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[Ride Report] Hill Country Ride 4/11 - 4/13, 2003

Tourmeister

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Howdy,

Thursday 4/10

:tab So I get an invitation a while back from John Morin to head out to the Hill Country for some riding with a few other folks. He says something about some cabins and a farm house? Well, my plans for the weekend fall through and I decide to take him up on the invite. I convince Will Bird to go with me. So Thursday afternoon I take off from work a little early and head for Austin to stay at Will's place for the night.

:tab I leave the office around 3:30pm, stop by the house for some last minute stuff and then I am off for the weekend. The weather is incredibly nice, what a stroke of luck. I head out Hwy 30 towards Carlos. There are wildflowers blooming all over the place. I always love the feeling I get when I'm just heading out for a weekend of riding or a trip. There is a sense of excitement and expectation of what awaits me.

:tab I reach Carlos pretty quick and turn off onto FM 244 and head South a few miles to the start of FM 3090, a favorite road of local riders from all around. The fun starts as soon as I turn off onto 3090. There are lots of 25 and 30 mph curves for most of the length of the road. The pavement is pretty good; however, there is often gravel in the corners, having been kicked up from the shoulder by trucks pulling cattle/horse trailers and such. This road is fun as long as you aren't crazy. It has eaten a LOT of bikes over the years. I make my way along at a nice pace, not too fast as I am taking in the scenery as I go. There are lots of nice rolling hills, pastures covered in flowers, and no traffic at all :)

:tab I follow FM 3090 all the way to its end in Navasota. Once there, I pick up Hwy 105 and head West out of town. This is a nice two lane highway with smooth pavement. The curves are nothing to write home about, but the wildflowers are pretty thick mile after mile. A little over half way to Brenham, I turn North onto FM 390, a State designated scenic route. The first few miles are very straight. There are Blue bonnets everywhere! (Pic 1 / Pic 2).

:tab After passing a guy tooling along on his tractor, I soon reach a sharp 15 mph left hand turn in the road. At the turn, you can keep going straight. The road narrows to about a lane and a half and dissappears around a blind curve under some huge Live Oak trees. I make a mental note to check this out on the way home Sunday afternoon. I ride down a little ways just for a teaser and then head back to the sharp corner, this is where the fun starts for this road.

:tab FM 390 has some really fun curves and esses. I would normally go through here at a nice steady brisk pace. Today it seems like as soon as I hit a good rythm, I come around a corner and have to stop for more pictures. I have been wanting to get some good springtime pictures the last few years and I am determined I will do some this year. I spot one location that I just can't pass up and have to stop. The Bluebonnets have lots of Indian Paintbrushes scattered among them and the contrast is really nice.

FM390-04 / FM390-05 / FM390-06
FM390-07 / FM390-08 / FM390-09

:tab I figure I have plenty of flower pictures for now so I get back on the road and get serious about having some fun. I pass through the tiny Town of Independence on Hwy 50 and keep going. The curves get much better between Hwy 50 and Burton. There are a few where I really have to tip toe through the corners because they are sharp, bumpy and have lots of loose gravel. But soon I reach Burton, a small town on US 290. I've never stopped or eaten here, but supposedly, the Brazos Bell Inn and Restaurant is a good place to eat.

:tab The rest of the ride to Austin on US 290 is uneventful and rather boring. I spot a guy walking across the parking lot in Giddings about to get on his bike and stop in to meet him and hand him a business card. I'm kind of funny that way :wink: It is a beautiful evening. The sun is getting low on the horizon and is shining right in my eyes. The glare from all the bug guts on my faceshield makes it hard to see at times. :puke: I get to Will's place right at 7:00pm. We do dinner at Chuy's Mexican restaurant and then retire to his living room to listen to some jazz on his incredible stereo and sip some old smooooth whiskey late into the evening...

Friday 4/11

:tab BBBZZZZZZZZ! Good grief! My pager alarm is going off already! I just fell asleep! Why is it so bright in here? :brainsnap Hmm... might as well get rolling... over that is. I drift back off for a while before the clock radio alarm starts blasting some insane mornign DJ nonsense at me. This time I am up for good and head for the shower. After some toast and juice, we saddle up and head out about 10:30am. It is another wonderful day!

:tab We head to Woods Fun Center, a HondaYamaZukiSaki dealership in Austin. They have recently moved into really nice new facilities. They have a huge selection of bikes and accessories. I spy a nice sweet looking Silver VFR 800, the newest model. The body work still has to grow on me some more, but the silver paint job really helps a lot! Will buys some new gloves and some other junk and then we get on the road.

:tab We head North on US 183 to FM 620. The traffic sucks! And what the heck!? I am getting hot!! Spring can't be over already, it is only the middle of April! There is tons of construction along 183 but we finally reach 620 and head back to the Southwest. The traffic is still pretty heavy, probably because it is lunch time on Friday afternoon. Already there are quite a few bikes out and about. Soon we reach Hwy 71 and head West to Bee Cave road (FM 3238). From there we hit RR 12 and head South to Dripping Springs to get back on US 290 for a short bit.

:tab We ride West on US 290 a few miles looking for FM 165. Once we find it, we head Southwest on it. This is a really nice little ride. As is usual for me, I get so wrapped up in having fun I forget to stop for pictures. There is one big left handed sweeper in particular that is a blast. It drops down as I enter the turn so that as I hit the bottom I get shoved down against the bike. Then as we climb up out of the turn, it keeps bending back to the left before cresting a hill and dropping off to the right. This whole sweeper looks like it is brand spanking new pavement and is smooth smooth smooth. I love spots like this, perfect visibility, monster lean angle, and stomping on the throttle exiting the curve. Chicken soup for the soul :)

:tab After all the fun, we drop out onto US 281 outside of Blanco. We head South on 281 for a few miles. We manage to get stuck behind a convoy of mobile homes being towed. They are taking up the whole road and the wind coming off the back of the trailers is much worse than being stuck behind your typical semi. We follow them for a few miles before we reach an uphill climbing lane area and we can get past them. Moments later, we reach our turn off for FM 473. A word of caution about 281. There are numerous places where the speed limit is 60 mph, NOT 70 mph. However, the speed limits are exceptionally poorly marked. I was even looking for the signs and hardly saw any at all in miles and miles.

