North Texas DevilDogs...and, by extention, all Lone Star Devil Dogs... What a GREAT RIDE!! Randy fought a rear-guard action (potential spousal eruption)and couldn't go... Top Billy phoned in AWOL 30 minutes before the ride, couldn't go... I made it to the rally point a few minutes after 0800. Jim Rooth showed up shortly thereafter with the HTGW (Heavy-Transport Gold Wing).
Chow was on, so we ate.

LawDog Eric Beal called, saying he'd had trouble roustin' out the young (soon-to-be?????) FireDogs from their cozy racks. JR's probably bein' a lot cozier than was Chris'. Eric said all motors was runnin' and they'd be at the rally point soon.
Sure enough, soonthey showed up: JR and his backseat Emma, Beal and his Sherry, and Chris ridin' solo. All ate except Eric and Sherry...whose order had gone AWOL (Billy???). Fed, we kicked tha' tires, lit tha' fires and blasted off down I-30...but not before I informed everbody that we had a burial to attend to along the way. I deferred all questions, sayin' it'd giv'um something ta' think about on the first leg.

In Fort Worth we headed out the infamous Jacksboro Highway...the home of the gamblers'n gangsters in the '40's and '50's.
At Springtown, we headed N on 51...blisterin' tha' highway w/JR's pipes... Jim having already gone deaf by this time.
We merged onto 114 and headed to Paradise.
WELL IN ADVANCE of the turn into the rest stop @ Paradise, I signaled a rightie, and all safely negotiated the turn. Dismounting, I announced that this was the burial site and explained...

"Christmas last year, my daughter gave me two hermit crabs which I named Willie and Joe after the WWII cartoon G.I.'s (they both had American flags painted on their shells...). Willie and Joe became my 17 month old Grandson's favorite things at Grandpa's house...along with the ducks, the paddleboat, the pooltable (he sits on it and throws the ballsat the pockets), the sandpile, the wheelbarrow (rides) and the motorsicle... Joe, after escaping, and being AWOL ( lotta'that goin' on Billy...Randy...) for almost 12 hours, showed up next to the bed at 0500 the next morning. He was placed back in the fish tank w/ Willie...but was never quite right again. Yesterday Joe departed this plane of consciousness. Wife Kay, knowing the ride route, suggested I bury Joe in Paradise. Great idea!

All Devil Dogs stood behind the burial plot...someone hummed taps as I buried Joe...then had to exhume him because the camera didn't work. Re-posed, we buried Joe again, had pictures made, passed around the Jack Daniels to toast
Joe's Godspeed (Sherry asked what time it was...then answered her own question..."5:00 somewhere...and belted one down).

Saddened but refreshed we resumed the ride N to Bridgeport, cut left on 380 to Jacksboro. A very nice road to all who missed the ride. At Jacksboro, everbody made a head call, gassed up and headed W to Farm Road 4.
For all of you Alpha Company Dogs who we can't seen to get hooked up for a ride...you missed a TRUELY SPECTACULAR ROAD!!!!!!!!!!! 55 miles of twisty-turny, uppy-downy road over mountains (kinda') thru dales and dropping into valleys...switchbacks galore along an undulating 2-lane farm road. Halfway through this roadcourse made for motorsicles, we hit Graford'n had lunch.

The Dogs had cholesterol red-lining chicken-fried steaks whilst the ladies had lighter fare.
LawDog Beal entertained the white-haired ladies sitting next to us with vivid descriptions of Michael Jackson being anally raped
in prison by some inmate named Bubba...at least till J.R. told'm Eric's name and that he was a prominent DFW attorney...and I offered to giv'um one of his cards...shut tha' Dog right up!
On tha' road again (in tha' words of Willie), we headed W a mile or so and caught Farm Road 4 S again. If You thought the top half of 4 was FANTASTIC, "Hold on Martha' cause you ain't seen nothin' yet!!! 
The next southern part of 4 beats the top hands down!! Top Billy, You really missed it!!! Randy's already driven it, tho not sure if on 2-wheels or 4. We rode thru Palo Pinto and Santo before we hit I-20.
Left turn and it was warp speed to Fort Worth. J.W. & Emma, Beal & Sherry... Lonesome Chris cut S to I-20. Jim flew E as my wingman till he too cut S @ 287. I rolled in to the hootch @ 1500 on the nose.
I'd projected 200 miles Whataburger to Whataburger. Actual distance 204! Am I good or what!?!

Dogs, Beal wants to know if there's mor'n just 3 or 4 of us. We joined this motorsicle club to ride!
When'r we gonna' start ridin' together?????? Those of you who didn't make the 4 Lakes ride, and this one are REALLY MISSIN' OUT OF SOME FANTASTIC TIMES!!!!! THE LEGEND IS GROWING! THE STORIES ARE IN THE MAKIN' ! BE PART OF IT...
LETS RIDE THOSE THINGS WE TRADED OUR RETIREMENT FOR!!!!!!

Andy