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Teeds
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I discovered a ride with no tale ...
Centerville Ramble 2008
A bunch of us gathered at Scott’s cabin near Centerville Texas for an impromptu weekend of riding, camping and solving the world’s problems.
I will apologize up front ... on this trip I took many more photos of people than I did the roads.
The cast of characters ...
Scott aka Greasemonkey
Chris aka mcrider
Ken aka TexasDR
Ian aka Willzy
Matt aka mafols
myself aka Teeds
Friday - May, 16, 2008
It was a coolish evening as we gathered, at least those of us intending on spending the evening in the comfort of Scott’s adobe. Ken was planning on heading up early to meet us.
After a bit of sorting and prepping, we determined that food was in order for the evening, so we piled into Scott’s truck for the drive into town. The first stop yielded no food, as they were closing down for the evening, so we reversed course and headed towards Crockett and we located some Mexican food for the evening.
Back at La Casa ... Ian replaced a tire ...
Scott jumps in to help
Between them, assisted by beer and WD40, they got the tire mounted and back on Ian’s bike.
My DR packed and ready for service
Ian enjoying the fruits of his labors with a good sit next to Chris, who had offered advise along the journey.
After dinner, conversation ensued for a bit longer, but soon all were asleep as the dawn offered some fun!
Saturday - May, 17, 2008
The dawn brought with it a cool morning covered with dew. The skies were clear and the promise was for a quiet weekend weather wise. That was good because we had miles to go, memories to make and evening planned in Fairfield Lake State Park in sleeping bags and tents.
While we were wandering about, Ken arrived and soon we were wrapping up the final details.
As a quick warm up, Scott lead us down a tree lined gravel road on our way to breakfast. It was a great warmup and good way to begin the morning.
Breakfast was a treat. I always love to stop into small country restaurants! The people are always glad to see you and the food is generally better than anything at a chain restaurant. The fair is usually a bit simpler in presentation, but what is lacking visually is always made up for with service and friendly smiles.
After breakfast, we headed southwest in hunt of kitties!
But first a quick stop at the mall in case we had forgotten anything.
Nothing at the mall was open other than the toilets behind the hay bales, so soon we were back on our bikes and chasing cats.
Soon we arrived and found the cats. It is sad that they have to live in cages, but better here than some places they could end up. These cats were rescued and this is an exotic animal rescue center.
The cats seemed a bit bored, but then they always do ... I only have one at the moment, but have had cats about for almost 40 years, so I have come to know that the parable is true ...
Dogs have owners
Cats have staff
Soon, back on the road, we headed northwest in search of dirt roads.
Scott commented after the ride that many of the roads are fast being paved as the city comes to the country in pursuit of the genteel country life portrayed in the land sales brochures pushed by land speculators. It is too bad that the city cannot learn the ways of the country instead of trying to turn the country into the city, but that is a topic of discussion for another thread at another time ... today we ride.
Ambling northwest, we followed Scott towards the western terminus of our route.
Along the way, we met a train and waited a bit for it to pass.
The it was on to Donie, where I captured an image of an old rock building that has been turned into a community center. While there we took a break while waiting on some of our crew to return. Somehow they got ahead of the guide and rambled a bit beyond the route on one of the many thin gray lines on the map.
We should change Scott’s name to Permagrin!
While waiting, a kind fellow stopped to check on us and see if everything was OK. Indeed it was and we thanked him for asking. He recognized Chris and it turns out that he had some two wheel vehicles of his own and often rides in the SHNF. I think I remember him saying that he is a member of TWT, but I could be mistaken.
Somewhere along the way during the conversation, our wayward souls returned from their sojourn and wandered on.
An aside ...
Many of the roads in the area are sand and the local counties use oil to stabilize them. The make great roads for dual sports with knobby tires because you can hook your tire into the road, should the need occur. Power slides and roosting is also a popular occurrence, to the consternation of the citified folks along the roads.
Anyway ... back to the report.
We had been rambling back and forth, zigging here and zagging there. I must admit, it was refreshing to not have a clue about the route. Scott had clearly put a lot of thought into the route and we frequently encountered great vistas and interesting objects to ponder.
[applause sign on]
Thanks Scott!