:tab We head West on FM 473. Right away the road gets pretty curvy and fun. It really is pretty out here this time of year. It has not started getting so hot that everything turns brown. The grass and undergrowth is all still really green. We follow 473 to just East of Sisterdale and head South on FM 474. FM 474 is a really fun ride. It has lots and lots of elevations changes and tight corners. There are a few corners that are a bit bumpy, but nothing major. I am taking it easy because the front end on my bike is really feeling harsh compared to normal. I think the tire has too much pressure in it. I'll have to remember to check it later.

:tab So we reach Boerne, I make a wrong turn, and we wind up on the North side of town on I-10. No big deal though, we just head back an exit or two to pick up Hwy 46. As we are putting along, I spot an LEO standing outside of his car way up on top of the hill that is the shoulder. Then I spot several more, all spaced out a few hundred yards apart. :huh: As I come over the next hill, I see flashing lights on the shoulder. When we get up to the scene, there is what appears to be an undamaged YZF-600 dumped in the deep grass, almost as if the rider ditched it on purpose and then took off on foot. We later were speculating that this person was running and decided it would be easier to lose the LEO in the woods rather than on the pavement. I just wonder if the bike was stolen, if not, this guy is a major moron! We drive by nice and slow.

:tab When we reach the exit for Hwy 46, we get off the freeway and head West again. We are on the tail end of another group of riders. A Goldwing is leading the way followed by a nice pair of matching Harley V-Rods. The taildragger is on a Honda Valkyrie Interstate. We follow them most of the way to Bandera. It is really killing me. These guys are crawling through the corners and I am really having to work at not running up on the back of them. I'm trying not to be obnoxious and to just hang back and enjoy the nice ride. But I am having to brake all the way through the corners :| We eventually get around them right before reaching Bandera.

:tab Bandera is packed with every kind and size of bike you can think of. This place has really become a hot bed of yuppie bikers. We keep going. Just outside of town on Hwy 16 we reach a passing zone and I move to pass a slow moving car ahead of us. Right about the time I am even with the car, I realize the oncoming vehicle is a Sheriff in an old stlye 4WD Bronco or Blazer. I am going... uh... a little quick :roll: She slows and gives me the stern look and finger wagging but let's me go. Will was right behind me! We head out of town as fast and legal as possible :angel:

:tab It is getting late in the afternoon, somewhere around 3:00 I think. We decide to stop in Medina for gas and lunch. We gas up at the tiny little station at the FM 337 intersection. Then we head back into town and stop at the Love Creek Orchard Cider Mill, Bakery, Patio Cafe and General Store. Say that ten times real quick! (Pic 1 / Pic 2). No sooner than we walk in the place, I start salivating. This place smells soooo good. It is no accident that you have to walk past the bakery to reach the cafe! I stop in the bakery door for a long sniff and then the cook tells me, "that will be five cents!" Yeah right, hehe. It would be worth it.

:tab As we come around the corner and see the Cafe, the sign says closed! I see that there is still someone behind the counter and ask her if they are really closed. She tells us that they close at 3:00pm... it is now 3:01pm... AArrggghhh! She's nice and tells us that as long as she doesn't have to cook anything, we can get sandwhiches and drinks. Cool. Some chicken salad sandwhiches and we are good to go. We sit and relax in the shade of some large oak trees. About the time I finish my sandwhich, I spot some very familiar looking bikes going by us. I jump up and down and wave, they appear to be looking right at me, but they ride right on by like they never see us. Hmmpph! We'll never catch them. Wrongway Steve is leading them! :P

:tab Will and I take off after lunch and head West on FM 337. This is one of what is affectionately known as the holy trinity, FM's 335, 336, and 337. It starts out lazily winding along a valley floor and then climbs up onto a ridge. There are lots of 25 mph curves and nice scenery. It drops out on RR 187 in Vanderpool. A mile or so North on 187 and 337 continues West to Leakey. This stretch is one of the tightest and most fun. Will and I are having a good time until we get stuck behind a slow moving red truck. Then, through some of the twistiest parts of the road, this guy proceeds to drift across the yellow line about half way into the oncoming lane for EVERY SINGLE corner!! Fortunately, there was never any oncoming traffic.

:tab When we reach Leakey, I realize that we are not where we want to be. I stop a Trooper that is patrolling the 30mph zone in the middle of town and ask him where the Fox Fire Cabins are located and he tells us to get back on FM 337 and head back to Vanderpool. Cool. This time across there is no traffic and we can just have fun. Well, fun until my front end started hopping so bad it felt like it was going to slide out from under me while I was leaned over in one of the 20 mph curves. I made it around the blind section enough to see the next curve and then stood the bike up a little and went a foot or so wide of the double yellow to get some weight back on the tire. Heart thumping, I pull the bike back over for the next tight left hander. I really need to check this tire!

:tab When we get back to Vanderpool, we find the cabins and pull in to find Dave Viosca, Dennis and Kevlyn Todd, and Steve Duncan hanging out on the cabin's deck. After some chit chat, we set out to find the Farm house where we are going to be staying. It takes a few tries, but we eventually find the poorly marked driveway. We have to cross a rough cattle guard, ride down a steep gravel drive, and cruise a short dirt road to reach the house. Scary on a loaded street bike. We take a few minutes to explore the house. It is huge, old and creaks a lot hehe. It is an ideal location right on the Sabinal River. (Pic 1 / Pic 2).

:tab It is about 5:30pm or so and it is a really nice cool evening. Will and I veg on the porch for a while just soaking it all in. I decide to head down to the river to soak my feet in the cold water. It feels fantastic! I wade across for a few more nature pics. (Pic 1 / Pic 2 / Our babies!). Then we decide to head South on RR 187 to Utopia to do something about dinner. There is a grill here and they provided us with charcoal and lighter fluid. So we are thinking we'll get some food and come back here to grill dinner.

:tab On the way to Utopia, we pass Steve and Dennis heading back to the cabins. They went to Tarpley for their dinner and alcohol. We pull into Utopia and stop in front of the General Store at 6:01pm... Of course they closed at 6:00pm :x What luck!? We cruise back up the road to the gas station/convenience store to see what they have. Basically, if you want a sugar bomb dinner, this is the place to go. If you actually want real food you are out of luck. While trying to figure out what we are going to do about dinner, Brian and Stephanie Duelm walk in. They saw the bikes out front. They're heading to the Lost Maples Cafe for dinner so we decide to just join them.

