New Rider is Rolling Along!

In the last four weeks the young rider (my son) has gained some great riding experience and some superb maintenance knowledge.

He got his license on June 13, 2012 and on Friday June 15th he rode on his first "breakfast run" as a biker.   A lot of friends and McKinney CMA members surprised him at Bill Smith's Cafe for breakfast.

Breakfast with friends

After breakfast the group gathered around Richard and the Ninja for a bike blessing - asking God to watch over him and keep him safe.  It was a special time.  Afterwards some of us went for a 45 mile loop through the country.

14 bikers (not counting Richard and me) showed up to surprise and support the new rider (3 not pictured)

 After getting back from the morning ride we packed the bikes and rode 50 miles (mostly farm to market roads) from McKinney, TX to Denton, TX for my family reunion.  On Sunday we took the busier and more direct route back home.  We continued to add up the miles over the weeks.


Saturday July 7th we took in another breakfast at Bill Smith's and were honored with Ninja 250 Guru "Doc" Yeager (check out Doc's Blog with some great info).  Russ, who's 15 year old son has a ninja, and I asked Doc to give us and our sons some lessons on Ninja maintenance, we bribed him with a high quality breakfast.

Doc & Russ getting ready.

After breakfast we rode to Russ' garage for a day of wrenching.  Doc got the boys busy quickly.  He taught the basics of a 4 stroke engine, how and when to lube the chain, etc.  After the basic lessons it was time for valve adjustments.  Doc had the boys taking off the fairing and getting things ready to check the valves.  

Naked bikes!

Doc instructs Richard on how to check valve clearance

Father and son working on the bike

Getting his fingers dirty

After both Ninja's valves were adjusted Doc helped the boys add power plugs to the bike so they could charge cell phones, etc when on trips.  The boys learned a lot.   Thanks Doc!

With the Ninja serviced, the boy licensed, and some miles in the saddle the time arrived for the big summer trip - McKinney to Orlando, FL!  We left the house at 6:08 AM and headed east.  282 miles later we enjoyed lunch in Natchitoches, LA (a post about Papa's Bar & Grill will be coming later),

Taking a break in Logansport, Lousiana

Prior to lunch we enjoyed overcast skies and cooler than average temps.  After lunch we rode through off and on rain, mostly a light drizzle.  After 510 miles our day ended in Brookhaven, Mississippi.

He rode like a rider with a lot of miles under his belt (I may a little biased, but he did not make any noticeable mistakes).  

Today was a great day and I am looking forward to tomorrow as we head to Valdosta, Georgia and many more miles with my son.

Ride carefully and prayerfully!    

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"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight." - Proverbs 3:5-6 

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High Island - Lake Charles

When given the choice I would rather ride in the mountain than near the coast but, I have found the coast has it charm.  On a recent trip my brother-in-law and I headed for the Texas/Louisiana coast since it was still early Spring and we were looking for warm temperatures.

Early on the second day of the trip Jeff mentioned that he liked the ocean and beaches.  We decided to alter our route and add a few miles so we could visit the Texas Coast town of High Island before heading to Lake Charles, LA and some great Cajun cookin'.

We rode south on the straight and flat TX 124 (there is one high causeway bridge just north of High Island which gives a great view of the area and tempted me to roll on the throttle) to TX 87 and the Gulf Coast.  We parked and walked around the beach for a short time.  Because of past hurricanes TX 87 no longer connects High Island and Sabine so we had to ride TX 125 back north to Winnie.

The Gulf Coast at High Island

At Winnie we turned east on TX 73 heading to Port Arthur, TX.  At Port Arthur we jumped on TX 82/Martin Luther King Dr. and rode east.  We had to stop on the road prior to the Lake Sabine Causeway bridge because of construction.  We were on a steep incline but we could see the area and we watch a tugboat maneuvering a barge.

