Sam Houston NF, Karolyi and a counterfeit Brit

[LeloTX]

Beautiful weather today made it impossible to not ride (I'll have to ask my newest favorite bartender if that's good English or not).

I started in Cleveland and headed nw into the Sam Houston NF on a route I plotted last night thanks to an atlas of Texas roads that I *highly* recommend:
[ame="http://www.amazon.com/Roads-Texas-Kappa-Map-Group/dp/0762585129"]Roads of Texas : Highway Atlas: Kappa Map Group: 9780762585120: Amazon.com: Books[/ame]

Even cattleguards are plotted on the maps. 170 pages of very detailed roads of all categories. I used this in conjunction with BaseCamp, but BC is frustrating in that, to see the smaller dirt roads, you have to be zoomed in so much that only a short distance is viewable on the screen at any one time.

Anyway, backroads and beautiful scenery from Cleveland to Phelps. I knew Bela Karolyi's training camp was somewhere around - now I know exactly where. Bela defected to the US in 1981 and was the coach of Nadia Comaneci, Mary Lou Retton and other notable Olympians.

On the way back to Cleveland, I stopped at Backwoods Tavern and was the only customer there. The bartender, Ashley, was quite a hoot. Never been out of Texas but loves to goof on people by speaking with a very passable English accent. After two beers, it sounded even better. She's a fun gal, full of spirit.

Lots of roads like this:

A helicopter on the side of the road, just because:

Gymnasts ahead:

Thanks for the beers and the laughs, love:

 

[Tourmeister]

...but BC is frustrating in that, to see the smaller dirt roads, you have to be zoomed in so much that only a short distance is viewable on the screen at any one time.

I TOTALLY feel your pain!! This has been my biggest gripe forever. I want to see a BIG area but still be able to see all the little roads. It makes it MUCH easier to figure out where I want to be going if I don't already have a route that I created on the PC at home. I wish there was a setting that would let you adjust at which zoom level the small roads appeared/disappeared. It would also be nice if there was a setting that let you pick the colors of the various kinds of roads. Very often those little roads are so close in color to the background color I can't see them very well. I need more contrast!

There are some real fun roads in the area North of Hwy 150. Check out the attached GPX file. That stretch between FM 946 and Hwy 156 can be nasty if wet.

 

[SpiritAtBay]

I used to deliver to Bela's camp. Bumping down those roads in a W700 fedex truck....the first time i thought I'd never find it.

Thanks for the memory

 

[woodsguy]

If it's wet, this is an understatement, probably not passable, even on plated dirtbikes! lol It's part of my afternoon loop when I'm bored!


"There are some real fun roads in the area North of Hwy 150. Check out the attached GPX file. That stretch between FM 946 and Hwy 156 can be nasty if wet. "

 

[woodsguy]

I used to deliver to Bela's camp. Bumping down those roads in a W700 fedex truck....the first time i thought I'd never find it.

Thanks for the memory

You use to work in this area? I retired from Frito after 38 years, might have seen you a time or 2!

 

[woodsguy]

LeloTx, where is the copter? Thanks

 

[LeloTX]

It was at the intersection of 945 and 150. A view of its innards:

 

[mattc]

Cool. You were not far at all from where I used to live, and where the in laws are. Used to pass that helicopter twice a day.

 

[SpiritAtBay]

You use to work in this area? I retired from Frito after 38 years, might have seen you a time or 2!

Yep, might've. Mostly i was west of the interstate and north of town.