[Gotta run! More later!]

:tab So there I was... surrounded by ten headed hydras with gleaming fangs with no way out... No wait... wrong forum...

:tab So as I was saying, we have dinner at the Lost Maples Cafe. This place has been a bit hit and miss in my experience. But they are one of the few places in town to eat so we just deal with it. Being a non-smoker, the worst part is that I have to walk through smoking to get to the non-smoking. Then when we check out, the register is in the smoking area and the employees sit at a table right next to the register smoking when they are not busy. If there were a better alternative, I'd be there. My grilled cheese is dandy and after dinner we head back to the farm house.

:tab We dump the luggage and get settled into the house, then we head over to the cabins to see what is happening. We spend most of the evening hanging out shooting the B.S. The cabins are really cool and have little decks off of them. They are just above the banks of the Sabinal river. It is a really nice place to hang out. John finally shows up around 9:30 or 10:00pm. Round about midnight we call it an evening and head back over to the farm house. John sleeps in the opposite end of the house because of his snoring :lol: :wink:

Saturday 4/12

:tab I wake to the sound of my pager alarm again. Although I have been drifting in and out for the last hour or so. The birds are so dang loud outside my windows, what could be so exciting?! Then I look out the window at another beautiful sunny day and it hits me. Cool. I hit the shower and get ready for a day of riding.

:tab We head back over to the cabins to see what everyone else is doing. We get there just in time to head out for Utopia with everyone else to get breakfast. I take the taildragger position and enjoy a relaxed ride down RR 187. A short way from Utopia I notice Charlie Treese swerve in the road ahead of us and a buzzard flops off into the weeds on the shoulder. As I pass through the same place I spot what appears to be a large tinted helmet visor in the road... that's odd.

:tab A few minutes later we reach the Lost Maples Cafe in Utopia. Everyone is busy parking their bikes across the street so I pull in right in front of the cafe. I snap a shot of the cafe for my records, then when I head across the street I find out where that "visor" came from! Apparently, Steve duncan whacked the snot out of a buzzard at about 80mph! We're guessing the buzzard is dead. I guess that officially makes Steve a buzz killer :lol: When he reached the cafe, he was still a little pumped from the strike and dropped his bike on its side, DOH! New scratches on the new bike, Grrr...!

:tab We head inside for breakfast. The funniest thing is watching Kevlyn Todd trying to ask the waitress for a saucer and getting salsa :lol: Kevlyn is from Memphis. I understood her, but apparently the waitress didn't. While waiting for the food I take the opportunity to take a few people pics:

Charlie Treese & Cathy Winzor

Charlie is from Bull Shoals, Arkansas. Cathy is from Witchita, Kansas.

Jay Hansen

Jay is from Santa Montica, California, my old stomping grounds during my law school days. He knocked out some serious miles on his BMW K1200RS to get here!

Everyone else, almost...

Here we see Will Bird, John Morin, Steve Duncan, Brian Duelm. I have no idea where Brian's wife Stephanie got off to... As usual, I manage to miss getting pictures of a few of the people. Not shown here are Dave Viosca, and Dennis and Kevlyn Todd, and of course Stephanie. I first met Dennis and Kevlyn in North Carolina at a TSRA Eatern Rallye in 2001. They told me they came to the rally because they had read my trip report from the previous year and saw my pictures and that convinced them to attend. Coolio!

:tab After breakfast we head to the gas station for everyone to top off the tanks. We had just finished discussing how people should wait at the last intersection for the next person to catch up before they take off after the group. Before the last three of us even get out of the gas station parking lot the group is already separated :roll: Dave Viosca, Brian and Stephanie and I are the lost three. We decide to just head down FM 1050 West in hopes of catching up with everyone else.

:tab When we reach FM 2748 I spot a group of BMW riders and pull off to ask them if they have seen a group of bikes lead by a crazy guy on a BMW R1150GS. They immediately know who I am talking about and point North on FM 2748, "they went thataway!" So off we go in hot pursuit!

:tab When we reach FM 1120, I turn left expecting to hit US 83, which we do. A few miles later we are in Leakey wondering where everyone else might be. We finally decide to give up on finding the rest of the group and to just head West on FM 337 toward Camp Wood. As we approach the intersection to turn, guess who we see coming up from the way we had just come!? Wait... how did we get ahead of everyone? Apparently, they went right on FM 1120 and that dead ends due to construction. We fall right inline and the whole group, joyously reunited heads West on FM 337.

:tab This stretch of 337 has some great curves. Unfortunately, they are often fatal. When I was out here last October, two guys were killed when they hit a truck head on after blowing a corner. Not good. I take it nice and easy, riding a smooth pace. However, some guy on a Beemer comes roaring up behind me and then starts trying to get around me in the middle of the curves, first trying to pass on the right, and then on the left in a blind corner... sheesh!! When we reach a semi straight section I pull over to let him get by, what an ***!

:tab I catch up to everyone else as we reach Camp Wood. Beemer man is gassing up when we reach town. I hope it was worth the extra thirty seconds by which he beat me to town! We turn North onto Hwy 55 and head for Barksdale where we turn off onto FM 335. This is one of the coolest roads in the state. It is a lot like riding a roller coaster, up down right and left, over and over... Great stuff. I am bringing up the rear and following Brian and Stephanie on his VFR750. Things are going great, the rest of the group lead by crazy John on the BMZilla has pulled away from us. We round a tight corner and there are loads of Harleys stopped on the side of the road. We have to do a check up to get through the corner as they are hanging out into the road right around a blind corner. Stupid is as stupid does...

:tab The rest of the way is nice. We pass some through some really good stuff and I am itching to take pics, but I know if I stop I will get wayyyy behind the rest of the group and they'll wonder what happened to me when they finally stop. Fortunately, they get behind a longggg line of slow moving cruisers and decide to pull over to let them get way ahead. I take the chance to run back up the road a bit for some pics:

FM335-01 / FM335-02 / FM335-03
FM335-04 / FM335-05 / FM335-06

[Time for sleep already... More to come later...]

:tab As we begin getting ready to get back on the road, Steve comments that it would be funny if the huge group of Harleys we passed earlier showed up before we can leave. No sooner than the last word leaves his lips, we hear a rumbling in the distance... Everyone dashes to their bikes, dons their gear and we get on the road right as they start coming around the corner behind us. Whew! That would have really sucked.

