Hill Country 500: the event that refused to die

[kromy67]

Here is the first one
https://youtu.be/Ww_BP0aZOzk

 

[kromy67]

Here is the second one...Yes, I know now I have to clean the viewer

https://youtu.be/vHm2CCvMQTs

 

[M38A1]

Here is the first one
https://youtu.be/Ww_BP0aZOzk

Listed as "Private".... can't see it.

 

[kromy67]

Listed as "Private".... can't see it.

 

[kromy67]

Listed as "Private".... can't see it.

I don't know why. It already has some views. Try this.

 

[SilverBullet]

I don't know why. It already has some views. Try this.

You need to put a Benny Hill soundtrack onto that video. Lol

_

 

[Tourmeister]

Okay... so the day of the big ride arrives. I roll out of bed and take a look at my arm. The swelling has gone down. I can move it easily and without pain. It is a little tender to the touch and will be making a nice big nasty bruise. (It's in the yellow and purple stage as I type this and covers about 3-4 inches of the arm each way from the elbow!). I hit the shower and suit up.

It is a grey morning. The clouds are low and it is misting ever so slightly. Normally, it is not real humid out here in the Hill Country, but today it is. I point the bike South and head down US 281 to Blanco to find out who else has decided to brave the potentially bad weather so they can ride their motorcycles...

When I get to Blanco, the traffic is a disaster. There are bicycles all over the place and it is stop and go traffic all the way through town. The meet point is a Stripes gas station on the South side of town. I eventually get through the mess and reach the Stripes and am pleasantly surprised to find a large group of motorcycles and riders in the parking lot.

Richard starts the rider meeting right on time.

Some of the hardware

A Father and Son duo - one of two such duos that were in our group

Thomas, Mark and Bob

So I head inside to grab a snack and some water to fill my Camel-Bak. When I come out Richard wants to know if I have the routes on my GPS...? It seems like every time I come out here for one of his rides, I end up getting to lead a large group of riders. Burdened by the compulsion to tell the truth I admit that I do indeed have the routes and will happily lead a group. So he takes the "small" bikes and I lead the "big" bikes.

We gather up in the corner of the parking lot to do a head count. It looks like we have eleven riders. So we head out of town on Old Blanco Road. It is JAM PACKED with bicyclists!! This is a narrow lane and a half road with no center stripe, lots of blind hill crests, and lots of blind corners. The road is still open to two way traffic but many of the cyclists acts as if they think the road is closed. The experienced riders stand out from the not so experienced because of their awareness of what is going on around them. They are good about moving over and alerting riders ahead of them that faster moving vehicles are approaching from the rear. I run a slow pace and keep a wary eye on the bikes because they are more unpredictable than horses... We slowly work our way through the riders for miles and eventually break free of them around the intersection with Crabapple Rd. We soon hit FM 473 and start the run West, encountering far fewer riders, all of which look like they are much more serious about their riding than the bulk of those we have left behind us.

We make our way West to Comfort and run Hwy 27 over to Center Point. It is still grey and damp. Parts of the highway are a bit slick from sprinkles. At Center Point we head South on Elm Pass Rd. This is also a narrow lane and a half road that has been chip sealed like so many of the other formerly fun gravel roads in the Hill Country. It is a fun road though, flowing up and down back and forth with the terrain. At Upper Mason Creek Rd., I stop to wait for everyone to regroup and to make sure we don't lose anyone.

It wouldn't be an official DS ride without someone whizzing in the weeds...

Mark's sweet 1200 Tenere

Elm Pass Rd., which I think heads over to Hwy 173 North of Bandera

We drop out on Hwy 16 and run on into Bandera. I spot Richard's group at a gas station as we roll into town and we pull in as well. I go ahead and top off the GS because you just never know if you're gonna need gas later or not. I don't think anyone else in our group fills up though. While we are milling about the parking lot it starts to rain pretty good. So we mount up and get back on the road. Just West of town we get on FM 470 and head West toward Tarpley. At Tarpley, we turn South on FM 462 a short way then start getting on some dirt.

