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- Friday
Well, here in East Texas, Spring has sprung! I think the memo went out Tuesday or Wednesday. I was out riding Monday and everything was looking pregnant with expectation! Buds were primed and waiting on all manner of trees. The grass in the ditches along the roads was dark green. Onion grass was coming up and had buds on top of it. The weeds in my yard were coming up and starting to take over... We got a few nice days of temps in the low 70s with some sunshine and BAM!! All at once stuff is blooming everywhere!
When I get out to ride, I often like to make the most of the day, so my routes might be 200-300 miles long. Not everyone wants to or is able to do that many miles, especially since the days are still a bit short because we haven't hit the time change yet. So in an effort to see if I can entice a few more people than usual to show up for one of my rides, I cut one of my routes short. The Lovelady Spaghetti Ball 250 route, so named because that is kind of what it looks like on the map, is around 240-250 miles. With the amount of dirt on it, it can take 7-8 hours to run. So this time I cut it short and called it the Lovelady Spaghetti Ball Kids Meal 200. It has a bit less dirt with a bit more of the faster paved stuff. Ideally, the time to run it should be closer to 6-7 hours.
I am also notorious for posting ride notices on very short notice, like Thursday or even Friday evening before the Saturday of the ride. I got wild and posted it Tuesday, or maybe Wednesday...? I forget.
Anyway, the weather looks to be partly cloudy and in the mid 70s. With the storms that came through last weekend, the normally deep and loose sand in many sections should be nice and packed. By Friday evening I have two confirmed attendees. I am good running solo, but it is also fun to run with a small group, preferably no more than 5-6 at most. It is always a gamble when you have never ridden with someone before... or you rode with them so long ago you can't remember having ridden with them. You know, "Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're going to get!" Rides can be that way sometimes.
I get to sleep late and wake up 15 minutes before the alarm. Then I hit the snooze just as matter of principle! Then I start wondering if I am dreaming and maybe I actually turned the alarm off and it is now 15 minutes past the meet up time!? Yeah, that kind of kicks the heart into gear and I roll out of bed in a jiffy, check the time, take a deep breath and turn off the alarm. A quick temp check shows that I will definitely be starting the day with all vents closed and a fleece sweatshirt under the jacket! A quick peek outside reveals a grey and gloomy day.
It is controlled burn season here for all the various National Forests in our area. So it has been a bit smoky of late. I can smell it as soon as I walk out the back door and head to the garage. There are also some serious fires up in North Texas and Oklahoma, and I think we are even getting some smoke from that because our weather fronts generally come from that direction. Even if the clouds break and the sun comes out, it will likely still be quite hazy.
I transfer all my tools, first aid kid, and other odds and ends from my 1200 GS to the bags on the Husky 701 Enduro. I am feeling the urge to ride a bit more "frisky" than I might want to do on the GS, especially given how worn out the tires are on it right now. I have also been having issues with the keyless gas cap lock release sticking, which keeps me from being able to fill the tank unless I bust out a Torx driver and remove part of the ring around the filler cap. I would love to have a chat with the engineer that thought that was a good idea on an adventure bike...
I gear up and head out about 8:30am. Our KSU time is 9:00am. This will give me time to grab a small Red Bull and Snickers. I don't do real breakfasts, especially before riding. I prefer to run "light"
When I roll into the parking lot there are already two riders here! Looks like we will have time for a bit of pre ride visiting while we wait to see if any surprise riders show up. Today we have William Rich on a Yamaha WR250R and BrianL (TWT username) on a Triumph 900. About the time we are gearing up to head out, another rider shows up, James Cain on his Aprilia Tuareg 660 Rallye. He's just in the nick of time. Another minute or two and we would have already been gone!
So four riders for today. Cool. I am a little concerned about the tires on the Triumph if we get into any serious sand, but Brian isn't worried about it, so we'll see how it goes. We head out of town on FM 980 toward to the Trinity River. Our highway speed will be limited by the WR250R. To avoid William having to wring its neck, I will be attempting to keep the max speed at 65mph or less... mostly... where possible... Right. So I will happily wait for him at intersections
As we are heading out FM 980, I am seeing trees that got that memo about Spring. They are covered with those brand new soft fuzzy glowy green leaves, still kind of small. The Red Bud trees are in full bloom mode and are everywhere. Along FM 3478, they line one side of the road and extend back into the woods as far as I can see. There are little white flowers scattered in the ditches, contrasting with the dark green fresh grass. And then there are the bugs... the ones splattering on my windscreen and face shield. Still, there is just something about those first days of Spring that lifts my spirits. It reminds me that even when things look terrible and lifeless, it can always get better. We all need some of that right now in light of current world events...
