Immediately after passing through the immigration checkpoint at Austin airport, I feel the smell of Old Spice and tobacco. As a Scandinavian this is what I always imagined Texas to smell like. As I turn the corner and enter the arrival hall I see him, Texas-Dave, and the smell of Texas personified. With open arms and dressed in a blue and yellow “Heja Sverige!” t-shirt, Dave sets the warm hospitality standard of Texans that we will encounter over and over during our stay. The man who has been a digital stranger the last 11 months, will for the next two weeks become a good friend and undefeated in delivering oneliners.

Texas is perhaps more legendary than sliced bread and more emotionally dividing than cilantro. The Lone Star State is the United States second largest and neatly packaged in 695 662 km², full of desert, oversized trucks, guns and stereotypes. Even if me and my colleague, Robert, will encounter every single one of these, this trip turned out to completely turn our view of Texas upside down. Setting aside the polarized politics, the cowboy hats, the strong barbeque fetish and the fact that Texas holds the largest amount of guns of all the states (registered that is) the state blew us away in a non-gunpowder way. Who could have imagined that we would meet some of the most kindhearted people, while riding our bikes on sandy beaches among palm trees, or cruising on a swampboat looking for alligators – in Texas?

When the idea came up to ride in Texas and explore the state, it wasn’t immediate butterflies in the stomach, to be honest. Even if the state sounded fascinating, the stereotypical and common northern European view of Texas' empty flat desert, and oilfields, did not scream adventure. This is where the lone star shattered our stereotypical minds to pieces. Yes, the state is over 60% desert and arid land, but under the surface of all the dust, oil and gunpowder, an adventure of a lifetime hides. In the other 40% you will find sandy beaches that stretch as far as the horizon, humid and swampy areas with alligators and dense forest with tall green trees reminiscent of another continent, and more gunpowder. Even if the changing climate and environment in Texas is exhilarating, it is the local population who makes the biggest mark. Ignoring that probably every single person we talked to was packing heat, they were hands down, the kindest humans I ever met, and I have seen my fair share of our planet. Me and Robert might have come for the ride, but we wanted to stay for the people.

Riding a bike in Texas can be as complicated as you want it to be. You can ship your own over the great sea, and pay a hefty sum for the privilege. Another way is to rent your bike, and also pay a hefty sum for the convenience. We decided on another approach - the kindhearted and genuine Texans. After just one post in a local Facebook group, me and Robert had both a set of adventure bikes to use for our two week long journey across Texas and back. The cost? The favor repaid if the owners ever touch ground in Sweden. Texas hospitality at its finest.

Our first leg of Texas, and the first day of riding, is perhaps the classic one – the wild wild west. But before arriving in Bandera, the cowboy capital of the world, we make a pitstop in the German town of Fredericksburg. The influence from German immigrants is seen all over, since the town was founded in 1846. Street names, names of stores and restaurants and pretty much anything else is very familiar if you come from Europe. Are you a keen craft beer connoisseur and miss your schnitzel, this is the place for you. But for us, the dream of being a cowboy and dressed in a fashionable hat and shoes is for once stronger than the urge for German beer.

Bandera offers the genuine small town vibe, a classic diner, and a top quality store for all your cowboy needs. So, two Swedes and a Texan walk into a bar… the classic Arkey Blue’s Silver Dollar – the oldest bar in Texas that is. Arkey stems all the way back to 1921, and it shows. A small red door next to the town's general store is the only hint of its existence. We embark down steep and narrow stairs, the floor is dusted with sawdust, the walls cluttered with neon signs and memorabilia from the past, and the bar counter has more carved markings than a modern day barista.

• Are you them Swedish boys?!

A voice breaks over the country music and a woman presents herself. As a guest herself in Bandera, she heard it, not through the grapevine, but the local tourist office, that the town would get blue and yellow visitors. We are fascinated by the cheer curiosity and kindness of strangers, and she by seeing swedes on bikes out in the looming desert. The three of us toast between us reenacting the classic sad-cowboys-on-a-row-at-the-bar scene. You can feel the history in the atmosphere and in the very walls. In a corner stands a table with the legendary Hank Williams name carved by the big man himself. This is a genuine historic part of Texas that has hosted many legends over the years, and a must see.

Even if the next stretch is more of a transportation towards Marathon and the Big Bend area, we find some real twisties and local bike culture. The main goal for the day is the legendary roads of the Twisted SIsters. Long curvy roads cutting through the still somewhat green landscape. While the introductions sound fun, the roads come with several warnings. First from the kind lady at the Bandera tourism office and continued through a number of warning signs along the way. The sisters have claimed several lives and when a sign says “next turn 15 mph” they really mean it. While many turns have that nice flow to them, some turns are more than 180 degrees and narrow. If you want, there are several small and dusty dirt roads to take you on a detour. Something we gladly take advantage of.

