J.D.
04-23-2008, 01:06 AM
Ride report, Texas Hill Country Ride
Wednesday afternoon, the 16th, I rode from Houston to Kerrville by way of I-10 and TX27 to get in Wednesday evening about 9. Visited with my brother and his family a bit, before heading for bed to get ready for the next couple days. 279 miles
Thursday, BEVA Mike and Diamond Dave Diamond arrived in Kerrville about 12:30, so we rode over Medina Mountain (the Hill) to Koyote Ranch for lunch, then back to the house for a nap. Left a bit after 4:00 for Fredericksburg, where we met up with several other VROCers at the Sunday House, and with Niterider off the VN750.com forum. Ate dinner across the street at Jade Island, then back across the street to visit some more.
We went back to Kerrville over the Old Center Point Rd.; got kinda interesting dodgin' the forest rats, as it was getting dark early with cloud cover moving in. Only ~75 miles that day.
I took the three other 750s over the Twisted Sisters (FM335, FM336, and FM337) on Friday (rode my brother's '07 Nomad; he weren't using it!) after breakfast at Denny's in Kerrville, and did the Lone Star Motorcycle Museum while we were at it. The dust on 337 in the 4 miles or so of construction just outside Leakey wasn't really that bad, just a PITA watching out for the gravel strips. Detoured over to Rocksprings via TX41 and US377 between riding 336 and 335, for lunch at the Angora Inn. Dinner that evening at the Lakehouse in Kerrville, where Mike had the All-you-can-eat seafood, I had a mini-shrimp dinner, and Dave had a salad. Niterider was still full from lunch. Route was TX16S to FM337W to Vanderpool and the museum, then onward on FM337 to Leakey; FM335 from just north of Leakey to TX41W to US377S to Rocksprings. After lunch, US377N to TX41E to FM335S to TX55S into Camp Wood, where, after fueling up, we took the other end of FM337 back over to Leakey, then 337 and 16 back to Kerrville. 284 miles
Saturday, I took the 750s and a Nomad with a Voyager kit over the back way out of Kerrville thru Harper and Doss on FM783 to US87, then FM152 to Llano, then up both sides of Lake Buchanan, back over to Park Rd. 4, and from there down FM2342 to Kingsland and a late lunch at Spyke's BBQ. From there over to Round Mountain via FM2900, FM2342, US71, and FM962, then cut off US281 thru Sandy on FM1323 to FM1320 and FM2721 to Stonewall, where we ran US290 back towards Fredericksburg, and over to Luckenbach off 290 on FM1376 for the memorial brick dedication for Don Arden, known as X, a DFW VROCer (VROC #111) that was killed on his VN2000 a couple weeks ago. Very fitting, as it turned out X was the one that started the memorial brick tradition at Luckenbach, and he was a helluva great guy. Back to Kerrville just before dark, via US290 and TX16. Fun part that day was dodging the deer carcasses and buzzards on 783 and 152, and the loose cattle on 152; the road runs thru working ranches, but the cattleguards aren't bad, like they are on FM336, and we didn't seem to faze the cattle one bit as we passed by, sometimes within a few feet. Everyone was still full from the late lunch, so we skipped dinner. Mike and Dave headed out to get in some miles before taking a break, as they had a long ways to go to get back to LA and MS the next day. 309 miles
Niterider left Sunday morning around 9 or so, to head back to Roby just the other side of Abilene. Read here on the VN750 forum he stopped in at a rally up in Sweetwater and ran into another VN750 rider from Spur. I went to Biker Church at Thunder in the Hills, and my brother and his wife and I had lunch at Schlotsky's, then took a long nap. My brother Skeeter got back from Abilene late Saturday night, and couldn't be in town for the Ride, so Sunday evening he and I rode back up 783 to Harper, over to Mason on FM385 and FM1871, back down US87 to FM783 thru Doss and Harper back to Kerrville, dodging buzzards and forest rats again. Back in just after dark. ~170 miles
I finally got tired of trying to wait out the light rain Monday morning, and left at noon, arriving back home at 5:15. 275 miles
By the time I got back to Houston Monday evening, I had 590 miles on Skeeter's Nomad, and 802 on my 750; not a bad weekend at all. Having grown up in Kerrville, I coulda spent another two days there, and not hit the same road twice other than to get to another one I hadn't ridden in a while. The weeds in the back yard here were calling my name _very_ loudly, tho, so I came back earlier than I'd planned.
I have to thank my brother Skeeter and his wife, Laurie, for putting up with us, and putting us up. Niterider and I stayed at their house, and Mike and Dave slept in Dave's bus, parked in Skeeter's yard. I'm hoping they can break loose for the VROC Reunion this year, and Skeeter will be going to Oregon with some of us here in July.
