Texas Hill Country (Austin Ride Report)
Posted 00:01 PST Tue Apr 23, 2002 in
Motorcycling
I prepared for my ride down to Austin on Sunday. I like my morning time to be uncluttered with rushing so I puttered around the computer, made a blog entry, and read and wrote some email. It didn’t take long to get packed up and load the bike. I prepared Jezebel on Saturday and was ready for the ride. Oh how I love new tires. The bike always feels so responsive to steering inputs when the tires are round (instead of having a flat spot from riding too much in a straight line).
I told my wife and boys goodbye, mounted up, and headed out about 1000. I dropped by the Phillip’s 66 station, refueled, and checked the air in my tires. (That’s a must-do with freshly mounted tires!) I headed southeast on US 84, my usual route out of town when heading for Austin/San Antonio/Houston. It was cool and I was glad to be wearing my riding gear. The sky was clear and blue as only west Texas skies can be. Traffic was light and moving right along. It didn’t take me long to go off in a reverie as I thought about what I’d be working on. I anticipated the ride through the hill country. Texas is just beautiful in the spring.
I stopped in Sweetwater to refuel. As I pulled into the Texaco station, I noticed a black man paddle-walking a big Harely cruiser. I refueled, then pulled over to the side to remove my overpants (I was getting warm). We nodded in acknowledgement as I climbed off my bike. “It isn’t getting enough fuel” he complained, “I just had it serviced, but something is wrong. They’re on their way to fix it or pick me up.”
“Where from?” I asked.
“Abilene.”
“That’s not too bad! I thought it might be Austin or Dallas.” We chuckled.
“I’m going to get something to eat, man” he said, locking the machine, “I guess it will be alright parked here.” I sure understand the concern. My K-100RS, Gracie, was knocked over and nearly totalled in a parking lot.
“I think so; there’s a lot of traffic.” I replied. He walked off about the time a big man with a big salt-and-pepper beard, a long ponytail, rode up and parked his Electraglide, after refueling. His wife walked over with a couple of bottles of water. They were returning from three weeks on their bike and had been to Phoenix bike week. (Which explained why I was seeing so many bikes traveling on a Sunday afternoon.) He and his wife have been traveling by motorcycle for over 20 years. That is just cool.
We wandered over by the Schlotsky’s where an old woody was parked. It was a beautiful Chrysler Town and Country, not a museum piece, but a driver in very good condition. I had to have a couple of images for the record. The other riders headed into Schlotskys to buy food as I prepared to continue my journey south. Oh yeah, Jezebel was getting about 48 miles per gallon, much improved from my last expedition. I had removed my lowers (air deflectors for cool weather) now that it’s much warmer. They apparently cause quite a bit of drag.
I headed south on SH 70, one of my favorite Texas roads. I turned east on FM 153 and headed for Winters. I decided to deviate from my normal route and ride to Santa Anna, then wander down through the farm-market roads. In Santa Anna, I stopped at the DQ for a blizzard and some water. I needed a break and a snack. Sadly, I rode past Miss Kitty’s Steakhouse in Santa Anna, which is now closed. It’s too bad that the place didn’t make it. I turned south on FM 1176 and wandered my way out of town into the countryside.
The barditches were full of grass that was so green it nearly hurt. The road, while narrow and with no paved shoulders, was in good condition and there was no traffic. I wasn’t riding hard, but the high-speed sweepers were a joy and the 35-45mph curves were just fun. The big bike has a lot of ground clearance and will lean way over. If the road is clear, it’s easily possible to double the rated speed. There is something about the way the bike’s dynamics work in the corners that is pleasing. The suspension compresses and the interaction of torque from the engine and the centripetal force from the curve makes the bike feel like it’s digging into the pavement. It’s a cool feeling and I like it.
I turned more southerly on FM 586 and continued my wandering. I began to see more wildflowers in the fields and ditches. Texas bluebonnets were blooming and just gorgeous. (There is a ton of information at The Wildflower Center.) I made a short jog northeast on US 377, then turned back toward the east on FM 586 to SH 45. I made my way past the turnoff to Regency (a ghost town) and the Regency suspension bridge. When I reached US 190, it was time to head into Austin to get settled down for the evening. I rode to US 183, turned southeast toward Austin, then jogged over SH 29 to Georgetown, picked up IH 35, and headed into town.
Monday and Tuesday were spent working with my colleague at the USGS office in Austin. We generated three programs for use on our research projects and made good progress. It was a worthwhile trip.
I had a bit of time Tuesday morning while Will was at school, so I made a lazy morning of it. I sat at the Denny’s, listening to Helga interact with her regular customers and her colleagues. A group of three, two black men and a white woman, sat down at the counter next to me. Their banter with each other and with Helga was amusing. The man nearest me stuck out his hand and said “Hi, I’m David.”
“That will make it easy… My name is David, too!” and we laughed at the coincidence.
