The chaps asked me to write a brief account of
the weekend as a Hill Country newbie, so here goes. I’ve done a bit
of riding in various States so I thought I knew a bit about good
roads and felt they were in fairly short supply in Texas. But I’d
never been to the Hill Country and they assured me I was in for a
treat – and by God, they were right. These are roads that make
hardened riders shed tears and promise to be good from now on, if
only they can run them just one more time. These are roads that
sidewalks want to be when they grow up. These are roads that suck
you in - swooping curves, spiraling elevation changes, breathless
dips and gorgeous (if rather blurred) scenery.
I arrived at the party at the River Inn Resort
on Friday afternoon – a lot of folks had been there for a day or two
and there was a convivial atmosphere going on the patio overlooking
the Guadalupe river. It’s a very pleasant setting and it was great
to sit there with the group and have a quiet beer (followed by
fourteen noisy ones). The steaks went on the barbie and the tales
got taller and the rides got faster as the cooler got emptier.
Saturday morning, folks did their various
things – I was lucky enough to be offered a tour of the local roads
by Dennis who has been coming here for 20 years. Right out of the
gate, we were on the twisties and I concentrated on not making a
twit of myself behind a very smooth, fast rider. Down 39 and 83
into Leakey – we twice encountered deer that skittered across the
road in front of us – you can see why people say to watch out in the
morning and evening when riding here.
Through Leakey on 337 heading west, we started
climbing (some very tight turns against the canyon wall – watch out
for loose rocks!) and then turned north onto 55. This is a four
lane road with fast sweepers, and it was here that we had
another brush with wildlife. Dennis saw turkey vultures gathered
around some road kill and kindly stuck out a boot to warn me. Next
thing, the last bird to leave the banquet flies up and straight
towards Dennis’ face at 70-plus! Dammit, I swear he ducked and the
bird flew through the space so recently occupied by his helmet…..
hoo boy, the thought of being socked in the kisser by one of those
stinking buggers just makes your socks roll up and down. By the
way, I’d set up my camera on a bar mount so we have footage on the
website. [Check it out]
Undeterred, we pressed onto to Rocksprings
where we fueled up before a short stint east on 377/41 and then
south on 335 – yet another twist-fest with switchbacks. We briefly
encountered a Harley train but we were able to blow by pretty
quickly. Back in Leakey, we paused for a refreshing beverage and
then headed north on 336 for some more hardcore scratching before
looping east and south to take 187 towards Vanderpool. Our
destination was the Lone Star Motorcycle Museum (http://lonestarmotorcyclemuseum.com)
which is quite remarkable. More or less in the middle of nowhere is
this vintage motorcycle utopia, filled with classics and all the
work of a remarkable and amiable Aussie – Allan Johncock. I’m
continually amazed by the depth and breadth of Britbike knowledge
and ownership in Texas – a land which seems so removed from the
place of their origin.
After that, we headed back to the River Inn for
sundowners and pork chops the size of house bricks – and the day’s
events were retold and embellished as the level in the glasses went
down. A great, great day.
Kudos goes to those guys who brought their
classics down, particularly Mike who rode his Norton Commando
to the Hill Country. My Thanks to Dennis for showing me the roads
(and grilling!), Captain Commando for organizing the River Inn
Resort, George for route tips, and Everyone else for joining in the
fun. See you next year!