What follows are a LOT of pics of water crossings in chronological order. However, I can't recall exactly which crossings were where. We turn right on Ross Rd., and hit the first water crossing pretty quick. (at least I think the first crossing was after we got to Tarpley).

Have I mentioned how slick the algae can be? Look a the front tire of the bike on the left of the image...

and it happens in the space of a heart beat...

He gets up pretty quick, but it is hard to lift the bike when your feet are sliding around!

We holler at him to wait for help and folks wade in to assist

Contemplating their lines...

Thomas

Sometimes the dark spots are slicker, sometimes not... It's hard to know

It's a little over ankle deep and moving pretty quick. I felt it pushing on my tires when I crossed.

Some folks go slow... some don't! I think this is Messnjah

Never caught this rider's name, but he did great all day on his 1150 GS and was always willing to help other riders

Some sit, some stand. I like to sit on the really slick ones, not as far to fall when the bike slides out from under you

Good form though for standing Weight centered and knees slightly bent.

It didn't take long before we were at another water crossing. I failed to mention before starting the ride that the guys behind me should wait for me to get completely across AND to get out my camera before they start across Some of them might have intentionally come across quickly BEFORE I could get out my camera Anyway, we soon reach the second crossing and it looks to be pretty long, deep, and relatively fast moving. I spot Richard's group on the far side as the last rider exits the water. There is a lady in a large truck with a trailer waiting to cross. She waits so I go ahead and move up to make my crossing. Had I not seen Richard's group, I am not real sure I would have attempted this one. The thought of the bike falling over in fast moving deep water is not thrilling...

I eased in and started across... The first half is not too bad. The surface is hard, so no rocks to bounce off of. I focus on just going straight and looking at the exit point on the far side. About two thirds of the way across I get a few adrenaline spiking front end twitches that make the bike feel like it is about to slide out from under me, but somehow I keep it up and make it to the far side. I park and grab my camera as fast as I can. The others are already coming across....

Undaunted by his drop on the previous crossing, he nails this one!

Jesus "Kromo67" coming across on his KTM 1190

Crossing the deepest section

The pictures of this crossing are a bit deceptive. There is an island in the middle of the crossing that blocks your view of the water on the far side of it. There is about as much water behind it as you can see here in the foreground of these images. The water is not as deep in the first half of the crossing as it is in the second half. But it is still moving pretty fast.

You can see the other section behind the island a little better here

One other reason for going one rider at a time has more to do with safety than avoiding me getting a picture of you. IF the rider in front of you goes down, you will either have to stop or avoid, both of which increase the odds of you going down as well. On a deep (12" or more) crossing, it is also VERY easy for the force of the water to start washing even big bikes and their riders downstream. So it is usually best to go one at a time to make sure each rider is across before the next one starts. I really should have covered this before we left the Stripes in Blanco. It's not a hard and fast rule. It's just a personal preference based on experience.

Everyone clears this crossing without issue.

This shows something else I forgot to mention... keeping the road clear.

After everyone crosses, they tend to bunch up on the far side as they park their bikes. It happens on every ride. A good habit would be to pull past the other bikes and have everyone park on the right along the edge of the road so that other traffic can pass. This is not a huge deal, but after we crossed, the lady in the truck also crossed and then had to wait again because she could not get through with all the bikes blocking the road. She was nice about it though and did give me a thumbs up as I was about to pull away to rejoin the group at the top of the hill. It also just helps to keep bikes from clumping up right at the exit of the crossing and gives those throttle happy riders some room to stop once they are out of the water

The crossings come one after the other. It seems we barely get the group moving again before we come upon another crossing. This time I was a bit ahead of the group and had time to get stopped and ready for them. I almost started getting worried because I had time to goof off before they arrived!

NEVER assume a short and shallow crossing will be easy!!

Sliding off into this would be inconvenient...

And then the gang crests the hill.

