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- Joined
- Oct 19, 2006
- Messages
- 8,250
- Reaction score
- 36
- Location
- Big sky country; Ronan, MT
- First Name
- Bruce
- Last Name
- Taylor
Today was a beautiful day so I called my neighbor and we headed out in search of dirt roads in Bastrop County. Me on the '83 XL600R and "P" on his KLR 650. I took some photos and decided I would try to tell the tale; first time report writer here so be gentle. He was at work when I called so I took my time getting the old iron ready for the ride.
All was going well until I started kicking her over, no magic button on this old pig. I was wearing hiking boots for the ride over to the gas station for the pre-ride fill up. As I kicked the inside edge of my foot caught on the foot peg.
I'll make sure to try and not do that again. It felt OK so off to gas and I was ready to go.
We took the most direct route out of Pflugerville east to Cameron Rd. and then south on FM 973 to Manor. Left on 290 to Elgin. The bikes were fueled but we needed fuel for the riders so a quick stop at Southside BBQ in Elgin was included in the ride.
The sausage was a little underdone, this has not happened before, and therefore very greasy but the pork ribs were superb. No pie here.
The problem with roads in this area is that the map (Roads of Texas) gives them as numbers but the county refers to them as names and uses the names for the street signs. Most of time you will not see the numbers on any signs. This keeps life interesting as your are trying to find your turns. I'll be using the numbers listed in the map book unless I happen to remember the name which I will give also. I did not have a pen with me to write down the names.
After eats we headed south on 95 and took the first road to the right which is county road 49. The first couple of miles is paved but then it turns into a well maintained hard packed dirt surface. Proceed for several miles and make a left at the "T" intersection on county road 178. After this turn you are taken into a very rural setting with cattle ranches. Numerous herds can be ridden by and through after crossing the cattle guards. Several big views of the rolling hills are a treat as well.
Staying on this road takes you right into downtown Bastrop. Left at the light and head east to Bastrop State Park. on the right about 3 miles after crossing HWY 95. We rode Park Road 1a through the park. This is a very scenic ride no matter what you are on or in. We turned east onto Park Road 1c and continued through the pine forest. The first dirt road on the left was our target for today. On the map it's county road 146 but it had a sign with a street name.
This was a fun road through the pines with a couple of hills and mud puddles for those that like to make a splash. The road was maintained but the recent rains had caused some erosion. Nothing major and any cage could make it no problem. We took a left at the Shiloh Cemetery and headed toward Paige. These roads were all maintained dirt and we were safely doing speeds around 40 mph. In fact we passed a set of three road graders doing their thing.
In Paige we went west on 290 for a couple of miles and then north on 21 for just about 1 mile. Our road will sneak up on you but there is a sign. Left on Railroad Track Road and we were on dirt again. Lots of standing water thanks to the recent rain. This comes to a "T" intersection with county road 150, Paint Creek Road South, our route had use going right on 150. Lots of nice rural scenery along this road. Just enough turns to keep the ride interesting.
We found that riding in the area was a matter of alternating which direction you turn. Left on 152 (Paint Creek Rd.), right on Marlin, left on 102, left on FM 696, right on 30, right on 84, right on County Line Rd on the border of Bastrop and Lee counties, left on 302 at Sundbeck Ranch. This was an interesting road literally cut into the surrounding terrain creating walls on either side varying from 2 to 6 feet in some places. Very sharp corners taken in 2nd gear; carefully. Left on 464 'till FM 1466 were we went left and rode into the metropolis of Coupland, TX. Stopped for a refreshing break at the only store in town. West on 456 to FM 973 where a quick right left dogleg puts you on Cameron Rd for the home stretch to P'ville.
All was well until the boot came off. I had switched to my dirt riding boots for the trip. I wear O'neal M10 while riding off the paved surface. They provide excellent support and added protection for the rocks that get kicked up. As we rode I could feel the boot getting a little tighter around the ankle. No problems walking around at the stops. But, without the boot I could tell there was definitely some damage from the old kick starter incident. A slight sprain, at least. Oh, well. A good reason to take off work for a couple days.