[applause sign off]
By now, we were heading northeast into the gathering heat, not that it was bad, but the sun now was on our flank. My GPS indicated that we had been on the road for a few hours and although El P had all the fuel needed for the day, a break for the other guys was in order, so ...
Soon we crossed I45 and came to the small town of Dew, but not until we pondered a bit the steel missiles hurdling down I45 traveling hither and yon in search of commerce, contentment, happiness or [fill in the blank] ... whatever drives the people in America to constantly chase the future.
America is a great country and we are all blessed by the hand of God to be able to live here and enjoy the fruits of our forefathers. Let’s all hope we can leave the generations behind us some semblance of what we enjoy. The world is changing, there is no doubt of that fact. Americans are the best on earth at adapting to change. It is bred into us.
So, where was I?
I was in Dew and we were getting food, fuel and dumping coffee.
Break time!
After the break, we ambled northeastward intent on a potential route to the state park that skirted the town of Fairfield. It showed promise on my paper map and our GPS maps confirmed the possibility.
Well ... we didn’t have any luck with the road as it dead ended at a gate in the bottoms below the lake, but all was not lost as we had a great time enjoying the tree lined dirt roads that took us there.
So ... it was into Fairfield for the loop out to the park.
But first a quick stop for photos at the Freestone County Courthouse on my quest of photographing my bike with every county courthouse in Texas.
There are 254 counties in Texas, so I have a few to go!
The park was very peaceful and there were only a few campers in the campgrounds.
The kind lady at the desk gave us the largest site they had and once we saw it we wondered if they were worried about rowdy bikers? We were at the very end of the line, apart for the other sites. She was right though, it was the largest spot and by far the most level overall.
There was also a short trail that led to the lake.
Our campsites were soon up and we were looking for firewood. A fire was started with some dead fall we located and soon it added a bit of hominess and warmth to our campsite.
Our accommodations
Ken and Ian’s tent
Scott’s shelter
Matt and my shelter
As we had stopped for dinner in town ... sorry no photos ... soon the solving of the problems began in earnest as the fire warmed our backsides and [cough] libations warmed our bellies.
Scott produced a small home made candle in a can and we solved on ...
I took a bunch of photos of the fire and the candle in the can that I will not bore you with, but they can be found in my photos linked at the end of the report, should anyone want for more!
As the libations flowed, the problems were cured.
Somewhere along the way a fellow named Ralph came by and we all determined that perhaps bedding was in order.
Sunday - May, 18, 2008
Dawn came early and the shower felt great!
Packing up, we headed into town and met Chris, who had stayed in a motel.
Breakfast promised to be good and it was. There was a small diner next to the motel, hidden from the interstate. Judging by the trucks in the lot, this would be a 3 or 4 calendar restaurant on the William Least Heat Moon scale. It turned out to be a 3 calendar and worth every penny!
Slipping southeastward from town, we followed Upper Keechi Creek along the back roads towards the Trinity River. Growing up on the banks of the river in Fort Worth, the Trinity always brings a flood of memories regardless of the location of the crossing. Only the Brazos holds a higher position in my memories.
The roads today were either sandy or oiled, there was no in between. The sandy roads offered wilderness untouched by man, while the oiled roads bore the scars of ranchettes sprouting among the shacks and trailers of locals. Why is it that a man with a brick mailbox in the city wants a large grandiose over scaled gate as soon as he gets to the country? Why do they try and bring the city with them. They came to the country for the idyllic laid back lifestyle, but they tart up the countryside. It is like putting lipstick on a pig ...
We did encounter a couple of signs that promised great roads!
The ramble lead us southeast across the Trinity and into Anderson County southeast of Elkhart. This area is fast being paved according to Scott, which is a bummer as the area is beautiful, with rolling hills and vistas for miles.
Soon we popped out on TX 7 and the ride appeared to be over, but this was not the case. Angling northwest, Scott lead us on one fast little section of dirt before arriving back at La Casa.
Loaded up, we took a photo of the entire gang before heading for lunch at Hopewell Store!
Every good ride should end with a meal and if this meal was any indication of the ride, it was great!
and the lunch ...
Thanks Scott for a great weekend and all your efforts in making sure that we had a memorable time!
As promised ... My Photos of the Ramble
That concluded this wayward report of a ride gone by.
Go in peace, but wear body armor.
