Three YoBS and the Three Sisters...

[sparkyphotog]

About two months ago I started planning this trip. I've been wanting to do a motorcycle camping trip to the Texas Hill Country, and originally planned to go it alone. I got to talking with Calgary-Yogi (Graeme) at one of our Monday bike nights, and we decided to go together. He mentioned that DFW_Warrior (Bill) was a great guy to ride with, so I said yeah, tell him to come along. The main goal of the trip was to ride the Three Sisters - Ranch Roads 335, 336, and 337. Widely considered the best motorcycle roads in Texas.

The plan was to head out of Sugar Land from Starbucks, and meet Bill in New Braunfels for lunch at the New Braunfels Smokehouse.

Me at the house - ready to leave:

On 90A heading west:

The Smokehouse:

The guys - notice where they make me park my BMW. I guess the Strommers don't want to be too closely associated with a beemer-dork :

After lunch, we headed west on FM 1863 through Bulverde, then we took TX 46 west to TX 16, then on west into Bandera where we camped at the Pioneer River RV Resort. I had called around to all the campgrounds around Bandera, but this was the only one that allowed tent camping. It was a great facility, with clean showers and restrooms, and nice tent sites down by the river. No ground fires allowed since they are inside the city limits.

Entering the Hill Country west of New Braunfels:

The campsite:

After setting up camp, we headed down Ranch Road 470 to Tarpley for dinner. Bill knew about this great little eatery we had to check out. Actually, Bill knows lot's of eateries. As Graeme said in an earlier post, you need to have medical arrangements made ahead of time if you're riding with this guy, 'cause you're gonna eat too much!

We ate at Mac & Earnie's Roadside Eatery. Basically, it's a little shack, but they serve the most amazing gourmet food on paper plates! You order at the shack, then walk up the hill to the store to get your libations, find a picnic table, and wait for them to bring it out. And, boy is it great! We split a plate of lamb chops for an appetizer, Graeme had the salmon, Bill had the quail, and I had the pork tenderloin. For desert, we split a chocolate pie (more like fudge!) and strawberry tres-leches cake. WOW - I hurt myself! By the way, the Food Network featured this place on their Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives show last week.

On the road to Tarpley:

Mac & Earnie's:

Graeme:

Bill:

FOOD!

After that, it was time to hit the sack, but not before some brews. We picked up some Shiner Bock at the Beverage Barn before heading back to camp.

The next morning, we were up at the crack of dawn to get ready for the best day of riding so far in my short motorcycling career! I've only been riding since September, and according to Bill, at this stage of the trip, I'm just a baby rider.

Saturday morning at camp:

Packed up, we headed west out of Bandera on TX 16 to Medina. This was a great warm-up for the day, with great scenery and lots of fast sweepers! In Medina, we hit the first of the Three Sisters - Ranch Road 337. All I can say is WOW! This road features some steep climbs and descents with tight turns and switchbacks punctuated by nice runs along the ridge tops with panoramic views to either side. At one of the lay-bys, I had to stop for some photos, and Graeme had to claim another part of Texas for Scottland!

Along 337:

Bill shows how it's done:

Graeme had a hitch hiker:

337 ends in Camp Wood in the Nueces River Canyon. We stopped for drinks and a snack, and were soon inundated by other riders - mostly Harley's with a few Gold Wings thrown into the mix. We got to talking with this lady on a Harley, she must of been in her late 50's, and she was out for her first ride after recovering from a car accident. This little detail will be important later.

More to come in the next post...

 

[Gilk51]

 

[BMWbabe]

Please sir, may I have another?

 

[jhansen]

+1

 

[Snoopster]

Great trip report & pics. I can definitely vouch for Mac & Ernie's. I always ask people if they know about this place when they are in the Hill Country. Looks like ya'll had a good time camping too.

 

[mjacks]

I was there about a month ago and images are still fresh in my mind. The cabrito burger and fries at Mac & Ernies are easily the best I have every had. I will be back!

 

[sparkyphotog]

After the brilliant run down RR 337 and a nice little break in Camp Wood, it was time for the second of the Three Sisters, RR 335, one that Bill described as his favorite of the three. We headed northwest out of Camp Wood on TX 55 to Barksdale, where we hit 335 north. A few miles into 335, we came upon this large, and upon closer examination, scary wall. It surrounds the very large compound of a wealthy land developer from the Corpus Christi area, and the top has broken glass embedded in it to deter the curious.

A little past the compound to the north, there is an exotic animal ranch...

After these two photo stops, we hit the road again. I'm sorry to say that I don't have any photos of the run up 335 because I was having WAY too much fun! The only way I can describe this road is ROLLER COASTER! The road runs along the west side of a canyon and goes up and down and up and down through the ravines running into the canyon. There are lots of curves, though not as many tight corners as 337. Many times, you find yourself coming to the crest of hill and dropping into a fast, steep descending turn, hitting the trough and bottoming the suspension before rocketing up the other side. Like I said, ROLLER COASTER!

