Trip Report -- TX Panhandle Canyons and Frontier Forts

[trumpetguy]

Last week I returned from a four-day 1100 mile trip through two canyons in the Texas panhandle and Frontier Forts in west Texas.

Web page about the trip here:
http://myweb.cebridge.net/james.south/2008%20Trip/index.html

It was a great ride.  Beautiful scenery, great times with my co-riders (my brother and my father).  I did have an interesting experience with a local reptile (see page).

[bucks1605]

Great write up and pictures, I really enjoyed reading through it.

Luck wasn't on your side with the animals. 

[Jon The Buddha]

Very nice report! 

I would argue that luck WAS on your side!

[08GSSteve]

Agree....The Force WAS with you on that day.

Cool ride report

[bucks1605]

I would argue that luck WAS on your side!

I'd agree with the snake, but not the wasp.

[trumpetguy]

The wasp was really unpleasant.  I stopped at a pharmacy and bought some insect bite first aid.  Since I had an encounter with a bee a year and a half ago, this one is staying in my tank bag!  Anyway, the wasp stings generated quite an allergic reaction.  It will be one week tomorrow and they still itch.  For a couple of days they were about 6" diameter welts.  I took Benadryl capsules and used Benadryl and Cortisone cream, which helped some.

Still, a couple of wasp stings is a small price to pay for the fun I've had riding!

Thanks for the comments.  I was inspired to make these pages after reading some of Kery's trip logs -- I even stole his format with the Streets and Trips maps.  Thanks, Kerry!

[08GSSteve]

Was riding with my bro and I saw a swarm of some sort in the distance so I closed my visor.  went through the swarm as it was so bloody large with no problems so I thought.  My bro waved me down and pulled over.  A wasp was trapped between his cheek and helmet and stung him about 6 times from the little puncture marks round his cheek.  we could not take his OPEN FACE helmet off so our next stop was an emergency center where they cut his helmet from his head as his face had swelled so bad.

He now owns a full face helmet.

Still better to be stung by a wasp than bitten by a snake.

[Jon The Buddha]

I would argue that luck WAS on your side!

I'd agree with the snake, but not the wasp.

Oooops!  Somehow I missed the part about the wasp! 

[trumpetguy]

I was a little freaked out later when I thought about what COULD have happened.  I was wearing motorcycle boots, so I was protected to slightly above the ankle.  However, if I had been bitten, I was alone, about 1/4 mile from the visitor center.  And the fort is in the middle of nowhere -- an ambulance would have been at least a half-hour away from when I could have gotten to the center.

O8GSSteve, that's a horrible story!  When I was a preschooler, my brother and I were using a bush for a hideout.  A wasp nest was there, and we didn't want it in our hideout, so we knocked it down.  We promptly got covered in wasp stings.  Fortunately, neither of us is allergic to the extent of a shock reaction.

[pbureau69]

Wonderfull fun trip you sound like you had.... very well written, love reading about your trip.

[beRto]

Wow, great report! I especially enjoyed all the photos!

Thanks for sharing.