You’ve most likely heard the saying “All the things’s greater in Texas.” At 268,596 sq. miles, it’s by far the most important state within the Decrease 48, outsizing California by greater than 100,000 sq. miles. The 14 smallest states would match comfortably throughout the borders of Texas with sufficient room left over for half of Tennessee.
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When my buddy Eric Birns and I rode from Ventura, California, to San Antonio to see the photo voltaic eclipse final April, we received there in probably the most environment friendly method doable: 1,400 miles on Interstate 10 in two days. Environment friendly, sure, however not a lot enjoyable, so we vowed that our return journey can be extra scenic.
Due west of San Antonio is Large Bend Nationwide Park, a spot that has lengthy held fascination for me as a result of its distant location limits the variety of guests. It’s additionally recognized to have good motorcycling roads.
Large Bend is tucked into an space the place the southerly course of the Rio Grande, which kinds the park’s southern and jap boundary in addition to the border with Mexico, turns sharply to the north earlier than reducing a large arc to the east after which southeast on its approach to the Gulf of Mexico.
From San Antonio, we rode west on U.S. Route 90, a part of which runs near the border by means of a parched, barren panorama. Following U.S. 90’s northward arc round Mexico, we progressively gained elevation till we reached Alpine, a small city that sits at 4,462 toes above sea degree. As its identify suggests, it typically will get snow within the winter.
By the point we reached Alpine, Eric and I had traveled greater than 2,300 miles over 5 days. We had been touring in type and luxury on Harley-Davidson’s newest touring bikes, Eric on a sharknosed Street Glide and me on a batwinged Road Glide. Each received modernized styling for 2024, they usually’re geared up with an enormous 12.3-inch TFT instrument panel paired with a state-of-the-art infotainment system (see sidebar). Our gear was packed into the Harleys’ saddlebags, chopped Tour-Paks, and Nelson-Rigg Traveler Tour/Lite Trunk Luggage. We had been the voices in one another’s heads due to a set of Cardo Packtalk Edge communicators.
As we rode by means of Alpine, we handed the campus of Sul Ross State College, named after former Texas governor Lawrence Sullivan Ross. A colourful “Greetings from Alpine, Texas” mural downtown knowledgeable us that actor Dan Blocker, finest recognized for his function as Hoss on the TV present Bonanza, is a Sul Ross alum. The college additionally has a number one collegiate rodeo program that has earned 9 nationwide championships.
After staying in a considerably miserable Motel 6 in San Antonio (as a result of recognition of the eclipse, inexpensive lodging close to the trail of totality was onerous to come back by), we had been spoiled by the Lodge Parker at Quarter Circle 7, positioned on the west facet of Alpine. It has clear, trendy rooms with cloud-like beds, tasteful Western decor, and complimentary breakfast.
Throughout our weeklong street journey, Eric and I made it a convention to finish every day with a celebratory dinner. After getting cleaned up, we’d stroll to a neighborhood restaurant, order a few frosty beers, and toast to our shared accomplishment and satisfaction of getting explored new locations and ridden unfamiliar roads. We’d ship a selfie of us smiling and celebrating to our wives again dwelling.
Subsequent door to the Lodge Parker is the Spicewood Bar and Restaurant, which has a full bar and serves hearty West Texas fare in a energetic ambiance. We had the pleasure of eating with Eleazar Cano and Jayme Valles, two locals who run a bike tour firm known as The Journey of Passage. They know the Large Bend space intimately, they usually supplied useful routing solutions. Jayme additionally runs a bike restore store known as Alpine Motorsports, and he supplied us roadside help ought to we want it.
Large Bend may very properly be known as the Large Empty, and that’s a great factor. Brewster County, which encompasses Large Bend Nationwide Park and cities comparable to Alpine, Marathon, and Examine Butte/Terlingua, covers 6,193 sq. miles however has lower than 9,400 residents. If you wish to keep away from crowds, that is your home.
Huge-open areas are what make the Large Bend space so interesting and distinctive. The Larger Large Bend Worldwide Darkish Sky Reserve spans over 15,000 sq. miles in Texas and Mexico and is the most important Darkish Sky Licensed place on the planet. After all, as motorcyclists, we’re drawn to the roads that reduce by means of these wide-open areas. It’s an 80-mile journey by means of excessive desert from Alpine to the doorway to Large Bend Nationwide Park, and there’s little or no civilization alongside the way in which (therefore Jayme’s provide to assist if we would have liked it).
Earlier than coming into the park, we rode by means of Examine Butte/Terlingua, a former mining city that’s now an eclectic mixture of journey outfitters (rafting, climbing, horseback driving, Jeep excursions, and many others.), distinctive lodging choices, and a ghost city. There are bars, eating places, and retailers with a frontier vibe, in addition to a world-famous chili cookoff yearly.
We entered Large Bend Nationwide Park close to Maverick Junction. There are a number of well-maintained paved roads that enable guests to discover the park, however there are additionally intensive unpaved roads that present entry to backcountry campsites and different distant areas. We caught to the tarmac and pointed our large Harleys east towards Chisos Basin.
Along with its vastness, a part of what makes Large Bend so particular is its mixture of landscapes – river, desert, and mountain environments comingle and create a canvas of wealthy colours and textures. Dominating the center of the nationwide park are the rugged Chisos Mountains, reaching a top of seven,825 toes at Emory Peak.
