42. The First Blue Bell Ride

After moving away from Texas and a readily available source of Blue Bell Ice Cream, a serious cravin’ was flung upon us which moved us to get a ride scheduled for Memorial Day Weekend of 1986. This was to be the first of several annual rides that, over time, became a tradition and earned us a plaque from the Blue Bell Creamery in Brenham, Texas.

Saturday morning, 6:00 am dawned as a beautiful day, with calm winds, mild temperatures, good road, and lots of friends following along. Reservations were made at the Texian Inn near DFW Airport so if we were late, we’d still have a place to stay. Riding at a steady speed of 65 mph, we made good time, stopping every 125 miles for gas and potty breaks.

By late morning, Oklahoma City was in our rear view mirrors and we were over halfway to Dallas. As we continued south on I-35, we noticed some dark clouds to the southwest. Since this was tornado season we kept an eye on this build up and monitored the radio for updates.

As we approached Wynnewood, Oklahoma, the rain was just starting. Up ahead was a deserted gas station so we ducked in there to wait out the storm. Just in time too, because this storm had hail in it! Under the big canopy, we all stayed dry and the bikes were protected from hail damage. Besides, it was a welcome relief to stretch our legs a bit and move around.

When the storm had passed, we resumed our trip in the fresh smelling countryside. The air was crisp and clean, the skies were brilliant blue, and the roads were drying fast. Hammer down!

After a couple of hours, we crossed the Red River and were breathing real Texas air. A great feeling. Most of the folks with us had never tasted Blue Bell Ice Cream so they were in for a treat. We stopped for gas in Valley View and I went inside to inquire if they had any Blue Bell Ice Cream. The lady said they didn’t but there was a small grocery store on the little town square and she thought they might have some.

I rode over to the square, discovered that they did indeed have Blue Bell and promptly bought a pint of my favorite flavor, Cookies ‘n Cream.

Carrying my treat outside, I radioed the rest of the group and told them I was in the park on the downtown square. Notice my priorities? I bought mine before I called the gang. I could be recognized by my big smile and the pint of ice cream in my hand. I soon had company and we enjoyed the first taste of this fine product together. Some of us even went back for seconds!

The store owner and his family came out and talked with us, we took lots of pictures and promised to send extra prints to them. After a while, we saddled up and finished the ride into Dallas arriving at the Texian Inn about 90 minutes after our ice cream meal.

The folks at the motel had a huge welcome banner with a sign on the marquee that proclaimed this as Topeka Touring Society Blue Bell headquarters! How thoughtful.

But wait, there’s more! Inside, we found a huge sheet cake and all different flavors of ice cream. Still being full, we did not really do this spread justice at that time, but the night was still young. All weekend long we were treated like royalty.

Later that evening, our tour guide and concierge, Bob, loaded us up in the two Motel vans and took us to Mesquite for the Saturday Night Rodeo. There I got to see an old friend, Mac the Knife. His name came from his horns which grew down his handsome face like scimitars.

Mac was the meanest buckin’ bull on the circuit and the oldest, smartest, most cantankerous veteran in the entire corral of rough stock. The Mesquite Rodeo guys always ran him out dead last so the fans could see a good show with Mac and the clowns. Did Mac ever actually hook one of the clowns? Yep, now and then he‘d really tag somebody. Mean tempered? Yeah, he really was.

Bob and his assistant took us back to the motel for more cake and ice cream before we called it a day. And what a day it was. Tomorrow will be even better; we’re gonna see South Fork Ranch and maybe have high tea with J R Ewing his own self!

Next morning, we skipped breakfast at the Texian Inn which would have consisted of ice cream and cake, opting instead for some breakfast burritos at a local What-A-Burger before leaving out for the South Fork Ranch.

We got to South Fork early enough to avoid crowds, toured the barns and corrals, the ranch house itself, and just sat around the swimming pool. This place is just like it appears on TV, but considerably smaller; all except for the wooden steer that doubled as the desk where JR signed all his big deals.

After we took the tour of the house, we decided to have high tea on the veranda. Wait! That’s twice now high tea has been mentioned. What is high tea anyway?

It’s natural tea; brewed in a gallon jug by the sun, then served on the second story balcony of the ranch house at South Fork Ranch, hence; high tea. Got it?

For dinner, we searched for and found a great Bar B Que place and ate a passel of it. It was that good. Then we hightailed it back to the Texian Inn.

Bob had roped off a parking area for us on the back side of the motel so we could clean up the bikes, effect repairs, and just gather for good fellowship. He had provided buckets, old towels, and a water hose. Really thoughtful guy.

After cleaning the bikes, we were again eating Blue Bell ice cream while sitting in the hot tub! This is the first time we’ve had a chance to just unwind since we arrived. Tonight we’re goin’ to Mr. Catfish in Arlington for all you can eat catfish and hush puppies. More great food. I‘m beginning to think a salad would be a nice change of pace.

After supper, and stuffed to the gills, (no pun intended) we head back for the motel for a good night’s rest as we must pull out early in the morning. On the way back, I run over something in the road. I’ll have to do a detailed tire check before leaving in the morning.

Last day. This morning we’ll head for Topeka and home. It’s been quite a weekend! I’m full and tired of over eating; I must have gained seven pounds on this trip.

I put the Yamaha up on the center stand this morning and rotated the tires around looking for damage from last night’s mishap. Front and rear tires seem to be unmarked. That’s very good news because today is Memorial day and most bike shops will be closed. Most bike shops are closed on Monday anyway.

It’s a quiet, still morning in North Texas as we string out on I 820 west headin’ for I 35 north. Should be home in ten or twelve hours as the forecast is for continued great weather. We’ve been running at 65 mph for a little over an hour when I hear a loud pop.

I immediately let off on the throttle and holler at R T Newton to pull up alongside me and look over the bike to see if something fell off. He says all he can see is the front tire looks very low. At that moment, I feel the shake start in the front end. Good thing I got the speed scrubbed off before all the air left the front tire. As it was, it was very hard to control. I brought the bike to a stop and got off. The front tire was totally flat.

Judy and a couple of the girls walked across the highway to a service station and made some phone calls in an attempt to find a bike shop that was open. Good luck on that.

But, as luck would have it, she did find a Yamaha dealer where the owner had just stopped in to check on something. Someone really looks after little children, dogs, and innocent motorcycle riders. Since he was only a few minutes from us, he agreed to bring us a tire.

Rene, RT’s wife, had been elected to sit on the back of the bike to keep the front end off the ground while Danny and I removed the wheel. We got to the service station just as the Yamaha dealer drove up with the new tire. Judy paid him while Danny and I put the new tire on.

We were real lucky here in more ways than one. I did not wreck the bike, we found a new tire, and made the switch with a minimum of down time. Back on the road again, we continued uneventfully on our trip, reaching home around 6:00 pm.

Everyone was pleasantly tired, with very fond memories of this first trip; the hail storm, the ice cream in Valley View, the warm welcome at the Texian Inn, the Mesquite rodeo, South Fork Ranch, the Bar B Que, ice cream in the hot tub, the Catfish and even that unexpected flat tire. Yeah, buddy!

We'll do this again next year...and the next...and the next...