Stage 14: Nacogdoches, Texas to Victoria, Texas. 280 miles.

Epic day on the Motorcycle Cannonball. This morning started out chilly again, which is pretty unusual for this time of year in Southeast Texas. We took some great two lane roads that came just near the homestead on Lake Livingston; what a surreal feeling, going through all the local small towns I’ve visited countless times over the years on a 1928 Harley Davidson that Nikki Hancock and I rode here from the Canadian Border. The scenery quickly changed from the heavily forested pine woods of East Texas that I’ve grown up around to vast cattle ranches in the thousands of acres and beautiful old homesteads on both sides of the roads.

.

After passing through Brenham, Texas (home of Blue Bell Ice Cream) I realized that the next marked fuel station on our turn-by-turn directions was a bit further than originally thought. While our group usually stops about 65 miles apart, by the time I figured out our predicament and was well into the reserve fuel tank we were almost 90 miles from the last fill up. At the 200 mile mark, we coasted into a big fuel station literally on whatever fuel was left in the carburetor bowls. After a fill up, oil change, and water break, Nik and Jacob Martin discovered handmade Mexican sombreros inside the fuel station, which we clearly needed in order to properly cross the daily finish line. So for 80 miles, Nikki held on to the sombreros while we pounded pavement out.

.

40 miles from the day’s end, our ‘28 suddenly shut down completely at speed. Initially I assumed that the charging system was no longer working and was ready to swap over to the backup battery in the saddlebag. Turned out that the main wire bringing power from the dash to the coil had rubbed through in a pinched spot and had burned through the insulation. With the jumper wires we disconnected the ignition system and hot wired the points and coil, in between Shane and Jake doing roadside dances in their sombreros. Fired back up, we chewed up the last 40 miles and beat the check in time by almost an hour. We all crossed the finish line wearing our sombreros, of course.

.

Our stop tonight was hosted by Steve Klein, the City of Victoria, and the AMCA Cherokee Chapter. Not sure how to put into words how amazing the hospitality, steak dinner, and public attendance was. Nikki and I were totally blown away and sincerely wish to thank every person who made the hosted stop such a great success.

.

Tonight’s routine on the ‘28 was once again just standard maintenance in addition to changing out the power supply wire from the dash to the coil. The absolute best part of the day, besides all the laughs we had on the road, was when we had an opportunity to help our good friend and fellow rider Randy Samz with a replacement compound gear for the gear case on his ‘28 Harley. Today his generator gear had come loose and ate a few teeth on the adjacent compound gear. Without Randy offering up his spare front cylinder on Stage 1, we would not have made all the miles thus far. Situations like these are what make lifetime friendships and memories, and go to show that there are still great things in this world. Long live the Motorcycle Cannonball and the family we have made along the way.

.

Tomorrow we have our last long travel day before the short mileage grand finale on Sunday. We depart Victoria at first light for a 270 mile course to McAllen, Texas just across from the Mexican border.