Everyone clears this crossing easily and we are soon on our way to the next... and not so easy crossing. Once again we come up behind Richard's group. There are still a few riders waiting to cross and I pull up behind them to watch. The last two cross without any issues, so I decide to just follow in their tracks... but I have an issue

I don't get very far into the crossing before I feel that familiar twitch and the bike starts sliding out from under me. The rock surface is pock marked with shallow bowl shaped holes. If the front tire rolls onto the rim of one of these bowls and then slides to either side, you get a twitch. A SLIGHT twitch at the bar results in a SLIGHT twitch on the throttle... and the back end just spins right out from under me as smooth as can be. I get my left foot down and shift my weight onto it as the bike goes down on its side and does a nice 180 with me spinning on one foot. I manage not to go down with it! After posing for a few pictures, I lift it as a few others come out to help me get it pointed in the right direction and push it the rest of the way across. Our footing is precarious at best... (Thanks for the help guys!)

Once on the far side I park the bike and grab my camera, wading out to a spot where I can get a good view of everyone else as they cross.

The very next bike goes down almost exactly the same way I did

Well... except for the part about me not falling in the water

I was a little bit further out, but not much.

Help is on the way

Water proof boots are nice, but water proof socks would be better

I am standing about one third of the way back out into the crossing

It is decided that one of them will try to ride it across the rest of the way instead of pushing

It fires right up without problems

And the second he gets on the gas... that's right, it starts slipping right out from under him!

We poosh this time, no? See that guy wandering off stage left...?

Pushing works well...

Even the walk back cross is iffy...

The rider in the yellow helmet slipped and almost fell while walking...

Looking upstream

Remember that guy exiting stage left...? While we were getting the first few bikes across, two more riders joined our group from behind, Proforguns and his buddy... SwimBob? Proforguns decided he would attempt a shorter, if slightly deeper, crossing down stream in the hope of avoiding the snot slick stuff. A few other riders were contemplating the same thing.

Meanwhile, the bulk of the group sticks to the main crossing section

Showing how it's done!

Easy peasy

A few other contemplate a middle ground approach...

Proforguns goes for it!

The sensible route... no one falls taking this route

Meanwhile... the bank is steeper than it looks and very loose...

He tried riding along the bank a bit, but even that is tough going!

Ohhh... flowers...

So the middle ground path looks good...

But there is a deep spot right before the end!

Nice relaxed speed, minimal wake and splash, good and steady!

Chug through the deep spot!

Last guy...the beneficiary of seeing what everyone else did... right or wrong

Oh wait... who is this!?

One of the guys that came up behind us.

And eventually Proforguns shows up. He had to get back in the creek and ride upstream to the exit point because the bank was just to rough and loose.

To be continued...

 

[tricepilot]

To be continued...

 

[Proforguns]

FANTASTIC PHOTOS!Just making a great ride better.Thank You fine sir.

 

[Wet Foot]

Scott, those were great photos. You really captured the ride.
Thank you!

Ready for another soon,

 

[Tourmeister]

Oh... I still have a lot more photos to upload. I've just been busy doing the kid thing this weekend. Hopefully, I'll be able to get the rest up Monday or Tuesday.

 

[M38A1]

Man, I've got sweaty palms just looking at all those pictures..... Maybe I need a different camera to take when it rains if this is the 'norm'.

 

[mr-roboto]

Scott - great pictures of the various bikes slipping all over those low water crossings. Awesome ride report too.



RB

 

[Tourmeister]

Man, I've got sweaty palms just looking at all those pictures..... Maybe I need a different camera to take when it rains if this is the 'norm'.

I had the D750 with the 24-70 mounted in a padded bag and the 70-200 in its case, both stuffed inside my topcase on the GS. I keep it full enough that there is no room for them to bounce around. Even though I went down, the water never got inside the topcase. To be fair though, I did not go down in any deep water, so the case might have still been above water. I am not sure if the bags are really water tight... This is the first time I've taken a DSLR body on a serious DS ride. I should have left the 70-200 at home. I never used it. I probably could have, but I never really needed to. I also didn't have much time to be sitting around swapping lenses. I wasn't really able to get any shots of the actual riding or roads other than the water crossings. When leading a large group, it is hard to keep the group moving if I am stopping to take pictures because everyone starts getting off their bikes, taking off their helmets, wandering off into the weeds... It is hard to get ahead of the group enough to have time to stop, get the camera out, and set up for a shot before the group catches up to me.

