Mini TAR - The Incredible 1 Day TAR
Well, I guess I should go ahead and get this over.
![Sad :-( :-(](https://www.twtex.com/forums/images/smilies/icon_sad.gif)
My TAR lasted 1 day because my Italian Supermodel TE610 crapped out on me 200 miles into the first day.
![Doh! :doh: :doh:](https://www.twtex.com/forums/images/smilies/doh.gif)
Instead of having the most fun ever riding Bullhead, Cedar Creek and White Mountain roads on Saturday I was in a pickup truck hauling the bike to the Husky dealer in Austin to see if she can be resuscitated. Dang it, I should have kept the KLR.
Rusty to the rescue. My darn Italian Supermodel motorcycle just up and quit on me mid-ride.
Okay, I was just kidding about the "should of kept the klr" but the other stuff was true. My TE610's charging system went kaput just outside of Leakey, ending TAR for me halfway through the first day. Up to the this point the ride had been excellent. Milton and I left out of Austin about 12:30 and for 200 miles had mostly outrun the rain. While other riders were suffering the wrath of the Almighty in the form of torrential rain, Milton and I were actually having a heck of a good time.
In fact, the day was shaping up to be near-perfect. First, Milton had new meat on the back of his DRZ...
... the local Sac-n-Pac had our to-go order sitting outside waiting on us when we arrived...
...Milton was able to get everything he needed onto the DRZ...
...the blue bonnets were in full bloom...
...and we had blue skies shining on us part of the way.
Like I said, near perfect! But, into each life a little rain must fall and today was apparently my day. But at least I got 200 miles and 4 hours of good riding in before that.
The smile says it all. Milton is ready to go.
Milton how do you feel about your DRZ?
We stopped at the Guadalupe River to check things out. The river was putting on quite a show.
Obligatory bike shot. Super sexy Italian Supermodel decked out in a hot red dress on the right; cute girl-next-door wearing bluejeans and a white t-shirt on the left.
The genius of dual sport is that we get to ride both paved and non-paved roads. What a deal!
Buffalo on RR337.
Just as we rolled into Leakey the charging system of my Husky stopped working, ending my riding day as the rain literally and figuratively began to fall. Rusty answered my phone call on the 2nd ring and agreed to come fetch me and my dead bike. With an hour to kill, Milton and I wandered over to Mama Chole's Mexican Restaurant to see what the fuss was all about. Tricepilot claimed it was the best mexican food and he knows food so we had to check it out.
Mama Chole's Mexican Restaurant in Leakey, Texas
It's a small place but not crowded at 4:30pm on a rainy Friday.
The first test of any mexican restaurant is the chips and salsa. If they dork that up, then that is usually a sign that they aren't going to be anything to write home about.
Time to put Mama Chole's chips and salsa to the test.
The verdict? They passed with flying colors as is indicated by the look on Milton's face.
The waitress took a liking to Milton and insisted I get a picture of the two of them. Yes, that's really what happened. No kidding. And here's the picture to prove it.
I had the superb beef fajitas...
...while Milton had a combo plate.
Boy, that food sure tasted good. I recommend Mama Chole's to you the next time you are in the area.
After our meal, Rusty showed up and the rain continued to fall. We loaded the bike onto the truck while Milton suited up.
The cute-girl-next-door was ready for more while the finicky and prissy Italian Supermodel insisted on catching a ride to Junction.
On the way back to Junction, the Almighty sent me a message letting me know that it would all work out somehow.
By the time we got The Hills Motel in Junction the beer drinking and story telling was in full swing. I grabbed a couple of shots of the action.
After many hours and beers of visiting I turned in for the night. Milton had one last task to accomplish for the night - uploading his pictures to his laptop that he had cleverly packed somewhere on the DRZ.
Thus ended my one day mini TAR. The next morning Lori (Alphadog) took pity on me and hauled me and my Italian mistress home to Austin. I spent the afternoon lounging in self-pity, wishing I was riding.
Thank you to everyone who helped me with the bike and thanks to Rusty and Lori for hauling me and the bike around.