 The Lake Sabine Causeway

Barge full of cargo

The road continued along side the causeway.  We could see boats, barges, and refineries.  We crossed over the southern end of Sabine Lake entering Louisiana.  On the left side was Johnson's Bayou and on the right was the Gulf of Mexico.  There were still signs of the effects hurricane Rita.

Johnson's Bayou 

We spotted an alligator in the bayou.  We turned around but the gator would not resurface and we did not stick around too long.  I did take time to take some pictures.  It was a pretty day and there was very little traffic.  It was a peaceful area.

FJR waits while we are looking for gators.

We continued east looking for a good place to stop and check out this stretch of the beach.  Jeff chose a paved road that took us to a small "development" of beach homes.  The only other people we saw was an elderly couple sitting in lawn chairs on the beach.  We dismounted and walked out to the water.  

Gulf Coast near Holly Beach, LA

The beach was nice and clean.  Seashells were plentiful.  I have walked several beaches in Florida but I had never seen so many pretty seashells.  We gathered a few to take home. 

The beach was lined with seashells

 I found this big shell with over half of it buried under the sand. I was surprised when I pulled it up.

After a relaxing stroll down the beach gathering seashells we washed them up and continued east to Holly Beach where we turned north on LA 27.  We passed Mud Lake on our right followed by West Cove, Long Point Lake, Calcasieu Lake, Moss Lake.  On the left we rode by Brown's Lake and Black Lake. 

Riding through the Sabine National Wildlife Refuge

After 35 miles on LA 27 we arrived at our motel in Sulphur, LA.  It was a great day of riding and the stretch along the coast was very enjoyable.  If you get down that way make time to ride along the coast and enjoy the sea breeze and coastal scenery.

Ride carefully and prayerfully!    

 Top Five Oz Videos

  

Connect and follow Biker Oz on the following:

        

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Please visit the following great companies:

THE ESSENTIALS FOR MODERATE SELF-IMPROVEMENT

 

Awesome gear for every rider!
 

 

Viking Bags - Quality saddlebags and luggage for your motorcycle travels

* I have personally ordered from and/or visited these businesses and based on my experiences I recommend this company.  I have an affiliate relationship with the businesses, which means if you follow this link and purchase, I will receive a small commission and will get to ride more!
 

Feedback on these businesses is appreciated.  You may comment below.

 

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight." - Proverbs 3:5-6 

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Love that Cajun Cookin'

My favorite type of food is Cajun with German a close second.  Both are rare treats for me which probably helps maintain their status as my favorites.  When out riding I search for opportunities to dine at local one of kind restaurants.  I love the experience of sampling the culinary efforts of chefs that do not have to follow the cooperate recipes sent from some 12 floor office.

On a recent 4 day extended weekend trip my brother-in-law and I headed towards southwest Louisiana, Lake Charles to be exact.  Weeks before our departure I began thinking about Cajun cookin' and was looking forward to finding a local eatery with a unique flair.  Of course Google provided some suggestions that I noted but, I like asking the locals for recommendations.

We checked into our hotel after a second great day of riding and good stroll on the beach of the Gulf Coast near Holly Beach, LA.  The local suggestion coincided with my research so we jumped on I-10 and rode to Steamboat Bills.  As we were pulling into the parking lot a trio of parking attendants directed us to a motorcycle parking area.  The parking attendants remained busy with a steady flow of customers.

Front entrance of the busy Steamboat Bill's.

We were greeted by a friendly lady with a thick Cajun accent.  She explained that we were to order and pay at the counter and then they would seat us and bring our order when it was ready.  I asked "What's the best thing on the menu?"  She gave me a quick lesson on the menu and what was popular.

Order and pay at the front counter before being seated.

Upon her recommendation I ordered a crawfish pistolette as an appetizer.  I chose the Sampler plate so that I could taste several different items.  My brother-in-law is not a big seafood eaters so he ordered the grilled chicken with red beans and rice.