:tab We finish off the rest of FM 335 and hit hwy 41. We head East on 41 to the start of the North end of FM 336 and head South. As we are turning onto FM 336, we pass a few bikes on the shoulder taking a break. They fall in behind us as we go by them. Soon the road starts getting really twisty and fun. However, as soon as we start having fun, we get caught behind some slow moving cruisers. I think the tail rider may have been new to riding. With no safe place to pass we just fall in with them and take it easy. After about five or six minutes of this, the K1200LT behind me decides he has had enough and simply pulls into the oncoming lane and proceedes to go through the next four or five 20 mph blind corners without ever pulling back into our lane!! :shock: ***!!?? The guy is an idiot!! :x

:tab Eventually we make our pass in a safe place and head on South to Leakey. When we pull into the gas station on 83 and 337, there sits the K1200. I find the guy and very calmly inform him that what he just did was possibly the dumbest thing I have ever seen. I think he knows it because he really has nothing to say for himself except to complain that we should space our selves out so he can pass us easier! :angryfir: Like we weren't waiting to pass and he is the only one being held up?? This has been one of the busiest weekends of the year for this area for years and years. The odds of him meeting head on traffic were REALLY GOOD. The amazing thing is that he didn't, fortunate for us. He does apologize and I accept, but that still didn't really make me feel any better. I was more dumbfounded than angry. But what is that grumbling sound?

:tab The call of my innards is not to be refused. We set about to figuring out what we are going to do for lunch. A few of us decide to eat here and the rest take off and head back to the cabins to call it a day, at least for the afternoon. On the advice of another rider in the gas station parking lot, we head up the road a few yards to Mama Chloes Mexican Restaurant. They are really busy so we grab some tables out front on the sidewalk.

:tab Meanwhile, across the road there are several vintage bikes. It looks like a few Triumphs and some Nortons. While we are watching, several guys looking like they might be in their fifties or more start trying to start them. Lots of grunting and huffing to kick start them. Fiddle with the choke, jump on the kick lever... fiddle with the choke some more... After about ten minutes of this, the last guy finally gets his bike to fire up, but as he starts to pull out, his clutch cable snaps! DOH! I wander over to get some pics of the bike and to pester him :angel: Turns out he is with a group from British USA in Houston, one of our many dealerships. He is riding a beautiful 1965 Vellocette Thruxton:

:tabPic 1 / Pic 2 / Pic 3

You might be inclined to think that because these guys are on old bikes with dated technology that they'd be kind of slow compared to our modern day bikes. Of course you would be wrong. Everytime I saw one of these guys on the twisties, they were moving at an amazing clip! Rider skills rule.

:tab Lunch finally comes out and it's quite good. The service is nice and the food inexpensive. The place is jammed packed with bikers of all sorts. Obviously a favorite place for those in the know. Lunch now packed away, we head back to Vanderpool via FM 337. There is an astonishing amount of traffic on the road, not good!

:tab As soon as we reach the tight stuff, we get in behind several cars and some trucks. They are all obviously part of some organization as indicated by their markings and huge steel bumpers! And they are going exceedingly slow. :( There is a LOT of oncoming traffic and passing opportunities are far and few between. Even when we do manage to pass, we are just stuck behind the next slow moving vehicle.

:tab About the time I start to think we may just be doing to slow ride to Vanderpool, a Gixxer appears on my left out of nowhere and is coming into my lane position after just passing everyone behind me. I spot him in my peripheral vision and swerve right in time to miss a sideswipe. Before I can even really register what has just happened, he pulls out and proceeds to pass three trucks while heading into a tight blind right hander. Gone... just like that.

:tab So I start drifting back to the left side of the lane to resume my position. No sooner than I almost get there, a K1200RS does the same FACKING thing! He comes so close I thought for sure we were going to hit and go down right in front of everyone. I swerve again and then he is gone, chasing the Gixxer. This nut runs the double yellow with oncoming traffic as he is passing into the blind turn! :eek: Unbelievable and infuriating :angryfir:

:tab A few minutes later we reach the stop at FM 337 and RR187 in Vanderpool. I spot the Beemer in the parking lot and pull up next to him. By now the adrenalin has settled a little and I have calmed down. I very politely inform him that I don't appreciate being shoved out of my lane and having some twit risk not only his own neck, but those of all the people behind him. He just takes a puff on his cig and looks at me and say, "Whatever man..." I can see that I am talking to a person with the mentality of a rock so I just move on to better things.

:tab When we reach the farm house, John tells me that he thought both of those guys were going to hit me. I really just can't understand such nonsense on a dangerous and crowded road. I just can't see any excuse. That kind of riding should be kept on the track where Ambulances and EMTs are a stones throw away! A cold drink and some porch time in the shade resets my perspective... I need a hammock :)

:tab While we are sitting on the porch, we notice that the people on the other side of the river are driving their tractor IN THE RIVER! Apparently, the driver is trying to mow the steep banks on their side by backing the tractor brush hog up the bank. It is so steep that he keeps spinning the wheels. All I can think is that if I had a video camera, I would probably be about to catch some footage that will make its way onto RealTV! He finally gives up and waves over his buddy that is driving a tracked bulldozer. The dozer begins to "mow" the bank by driving up as far as he can, dropping the blade, then dragging it back down the hill scraping away all the vegetation leaving dirt. Interesting people...

:tab John and I do a little wading in the river. About that time his buddy Kevin from Austin arrives. We sit around for a while longer and then decide the day is so nice that we have to do some more riding. Besides, we have to do something about dinner and booze for later! So we decide to make a loop up through Kerrville and then back down to Tarpley on FM 470 where we will hit the General Store before heading back the farm house. Seems like a good plan.

:tab The four of us, John Will, Kevin and myself head North on RR 187. We pass Lost Maples State Park and then the road starts to get really nice. There is nothing real tight, but there are some fun sweepers and the scenery is really nice, especially in the early evening when the shadows start to get long. I start thinking that I can get some really nice pictures on this road. That is when I look down and realize I left my camera bag at the farm house, grrr...!