When arriving in Leaky after riding the first two sisters, a visit to the Bent Rim Grill is a must. Here you can fraternize with other bikers of the same age and lie about the speed and angle of your recent twisty turns. Motorcycling is much like fishing it seems. The grill embodies motorcycle culture with bikes lined up outside and some inside. Greasy fast food, a view over the valley and more friendly Texans. We get recommendations for roads, curious questions about our bikes and life in Sweden. After refueling our own internal combustion engines, the three of us jump back onto our bikes and head off. Instead of riding the last sister, we jet north and aim for the highway that wildly will take us west.

Our quick little dusty detour of what is our first little taste of desert, has put a strain on Dave’s V-strom. During an overtake of a 18-wheeler the fancy and digital air valve cap of his front tire pops open, causing a sketchy wobble and a flat tire is a fact. With some luck and good old classic valve caps in place, we ride like true cowboys into the sunset on what tends to be never ending straight highways. The landscape turns more and more desert with the characteristic pillars and flat-top mountains, bathing in the last rays of fiery red sunlight.

Exiting Marathon, we drive directly south on the 385, towards Big Bend National Park. Now we are entering true desert and the temperature increases alongside the changing landscape. Our first detour is the Old Ore Road, a remote border area to Mexico where smuggling and illegal border crossings frequently occur. This is a small track going straight into nothing, surrounded by additional nothingness. The desert is extremely barren and empty, but at the same time full of color and soul. After a few kilometers we hit a ridge and ascend a bit in altitude. Below us are what looks like craters and we are suddenly transported to the moon. The views are stunning and unreal - I have actually never ridden a motorcycle on the moon before. We keep pushing forward on the trail as it becomes more and more narrow for every turn. 

We are crossing dry riverbeds and swivel around cactuses while the path in front of us gets more gnarly by each rock and puncture eager plant. Dave’s V-strom might not be the perfect fit for this type of trail, but both the owner and the bike are riding on like there is no tomorrow. In a bumpy uphill the bike loses its grip and both Dave and V-strom face the ground. After a quick check-up on both, nothing more than a few bumps and bruises has occurred, but we decide to turn the bikes around and head back towards the paved road. As first time visitors with no clue of the conditions of the still long road ahead, 100 degrees Fahrenheit of Texas sun scorching us and a bike not suitable for the unknown, we say better safe than sorry. Even if our colorful outfits would make beautiful sunburnt desert-corpses.

We are deciding to head for the Chisos basin for lunch and some well earned rest. Even if we only went a couple of kilometers on the trail, the heat and technical riding took its toll. The ride into the Chisos basin becomes more beautiful for every inch we ride. We ride through a gorge with dusty yellow mountainsides before we start ascending upwards and over a small pass. The view as we descend into the basin itself is as magical as the beginning. 

Next stop and perhaps another one of those must-do’s when in the area is the Terlingua Ghost Town and the Starlight theatre. The ghost town seems to harbour people who like to stay a bit outside of society and dwell in solitude in the desert. The local waterhole, the Starlight theatre, is worth a visit itself. The local restaurant is the place to be for locals and travelers. The porch outside the restaurant is filled with people, dogs and musicians who sing together, have a beer together - or just watch the sun set over the desert to the sound of a gentle violin. While Dave is staying in the Ghost Town, me and Robert ride the last miles to Lajitas to enjoy one of the best steaks I have had so far in my life. All to the tunes of low-key depressing country music about trucks, dogs and lost loves. The fancy golf resort inhabitants raise more than one eyebrow when we navigate ourselves between the golfcarts on our dirty adventure bikes. After finding his accommodation, Dave met a Dr. Dan, and ended up having a few cold ones while getting the talking going. The doctor is one of these amazing characters that you meet on the road and will remember forever.

I’ve lived my whole life in the desert, and it is viscous! It will chew you up and spit you out, dead! (It’s recommended to read this in the most rural Texan accent possible).  

The next day Dave arrives for our continued adventures grazing the Mexican border. As we ride alongside the Rio Grande river that marks the border between Mexico and USA, on the 170 road, we get to enjoy perhaps the best road and scenery of our visit in Big Bend. The 170 is curvy like a country song cowgirl, and goes up and down like a perfect rollecoaster. Every turn is a new adventure and the US/Mexican landscape keeps flexing its muscles. After a short break and dipping our toes in the river together with a handful of very happy dogs, we arrive in Presidio for lunch. Casa Agave Cantina y Cocina offers some delicious genuine tacos and a spicy salsa strong enough to melt the most hardened Texan. While the road back to Marathon, via Marfa, is mostly highway and a few border checkpoints, it still offers joy. The landscape is always beautiful to watch, even when you drive through a few dust devils. Are you into film and cinema, a stop at the famous Paisano hotel is recommended. The classic western movie, Giant, starring James Dean and Elizabeth Taylor, was filmed in the hotel. This was also James Dean’s last movie before his premature death.

Words & Photography: Johan Stahlberg