I had a great trip out to Texas and I can not get the pics to load right now. Wi-Fi is free @ starbucks so it shouldn't take long to figure out. I drove a moving van down loaded with the belongings of Ann, Megans mom. In the cab a furry cat named peter and I slowly made the way down. In the back was everything and the beemer. Although the truck drove heavy it was a good day to be on the road, Ann was following in her vehicle and was there for the assist as I ran out of gas on a hill in pouring rain. We split in Hempstead where her family is at. I really enjoyed spending the night in Hempstead. Great people, beautiful country and I could get the bike out of the back. I put it on a trickle charger as the battery is perdy much done. I headed out the next morning with thick black clouds to the south (my direction of travel), but thought I would beat the rain. Leaving all the rain gear Fred gave me packed tightly in my bags (except clothes, all my clothes got inadvertently left in Arizona in the re-packing around the bike) As I edged the point of the down pour I missed my exit for starbucks, had I made it I would have seen the text from Mcbro saying he was no longer in South Houston, but in Spring. I rode in the worst weather I have ever seen, standing water, the wake of a semi, my own wake, and rain drops that could be considered a bath in my only set of clothes. Pants and a hanes t-shirt. When I stopped under an overpass, just east of Pasadena, TX. I pulled my phone out of my helmet (the only dry area) and checked my messages. Turned around and rode the lakes of houston called freeways back to Spring. I was soaked to the bone when I turned into Mcbro's drive, but it was awesome, I wouldn't have changed a thing. That BMW is the best riding bike I have ever driven. At times the riding position is uncomfortable, you really sit up there on that thing and the pegs are a shade higher than my knees like, but once you hit the wet it works and on the road I put the seat all the way up with the screen and its perfect. The time at Mcbro's was the best in years. Rather than watch him work himself to death on the block party, we got to sit in the garage and talk, watch some movies, just chill. The fourth came and went with great food, good friends and interesting conversation. The kids did the fireworks this year and it went well. Megan and Evelyn stayed for the show, Joe her dad came over earlier with Nolan, her brother for a a bit. Time passed too quickly just hangin out. Mcbro and I went over the bike tuesday night and wired in a spare battery where the radio was and finally hooked up the relay to the fog lights (huge life saver). Without clothes and leaving additional stuff @ home made a streamlined beemer, light on its feet and letting the suspension do its job rather than jostling my joints. I hit the road around 11a, as a light rain began. I out ran the front around 2p and ditched the rain gear south of Austin. I settled in for the rythm of the ride. 6th and 4000 rpm, my new tire gliding over the asphalt surface and the engine just a whisper of growl from the exhaust pipe. The left side rocker could use an adjustment, but it only rattled a bit on start up as soon as oil pressure was up its tick would soften as the hydrolic lifters took up the slack. I did not have the money to change the oil before I left. This left a guilty feeling as the bike sucked up every mile without a whimper. Good bikes deserve good treatment. All fluids checked, but nothing changed and sipping the fuel, it still took about 120 dollars of fuel over the 1200 mile drive. Somewhere in the hills of east texas another storm front was waiting. Passing most traffic at my 90 mph pace with the foglights on, forming a pyramid of high power lights blasting a laser beam of light in front and my additional LED trailer tail lights and turn signals. With the mist of my wake being lite by the auxillary lights, it looked like tron on the freeway and I had no problem alerting passing cars of my presence. I'm sure my location this close to New Mexico had them checking the rear view for different reasons as the speed and amazing amount of light could only be from something extra terrestrial. At one point in Las Cruces, I was actually afraid I would be pulled over by police for having too many lights and wattage on the silver streaking beemer, but my bright yellow rain gear made it look like what I was, speeding cautiously, I was passed by 3 cops and was greeted by thumbs or nods. About an hour out as the sun started to crest, I pulled off into the desert to find a place to catch some rest before the swelter came. In the middle of no mans land I came upon 3 shoed horses. They just walked up to me, just past that a large steel open top cylinder filled with cool, green water near their trough. 50 yards past that a brand new border patrol truck with a young occupant. I greeted him with my intentions and given permission, put up the center stand on the loose soil and laid down on the rain gear, 3 hours later was shift change for the young man and my presence may not have been introduced. I was rousted by 4 men with guns in a suburban and a small chopper. Very cool alarm clock and this was the alert I needed to shoot 50 mph down the dirt road and hit the highway back to 90-100 mph all the way to Tucson traffic just as the sun started to hang in the middle. A stop for fuel in Casa Grande a gift from my girl back home as testament that she would like to see me again as my bank account had not been replenished by my employer yet and a good long inhalation of the circle K coolers put me into Fountain hills around 2pm the day after I left. I kissed Megan at Starbucks our tradition on my long runs and motored down the street two more blocks to our humble edifice, putting the beemer back on the center stand for what seemed like a week. Patting the gas cap and telling the beemer thank you for a safe trip goes against my Associates Degree in Automechanics, but it does explain the angel bell and St. Christopher emblems. There is always a lag. The adrenalin of the trip ending and the trip in general extends the next 24 hours, but for days later the slackness in attention and muscle tissue sets in. Everything becomes a dream, living your own life vicariously. I love my family and enjoyed seeing them the most, but a long day on the road, no matter the weather or conditions is enjoyable for the enduring challenges and changes needed to overcome it.