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I wanted to share the details for our upcoming Big Bend trip for Fall 2026. Before you dive into the itinerary, I want to emphasize that staying at the specific hotels I mention is completely optional. I just found these spots online along our path, so if you find a different place that fits your budget better, please feel free to book there instead. Because of this, I have made sure that our meeting point every single morning will be a local gas station, and we will plan on a Kick Stands Up time of exactly 8:00 AM each day.
To give us some flexibility, I have put together two separate route options for Day 1, three different options for Day 5, and one set route for Day 6.
Here is how the plan looks so far:
Day 1: Sunday
Since several of us will already be in the area for the BMW rally, we will all meet up at the Shell gas station located at 1704 SH-71 W
La Grange, TX 78945.
Once we are all gathered, we can check the weather conditions and decide together which of the two routes makes the most sense to take. We will be riding through some incredibly scenic roads, including the famous Twisted Sister Route 337. For lunch, we will stop at the Frio Canyon Motorcycle Resort in Leakey. Our stop for the first night will be in Del Rio, and I am personally planning to stay at the Quality Inn Del Rio.
Day 2: Monday
We will head out along historic U.S. Route 90. Our first stop will be the scenic overlook at the Rio Grande, followed by a second stop at the Judge Roy Bean Museum. A quick heads up for this leg of the trip: there are no gas stations available between Del Rio and Sanderson, so we will need to fuel up at every single station we come across just to be safe. Later in the day, we will visit the McDonald Observatory before wrapping up the evening in Alpine, Texas, where I will be staying at the Quality Inn Alpine.
Day 3: Tuesday
This day takes us through Marfa and Presidio, and then we will ride what is easily one of the most iconic roads in the country, Texas State Highway 170. That will lead us right into Terlingua. I actually haven't booked my own lodging for Terlingua yet because I am still deciding what to do this time around. In the past, I have always stayed at the Terlingua Ranch Lodge, but there are a lot of new hotels open along the road now. If people are interested, we could also look into booking a shared house together on Vrbo.
Day 4: Wednesday
We are going to visit the Boquillas Port of Entry border crossing. Please make absolutely sure that you bring your passport or your green card along with you for this part of the trip.
Day 5 & 6: Thursday & Friday
Thursday is a flexible day. It can either be a rest day, or for anyone who prefers to take two full days to get back to Katy, you can start heading eastward since the ride back toward Del Rio is quite a distance. I will likely head out at my usual time around 4:00 AM, taking the fastest route via Interstate 10. Depending on how fast you want to make the ride home, everyone should be back safely either by Thursday evening or sometime during the day on Friday.
Let me know what you think about the Terlingua lodging situation, and we can start locking in the final details.
***GPF FILES WILL UPLOADED IN FEW DAYS*******
Ride Rules for Safety, Inclusion, and Minimal Confusion:
- Ride Your Own Ride: Your participation indicates that you understand and accept full responsibility for your own safety, well-being, passengers, and property. You also confirm that you carry insurance as required by Texas law and possess a valid motorcycle license.
- Use Your Bright Lights: Please ride with your high beams on, except for the rider immediately behind the leader. Carry emergency contact information.
- Gear Up for Safety: Follow ATGATT (All The Gear, All The Time)—this includes a helmet, jacket, riding pants (preferably armored), over-the-ankle boots, and gloves.
- Start with a Full Tank: Ensure your gas tank is full before departure. Plan to cover 125 miles between gas stops, and never pass up an opportunity to refuel when we stop.
- No Stunting: This is not a ride for stunts—no wheelies, stoppies, or reckless maneuvers of any kind.
- Breaking Off? Let Someone Know: If you decide to leave the group, please wave at someone so we know it was intentional.
- Watch Out for Fellow Riders: Keep an eye on the rider behind you. If you lose sight of them, turn around and check what happened. Let’s not leave anyone behind.
- Waiting at Turns: At any point where a turn signal is required, we will wait until the last rider (Sweep Rider) makes the turn before continuing.
• 9. Check Your Tire Pressure: Before leaving home, check your cold tire pressure. If checking when warm, add 4 lbs. to compensate.
