Tourmeister
10-06-2003, 01:39 AM
Howdy,
For those not up for the read, here are the pics:
http://twtex.com/linkfiles/100303hill/
These are the raw images, every one of them, even the fuzzy what the **** is that shots! If you want a full sized copy of any, email me with the filenames and I'll email them to you. They are an average of 2Mb each.
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FRIDAY
:tab Things have been real slow at work... painfully slow... So slow I get bored surfing the net and playing Spider Solitaire :| All this is to say it seems like it is taking forever for 3:30pm to roll around so I can head for the house and get out of town. The plan is to head home, load up the bikes and ride out to Medina. This is to be Debbie's first trip on her new GS 500. She's a little nervous and unsure of what to pack. I ride her GS to work just in case her new GIVI toprack comes today. It would be too convenient if I could get it installed before we leave.
:tab As usual, my plans are tossed away like unworthy trash. Debbie is starting to realize just how far a ride it is to get to Medina and the last few hours will be in the dark on unfamiliar roads. Beth has been waffling about riding all week. Dad offers me the truck and trailer for the weekend and the ladies out vote me. Neither Beth or Debbie were planning on riding once we reached the Hill Country, so taking their bikes on the trailer just became a moot point. Realizing that I will now have an extra slot on the trailer for another bike, I try to get ahold of Paul "Scratch" Massie to see if he would like us to just meet him in College Station to pick him up and he can just ride with us. I try his office, he's gone. They give me his cell phone, it's turned off. I try his house, he never checks his messages anyway... So no dice reaching him.
:tab The GIVI rack shows up at the office about 1:30pm!! I set about removing the rear cowling on the bike so I can mount up the hardware. As I try to fit the first piece, it is immediately obvious that I have been sent the wrong kit :x A quick double check of the website where we ordered it confirms that I ordered the right thing. A call to the company confirms that they indeed sent the wrong kit AND that their website is not showing the correct kit. They apologize and get the right kit in the mail, but it won't be here for at least another week. I guess it is a good thing we are taking the truck. I get the bike back together in time to take off and head for home.
:tab Debbie has not yet learned the fine art of packing light. She has been stressing all week about the lack of luggage space on the bike and is now quite relieved to find out about the truck. When I arrive home, she shows up a few minutes later with a LOT more luggage :lol: She was all packed and ready to go but when Beth informed her we were taking the truck she ran home and repacked :roll: Space is no longer an issue and everything just gets tossed in the back of the truck. It seems that no matter how hard I try to get away by a certain time, whenever anyone else is involved, an extra 45 minutes to an hour gets tacked on to our planned departure time. Today is no different. It is nearly 5:00pm by the time we are actually on the road heading West into the blinding evening sun. 8)
:tab The drive over is a little on the boring side. It is a nice evening and the weather guessers are predicting cloudy conditions in the mid 80's for the weekend with a chance of rain. We have had spectacular weather for the last two weeks straight and I am hoping it will hold out through the weekend. Five uneventful hours later we are heading North out of Medina on Hwy 16 looking for a gravel road out in the middle of nowhere in the middle of the night.
:tab Amazingly, John "Irondawg" Morin's directions are spot on and we find the road. It is a narrow washboard gravel road with lots of loose gravel and some relatively sharp bends. As we are creeping out into the hillsides with one eye on the road and the other on the odometer, I spot a large many legged critter crawling across the road. I move to straddle it as were are passing over and hit the brakes. The girls are wondering what in the world I am doing? When I tell them I just saw a huge Tarantula and I want to get a closer look, they are not happy. But I can't help myself so I start backing up slowly hoping to get it back in my headlights so I can get a good look.
:tab I grab my camera and hop out of the truck. What I find is disappointing. There is a freshly squished fuzzy Tarantula (http://www.twtex.com/linkfiles/100303hill/DSC00693.JPG) twitching in the gravel :oops: ****! I did not want to kill it!! It looks to be about 5" in spread across the legs. Sure would have been cool to get some vid of it making its' way across the huge boulders in its' path... so anyway...
:tab A mile or so and a few deer later, we finally find the driveway for the cabins. I spot Paul's truck up behind one of the cabins so I know we are in the right spot, or at least we've found Paul and both of us are lost. The drive up into the cabin area is rough, gullied and uphill with lots of small loose gravel. I decide the better part of valor is to just pull the truck off to the side in an open area and wait for daylight on the morn to see if it needs to be moved. Thinking I might feel the urge to ride Beth's bike, I brought it with us since we had room on the trailer. Now I'm wishing I had left it home. The short ride up the DUSTY gravel road has completely coated both bikes in a heavy layer of white dust :evil:
:tab We find Paul sitting patiently on the front porch of the lower cabin. He informs us that he has been here for about 20 or 30 minutes and wants to know if we have a key? Uh oh... I was told they would be unlocked. It is now 11:00pm and I have no idea who to call or were we might go to find any kind of management type people. We start poking around hoping to find an open window when Debbie prudently suggests looking under the doormat. I knew there was a good reason for bringing her along with us!
:tab Once inside we are delighted to find the cabin to be very nicely decorated, clean and well stocked with breakfast goodies. Even better, there are copies of the most recent issues of RIDE TEXAS and Cycle World magazines! After everyone is settled in and we have raided the food stores of the upper cabin, we settle in for some quality time. Quality time includes me getting the snot beat out of me at both cards and dominoes. Oddly, the scorekeepers always seem to win :? In the wee hours we finally knock off because we are expecting the rest of our troop to arrive from Austin tomorrow morning around 9:00am.
SATURDAY
:tab 9:00am rolls around and I drag myself out of the quite comfy bed. The Austinites are nowhere to be seen... hmmm... A quick peek out the window blinds reveals a heavy and low cloud cover hiding the peaks of the hills and a thick drizzle shrouding the hillsides in a grey haze. :| Wonderful. I find everyone else hanging out in the main room nibbling on breakfast stuff and decide to chow down a few bowls of Fruit Loops!! Luv'em!!
:tab After getting dressed I head out to see about unloading the VFR from the trailer. Seeing that there really isn't anywhere better to do it, I just drop the tailgate and unload where I parked last night. The drizzle has made the thick layer of white road dust cake up and created an incredible mess. As I am backing the bike down the ramp, the front tire instantly locks and slides on the wet dust soup on the metal trailer rail. So I come down off the trailer a little quicker than I had expected :shock: Fortunately, I keep the bike up. I simply cannot stand to see my bike so dirty so I ride it over behind the cabin to an area where there is a water hose and give it a good cleaning. 10:00am and the Austin crew is still missing...
:tab I waste some time taking pictures of the area:
Beth checks out the upper cabin (http://www.twtex.com/linkfiles/100303hill/DSC00694.JPG)
The travelling rig (http://www.twtex.com/linkfiles/100303hill/DSC00695.JPG)
The lower cabin (http://www.twtex.com/linkfiles/100303hill/DSC00696.JPG)
Paul contemplates the grimy VFR's (http://www.twtex.com/linkfiles/100303hill/DSC00697.JPG)
The way out... lots of loose gravel! (http://www.twtex.com/linkfiles/100303hill/DSC00698.JPG)
Paul unloading his Triumph Sprint RS (http://www.twtex.com/linkfiles/100303hill/DSC00699.JPG)
My VFR in one of the "better" parking spots (http://www.twtex.com/linkfiles/100303hill/DSC00700.JPG) :shock:
:tab After another hour or so of sitting around, we finally give up on the Austin group and decide to just go riding. We load up the bikes and contemplate the gravel situation. Beth and Debbie walk down to the bottom of the drive while Paul and I very carefully ride the bikes down. Once at the bottom, we make sure we have very good footing and the ladies climb on board. We gingerly make our way out towards the main road.
:tab Normally, I would be tense on such a road even without a passenger or luggage. So of course right now I have both a passenger and all of my luggage! The bike picks up speed at even the slightest hint of a downhill incline, which ironically all seem to be right before a tight corner :| I try to hit the spots on the road with the least amount of gravel which works okay on the straights, but the corners are simply covered in gravel and there is no way to avoid it. As we enter the corners, the bike begins sliding all over the place and generally not wanting to turn. The thought of leaning into one of these turns doesn't sit well with me. Somehow, despite my failure to relax my grip on the bars, the bike gets turned through all the corners. We pass by our recently departed fuzzy friend and soon reach the main road without incident.