After crossing the Trinity River, we hit FM 230 and run East to the start of Chalk Cemetery Road. This is where the first dirt of the day begins, nothing technical, a bit of sand, a few tight corners to drift, and some cool tree tunnels through a low lying swampy area. Brian is right behind me most of the time on his Triumph. IF the tires are an issue, it isn't obvious from where I am sitting. James comes third and William is running sweep for us. Fortunately, the bikes all have fairly bright headlights and/or auxiliary lights which makes it much easier for me to make sure I am not losing anyone.
We continue North on CR 3610. It is about a mile and a half to the next turn. This stretch used to be almost completely unmaintained. It could be either super muddy and messy or really deep and dry sand depending on the weather. Of late, the county has been messing with it. They have started grading it, which piles up the sand and can make things fun. But they have also been putting some gravel in there as well. They are in the process of building up the road bed for the eventual layers of BIG gravel. Still, for now there are usually two big main ruts through the sand with some fun sweeping corners. It has often been a great road to find out early on how people do in the sand. Today the sand is really well packed and as long as I stay in one of the ruts, the bike doesn't move around at all. So nothing to do here but spin up the rear for fun through the corners!
We keep heading North, zig zagging on various other short county roads until we come out onto FM 230 a few miles Southwest of Lovelady. CR 3534 is another of those "Tester" roads. The last time James rode through here with me, we stopped midway through it and he pulled along side and asked me to give him a refresher crash course in how to ride deep sand LOL! Today it looks like the refresher should be on how to ride through deep massive puddles! Usually, if it is wet, the entire road is wet, like the road becomes a creek. Like CR 3610, it has been getting some "love" from the county maintenance crews and that seems to be causing the water to collect. Once everyone is clear of the big puddles the rest of the run is not bad. It is currently in the big chunky gravel phase of "improvement".
Before hitting Lovelady, we turn West on CR 3525. I have loved this road for years. It has always had a lot of deep sand and lots of corners. It twists through the woods with trees right up to the edge of the road. There is a low area near a creek with a small bridge where I frequently stop when bringing a group through here. It is a great spot to talk to everyone and get a feeling for how they are feeling with the roads and pace thus far. As I pull up a mess load of Turkey Vultures come flying up from below the bridge and swarm their way up into the top of nearby trees. Believe me when I tell you that you NEVER want to hit a Turkey Vulture, on a bike or in a car/truck. They will do damage and the worst part will be the smell
It has to be experienced to be believed...
After getting off the bike I peer over the side of the bridge down into the creek bed below. It looks like they were working over the remains of a skeleton from a good sized dog or maybe a deer. Fortunately for us, it is old and doesn't smell. This is also the time of year for serious road kill smells because lots of critters are on the move as the weather gets warmer and nicer. We take a few pics, and get back to riding. Everyone seems to be feeling good and enjoying the roads.
We make a loop on the West side of FM 3151, starting up near FM 1280 and coming out down near the intersection of FM 3151 and 230. If you look at a map, there is a spot in the middle where the road runs directly North/South in a straight line between CR 3450 and 3455. On either side of that the road is essentially hard packed gravel now. It used to all be part of a route I called the Sand Blaster 200. That last bit in the middle is still a bit of sand but also kind of muddy. All the other roads around it that might show as county roads on any map are all now private roads, including the part of 3455 just East of that section. They are now high dollar private game preserves with security cameras everywhere. I fully expect that more of this will eventually get closed and it will ruin a good loop that has a lot of fun twists and turns in combination with some quick elevation changes.
When we drop back out on FM 230 at the South end of the loop, we head about a mile down to FM 2915. This is just a nice winding paved road through woods and pastures. After a few fast sweepers there is a little sign, "Pavement Ends". Right at the top of a hill and in the middle of the corner, the pavement ends and it becomes loose gravel. If you know it is there, it is a fun transition where you can just roll through the corner on the gas straight into the gravel without missing a beat. If you don't know it is there... It might give your heart an impromptu stress test. The road changes from white gravel to East Texas red clay/gravel as it climbs to a hill top cemetery. Then it drops back down into a low area and transitions back to white gravel. We climb another hill and it changes again as the road cuts through the different layers. I think the white gravel is actually limestone. We have a LOT of that here in East Texas.
If we stuck to the main road, it would cut down through a low lying creek area prone to flooding and then on the other side if would climb out and become FM 3275, running over to Hwy 21. I sometimes go that way if I want to head back toward Centerville at I-45 for BBQ at Woody's BBQ. Today we cut North on CR 3485. My son originally found this road a few years back and dragged me down it. It too has been "improved" and is no longer as sandy or as fun as it used to be, but it is still a nice ride. There is a spot where the road makes a sharp left turn to the North and a private road continues straight. Just past that turn, the original road would veer off to the right but the new and well maintained road veers left. The old one is a faint track off into the woods and is now private. My maps don't show this change and if I try to make a GPS route through here, it blows up the route and tries to take me all over the place to get to the other side of the gap or break.
