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Little Roads Big State

kjolly

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Joined
Feb 1, 2008
Messages
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Location
Austin, TX
First Name
Kevin
Last Name
Jolly
200px-Old_Texas_20.png


This was an interesting road. Old Texas 20 was a route from Hempstead, TX all the way to Alpine, TX in the 1920’s. Parts of it were paved, parts were dirt, and by the mid ’30’s it was being replaced by the new Highway 290 - which eventually stretched from Houston to El Paso. In the section from Paige, TX to Austin, TX they laid a whole new alignment for 290 south of where TX 20 ran, so Texas 20 is still there - as county roads - now called Old Texas 20 in a lot of places.

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Old Texas 20 cuts off US290 (to the south) just east of Texas 130, and makes a loop through Manor up to Elgin. Past Elgin it runs north of 290 to where it ends just west of Giddings.

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Old TX 20 is mostly a bare 2 lanes wide, with a lot of single lane bridges. Parts are paved.

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The road parallels the Union Pacific tracks for most of the way.

I stopped in McDade for a look see. McDade was home to a notorious group of outlaws called the Notch Cutters in the years after the Civil War. There would be thieving and killings, and then the folks in McDade would hang three or four of the reprobates and things would calm down for a while. The most famous hangings were the Christmas Eve hangings. On Christmas Eve 1883 three outlaws were strung up right across from where my Ural is parked. On Christmas day the outlaw’s buddies came into town and there was a gun battle at the saloon and three more men were killed. The hanging and shootings were a regular thing in McDade until 1912. I kept my head down while in town.

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Bank? Cafe? I looked through the window and it was full of bags of Purina Sow and Pig Complete - so maybe cafe is closer than bank nowadays.
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Once past McDade the road is pretty much all gravel. These sections were paved when it was a state highway, but once it passed to the county they probably stopped maintaining the asphalt - even in the gravel sections you can find pieces of asphalt here and there. It's well graded and pretty smooth most of the way - just enough gravel to get you rattling.

I looked at this sign and wondered if it was saying Houston was left, San Antone was right and Bryan was gigged!

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Next town down Old TX 20 was Paige - and my right hand mirror was spinning like a top - so open up the handy Ural toolkit -

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Once I’d gotten to the end of TX20 - and saw how close I was to Giddings I figured I should hit the Giddings City Meat Market - never had their BBQ - You can see the Lee County Courthouse there to the left.

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So, since it was a quick ride out - I was't planning to eat - I figured I'd just get some brisket and sausage and tote it home to my wife - who complains when she misses a BBQ run.

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But I had to have just a taste. Nice brisket - good smoke, nice flavor - COW! Excellent sausage - more german style - beef and pork salt and pepper - simple - well cooked. Snow’s BBQ in Lexington gets their sausage here,

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Re-invogorated, I decided to ride around through Fedor, past Lexington, and ramble around some county roads back towards home. Trinity Lutheran Church and Cemetery in Fedor is a pretty little German country church and cemetery.

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At the junction of CR473 and CR472 in Williamson County I saw this old cabin being restored.

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It’s on the property of the Lawrence Chapel and Cemetery

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It’s haying time around here - lots and lots of round bales of coastal bermuda hay drying in the fields - you drive by and you can smell that fresh hay smell. No one in this area really does square bales anymore - which is too bad for the kids who don’t get to go out and buck 80 pound bales onto an old IH truck that you have to stuff a rag into the air horn to get started and stack them in Mr. Lindig’s barn for a nickel a bale. Or have that old man come out at two o’ clock in the morning when you finally have the last bale stacked and you’re burnt down to just a little crispy fifteen year-old cinder and he hands you a couple of quarts of ice cold Lone Star beer.

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Little Roads in a Big State - gotta love it

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Go Ride!
 
Excellent report and great pix! Many thanks for posting.
 
Nice report and photos! I can't believe that the only thing you had to break out a Ural tool kit for was to adjust a mirror! :rofl:

I just picked up a Vee Strom, planning on doing a sidecar too. I'll have to keep an eye on these roads for the future.
 
Re: Litte Roads - Big State

Great pictures! Looks like a lot of fun. I love these type of rides. Set out on an adventure to check out some history!!
 
Thanks for sharing the ride, now I've got to add it to my list of rides to take... :pirate:
 
Truly the only way to to see Texas is on its small forgotten roads. Enjoyed your post.
 
Great report! I'll have to add this one to my "ride list." Thanks! Beautiful pictures too.
 
Just ain't nothing like roaming down back roads to discover our country. Thanks for sharing.
 
If you look just to the south of Paige about 5-6 miles I suppose you'll see a road called Gotier Trace..

One of the first roads in Texas, commissioned by Stephen F Austin. It ran from San Felipe to Bastrop, and Mr Gotcher, or Gotier, traced it and settled in Lee county close to Serbin.