:tab We decide to head South on Hwy 16 back towards Medina. The drizzle is making a mess of my visor and the road is quite damp. We tough it out though. We barely make it a mile or so down the road when we spot the BMZilla barreling around a corner and coming at us followed by Will's Trophy 1200 and Achim's VFR 750. We pull over on the side of the road and look back to see them whoosh around the next corner out of sight. Not wanting to get int he game of both of us turning around only to have to keep turning around, we decide to just sit here and wait for them. While watching my mirror I hear a loud and slightly unhappy "WOOF!!" Nothing like a big dog to scare the crap out of you!! Fortunately he is behind a fence and seems content to stay put. This is a good thing, because at his size, it looks like the flimsy fence will have little chance of resisting him if he decides to come after us :|
:tab John comes zooming up next to us moments later. He informs us that no one has had breakfast and they are all hungry. They want to head to the cabin, unload their luggage and then go find something to eat. It is already nearly noon, but what the heck? I show them where the turn off is for the gravel road and we wait on the main highway for them to return. Mean while I decide to walk up the road a bit and check out one of the many river/creeks in the area.
:tab The water flowing under the road is crystal clear. It is only a few inches deep on the concrete drainage platform that is part of the road and then it dumps over a short waterfall into a deeper area back up in the trees. Trusting my SIDI GT Sympatex boots to keep me dry, I walk out into the shallow flowing water to relive my childhood. A few minutes of stomping around, watching the flow patterns, observing the shockwaves propogating throughout the water from my stomping and being a general nerd, I realize my left boot is no longer water proof :? DOH! Now my sock is all clammy.
:tab I retreat back to the bikes where everyone else is waiting. After what seems like forever, we hear John's BMZilla tearing up the gravel road and then he pops out from behind the final corner. The others soon follow. It is now nearly 1:00pm and we have not yet even begun to do any riding! I take off for Medina and set a nice conservative pace. Everyone is riding two up and the traction on the damp roads is still questionable. Also, this is the first time for Debbie to ride with Paul and both of them are likely apprehensive.
:tab A few miles later we roll into Medina. Something special is going on because there are streetside vendors lining both sides of the highway and sucking up all the parking :x We are trying to stop at the Love Creek Orchard, Cider Mill, Cafe & Bakery (http://www.twtex.com/viewtopic.php?t=165). We manage to get around behind the place to find parking. They are quite busy today despite the soupy weather.
:tab If you like stuff made from apples, this place is da bomb! The smells emmanating from the bakery alone are enough to put five pounds on you! There is a small and relatively slow cafe out back that makes burgers, sandwiches, etc,... It takes us over an hour to get our food, eat and get out of town. It is pushing just after 2:00pm and we have a long route laid out for today. On top of that, we are going to be riding a much more sedate pace since we are all carrying passengers. It has quit drizzling but it is still overcast. The temperature is creeping into the upper 70's.
:tab We head West on FM 337 towards Vanderpool. I have not been out here since mid April of this year. That weekend the weather was spectacular and the flowers abudnant. It is not as bright and sunny today, but surprisingly there is a large variety of wildflowers still blooming. Curiously, most of them are bright yellow. There are a whole lot of different kinds of flowers, but still yellow?! There has to be some explanation for this. I ponder this and other meaning of the universe questions as we glide up into the hills and the raod starts to get a little tighter.
:tab We hit a brief rain shower as we get closer to Vanderpool. It lasts barely thirty seconds, just enough to really smear around the dust all over the bike :roll: We reach Vanderpool shortly and then keep West on 337 towards Leakey. This section of 337 has lots of the really tight stuff and is quite fun. Amazingly, we have seen little if any traffic since leaving Medina. Quite the change compared to my visit in April when I was almost run off the road several different times by other motorcyclists! As we near Leaky, the sky to the South is looking dark and ominous. I just don't feel like messing with the rain suit right now. We stop at the little Exxon store in Leakey so everyone can top off with gas, or at least that is the plan (See this story (http://www.twtex.com/viewtopic.php?p=3525#3525) that is the result of someone NOT filling up!) There are a few other bikes in town, but not the normal horde one would expect this time of year.
:tab We continue West on 337 towards Camp Wood. This is more of the really fun tight stuff. As we round one of the 20 mph corners, I spot flourescent paint markings on the road surface, telltale signs of an accident. :| This is the same area where two brothers were killed last October in a head on collision with a truck that crossed the double yellow. It is a sober reminder to hit the delayed apexes and to keep my speed in check. The isolation of the area drives the point home even more because help would be a long time in coming! We reach Camp Wood to find the local LEO sitting on the side of the road shooting radar at folks coming into town. We are putting along just below the speed limit.
:tab FM 337 was good today. Other than a few places where they are putting in bridges at low water crossings, the road was in great condition with very few rocks or gravel patches. The construction spots were loose gravel single lane sections. They were dry and traffic was light so no biggie. We head North up Hwy 55 for the start of FM 335. I have been out here quite a few times but have never taken the time to run out West on Hwy 55. I have been told the first 10-12 miles are just fantastic sweepers so I am itching to check it out. I stop the group to see what they think and they are up for it. So off we go.
:tab At first I begin wondering if this is worth the time. But then I round a big sweeper and see the highway twisting around like a massive snake, four lanes of empty paved paradise. I'm gone :twisted: A few more miles and I see John coming up behind me fast on the BMZilla. A quick glance over and WHOOSH! He goes bouncing by me, his luggage barely off the tarmac, Sara squeezing him like a galloping horse! I let him go. No point pushing the bike too hard with all my luggage and sweetie on board. Besides, we can already nearly both put a knee down :mrgreen:
:tab I round the last sweeper as the highway comes up over the edge of a plateau and heads off straight into the horizon. John has just pulled over on the shoulder so we join him. The rest of the group comes up behind pretty quick, grins popping out from under their visors. What fun!? Everyone is standing around the roadside (http://www.twtex.com/linkfiles/100303hill/DSC00701.JPG) excitedly talking about what a great road this is. I'm just getting excited thinking about the fact that we are about to turn around and do it all over again! Will spots a really cool looking butterfly (http://www.twtex.com/linkfiles/100303hill/DSC00702.JPG) on the side of the road that seems to be having trouble flying. From the looks of it, it is on it's way out for good :| A quick shot of Deb (left) and Sara (right) (http://www.twtex.com/linkfiles/100303hill/DSC00705.JPG) and then I hand the camera over to Beth so she can experiment with taking shots from the passenger seat. Then off we go for another run through sweeper heaven!
:tab We take it a little easier on the way back to the start of FM 335. Once we reach 335, I wave everyone else around so I can ride at the back for a change. So often I am leading and never get to watch the group riding. Besides, I want Beth to get some action shots of everyone! Off we go, up and down, up and down, round and round... FM 335 is like a roller coaster! Beth and I were chatting as everyone else took off so we are behind and out of sight. As I come around a bend, I see everyone sitting at the only intersection on this road. It seems John has decided to take Sara off into the middle of nowhere to explore and he'll be hooking up with us when he gets over to FM 336 via this new shortcut. While I am talking with everyone, Beth sneaks in a few shots:
Achim & Angela Felber (http://www.twtex.com/linkfiles/100303hill/DSC00708.JPG)
Will Bird and Brooke Babbie (http://www.twtex.com/linkfiles/100303hill/DSC00709.JPG)
Paul Massie and Debbie McMullen (http://www.twtex.com/linkfiles/100303hill/DSC00710.JPG) (required to say they are not a couple hehe).