:tab We reach Hwy 39 and head East to Kerrville. This is really a fun road. It twists and turns along the South Fork of the Guadelupe River. There are some really beautiful homes along the banks of the river. In Hunt we start out heading back the West on FM 1340, but we only get out about as far as the minature Stone Henge and turn back, deciding to just head straight to Kerrville. Kevin is getting hungry. The best part of Hwy 39 is from RR 187 to Hunt. After that there is quite a bit of traffic and urban development all the way into Kerrville. We do McD's in Kerrville so Kev can chug a burger while I choke to death on a single fry :|

:tab With our grease level topped off, we head South on Hwy 16. Once the road narrows down to two lanes, it gets really interesting. If you are riding this road and start noticing 35mph corners, stay sharp. There are several really tight corners that include fairly severe elevations changes in combination with really bumpy and uneven pavement. Things can get real exciting in a hurry if you lose your focus here. The first few times I came through here a few years back, there were some serious pucker moments. My seat made it through intact though.

:tab Right around Medina, the highway opens back up to fast sweepers. Right before we reach our turn off for FM 470, a deer comes rocketing up out of the woods and up the shoulder heading straight for Will. He get's by it but I am working the brakes pretty hard. Kevin sees all of this and decides to hang a good ways back so we can clear the way for him. We hit FM 470 and start heading West to Tarpley.

:tab You've heard the expression, "Don't blink or you will miss this town." Tarpley is one of those places. I spot about three buildings. We cross a small creek and on the left is the "General Store". We pull in and the place is packed. There are bikes and cars in every part of the parking lot. When we get inside the store, we realize there is nothing here in the way of real groceries, just junk food and beer. In my college days, that would have sufficed :P Not now. The owner tells us the nearest place that is going to be open is all the way back to Bandera!! Hmmm... I really don't want to backtrack that far and then have to come all the way back through here again. I'm getting hungry and tired. Then the lady directs us out into the parking lot to a small shack off to one side with delicious smelling smoke billowing from it. She assures us that no better food can be had for miles around.

:tab Kevin and Will are set on going to the grocery store because they want to grill dinner at the farm house. John and I opt to stay here and place a to go order. While waiting we mingle with the other riders and just relax. About fortyfive minutes later, our food is finally ready. I sure hope it is worth the wait. If the dessert is any indication, it will be. I had to try their Italian creme cake and split a huge piece with John. It is fantastic. We get the food stashed in my GIVI tailbag and haul butt back to the farm house.

:tab It is starting to get dark and the deer are coming out in droves. The run from Tarpley to RR 187 just North of Utopia is a blast, even in the dark with deer everywhere. Most of them are standing back off the road a bit and don't freak as we approach. I keep the brakes covered just in case. This is a good thing as there are quite a few times where I have to really get on them pretty hard. But we make it back to the farm house without incident. As we are unpacking to food, Will and Kevin pull up behind us. What timing!

:tab When I open the GIVI bag drool starts puddling in my mouth. The aroma emanating from the bag is heavenly. I really envy Kevin and Will, the pleasure of starting a fire, waiting on the coals, waiting on the food to cook... John and I power through our food. I have Chicken breasts with some kind of avacado based sauce, really good and fresh green beans and a potato. John has the Lamb tenderloin with some kind of Teriyaki based sauce I think and the same veggies. I try a bite of his and it is incredible! We are both in shock that such food came from this little parkling lot shack. We both eat until we are hurting. Then it's out to the porch with a beer to swell.

:tab Kevin and Will eventually get around to eating. Meanwhile John and I have made FIRE!! The rental company actually provided wood, kindling and lighter fluid so we could use their firepit. They forgot the matches!! After some scrounging we find some and get the fire going nicely. Evenutally, Steve, Dennis, Brian and Stephanie arrive. We spend the evening burning every piece of wood we can find and consuming beer in a likewise manner :chug: In the wee hours of the morning, our guests evenutally leave and we trickle off to bed. I'm still full, but I sleep like a baby.

Sunday 4/13

:tab Once again the birds are way too happy way to early in the morning. Fortunately, I hear someone else is already in the shower so I can doze off a little longer. Once we are all up and moving, we have to get the place cleaned up before we leave. There are quite a few empty beer cans down by the fire pit, dishes to be washed, leftover food and drinks to be packed, etc,... It doesn't take long.

:tab Most of the folks that stayed at the cabins are already up and gone. Dennis and Kevelyn have to get all the way back to Memphis, Tn. Charlie has to ride back to Arkansas and Cathy up to Wichita. Steve decides to head South in the direction of Del Rio. I've no idea what Brian and Stephanie, or Dave are doing. We decide to just head to Kerrville in search of food and gas. Hopefully at separate places :oops:

:tab Before leaving I snap a few more shots of the area around the farm house

The Bikes and riders
The fire pit
It may look flat here, but believe me it's anything but flat!

We finish loading up the bikes and hit the road. Will is concerned because he needs gas. We head North on RR187 with me in the lead. I immediately notice that Will has dropped way back... hmmm... I slow down some and then he finally starts catching up with us. It is another pretty morning and we are cutting a very relaxed pace, taking in the scenery. We hit Hwy 39 and head East towards Hunt. Now that I have the camera, I can get a few of the pics I missed last night:

Typical shot of Hwy 39 along the river
Obviously someone's vision made into a reality
A close up of the place
A great way to spend a nice morning

:tab We stop in Hunt and get gas then head on into Kerrville. Apparently, Will dropped back initially because as he was pulling out of the driveway, he had to switch on his reserve! Thank goodness his bike made it this far on reserve! We've decided to stop at the Inn of the Hills for brunch. They have an excellent restaurant with a Champagne Brunch. It is pricey at $14.99 per person. But if you can pack it away like John, Kevin and Will, it is worth it. The food is really good. I'm a bantam weight when it comes to eating, especially after gorging myself last night ... I just get a ham and cheese sandwhich. The real problem now is that after such a heavy meal, the other guys have to stay awake on the bikes!

:tab After lunch we head North on Hwy 16 to Fredericksburg. The place is packed with tourists. We make a brief pit stop and continue on North to FM 1323 and Willow City. The wild flowers are thicker and brighter here than they were back down Southwest of Kerrville. We forgoe the Willow City loop, a popular Blue Bonnet destination, and instead keep heading East on FM 1323. We are running a nice smooth pace at about 75 mph. I really like riding a constant smooth pace without racing through every corner. The Blue Bonnets along this stretch of road are really thick and go way back off into the pastures and scrub trees. The road itself is really quite fun, nothing spectacular, but some fast sweepers, lots of ups and downs, and a little tight stuff, a nice mix.

