The Legendary Rush: Unforgettable Texas Adventures With Neil Peart

If you're a Rush fan, you know that they've made several amazing memories when passing through Texas. Although there are some stories involving the late Neil Peart and his visits in Texas that are absolutely worth retelling. Here are a few of the craziest told by the man himself.

Neil Peart hit a deer while riding his motorcycle in Texas

While the band was on their Snakes & Arrows Tour in 2007, Neil Peart revealed that while he was riding his motorcycle in Junction, Texas, Neil actually hit a deer going 40 mph. He hit the deer with his front tire. Neil was not hurt but...sadly they had to put the deer out of its misery. He joked about it on a blog and even gave himself the nickname...the Deerslayer.

Neil said the hottest place on Earth was in Texas & nearly died from the heat.

In a blog called "The Frying Pan & the Freezer Part 1", Neil & his riding partner, Michael Mosbach, were riding in the Big Bend National Park. While they loved the landscape, the one thing that they both agreed on was that particular area was THE hottest place they ever visited (and that's INCLUDING states like Nevada and Arizona).

They experienced temperatures up to 112 degrees Fahrenheit. It got so hot, their motorcycles nearly overheated being exposed to the heat. Thankfully their bikes were fine but their trip to the desert was so scary, Neil said that Big Bend National Park, was without a doubt the HOTTEST place they've ever been to.

It's also worth noting that their have been a other spots that Neil has experienced bad weather while he visited in Texas while on his motorcycle; including a near flood in East Texas.

Rush nearly missed the launch of the Space Shuttle Columbia thanks to Texas tour dates

This story was just too funny & crazy to leave off; while on their Moving Pictures tour in 1981, the band was personally invited BY NASA to watch the launch of Columbia at their V.I.P. area called "Red Sector A". On April 9th, the band flew down to Orlando, Florida and they waited for the launch to happen on the 10th...only to be told that the flight had to be delayed due to equipment failure.

The band had to fly to Dallas because they had to play that night so they left. They were able to play that show and the next show in San Antonio. After their gig, the band flew BACK to Florida and was able to watch Columbia take off. Best of all, the band was able to make it to their LAST Texas date which was in Fort Worth on the 12th.

The band was able to describe their experience in their song "Countdown" which appeared on the band's 1982 album, Signals.

Neil will always have a special place in Texas & the hearts of Rush fans, myself very much included. R.I.P. Neil Peart.

If you want to read another Rush story, you can read about the Texas man who actually won some of Neil's gear back in the 90s here.

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