Day 1 of 5000+ Mile, 17 Day Motorcycle Ride (Georgetown, TX to Canyon, TX 458 Miles)

Day 1 Ride Route Georgetown to Canyon

The day has finally arrived… Today is day 1 of 5000+ mile, 17 day motorcycle ride. The plans have been made and the fun comes as each day is ridden. Today will be my biggest challenge. I am riding north and heavy rain is moving in from the south. The rain is forecasted for later in the day. I am leaving early to ride ahead of the rain. The best laid plans… It was misting rain when I left but 2 blocks from home it began raining. Out came the rain suit. 20 miles down the road it was raining heavily and continued to rain heavily, more or less, for the next 200 miles. Eventually the sky did clear and the remainder of the ride was what I had hoped it would. There are no stops planned except for gas, food and a little rest. Today I meet my riding buddies for the next 17 days. Larry T. and Larry A. are riding in from Tunnel Hill and Atlanta, Georgia.

Rest stop

Larry T. at Route 66 Museum Elk City, OK Photo by Larry A.

Although I’ve ridden this route many times it is still a fun ride.  The ride starts in the “Texas Hill Country”. The Hill Country consists of rugged hills of thin layers of soil atop limestone or granite. From the hill country I ride into the “Panhandle Plains” region which is relatively flat with rolling plains. Around Abilene, cotton, sorghum, and wheat are cultivated. Many oil wells are seen all along the route as well as large areas of ranching. Everything you would expect to see in Texas. Something you may not expect is hundreds of windmills generating electricity around Sweetwater, Texas. Wind is another resource Texas has an abundance of…

Larry A. & Larry T. at Route 66 Museum in Elk City, OK Photo by Larry A.

Because I left early I arrived at our motel in Canyon around 2:30. The Larry’s arrived a couple of hours later. While stopping at the Route 66 Museum in Elk City, Oklohoma the Larry’s met a couple who told them about a show in the Palo Duro Canyon State Park and said it was a must see. The Larry’s wanted to eat dinner and see the “Texas” show. After we got settled in at the motel we rode out to Palo Duro Canyon. I’ve always wanted to see the show and tonight was the night… The Pioneer Amphitheatre, where the shows are put on, is carved out of the natural basin in the Palo Duro Canyon. The Palo Duro Canyon is the nation’s second largest canyon and is the perfect setting for this show.

Heading to Canyon, Texas

With a cast of more than 60 actors, singers and dancers the show’s fictional characters bring to life the stories, struggles and triumphs of the settlers of the Texas Panhandle in the 1800’s. The story is told through songs and dance with lots of Texas humor dispersed throughout the show. I loved the singers and dancers. Most of the younger cast were college students who got to hewn their talents during the summer while making a little money for college.

Because we are getting an early start tomorrow we left early and it allowed us to beat the crowd leaving the show. Riding out of the canyon in the dark in traffic would not have been much fun…

The Pioneer Amphitheatre before the show starts at Palo Duro Canyon Photo by Larry A.

Tomorrow we will be returning to ride through the canyon before heading west down US 60 to Fort Sumner, NM. Come follow along as we ride US 60, US 89, US 212 over the next 16 days.

If you liked this ride post, you may checkout the other post from this ride below…

• Introduction to our Motorcycle Ride (5000+ Miles In 17 Days)
• Day 2 of 5000+ Mile, 17 Day Motorcycle Ride (Canyon, TX to Ft. Sumner, NM 173 Miles)
• Day 3 of My 5000+ Mile, 17 Day Motorcycle Ride (Ft. Sumner to Eagar, NM 343 Miles)
• Day 4 of My 5000+ Mile, 17 Day Motorcycle Ride (Eagar to Payson 231 Miles)
• Day 5 of My 5000+ Mile, 17 Day Motorcycle Ride (Payson to Cameron 222 Miles)
• Day 6 of My 5000+ Mile, 17 Day Motorcycle Ride (Cameron to Grand Canyon to Cameron 130 Miles)
• Day 7 of My 5000+ Mile, 17 Day Motorcycle Ride (Cameron to Panguitch 287 Miles)
• Day 8 of My 5000+ Mile, 17 Day Motorcycle Ride (Panguitch to Ogden 287 Miles)
• Day 9 of My 5000+ Mile, 17 Day Motorcycle Ride (Ogden to Jackson 235 Miles)
• Day 10 of My 5000+ Mile, 17 Day Motorcycle Ride (Jackson to Gardiner 203 Miles)
• Day 11 of My 5000+ Mile, 17 Day Motorcycle Ride (Gardiner to Great Falls 226 Miles)
• Day 12 of My 5000+ Mile, 17 Day Motorcycle Ride
• Day 13 of My 5000+ Mile, 17 Day Motorcycle Ride (Great Falls to Billings 402 miles)
• Day 14 of My 5000+ Mile, 17 Day Motorcycle Ride (Billings to Spearfish 332 miles)
• Day 15 of My 5000+ Mile, 17 Day Motorcycle Ride (Spearfish to Alliance)
• Days 16 & 17 of My 5000+ mile, 17 Day Motorcycle Ride (Alliance to Home)

Hera are other rides you may like too…

• National Park Motorcycle Ride – 5542 Miles in 16 Days 2013
• Blue Ridge Parkway Motorcycle Ride June 2014
• Big Bend & Carlsbad Caverns National Parks Motorcycle Trip September 09
• Our First Big Bend Motorcycle Ride
• Big Bend National Park Motorcycle Ride April 2007

I hope we see you down the road somewhere… Ride safe…