Today we had 60 degrees and sun with no wind, so I decided all things considered the best thing for me to do would be play hooky from work and go on a 30 mile ride around town on my MB. If I've learned anything in life so far it's, a man had get his priorities straight. Besides I'm the boss so screw it.
It seemed like the time had come for me to ride into the lions mouth and see what happens. I rode from Farmers Branch to University Park, to Highland Park, to the Katy Trail. Down the Katy trail all the way to down town Dallas, and back up the Katy trail to Highland Park again.
Now I was at entrance to SMU, which is real close to the start of the Katy trail. If I thought it was risky to ride University Park, and Highland Park, the thought of riding into the jurisdiction of the SMU police seemed double risky. I figure the SMU police are so bored they'd probably pull me over just for the **** of it.
Well this is what happened. I rode all around Highland park and purposely did a drive by of the highland Park police station. Highland Park is probably the richest, and snootiest, and highest income city in all of Texas. You can get a ticket in highland Park just for driving while black. I figured it's a perfect place to test out a motor bicycle. Nuthin!!! I couldn't even get the police to notice me if I was on fire.
Next I hit the Katy trail. I didn't run my motor. Too many people. I just peddled the whole way. I passed a Dallas policeman on his bicycle riding the trail in the opposite direction, but he didn't pay any attention to me. I peddled the trail round trip from Highland Park, to down town, and back to Highland Park.
When I got back to the beginning of the trail I was less than 1/2 from SMU. I was thinking I better not go there because university cops are notorious for jacking with people, but then I decided I need to find out what will happen, so I rode right down the middle of the campus on the main thoroughfare, and then across some sidewalks under power and eventually out onto Hillcrest and into University Park. Nuthin!!!
From there I rode from one side side of University Park to the other, and directly past the University Park police station in the process, which is in the center of the town. Then about 6 more miles through North Dallas, and the last 3 miles in Farmers Branch.
This makes 9 out of the 10 city's in my riding range I've ridden in so far without any problems. I'm rapidly coming to the conclusion that motor bicycle riders are good to go in Texas. I've lived and ridden motorcycles in Dallas for over 40 years, so I know very well where the most likely places are to expect trouble from the police.
The worst of all are,
Farmers Branch
Highland Park
Anywhere around White Rock Lake
University Park
I've now ridden all of these places without even getting so much as a dirty look. A Farmers Branch cop even waved at me. So far so good.