I don't usually like to leave anyone behind, especially when we are out in the middle of the boonies where cell phones are as useful as a rock for communicating. Everyone else seems cool with it, so we continue North on 335 with myself and Beth bringing up the rear. I'll let these pics of FM 335 speak for themselves:
Deb hanging on with her whiteknuckled grip! (http://www.twtex.com/linkfiles/100303hill/DSC00711.JPG)
Going so fast the landscape is blurring (http://www.twtex.com/linkfiles/100303hill/DSC00712.JPG) :shock:
Run off? Guard rail on the left, this on the right (http://www.twtex.com/linkfiles/100303hill/DSC00713.JPG)
Talk about banking!! (http://www.twtex.com/linkfiles/100303hill/DSC00714.JPG)
Paul & Deb hot on the heels of Will & Brooke (http://www.twtex.com/linkfiles/100303hill/DSC00717.JPG)
Beth expresses her artsy-fartsy side (http://www.twtex.com/linkfiles/100303hill/DSC00719.JPG) :lol:
Achim & Angela lead the charge up the hill (http://www.twtex.com/linkfiles/100303hill/DSC00721.JPG)
Coming down the backside of the hill (http://www.twtex.com/linkfiles/100303hill/DSC00722.JPG)
A snake in the road? (http://www.twtex.com/linkfiles/100303hill/DSC00725.JPG)
Achim is always a dot in the distance (http://www.twtex.com/linkfiles/100303hill/DSC00727.JPG) :roll:
Yes, it really was this bummmpyyy... (http://www.twtex.com/linkfiles/100303hill/DSC00730.JPG)
Paul getting in the groove! (http://www.twtex.com/linkfiles/100303hill/DSC00740.JPG)
Closeup of Will and Brooke (http://www.twtex.com/linkfiles/100303hill/DSC00744.JPG)
Almost a closeup of Achim and Angela (http://www.twtex.com/linkfiles/100303hill/DSC00745.JPG)
Brooke is still giddy from the ride, hehe... (http://www.twtex.com/linkfiles/100303hill/DSC00746.JPG)
Achim's eyes are still bulging from the squeezing his auto speed limiter was giving him! (http://www.twtex.com/linkfiles/100303hill/DSC00747.JPG)
Yet another artsy-fartsy picture (http://www.twtex.com/linkfiles/100303hill/DSC00748.JPG)
And another... (http://www.twtex.com/linkfiles/100303hill/DSC00750.JPG)
:tab After a short rest at the North end of FM 335, we head East on Hwy 41 to find the start of the Northern end of FM 336. 335 was remarkably free of gravel and debris. Usually there are some serious rocks in the areas where the road runs along rock wall faces. It is getting nice and warm now, in the low to mid eighties with a higher cloud cover. I don't think we need to worry about rain for the rest of the day. Occasionally, a small patch of blue sky peaks through to taunt us. Hwy 41 (http://www.twtex.com/linkfiles/100303hill/DSC00751.JPG) is open and boring, but at least it gets us over to FM 336!!
:tab When we turn on to FM 336, Beth informs me that she has already filled up a disc in the camera and needs a blank one! I had no idea she was snapping away like that! Once again I pull over and wave everyone by so I can bring up the rear. I enjoy riding in the back of the pack but I am so used to riding in front without someone ahead of me that when there is someone, it makes it harder for me to concentrate on my lines and to ignore them. Here are some scenes from the run South on FM 336 back to Leakey:
Didn't see many deer, saw lots of buzzards though! (http://www.twtex.com/linkfiles/100303hill/DSC00752.JPG)
Nice leathers... (http://www.twtex.com/linkfiles/100303hill/DSC00756.JPG) :wink:
Did I mention that most of 336 is open range? (http://www.twtex.com/linkfiles/100303hill/DSC00758.JPG) :eek:
Nothing like a skittish calf to make you jumpy! (http://www.twtex.com/linkfiles/100303hill/DSC00761.JPG)
The shoulders on the white bull (http://www.twtex.com/linkfiles/100303hill/DSC00763.JPG) are easily as high as our heads if not higher!! Definitely not something you want to hit at speed... :brainsnap
Again, not much in the way of run off if you blow the corner (http://www.twtex.com/linkfiles/100303hill/DSC00765.JPG)
:tab There are a few places along FM 336 where the road is under construction for washout repairs. Most of them are not too bad. This one (http://www.twtex.com/linkfiles/100303hill/DSC00767.JPG) is not so much fun because it is one lane and you have to crest a blind hill (http://www.twtex.com/linkfiles/100303hill/DSC00768.JPG) not knowing if someone is going to come barreling over the hill right into you! Nope, not fun at all. Coming down the other side (http://www.twtex.com/linkfiles/100303hill/DSC00770.JPG) the visibility is not bad, it is just the loose gravel we have to contend with. At this point, Paul and Will have fallen a little behind so we pull over at the bottom of the hill and wait for them.
:tab After everyone regathers, we take off again. Now the road is getting a little tighter with lots of consecutive 25mph corners strung together. I love this because it really makes me focus on my timing, smooth throttle control, and picking my lines through the corner so as to be setup for the next corner. For me, it is all about myself and the bike working together in a smooth continous flow with no abruptness. The natural side effect of this is that I tend to start speeding up as I relax. Thus I keep having to watch for everyone behind me that may not be so comfortable with a passenger on such twisty pavement, well... except for Achim. He's a speed freak :-P
:tab After a relatively long stretch of the really tight and fun stuff, we come out into a more open stretch and I realize that Paul and Will are no longer with us. Achim has let me know that he needs gas. We are not too far from Leakey so I tell Achim how to get to town and send him on his way. While we are waiting for Will and Paul, I hand Beth a blank CDRW for the camera. As we are swaping out the discs, Paul and Will arrive. I motion them by but Paul stops just to see what's up (Pic 1 (http://www.twtex.com/linkfiles/100303hill/DSC00773.JPG) / Pic 2 (http://www.twtex.com/linkfiles/100303hill/DSC00774.JPG)). Here are a few more shots on FM 336 just North of Leakey.
Rotting old barn -- more artsy fartsy (http://www.twtex.com/linkfiles/100303hill/DSC00775.JPG) ;-)
Still gloomy but at least it's dry! (http://www.twtex.com/linkfiles/100303hill/DSC00776.JPG)
Good Lord! Is my head really THAT big!? (http://www.twtex.com/linkfiles/100303hill/DSC00777.JPG)
:tab As we come around yet another corner, a red jeep hesitates and then pulls out right in front of us. I grab the brakes and start hauling it down. The jeep driver suddenly realizes just how dumb he's been and whips off the road onto the gravel shoulder. Now there are rocks flying up at us as well. :x The annoying thing is that there is no one behind us for a long way. Would it really have killed this guy to wait just another second or two and then pull out behind us? We blow by them (http://www.twtex.com/linkfiles/100303hill/DSC00779.JPG) and move on down the road.
:tab Little do I realize, but Beth is going snap happy with the camera. She is not really paying attention to the road any more and is looking for stuff to shoot. At one point she starts wiggling around trying to shoot behind us. We are coming up an a sharp corner fast and it takes several firm taps on her thigh to get her turned back around and paying attention to the road. Here are the fruits of her labors:
Chasing Paul and Debbie (http://www.twtex.com/linkfiles/100303hill/DSC00780.JPG)
The trees are leaning into the corner with us! (http://www.twtex.com/linkfiles/100303hill/DSC00781.JPG) :shock:
More of my big head (http://www.twtex.com/linkfiles/100303hill/DSC00782.JPG)
A nice shot giving the sensation of speed (http://www.twtex.com/linkfiles/100303hill/DSC00784.JPG)
:tab Beth is filling up the new disc fast! We roll into Leakey to find everyone else at the Exxon (http://www.twtex.com/linkfiles/100303hill/DSC00788.JPG) filling up the bikes. We top off as well. Now there are more bikes around. Apparently the Texas Sportbike Association is having their anual Iron Butt Invitational here this weekend and the sportbikes are starting to drift into town. We have been pretty much alone on the roads today and have only seen one group of cruisers that stayed East on Hwy 41 back towards Kerrville when we peeled off onto FM 336. It has been great!
:tab After a break and some rehashing of the past hour's ride, we decide to head East on FM 337 and then make our way down to FM 470 for the run over to Tarpley for dinner. Where the heck is John!? I knew we should not have let him run off into the wild with Sara on the back of his bike :roll: Oh well, he can usually figure his way out of some crazy stuff, I'll get worried later if we don't hear from him.
:tab As we head out of town on FM 337, we are passed by quite a few oncoming groups of sportbikes. I spot several VFRs in the mix. The urge to turn around and socialize is killing me. :lol: A simple wave will have to do. I wave Achim and Angela around for the run through the twisty stuff on 337 so we can get some shots of him carving his way through the hills. This series of shots is pretty cool, well except for the parts with my big head in the way :P
Achim and Angela take the lead up to the ridge (http://www.twtex.com/linkfiles/100303hill/DSC00792.JPG)
After this 10mph corner, the real fun begins! (http://www.twtex.com/linkfiles/100303hill/DSC00793.JPG)
Sure don't want to blow this corner! (http://www.twtex.com/linkfiles/100303hill/DSC00794.JPG) :eek:
Where are the hay bales? (http://www.twtex.com/linkfiles/100303hill/DSC00795.JPG)
Chasing the rabbit! (shown in order of shooting)
:tab 1 (http://www.twtex.com/linkfiles/100303hill/DSC00796.JPG) / 2 (http://www.twtex.com/linkfiles/100303hill/DSC00797.JPG) / 3 (http://www.twtex.com/linkfiles/100303hill/DSC00798.JPG) / 4 (http://www.twtex.com/linkfiles/100303hill/DSC00799.JPG) / 5 (http://www.twtex.com/linkfiles/100303hill/DSC00800.JPG) / 6 (http://www.twtex.com/linkfiles/100303hill/DSC00801.JPG) / 7 (http://www.twtex.com/linkfiles/100303hill/DSC00802.JPG) / 8 (http://www.twtex.com/linkfiles/100303hill/DSC00805.JPG) / 9 (http://www.twtex.com/linkfiles/100303hill/DSC00806.JPG) / 10 (http://www.twtex.com/linkfiles/100303hill/DSC00807.JPG) / 11 (http://www.twtex.com/linkfiles/100303hill/DSC00808.JPG) / 12 (http://www.twtex.com/linkfiles/100303hill/DSC00809.JPG) / 13 (http://www.twtex.com/linkfiles/100303hill/DSC00810.JPG) / 14 (http://www.twtex.com/linkfiles/100303hill/DSC00811.JPG) / 15 (http://www.twtex.com/linkfiles/100303hill/DSC00813.JPG) / 16 (http://www.twtex.com/linkfiles/100303hill/DSC00814.JPG) / 17 (http://www.twtex.com/linkfiles/100303hill/DSC00815.JPG) / 18 (http://www.twtex.com/linkfiles/100303hill/DSC00816.JPG) / 19 (http://www.twtex.com/linkfiles/100303hill/DSC00818.JPG) / 20 (http://www.twtex.com/linkfiles/100303hill/DSC00820.JPG) / 21 (http://www.twtex.com/linkfiles/100303hill/DSC00822.JPG) / 22 (http://www.twtex.com/linkfiles/100303hill/DSC00823.JPG) / 23 (http://www.twtex.com/linkfiles/100303hill/DSC00824.JPG)
Whew! Beth's finger has to be killing her after snapping all those shots!
