Alright, time to get the rest of the pics posted!
So we barely go a few miles before we come to yet another water crossing. Unlike the others, this one does not have a solid slab of rock or concrete for the crossing. It is just a loose rocky base, but it is a long way from the entry road to the exit. I pause for a moment or two to consider my options. I don't think it is very deep anywhere, but I am unsure about the size of the rocks I might encounter on the way across. I look down the edge of the creek and it looks like I can get further downstream before entering the water and shorten the crossing by almost half.
I head downstream along the edge of the water, then turn in when I am almost even with the exit point on the far side. Everything goes pretty good until I am about 3/4 of the way across. The water gets a little deeper and I hit what appears to have been a pretty good sized rock with the front end. Fortunately, it only deflects the front a little and I am able to correct before the bike topples over into the flowing water. I quickly exit and get the bike parked so I can grab the camera before the others start coming across behind me.
You can see that the others liked my idea of running down the edge before starting the crossing
I can't remember if he stalled here or just stopped to gather himself before going the last bit?
Some of these guys go a little faster than I like to...
I prefer to make a wake, not a splash, but splashes make for better pics
I think he just found that same rock I hit!
He saves it, but goes off line and I think stalled it, which is better than going down...
Next...
LOTS of splash!
But he misses the rock and powers through the deepest part before the exit
He gets it pointed the right direction
And gets the job done!
I went a bit further down before getting in the water
But this works too
Not too much splash, but the intake on the 1150 is lower than that splash
Fortunately, his speed is slow and steady so the water falls before it has a chance to enter the air intake
BUT HE TARGET FIXATES ON ME!!
But, with a last second flick of the bars he misses me as I step to the side.
Oh yeah! Big splashing here!
Great form... looking good...
Hey, check out that rock!!
And... as we all know... you go where you look
Always good to have helpful friends nearby
I always wonder what is going through the head of the next guy after he sees that happen...
"Um... it's not turning over..."
He came way on down the edge before getting in the water, close to where I went in
Makes it look easy
Proforguns getting it done as well
Screw the rocks! Full speed ahead!!
"I can see the other side!!"
I think he clipped that rock too and slowed down just a bit
Undaunted, he hammers the throttle as we try to figure out which way he's going to go so we can jump clear!!
He zigged and zagged there at the end, but he gets it done as well
Time to clear a hydro-locked cylinder...
A good Samaritan rides this bike across for the injured rider
But the injured rider has to limp through the slippery rocks
Both bike and riders make it across without incident
And finally, the last guy...
Comes way down the edge and turns in... looking good!
Not too much splash...
SQUIRREL!!
And down he goes!
Look at that back tire spinning!
A little assistance from some friendly helping hands
And all is good... or is it...
It's a long way across if you go from entry to exit!
Time for a road side maintenance clinic on clearing a hydro-locked engine
Fortunately, the rider has everything he needs... except WD-40, which another rider has
But what about this one? It turns out that it is fine and starts without problem.
Some disassembly required to get to the plug
It does not take to long for the plug to get pulled from the 650 GS. When the engine is cranked, water shoots up over our heads. It gets a few more cranks, a couple of shots of WD-40 down into the cylinder, and then a few more cranks for good measure. The air filter is SOAKED. We're a short way from the highway and pavement and thus far the dust has been almost non existent, so it is decided to run without the filter. After some reassembly, the bike fires up and runs fine. We're back in business!
And... we're soon at another water crossing!!!
This crossing was short, with a mostly hard bottom, and not to deep. Everyone makes it across without issue... Or so I thought...
I didn't see him go down, but apparently the big KTM has a problem and won't crank.
Nothing like one of these to come along and deflate our Adventure sized egos...
Getting it done like a boss!
The sun has decided to peek out from behind the clouds once again now that we are stopped. The disabled bike has plenty of hands on so I decide to run ahead and see what we might be facing before we reach the highway. It doesn't look to far according to the GPS. There is another water crossing, but it is short and shallow. Best of all, it is not slick!
Love roads like this!
I soon reach the road without any more water crossings. I think if we can get everyone here, we can probably stash the KTM, let him ride double back to Kerrville to fetch his trailer, and we're good. So I double back to the group.
Much to my happy surprise, it seems we have had a stroke of good luck in the form of a random encounter with a good Samaritan! There is a white Toyota pickup stopped and the guys are preparing to lift the disabled KTM into the bed. The driver informs us that he never comes out this way and wasn't sure why he'd done so today, but here he is and right on time!!
On 2.. no wait... 3!!
Okay! 3 and 1/2!!
And it's in!
I think the same guy that has the WD-40 also has a few tie down straps!
That would be him working the strap on the other side of the truck
The generous truck driver agrees to haul the bike just up the road a bit to Tarpley, where we can have lunch at Mac & Ernie's and work on the bike in the shade. We ride on ahead, enjoying the fun twistes on 470.
A great place to eat, but it has really changed from its humble beginnings...
Our good Samaritan
Other riders undaunted by the threat of nasty weather enjoy the day as well
They now have indoor and AIR CONDITIONED seating!! It feels REAL good!
Lunch was great, but it's time to get down to business and pull the plugs on the KTM rather than going for the trailer. It can't be that hard... right!?
Okay, so the gas tank has to come off...
And there's a lot of water in the air box...
Meanwhile, "Wetfoot" attends to drying out one of his boots and socks
So it turns out that getting at those plugs is work... serious work... like removing the air box, cutting the zip ties holding the main wiring harness in place, and removing various small screws and washers that might be hard to keep track of in a parking lot. Three of the guys really get after it and get it done. However, with all the electronics unplugged, there is no way to crank the engine over. First things first, they have to make sure the exhaust is clear of water.