Mr Gotcher was killed by Comanches later coming to the rescue of his wife who killed 5 before they killed her and took her daighter and son who were later traded to choctaws and bought back by a Mr spaulding, who married the daughter.

http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~genealogyquest/gotcher_james.htm

Gotcher and his wife were found and buried along Gotier trace, you can go over a fence at the historical marker and see the grave site S of Giddings off FM 448 on CR 217..

Gotier trace now splits off of Park road 1 east of Bastrop State park, a dirt road, and goes on west until it turns into FM 2239 then into CR 217, and though a lot of that original route is still there going down to San Felipe I haven't been able to find info past that point.
 
If you look just to the south of Paige about 5-6 miles I suppose you'll see a road called Gotier Trace..

One of the first roads in Texas, commissioned by Stephen F Austin. It ran from San Felipe to Bastrop, and Mr Gotcher, or Gotier, traced it and settled in Lee county close to Serbin.

Mr Gotcher was killed by Comanches later coming to the rescue of his wife who killed 5 before they killed her and took her daighter and son who were later traded to choctaws and bought back by a Mr spaulding, who married the daughter.

http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~genealogyquest/gotcher_james.htm

Gotcher and his wife were found and buried along Gotier trace, you can go over a fence at the historical marker and see the grave site S of Giddings off FM 448 on CR 217..

Gotier trace now splits off of Park road 1 east of Bastrop State park, a dirt road, and goes on west until it turns into FM 2239 then into CR 217, and though a lot of that original route is still there going down to San Felipe I haven't been able to find info past that point.

Gotiers Trace was said to be an inter-colony road. Connecting Bastrop with San Felipe.
My source http://atlas.thc.state.tx.us/index.asp

Which is kind of neat that you found all the connecting modern roads. That there is some work.
I be loving this history stuff.:rider:
 
Very cool pictures! I'll have to check those roads out some time. LOVE those kinds of roads. Perfect!! Thanks for sharing.
 
Thanks for the report. It inspired me to drag friend Terry (he does not need to be persuaded! - long story) to do the stretch of Old Hwy 20 from Giddings to Elgin for BBQ. A couple of runs on Scenic Hwy 390, backroads, 350 miles for me, the same or more for him. Wonderful day, great to be alive.
 
Great ride report, thanks for sharing the stories and photos. I've been wanting to take a trip like yours, waiting till cooler weather, appreciate the ideas it's giving me. Maybe I can saddle up the Bandit, steal a couple days away, and take a ride discovering TX.

Mr Gotcher was killed by Comanches later coming to the rescue of his wife who killed 5 before they killed her and took her daighter and son who were later traded to choctaws and bought back by a Mr spaulding, who married the daughter.

I don't know how Texas could've ever been founded without the kind of woman that Mrs. Gotcher was. Helping the husband settle farmland, having/raising children, fighting off Comanche warriors. They deserve so much respect, they're a big part of what made Texas the Lone Star State.
 
Great ride report, and the Ural is a fantastic way to make exploring rides like that.
Love Old roads that lead to places of history. I need to start righting up some of the locations here in East Texas.
Thanks for taking us along with you. :clap:
 
Nice post! Thinks I need to try that day trip soon. Looks very interesting. :clap:

Also, Urals have also been of interest to me. Never rode one. Went to the Ural dealership somewhere between Dallas/Ft Worth(?) last year. It was a joke. Owner not present, fellow on floor knew nothing, could answer no questions, and could not offer info at all. Shop did not inspire confidence. One day I will have an opportunity to ride one to either confirm the bug or cure it.
 
Nice post! Thinks I need to try that day trip soon. Looks very interesting. :clap:

Also, Urals have also been of interest to me. Never rode one. Went to the Ural dealership somewhere between Dallas/Ft Worth(?) last year. It was a joke. Owner not present, fellow on floor knew nothing, could answer no questions, and could not offer info at all. Shop did not inspire confidence. One day I will have an opportunity to ride one to either confirm the bug or cure it.

If you're interested in Urals you might want to check out Soviet Steeds - http://sovietsteeds.com/forums/ - a forum like TWT for foilheads - get any question answered - find used bikes - etc etc -

Kevo
 
If you're interested in Urals you might want to check out Soviet Steeds - http://sovietsteeds.com/forums/ - a forum like TWT for foilheads - get any question answered - find used bikes - etc etc -

Kevo

I would like a Russian side hack, but one of the military models with the nicer differential 2 wheel drive that is unlockable..

Gave up trying to find one.. I may look again some day. The urals are a bit too pricey for me for what they are.

As well if anyone needs a place to hole up in that area, I have 11 acres with pasture, woods, a small simple cabin with a shower and a barn to park in.. I don't live there, it's just a weekend place for now but I don't mind folks using it to hole up if they leave things as they find it. About 4mi down a paved road S of Paige, about a 1/8 mile of dirt road to my place.
 
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