From the start of that really well maintained road, it is hard packed but loose gravel all the way up through a big lot neighborhood. Most of the lots look like they are marked as sold, but only a few have homes in various stages of construction. There are a lot of fun corners on this road. I have to stay focused because it is like riding on marbles. My front tire is giving all its got, but it is definitely the last ride for this one. It is giving up the rubber ghost and the knobs are cupped so bad they all look like they have a wild Elvis cow lick on the front of them. The new tires are already waiting in the garage.
As we head East on FM 1280 toward Lovelady, the clouds are finally starting to thin out and let the sun shine. It is also starting to get a little bit warm. At CR 3375 we turn North a short bit onto hard pack dirt. Maybe a half mile or so up the road we hang right onto CR3400 and run Northeast toward Hwy 19. Somewhere along the way the road goes back to pavement and becomes FM 231. Right before Hwy 19 we cut back West on CR 3395. This is a fun, narrow dirt road. It is bumpy and has a lot of tight corners. Right in one corner is a trailer home with trash out by the road and there are dogs messing with it. As I come upon it there are also some puppies running out toward me. I get on the brakes and flash them a couple of times in the hope of warning everyone else to check up and watch out.
At the end of 3395, we do a cool loop on CRs 3385, 3390, and 3370. CR 3390 is the best part of the loop. It is very narrow, just a two track dirt road that sees little traffic. There are only a few homes back up in here. There is another cool little bridge over a creek that makes for a nice place to stop. I have to peel off some layers and open ALL my vents. It is now in the mid 70s and I am getting a wee bit toasty! James rolls on past us and tries to pull over in the distance, I guess to turn around. The rest of us are hanging out, talking, shedding layers, and taking pics. About the time we start wondering what happened to James and begin to gear up and go find him, my phone rings.
It is James.
Apparently he could not find a good spot to turn around, so he went on ahead a bit and found a cool old cemetery with a LOT of very old graves. So we run up the road and join him. I love checking out old cemeteries. Life was tough back in the 1800s, as evidenced by the number of graves for babies and young children. Shortly after the Civil War, there was a Yellow Fever epidemic that swept through the area and it killed a lot of folks. Two of the graves are a brother and sister that were 10 or 11 years old. It is also not uncommon to see a husband's grave and then the graves of several wives and their babies. Many baby graves have last names only. My understanding is that they would wait a while to see if a baby would survive before they named it... Tough times indeed.
The end of CR 3370 drops us onto the beginning of FM 2110. We run this North toward Crockett about two miles and head East on CR 3365. We are heading toward Hwy 19, which we cross and then keep running East on CR 4030 to 4020. CR 4020 is a fun road that runs North/South between Lovelady and Crockett. I will sometimes run this when heading up to Crockett for BBQ at Mimsy's or lunch at the Moosehead Cafe on the town square, both good places to eat! Today it is just a quick dog leg down to the South to pick up CR 4035/4037 to 4025. CR 4025 is my preferred route to Crockett even though less direct. It used to be nothing more than an pasture access road that was hardly maintained at all. It had old wooden slat bridges across multiple creeks. They have all be replaced with new concrete bridges. The road is still fun, but it seems like every time I come down it lately it is wider, smoother, and slightly straighter... It can still get a bit spicy if the weather has been wet!
Right before CR 4025 bends North, we cut South on CR 4090 to CR 4160. James ought to be having flash backs about now. Some years back I was sitting at work looking out the windows at the DARK clouds and checking the radar. Out of nowhere I get a call from James. He's out in this area on his 1200 GS and is asking me where he is and how to get the heck out of there because things are getting real ugly for him! He's gone down in deep sand. He's alone. He can't get the bike going. I wasn't able to leave work to come to his aid because we were swamped with emergency work. I think he ended up calling for help and a local Sheriff's Deputy came to the rescue, helping him get the bike up and moving again so he could beat feet out of there!! I don't recall exactly which road it was, but like all of these, the sand was much much deeper and loose back then (maybe 7-8 years ago
).
We turn East on CR 4160 and the road starts sloping down into the woods. Nailed to a tree is one of those diamond shaped yellow warning signs that would typically say, "Road may flood". Apparently the locals decided that needed updating and they painted over the "may" and stenciled in, "IS GONA". Having been down this road right after some heavy rains, I would concur with that! Today it is mostly dry though. There is a lot of water on each side of the road. The mosquitos around here must get insane in a month or so...
A bit past the swampy section the road turns to sand. I have been through here when dry and it is a challenge on my big GS. My 701 is like riding a cheat code. It just floats through the sand almost effortlessly. I stop to grab a few pics and shoot a short video of James and William coming through. You might think if you see someone pointing a camera at you that you should ham it up! I don't know if it is because I am the ride leader or what, but everyone always seems to slow down or even stop whenever I do that. I wave my arm for them to keep going and they plod on by... BORING!
