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Well, I'm not real good about stopping to take pictures, so there's not too much here but, I thought I'd bore you anyway.
I headed out to tackle the three sisters this morning about 9am. Planned to get a little earlier start but.. you know how that goes. I had been planning on doing this for a while, I just felt like I needed to get out and be away from everything for a full day. So off I went...
Day started out kind of cloudy and cool.. Stopped at Blanco HS to get my warmer gloves out of the trunk... I was almost beginning if it was a mistake to leave the heated jacket behind.
Started to get better once I got into the Leakey/Vanderpool area:
Like I said.. I'm not real good about stopping to smell the roses. I was having too much fun once I hit 16 coming into Medina until I got a ways down 337:
Sun was starting to come out, the roads were pretty much empty, only saw one LEO the whole time. I had forgotten how technical 337 can be in parts, I had a good time running through it, so much so that I didn't even stop until I got to Camp Wood and decided to give Holy Smoke BBQ a try.
Pretty good Q. The place is located just South of the 337/55 intersection on the East side of the road. Prices are about on par for what you'd expect for a BBQ joint. I paid $9 for a brisket plate w/ potato salad, beans, and an iced tea.
Not bad, but I was ready to get back on the road. A parting shot:
I was so ready to get back on the road, I had forgotten I told myself I had better fill up before I left Camp Wood because I wasn't sure how far until the next gas station...
So, about 20mi down the road I notice.. uh oh, only 2 bars left on the gauge. No problem I think, that's good for 75mi easy, so I keep going. Well, by the time I got up 55, 335 and across 41 to 336, I still hadn't seen a station. I knew there wasn't squat along 336, so I ask Garmin for advice. At this point, I figure I can make it 40mi or so before I may be in trouble.. no biggie, I'll just detour a few miles until I find something. Well Garmin tells me the closest station is in Junction, 43mi away or so...
So, I didn't really see any other alternative, so I start out toward Junction, going 60mph to conserve my gas, expecting to take an 80mi detour and hopefully not have to push along the way. Well, low and behold, at the intersection of 41 and 83, only 10mi up the road, is my sparkling oasis, the Garvin Store.
I was talking to the lady working there, and mentioned how I was getting worried, my GPS didn't know this place was here and I thought I might have been up a creek. To which she replied, "Well, we've only been here over 75 years..."
Good work Garmin, you're a technological masterpiece.
So, back I go the way I came, to 336. The last time I did the Sisters, I remember being unimpressed w/ 336 for some reason. Nothing was bad about it, but it didn't really jump at me like the technical twisties of 337, or the fast sweepers and abrupt elevation changes of 335.
Well, today I rode away with a new appreciation for it. There are great views from 336, they're just a little understated compared to the vast overlooks along 337. There were great sweepers, with fewer blind corners than 335. Something about 336 you just can't explain.. you just feel "out there". There isn't a single town, hardly any buildings, I think I saw 3 cars my two trips combined, and the fact that you cross a billion cattle guards just made me feel like I had really escaped from Austin finally.
The weather had turned from mediocre this morning to perfect. This is along 336:
So that was that. I had done the Sisters again, and this time I rode away with a better understanding of why they're so highly regarded, I'm glad I went back. Problem is, I was still 200mi away from Austin. I knew I better start heading back; it was already after 4pm.
Found a DOT tractor along 83 to pose with:
Somewhere along 39 some sport bikes had joined up behind me. Normally that really stresses me out for some reason.. If they catch up to me, I assume they want to go considerably faster than I do since I ride like an old man most of the time. I’m afraid I’m holding them up, and I start paying too much attention to what’s behind me, and then I look like a clown choosing terrible riding lines..
Well, today the lead bike followed plenty far back so I just kept going at my pace. They followed me into Kerville and then they split up, I guess they all live around there. The only bike I got a good look at was a red Kawasaki Ninja of some flavor. Couldn't see any graphics to tell me anything else... oh well, I got a "see ya later" toot of the horn and a wave from them.
Made it back into Blanco with the sunshine sinking, so I decided to stop and take off the sunglasses.
and have a good stretch.
One of my favorite views within a short distance of Austin is the crest on 165 just South of Henly, and the setting sun made for some Kodak moments... so I stopped again.
Maybe I'm getting a hang of stopping after all... So that was my day. Got home and unloaded the Bandit and got her ready for commuting duty tomorrow.
I LOVE this bike.. 8 1/2 hrs in the saddle today and my legs are a little sore, but that's it. The Bandit got me to and from the Sisters in comfort, let me buzz through them going faster than Johnny Law would appreciate, and she'll get me to work on time everyday this week. But I'll go easy on the Bandit love... we already made Scott give us our own section for that...
Stats from the day:
I turned off the Garmin to get gas and eat. It's switched w/ the key, so once the key goes off, off goes the Garmin.. hence the short amount of stopped time.
