DFW VRCC Ride to GOTF - Preplanning (what a concept!)

[RainMaker]

Thought we might try something new and pre-plan a ride to avoid the normal u-turns and last minute cell calls   

So, DFW veterans of the GOTF, what would be the best time to leave the metromess for the even bigger metromess?

Meeting location?  I'd think a spot around I-20 and I-45 intersection would work for a vast majority coming from all over.  Secondarily, stop in Ennis to pickup people a bit further south.  This is about a 4½ hour trip, right?  I'd like to leave by 10am so that we get into H-town around 3 PM and maybe avoid the worst traffic.

RainMaker

 

[Serk]

Ya' planning a straight shot down I-45?

It definitely makes for a longer, but IMHO far more pleasant ride to cut out east (Or west?) of the Metromess and head out on country highways... I usually head out east a bit, then cut south to Athens, Palestine, Crockett, Groveton, Corrigan, Woodville then south to Kountze, cut west of Beaumont through Nome, then to Winnie on I-10, keep going south on 124 'till you run outta land and see the Gulf, then run along the gulf to the Port Bolivar ferry, take it onto Galveston island, then head north to the motel, bypassing Houston entirely...

Anyway, not trying to confuse the issue, just wanted to throw an alternate route out there...

[Ghillie]

Serk, When are you leaving, I might be able to get away right after lunch.

[Serk]

Serk, When are you leaving, I might be able to get away right after lunch.

Any chance you could slip away a little earlier? (I'm talking Friday, btw, just to make sure)

I'd like to be out by 9AM, 10 at the latest... My route's not the shortest or the quickest by any stretch of the imagination, and I don't wanna end up on 2 lane county roads in the middle of nowhere in the dark. (Not to mention that run along the coast and onto the ferry is a lot more fun when you can SEE the water.)

I just plotted it out on Streets and Trips, and my route, from my house in Rowlett to the motel, comes in at 380 miles, estimated to take just under 7 hours.

(BTW, for those interested, the I-45 Direct route form my house in Rowlett to the Motel, going straight through Houston (Blech!) comes in at 269 miles and 4 hours, so the back roads route and run along the coast adds a little over 100 miles to the route, but IMHO adds a LOT of smiles to it too! )

[RainMaker]

Serk, your route sounds pretty good.  I would be up for it.  My Valk wants to follow yours, anyway - part of it is on your bike now!

[MP]

Serk:

hoser and I are planning to stop in Paris, TX on the first night out from his place in Auburn, KS.  Looks like your route is straight south, the way we would be coming.  Maybe we could join up, and see the country? Looks like 106 miles down from Paris to Athens.  Would need to check in with hoser too!  

That is if a KS and ND Yankee could keep up with you Rebs!

MP

[Timbo]

Disco had actually attempted to do the pre-planning thing (though often, planning just confuses me )  
http://www.valkyrieforum.com/bbs/index.php/topic,25247.msg227628.html#msg227628

We're game for following who ever wants to lead...

Friday morning?  When/where?  We'll be there...

[Serk]

Hey wait a minute! Did I just volunteer myself into leading a group ride? Houdini! I need some help!

Seriously though, I don't mind meeting up with ya'll, and would love to ride down with some of ya'll, but I'll admit, although I've got plenty of miles under my belt, very few of them have been in a group, and fewer still as a leader of a group of more than my wife and a buddy or two...

I'll try to take a closer look at the route I take and figure out some good places to meet folks along the way and see if there's still any interest in it...

[Houdini]

Houdini! I need some help!

Heck, if I can work out the logistics I may be joining your caravan down.   How's that for help? 

[Serk]

(Anyone else that wants to take a different route please feel free to speak up too, I don't wanna totally take over this thread, but...)

If I leave my place in Rowlett at 9AM, here's a basic timetable:

(I made the following assumptions - 15 minute of break for every hour of travel, average travel speed (Although I like to go about 10-15 over at least most of the time) I put these in that way because I'd rather have a scheduled arrival at 5 and arrive at 4 then scheduled arrival at 5 and arrive at 6.