We soon hop on CR 4180, which is a fun road with lots of corners. It has some sandy patches, but nothing too bad. It drops us out onto CR 4200. This used to be one of my favorite sandy roads. It was a challenge on any kind of bike. In the dry season the ruts would be 8-10" deep or more and they would criss cross all over the place. It is still sandy, but there are patches where they have been putting gravel down. At the stop sign on the end of CR 4180, I take a pic trying to show the gravel. I know the locals probably appreciate the improvements, but the selfish side of me hates it. We have so few challenging places to ride in Texas because there is almost no public land compared to states out West. The forest roads we have in the various national forests are no different than a typical county road. Before long, I may have to move to Arkansas or maybe somewhere in the Rocky Mountains.
Anyway, we head East on CR 4200 toward Pennington for lunch. What sand remains is well packed. We make quick time over to US 287 and stop at the only gas station in town. They have a small grill in the back and I have been meaning to stop here for lunch for years. Today is finally that day. I am a grilled cheese connoisseur. In keeping with staying light while riding, this is my preferred meal for lunch. You would think it can't be that hard to make a decent grilled cheese sandwich, and it shouldn't be... Sadly, some people just don't get it. This time it is plain toast, no butter, and maybe one slice of Kraft "cheese like substance". The fries and the Dr. Pepper are good though and Brian said his burger was great, but that might be suspect as he ate it so fast I doubt he had time to taste it!!
We top off the bikes with gas. Brian has to split off and start the run back down to Sugarland on the Southwest side of Houston. So now it is just me, James, and William. We've knocked out about 115 miles so far and I think we have maybe another 75-80 miles to go. We head East out of town on FM 358 until we hit the border of the Davy Crockett NF. Here we turn North on Reese Rd. At Possum Walk Rd., we head South, hit FM 358 again and cut back West over to Antioch Church Rd.
This road is a work in progress. It starts out as broken pavement about a lane wide. Mid corner it turns to fine loose gravel. Then it turns into hard red clay, rutted up from people driving on it when it was muddy. Nothing to do here but pick a rut and ride it for all its worth. Climbing out of the rut would be a serious challenge at speed, at least for me. Sometimes ruts are my kryptonite... There has been a good bit of recent grader work in here just in the last month or so. It is still fun just because it is wooded and twisty. The Southern half has very few homes, and those that I see look old and abandoned. There are still a few rough sections, but those too will soon feel the scrape of the grader across them.
At FM 3154 we head South maybe a quarter mile and head West on FR 501. This has gotten a LOT of gravel put down on it in the last month or so. I am guessing they spread it but did not pack it at all. The center is high and soft, maybe 24 wide and up to 8-10" high relative to the packed ruts on each side that are about 18" wide. It still looks clean and fresh, very few leaves, pine needles, or mud on it. It is a fun but short run that brings us to US 287 again just West of Groveton.
We make another dog leg and pick up the South end of Groveton Flat Prairie Rd. This runs Northwest, crossing FM 1280 and eventually ending at FM 2781 just Southwest of Pennington. I like this road because it is wide and has fast sweepers with good visibility. I can have fun here and still have a margin of safety with respect to other vehicles, animals, etc,... It doesn't take long to get to the North end where we head West on FM 2781 to FM 1280. We run pavement all the way back into Lovelady and make a pit stop at the local gas station. It is so hot now I have to break down and get an ice cream sandwich! James and William are talking about needing to bail out and head for home, but I convince them to do the last dirt road of the day because it doesn't really add any distance compared to the boring highway between Lovelady and Trinty. This would be Trinlady Rd., a clever name... right!?
There is a short section of hard pack and BUMPY road that gets us over to the Union Pacific rail line. Once on the other side of that we are back to hard packed sand and lots of roost worthy corners! Find it on a map, just East of Hwy 19 between Trinity and Lovelady. LOTS of squiggles, wiggles and giggles. We quickly find our way down to Trinity. Here James and William head South on Hwy 19, which will get them to I-45 so they can head home. While we are sitting at the light in town a police escort bike pulls into the intersection ahead of us to block cross traffic and a HUGE tractor trailer rig made for carrying something exceptionally big rolls through. We get a lot of this kind of stuff coming through Huntsville because they can't always fit under the overpasses on I-45. I wave good bye to the guys as I get through the light and head West out of town on FM 230, back towards the way we started this morning.
After crossing back over the Trinity River, I stop at a nice spot on the side of the road and try to get a decent picture of the Red Bud trees that are blooming. It is very frustrating because the color of the trees just gets lost in the back ground unless I am right up on the branches even though to the eye they are very bright as I am riding down the road. After a few attempts I give up and head for the barn. A few minutes later and I roll into the driveway, a bit over 180 miles... Apparently I name my routes the same way motorcycle manufacturers name their bikes loosely based on the cc displacement of their engines
180 is close enough to 200.
