Have you taken your BMW on a road trip recently?
While this winter has not been particularly harsh in Texas... we did get our additional " 6 weeks" of winter, as predicted by Punxsutawney Phil, and the cold weather has held on as long as possible. A few months ago... when the Lone Star Chapter TourMeisters set the spring Driving Tour schedule... I was excited to see that the West Texas Driving Tour to Big Bend National Park was on the schedule.
Over the years, this event has been held every third spring, however the economic downturn in recent years along with sky high gas prices has shelved this event in favor of more budget friendly half and single day events. With gas prices low, and a burgeoning oil and gas industry having sparked the construction of several new hotels in West Texas, this seemed like the perfect time to make this my first trip to West Texas.
As the days counted down to the event, i consulted more experienced tourers and decided I would purchase a CB and an antenna.... Yes... that's correct... A Citizens Band Radio? and an Antenna... on my BMW.... hmmm..
I was advised it really is recommended, so I obliged and made a few quick moves on Amazon and the day of the trip I was armed with a handheld cb radio, and within minutes I was able to mount the antenna on the rear decklid. A small BNC antenna adapter was sourced from a local truck stop in order to connect the handheld radio to the external antenna. Total cash outlay... approx $75.
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Our group met on the south side of Dallas at 9am.... we were disappointed that there some late cancellations due to illness, reducing the group to 5 cars.. and our group somehow ended up being all N5X motors... an E46 330, two 1Ms, a Z4 3.0 and a 535 sedan. Our Tour Meister Ray took the point,
and fellow 1M pilot Mike took the tailgunner position and we headed out onto the open road!
north texas landscape.
It wasnt long before we hit construction.. it was unique to see this portable, manned, stoplight for a single lane section of roadway..
once past the construction... the roads became a little more fun!
the skateboarder in me immediately noticed the orange hand rail...
small towns are quaint! We wondered how they survive when so many main roads bypass the small towns!
(answer: the town is better off without the congestion of trucks and the wear and tear from heavy machinery, as well as noise and air pollution.)
much of our route was on Hwy 67... we went through stephenville..past Brownwood and Coleman...
North Texas wildflowers...
normal, north texas bluebonnets...
We had a 30 miinute delay for an auto accident victim to be airlifted away... hope recovery is quick
We stopped in San Angelo for lunch at THE GRILL... a surprisingly classy place .. with excellent service..ask for Benjy.
and we continued on after lunch... the further west we went... the flatter it got....
We reached our evening destination at around 5:30 pm....... the Candlewood Suites in Fort Stockton..
A bedtime photo of the cars parked safely at the rear of the hotel due to construction on the side... another new hotel!
When you leave your car behind the hotel.. be sure to take, hide, and most importantly.. LOCK.