I am thinking a drone would be cool to use for a ride like this. But it would probably necessitate riding in a chase vehicle behind the group for the operator. A small drone might be neat to use just for getting video of the crossings and some aerial views of the terrain and roads.

 

[kromy67]

Great pictures!

 

[Tourmeister]

Alright, time to get the rest of the pics posted!

So we barely go a few miles before we come to yet another water crossing. Unlike the others, this one does not have a solid slab of rock or concrete for the crossing. It is just a loose rocky base, but it is a long way from the entry road to the exit. I pause for a moment or two to consider my options. I don't think it is very deep anywhere, but I am unsure about the size of the rocks I might encounter on the way across. I look down the edge of the creek and it looks like I can get further downstream before entering the water and shorten the crossing by almost half.

I head downstream along the edge of the water, then turn in when I am almost even with the exit point on the far side. Everything goes pretty good until I am about 3/4 of the way across. The water gets a little deeper and I hit what appears to have been a pretty good sized rock with the front end. Fortunately, it only deflects the front a little and I am able to correct before the bike topples over into the flowing water. I quickly exit and get the bike parked so I can grab the camera before the others start coming across behind me.

You can see that the others liked my idea of running down the edge before starting the crossing

I can't remember if he stalled here or just stopped to gather himself before going the last bit?

Some of these guys go a little faster than I like to...

I prefer to make a wake, not a splash, but splashes make for better pics

I think he just found that same rock I hit!

He saves it, but goes off line and I think stalled it, which is better than going down...

Next...

LOTS of splash!

But he misses the rock and powers through the deepest part before the exit

He gets it pointed the right direction

And gets the job done!

I went a bit further down before getting in the water

But this works too

Not too much splash, but the intake on the 1150 is lower than that splash

Fortunately, his speed is slow and steady so the water falls before it has a chance to enter the air intake

BUT HE TARGET FIXATES ON ME!! But, with a last second flick of the bars he misses me as I step to the side.

Oh yeah! Big splashing here!

Great form... looking good...

Hey, check out that rock!!

And... as we all know... you go where you look

Always good to have helpful friends nearby

I always wonder what is going through the head of the next guy after he sees that happen...

"Um... it's not turning over..."

He came way on down the edge before getting in the water, close to where I went in

Makes it look easy

Proforguns getting it done as well

Screw the rocks! Full speed ahead!!

"I can see the other side!!"

I think he clipped that rock too and slowed down just a bit

Undaunted, he hammers the throttle as we try to figure out which way he's going to go so we can jump clear!!

He zigged and zagged there at the end, but he gets it done as well

Time to clear a hydro-locked cylinder...

A good Samaritan rides this bike across for the injured rider

But the injured rider has to limp through the slippery rocks

Both bike and riders make it across without incident

And finally, the last guy...

Comes way down the edge and turns in... looking good!

Not too much splash...

SQUIRREL!!

And down he goes!

Look at that back tire spinning!

A little assistance from some friendly helping hands

And all is good... or is it...

It's a long way across if you go from entry to exit!

Time for a road side maintenance clinic on clearing a hydro-locked engine

Fortunately, the rider has everything he needs... except WD-40, which another rider has

But what about this one? It turns out that it is fine and starts without problem.

Some disassembly required to get to the plug

It does not take to long for the plug to get pulled from the 650 GS. When the engine is cranked, water shoots up over our heads. It gets a few more cranks, a couple of shots of WD-40 down into the cylinder, and then a few more cranks for good measure. The air filter is SOAKED. We're a short way from the highway and pavement and thus far the dust has been almost non existent, so it is decided to run without the filter. After some reassembly, the bike fires up and runs fine. We're back in business!

And... we're soon at another water crossing!!!

This crossing was short, with a mostly hard bottom, and not to deep. Everyone makes it across without issue... Or so I thought... I didn't see him go down, but apparently the big KTM has a problem and won't crank.

Nothing like one of these to come along and deflate our Adventure sized egos...