:tab We reach the end of FM 337 at Hwy 187 in Vanderpool I spot a few bikes, including a VFR, in the parking lot at the only building in town, the local corner store. I send everyone else on down 187 towards Utopia while I zip around to go chat with the people in the parking lot. They are all from the Dallas area TSBA group and are heading out the Leakey for the IBI ride. Nice group of folks, and after a few minutes of chatting, we take off to catch up with everyone else. Paul decided to drop back with us so he is in tow now.
:tab The run down 187 towards Utopia is a really nice ride. There are lots of fast sweepers, river crossings, and the pavement is generally quite good. The trees along the river banks have debris from previous floods stuck way up high in their branches :eek: I would not want to be in this area when the water is that deep and moving that fast! The clouds have been thinning out a little and occasionally the sun peeks through and teases us with a few rays here and there. Before long we reach the turn off for FM 470, just North of Utopia.
:tab FM 470 is one of the first Hill Country roads I had ever ridden on a motorcycle. We were out here for the Y2K new years when everyone thought the end of the world was upon us. I was riding my 92 Nighthawk 750 and only had about 8000 miles of total riding experience, little of it on the twisties. I remember some of the curves on this road (http://www.twtex.com/linkfiles/100303hill/DSC00831.JPG) freaking me out because I thought they were so sharp. On the VFR, with Beth and a full load of luggage, I'm having to work at keeping the speed down to the point where I won't get hauled off to jail if we get stopped. It is so easy for me to just slip into a nice rythm here. But I don't want to lose Paul and Debbie because neither of them have any idea where we are heading. Besides, it is that time of the day when deer start appearing (http://www.twtex.com/linkfiles/100303hill/DSC00832.JPG) on the shoulders of the road in the high grass. :|
:tab Keeping a wary eye on the shoulders and the other on the road, we cruise on down FM 470 until we reach Brown's General Store in Tarpley. Tarpley is a one blink town. If you blink more than once while passing through, you may not realize you have actually even passed through the town! I spot Achim and Will's bikes in the gravel parking lot and start slowing down. The parking lot is steep and the gravel consists of large loose chunks. Not really motorcycle friendly. Paul and Debbie come up behind us a few moments later.
The General Store parking lot (http://www.twtex.com/linkfiles/100303hill/DSC00837.JPG)
Paul makes a boot fashion statement! (http://www.twtex.com/linkfiles/100303hill/DSC00838.JPG)
Our lovely steeds... Where's the BMZilla? (http://www.twtex.com/linkfiles/100303hill/DSC00839.JPG)
:tab We have not lost our mind coming to such a forsaken out of the way spot. We have come here for the best mouth watering food in these here parts! Dinner is to be had at Mac & Ernie's Roadside Eatery (http://www.twtex.com/linkfiles/100303hill/DSC00840.JPG). I was introduced to the experience of this place back in April when I came out here with Will, John, and some other riding friends. The "restaurant" is a shack (http://www.twtex.com/linkfiles/100303hill/DSC00841.JPG), not unlike many roadside sno-cone booths, sitting off on the side of the General Store parking lot. The "kitchen" is basically a leanto (http://www.twtex.com/linkfiles/100303hill/DSC00842.JPG) off the back of the shack. A person might be wondering if the food from such a place could even be edible? Once the smells from the back of the shack reach our olfactory senses, there is little room for doubt. We make our way into line so we can get our orders placed!
:tab The food is cooked by a local woman. Her family runs a ranch and uses the shack as an outlet for selling their goods. She has a few people that help her with taking orders and serving the food, but she basically cooks everything herself as it is ordered. I step around the backside of the shack to visit with her for a few minutes and she is quite friendly. We wait anxiously for our food in the "dining" room (http://www.twtex.com/linkfiles/100303hill/DSC00844.JPG) next to the General Store.
:tab Somewhere in all the excitement, I miss John and Sara arriving. It seems they have had quite the adventure getting here, typical for John ;-) Immediately upon seeing John, I cannot help but notice that the crotch of his jeans has been torn asunder! He refuses our pleas for explanation, preferring to wait until later in the evening to regale us with his tale of misfortune and excitement. To kill time while waiting for the food, I go off to shoot some more pics:
More yellow flowers... (http://www.twtex.com/linkfiles/100303hill/DSC00845.JPG) :huh:
and yet a few more... (http://www.twtex.com/linkfiles/100303hill/DSC00846.JPG)
How many bugs can you see here? (http://www.twtex.com/linkfiles/100303hill/DSC00847.JPG)
I forgot to change the camera back out of macro mode when I got shots of the people... Have a few beers before viewing these and all will look normal ;-)
John, Beth, Deb, and Paul (http://www.twtex.com/linkfiles/100303hill/DSC00848.JPG)
Sara, Brooke, Will, Angela and Achim (http://www.twtex.com/linkfiles/100303hill/DSC00849.JPG)
Here's that last one for the non beer drinkers ;-)
Sara, Brooke, Will, Angela and Achim (http://www.twtex.com/linkfiles/100303hill/DSC00850.JPG)
:tab Our food finally arrives and it is worth every bit of the wait. My pork tenderloin melts in my mouth. Beth's chicken breast and sauce is mouth watering. Deb's fried catfish is light and crispy. I think between all of us, we pretty much ordered everything on the menu. ALL of the sauces are excellent but they don't give us much and don't have enough to hand out extras!!?? We get protective of our sauces because John is dipping all over the place hehe. The serving portions are huge, few of us manage to eat everything on the plate. I would not be one of them, but it is not for a lack of effort! The sun is waning, our guts are stuffed, and we have to get motivated enough to get back on the bikes and make our way to the cabins.
:tab The ride back is cool and we run it at a very sedate pace. I let John and Achim get fairly far out front so I can run my high beams to look for deer. Before long we reach the gravel road... The ride in has to be the most tense so far. The bike simply does not want to turn in the corners. I manage my way through and reach the cabins. John has long since been off his bike and standing around :roll: After everyone gets settled in, we get a good fire going and sit around reflecting on the days' events. Finally, John fills us in on what happened to him and Sara. Typical stuff for him, that's why we invite him on our trips :-P Before long, the light weights start drifting off to bed. The rest of us move back down to our cabin for cards/dominoes and serious B.S.ing. Sara and I spend some time chatting about what is involved with getting a used starter bike. Apparently, John did not freak her out too bad hehe. Now she is setup to take the MSF course soon!! :chug:
SUNDAY
:tab Say hello to another drizzly morning :| John, Sara, Brooke and Will are getting set to head out into the misty morning for their ride back to Austin. We've got to get my bike back on the slimy dirty trailer. The straps have stretched from being wet so I have to retighten Beth's bike. The sight of the filth on both of our bikes is killing me. It's going to be time for a full blown detailing on both bikes. I help Paul get the RS into the back of his truck. Achim and Angela are sitting on the porch of the upper cabin enjoying a hot cup of coffee and contemplating the soupy ride home. We lock up the cabins, say good bye and head for home. Nasty weather seems to be coming in behind us. Once home in Huntsville, it is not long before it catches up with us and we get quite an exciting storm!
:tab The weather could have been better, but we still had a great time. Until next time...