Centerville Ramble 2008
A bunch of us gathered at Scott’s cabin near Centerville Texas for an impromptu weekend of riding, camping and solving the world’s problems.
I will apologize up front ... on this trip I took many more photos of people than I did the roads.
The cast of characters ...
Scott aka Greasemonkey
Chris aka mcrider
Ken aka TexasDR
Ian aka Willzy
Matt aka mafols
myself aka Teeds
Friday - May, 16, 2008
It was a coolish evening as we gathered, at least those of us intending on spending the evening in the comfort of Scott’s adobe. Ken was planning on heading up early to meet us.
After a bit of sorting and prepping, we determined that food was in order for the evening, so we piled into Scott’s truck for the drive into town. The first stop yielded no food, as they were closing down for the evening, so we reversed course and headed towards Crockett and we located some Mexican food for the evening.
Back at La Casa ... Ian replaced a tire ...
Scott jumps in to help
Between them, assisted by beer and WD40, they got the tire mounted and back on Ian’s bike.
My DR packed and ready for service
Ian enjoying the fruits of his labors with a good sit next to Chris, who had offered advise along the journey.
After dinner, conversation ensued for a bit longer, but soon all were asleep as the dawn offered some fun!
Saturday - May, 17, 2008
The dawn brought with it a cool morning covered with dew. The skies were clear and the promise was for a quiet weekend weather wise. That was good because we had miles to go, memories to make and evening planned in Fairfield Lake State Park in sleeping bags and tents.
While we were wandering about, Ken arrived and soon we were wrapping up the final details.
As a quick warm up, Scott lead us down a tree lined gravel road on our way to breakfast. It was a great warmup and good way to begin the morning.
Breakfast was a treat. I always love to stop into small country restaurants! The people are always glad to see you and the food is generally better than anything at a chain restaurant. The fair is usually a bit simpler in presentation, but what is lacking visually is always made up for with service and friendly smiles.
After breakfast, we headed southwest in hunt of kitties!
But first a quick stop at the mall in case we had forgotten anything.
Nothing at the mall was open other than the toilets behind the hay bales, so soon we were back on our bikes and chasing cats.
Soon we arrived and found the cats. It is sad that they have to live in cages, but better here than some places they could end up. These cats were rescued and this is an exotic animal rescue center.
The cats seemed a bit bored, but then they always do ... I only have one at the moment, but have had cats about for almost 40 years, so I have come to know that the parable is true ...
Dogs have owners
Cats have staff
Soon, back on the road, we headed northwest in search of dirt roads.
Scott commented after the ride that many of the roads are fast being paved as the city comes to the country in pursuit of the genteel country life portrayed in the land sales brochures pushed by land speculators. It is too bad that the city cannot learn the ways of the country instead of trying to turn the country into the city, but that is a topic of discussion for another thread at another time ... today we ride.
Ambling northwest, we followed Scott towards the western terminus of our route.
Along the way, we met a train and waited a bit for it to pass.
The it was on to Donie, where I captured an image of an old rock building that has been turned into a community center. While there we took a break while waiting on some of our crew to return. Somehow they got ahead of the guide and rambled a bit beyond the route on one of the many thin gray lines on the map.
We should change Scott’s name to Permagrin!
While waiting, a kind fellow stopped to check on us and see if everything was OK. Indeed it was and we thanked him for asking. He recognized Chris and it turns out that he had some two wheel vehicles of his own and often rides in the SHNF. I think I remember him saying that he is a member of TWT, but I could be mistaken.
Somewhere along the way during the conversation, our wayward souls returned from their sojourn and wandered on.
An aside ...
Many of the roads in the area are sand and the local counties use oil to stabilize them. The make great roads for dual sports with knobby tires because you can hook your tire into the road, should the need occur. Power slides and roosting is also a popular occurrence, to the consternation of the citified folks along the roads.
Anyway ... back to the report.
We had been rambling back and forth, zigging here and zagging there. I must admit, it was refreshing to not have a clue about the route. Scott had clearly put a lot of thought into the route and we frequently encountered great vistas and interesting objects to ponder.
[applause sign on]
Thanks Scott!