It has been another fantastic day of riding, because of the spring time conditions and also because I got to share it with friends. Even better, no one had any issues. Now I need to get serious about changing some tires. I even recently got a sweet deal on a No Mar tire changing setup so no more getting down on my hands and knees in the garage. That was getting OLD... like me...
When I get out to ride, I often like to make the most of the day, so my routes might be 200-300 miles long. Not everyone wants to or is able to do that many miles, especially since the days are still a bit short because we haven't hit the time change yet. So in an effort to see if I can entice a few more people than usual to show up for one of my rides, I cut one of my routes short. The Lovelady Spaghetti Ball 250 route, so named because that is kind of what it looks like on the map, is around 240-250 miles. With the amount of dirt on it, it can take 7-8 hours to run. So this time I cut it short and called it the Lovelady Spaghetti Ball Kids Meal 200. It has a bit less dirt with a bit more of the faster paved stuff. Ideally, the time to run it should be closer to 6-7 hours.
I am also notorious for posting ride notices on very short notice, like Thursday or even Friday evening before the Saturday of the ride. I got wild and posted it Tuesday, or maybe Wednesday...? I forget.
Anyway, the weather looks to be partly cloudy and in the mid 70s. With the storms that came through last weekend, the normally deep and loose sand in many sections should be nice and packed. By Friday evening I have two confirmed attendees. I am good running solo, but it is also fun to run with a small group, preferably no more than 5-6 at most. It is always a gamble when you have never ridden with someone before... or you rode with them so long ago you can't remember having ridden with them. You know, "Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're going to get!" Rides can be that way sometimes.
I get to sleep late and wake up 15 minutes before the alarm. Then I hit the snooze just as matter of principle! Then I start wondering if I am dreaming and maybe I actually turned the alarm off and it is now 15 minutes past the meet up time!? Yeah, that kind of kicks the heart into gear and I roll out of bed in a jiffy, check the time, take a deep breath and turn off the alarm. A quick temp check shows that I will definitely be starting the day with all vents closed and a fleece sweatshirt under the jacket! A quick peek outside reveals a grey and gloomy day.
It is controlled burn season here for all the various National Forests in our area. So it has been a bit smoky of late. I can smell it as soon as I walk out the back door and head to the garage. There are also some serious fires up in North Texas and Oklahoma, and I think we are even getting some smoke from that because our weather fronts generally come from that direction. Even if the clouds break and the sun comes out, it will likely still be quite hazy.
I transfer all my tools, first aid kid, and other odds and ends from my 1200 GS to the bags on the Husky 701 Enduro. I am feeling the urge to ride a bit more "frisky" than I might want to do on the GS, especially given how worn out the tires are on it right now. I have also been having issues with the keyless gas cap lock release sticking, which keeps me from being able to fill the tank unless I bust out a Torx driver and remove part of the ring around the filler cap. I would love to have a chat with the engineer that thought that was a good idea on an adventure bike...
I gear up and head out about 8:30am. Our KSU time is 9:00am. This will give me time to grab a small Red Bull and Snickers. I don't do real breakfasts, especially before riding. I prefer to run "light"
When I roll into the parking lot there are already two riders here! Looks like we will have time for a bit of pre ride visiting while we wait to see if any surprise riders show up. Today we have William Rich on a Yamaha WR250R and BrianL (TWT username) on a Triumph 900. About the time we are gearing up to head out, another rider shows up, James Cain on his Aprilia Tuareg 660 Rallye. He's just in the nick of time. Another minute or two and we would have already been gone!So four riders for today. Cool. I am a little concerned about the tires on the Triumph if we get into any serious sand, but Brian isn't worried about it, so we'll see how it goes. We head out of town on FM 980 toward to the Trinity River. Our highway speed will be limited by the WR250R. To avoid William having to wring its neck, I will be attempting to keep the max speed at 65mph or less... mostly... where possible... Right. So I will happily wait for him at intersections
As we are heading out FM 980, I am seeing trees that got that memo about Spring. They are covered with those brand new soft fuzzy glowy green leaves, still kind of small. The Red Bud trees are in full bloom mode and are everywhere. Along FM 3478, they line one side of the road and extend back into the woods as far as I can see. There are little white flowers scattered in the ditches, contrasting with the dark green fresh grass. And then there are the bugs... the ones splattering on my windscreen and face shield. Still, there is just something about those first days of Spring that lifts my spirits. It reminds me that even when things look terrible and lifeless, it can always get better. We all need some of that right now in light of current world events...
After crossing the Trinity River, we hit FM 230 and run East to the start of Chalk Cemetery Road. This is where the first dirt of the day begins, nothing technical, a bit of sand, a few tight corners to drift, and some cool tree tunnels through a low lying swampy area. Brian is right behind me most of the time on his Triumph. IF the tires are an issue, it isn't obvious from where I am sitting. James comes third and William is running sweep for us. Fortunately, the bikes all have fairly bright headlights and/or auxiliary lights which makes it much easier for me to make sure I am not losing anyone.