Some water comes out, but not as much as we might have expected
Then pop the transmission into a high gear and roll the bike to turn the engine over
Water shoots out of the rear cylinder right over the head of the guy in the white T-shirt
And now a little WD-40 in both cylinders before rolling it back into the shade for reassembly
It takes a while to make sure everything goes back together where it is supposed to. It takes maybe an hour and a half or so to button it up and have it ready for starting. It takes three cranks to get the gas from the tank back into the injectors and it fires up, idling smoothly. The oil in the sight glass didn't show any hint of discoloration that might be expected from water contamination. As with the 650 GS, the soaked paper air filter is left out for the run back to Kerrville. It's late afternoon and I suggest we call it a day instead of trying to push on to finish the second half of the route. At this point, I am not even sure we are half way or how bad things might be on the latter portion of the route. I do recall there being some water crossings out there that were challenging even where there hadn't been torrential rains the days before attempting them.
We head over to Hwy 16 and run up into Kerrville. I really like the stretch of 16 between Medina and Kerrville. It has some seriously tight corners that can, and do, take unaware riders off guard on a regular basis. There are almost always marks on the road and guard rails indicating someone got into the corners too hot. Even knowing about them, it is easy to be surprised if you are not watching for them. The GS rolls through them without issue, absorbing the stuttered bumps of the crappy chip sealed surface that likely causes many riders to panic.
We roll into the Best Western and I decide to see if they have a room before I make the decision to head back to Austin for the night. They do indeed have a room and I take it, not really caring that it is over $100. At this point, I am hot and tired, ready for a nice shower and a meal, some visiting and then a soft bed! However... when I open the room the smell of mildew almost knocks me over. There is a huge industrial fan sitting in the middle of the room and the furniture has all been pulled away from the walls. Apparently the recent heavy rains did more than cause a few high water crossings
A quick call to the front desk and they get me moved into a different room. I have to walk a bit from the parking lot, but it is dry and clean, so who cares!? After a nice HOT shower, I head outside to find Thomas and Mark enjoying cold beers by the pool, which they graciously share
We eventually meet the rest of the group in the lobby then head next door to an Italian place for dinner. The Rib-Eye is HUGE and delicious!
I stuff myself until I can hardly move
We hang out for a while visiting and having a few more beers. I enjoy this as much as the riding. But soon the fatigue starts to set in and I can hear the bed calling me...
Sunday morning I roll out to find that it is drizzling heavily. That pretty much seals the deal for me. With the threat of nasty weather all day, I decide to go ahead and start home. I'll still get in several hundred miles of riding, a good bit of which is even dirt. So I pack up the bike, say my good byes and head North toward Fredericksburg. A few miles before Fredericksburg, the drizzle lets up and it starts to get nicer. It's not sunny, but it is not wet.
I head out of Fredericksburg on Hwy 16, thinking that I will cut over to FM 1631 on Koennecke Eckhardt Rd. No good. Either I stopped at the wrong spot or the map is not accurate. The GPS shows me being at the right spot on the map, but the road looks a LOT like a private drive rather than a county road. Rather than risk it, I decide to just head a little further North to Old Willow City Rd and cut over to FM 1323. This is a short but fun little road. It even has a few water crossings
At 1323 I head East a few miles to Althaus-Davis Rd., the way I came in on Friday. It is dry, but the few water crossings still have some water in them. I decide to stop at each and set a MOB marker on the GPS to save for future reference. Both crossings are in spots that would make it real easy to be busting down the road and come up on them in a hurry without time to slow or stop if needed. I briefly toy with the idea of running up CR 309 to 310 and checking out the Sandy Creek crossing, but then I come to my senses, realizing that I am alone, and if things got ugly... Well... I press on when Althaus-Davis becomes FM 3347, running this over to RR 962. Once on Hwy 71, I just backtrack through Marble Falls, 1431, 1174, 1869, 3405 and finally Ronald Reagan Drive. Ronald Reagan Drive is a nice bypass around the North side of Georgetown. The shoulders have a TON of flowers, so I stop for a few pics.
These are so thick in places you'd think you could walk on top of them!
They go on for miles like this
Other colors mixed in here and there
Once I cross I-35, I get on some little back roads that bring me out at Bartlett. From Bartlett, it is more back roads over to Davilla. Then it is time to cover a few miles a speed and I run FM 487 Down to Rockdale. At Rockdale, it is time for more back roads. I've been wanting to explore a few roads in this area for a while. I head Southeast on CR 322. It is mostly sand, damp and nicely packed. I have a bit of fun with the throttle on this road! It eventually hits CR 328 which finally drops me out on Hwy 36 North of Caldwell. I run down into town, get gas, and then head out of town on FM 166. FM 166 is my regular path when getting back and forth between Caldwell and College Station. It is not the smoothest pavement, having some pretty good bumps and dips in places where the substrate of the road has given way a bit, but it has lots of fun curves. It eventually hits Hwy 50, which I run down to Hwy 60 and on into College Station.
The rest of the run home is just Hwy 30. There's some fun dirt between College Station and Huntsville, but I am ready to be home. I roll into the garage about 3:45pm. The bike needs a little TLC and a new blinker. My elbow is all kind of ugly colors (even worse a week later!!). It's been a good weekend of riding. I wish I could get out for more of these rides!!