[applause sign off]
By now, we were heading northeast into the gathering heat, not that it was bad, but the sun now was on our flank. My GPS indicated that we had been on the road for a few hours and although El P had all the fuel needed for the day, a break for the other guys was in order, so ...
Soon we crossed I45 and came to the small town of Dew, but not until we pondered a bit the steel missiles hurdling down I45 traveling hither and yon in search of commerce, contentment, happiness or [fill in the blank] ... whatever drives the people in America to constantly chase the future.
America is a great country and we are all blessed by the hand of God to be able to live here and enjoy the fruits of our forefathers. Let’s all hope we can leave the generations behind us some semblance of what we enjoy. The world is changing, there is no doubt of that fact. Americans are the best on earth at adapting to change. It is bred into us.
So, where was I?
I was in Dew and we were getting food, fuel and dumping coffee.
Break time!
After the break, we ambled northeastward intent on a potential route to the state park that skirted the town of Fairfield. It showed promise on my paper map and our GPS maps confirmed the possibility.
Well ... we didn’t have any luck with the road as it dead ended at a gate in the bottoms below the lake, but all was not lost as we had a great time enjoying the tree lined dirt roads that took us there.
So ... it was into Fairfield for the loop out to the park.
But first a quick stop for photos at the Freestone County Courthouse on my quest of photographing my bike with every county courthouse in Texas.
There are 254 counties in Texas, so I have a few to go!
The park was very peaceful and there were only a few campers in the campgrounds.
The kind lady at the desk gave us the largest site they had and once we saw it we wondered if they were worried about rowdy bikers? We were at the very end of the line, apart for the other sites. She was right though, it was the largest spot and by far the most level overall.
There was also a short trail that led to the lake.
Our campsites were soon up and we were looking for firewood. A fire was started with some dead fall we located and soon it added a bit of hominess and warmth to our campsite.
Our accommodations
Ken and Ian’s tent
Scott’s shelter
Matt and my shelter
As we had stopped for dinner in town ... sorry no photos ... soon the solving of the problems began in earnest as the fire warmed our backsides and [cough] libations warmed our bellies.
Scott produced a small home made candle in a can and we solved on ...
I took a bunch of photos of the fire and the candle in the can that I will not bore you with, but they can be found in my photos linked at the end of the report, should anyone want for more!
As the libations flowed, the problems were cured.
Somewhere along the way a fellow named Ralph came by and we all determined that perhaps bedding was in order.
Sunday - May, 18, 2008
Dawn came early and the shower felt great!
Packing up, we headed into town and met Chris, who had stayed in a motel.
Breakfast promised to be good and it was. There was a small diner next to the motel, hidden from the interstate. Judging by the trucks in the lot, this would be a 3 or 4 calendar restaurant on the William Least Heat Moon scale. It turned out to be a 3 calendar and worth every penny!
Slipping southeastward from town, we followed Upper Keechi Creek along the back roads towards the Trinity River. Growing up on the banks of the river in Fort Worth, the Trinity always brings a flood of memories regardless of the location of the crossing. Only the Brazos holds a higher position in my memories.
The roads today were either sandy or oiled, there was no in between. The sandy roads offered wilderness untouched by man, while the oiled roads bore the scars of ranchettes sprouting among the shacks and trailers of locals. Why is it that a man with a brick mailbox in the city wants a large grandiose over scaled gate as soon as he gets to the country? Why do they try and bring the city with them. They came to the country for the idyllic laid back lifestyle, but they tart up the countryside. It is like putting lipstick on a pig ...
We did encounter a couple of signs that promised great roads!
The ramble lead us southeast across the Trinity and into Anderson County southeast of Elkhart. This area is fast being paved according to Scott, which is a bummer as the area is beautiful, with rolling hills and vistas for miles.
Soon we popped out on TX 7 and the ride appeared to be over, but this was not the case. Angling northwest, Scott lead us on one fast little section of dirt before arriving back at La Casa.
Loaded up, we took a photo of the entire gang before heading for lunch at Hopewell Store!
Every good ride should end with a meal and if this meal was any indication of the ride, it was great!
and the lunch ...
Thanks Scott for a great weekend and all your efforts in making sure that we had a memorable time!
As promised ... My Photos of the Ramble
That concluded this wayward report of a ride gone by.
Go in peace, but wear body armor.
and sand... 
..............