Time   Mile   Instruction   For   Toward
Summary:  380.6 miles (8 hours, 3 minutes)
9:00 AM   0.0   Depart Serk's House, Rowlett, TX 75088 on Cascade Ct (South-West)   109 yds   
9:00 AM   0.1   Turn LEFT (East) onto Indian Trail   0.3 mi   
9:01 AM   0.4   Turn LEFT (East) onto Chaha Rd   0.5 mi   
9:03 AM   0.9   Turn RIGHT (South) onto Rowlett Rd   3.1 mi   
9:08 AM   4.0   Road name changes to Local road(s)   10 yds   
9:08 AM   4.0   Turn LEFT (South) onto Broadway Blvd   0.4 mi   
9:09 AM   4.4   Turn RIGHT (West) onto W I-30 W [W US-67 S]   0.1 mi   
9:09 AM   4.5   Take Ramp (LEFT) onto I-30 [US-67]   1.7 mi   I-30
9:11 AM   6.2   At exit 56C, take Ramp (RIGHT) onto I-635 [Lyndon B Johnson Fwy]   9.5 mi   I-635
9:21 AM   15.7   Merge onto I-20 [Lyndon B Johnson Fwy]   0.1 mi   
      Construction near Balch Springs (WB) (January 10, 2011 - April 28, 2011)      
9:21 AM   15.9   At exit 479B, take Ramp (RIGHT) onto US-175 [CF Hawn Fwy]   32.3 mi   US-175 / Kaufman
9:53 AM   48.2   Keep LEFT onto Ramp   0.3 mi   TX-274 / FM-1391 / Seven Points
9:53 AM   48.5   Road name changes to US-175   7.3 mi   
10:00 AM   55.8   Rest break (15 mins)      
10:15 AM   55.8   Stay on US-175 [E US-175 Hwy] (East)   0.8 mi   
10:15 AM   56.6   Keep LEFT onto Ramp   0.5 mi   
10:16 AM   57.0   Road name changes to US-175   1.1 mi   
10:17 AM   58.1   Keep STRAIGHT onto Ramp   0.2 mi   
10:17 AM   58.3   Road name changes to US-175 [E US-175 Hwy]   15.5 mi   
10:31 AM   73.9   At 6137 US Highway 175 W, Athens, TX 75751, stay on US-175 (South-East)   2.4 mi   
10:35 AM   76.3   Turn RIGHT (South) onto SR-19 [S Palestine St]   30.9 mi   
11:03 AM   107.2   Keep STRAIGHT onto US-287 [SR-19]   1.9 mi   
11:05 AM   109.1   Take Ramp (RIGHT) onto SR-256 Loop-Truck [N TX-256-Loop]   4.8 mi   TX-256-Loop
11:10 AM   113.9   Turn RIGHT (South-East) onto US-287 [SR-19]   5.6 mi   
11:15 AM   119.6   Rest break (15 mins)      
11:30 AM   119.6   Stay on US-287 [SR-19] (South)   25.7 mi   
11:54 AM   145.3   Turn LEFT (East) onto SR-304 Loop   3.5 mi   
11:58 AM   148.8   Turn LEFT (South-East) onto US-287 [US-287 S]   32.4 mi   
12:31 PM   181.2   Rest break (15 mins)      
12:46 PM   181.2   Stay on US-287 (East)   39.6 mi   
1:22 PM   220.9   At US-287, stay on US-287 (South-East)   2.5 mi   
1:25 PM   223.4   Turn RIGHT (South) onto US-287 [US-69]   21.4 mi   
1:46 PM   244.8   Rest break (15 mins)      
2:01 PM   244.8   Stay on US-287 [US-69] (South)   10.4 mi   
2:10 PM   255.1   Bear RIGHT (South) onto Local road(s)   98 yds   
2:10 PM   255.2   Keep STRAIGHT onto SR-326 [Munro St]   24.4 mi   
2:32 PM   279.6   Road name changes to FM-365   5.1 mi   
2:37 PM   284.7   Bear RIGHT (South) onto FM-1406   11.1 mi   
2:48 PM   295.8   Turn RIGHT (South) onto SR-124 [Gulfway Dr]   2.8 mi   
2:52 PM   298.5   At Gulfway Dr, Winnie, TX 77665, stay on SR-124 [Gulfway Dr] (North)   0.1 mi   
2:52 PM   298.7   Turn LEFT (West) onto Local road(s)   21 yds   
2:52 PM   298.7   Turn LEFT (South) onto SR-124 [Gulfway Dr]   8.8 mi   
3:01 PM   307.5   Rest break (15 mins)      
3:16 PM   307.5   Stay on SR-124 (South)   9.2 mi   
3:27 PM   316.7   Merge onto SR-87   12.3 mi   
3:42 PM   329.0   At SR-87, stay on SR-87 (West)   14.9 mi   
4:03 PM   344.0   *Check timetable* Take Bolivar Free Ferry (South)      
4:27 PM   344.0   Take SR-87 [Ferry Rd] (South-East)   1.4 mi   
4:29 PM   345.3   Bear RIGHT (South-West) onto FM-3005 [SR-87]   0.2 mi   
4:29 PM   345.6   Keep RIGHT onto SR-87 [Broadway St]   4.0 mi   
4:36 PM   349.6   At exit 1A, road name changes to I-45   30.2 mi   
5:02 PM   379.8   At exit 30, take Ramp (RIGHT) onto Gulf Fwy   0.8 mi   FM-1959 / Ellington Field / Dixie Farm Rd
5:03 PM   380.6   Arrive Howard Johnson [15313 Gulf Fwy, Houston TX 77034, United States, Tel: +1 (281) 484-1500]      