Adios,
For those not up for the read, here are the pics:
http://twtex.com/linkfiles/100303hill/
These are the raw images, every one of them, even the fuzzy what the **** is that shots! If you want a full sized copy of any, email me with the filenames and I'll email them to you. They are an average of 2Mb each.
---
FRIDAY
:tab Things have been real slow at work... painfully slow... So slow I get bored surfing the net and playing Spider Solitaire :| All this is to say it seems like it is taking forever for 3:30pm to roll around so I can head for the house and get out of town. The plan is to head home, load up the bikes and ride out to Medina. This is to be Debbie's first trip on her new GS 500. She's a little nervous and unsure of what to pack. I ride her GS to work just in case her new GIVI toprack comes today. It would be too convenient if I could get it installed before we leave.
:tab As usual, my plans are tossed away like unworthy trash. Debbie is starting to realize just how far a ride it is to get to Medina and the last few hours will be in the dark on unfamiliar roads. Beth has been waffling about riding all week. Dad offers me the truck and trailer for the weekend and the ladies out vote me. Neither Beth or Debbie were planning on riding once we reached the Hill Country, so taking their bikes on the trailer just became a moot point. Realizing that I will now have an extra slot on the trailer for another bike, I try to get ahold of Paul "Scratch" Massie to see if he would like us to just meet him in College Station to pick him up and he can just ride with us. I try his office, he's gone. They give me his cell phone, it's turned off. I try his house, he never checks his messages anyway... So no dice reaching him.
:tab The GIVI rack shows up at the office about 1:30pm!! I set about removing the rear cowling on the bike so I can mount up the hardware. As I try to fit the first piece, it is immediately obvious that I have been sent the wrong kit :x A quick double check of the website where we ordered it confirms that I ordered the right thing. A call to the company confirms that they indeed sent the wrong kit AND that their website is not showing the correct kit. They apologize and get the right kit in the mail, but it won't be here for at least another week. I guess it is a good thing we are taking the truck. I get the bike back together in time to take off and head for home.
:tab Debbie has not yet learned the fine art of packing light. She has been stressing all week about the lack of luggage space on the bike and is now quite relieved to find out about the truck. When I arrive home, she shows up a few minutes later with a LOT more luggage :lol: She was all packed and ready to go but when Beth informed her we were taking the truck she ran home and repacked :roll: Space is no longer an issue and everything just gets tossed in the back of the truck. It seems that no matter how hard I try to get away by a certain time, whenever anyone else is involved, an extra 45 minutes to an hour gets tacked on to our planned departure time. Today is no different. It is nearly 5:00pm by the time we are actually on the road heading West into the blinding evening sun. 8)
:tab The drive over is a little on the boring side. It is a nice evening and the weather guessers are predicting cloudy conditions in the mid 80's for the weekend with a chance of rain. We have had spectacular weather for the last two weeks straight and I am hoping it will hold out through the weekend. Five uneventful hours later we are heading North out of Medina on Hwy 16 looking for a gravel road out in the middle of nowhere in the middle of the night.
:tab Amazingly, John "Irondawg" Morin's directions are spot on and we find the road. It is a narrow washboard gravel road with lots of loose gravel and some relatively sharp bends. As we are creeping out into the hillsides with one eye on the road and the other on the odometer, I spot a large many legged critter crawling across the road. I move to straddle it as were are passing over and hit the brakes. The girls are wondering what in the world I am doing? When I tell them I just saw a huge Tarantula and I want to get a closer look, they are not happy. But I can't help myself so I start backing up slowly hoping to get it back in my headlights so I can get a good look.
:tab I grab my camera and hop out of the truck. What I find is disappointing. There is a freshly squished fuzzy Tarantula (http://www.twtex.com/linkfiles/100303hill/DSC00693.JPG) twitching in the gravel :oops: ****! I did not want to kill it!! It looks to be about 5" in spread across the legs. Sure would have been cool to get some vid of it making its' way across the huge boulders in its' path... so anyway...
:tab A mile or so and a few deer later, we finally find the driveway for the cabins. I spot Paul's truck up behind one of the cabins so I know we are in the right spot, or at least we've found Paul and both of us are lost. The drive up into the cabin area is rough, gullied and uphill with lots of small loose gravel. I decide the better part of valor is to just pull the truck off to the side in an open area and wait for daylight on the morn to see if it needs to be moved. Thinking I might feel the urge to ride Beth's bike, I brought it with us since we had room on the trailer. Now I'm wishing I had left it home. The short ride up the DUSTY gravel road has completely coated both bikes in a heavy layer of white dust :evil:
:tab We find Paul sitting patiently on the front porch of the lower cabin. He informs us that he has been here for about 20 or 30 minutes and wants to know if we have a key? Uh oh... I was told they would be unlocked. It is now 11:00pm and I have no idea who to call or were we might go to find any kind of management type people. We start poking around hoping to find an open window when Debbie prudently suggests looking under the doormat. I knew there was a good reason for bringing her along with us!
:tab Once inside we are delighted to find the cabin to be very nicely decorated, clean and well stocked with breakfast goodies. Even better, there are copies of the most recent issues of RIDE TEXAS and Cycle World magazines! After everyone is settled in and we have raided the food stores of the upper cabin, we settle in for some quality time. Quality time includes me getting the snot beat out of me at both cards and dominoes. Oddly, the scorekeepers always seem to win :? In the wee hours we finally knock off because we are expecting the rest of our troop to arrive from Austin tomorrow morning around 9:00am.
SATURDAY
:tab 9:00am rolls around and I drag myself out of the quite comfy bed. The Austinites are nowhere to be seen... hmmm... A quick peek out the window blinds reveals a heavy and low cloud cover hiding the peaks of the hills and a thick drizzle shrouding the hillsides in a grey haze. :| Wonderful. I find everyone else hanging out in the main room nibbling on breakfast stuff and decide to chow down a few bowls of Fruit Loops!! Luv'em!!
:tab After getting dressed I head out to see about unloading the VFR from the trailer. Seeing that there really isn't anywhere better to do it, I just drop the tailgate and unload where I parked last night. The drizzle has made the thick layer of white road dust cake up and created an incredible mess. As I am backing the bike down the ramp, the front tire instantly locks and slides on the wet dust soup on the metal trailer rail. So I come down off the trailer a little quicker than I had expected :shock: Fortunately, I keep the bike up. I simply cannot stand to see my bike so dirty so I ride it over behind the cabin to an area where there is a water hose and give it a good cleaning. 10:00am and the Austin crew is still missing...
:tab I waste some time taking pictures of the area:
Beth checks out the upper cabin (http://www.twtex.com/linkfiles/100303hill/DSC00694.JPG)
The travelling rig (http://www.twtex.com/linkfiles/100303hill/DSC00695.JPG)
The lower cabin (http://www.twtex.com/linkfiles/100303hill/DSC00696.JPG)
Paul contemplates the grimy VFR's (http://www.twtex.com/linkfiles/100303hill/DSC00697.JPG)
The way out... lots of loose gravel! (http://www.twtex.com/linkfiles/100303hill/DSC00698.JPG)
Paul unloading his Triumph Sprint RS (http://www.twtex.com/linkfiles/100303hill/DSC00699.JPG)
My VFR in one of the "better" parking spots (http://www.twtex.com/linkfiles/100303hill/DSC00700.JPG) :shock:
:tab After another hour or so of sitting around, we finally give up on the Austin group and decide to just go riding. We load up the bikes and contemplate the gravel situation. Beth and Debbie walk down to the bottom of the drive while Paul and I very carefully ride the bikes down. Once at the bottom, we make sure we have very good footing and the ladies climb on board. We gingerly make our way out towards the main road.
:tab Normally, I would be tense on such a road even without a passenger or luggage. So of course right now I have both a passenger and all of my luggage! The bike picks up speed at even the slightest hint of a downhill incline, which ironically all seem to be right before a tight corner :| I try to hit the spots on the road with the least amount of gravel which works okay on the straights, but the corners are simply covered in gravel and there is no way to avoid it. As we enter the corners, the bike begins sliding all over the place and generally not wanting to turn. The thought of leaning into one of these turns doesn't sit well with me. Somehow, despite my failure to relax my grip on the bars, the bike gets turned through all the corners. We pass by our recently departed fuzzy friend and soon reach the main road without incident.
