[ride reports] [photo album this trip]
Texas Hill Country
Twisty Texas Tour
December 26-30, 2003Highlights
Intro
On December 26th by 7:15 AM, the three of us we were on our way to Texas. There was no snow on the ground between Illinois and Texas, so towing three bikes was a breeze. The three of us took turns driving and after 21 hours and 1290 miles, we arrived in Kerrville, Texas around 4:00 AM the next day. We were a bit behind schedule. Some construction in Austin delayed us a bit when we couldn't find the connecting road, then we had to go out of the way to get gas since some of the gas stations were closed at that hour. We set up base in Kerrville, Texas, at the Days Inn. Kerrville is one of the bigger towns in the area. This assured us a variety of good restaurants to visit for dinner. Located in the Hill Country, we didn't need to commute to the good roads, they were right there. I had researched the area in depth for over a month prior to the trip and had planned out the exact route for each day including lunch stops, gas stops and additional sight seeing. This area is abundant with good roads, but most of the smaller towns have no restaurants or gas stations, so it was necessary to plan out each day in detail to make sure we had available gas and food when we needed it. Also, with winter hours we had less daylight, which meant less hours to ride. We needed to stay on schedule in order to avoid riding after dark.
Day 1
Temperature low: 62
Temperature high: 71
Mileage: 220
Hours Riding: 11AM to 7:30PM
Bike problems: 954RR
Lunch: Frio Canyon Restaurant, Leakey
Dinner: Acapulco Restaurant, Kerrville
After just a few hours of sleep we got up for our first day of riding. The temperatures were well in the 60's that morning with a cloudy sky and the high for the day was supposed to reach 71 degrees. The bikes got there all in one piece, but unfortunately in the process of unloading the bikes from the trailer, my 954RR hit the trailer wall when to everyone’s surprise the kickstand wasn’t completely down. There was very little damage, just a small crack near the windscreen where the plastic hit the folded mirror against the wall. As if that was not enough, just a few hours later, I dumped my bike as I was trying to get the kickstand down on the shoulder of the road. I was standing still and somehow as my left foot was pushing down the kickstand, I lost footing on the gravel under my right foot. This was the first time that this has ever happened to me since I started riding 5 years ago. I’m going to have to blame this one on lack of sleep and the hard rubber soles on my Sidi boots. The bike went down gently. Since I had my saddlebags on, they saved my rear end and the frame sliders saved my front end. The alternator cover got scratched. As we rode south from Kerrville on 173 toward Bandera, the clouds were thick, and we got sprinkled on with rain for just a few minutes. First thing I noticed, was that this two-lane road had a posted speed limit of 70mph. Back in Illinois all the roads have a speed limit of 55mph, only the interstate and major highways are posted at 65mph…. I think I’m going to like this.
The next road we took was 470 West. With many panoramic views from top of the hills and some tight and some medium turns, this was a good road to start on. Then 187 North to 337 West. Within a few minutes, we were looking at this road directly in front of us as it climbed way up over the hill. This road resembled a steep mountain road, with guard rails on the one side and a cliff with blind turns on the other. The turns were tight, some posted at 10mph. In Leaky, we were ready to have some lunch. My first choice of restaurant Toad’s Road Kill Café was out of business, so we went across the street to Frio Canyon Restaurant. This place was filled with hunters on this sunny afternoon. After lunch we hit 336 North, which was under construction in many places and the pavement wasn’t as nice as on the other roads. Then 41 west and we were on 335 South. Climbing up high, then descending rapidly over and over. What a roller coaster ride. Then a little later the road started to wind back and forth with some really nice turns posted at 40-45mph. The view from this road was also spectacular. This ended up being my favorite road on this trip. Some of the ranches near Camp Wood have exotic animals. We saw kangaroos, giraffes and other exotic creatures, which we couldn’t identify by name. In Camp Wood we turned on another portion of 337, which traveled to Leakey. There were a couple spots, were they were building some bridges and we had to travel on a one lane gravel section, but that was not too bad and the rest of the road was just marvelous. Elevation changes, tight turns, wider turns, some sweepers. This road had it all.
