March 26-28 Hill Country Ride - Good Routes

[John Bennett]

Here's a weekend I'm thinking about doing...

The Texas Hill Country Ride 2004 is scheduled for March 26, 27, 28, with a Friday evening arrival (26th), departing Sunday (28th).

The Hampton Inn, in Kerrville, Texas is home base where most of the participants will be gathering for the rides. I would camp, but hang out at the hotel.

Hard copies of the Maps and Ride Directions will be available. Pick from the suggested rides or make one up on your own. Friday night will be a good time to choose riding partners and and pick a route...or two.

Garmin map files and MS Streets and Trips files of the rides are available for download at this page... http://hillcountryride2004.homestead.com/ride.html

Graphic files of each ride are located at these links...

Hill Country Tour - 370 Mile Loop
http://hillcountryride2004.homestead.com/HillTour.html

Sisters Point to Point - 310 Mile Out and Back
http://hillcountryride2004.homestead.com/Sisters.html

Wimberley Luchenbach Fredericksburg Loop - 214 Mile Loop
http://hillcountryride2004.homestead.com/W...ericksburg.html (http://hillcountryride2004.homestead.com/WimberleyLuchenbachFredericksburg.html)

I hung out with these guys in Arkansas last October. They are great guys. These are mostly guys from the BWM sport touring forum, but people show up on everything from Goldwings to Ducatis and there is no snobbery or brand bashing. (But they do ride kinda fast).

I anticipate a problem getting off work on such short notice, but I'm gonna try.

[buck000]

Yup, those are all the fun roads. The Roads & Routes section has words and vids of 55, 335, 336, and 337 (Leakey to Vanderpool).

16 from F'burg to Kerrville is kind of a snooze, but I can't recommend an alternate route...

I've done most of the roads on those routes, and if you haven't ever ridden 'em, you'll have fun. I wouldn't say I was burned out on those roads, but they are a bit of trek to get to.

I'm kind of intrigued by 674 (http://www.twtex.com/viewtopic.php?t=346), that might be a fun diversion from the classic routes mentioned (I wonder how much it differs from 335 or 336?).

The Cypress Creek Cafe is a fun place to eat in Wimberley.

I prefer the Sunset Restaurant over the Bowling Club in Blanco for eating in that town.

Oh, and 470 from near Bandera over to Utopia will run you past Mac & Ernie's in Tarpley. That would definitely be my next place to ride to eat, but I don't know where it'd fit, time-wise, in the itinerary mentioned.

My next trek will up in Tourm's neck of the woods. I want to spend a long weekend around Caddo Lake or wherever the heck in Piney-land there are some smoot sweepers in tall trees... :-)

Have fun!

[Tourmeister]

16 from F'burg to Kerrville is kind of a snooze, but I can't recommend an alternate route...

Irondawg showed us an alternate route :shock: I think it started out as the Old Kerrville Highway? It starts just South of Fredericksburg off of Hwy 16 on the left. It then becomes a lane and a half roller coaster until it finally drops out on FM 1341 just East of I-10. Then you get to run 1341 back into Kerrville and that is a total blast!!

From a ride report of mine...
Once again, John is leading the way. It seems that he wants to show us a cool little back road that runs down toward Kerrville. Uh oh... Could this be more surprise offroading? I got that out of my system yesterday and I don't know how excited Paul and Art will be about offroading on their bikes? As we are heading out of town we pick up a trailing sportbike of unknown type. We had passed him at a light and waved, then he pulled out and fell in with us. Cool. However, we we reach the turn off for the little side road, he keeps heading South on Hwy 16. It seems we are heading back out into the sticks on the Old Kerrville Highway. That's probably a good sign, most highways were paved at one time or another

The road immediately narrows down to about a lane and a half with a fairly serious crown to the road. It is bumpy but nothing unmanageable. John is off and running! We chug along behind him, keeping a wary eye on the road. There are lots of fast little dips and twists around creeks and gullies. Longhorns sit in the pastures watching us go by with little more than a blink of curiousity. They have their grass, we have our pavement, everybody is happy, not much else matters.

Somewhere along the line, the road became Bear Creek Road? Hmmm... I must have not been paying very close attention to the signs. A few more miles and it becomes Center Point Road. We are really cruising along so I am thankful there isn't any traffic and very few side roads and driveways. I'd probably not run this pace left to my own devices but it is nothing crazy and I'm not pushing, so I just kick back and enjoy the ride. Once again the road changes names, this time I think we crossed a county line. Now it is Center Front Road and stays as such until it drops us out onto what I believe to be FM 1341 East of Kerrville.

A mile or so and we cross under I-10. This is definitely FM 1341, but is locally known as Cypress Creek Road. I have been on this road numerous times and it is one of my favorites in the area. The pavement is pretty good and the entire length to Kerrville has a fun roller coaster feel to it. There are lots of swooping corners and fast elevation changes. It is nice because it challenges one to really read the road, the change in camber, the tightening of the curve, etc,... All too soon we are in Kerrville.

Adios,

[Yeeha! Stephen]

Here's a weekend I'm thinking about doing...

The Texas Hill Country Ride 2004 is scheduled for March 26, 27, 28, with a Friday evening arrival (26th), departing Sunday (28th).

The Hampton Inn, in Kerrville, Texas is home base where most of the participants will be gathering for the rides. I would camp, but hang out at the hotel.

Hard copies of the Maps and Ride Directions will be available. Pick from the suggested rides or make one up on your own. Friday night will be a good time to choose riding partners and and pick a route...or two.

Garmin map files and MS Streets and Trips files of the rides are available for download at this page... http://hillcountryride2004.homestead.com/ride.html

Graphic files of each ride are located at these links...

Hill Country Tour - 370 Mile Loop
http://hillcountryride2004.homestead.com/HillTour.html

Sisters Point to Point - 310 Mile Out and Back
http://hillcountryride2004.homestead.com/Sisters.html

Wimberley Luchenbach Fredericksburg Loop - 214 Mile Loop
http://hillcountryride2004.homestead.com/W...ericksburg.html (http://hillcountryride2004.homestead.com/WimberleyLuchenbachFredericksburg.html)

I hung out with these guys in Arkansas last October. They are great guys. These are mostly guys from the BWM sport touring forum, but people show up on everything from Goldwings to Ducatis and there is no snobbery or brand bashing. (But they do ride kinda fast).

I anticipate a problem getting off work on such short notice, but I'm gonna try.


John,
I'm going down for that one, hope to see ya there. It won't be quite as populated as the Ark ride, little more personal.

Also going back to Kerrville the second weekend in April with the KRS guys. http://www.tbmwsr.com./texas_hill_country.htm

Also in April, there's a campout at Lake Belton near Temple that's a pretty fun affair.

Been to the Hill Country before? Makes you want to throw rocks at anywhere else in Texas.

Yeeha! Stephen
Bedford Texas