It'll grow back. Overall, a good day on the old XL. 
All was going well until I started kicking her over, no magic button on this old pig. I was wearing hiking boots for the ride over to the gas station for the pre-ride fill up. As I kicked the inside edge of my foot caught on the foot peg.
I'll make sure to try and not do that again. It felt OK so off to gas and I was ready to go. We took the most direct route out of Pflugerville east to Cameron Rd. and then south on FM 973 to Manor. Left on 290 to Elgin. The bikes were fueled but we needed fuel for the riders so a quick stop at Southside BBQ in Elgin was included in the ride.
The sausage was a little underdone, this has not happened before, and therefore very greasy but the pork ribs were superb. No pie here.
The problem with roads in this area is that the map (Roads of Texas) gives them as numbers but the county refers to them as names and uses the names for the street signs. Most of time you will not see the numbers on any signs. This keeps life interesting as your are trying to find your turns. I'll be using the numbers listed in the map book unless I happen to remember the name which I will give also. I did not have a pen with me to write down the names.
After eats we headed south on 95 and took the first road to the right which is county road 49. The first couple of miles is paved but then it turns into a well maintained hard packed dirt surface. Proceed for several miles and make a left at the "T" intersection on county road 178. After this turn you are taken into a very rural setting with cattle ranches. Numerous herds can be ridden by and through after crossing the cattle guards. Several big views of the rolling hills are a treat as well.
Staying on this road takes you right into downtown Bastrop. Left at the light and head east to Bastrop State Park. on the right about 3 miles after crossing HWY 95. We rode Park Road 1a through the park. This is a very scenic ride no matter what you are on or in. We turned east onto Park Road 1c and continued through the pine forest. The first dirt road on the left was our target for today. On the map it's county road 146 but it had a sign with a street name.
This was a fun road through the pines with a couple of hills and mud puddles for those that like to make a splash. The road was maintained but the recent rains had caused some erosion. Nothing major and any cage could make it no problem. We took a left at the Shiloh Cemetery and headed toward Paige. These roads were all maintained dirt and we were safely doing speeds around 40 mph. In fact we passed a set of three road graders doing their thing.
In Paige we went west on 290 for a couple of miles and then north on 21 for just about 1 mile. Our road will sneak up on you but there is a sign. Left on Railroad Track Road and we were on dirt again. Lots of standing water thanks to the recent rain. This comes to a "T" intersection with county road 150, Paint Creek Road South, our route had use going right on 150. Lots of nice rural scenery along this road. Just enough turns to keep the ride interesting.
We found that riding in the area was a matter of alternating which direction you turn. Left on 152 (Paint Creek Rd.), right on Marlin, left on 102, left on FM 696, right on 30, right on 84, right on County Line Rd on the border of Bastrop and Lee counties, left on 302 at Sundbeck Ranch. This was an interesting road literally cut into the surrounding terrain creating walls on either side varying from 2 to 6 feet in some places. Very sharp corners taken in 2nd gear; carefully. Left on 464 'till FM 1466 were we went left and rode into the metropolis of Coupland, TX. Stopped for a refreshing break at the only store in town. West on 456 to FM 973 where a quick right left dogleg puts you on Cameron Rd for the home stretch to P'ville.
All was well until the boot came off. I had switched to my dirt riding boots for the trip. I wear O'neal M10 while riding off the paved surface. They provide excellent support and added protection for the rocks that get kicked up. As we rode I could feel the boot getting a little tighter around the ankle. No problems walking around at the stops. But, without the boot I could tell there was definitely some damage from the old kick starter incident. A slight sprain, at least. Oh, well. A good reason to take off work for a couple days.
It'll grow back. Overall, a good day on the old XL. 
Kick starters can be mean. Anyway, my 2 weeks convalescing is almost up so I'll be riding again soon.
Nice Uly! Glad you enjoyed the area and that the report was helpful. My Tiger gained some Uly turn signals as a result of a little tumble just north of McDade about a week ago. I used a set of rear signals to replace the ones I broke. 