We continue North on CR 3610. It is about a mile and a half to the next turn. This stretch used to be almost completely unmaintained. It could be either super muddy and messy or really deep and dry sand depending on the weather. Of late, the county has been messing with it. They have started grading it, which piles up the sand and can make things fun. But they have also been putting some gravel in there as well. They are in the process of building up the road bed for the eventual layers of BIG gravel. Still, for now there are usually two big main ruts through the sand with some fun sweeping corners. It has often been a great road to find out early on how people do in the sand. Today the sand is really well packed and as long as I stay in one of the ruts, the bike doesn't move around at all. So nothing to do here but spin up the rear for fun through the corners!
We keep heading North, zig zagging on various other short county roads until we come out onto FM 230 a few miles Southwest of Lovelady. CR 3534 is another of those "Tester" roads. The last time James rode through here with me, we stopped midway through it and he pulled along side and asked me to give him a refresher crash course in how to ride deep sand LOL! Today it looks like the refresher should be on how to ride through deep massive puddles! Usually, if it is wet, the entire road is wet, like the road becomes a creek. Like CR 3610, it has been getting some "love" from the county maintenance crews and that seems to be causing the water to collect. Once everyone is clear of the big puddles the rest of the run is not bad. It is currently in the big chunky gravel phase of "improvement".
Before hitting Lovelady, we turn West on CR 3525. I have loved this road for years. It has always had a lot of deep sand and lots of corners. It twists through the woods with trees right up to the edge of the road. There is a low area near a creek with a small bridge where I frequently stop when bringing a group through here. It is a great spot to talk to everyone and get a feeling for how they are feeling with the roads and pace thus far. As I pull up a mess load of Turkey Vultures come flying up from below the bridge and swarm their way up into the top of nearby trees. Believe me when I tell you that you NEVER want to hit a Turkey Vulture, on a bike or in a car/truck. They will do damage and the worst part will be the smell
It has to be experienced to be believed...After getting off the bike I peer over the side of the bridge down into the creek bed below. It looks like they were working over the remains of a skeleton from a good sized dog or maybe a deer. Fortunately for us, it is old and doesn't smell. This is also the time of year for serious road kill smells because lots of critters are on the move as the weather gets warmer and nicer. We take a few pics, and get back to riding. Everyone seems to be feeling good and enjoying the roads.
We make a loop on the West side of FM 3151, starting up near FM 1280 and coming out down near the intersection of FM 3151 and 230. If you look at a map, there is a spot in the middle where the road runs directly North/South in a straight line between CR 3450 and 3455. On either side of that the road is essentially hard packed gravel now. It used to all be part of a route I called the Sand Blaster 200. That last bit in the middle is still a bit of sand but also kind of muddy. All the other roads around it that might show as county roads on any map are all now private roads, including the part of 3455 just East of that section. They are now high dollar private game preserves with security cameras everywhere. I fully expect that more of this will eventually get closed and it will ruin a good loop that has a lot of fun twists and turns in combination with some quick elevation changes.
When we drop back out on FM 230 at the South end of the loop, we head about a mile down to FM 2915. This is just a nice winding paved road through woods and pastures. After a few fast sweepers there is a little sign, "Pavement Ends". Right at the top of a hill and in the middle of the corner, the pavement ends and it becomes loose gravel. If you know it is there, it is a fun transition where you can just roll through the corner on the gas straight into the gravel without missing a beat. If you don't know it is there... It might give your heart an impromptu stress test. The road changes from white gravel to East Texas red clay/gravel as it climbs to a hill top cemetery. Then it drops back down into a low area and transitions back to white gravel. We climb another hill and it changes again as the road cuts through the different layers. I think the white gravel is actually limestone. We have a LOT of that here in East Texas.
If we stuck to the main road, it would cut down through a low lying creek area prone to flooding and then on the other side if would climb out and become FM 3275, running over to Hwy 21. I sometimes go that way if I want to head back toward Centerville at I-45 for BBQ at Woody's BBQ. Today we cut North on CR 3485. My son originally found this road a few years back and dragged me down it. It too has been "improved" and is no longer as sandy or as fun as it used to be, but it is still a nice ride. There is a spot where the road makes a sharp left turn to the North and a private road continues straight. Just past that turn, the original road would veer off to the right but the new and well maintained road veers left. The old one is a faint track off into the woods and is now private. My maps don't show this change and if I try to make a GPS route through here, it blows up the route and tries to take me all over the place to get to the other side of the gap or break.
From the start of that really well maintained road, it is hard packed but loose gravel all the way up through a big lot neighborhood. Most of the lots look like they are marked as sold, but only a few have homes in various stages of construction. There are a lot of fun corners on this road. I have to stay focused because it is like riding on marbles. My front tire is giving all its got, but it is definitely the last ride for this one. It is giving up the rubber ghost and the knobs are cupped so bad they all look like they have a wild Elvis cow lick on the front of them. The new tires are already waiting in the garage.