 Grilled chicken and Red Beans and Rice

His salad and my pistolette arrived shortly.  The pistolette is a roll that is cut and filled with crawfish (or shrimp) etouffee'.  The roll was light and had a flaky crust.  The roll was one of the best rolls I have eaten.  The etouffee' had great flavor and just a little "heat".  The pistolette was a great treat.  I will order pistolettes in the future and not just one!

Crawfish Pistolette - a house speciality

The Sampler plate came loaded with fried shrimp, a piece of fried catfish, a stuffed crab, a stuffed shrimp, cole slaw, fries, and a roll.  I tried to limit my fried foods but I must admit the fried stuff at Steamboat Bill's was not oily and did not have a typical fried flavor.

The small sampler plate is loaded with plenty of great food.

The catfish was fresh, tasty, and flaky.  The stuffed crab was my least favorite item but it was good.  The shrimp seemed to have been caught that morning.  They were fresh and did not have the frozen then thawed texture that places inland have.  The best part was the stuffed shrimp.  The big shrimp was stuffed and then deep fried.  Not for sure what all was in the stuffing but it was great. I wished they would have given me more than one.

Overall I greatly enjoyed my meal.  The atmosphere is festive, the service friendly and quick, and the food top-notched.  If you are on I-10 and near Lake Charles stop by and check out Steamboat Bill's.  I really think you will be satisfied and pleased. 

Awesome Attraction in Louisiana

One of the great aspects of a motorcycle trip is that I enjoy getting off the beaten path and seeing new things. So, while on the way back from Florida in July 2008 my son and I stopped in Baton Rouge to go on a swamp tour.

After some Internet research I chose the Alligator Bayou Eco-Swamp Tour.

Alligator Bayou lies south of Baton Rouge, a few miles off of I-10. Even though you are not many miles away from the constant flow of traffic, you feel like you are out in the “boonies.” Once you pull into the gravel parking lot you can see that the owners take great care to have minimal impact on the environment.

We were heartily welcomed by the staff and owner. There was a small shop where one could purchase a drink, a snack, and/or souvenirs. We walked up to the swamp/bayou and looked in front of the pontoon boat that we would later be riding and we saw a big alligator waiting for a snack.

The tour began with a short walk to a man-made pond where the tour-guide waded in with small gators and snapping turtles. He gave a talk about the animals and fed a few of them. He even handed one of the visitors a gator, showed him how to hold it, and then allowed him to walk around so that all of us could pet the gator.

After the presentation we walked to a larger area where the guide called up “Goliath” – a huge alligator that crawled out of the pond knowing that he would be feed. The guide fed Goliath and continued telling us about alligators. We also walked out on a deck above some more ponds with a lot more gators.

After the walking tour we boarded the boat and headed out for about an hour tour. We saw more gators as well as other wildlife. The guide brought out a nutria (large rodent) and a possum that he had on board. He explained a lot about the animal and allowed visitors to pet it. At one point we docked on the side of the bayou and viewed some of the oldest know Cypress trees in America. He also presented the visitors with the opportunity to hold an alligator.

We enjoyed the sunset on the bayou as we made our way back to the dock and the tour headquarters.  The guides were informative and fun. They love nature and strive to preserve it.  My son and I loved the tour. We hope to go again.  I highly recommend you stop by Alligator Bayou for a tour.

Ride carefully and prayerfully!    

 Top Five Oz Videos

  

Connect and follow Biker Oz on the following:

        

Ordinary Biker Oz YouTube Channel has video reviews and more

Christian Motorcyclists Association

Come Ride With Us 

Please visit the following great companies:

THE ESSENTIALS FOR MODERATE SELF-IMPROVEMENT

 

Awesome gear for every rider!

* I have personally ordered from and/or visited these businesses and based on my experiences I recommend this company.  I have an affiliate relationship with the businesses, which means if you follow this link and purchase, I will receive a small commission and will get to ride more!
 

Feedback on these businesses is appreciated.  You may comment below.

 

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight." - Proverbs 3:5-6 

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