In Leakey, we followed 83 North, which was another two-lane highway. We stopped at the scenic overlook to change out our tinted shields on our helmets, to clear ones. It was starting to get dark already and we still had a ways to go before we reached Kerrville. We turned on 39 East, another scenic road, which we ended up not seeing too much off because it got completely dark. The deer were out now, so we decreased our speed. Most were on the side of the road, but some of them were startled by us as they were crossing the road. My closest call was with a goat, which got startled by a passing car and didn’t know which way it wanted to go. It jumped around a bit but finally headed away from the road. We didn't plan on riding at night because of deer. The night was warm and in the 60's and after a good Mexican meal at the Acapulco restaurant, we walked over to the center of the town to check out their Christmas decorations.
Day 2
Temperature low: 50
Temperature high: 57
Mileage: 260
Hours Riding: 8:45AM to 6PM
Bike problems: Daytona and TT
Lunch: Vaquero's Ranch House, Rocksprings
Dinner: Mamacitas, KerrvilleIt had rained in Kerrville overnight and there was some rain still lingering around San Antonio. It was cloudy but the forecast was calling for sunny skies and a high of 57 around noon. We headed out on 27 West and within 10 minutes encountered rain and had to pull over. Since the skies looked clearer in the other direction, we decided to run our route backwards to avoid the rain. It turned out that this was a good decision because a few minutes later the rain was gone and it was clear sailing on 16 South to Medina. 16 so far had the tightest turns on it. The pavement was still damp so we took it easy.
From Medina we took 337 to Vanderpool. This section of 337 was so much different form the other two which we were on yesterday. This section started out somewhat straight, but then we started climbing some hills and hitting some great sweepers which traveled though the cut rock. The next section of 337 we already did yesterday, confident knowing the road, we took it a bit quicker this time. Then the last section of 337 which we traveled West to East yesterday, now we were traveling the opposite direction. It seemed harder for me. The blind turns were to the right and the cliff rocks and shrubbery were sticking out in the road. I definitely like to ride this portion of the road in the other direction. We stopped in Camp Wood and Dave's Daytona failed to start. Within minutes Dave isolated a loose wire that led to the battery and we were on our way. Up to Rocksprings, we encountered an unusual road called 55. It was a highway with occasional passing lanes, no traffic what so ever. Plenty of run-off space on the shoulder. After riding narrow roads, this was a nice surprise. With the speed limit of 70mph and turns posted at 45mph - 55mph, we could easily double the corner speeds.
In Rocksprings we stopped for lunch at the Vaquero's Ranch House. Outside seating was available. Even though the high temperature for the day was supposed to be 57, with the warm sun, it felt more like in the lower 60’s. After checking out the menu, all of us ordered the original "tortilla burger". It was delicious! From Rocksprings we took 377 to 41 and we were again on 335, my favorite road. This time we pulled over to check out the kangaroos. That was the first time we noticed Brian's tire. It didn't look good. The steel belts were showing in parts and the rubber completely gone. It must be these roads. My Michelin's only had 2000 miles on them and were looking fine, Dave's Dunlop’s were wearing away quickly but Brian's Pirelli's were done with only 6000 miles on them. We only had another 80-90 miles to go so we decided to keep going. Today was Sunday, so we couldn't do much anyway but tomorrow Brian had to get a new tire somewhere. With some hesitation we continued on at our normal pace. Again we took 337 to 83 to 39. This time though we got to see 39 in daylight. This road is very scenic, and has a variety of tight turns and medium turns. As we got closer to Kerrville, the sun was hanging low over the horizon and it’s reflection could be seen in the rivers and streams crossing the road, which made the water look gold. Our last stop was at Stonehenge II, a replica, which is the same size but only half as high as the original in England. There are also two replicas of Easter Island statues there.