As we head East on FM 1280 toward Lovelady, the clouds are finally starting to thin out and let the sun shine. It is also starting to get a little bit warm. At CR 3375 we turn North a short bit onto hard pack dirt. Maybe a half mile or so up the road we hang right onto CR3400 and run Northeast toward Hwy 19. Somewhere along the way the road goes back to pavement and becomes FM 231. Right before Hwy 19 we cut back West on CR 3395. This is a fun, narrow dirt road. It is bumpy and has a lot of tight corners. Right in one corner is a trailer home with trash out by the road and there are dogs messing with it. As I come upon it there are also some puppies running out toward me. I get on the brakes and flash them a couple of times in the hope of warning everyone else to check up and watch out.
At the end of 3395, we do a cool loop on CRs 3385, 3390, and 3370. CR 3390 is the best part of the loop. It is very narrow, just a two track dirt road that sees little traffic. There are only a few homes back up in here. There is another cool little bridge over a creek that makes for a nice place to stop. I have to peel off some layers and open ALL my vents. It is now in the mid 70s and I am getting a wee bit toasty! James rolls on past us and tries to pull over in the distance, I guess to turn around. The rest of us are hanging out, talking, shedding layers, and taking pics. About the time we start wondering what happened to James and begin to gear up and go find him, my phone rings.
It is James.
Apparently he could not find a good spot to turn around, so he went on ahead a bit and found a cool old cemetery with a LOT of very old graves. So we run up the road and join him. I love checking out old cemeteries. Life was tough back in the 1800s, as evidenced by the number of graves for babies and young children. Shortly after the Civil War, there was a Yellow Fever epidemic that swept through the area and it killed a lot of folks. Two of the graves are a brother and sister that were 10 or 11 years old. It is also not uncommon to see a husband's grave and then the graves of several wives and their babies. Many baby graves have last names only. My understanding is that they would wait a while to see if a baby would survive before they named it... Tough times indeed.
The end of CR 3370 drops us onto the beginning of FM 2110. We run this North toward Crockett about two miles and head East on CR 3365. We are heading toward Hwy 19, which we cross and then keep running East on CR 4030 to 4020. CR 4020 is a fun road that runs North/South between Lovelady and Crockett. I will sometimes run this when heading up to Crockett for BBQ at Mimsy's or lunch at the Moosehead Cafe on the town square, both good places to eat! Today it is just a quick dog leg down to the South to pick up CR 4035/4037 to 4025. CR 4025 is my preferred route to Crockett even though less direct. It used to be nothing more than an pasture access road that was hardly maintained at all. It had old wooden slat bridges across multiple creeks. They have all be replaced with new concrete bridges. The road is still fun, but it seems like every time I come down it lately it is wider, smoother, and slightly straighter... It can still get a bit spicy if the weather has been wet!
Right before CR 4025 bends North, we cut South on CR 4090 to CR 4160. James ought to be having flash backs about now. Some years back I was sitting at work looking out the windows at the DARK clouds and checking the radar. Out of nowhere I get a call from James. He's out in this area on his 1200 GS and is asking me where he is and how to get the heck out of there because things are getting real ugly for him! He's gone down in deep sand. He's alone. He can't get the bike going. I wasn't able to leave work to come to his aid because we were swamped with emergency work. I think he ended up calling for help and a local Sheriff's Deputy came to the rescue, helping him get the bike up and moving again so he could beat feet out of there!! I don't recall exactly which road it was, but like all of these, the sand was much much deeper and loose back then (maybe 7-8 years ago
).We turn East on CR 4160 and the road starts sloping down into the woods. Nailed to a tree is one of those diamond shaped yellow warning signs that would typically say, "Road may flood". Apparently the locals decided that needed updating and they painted over the "may" and stenciled in, "IS GONA". Having been down this road right after some heavy rains, I would concur with that! Today it is mostly dry though. There is a lot of water on each side of the road. The mosquitos around here must get insane in a month or so...
A bit past the swampy section the road turns to sand. I have been through here when dry and it is a challenge on my big GS. My 701 is like riding a cheat code. It just floats through the sand almost effortlessly. I stop to grab a few pics and shoot a short video of James and William coming through. You might think if you see someone pointing a camera at you that you should ham it up! I don't know if it is because I am the ride leader or what, but everyone always seems to slow down or even stop whenever I do that. I wave my arm for them to keep going and they plod on by... BORING!
