What's This About a Motorcycle Lodge?

Over the last six months, I have shared some tales of the Road and provided insight into what the Thunder Road Motorcycle Lodge concept is all about, hopefully providing a few interesting stories along the way.

Now I need your help.

It’s time to “Road” test some of the concepts we have envisioned. I need your feedback so that I can refine the concept, select the site for the flagship property, and put the final plan into action. Not only do I want your feedback, I want the feedback of at least 10 bikers with whom you regularly ride….and even more feedback from 10 of their riding buddies. So if you find the Thunder Road Motorcycle Lodge concept compelling, help get the message out. After all, Thunder Road is all about building a community among those who share a passion for the road.

To help collect the information, I have added some survey questions in the sidebar to the right. Vote once, vote often – I want to tap into your passion for the Road. I also encourage your comments to this blog entry - tell me more about what you want, need, and expect while touring. 

So here goes…

Cruisin' the Backroads

Most bikers take one or two multi-day rides per year. If you are among the few who make time for more, consider yourself blessed. What are your favorite overnight destinations?

When taking a multi-day ride, do you prefer to ride alone, with your significant other, or with a group?

Candidate Property

Piney Woods of East Texas

I envision Thunder Road Motorcycle Lodge to be a rustic lodge setting with amenities that cater to the biker crowd. For example, the lodge will offer a restaurant with food like Mom used the make, a bar that Pops would be proud to call his own, and an entertainment venue for small live performances (after all, who wants a dead performance). It will have a large outdoor patio with a fire pit that we can sit around while smoking our cigars and tellin’ lies about the roads we’ve traveled…while sippin’ tequila or your favorite cold one. We'll also have an outdoor entertainment venue for hosting concerts and rallies for up to 5,000 people. Are you in?

The Great Room

Patio view of the lake

55 acre spring fed lake

Now, for the important stuff.

We all know we need to make Momma happy. To that end, we'll have over 50 cabins that cater to the biker and your significant other. The log or stone cabins will be tucked away in the woods overlooking a mountain view or lake; and include covered parking for your most prized possession; a king-size bed for, well, you know; a storage area for your leathers and gear; a boot and glove dryer for those days when you couldn’t get to the bar soon enough; free internet access; and in-room entertainment to help put you to sleep. What are we missing?

2-Bedroom Cabin - Exterior

2-Bedroom Cabin - Interior

We’re all on a budget these days, so when selecting lodging, what most drives your decision – price, ammenities, location, safety of your bike, internet access? When traveling with other couples, would you prefer 2-bedroom cabin so that you can share with another couple? When travelling without a significant other, do you prefer to stay in your own room or do you bunk up with a friend?  

Oh, and one more thing. To make it truly Thunder Roadworthy, would you prefer a chocolate mint on your pillow or an ice cold beer at check-in?

© 2010 TRHG Holdings LLC

Time to Break Out the Leathers

With Fall riding season just around the corner, I thought it might be a good idea to get out the leathers to see if I will be able to ride in cooler weather. You see, it's been a hectic summer and with stress comes eating and little extra beer...and the inevitable rider's cushion that comes along with it. Luckily, I usually drink Michelob Ultra, so it looks like we'll be seeing the colors again this year.

Just as Spring means touring to see the wildflowers in the Texas Hill Country, the Fall is all about seeing the colors in the Piney Woods of East Texas or a brisk ride into the mountains of northwest Arkansas. This year, we hope to spend many weekends touring the winding Farm-to-Market roads and rolling hills of East Texas.

This part of Texas is my secret motorcycle touring treasure. I took a friend, Patrik, on an all-day trip there a couple of years ago and, to this day, every time I see him he begs to make the trip again. Coming from a guy who grew-up riding in the Swiss Alps, I think he knows beautiful scenery when he sees it.

One of my favs is FM-16 between Canton and US-271, just south of Gladewater. A Texas Forest Trails road, FM-16 is a great alternative to I-20 / US-80, running through the thriving metropolises of Lindale, Red Springs, and Winona along the way. All three communities are have vestiges of the big oilfield days of the 1930's, but have been reduced to primarily rural bedroom communities of Tyler, the Rose Capital of Texas.

If you are a burger connoisseur, the East Texas Burger Company in Mineola is a must stop. Set in a 100 year-old building on Main Street (US-80), this little burger joint is world renown for its hand-packed patties and fresh-cut french fries. They also offer another of my favorites, chicken fried steak, but I've never been able to eat both in one setting.

Once you're fed and watered, go north about a half-mile on US-69, then hang a right on FM-49. This road is my #2 in East Texas. You see a little of everything on FM-49, hay fields, pine tree forests, rolling hills, expansive creek bed views, and pristine two lane roads with huge tree canopies. In the fall, the trees really put on a show, usually at their peak between late-September and Halloween. If you have the time, take FM-49 all the way into Gilmer, the horse farms in the last five miles will remove any remaining stress you might have in your body.

Continuing east out of Gilmer, you have two great options to run the perimiter of Lake 'O the Pines. Option #1, go northwest on TX-155 to Avinger, then right on FM-729 to Jefferson. FM-729 is a twisty two-lane cruise through the pine forests on the east side of the lake. It is 23 miles of sensory overload all the way into Jefferson.

Option #2 is TX-154 east for about two miles, then left on FM-726. FM-726 takes many turns as you journey through the small villages that make this part of rural Americana. Simply follow the signs for Jefferson. You'll have several options along the way and every one of them worth take multiple times.

Jefferson is the Fredericksburg of East Texas. Chocked full of quaint antique shops, B&B's, and small inns, many of the establishments in Jefferson boast of being haunted by ghosts. My friend, Phil, will testify to that fact, but that is a completely different blog entry to be told at a later time. The biker bar of record is Auntie Skinners. Go there, enjoy the delicious food and cold beer, and tip your waitress well -- they do a great job there.

© 2009 TRHG Holdings LLC