Wish we could've gotten a few more 750s up there, but maybe next year!
Jim
Wednesday afternoon, the 16th, I rode from Houston to Kerrville by way of I-10 and TX27 to get in Wednesday evening about 9. Visited with my brother and his family a bit, before heading for bed to get ready for the next couple days. 279 miles
Thursday, BEVA Mike and Diamond Dave Diamond arrived in Kerrville about 12:30, so we rode over Medina Mountain (the Hill) to Koyote Ranch for lunch, then back to the house for a nap. Left a bit after 4:00 for Fredericksburg, where we met up with several other VROCers at the Sunday House, and with Niterider off the VN750.com forum. Ate dinner across the street at Jade Island, then back across the street to visit some more.
We went back to Kerrville over the Old Center Point Rd.; got kinda interesting dodgin' the forest rats, as it was getting dark early with cloud cover moving in. Only ~75 miles that day.
I took the three other 750s over the Twisted Sisters (FM335, FM336, and FM337) on Friday (rode my brother's '07 Nomad; he weren't using it!) after breakfast at Denny's in Kerrville, and did the Lone Star Motorcycle Museum while we were at it. The dust on 337 in the 4 miles or so of construction just outside Leakey wasn't really that bad, just a PITA watching out for the gravel strips. Detoured over to Rocksprings via TX41 and US377 between riding 336 and 335, for lunch at the Angora Inn. Dinner that evening at the Lakehouse in Kerrville, where Mike had the All-you-can-eat seafood, I had a mini-shrimp dinner, and Dave had a salad. Niterider was still full from lunch. Route was TX16S to FM337W to Vanderpool and the museum, then onward on FM337 to Leakey; FM335 from just north of Leakey to TX41W to US377S to Rocksprings. After lunch, US377N to TX41E to FM335S to TX55S into Camp Wood, where, after fueling up, we took the other end of FM337 back over to Leakey, then 337 and 16 back to Kerrville. 284 miles
Saturday, I took the 750s and a Nomad with a Voyager kit over the back way out of Kerrville thru Harper and Doss on FM783 to US87, then FM152 to Llano, then up both sides of Lake Buchanan, back over to Park Rd. 4, and from there down FM2342 to Kingsland and a late lunch at Spyke's BBQ. From there over to Round Mountain via FM2900, FM2342, US71, and FM962, then cut off US281 thru Sandy on FM1323 to FM1320 and FM2721 to Stonewall, where we ran US290 back towards Fredericksburg, and over to Luckenbach off 290 on FM1376 for the memorial brick dedication for Don Arden, known as X, a DFW VROCer (VROC #111) that was killed on his VN2000 a couple weeks ago. Very fitting, as it turned out X was the one that started the memorial brick tradition at Luckenbach, and he was a helluva great guy. Back to Kerrville just before dark, via US290 and TX16. Fun part that day was dodging the deer carcasses and buzzards on 783 and 152, and the loose cattle on 152; the road runs thru working ranches, but the cattleguards aren't bad, like they are on FM336, and we didn't seem to faze the cattle one bit as we passed by, sometimes within a few feet. Everyone was still full from the late lunch, so we skipped dinner. Mike and Dave headed out to get in some miles before taking a break, as they had a long ways to go to get back to LA and MS the next day. 309 miles
Niterider left Sunday morning around 9 or so, to head back to Roby just the other side of Abilene. Read here on the VN750 forum he stopped in at a rally up in Sweetwater and ran into another VN750 rider from Spur. I went to Biker Church at Thunder in the Hills, and my brother and his wife and I had lunch at Schlotsky's, then took a long nap. My brother Skeeter got back from Abilene late Saturday night, and couldn't be in town for the Ride, so Sunday evening he and I rode back up 783 to Harper, over to Mason on FM385 and FM1871, back down US87 to FM783 thru Doss and Harper back to Kerrville, dodging buzzards and forest rats again. Back in just after dark. ~170 miles
I finally got tired of trying to wait out the light rain Monday morning, and left at noon, arriving back home at 5:15. 275 miles
By the time I got back to Houston Monday evening, I had 590 miles on Skeeter's Nomad, and 802 on my 750; not a bad weekend at all. Having grown up in Kerrville, I coulda spent another two days there, and not hit the same road twice other than to get to another one I hadn't ridden in a while. The weeds in the back yard here were calling my name _very_ loudly, tho, so I came back earlier than I'd planned.
I have to thank my brother Skeeter and his wife, Laurie, for putting up with us, and putting us up. Niterider and I stayed at their house, and Mike and Dave slept in Dave's bus, parked in Skeeter's yard. I'm hoping they can break loose for the VROC Reunion this year, and Skeeter will be going to Oregon with some of us here in July.
Wish we could've gotten a few more 750s up there, but maybe next year!
Jim