Getting it done like a boss!

The sun has decided to peek out from behind the clouds once again now that we are stopped. The disabled bike has plenty of hands on so I decide to run ahead and see what we might be facing before we reach the highway. It doesn't look to far according to the GPS. There is another water crossing, but it is short and shallow. Best of all, it is not slick!

Love roads like this!

I soon reach the road without any more water crossings. I think if we can get everyone here, we can probably stash the KTM, let him ride double back to Kerrville to fetch his trailer, and we're good. So I double back to the group.

Much to my happy surprise, it seems we have had a stroke of good luck in the form of a random encounter with a good Samaritan! There is a white Toyota pickup stopped and the guys are preparing to lift the disabled KTM into the bed. The driver informs us that he never comes out this way and wasn't sure why he'd done so today, but here he is and right on time!!

On 2.. no wait... 3!!

Okay! 3 and 1/2!!

And it's in!

I think the same guy that has the WD-40 also has a few tie down straps! That would be him working the strap on the other side of the truck

The generous truck driver agrees to haul the bike just up the road a bit to Tarpley, where we can have lunch at Mac & Ernie's and work on the bike in the shade. We ride on ahead, enjoying the fun twistes on 470.

A great place to eat, but it has really changed from its humble beginnings...

Our good Samaritan

Other riders undaunted by the threat of nasty weather enjoy the day as well

They now have indoor and AIR CONDITIONED seating!! It feels REAL good!

Lunch was great, but it's time to get down to business and pull the plugs on the KTM rather than going for the trailer. It can't be that hard... right!?

Okay, so the gas tank has to come off...

And there's a lot of water in the air box...

Meanwhile, "Wetfoot" attends to drying out one of his boots and socks

So it turns out that getting at those plugs is work... serious work... like removing the air box, cutting the zip ties holding the main wiring harness in place, and removing various small screws and washers that might be hard to keep track of in a parking lot. Three of the guys really get after it and get it done. However, with all the electronics unplugged, there is no way to crank the engine over. First things first, they have to make sure the exhaust is clear of water.

Some water comes out, but not as much as we might have expected

Then pop the transmission into a high gear and roll the bike to turn the engine over

Water shoots out of the rear cylinder right over the head of the guy in the white T-shirt

And now a little WD-40 in both cylinders before rolling it back into the shade for reassembly

It takes a while to make sure everything goes back together where it is supposed to. It takes maybe an hour and a half or so to button it up and have it ready for starting. It takes three cranks to get the gas from the tank back into the injectors and it fires up, idling smoothly. The oil in the sight glass didn't show any hint of discoloration that might be expected from water contamination. As with the 650 GS, the soaked paper air filter is left out for the run back to Kerrville. It's late afternoon and I suggest we call it a day instead of trying to push on to finish the second half of the route. At this point, I am not even sure we are half way or how bad things might be on the latter portion of the route. I do recall there being some water crossings out there that were challenging even where there hadn't been torrential rains the days before attempting them.

We head over to Hwy 16 and run up into Kerrville. I really like the stretch of 16 between Medina and Kerrville. It has some seriously tight corners that can, and do, take unaware riders off guard on a regular basis. There are almost always marks on the road and guard rails indicating someone got into the corners too hot. Even knowing about them, it is easy to be surprised if you are not watching for them. The GS rolls through them without issue, absorbing the stuttered bumps of the crappy chip sealed surface that likely causes many riders to panic.

We roll into the Best Western and I decide to see if they have a room before I make the decision to head back to Austin for the night. They do indeed have a room and I take it, not really caring that it is over $100. At this point, I am hot and tired, ready for a nice shower and a meal, some visiting and then a soft bed! However... when I open the room the smell of mildew almost knocks me over. There is a huge industrial fan sitting in the middle of the room and the furniture has all been pulled away from the walls. Apparently the recent heavy rains did more than cause a few high water crossings A quick call to the front desk and they get me moved into a different room. I have to walk a bit from the parking lot, but it is dry and clean, so who cares!? After a nice HOT shower, I head outside to find Thomas and Mark enjoying cold beers by the pool, which they graciously share We eventually meet the rest of the group in the lobby then head next door to an Italian place for dinner. The Rib-Eye is HUGE and delicious! I stuff myself until I can hardly move We hang out for a while visiting and having a few more beers. I enjoy this as much as the riding. But soon the fatigue starts to set in and I can hear the bed calling me...