:tab When we hit US 281, we head North. John and Kevin are going to head up to Marble Falls and run FM 1431 East to go by the location where John is building a new house. Will and I cut off on FM 962 and head East. This is another little gem of a road. The pavement is really nice in most places, there is usually light traffic, and it has some real hair raising curves where it crosses the Pedernales river! It eventually becomes FM 3238 and then drops out on Hwy 71 near Bee Cave.

:tab We cruise up RR 620 to RR 2222. RR 2222 is a real hoot for a short stretch between Loop 360 and Loop 1. The road is four lanes, real smooth and has great curves and elevation changes. The problem is that the speed limit is pretty low and there is usually a good bit of traffic. But if you hit it when it is empty... We pass some guy on a crotch rocket heading the other way. His gear consists of tennis shoes, Khaki shorts and a smile!! That lesson is going to hurt. A few minutes later we are back at Will's place and taking a break. The buggage on his bike overwhelms him and he has to wash it right then and there hehe. After a quick Coke and a call to Beth, I hit the road for home. It is 4:00pm. There are times when I wish we could transport like the Trekkies. Beam me home Scotty!

:tab The drone down US 290 is as boring as always. Traffic is pretty heavy and never really thins out as I get away from Austin. At one point, a little white Saturn comes blitzing by at probably 100+ mph. The clump I'm cruising with is doing around 85 mph and these guys make us look like we are sitting still. Moments later a familiar aroma catches my attention... These guys had better hope they don't get pulled over or a ticket will be the least of their worries. A few minutes later, I spot them up ahead and quickly overtake them. Now they are crawling along at about 65 mph, hehe. I bet they have a severe case of the munchies too :lol:

:tab I leave the heads behind and hit my turn off for FM 390 in Burton. Since I was here Thursday evening, the road right in town has been "repaved" with tar and deep loose gravel. Great. I cautiously make my way through town until I reach good ol' asphalt and take off. At the point where FM 1948 and 390 cross paths, there are two 25mph curves. Here is a look at the first one! Apparently, the county dumped lots of loose gravel on the shoulder and people around here can't keep their vehicles on the road when cornering. The second corner is not so bad.

:tab Safely through all the gravel I take off again, only to have to stop for more Blue Bonnets. They are quite thick this year. I figure I have enough flower pics for now so I get moving again. About a mile or so before reaching Hwy 36, there is a series of sharp 25mph curves. These really should be taken at the posted limit if not slower. Between two of them, I pass under a railroad overpass and the road becomes one lane. It often has water running across the pavement. The locals come through here pretty fast and seem to always assume no one is coming the other way. :eek:

:tab The run from Hwy 36 to Independence is quick and fun. Just outside of Independence is a historical site. There are really thick patches of Blue Bonnets here. Tons of people are here with their kids sitting in the flowers while they take pictures of them. Heads turn when I come whizzing by with the V4 on full howl, downshifting through the gears and heading for the stop at Hwy 50. :twisted:

:tab When I reach the point where FM 390 makes a 15 mph turn to the South and runs straight to Hwy 105, I decide to explore the little side road I mentioned on the way out Thursday evening. This is William Penn Rd. It is narrow but paved pretty well. The road has a serious crown to it so I really have to keep an eye on my line through the corners or the bike tends to wander towards the ditch :| A short way back into the woods I find an old cemetery that no longer seems to be in use. It is a neat location down under the spanish moss laden oaks.

:tabWilliam Penn Rd.-01 / William Penn Rd.-02 / William Penn Rd.-03 / William Penn Rd.-04

:tab It is getting on in the evening so I quit stopping and focus on making time. When I reach Navasota, I call Beth and convince her to meet me in Montgomery for dinner at King's Cafe. This way I get to do a little more fun riding on FM 149 before calling it a weekend. When I finally get home about 8:00pm, I am showing nearly 1200 miles for the weekend. The bike is completely coated in bugs. Unlike Will, I just am too tired to mess with it tonight and save it for later. What a great weekend! If only I got paid to do this all the time!
 
8) Sweet pics Scott, cant wait for the write up, look like you all had a good ride. I can never seem to stop enough (or long enough either) to take many photos when I ride. I always seem to be to caught up in the ride itself. Maybe I will just ave to try to slow down and "smell the roses" once in a while.
 
Well, here's my version of the weekend. I copied this from a post I made to another list and it's pretty long-winded.

First off, my pics are at:
http://www.pbase.com/brd/hc_motomeet

THURSDAY (4/10/2003)

Tear the bike apart, remove carbs, clean float bowls and jets. Resynch carbs. Probably not the smartest move, but no problems. Tried to go to sleep about 1am, but couldn't get my mind to stop spinning. I dozed off about 2:30.

FRIDAY

Awaken at 5:30. Leave at 7am for the rendezvous in Hillsboro (70 miles S of Dallas). As I get past downtown Ft. Worth, I notice my electric vest is not putting out much heat. It's about 50F out, and I start to get cold. The vest has gone kaput. Well, the switch has always been finicky, I'll take a look at it later. The sun peeks through the clouds, but doesn't provide much warmth.

I hit Hillsboro and see the McDonalds. As I approach, I see kids running across the street in mobs. Aghh, tour bus! But they're running away from the McD's, maybe I missed them. Nope. I pull in and there's a line out the door. At the head of the line, I see Dave and Steve walking away with their trays, having just beaten the horde of teenagers. Great. Guess the bowl of cereal I had earlier will have to tide me over till lunch. So I look at the vest controller and see a broken wire. I went out to the bike to get my leatherman out of the tankbag, and Steve says half-jokingly, "Hey, there's no cars in the drive-thru". I chuckle, then think, hrm, that's just dumb enough to work. So I hopped on the bike with no helmet and pulled up to the first window to order. The cashier laughed when I told her I was just avoiding the dining room mob. At the 2nd window, the lady handed me my food and then asked if I wanted her to put the straw in my orange juice for me? I guess she thought I was going to ride off, drink in one hand, throttle in the other. I said, no I'm just going to the parking lot. Steve was proud of himself and Dave got a chuckle.

