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Texas Hill Country As part of my continuing effort to see this country from the back of a motorcycle, I am headed to the Texas Hill Country. Day 1: Clayton, NC to Birmingham, AL - 597 miles I rode the interstates in order to spend more time in Texas. There were a lot of huge RVs headed north - must be the annual migration of the "snowbirds". The temperature actually dropped the further south I went, finally bottoming out at 50 degrees while going through Atlanta. I got a nice room at a La Quinta for only $39.00. This is the second time I have found a good deal by picking up a motel coupon book at one of the rest areas. Day 2: Birmingham, AL to Morgan City, LA- 459 miles I took the interstate to New Orleans and then Rt. 90 to Morgan City. It was good to get off the super slabs. There are still a lot of homes and buildings damaged in New Orleans but the French Quarter appears to be back to normal. They have had a lot of rain here and the rivers are close to over flowing. Tomorrow I am going to try to follow the coast to Galveston to see the effects of last year's hurricane. Day 3: Morgan City, LA to Houston, TX - 396 miles Today was a great ride day. It started out with cypress swamps, crawfish ponds, and huge cattle ranches. Then there was a section of Hwy 82 with canals on both sides of the road where I saw 50-100 alligators within 20 or so miles. Imagine the number I did not see! There was even alligator road kill which suggests you would not want to ride through there at night. Next was a long stretch along the water where you could see the oil rigs out in the Gulf. Lastly, was the Bolivar peninsula north of Galveston where the hurricane damage was utterly devastating - nothing was standing on either side of the road. They are still piling up debris. Day 4: Houston, TX to Kerrville, TX - 302 miles I have been to San Antonio and seen the River Walk, Alamo, etc. so I skipped it this trip. However, if you have never visited this area, I would recommend it highly. This afternoon I rode Hwy 16 to Medina and Bandera and then Hwy 689 back to Kerrville. Based on what I saw of Hwy 16, I think I am going to like the Texas Hill Country - lots of curves and beautiful scenery. I stopped at the Koyote Ranch, a motorcycle friendly business that offers cabins, RV sites, and camping. It looks like a fun place to stop for a "cold one" and exchange tall tales with other bikers. Here are a couple of photos...
Day 5: Kerrville, TX to Kerrville, TX via The Three Sisters- 218 miles Today's ride covered the The Three Sisters (RR335, RR336, & RR337) along with a couple of other back roads to and from Kerrville. Here is a Garmin MapSource file of the ride that you can download... Three Sisters Loop. The Hill Country did not disappoint. I would put it in my top twenty places to ride in the USA. If nothing else, it is unique and quite surprising - you never know what is around the corner. Hopefully, the following photos will help...
You probably should ride with a group or at least ride a Gold Wing <grin> as this area does not offer much in the way of "services". Translation: you are in the middle of nowhere. Days 5-8: Kerrville, TX to Clayton, NC - 1,534 miles I decided not to visit Big Bend National Park. It was going to add another 800-1000 miles to the trip and I just did not feel like riding that far. I will save it for another day. For the most part, I took the back roads home. It was a fun and easy ride back. |
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