We made it Back to the motel right before sunset. We had dinner at Mamacita's, which is another Mexican restaurant in Kerrville. This place was even better than the one last night. It was pretty busy too. There was a tortilla machine near the bar, which amused us while we waited for our table. This place not only gave you chips and salsa, but also a neon green guacamole dip…apparently the lime creates that color, so we were told. After dinner we went to drive by the only motorcycle dealership in town for a closer look. Reading the sign on the window told us that it was closed on Mondays. Crap, what luck. The only other place that might have a tire for the TT was a HD/Buell dealership 45 minutes away by interstate.
Day 3
Temperature low: 27
Temperature high: 59
Mileage: 260
Hours Riding: 9:45AM to 6:30PM
Lunch: Mama Chole's, Leakey
Dinner: Cowboy Steak House, KerrvilleBrian loaded the bike on to the trailer early in the morning and was going to be at the HD/Buell dealership as they opened their doors this morning then Dave and I were going to meet him somewhere nearby. At 8:45AM I get a phone call from him, telling me that the dealer is closed for inventory. They told him to go 15 minutes south on the interstate to San Antonio to another dealer, which should be open. This place was KC International, a Ducati, MV Agusta, Moto Guzzi, Aprilia, Cogiva, Vespa dealer. They had a Pirelli Diablo in stock and by the time Dave and I pulled up to the gates, Brian's bike was ready to go. We went inside to drool over the bikes. This dealership looked awesome, inside and outside. I was impressed. After looking around we headed out leaving the truck and trailer here. We would come back here to load the bikes tonight since this was our last day riding anyway.
The third day's route actually took us north toward Austin, but since we were in San Antonio we just headed out toward Bandera. There were still a couple of roads we didn't ride yet and some that we wanted to ride again. From I-10 we headed West on 46 to 16. Then 470 again to 187 and this time we would go West on 1050, then to 83 North to Leakey. 1050 didn’t impress me, the turns looked tighter then they really were and the road was very bumpy. The temperatures were brisk this morning with only 27 degrees for the overnight hi. It was only 40 degrees when we left to meet up with Brian but it didn't feel that cold to me. It was sunny and clear, by 11 am it was warm, felt like 65 degrees and by lunchtime we stopped at Mama Chole's Mexican Restaurant in Leaky and ate outside again. Also had a few minutes to check out the Frio Canyon Motorcycle stop.
After lunch we split up. Brian wanted to ride 55 again, Dave and I were going to hit 16, then we had to get our bikes loaded on the trailer before KC International closed their gates at 7PM. 337 eastbound from Leaky to Vanderpool was a lot harder of a ride, That road is pretty steep but you don’t realize how steep until you have to ride downhill. Then 337 to Medina and 16 North. WOW! 16 was already not one of my favorite roads on this trip because of the two super tight sections, but it seemed so much harder going North on it, where the tight sections were uphill. So I finally decided, South on 16 is OK, but I will avoid going North in the future. The rest of the road is so sweet with so many nice turns. After running the road two times, we headed South on 16. The section of 16 between Medina and Bandera is pretty cool, high-speed sweepers and big turns that go on and on. Back on 46 to I-10 towards San Antonio. By the time we pulled over at the dealership it was very cold and the sun had gone down. It was going to be a low of 25 degrees tonight and the temperature was dropping fast. After the bikes were loaded up we had our last dinner in town at the Cowboy Steak House. What a cool place, the décor inside was awesome and very Texas. An open area, which housed a grill, which you could see from your table and many smaller rooms with tables, wine racks on the walls and a lot of wood. The guys ordered buffalo and quail, I had shrimp. The local beer, Shiner Bock, was served in cowboy boot shaped mugs. It was one of the better beers I’ve had in a long time. Dark in color but smooth, not bitter.
The next morning we packed and were on our way by 8:30AM. 19.5 hours later we were home. To our surprise, we had better gas mileage going back home. This trip was just amazing, the roads were awesome, people were nice and friendly, weather was good, food was good….and just to be riding at the end of December is wonderful thing. I'm sure I'll be back to ride those roads again.