Did the Texas Overland trail this past weekend - pretty good.
Only water was James river - and was low.
No pics/videos though - about 140 mile trip.
Start in Fredericksburg
End on 71
Detour to Mason for fuel in middle - mile 76
Mile markers/distances = approximate.
0 0 - FrederickBurg 16/Lower Crabapple
15 10 R 965
15.8 0.8 L Welgehausen
19.5 2.5 R Keese
21.0 1.5 L Keese Sagebiel
24.8 3.8 L 2323
25.3 0.5 R Cherry Spring
29.3 1.8 - Doss Cherry Spring - cross 87
33.5 4.2 R 648
36.0 2.5 R Lange Mill
37.5 1.5 R Jack Rabbit
41.8 4.3 L Threadgill Creek
45.5 3.7 - Geistweidt - cross 783
47.4 1.9 R Onion Creek
49.8 2.4 L Salt Branch
50.5 0.7 R Salt Branch
58.3 7.8 R Salt Branch
59.0 0.7 R James River
71.8 12.8 L Schep Creek/2389
76.6 4.8 R 1723/Simonsville
87.0 10.4 - cross 783
91.0 4 R 87
93.5 2.5 L Keyserville
93.6 0.1 R 2242
94.2 0.6 L House Mountain / Loyal Valley
103.5 9.3 L 2323
108 4.5 R 112
112 4 R 113
119 7 L 16
119.4 0.4 R 315
125.4 6 L 315
125.6 0.2 L 315
131.4 5.8 R 308
133.3 1.9 L 310
139 5.7 R 71
Your route here brought back some awesome memories that I have a question about. Where the Cherry Spring crossover of hwy 87 occurs, what's the historical plaque about? I had to do a Google street view of the intersection because that spot is an historic part of my motorcycle life. It marks the the first day of motorcycle ownership when I just turned 18.
If this is not the appropriate place to post this, I apologize and someone can move it. You notice that little closed gas station building there at that intersection? I spent the first night of the first day of motorcycle ownership in the back of an old, inoperative Chrysler product station wagon parked beside that building. I was 18 in high school, January 1970, and living in Blanket, TX and had "almost" saved up enough money to buy a motorcycle. A fellow classmate out of the blue said he had also saved enough money, and he too wanted to buy a motorcycle. He had an old '56 Oldsmobile, and we got another classmate to drive the car back from San Antonio while we rode these "hoped-to-be-purchasing" motorcycles. I was originally from SA and knew of a place we could sleep the night before our hoped for purchases...my grandparents driveway in SA, as they were at their trailer house outside of Comfort, TX.
We were skipping school the next day, and drove to SA after school. We spent the night in the Olds, hardly sleeping due to all the excitement and anticipation. It was a mild, almost warm couple of days for January. We arrived at a Suzuki dealership on Broadway that wasn't open yet. I had called ahead doing some research, and this dealership had the most affordable bike in the 350cc range that we could afford. When they opened, Gary had enough cash to purchase his bike outright, a blue 1970 Suzuki Rebel T350. I wanted the white version they had but was $180 short for out-the-door. I called my uncle in town who co-signed a 6-month note with the dealership, but this put us heading out town in late afternoon. I believe the date was 1-20-70.
Neither Gary nor I really knew how to ride a motorcycle...yes...I said that...LOL! We practiced in the alley behind the shop, and then headed out into SA traffic on Broadway street...and didn't die...LOL! The day was beautiful, and we literally rode in t-shirts...in January...until Fredericksburg. We didn't know about checking weather, etc. It was a freakin' blue norther that was fortunately a dry event, but the temps must have nose dived like crazy. The wind was so fierce head-on that it sucked my bubble face shield right off, and I couldn't find it. In that short stint from Fredericksburg to Cherry Spring, we were almost frozen. Even our new motorcycle enthusiasm wasn't enough to save us. It was cold...fast. I had brought my grandad's zip-up leather jacket that had a thin insulating layer and his leather gloves with some slight padding. Gary had a some kind of Buffalo Bill style fringe jacket that buttoned up...no gloves...he was really hurting...and my face was hurting.
We pulled into that building at the intersection of hwy 87 and Cherry Spring which was a cafe and gas station, no other customers. An older couple who appeared to be the owners took pity on us as we tried to warm up. We literally only had enough money to buy gas for the return trip to Blanket. The couple gave us hot chocolate and free food...talk about good samaritans. Out of the blue, the couple told us we'd better not continue in our condition and offered up a load of blankets and the back of the inoperative station wagon parked next to the building. Oh yeah!...we took it. So, two 18-year old guys huddled up in the confines of the back of that station wagon and actually slept like the dead with a huge pile of blankets on us. And no...we didn't spoon...the blankets were adequate...LOL!
The cafe folks gave us a breakfast, and we headed out...having to rub the frost off our saddles. I was miserable, but Gary was absolutely hurting. We stopped at what appeared to be an abandoned feed store just down the road from Cherry spring, and I wrapped Gary's hands with a pair of old burlap sacks and bailing wire. We continued on with a few other stories of misery making our way home finally...frozen, but no actual frostbite. With a start like this, I don't know why I continued on with my foolish pursuit of motorcycles, but sometimes you just can't fix stupid...LOL!
I can't believe that old station/cafe building is still there...probably been closed for decades. In days past when I went by that location when it was still open in the 70's, I should have stopped and once again thanked those folks, but I regret I never did. I feel bad about that. My later trips to SA involved another route so I haven't seen that location in several decades. Thanks for posting that route here, madagwane. That looks like a lot of fun. In June I bought a Kawasaki Z650, and I think I'll pursue a ride in that area and take all or most of that route. I use a plated KLX300 for my dirt adventures and haven't had a pure street bike since the mid-'80's. It's fun to have a decent pavement bike again.
So when any of you riders go by that location, think of two poor souls who had their first painful motorcycle experience at that location in Cherry Springs...LOL! Hey!...that historical marker isn't about our epic motorcycle adventure?...is it?...LOL!
Welcome to the Two Wheeled Texans community! 
Feel free to hang out and lurk as long as you like. However, we would like to encourage you to 
, but to really be honest the big bike are good for nice touring and some dirt road, of course you can go
