Travelogue -- Dr Bob's Northwest Territory Motorcycle Ride
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6 June 2015, 9:45 PM CT, Canton TX

I made it through Dallas today.I didn't take any pictures in Dallas, it was just too difficult. I would have liked to get a picture of the skyline, all those very tall, very modern buildings. So if you want to see the Dallas skyline, there are no doubt numerous pictures on the Internet. I rode past Dealey Plaza. Again, I would like to have taken a picture, but it was just too difficult. Too much traffic, no place to park, or even pull over and get a quick picture. I didn't want to try to find a parking garage and walk around. I wasn't in the mood for that. I wanted to ride through Dallas, not necessarily photograph Dallas, and I accomplished my mission.

So my memories of Dallas will have to remain in my mind. Am I glad I rode through Dallas? That's one of the things I wanted to do on this Ride, and I did it. Am I a better person for having done so? I doubt it, but I can say that I have ridden my bike right through the center of Dallas.

I can only give you an estimate of my miles today, 325 miles. Why just an estimate? I parked at the front of the motel this evening and shut off the bike to go in and see if they had a room. They did. When I returned to the bike and turned it on, the mileage display, a small LED display, remained dark. I hoped it would work after the bike cooled down, it did not. So I will have to use Google Maps to estimate the miles. I sort of remember what I did, close enough anyway. I hope the total miles are being accumulated and only the display is bad. That way I will know total miles after it is repaired. Tomorrow is Sunday, I don't have much hope for getting anything done. Monday is usually an off day at Harley dealers, so Monday is probably out also. Maybe I can find a place on Tuesday and get it repaired.

I have only four pictures today. The first is the Canadian River. This is looking to the east. That bridge you see is still in service. It is the Calvin River Bridge and was erected in 1919. I saw a pickup truck crossing the bridge. That's the kind of bridge I often saw on Route 66.

And this shot is looking west. Again, the Canadian River. I crossed the Canadian River on Route 66.

When I approached the bridge, from north to south, I did not notice the name of the river. Crossing the bridge I saw that the river was a significant one, so I stopped at the end of the bridge to see the name, and when I saw it was the Canadian River I had to get some pictures. Here's my bike waiting patiently for me to return.

My last picture today is the Red River. I knew approximately when the Red River would be coming up, it is the border between Oklahoma and Texas. I could see the bridge up ahead, and slowed down hoping I could stop on the bridge. There was a lot of traffic, this was US75, and the road is sort of limited-access at this point. There was some shoulder on the bridge, not wide enough for a car to fit, but wide enough for my bike to fit. I had slowed down so cars would not be directly behind me, and halfway across the bridge I pulled onto the shoulder, jumped off the bike, grabbed my camera, got three or four very quick shots not even looking through the viewfinder because I was in a big rush, put the camera back into the tour pack, jumpted back on the bike, and took off. I was stopped just seconds. But I got what I wanted. Ladies and Gentlemen, the Red River.