As I'm completing the open-heart surgery of rewiring the switch, Dennis and Kevlyn show up. Soon after, we're on the road. We meander our way through some nice countryside. The bluebonnets are out all over the place. At one rest stop, Steve and Dave spend about 15 minutes poring over the maps and plotting the remainder of our route. Then we get on US190 and I start seeing signs for Ft. Hood, Belton and Temple. Umm, this is not right. A quick u-turn (I would have been disappointed if there hadn't been at least one :b) and we're headed back toward 281 and down into Marble Falls for lunch.

We worked our way down south and into Medina. As we pass a cafe, I catch sight of a green trophy out of the corner of my eye. I turn and see a red bike next to it that must be a vfr. I realized we just passed some other members of our group who were riding out of Austin. They told me later they were jumping up and down and waving, but we never looked at them. Oops.

The group split off to Foxfire Cabins on 187 north of Vanderpool and I kept going a mile up the road to Lost Maples StatePark, where my wife had hopefully already arrived. She had, and even had the tent set-up. Awesome. No, she didn't drive down separate just to be my chase vehicle, I lucked into it as she had a conference for work in Austin the two days previous, so she took all our camping gear, which we've not yet figured out how to fit on the bike and still have room for both of us. We got all the stuff unpacked and went to the cabins to get some food and hang out. My lack of sleep was catching up with me, so we left at around 10, but I hear the party went on well past midnight.

SATURDAY

We met up with the group in Utopia having breakfast and learn of Duncan's run-in with the local road crew. Man, is there some cosmic force drawing these things to him? You couldn't make up stuff this good.

I got to meet Jay Hansen and then we all saddled up. We had a pretty large group of 8 bikes. Couple that with all the bikes in the area for rallies and the increased weekend traffic, and I figured we'd have trouble staying together. That held very true.

Right off the bat, the 3 of us making up the tail end get left behind somehow before we've even left the freakin' gas station! After debating about which way they went and if we should follow, we just head to Leakey, where we meet up with them. We rode over to CampWood and up 55 to 335. Ahh, this road is like a roller coaster, which is great if you like roller coasters. Unfortunately, Stephanie found herself getting a little queasy.

We passed a group of harleys pulled off the road in a series of tight corners, not the safest place, but I guess it was scenic. A few miles up the road, we get stuck behind a large parade of some more, so we pull over to take a break and build some space. We rest, hydrate and take pics. As we're starting to get geared up, Steve jinxes us by saying, "Wouldn't it be funny if that first group came along about now?" Just then, a rumbling noise echoed off the hillsides. Uhoh!

"Go, go, go!" somebody yelled. I was still putting my gloves on. Stephanie hopped on the back, everybody pulled out and I brought up the rear right as the other group very slowly approached us. Whew.

After that, we cut over on 41, then down 336. This road has more fun corners than 335, but the abundance of cattle guards and livestock are a downside. We get stuck behind some other riders, and a jackass on a K1200 LightTruck passes half our group on the outside of the double yeller through at least 4 consecutive corners. Somehow, he managed to keep from killing us all and we got back into Leakey at lunchtime.

Some of us ate at a little restaurant there (Mama Chloes) and the food was excellent. We were all beat and thought going back to chill at the cabins for a while before heading back out for another ride was a good idea.

I took Stephanie back to the park. She was through riding and was going to take the car and go hiking. I headed back over to Foxfire to see what was going on. Not much. Steve was in shorts and said that except for a beer run, he was not riding again.

A Sprint rider from Austin showed up. He was just arriving in town. He pulled up and cut off the bike, but couldn't restart it. Dead battery. Hrm. I told him to wait and I rode back to the park to get the Subaru. I found the car at the trailhead and was about to leave Stephanie a note when she came walking up. I thought maybe it was a short hike, but she said she came back to see what I needed after she recognized the sound of the VFR. I was so proud.

Anyway, after getting the Sprint jumped, I realized if I wanted to ride again, I'd have to do a solo run, which was fine with me.

On Steve's recommendation, I headed down 187 to 470 over through Tarpley. Fun road. Then I caught Hwy 16 back N toward Kerrville. I love this stretch. Except that I'm not crazy about some of the *really* tight corners marked 10-15mph. One had a patchwork surface and I felt the rear skip-skip-skip out.

Then I got on 39 going west out of Kerrville. This is an awesome, incredibly scenic ride along the river. The only bad thing was I caught it going into the setting sun and had trouble seeing. Then, I went through a field and saw a deer in the road. I braked, she jumped the fence to the left. After that, two more jumped from behind the fence on the right, and with seemingly only touching the ground once, bounded the fence to the left. I wicked it way down after that and saw 5 more deer before I made it back to camp.

That night was a good time of sitting round a fire and discussing the day's events.

SUNDAY

We broke camp and Stephanie headed back toward home. She was going to stop and hike Enchanted Rock north of Fredricksburg and then make her way home through the backroads. Most folks had left foxfire and headed back north. Steve was heading down toward the Mexican border. I planned to ride the area some before making my way to San Antonio that afternoon, but had no plan.

I looked at a map and jotted down a quick route of some roads. One someone had mentioned to me the day before and the other just looked nice and squiggly with some topographical variations.

I headed out 337 again toward Camp Wood and there was blissfully little traffic on the road, until I saw a State Trooper pull out in front of me. I had to follow him for about 5 miles, with him doing 10 under the limit, before he pulled over on a county road to set up a speed trap. I rode into leaky and gassed up, giving the riders assembled there the heads-up.

I got to Camp Wood and once again took 55, but this time did not turn off on 335. Scott from Huntsville had told me that he'd heard there was about 10 miles of great sweepers on 55, so I headed that way. 5 miles later, I'm thinking, "What sweepers?" The road was 4 lanes and 55mph. Finally, I approached some hills and the road got better. The curves were marked 45mph, but they were pretty good. Long sweepers and lots of them up through the hills. The bad part was that the speed limit was still 55mph, and you had to do a little more than that to make them interesting, but there was zero traffic. The good part lasted a few miles, and then I droned into Rock Springs.

There I got on 674, which I'd come to explore. The next town was Bracketville, 68miles away. This was a road through the middle of nowhere, with very little traffic. I like to get on roads like this and be isolated. It means you have to ease up the pace a little, especially travelling solo, but that's good for the experience. This road had a little of everything. The surface was bumpy at first, and there was some construction, but it had some great parts through hills and down through gullies and valleys. It ran along a river valley for a while, before climbing back up and onto the flat scrubland.