We rode into the mountains on Chisos Basin Street, a steep, winding two-lane street that goes by means of a rugged canyon and summits a small go earlier than plunging right into a high-elevation basin that’s surrounded by brown volcanic cliffs and peaks on three sides. The street ends on the ground of the 5,400-foot basin, the place there’s a customer middle, lodge, campground, trailheads, and different facilities.
After shopping for just a few souvenirs, we climbed out of the basin and returned to the principle street. We turned east and shortly handed Panther Junction, the place the park headquarters and a gasoline station are positioned. For the subsequent 20 miles, we cruised below an limitless blue sky on an extended, gradual descent towards the Rio Grande.
At Boquillas Canyon Overlook, we received our first view of the river. It flowed lazily and was surrounded by a hall of vegetation that regarded like a winding inexperienced carpet laid upon the arid desert panorama, with the rugged Sierra del Carmen escarpment forming a excessive brown wall on the Mexico facet.
Not one of the paved nationwide park roads create a loop, so we backtracked on the principle street till we reached Santa Elena Junction and turned south on Ross Maxwell Scenic Drive. The street lives as much as its identify because it follows the western foothills of the Chisos Mountains with a number of improbable overlooks, comparable to Sotol Vista and Mule Ears. Elevation drops because the street descends towards the Rio Grande and passes by means of Tuff Canyon. The pavement ends close to an overlook the place the river cuts by means of the excessive partitions of Santa Elena Canyon.
See all of Rider‘s Texas touring tales right here.
We had loved each curve and vista in Large Bend Nationwide Park, however what eluded us – what I pictured in my thoughts’s eye once I imagined a park named after a well-known river characteristic – was the expertise of driving together with the river at our facet. We discovered it subsequent door.
Situated west of Terlingua on Farm to Market 170, Large Bend Ranch State Park covers 311,000 acres (about one-third the dimensions of the nationwide park), and its southern boundary is the Rio Grande. Past Lajitas, FM 170 hugs the river intently, weaving and climbing and descending because it maneuvers across the rugged contours of the canyon. For pure driving enjoyment, the 50 roller-coaster miles from Lajitas to Presidio had been a spotlight of our complete 4,200-mile, nine-day journey.
After gassing up within the sprawling border city of Presidio, we hightailed it north on U.S. Route 67 to Marfa after which east on U.S. 90 to Alpine. One other celebratory dinner at Spicewood was our reward for overlaying practically 400 miles in a single lengthy day. Whereas that tempo suited us simply nice, I like to recommend spreading a go to to the Large Bend space over a few days or longer so you’ll be able to see extra and embrace some excursions off the bike.
The following day, we bid farewell to Alpine and rode north on State Route 118, which passes by means of the Chihuahuan Desert to Fort Davis, a small city that was as soon as a frontier army put up. The fort is a Nationwide Historic Landmark, and most of the previous buildings have been restored.
See all of Rider‘s South touring tales.
We continued driving north into the Davis Mountains, with the brilliant white buildings of the McDonald Observatory seen from within the distance. Perched at 6,800 toes, the College of Texas observatory takes benefit of the area’s darkish skies to see into the far reaches of the universe.
After a pleasing journey by means of mountains, canyons, and high-desert vistas, SR-118 ended at Interstate 10, bringing our Large Bend journey to a detailed.
Attending to Large Bend isn’t straightforward. It requires dedication and, probably, an extended journey from someplace distant. But it surely’s properly well worth the effort. It’s onerous to consider such an unlimited space will be hiding in plain sight, however issues actually are greater in Texas.
See all of Rider‘s touring tales right here.
SIDEBAR: Harley-Davidson Street/Road Glides
The Street Glide and Road Glide are Harley-Davidson’s hottest baggers. They’re primarily the identical motorbike besides for his or her fairings: The RG has a frame-mounted sharknose fairing and the SG has a handlebar-mounted batwing fairing.
Updates for 2024 included modernized styling, decrease weights, and a bigger engine (117ci, up from 107) that makes extra energy and torque. The Glides are additionally a few of the most high-tech Harleys ever. On the efficiency facet, they’ve journey modes (Street, Sport, Rain, and Customized) and the Rider Security Enhancements electronics suite, which incorporates linked brakes, cornering ABS, Drag Torque Slip Management, and Automobile Maintain Management. Within the cockpit, they’ve a vibrant 12.3-inch touchscreen TFT show, an infotainment system managed by H-D’s Skyline OS, and a 200-watt audio system.
For our 1,400-mile superslab slog from California to Texas, the Glides supplied good wind safety and a cushty journey, aided partly by 43% extra rear suspension journey (3 inches, up from 2.1). On curvy roads, such because the Twisted Sisters within the Texas Hill Nation and roads all through the Large Bend space, the Glides dealt with with confidence, stability, and charm. Their middle of gravity is low, permitting them to bend by means of even the tightest curves with relative ease – and these are heavy machines (811 lb for the SG, 838 lb for the RG).
Harley-Davidson’s large Glides are higher than ever. They produce loads of grunt, they’re comfy for lengthy miles (we rode them 4,200 miles in 9 days), they usually strike a great steadiness between trendy sophistication and traditional type. You possibly can learn our full evaluate right here.