After more visiting, I paid my bill and headed for the Austin BMW dealer, Lone Star BMW. The dust cover for the telelever suspension bearing on the right side had popped off sometime during the trip down. It was a little rainy and my lower legs got wet, but it wasn’t really unpleasant on a warm spring day. Fortunately, the shop had the part. The counter clerk asked “Would you like a free helmet polish?”
I laughed “It’s awfully dirty!”
“I know,” he remarked, “but that’s OK.”
“Sure!” I handed him my helmet. He popped off the faceshield and started working on it.
“Did you see that yellow Roadster?”
“No.”
“It’s a wild color scheme… like a Yamaha… Go have a look while I finish this up.”
I wandered over to the machines parked in neat rows on the floor. Triumphs and BMWs… nice machines. The color scheme of the Roadster wasn’t all that loud, but certainly a bit brighter than the usual conservative BMW colors. Those Germans are pretty smart and are learning how to compete in a market dominated by the Japanese manufacturers.
I finished lusting after bikes, retrieved my helmet, and walked out into the lot to head for my meeting. I put the cover on the bike, donned my helmet and jacket, and threw my leg over my Roadster’s back. We headed off to the USGS offices. The afternoon was an intense work on the programs we need to get the research done. It was very intense, but very profitable. By the end of the day, I was exhausted. It was a great feeling. I bought some supper and crashed in my room. Wife called about 2200 and woke me up from my doze. We visited, said our goodnights, and I dropped off to sleep.
Wednesday morning dawned cool and misty. The humidity in Austin this time of year is nearly 100% in the morning. After my shower and a dose of news, I headed back to the Denny’s for some breakfast. (I can eat breakfast anytime!) Helga was working so I sat down at the counter. She is a sturdy woman, proabaly mid to late 50-something, gray hair. Her head is cocked permanently to her right, maybe as a result of an accident, I don’t know. But, it gives her a distinct appearance. She brought coffee and water (she remembered already!) and took my order.
Shortly thereafter, David wandered in and sat down next to me. We shook hands and greeted each other. As we talked over breakfast and coffee, I learned that David runs a dance studio in Austin. He was a touring dancer for years, but as he aged (I’d guess about 30 years old) tired of the constant traveling. I guess it’s like that for a lot of us. We tire of living in hotels and from a suitcase. I know that the traveling would be a lot worse for me if I didn’t ride so much.
He’s an interesting fellow and I’d like to visit his studio sometime. I smacked myself for not taking the camera along with me. (Dufus!)
I packed the bike, refueled, and headed out. I decided to retrace my route so I could get a few pictures as I rode home. I had cleared my schedule for the day so there was no particular time pressure. Nothing remarkable happened on the way home. It was a marvelous spring day. The sun shone down on me and I removed my jacket for about 45 minutes to take some sun. I had a lot to think about and the stops I made to make photographs were restful and contemplative.
Thanks for the trip and the photos. We have Indian Paintbrush here in the Sierras, but that photo of the Bluebonnet is the first I've seen in more than thirty years. It stirs good memories of days past.
— the Lonetree Trapper 23 April 2002, 02:36 #I forgot to ask if that caterpillar was hiding from toads, lol.
— the Lonetree Trapper 23 April 2002, 02:38 #ahh, the flower pics are cool but the woodie now -- whatta car! wow! love to discover those old classics out there.
— kd 23 April 2002, 14:33 #I feel like I was riding along with you, and the trip was fantastic. The flowers are wonderful too.
I haven't taken many yet this year, but I'll be uploading a few as soon as I come back from my break.
— Lee 25 April 2002, 10:57 #Aaahhhh... I love the Sierras. When I was a kid, my folks would take us up to Tahoe once a year in the summer. It was always one of my favorite places.
I looked but didn't see any toads. I wish I'd seen a Texas Great Horned Lizard, though, but I sure didn't.
I have another frame of the woody... directly from the front at ground level. The grill fills the image. I may have to use that one later. :)
Welcome to the ride. I've been riding again about four years now, after a 20-year hiatus. It is a spiritual experience for me. There is a time of great peace and reflection that I achieve when riding, especially cross-country. If you haven't read Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert Pirsig, you should. While I don't really understand his madness, I can understand his love of motorcycles.
FWIW, I also do my own maintenance. It's part of the game.
— ruminator 25 April 2002, 12:21 #"Horny Toads" used to be some of my favorite critters while I was growing up. They were easy to catch and fired the imagination to some incredible flights.
If you are familiar with the area, I live just down the hill from Tahoe, you may know that we have a population of horned lizards here as well. They aren't as large as the Texas variety, but they still conjure images of time past.
— the Lonetree Trapper 25 April 2002, 13:04 #I've seen one of them since we moved here in 1993. When I was a kid in Southern California, we used to catch the species that lives there and play with them. I love the way the feel, kinda like a cat's tongue. Really smooth and soft if you rub them one way, and rough as heck the other. I miss messing around the them; I really do.
— ruminator 25 April 2002, 13:07 #