I stopped at a historical marker and got a drink and just sat and listened. The marker was next to a large thicket and there were mesquite trees all around. I heard bobwhite quail, mourning doves, along with numerous other birds, and saw a pair of cardinals. The 20 minutes I was there, 2 cars went by.

The last 15 or 20 miles were just flat and straight through desert, but I actually like riding through West Texas and the feeling of isolation you get and the sense of vastness. I saw a few roadrunners and some wild turkey. Then I passed the only thing on this road, the Alamo Village where they filmed the movie "The Alamo" with John Wayne. I talked to the guy at the booth, but didn't stop to check it out.

I got into Bracketville, gassed up, and checked out the map. I could take some roads up NW and make my way back to Leakey and back over through Bandera to SA, but I was on HWY 90 and decided just to slab that back into San Antonio to my parents' house.

MONDAY

I did a little riding out to the country to have lunch with my grandma, then back to San Antonio to visit a friend and spend the night there.

TUESDAY

Headed back home via US281. It was threatening rain much of the way and there was some drizzle, and I didn't bring waterproof pants, just draggin jeans. It got cold around Hamilton and I had to bust out the electrics. I decided to take the twisty way home. I went up 22 to Cranfills Gap, up 219 then 927 into Iredell, 1238 into Walnut Springs, 203 to Glen Rose, 51 on up into Granbury, where I hopped on 377 for the remainder.

What better way to end a 1200 mile trip than with what would normally be my favorite day ride in this area?
 
Oh, man. You guys hit some of the best scenery in the hill country. Foxfire cabins is an old fav of mine. I used to go there in college on fraternity retreats, and we stayed in the farmhouse. I love that big flat rock out in the middle of the stream. I used to walk out there and just sit and watch the water go by. It's one of my most favorite places in the whole world. Seeing pictures of the farmhouse brought back so many memories.
 
SVinAustin said:
I can never seem to stop enough (or long enough either) to take many photos when I ride. I always seem to be to caught up in the ride itself.

:tab I find it helps to ride alone when you really want to get pics. Otherwise I always feel like I am annoying everyone else by stopping so much. I too have the problem that I set out to take lots of pics and then get so caught up in the ride that I forget to stop. I've missed lots of good pics that way. I also have a hard time making sure I get pics of all the people. Seems I always miss or forget someone, this trip was no different.
 
Tourmeister said:
SVinAustin said:
I can never seem to stop enough (or long enough either) to take many photos when I ride. I always seem to be to caught up in the ride itself.

:tab I find it helps to ride alone when you really want to get pics. Otherwise I always feel like I am annoying everyone else by stopping so much. I too have the problem that I set out to take lots of pics and then get so caught up in the ride that I forget to stop. I've missed lots of good pics that way.

I almost always have to come back down a road a second time to take pictures. It's such a chore, too, having to ride a great road again. :P

I also find it kind of awkward when there are so many of us in the group taking pictures. Friday evening at the cabins, it's like there was this ring of photographers standing around taking pictures, with no one actually in the picture!
 
Tourmeister said:
:tab About the time I start to think we may just be doing to slow ride to Vanderpool, a Gixxer appears on my left out of nowhere and is coming into my lane position after just passing everyone behind me. I spot him in my peripheral vision and swerve right in time to miss a sideswipe. Before I can even really register what has just happened, he pulls out and proceeds to pass three trucks while heading into a tight blind right hander. Gone... just like that.

:tab So I start drifting back to the left side of the lane to resume my position. No sooner than I almost get there, a K1200RS does the same FACKING thing! He comes so close I thought for sure we were going to hit and go down right in front of everyone. I swerve again and then he is gone, chasing the Gixxer. This nut runs the double yellow with oncoming traffic as he is passing into the blind turn! :eek: Unbelievable and infuriating :angryfir:

I was the first bike in our group and up ahead a ways, with a car between me and the following bikes. I recognized Scott's highbeams behind me. The next time I looked back, I thought, "Wow, Scott is coming up fast!" Except it was Gixxer dude, blowing by me and a car in front of me over the double yellow. Then as we come around the next blind, downhill curve, he overtakes 3 pickups in a row. As he's overtaking, a group of cruisers comes around the corner in the opposite direction, and he lane shares with them, splitting between them and the trucks!

Actions like this give sportbikers a bad image to other riders and motorcyclists in general a bad image to the rest of the vehicles on the road. Not to mention, one day the luck may run out. :?
 
Except for your encounters with those suicidal riders, it sounds like you guys had a pretty good time.

About William Penn lane: that’s a nice shortcut I've been using for a while now. Anybody trying to string together a ride that includes FM 3090 and 390 will find that it saves you about 12 miles or more of droning down Highway 105 and then back up the bumpy, straight section of 390. Heading towards Brenham on 105 out of Navasota, William Penn lane is about 5 or 6 miles past the Brazos River bridge. It’s marked by a small street sign on the right (west) side of the road. Turn there and it's about 4 or 5 miles to where it spits you back out onto 390, just where that road starts to get interesting.

Just a few years ago, that was still a gravel road. It seems that as some areas see more residential development the counties are starting to pave the side roads. Pavement conditions vary a lot and corners are typically tight and often strewn with gravel or sand. Some of them, like William Penn are useful as part of a larger route, and others are interesting in their own right. I’ve found that they will sometimes peter out into gravel, or they’ll have shallow stream crossings, making a dual-sport bike ideal to explore them further.
 
Hi Scott:

I occasionally get to read your ride reports, usually alerted to a new posting by an e-mail to Scott Bell's TexCycle mail list. So, this morning, as I finsihed your fine (love the detail and style) review of your latest East Texas jaunt, I hit the main list and found this gem. Just the psyching up elixir I need: I am making a very similar run this weekend as part of a group ride to see Stonehedge II ( http://www.ricks-rides.com/rides/2003_05_03_Stonehenge/route.html ) . We tend to be a little more destination-oriented than your tours, but the story and pics of your 33x experience have me fired up for this weekend. Thanks for the adrenaline boost.

Kevin
'01 Kawasaki Concours 1000
'87 Honda Interceptor 700
 
Howdy Kevin,

:tab Are you on my [texvfrs] mailing list? Glad you enjoy the reports. When I read them I can never tell if I am being to wordy, to brief, to dry, whatever. I'm so used to the way I write it is very hard for me to gauge how it will come across. I notice I tend to run on longer than most people might ;-)
 
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