SUMMARY
Driving distance:  380.6 miles
Trip duration:  8 hours, 3 minutes
Driving time:  6 hours, 24 minutes

Here's the basic route:



And here's a little more detailed view of the southern part of the route (Going on the assumption most of ya'll will be more familiar with the northern end of it)



I don't mind leading it, as long as ya'll don't mind following someone who's not lead a ride before...

Where would some good meet-up points be? I don't mind having people meet at my house in Rowlett, or just about anywhere else along the way, but I'd request we keep the number of meet up locations to a minimum to minimize the waiting around time for everyone involved...

I figure either my house or something in the Garland/Mesquite area would be good for anyone from the north, perhaps something near the 175/I-20 split for anyone from the west, and for MP and Hoser, I'd love to hook up with ya'll if we can figure out the logistics, but that one could be tricky, what do ya'll think would be a good spot to shoot for? If ya'll shoot south down 19 outta Paris, we'll cross paths in Athens. Going by the estimated times in Streets and Trips, if we leave my house at 9, we should be rolling into Athens about 10:30 AM.

I do NOT have a CB, but I DO have a bluetooth helmet, so at least if we need to be in communications with anyone at a meetup location, I can make and receive phone calls while riding (I know, I know, sacrilege, I forfeit my right to  about crazy cagers on the phone, but it comes in SO handy!)

[MP]

Neither hoser or I have been there before.  Is there a gas station or some such at the intersection in Athens?  We could get there early, and wait for you?

MP

[Serk]

Neither hoser or I have been there before.  Is there a gas station or some such at the intersection in Athens?  We could get there early, and wait for you?

MP

I haven't been there myself in a year or so, but looking at Google Streetview, on 19 just south of where we'd be turning onto that road, there's a bunch of options... Subway, Taco Bell, even a Dairy Queen if there are any Gold Wing's along, etc, there's also a nice big new looking Exxon with a car wash next to it, might be a good place to meet up, seems to have plenty of open parking lot we could gather in...

So, unless someone strongly prefers one of the other places, how 'bout the Exxon at 400 S Palestine St, Athens, TX 75751? Trip planner says we should roll in about 10:39AM if we roll outta my house at 9AM, but of course need to plan some wiggle room into the schedule...

[keepinon]

For those coming into Houston on I-45, I was out that way yesterday afternoon, around 3pm. There is road construction in the median (widening both lanes in & out) from about the 105MM into Conroe, about 20 miles. Traffic was stop & go thru there, so adjust your times accordingly.

Just an FYI.

[MP]

Neither hoser or I have been there before.  Is there a gas station or some such at the intersection in Athens?  We could get there early, and wait for you?

MP

I haven't been there myself in a year or so, but looking at Google Streetview, on 19 just south of where we'd be turning onto that road, there's a bunch of options... Subway, Taco Bell, even a Dairy Queen if there are any Gold Wing's along, etc, there's also a nice big new looking Exxon with a car wash next to it, might be a good place to meet up, seems to have plenty of open parking lot we could gather in...

So, unless someone strongly prefers one of the other places, how 'bout the Exxon at 400 S Palestine St, Athens, TX 75751? Trip planner says we should roll in about 10:39AM if we roll outta my house at 9AM, but of course need to plan some wiggle room into the schedule...

Hoser, Clint,  and I figured we may just ride on into Athens.  There is a Super 8 right there, I believe.

http://www.super8.com/Super8/control/Booking/check_avail?&variant=&id=14591&propBrandId=SE&force_nostay=false&tab=tab4

Does this look like where you are discussing?

MP

[Disco]

For those coming into Houston on I-45...

Thanks for the info.     It goes well with the advice HayHauler gave me to get off I-45 in Spring and take the Hardy Toll Road south to Loop 610 East and around to I-45 south again.  

[Disco]

Please bear with me.  This is going to be difficult.  I'm actually going to propose a straight shot down I-45.      (Thanks for providing an alternative, Serk!)

Total miles: 294 to the Howard Johnson Houston NASA-Clearlake, 15313 Gulf Fwy, Houston, TX, (281) 484-1500. 