We soon hop on CR 4180, which is a fun road with lots of corners. It has some sandy patches, but nothing too bad. It drops us out onto CR 4200. This used to be one of my favorite sandy roads. It was a challenge on any kind of bike. In the dry season the ruts would be 8-10" deep or more and they would criss cross all over the place. It is still sandy, but there are patches where they have been putting gravel down. At the stop sign on the end of CR 4180, I take a pic trying to show the gravel. I know the locals probably appreciate the improvements, but the selfish side of me hates it. We have so few challenging places to ride in Texas because there is almost no public land compared to states out West. The forest roads we have in the various national forests are no different than a typical county road. Before long, I may have to move to Arkansas or maybe somewhere in the Rocky Mountains.
Anyway, we head East on CR 4200 toward Pennington for lunch. What sand remains is well packed. We make quick time over to US 287 and stop at the only gas station in town. They have a small grill in the back and I have been meaning to stop here for lunch for years. Today is finally that day. I am a grilled cheese connoisseur. In keeping with staying light while riding, this is my preferred meal for lunch. You would think it can't be that hard to make a decent grilled cheese sandwich, and it shouldn't be... Sadly, some people just don't get it. This time it is plain toast, no butter, and maybe one slice of Kraft "cheese like substance". The fries and the Dr. Pepper are good though and Brian said his burger was great, but that might be suspect as he ate it so fast I doubt he had time to taste it!!
We top off the bikes with gas. Brian has to split off and start the run back down to Sugarland on the Southwest side of Houston. So now it is just me, James, and William. We've knocked out about 115 miles so far and I think we have maybe another 75-80 miles to go. We head East out of town on FM 358 until we hit the border of the Davy Crockett NF. Here we turn North on Reese Rd. At Possum Walk Rd., we head South, hit FM 358 again and cut back West over to Antioch Church Rd.
This road is a work in progress. It starts out as broken pavement about a lane wide. Mid corner it turns to fine loose gravel. Then it turns into hard red clay, rutted up from people driving on it when it was muddy. Nothing to do here but pick a rut and ride it for all its worth. Climbing out of the rut would be a serious challenge at speed, at least for me. Sometimes ruts are my kryptonite... There has been a good bit of recent grader work in here just in the last month or so. It is still fun just because it is wooded and twisty. The Southern half has very few homes, and those that I see look old and abandoned. There are still a few rough sections, but those too will soon feel the scrape of the grader across them.
At FM 3154 we head South maybe a quarter mile and head West on FR 501. This has gotten a LOT of gravel put down on it in the last month or so. I am guessing they spread it but did not pack it at all. The center is high and soft, maybe 24 wide and up to 8-10" high relative to the packed ruts on each side that are about 18" wide. It still looks clean and fresh, very few leaves, pine needles, or mud on it. It is a fun but short run that brings us to US 287 again just West of Groveton.
We make another dog leg and pick up the South end of Groveton Flat Prairie Rd. This runs Northwest, crossing FM 1280 and eventually ending at FM 2781 just Southwest of Pennington. I like this road because it is wide and has fast sweepers with good visibility. I can have fun here and still have a margin of safety with respect to other vehicles, animals, etc,... It doesn't take long to get to the North end where we head West on FM 2781 to FM 1280. We run pavement all the way back into Lovelady and make a pit stop at the local gas station. It is so hot now I have to break down and get an ice cream sandwich! James and William are talking about needing to bail out and head for home, but I convince them to do the last dirt road of the day because it doesn't really add any distance compared to the boring highway between Lovelady and Trinty. This would be Trinlady Rd., a clever name... right!?
There is a short section of hard pack and BUMPY road that gets us over to the Union Pacific rail line. Once on the other side of that we are back to hard packed sand and lots of roost worthy corners! Find it on a map, just East of Hwy 19 between Trinity and Lovelady. LOTS of squiggles, wiggles and giggles. We quickly find our way down to Trinity. Here James and William head South on Hwy 19, which will get them to I-45 so they can head home. While we are sitting at the light in town a police escort bike pulls into the intersection ahead of us to block cross traffic and a HUGE tractor trailer rig made for carrying something exceptionally big rolls through. We get a lot of this kind of stuff coming through Huntsville because they can't always fit under the overpasses on I-45. I wave good bye to the guys as I get through the light and head West out of town on FM 230, back towards the way we started this morning.
After crossing back over the Trinity River, I stop at a nice spot on the side of the road and try to get a decent picture of the Red Bud trees that are blooming. It is very frustrating because the color of the trees just gets lost in the back ground unless I am right up on the branches even though to the eye they are very bright as I am riding down the road. After a few attempts I give up and head for the barn. A few minutes later and I roll into the driveway, a bit over 180 miles... Apparently I name my routes the same way motorcycle manufacturers name their bikes loosely based on the cc displacement of their engines
180 is close enough to 200.It has been another fantastic day of riding, because of the spring time conditions and also because I got to share it with friends. Even better, no one had any issues. Now I need to get serious about changing some tires. I even recently got a sweet deal on a No Mar tire changing setup so no more getting down on my hands and knees in the garage. That was getting OLD... like me...