Sunday morning I roll out to find that it is drizzling heavily. That pretty much seals the deal for me. With the threat of nasty weather all day, I decide to go ahead and start home. I'll still get in several hundred miles of riding, a good bit of which is even dirt. So I pack up the bike, say my good byes and head North toward Fredericksburg. A few miles before Fredericksburg, the drizzle lets up and it starts to get nicer. It's not sunny, but it is not wet.

I head out of Fredericksburg on Hwy 16, thinking that I will cut over to FM 1631 on Koennecke Eckhardt Rd. No good. Either I stopped at the wrong spot or the map is not accurate. The GPS shows me being at the right spot on the map, but the road looks a LOT like a private drive rather than a county road. Rather than risk it, I decide to just head a little further North to Old Willow City Rd and cut over to FM 1323. This is a short but fun little road. It even has a few water crossings At 1323 I head East a few miles to Althaus-Davis Rd., the way I came in on Friday. It is dry, but the few water crossings still have some water in them. I decide to stop at each and set a MOB marker on the GPS to save for future reference. Both crossings are in spots that would make it real easy to be busting down the road and come up on them in a hurry without time to slow or stop if needed. I briefly toy with the idea of running up CR 309 to 310 and checking out the Sandy Creek crossing, but then I come to my senses, realizing that I am alone, and if things got ugly... Well... I press on when Althaus-Davis becomes FM 3347, running this over to RR 962. Once on Hwy 71, I just backtrack through Marble Falls, 1431, 1174, 1869, 3405 and finally Ronald Reagan Drive. Ronald Reagan Drive is a nice bypass around the North side of Georgetown. The shoulders have a TON of flowers, so I stop for a few pics.

These are so thick in places you'd think you could walk on top of them!

They go on for miles like this

Other colors mixed in here and there

Once I cross I-35, I get on some little back roads that bring me out at Bartlett. From Bartlett, it is more back roads over to Davilla. Then it is time to cover a few miles a speed and I run FM 487 Down to Rockdale. At Rockdale, it is time for more back roads. I've been wanting to explore a few roads in this area for a while. I head Southeast on CR 322. It is mostly sand, damp and nicely packed. I have a bit of fun with the throttle on this road! It eventually hits CR 328 which finally drops me out on Hwy 36 North of Caldwell. I run down into town, get gas, and then head out of town on FM 166. FM 166 is my regular path when getting back and forth between Caldwell and College Station. It is not the smoothest pavement, having some pretty good bumps and dips in places where the substrate of the road has given way a bit, but it has lots of fun curves. It eventually hits Hwy 50, which I run down to Hwy 60 and on into College Station.

The rest of the run home is just Hwy 30. There's some fun dirt between College Station and Huntsville, but I am ready to be home. I roll into the garage about 3:45pm. The bike needs a little TLC and a new blinker. My elbow is all kind of ugly colors (even worse a week later!!). It's been a good weekend of riding. I wish I could get out for more of these rides!!

 

[kman]

Great photos and write up. Thanks!

 

[webnel]

Great photos and plenty of water to cross. Looked like fun.

 

[mr-roboto]

It looks like Thomas (ThomasM) did an outstanding job on his GS. It looks like he didn't fall the entire day. I would say he is one of the best dirt/adventure GS riders on TWTEX.



RB

 

[kromy67]

Getting better

 

[kromy67]

I just posted a video your dad is going to like it a lot. You no so much . I know what's to have a son

 

[Tourmeister]

I love the hip 70's TV show sounding soundtracks!

 

[Tourmeister]

Bump... just in case anyone is thinking about doing this ride soon...

 

[Coolhand]

Stunning photography, you guys sure down drown a lot of nice bikes, but I remember how insanely slick those crossings were...