Meetup #1: 0545 at the 7-11 at Eldorado & Hillcrest in Frisco to top off the tank(s).   
KSU: 0600

Dallas North Tollway south to I-35 to Woodall Rogers to I-45 south
Pit / Fuel stop in Ennis and/or Corsicana and/or Fairfield, depending on various fluid levels      It's 156 miles & 2:24 + stop(s) to breakfast and Meetup #2.

Meetup #2: 0900 Centerville where 5_19 (and anyone else who wants to) will join the group.  Breakfast location TBD.  Suggestions???
KSU: 1000-ish for the last 138 miles / 2:01 + stop(s)

I-45 south to Hardy Toll Road
Hardy Toll Road south to I-610 east
I-610 east / south to I-45 south
I-45 south to Exit 30, Dixie Farm Road
HoJo in the N Quadrant

We should get to the HoJo around 1:00 to see if the rooms are ready. 

Note: If anyone would like to meetup along this route at a location other than #1 or #2 above, please chime in and we'll swing through and get you.  If we get to more than 6 bikes, I suggest we break into smaller groups separated by a 30-60 seconds so we don't become a parade and/or a nuisance to those we'll be sharing the road with. 

[Serk]

MP - That Super 8 is indeed in Athens, but it's not directly on the route, but it's not very far off of it either. Ya'll might wanna take a look at motels in Canton too, it's a decent sized burg that ya'll will be coming through and is just a little north of Athens.

There is a loop around Athens, but as I recall if you take the loop there's not a lot of options on the southern end of it to meet up (I.E. Not a lotta gas stations), so I was just gonna run us through downtown.

I like Disco's comment for his group as well, if this group gets over 6 bikes or so, it would probably behoove us to split into smaller groups to avoid the parade effect... I'll admit, I'm a little concerned with trying to keep a group together through 2 lane roads if the group gets too big, it'll be a challenge to get around slower traffic, but we'll manage...

Also also, if ya'll would like to get an earlier start, I'm willing to actually set an alarm clock and head outta Rowlett somewhat earlier, 7 or 8 maybe, but I'll leave that up to ya'll...

[RainMaker]

My recommendations/suggestions for the leisurely trip:

Serk's Sycle Trek

For the Serk Sircus, a good meetup point would be the Shell station at the Silverado Drive exit, which is on 175 just south of I-20.  It appears to be the first exit after the mixupmaster at I-20.

I'd think we would want to be in Athens by 9:00am which means we have to leave the meeting point at Silverado Drive about 7:45am.

If we cut out 6 of those 15 minute breaks, then we have time for a 30-45 minute lunch at some point along the way.  Looks like Corrigan, about 116 miles from the Exxon in Athens, might be good for that around 11:30.

For those wanting to join up along the way just let us know where you want to meet up and we'll both look for you and give a revised schedule of when we'll be there.  Also, send PM of your cell phone so that you can call Serk if you are going to be late or decide not to come.  

As for the lead for the ride, I'll volunteer if Serk doesn't want to be the leader.  Done it before, once without directions.  As I've never driven the route, if I do lead, I'd really prefer to have Serk riding second so that he can correct me.  I'll plan a lunch stop somewhere on the trip but I would lead the ride to go at least 2 hours between stops.  Just so you know.

RM

[MP]

Neither hoser or I have been there before.  Is there a gas station or some such at the intersection in Athens?  We could get there early, and wait for you?

MP

So, unless someone strongly prefers one of the other places, how 'bout the Exxon at 400 S Palestine St, Athens, TX 75751? Trip planner says we should roll in about 10:39AM if we roll outta my house at 9AM, but of course need to plan some wiggle room into the schedule...

Hoser, Clint, and MP will plan on meeting the group at this Exxon gas station Friday AM.  We will be there by 9AM, central daylight time.

Check PM, phone # sent.

We have a room at the Super 8, in Athens, TX for thursday night.  If anyone wants to join us there, here is a link for the motel.

http://www.super8.com/Super8/control/Booking/property_info?propertyId=14591

MP

[Serk]

Rainmaker - If you're willing to step up, I'd be more than happy to help ya' how I can... Yeah, this kinda caught me off guard, wasn't expecting my route to become so popular so quick!

I put the 15 minutes every hour break in the route not because I was planning to stop every hour, but because overall that seems to be about the ratio, so yeah, a longer lunch break and less shorter breaks during the run is generally what I prefer, was just trying to pad the schedule a bit.

I'm generally good for 80-110 miles between stops, just my preference (Well, much above that 110 miles and it becomes the Valk standard's fuel tank's preference...)