:tab We decide to head South on Hwy 16 back towards Medina. The drizzle is making a mess of my visor and the road is quite damp. We tough it out though. We barely make it a mile or so down the road when we spot the BMZilla barreling around a corner and coming at us followed by Will's Trophy 1200 and Achim's VFR 750. We pull over on the side of the road and look back to see them whoosh around the next corner out of sight. Not wanting to get int he game of both of us turning around only to have to keep turning around, we decide to just sit here and wait for them. While watching my mirror I hear a loud and slightly unhappy "WOOF!!" Nothing like a big dog to scare the crap out of you!! Fortunately he is behind a fence and seems content to stay put. This is a good thing, because at his size, it looks like the flimsy fence will have little chance of resisting him if he decides to come after us :|
:tab John comes zooming up next to us moments later. He informs us that no one has had breakfast and they are all hungry. They want to head to the cabin, unload their luggage and then go find something to eat. It is already nearly noon, but what the heck? I show them where the turn off is for the gravel road and we wait on the main highway for them to return. Mean while I decide to walk up the road a bit and check out one of the many river/creeks in the area.
:tab The water flowing under the road is crystal clear. It is only a few inches deep on the concrete drainage platform that is part of the road and then it dumps over a short waterfall into a deeper area back up in the trees. Trusting my SIDI GT Sympatex boots to keep me dry, I walk out into the shallow flowing water to relive my childhood. A few minutes of stomping around, watching the flow patterns, observing the shockwaves propogating throughout the water from my stomping and being a general nerd, I realize my left boot is no longer water proof :? DOH! Now my sock is all clammy.
:tab I retreat back to the bikes where everyone else is waiting. After what seems like forever, we hear John's BMZilla tearing up the gravel road and then he pops out from behind the final corner. The others soon follow. It is now nearly 1:00pm and we have not yet even begun to do any riding! I take off for Medina and set a nice conservative pace. Everyone is riding two up and the traction on the damp roads is still questionable. Also, this is the first time for Debbie to ride with Paul and both of them are likely apprehensive.
:tab A few miles later we roll into Medina. Something special is going on because there are streetside vendors lining both sides of the highway and sucking up all the parking :x We are trying to stop at the Love Creek Orchard, Cider Mill, Cafe & Bakery (http://www.twtex.com/viewtopic.php?t=165). We manage to get around behind the place to find parking. They are quite busy today despite the soupy weather.
:tab If you like stuff made from apples, this place is da bomb! The smells emmanating from the bakery alone are enough to put five pounds on you! There is a small and relatively slow cafe out back that makes burgers, sandwiches, etc,... It takes us over an hour to get our food, eat and get out of town. It is pushing just after 2:00pm and we have a long route laid out for today. On top of that, we are going to be riding a much more sedate pace since we are all carrying passengers. It has quit drizzling but it is still overcast. The temperature is creeping into the upper 70's.
:tab We head West on FM 337 towards Vanderpool. I have not been out here since mid April of this year. That weekend the weather was spectacular and the flowers abudnant. It is not as bright and sunny today, but surprisingly there is a large variety of wildflowers still blooming. Curiously, most of them are bright yellow. There are a whole lot of different kinds of flowers, but still yellow?! There has to be some explanation for this. I ponder this and other meaning of the universe questions as we glide up into the hills and the raod starts to get a little tighter.
:tab We hit a brief rain shower as we get closer to Vanderpool. It lasts barely thirty seconds, just enough to really smear around the dust all over the bike :roll: We reach Vanderpool shortly and then keep West on 337 towards Leakey. This section of 337 has lots of the really tight stuff and is quite fun. Amazingly, we have seen little if any traffic since leaving Medina. Quite the change compared to my visit in April when I was almost run off the road several different times by other motorcyclists! As we near Leaky, the sky to the South is looking dark and ominous. I just don't feel like messing with the rain suit right now. We stop at the little Exxon store in Leakey so everyone can top off with gas, or at least that is the plan (See this story (http://www.twtex.com/viewtopic.php?p=3525#3525) that is the result of someone NOT filling up!) There are a few other bikes in town, but not the normal horde one would expect this time of year.
:tab We continue West on 337 towards Camp Wood. This is more of the really fun tight stuff. As we round one of the 20 mph corners, I spot flourescent paint markings on the road surface, telltale signs of an accident. :| This is the same area where two brothers were killed last October in a head on collision with a truck that crossed the double yellow. It is a sober reminder to hit the delayed apexes and to keep my speed in check. The isolation of the area drives the point home even more because help would be a long time in coming! We reach Camp Wood to find the local LEO sitting on the side of the road shooting radar at folks coming into town. We are putting along just below the speed limit.
:tab FM 337 was good today. Other than a few places where they are putting in bridges at low water crossings, the road was in great condition with very few rocks or gravel patches. The construction spots were loose gravel single lane sections. They were dry and traffic was light so no biggie. We head North up Hwy 55 for the start of FM 335. I have been out here quite a few times but have never taken the time to run out West on Hwy 55. I have been told the first 10-12 miles are just fantastic sweepers so I am itching to check it out. I stop the group to see what they think and they are up for it. So off we go.
:tab At first I begin wondering if this is worth the time. But then I round a big sweeper and see the highway twisting around like a massive snake, four lanes of empty paved paradise. I'm gone :twisted: A few more miles and I see John coming up behind me fast on the BMZilla. A quick glance over and WHOOSH! He goes bouncing by me, his luggage barely off the tarmac, Sara squeezing him like a galloping horse! I let him go. No point pushing the bike too hard with all my luggage and sweetie on board. Besides, we can already nearly both put a knee down :mrgreen:
:tab I round the last sweeper as the highway comes up over the edge of a plateau and heads off straight into the horizon. John has just pulled over on the shoulder so we join him. The rest of the group comes up behind pretty quick, grins popping out from under their visors. What fun!? Everyone is standing around the roadside (http://www.twtex.com/linkfiles/100303hill/DSC00701.JPG) excitedly talking about what a great road this is. I'm just getting excited thinking about the fact that we are about to turn around and do it all over again! Will spots a really cool looking butterfly (http://www.twtex.com/linkfiles/100303hill/DSC00702.JPG) on the side of the road that seems to be having trouble flying. From the looks of it, it is on it's way out for good :| A quick shot of Deb (left) and Sara (right) (http://www.twtex.com/linkfiles/100303hill/DSC00705.JPG) and then I hand the camera over to Beth so she can experiment with taking shots from the passenger seat. Then off we go for another run through sweeper heaven!
:tab We take it a little easier on the way back to the start of FM 335. Once we reach 335, I wave everyone else around so I can ride at the back for a change. So often I am leading and never get to watch the group riding. Besides, I want Beth to get some action shots of everyone! Off we go, up and down, up and down, round and round... FM 335 is like a roller coaster! Beth and I were chatting as everyone else took off so we are behind and out of sight. As I come around a bend, I see everyone sitting at the only intersection on this road. It seems John has decided to take Sara off into the middle of nowhere to explore and he'll be hooking up with us when he gets over to FM 336 via this new shortcut. While I am talking with everyone, Beth sneaks in a few shots:
Achim & Angela Felber (http://www.twtex.com/linkfiles/100303hill/DSC00708.JPG)
Will Bird and Brooke Babbie (http://www.twtex.com/linkfiles/100303hill/DSC00709.JPG)
Paul Massie and Debbie McMullen (http://www.twtex.com/linkfiles/100303hill/DSC00710.JPG) (required to say they are not a couple hehe).
