December 1st 2023 – Odessa, TX

While Katrine got ready to explore downtown San Antonio I watched the last MotoGP race of the season. It was a title decider. I won’t spoil the result if some haven’t had the chance to watch it yet.
The 2023 season has been exciting and I expect 2024 to be even better. The countdown for the season opener in Qatar March 10th has begun…

Back to the present past.
We got on the bus right in front of our motel. 30 minutes later we arrived at The Spanish Governor’s Palace.

We walked around all day – following The River Walk whenever possible.
The city is generously sprinkled  with interesting sights and charming neighborhoods.
When we passed a homeless man sitting on a bench/sculpture named “Homeless Jesus” while he was reading “Fallen Angels and the Origins of Evil” by Elizabeth Clare Prophet I just had to stop and ask for a picture. To make it even more poetic, there was a small bird watching over him from the backrest.

As dusk descended upon the city we enjoyed the luxurious embrace of Morton’s The Steakhouse. The place was way out of our league, but the last of the gift cards from our wedding had lured us in. Food and service was extraordinary but even with us being frugal, only drinking water and with a generous gift card on our hands it still turned out to be the most expensive meal we’ve ever had.

Before checking out of the motel in the morning I gave “Sprocket Center” a call. I had ordered 2 sets of chains and sprockets at Thanksgiving with the expectation that they would ship the following day. It turned out that Sprocket Center had used the opportunity to take an extended weekend off and wouldn’t look at my order until Monday. It made me concerned if I would get the parts in time – our 180 days in the US are running out. The guy I reached on the phone was super accommodating and helpful. For a small fee he upgraded my shipment to 2 days by air and handled it right away.

It was cold, windy and overcast when  we entered The Texas Hill Country. The riding became gradually more interesting as we moved west. We stopped for lunch at “The Core” in Medina. It was an interesting place. We had a long conversation with Trevor the owner. He was hanging out with his daughter, youngest grandchild and a couple of friends. Later his wife Heidi joined us. She listened intensely to our tale while making notes. All the while we were being served by Stacy, a sweet young lady. Initially she seemed a bit shy, but that soon wore off.

Warmed up and well fed we hit road 337 – one of The Twisted Sisters. A trio of roads known for the best riding Texas has to offer. In Leakey we turn north to get acquainted with another sister – road 336.

Accommodation options were few and far between in The Hill Country, but we managed to find a dirt cheap motel in Junction. It turned out to be one of the coziest motels on the trip so far.

The wind was still fierce in the morning, but the sky blue and the temperatures more moderate.
It was time to say hello to the last of the 3 sisters – road 335. She turned out to be the most entertaining of the lot. At times it was like riding a roller coaster.

In the afternoon we left The Hill Country behind. The land flattened and the roads got straighter as we approached Sonora. The low temperatures and high winds  made camping less than appealing so we sourced another cheap motel room on the outskirt of town.

A strong wind carried us across the Permian Basin. Farmland gradually gave way to refineries as we approached Odessa. An ever present odor as we entered the urban area left no doubt that we had arrived in oil country.

We stopped by the local Honda dealer to pick up a quart of engine oil and a rear tube. From there it was only a short ride to Brian’s @LordOFping place. The parts from Sprocket Center would arrive at his place later the same day, and he had invited us to stay.
We were greeted by Brian and his 2 charming 150 lbs lapdogs Axle and Saxon.
For dinner we were treated with some of the best New York steaks I’ve ever tasted. Brian smoked and grilled them to perfection. It surpassed even Morton’s excellent offerings.

Katrine and I have been staying with Brian for the last couple of days. It has allowed us to prepare for Mexico. We have papers ready for the TIP when we reach the border. We have the FMM sorted and taken out Mexican insurance on the bikes. On advice from @Gustavo we used mexadventure for the latter.
Sorting this stuff out isn’t much fun, but it’s all part of the adventure.