the obligatory DMV like experience and the campus tour, I grabbed a quick lunch and got back on the road to Peoria. It was good to see Reese, he liked the Lego set I brought up. We went out to Chili’s for dinner, then played some Uno, where he beat me soundly more often than not.
Mileage for the day: 154