I don't usually like to leave anyone behind, especially when we are out in the middle of the boonies where cell phones are as useful as a rock for communicating. Everyone else seems cool with it, so we continue North on 335 with myself and Beth bringing up the rear. I'll let these pics of FM 335 speak for themselves:
Deb hanging on with her whiteknuckled grip! (http://www.twtex.com/linkfiles/100303hill/DSC00711.JPG)
Going so fast the landscape is blurring (http://www.twtex.com/linkfiles/100303hill/DSC00712.JPG) :shock:
Run off? Guard rail on the left, this on the right (http://www.twtex.com/linkfiles/100303hill/DSC00713.JPG)
Talk about banking!! (http://www.twtex.com/linkfiles/100303hill/DSC00714.JPG)
Paul & Deb hot on the heels of Will & Brooke (http://www.twtex.com/linkfiles/100303hill/DSC00717.JPG)
Beth expresses her artsy-fartsy side (http://www.twtex.com/linkfiles/100303hill/DSC00719.JPG) :lol:
Achim & Angela lead the charge up the hill (http://www.twtex.com/linkfiles/100303hill/DSC00721.JPG)
Coming down the backside of the hill (http://www.twtex.com/linkfiles/100303hill/DSC00722.JPG)
A snake in the road? (http://www.twtex.com/linkfiles/100303hill/DSC00725.JPG)
Achim is always a dot in the distance (http://www.twtex.com/linkfiles/100303hill/DSC00727.JPG) :roll:
Yes, it really was this bummmpyyy... (http://www.twtex.com/linkfiles/100303hill/DSC00730.JPG)
Paul getting in the groove! (http://www.twtex.com/linkfiles/100303hill/DSC00740.JPG)
Closeup of Will and Brooke (http://www.twtex.com/linkfiles/100303hill/DSC00744.JPG)
Almost a closeup of Achim and Angela (http://www.twtex.com/linkfiles/100303hill/DSC00745.JPG)
Brooke is still giddy from the ride, hehe... (http://www.twtex.com/linkfiles/100303hill/DSC00746.JPG)
Achim's eyes are still bulging from the squeezing his auto speed limiter was giving him! (http://www.twtex.com/linkfiles/100303hill/DSC00747.JPG)
Yet another artsy-fartsy picture (http://www.twtex.com/linkfiles/100303hill/DSC00748.JPG)
And another... (http://www.twtex.com/linkfiles/100303hill/DSC00750.JPG)
:tab After a short rest at the North end of FM 335, we head East on Hwy 41 to find the start of the Northern end of FM 336. 335 was remarkably free of gravel and debris. Usually there are some serious rocks in the areas where the road runs along rock wall faces. It is getting nice and warm now, in the low to mid eighties with a higher cloud cover. I don't think we need to worry about rain for the rest of the day. Occasionally, a small patch of blue sky peaks through to taunt us. Hwy 41 (http://www.twtex.com/linkfiles/100303hill/DSC00751.JPG) is open and boring, but at least it gets us over to FM 336!!
:tab When we turn on to FM 336, Beth informs me that she has already filled up a disc in the camera and needs a blank one! I had no idea she was snapping away like that! Once again I pull over and wave everyone by so I can bring up the rear. I enjoy riding in the back of the pack but I am so used to riding in front without someone ahead of me that when there is someone, it makes it harder for me to concentrate on my lines and to ignore them. Here are some scenes from the run South on FM 336 back to Leakey:
Didn't see many deer, saw lots of buzzards though! (http://www.twtex.com/linkfiles/100303hill/DSC00752.JPG)
Nice leathers... (http://www.twtex.com/linkfiles/100303hill/DSC00756.JPG) :wink:
Did I mention that most of 336 is open range? (http://www.twtex.com/linkfiles/100303hill/DSC00758.JPG) :eek:
Nothing like a skittish calf to make you jumpy! (http://www.twtex.com/linkfiles/100303hill/DSC00761.JPG)
The shoulders on the white bull (http://www.twtex.com/linkfiles/100303hill/DSC00763.JPG) are easily as high as our heads if not higher!! Definitely not something you want to hit at speed... :brainsnap
Again, not much in the way of run off if you blow the corner (http://www.twtex.com/linkfiles/100303hill/DSC00765.JPG)
:tab There are a few places along FM 336 where the road is under construction for washout repairs. Most of them are not too bad. This one (http://www.twtex.com/linkfiles/100303hill/DSC00767.JPG) is not so much fun because it is one lane and you have to crest a blind hill (http://www.twtex.com/linkfiles/100303hill/DSC00768.JPG) not knowing if someone is going to come barreling over the hill right into you! Nope, not fun at all. Coming down the other side (http://www.twtex.com/linkfiles/100303hill/DSC00770.JPG) the visibility is not bad, it is just the loose gravel we have to contend with. At this point, Paul and Will have fallen a little behind so we pull over at the bottom of the hill and wait for them.
:tab After everyone regathers, we take off again. Now the road is getting a little tighter with lots of consecutive 25mph corners strung together. I love this because it really makes me focus on my timing, smooth throttle control, and picking my lines through the corner so as to be setup for the next corner. For me, it is all about myself and the bike working together in a smooth continous flow with no abruptness. The natural side effect of this is that I tend to start speeding up as I relax. Thus I keep having to watch for everyone behind me that may not be so comfortable with a passenger on such twisty pavement, well... except for Achim. He's a speed freak :-P
:tab After a relatively long stretch of the really tight and fun stuff, we come out into a more open stretch and I realize that Paul and Will are no longer with us. Achim has let me know that he needs gas. We are not too far from Leakey so I tell Achim how to get to town and send him on his way. While we are waiting for Will and Paul, I hand Beth a blank CDRW for the camera. As we are swaping out the discs, Paul and Will arrive. I motion them by but Paul stops just to see what's up (Pic 1 (http://www.twtex.com/linkfiles/100303hill/DSC00773.JPG) / Pic 2 (http://www.twtex.com/linkfiles/100303hill/DSC00774.JPG)). Here are a few more shots on FM 336 just North of Leakey.
Rotting old barn -- more artsy fartsy (http://www.twtex.com/linkfiles/100303hill/DSC00775.JPG) ;-)
Still gloomy but at least it's dry! (http://www.twtex.com/linkfiles/100303hill/DSC00776.JPG)
Good Lord! Is my head really THAT big!? (http://www.twtex.com/linkfiles/100303hill/DSC00777.JPG)
:tab As we come around yet another corner, a red jeep hesitates and then pulls out right in front of us. I grab the brakes and start hauling it down. The jeep driver suddenly realizes just how dumb he's been and whips off the road onto the gravel shoulder. Now there are rocks flying up at us as well. :x The annoying thing is that there is no one behind us for a long way. Would it really have killed this guy to wait just another second or two and then pull out behind us? We blow by them (http://www.twtex.com/linkfiles/100303hill/DSC00779.JPG) and move on down the road.
:tab Little do I realize, but Beth is going snap happy with the camera. She is not really paying attention to the road any more and is looking for stuff to shoot. At one point she starts wiggling around trying to shoot behind us. We are coming up an a sharp corner fast and it takes several firm taps on her thigh to get her turned back around and paying attention to the road. Here are the fruits of her labors:
Chasing Paul and Debbie (http://www.twtex.com/linkfiles/100303hill/DSC00780.JPG)
The trees are leaning into the corner with us! (http://www.twtex.com/linkfiles/100303hill/DSC00781.JPG) :shock:
More of my big head (http://www.twtex.com/linkfiles/100303hill/DSC00782.JPG)
A nice shot giving the sensation of speed (http://www.twtex.com/linkfiles/100303hill/DSC00784.JPG)
:tab Beth is filling up the new disc fast! We roll into Leakey to find everyone else at the Exxon (http://www.twtex.com/linkfiles/100303hill/DSC00788.JPG) filling up the bikes. We top off as well. Now there are more bikes around. Apparently the Texas Sportbike Association is having their anual Iron Butt Invitational here this weekend and the sportbikes are starting to drift into town. We have been pretty much alone on the roads today and have only seen one group of cruisers that stayed East on Hwy 41 back towards Kerrville when we peeled off onto FM 336. It has been great!
:tab After a break and some rehashing of the past hour's ride, we decide to head East on FM 337 and then make our way down to FM 470 for the run over to Tarpley for dinner. Where the heck is John!? I knew we should not have let him run off into the wild with Sara on the back of his bike :roll: Oh well, he can usually figure his way out of some crazy stuff, I'll get worried later if we don't hear from him.
:tab As we head out of town on FM 337, we are passed by quite a few oncoming groups of sportbikes. I spot several VFRs in the mix. The urge to turn around and socialize is killing me. :lol: A simple wave will have to do. I wave Achim and Angela around for the run through the twisty stuff on 337 so we can get some shots of him carving his way through the hills. This series of shots is pretty cool, well except for the parts with my big head in the way :P
Achim and Angela take the lead up to the ridge (http://www.twtex.com/linkfiles/100303hill/DSC00792.JPG)
After this 10mph corner, the real fun begins! (http://www.twtex.com/linkfiles/100303hill/DSC00793.JPG)
Sure don't want to blow this corner! (http://www.twtex.com/linkfiles/100303hill/DSC00794.JPG) :eek:
Where are the hay bales? (http://www.twtex.com/linkfiles/100303hill/DSC00795.JPG)
Chasing the rabbit! (shown in order of shooting)
:tab 1 (http://www.twtex.com/linkfiles/100303hill/DSC00796.JPG) / 2 (http://www.twtex.com/linkfiles/100303hill/DSC00797.JPG) / 3 (http://www.twtex.com/linkfiles/100303hill/DSC00798.JPG) / 4 (http://www.twtex.com/linkfiles/100303hill/DSC00799.JPG) / 5 (http://www.twtex.com/linkfiles/100303hill/DSC00800.JPG) / 6 (http://www.twtex.com/linkfiles/100303hill/DSC00801.JPG) / 7 (http://www.twtex.com/linkfiles/100303hill/DSC00802.JPG) / 8 (http://www.twtex.com/linkfiles/100303hill/DSC00805.JPG) / 9 (http://www.twtex.com/linkfiles/100303hill/DSC00806.JPG) / 10 (http://www.twtex.com/linkfiles/100303hill/DSC00807.JPG) / 11 (http://www.twtex.com/linkfiles/100303hill/DSC00808.JPG) / 12 (http://www.twtex.com/linkfiles/100303hill/DSC00809.JPG) / 13 (http://www.twtex.com/linkfiles/100303hill/DSC00810.JPG) / 14 (http://www.twtex.com/linkfiles/100303hill/DSC00811.JPG) / 15 (http://www.twtex.com/linkfiles/100303hill/DSC00813.JPG) / 16 (http://www.twtex.com/linkfiles/100303hill/DSC00814.JPG) / 17 (http://www.twtex.com/linkfiles/100303hill/DSC00815.JPG) / 18 (http://www.twtex.com/linkfiles/100303hill/DSC00816.JPG) / 19 (http://www.twtex.com/linkfiles/100303hill/DSC00818.JPG) / 20 (http://www.twtex.com/linkfiles/100303hill/DSC00820.JPG) / 21 (http://www.twtex.com/linkfiles/100303hill/DSC00822.JPG) / 22 (http://www.twtex.com/linkfiles/100303hill/DSC00823.JPG) / 23 (http://www.twtex.com/linkfiles/100303hill/DSC00824.JPG)
Whew! Beth's finger has to be killing her after snapping all those shots!