Here's my .gdb file. It's City Navigator 2008, I thought it was a good route... it had me do a couple of weird things, but nothing ridiculous:
http://webspace.utexas.edu/treybrad/www/bandit/3sisters/sisters.gdb
fin.
trey
I headed out to tackle the three sisters this morning about 9am. Planned to get a little earlier start but.. you know how that goes. I had been planning on doing this for a while, I just felt like I needed to get out and be away from everything for a full day. So off I went...
Day started out kind of cloudy and cool.. Stopped at Blanco HS to get my warmer gloves out of the trunk... I was almost beginning if it was a mistake to leave the heated jacket behind.
Started to get better once I got into the Leakey/Vanderpool area:
Like I said.. I'm not real good about stopping to smell the roses. I was having too much fun once I hit 16 coming into Medina until I got a ways down 337:
Sun was starting to come out, the roads were pretty much empty, only saw one LEO the whole time. I had forgotten how technical 337 can be in parts, I had a good time running through it, so much so that I didn't even stop until I got to Camp Wood and decided to give Holy Smoke BBQ a try.
Pretty good Q. The place is located just South of the 337/55 intersection on the East side of the road. Prices are about on par for what you'd expect for a BBQ joint. I paid $9 for a brisket plate w/ potato salad, beans, and an iced tea.
Not bad, but I was ready to get back on the road. A parting shot:
I was so ready to get back on the road, I had forgotten I told myself I had better fill up before I left Camp Wood because I wasn't sure how far until the next gas station...
So, about 20mi down the road I notice.. uh oh, only 2 bars left on the gauge. No problem I think, that's good for 75mi easy, so I keep going. Well, by the time I got up 55, 335 and across 41 to 336, I still hadn't seen a station. I knew there wasn't squat along 336, so I ask Garmin for advice. At this point, I figure I can make it 40mi or so before I may be in trouble.. no biggie, I'll just detour a few miles until I find something. Well Garmin tells me the closest station is in Junction, 43mi away or so...
So, I didn't really see any other alternative, so I start out toward Junction, going 60mph to conserve my gas, expecting to take an 80mi detour and hopefully not have to push along the way. Well, low and behold, at the intersection of 41 and 83, only 10mi up the road, is my sparkling oasis, the Garvin Store.
I was talking to the lady working there, and mentioned how I was getting worried, my GPS didn't know this place was here and I thought I might have been up a creek. To which she replied, "Well, we've only been here over 75 years..."
Good work Garmin, you're a technological masterpiece.
So, back I go the way I came, to 336. The last time I did the Sisters, I remember being unimpressed w/ 336 for some reason. Nothing was bad about it, but it didn't really jump at me like the technical twisties of 337, or the fast sweepers and abrupt elevation changes of 335.
Well, today I rode away with a new appreciation for it. There are great views from 336, they're just a little understated compared to the vast overlooks along 337. There were great sweepers, with fewer blind corners than 335. Something about 336 you just can't explain.. you just feel "out there". There isn't a single town, hardly any buildings, I think I saw 3 cars my two trips combined, and the fact that you cross a billion cattle guards just made me feel like I had really escaped from Austin finally.
The weather had turned from mediocre this morning to perfect. This is along 336:
So that was that. I had done the Sisters again, and this time I rode away with a better understanding of why they're so highly regarded, I'm glad I went back. Problem is, I was still 200mi away from Austin. I knew I better start heading back; it was already after 4pm.
Found a DOT tractor along 83 to pose with:
Somewhere along 39 some sport bikes had joined up behind me. Normally that really stresses me out for some reason.. If they catch up to me, I assume they want to go considerably faster than I do since I ride like an old man most of the time. I’m afraid I’m holding them up, and I start paying too much attention to what’s behind me, and then I look like a clown choosing terrible riding lines..
Well, today the lead bike followed plenty far back so I just kept going at my pace. They followed me into Kerville and then they split up, I guess they all live around there. The only bike I got a good look at was a red Kawasaki Ninja of some flavor. Couldn't see any graphics to tell me anything else... oh well, I got a "see ya later" toot of the horn and a wave from them.
Made it back into Blanco with the sunshine sinking, so I decided to stop and take off the sunglasses.
and have a good stretch.
One of my favorite views within a short distance of Austin is the crest on 165 just South of Henly, and the setting sun made for some Kodak moments... so I stopped again.
Maybe I'm getting a hang of stopping after all... So that was my day. Got home and unloaded the Bandit and got her ready for commuting duty tomorrow.
I LOVE this bike.. 8 1/2 hrs in the saddle today and my legs are a little sore, but that's it. The Bandit got me to and from the Sisters in comfort, let me buzz through them going faster than Johnny Law would appreciate, and she'll get me to work on time everyday this week. But I'll go easy on the Bandit love... we already made Scott give us our own section for that...
Stats from the day:
I turned off the Garmin to get gas and eat. It's switched w/ the key, so once the key goes off, off goes the Garmin.. hence the short amount of stopped time.
Here's my .gdb file. It's City Navigator 2008, I thought it was a good route... it had me do a couple of weird things, but nothing ridiculous:
http://webspace.utexas.edu/treybrad/www/bandit/3sisters/sisters.gdb
fin.
trey
