Ride Day 5.
Homeward Bound.
Sunday October 21st, 2012.

With our luggage strapped down and secure and our kick stands up, we promptly began our journey at my prescribed time.
It was very uneventful. Just the drone of the highway and the interspersing of typical commercial vehicles on the road at that time of day.
Sure as we had had fun, the sun rose behind us and the day began to gradually warm up.
As the day wore on, green vegetation began to get sparse. A sure sign that we were putting distance between us and Benton.
The monotony was broken up when we found ourselves behind a custom rig/trailer with a highly polished stainless steel back door.
Tony sped up abreast of the driver of the rig and motioned to him that we’d be close behind him, just to make him aware in the hope of avoiding any unpleasant surprises or mishaps.
Motioning his understanding and approval, he instinctively knew (I guessed) that seeing our reflections in his shiny doors made for a very uncommon view of ourselves from our perspectives.
We were like kids, performing antics and posing.
Luckily, William had his GoPro running and came away with some very memorable footage of us displaying our antics.
So on and on we persevered, stopping only for a quick lunch and a break from the heat of the day.
After lunch, to relieve some of the road drudgery, Tony, with us in tow, exited the highway and rerouted us through the forest/countryside for close to an hour. We found a gem of a road that gave us quite a few thrills and apprehension in some parts, due to the fact that we had no clue where we were for several minutes.
The GPS unit froze and all we could do was follow the road till we came to some semblance of human population.
Just as we crossed the Texas state line, William’s Triumph developed a problem with his gear shifting lever, rendering him unable to safely select gears. It was necessary to stop and see what the issue was.
We pulled into a parking lot of an abandoned business just outside of Nacogdoches, TX. We needed another break anyway.
Upon close inspection I ascertained that the splines in his lever, around the selector shaft, had worn down possibly caused (more than likely) by not being tight enough for a relatively long period of time.
So I fashioned a bushing out of empty soda can material we scrounged around for and found, and I had it in place as good as new!
So back on the highway, we pounded the pavement again for the remaining miles into Corpus Christi, stopping only at our favorite place for a potty break and fuel - Buc-ee’s.
Buc-ee’s advertises itself as “Having the Cleanest Bathrooms” on Highway 59. And indeed they do! The best Beef Jerky too! Plus unique Texas wares.
So with about 288 km (180 miles) to go, I re-checked the shifter on William’s bike. It was still good and we took off for the last leg of the trip.
Next stop would be Corpus Christi. Home.
It was hot and I felt de-hydrated. Somewhere just before the city limits, we parted ways on the highway, taking off in different directions towards our respective home areas.
I pulled into the Shell gas station at the junction of US 183 and Alamo St. in Refugio, TX. and went in search of some refreshment.
The Gatorade went down well. It was nice and cool in the convenience store, but I needed to make a quick exit and try to get home before dark to keep my personal timetable on target.
The last 32 miles went by quickly. Very quickly, for in no time at all, or so it seemed, I was home.
It had been an enjoyable trip even though it started out as a very stressful one.
My wife was right, it did me good.
I had arrived home in a better frame of mind and with renewed energy to tackle the issues that lay ahead of me.
Every one was out and about town.
The Chihuahua was there to welcome me home though. I knew for a fact that she had heard me coming way down the road already. I could hear her bark of excitement just as I turned into the driveway.