:tab We reach the end of FM 337 at Hwy 187 in Vanderpool I spot a few bikes, including a VFR, in the parking lot at the only building in town, the local corner store. I send everyone else on down 187 towards Utopia while I zip around to go chat with the people in the parking lot. They are all from the Dallas area TSBA group and are heading out the Leakey for the IBI ride. Nice group of folks, and after a few minutes of chatting, we take off to catch up with everyone else. Paul decided to drop back with us so he is in tow now.
:tab The run down 187 towards Utopia is a really nice ride. There are lots of fast sweepers, river crossings, and the pavement is generally quite good. The trees along the river banks have debris from previous floods stuck way up high in their branches :eek: I would not want to be in this area when the water is that deep and moving that fast! The clouds have been thinning out a little and occasionally the sun peeks through and teases us with a few rays here and there. Before long we reach the turn off for FM 470, just North of Utopia.
:tab FM 470 is one of the first Hill Country roads I had ever ridden on a motorcycle. We were out here for the Y2K new years when everyone thought the end of the world was upon us. I was riding my 92 Nighthawk 750 and only had about 8000 miles of total riding experience, little of it on the twisties. I remember some of the curves on this road (http://www.twtex.com/linkfiles/100303hill/DSC00831.JPG) freaking me out because I thought they were so sharp. On the VFR, with Beth and a full load of luggage, I'm having to work at keeping the speed down to the point where I won't get hauled off to jail if we get stopped. It is so easy for me to just slip into a nice rythm here. But I don't want to lose Paul and Debbie because neither of them have any idea where we are heading. Besides, it is that time of the day when deer start appearing (http://www.twtex.com/linkfiles/100303hill/DSC00832.JPG) on the shoulders of the road in the high grass. :|
:tab Keeping a wary eye on the shoulders and the other on the road, we cruise on down FM 470 until we reach Brown's General Store in Tarpley. Tarpley is a one blink town. If you blink more than once while passing through, you may not realize you have actually even passed through the town! I spot Achim and Will's bikes in the gravel parking lot and start slowing down. The parking lot is steep and the gravel consists of large loose chunks. Not really motorcycle friendly. Paul and Debbie come up behind us a few moments later.
The General Store parking lot (http://www.twtex.com/linkfiles/100303hill/DSC00837.JPG)
Paul makes a boot fashion statement! (http://www.twtex.com/linkfiles/100303hill/DSC00838.JPG)
Our lovely steeds... Where's the BMZilla? (http://www.twtex.com/linkfiles/100303hill/DSC00839.JPG)
:tab We have not lost our mind coming to such a forsaken out of the way spot. We have come here for the best mouth watering food in these here parts! Dinner is to be had at Mac & Ernie's Roadside Eatery (http://www.twtex.com/linkfiles/100303hill/DSC00840.JPG). I was introduced to the experience of this place back in April when I came out here with Will, John, and some other riding friends. The "restaurant" is a shack (http://www.twtex.com/linkfiles/100303hill/DSC00841.JPG), not unlike many roadside sno-cone booths, sitting off on the side of the General Store parking lot. The "kitchen" is basically a leanto (http://www.twtex.com/linkfiles/100303hill/DSC00842.JPG) off the back of the shack. A person might be wondering if the food from such a place could even be edible? Once the smells from the back of the shack reach our olfactory senses, there is little room for doubt. We make our way into line so we can get our orders placed!
:tab The food is cooked by a local woman. Her family runs a ranch and uses the shack as an outlet for selling their goods. She has a few people that help her with taking orders and serving the food, but she basically cooks everything herself as it is ordered. I step around the backside of the shack to visit with her for a few minutes and she is quite friendly. We wait anxiously for our food in the "dining" room (http://www.twtex.com/linkfiles/100303hill/DSC00844.JPG) next to the General Store.
:tab Somewhere in all the excitement, I miss John and Sara arriving. It seems they have had quite the adventure getting here, typical for John ;-) Immediately upon seeing John, I cannot help but notice that the crotch of his jeans has been torn asunder! He refuses our pleas for explanation, preferring to wait until later in the evening to regale us with his tale of misfortune and excitement. To kill time while waiting for the food, I go off to shoot some more pics:
More yellow flowers... (http://www.twtex.com/linkfiles/100303hill/DSC00845.JPG) :huh:
and yet a few more... (http://www.twtex.com/linkfiles/100303hill/DSC00846.JPG)
How many bugs can you see here? (http://www.twtex.com/linkfiles/100303hill/DSC00847.JPG)
I forgot to change the camera back out of macro mode when I got shots of the people... Have a few beers before viewing these and all will look normal ;-)
John, Beth, Deb, and Paul (http://www.twtex.com/linkfiles/100303hill/DSC00848.JPG)
Sara, Brooke, Will, Angela and Achim (http://www.twtex.com/linkfiles/100303hill/DSC00849.JPG)
Here's that last one for the non beer drinkers ;-)
Sara, Brooke, Will, Angela and Achim (http://www.twtex.com/linkfiles/100303hill/DSC00850.JPG)
:tab Our food finally arrives and it is worth every bit of the wait. My pork tenderloin melts in my mouth. Beth's chicken breast and sauce is mouth watering. Deb's fried catfish is light and crispy. I think between all of us, we pretty much ordered everything on the menu. ALL of the sauces are excellent but they don't give us much and don't have enough to hand out extras!!?? We get protective of our sauces because John is dipping all over the place hehe. The serving portions are huge, few of us manage to eat everything on the plate. I would not be one of them, but it is not for a lack of effort! The sun is waning, our guts are stuffed, and we have to get motivated enough to get back on the bikes and make our way to the cabins.
:tab The ride back is cool and we run it at a very sedate pace. I let John and Achim get fairly far out front so I can run my high beams to look for deer. Before long we reach the gravel road... The ride in has to be the most tense so far. The bike simply does not want to turn in the corners. I manage my way through and reach the cabins. John has long since been off his bike and standing around :roll: After everyone gets settled in, we get a good fire going and sit around reflecting on the days' events. Finally, John fills us in on what happened to him and Sara. Typical stuff for him, that's why we invite him on our trips :-P Before long, the light weights start drifting off to bed. The rest of us move back down to our cabin for cards/dominoes and serious B.S.ing. Sara and I spend some time chatting about what is involved with getting a used starter bike. Apparently, John did not freak her out too bad hehe. Now she is setup to take the MSF course soon!! :chug:
SUNDAY
:tab Say hello to another drizzly morning :| John, Sara, Brooke and Will are getting set to head out into the misty morning for their ride back to Austin. We've got to get my bike back on the slimy dirty trailer. The straps have stretched from being wet so I have to retighten Beth's bike. The sight of the filth on both of our bikes is killing me. It's going to be time for a full blown detailing on both bikes. I help Paul get the RS into the back of his truck. Achim and Angela are sitting on the porch of the upper cabin enjoying a hot cup of coffee and contemplating the soupy ride home. We lock up the cabins, say good bye and head for home. Nasty weather seems to be coming in behind us. Once home in Huntsville, it is not long before it catches up with us and we get quite an exciting storm!
:tab The weather could have been better, but we still had a great time. Until next time...
Adios,