Remember that older lady I told you about riding the Harley? Well, her group passed us shortly after our last photo stop. Since I was leading on an unfamiliar road, I had been going a little slower than I do on roads I know well. Once I had someone in front of me to follow, things got really interesting. The Harley/Goldwing group was really haulin' booty, with Granny right in the middle and the 'Wing at the rear. These guys could really ride! I settled in just far enough behind the 'Wing to keep it in view where I could use it to judge upcoming turns. I was able to ride a lot faster as a result. What a rush! The ups and downs were so abrupt I felt my butt come off the seat at the hilltops, and I was pulling Gs at the bottoms of the ravines. I checked my mirror to make sure the others were still behind, and I saw Bill throw both his hands straight up in the air at the crest of a hill! I came to the crest of one hill, and looked straight across at a Goldwing going what seemed like straight up the other side! Undoubtedly, this was the most thrilling ride I've ever had.

We came to the end of 335 and pulled off to chat for a minute. When I pulled off my helmet, I was pretty much giddy - all I could do was laugh! Bill said it was an awesome run. About the group we were following, he said they were some awesome riders - it's not the bike, it's the rider!

The end of 335...

To be continued...

 

[lastsix]

Great recap...I've always wanted to take a peak over that wall. Can't wait until 336...

 

[Moose]

tap tap

This thing on?

 

[Calgary-Yogi]

Mosse,

$5 CDN says Molly's ride report is posted before this one is finished

 

[sparkyphotog]

Since Graeme's doing the peanut gallery thing here, I have a little story to tell about him...

At the start of this trip, he showed up at the coffee shop a bit rattled. He muttered something about bad things happening in threes and proceeded to go off and have a smoke. I asked what was going on, and he said that grabbed the diesel hose and was about to start filling his bike when he noticed it - clsoe call. Then he said he nearly bought it just before getting on the freeway - his rear wheel locked up on some wet pavement and he nearly hit a car that stopped ahead. And finally, just before pulling into the parking lot, he said a guy cutting the grass next to the road threw a rock up that hit him in the arm. Not a great start to the trip, but the rear wheel lock-up would rear its ugly head again later. Just one question, Graeme, diesel - what were you thinking?

So, on Saturday morning at our scenic stop on 337 Graeme proceeds to tell us he's having problems with the back brake locking up and that he can't ride very fast. He had just had the bike serviced the week before, and on Friday we figured the pads were just seating in. On Saturday, however, this appeared to be more serious. After discussing it for a bit, Bill suggested lowering the tire pressure to give the wheel some more traction, thinking maybe it would keep it from locking as easily. Graeme's tire gage was buried in his pannier, so Bill tossed him his. Graeme checks the pressure on the rear, and POPS THE GAGE out to it's max (55 psi). Turns out, his gage was broken, and we figured he was running them about 30 lbs over max. No wonder he was getting great gas mileage - no rolling resistance whatsoever! Well, tires deflated we hit the road again and Greame had a much better ride after that.

 

[DFW_Warrior]

You two are going to have everyone thinking that all I know how to do is ride to good food finds!!! Oh wait, I guess that might be true..... oops....

Sparkster, I can't wait till round 2 of the ride report. So far it is just awesome!! But one bad thing though.... It really makes me want to go back and do it again!

 

[Calgary-Yogi]

Not only do you know good eats, your the kinda guy that has a couple "BACKUP BBQ" joints lined up also.

 

[Squeaky]

You boys would be giving each other noogies if you were yapping this out in person!

 

[sparkyphotog]

After our short break at the end of 335, we mounted up and headed east on 41 toward the north end of 336. Turning south on 336 back toward Leakey, it was quickly apparent to me that 336 was going to be different. Not only were there lots of twists and turns and hills on this road, but other hazards to watch out for. Much of this road runs through open range, so you have to be on the lookout for herds of cattle and sheep, not to mention the numerous cattle guards that keep the various herds in there respective ranges.

We headed on down toward Leakey and completed our Three Sisters loop around 1:30. What a ride! While the Three Sisters was the main goal of the trip, there was much more great riding ahead. We stopped in Leakey for lunch at the Frio Canyon Lodge. We split a couple of orders of bottle caps for an appetizer, then I had a burger. Bottle caps are deep fried jalapeno pepper slices, with a few red chilis mixed in, and a wonderful ranch dipping sauce. This time we have Graeme to thank for the awesome eats recommendation!

After lunch, we headed over to the Frio Canyon Motorcycle Shop to get some t-shirts and stickers. The chopper on display is the Texas Rangers Chopper, and has lone star wheels, a western leather saddle, and the clutch and brake levers are from a couple of 30-30 rifles. Very nice looking machine, and it won best-in-show at a recent competition.

With me on a BMW riding with two guys on V-Stroms made for some interesting conversations. They were constantly ribbing me about only using bottled water to wash my bike and other such nonsense. But at most of our stops, it was my bike people would come over to look at. However, the tables were turned at Frio Canyon Motorcycle Shop. Some Harley rider came over and started going ga-ga over the pair of Stroms. I mean, the guy kept going on and on and on, and I wanted to get on the road. Of course, Bill and Graeme never let me hear the end of that. "Look whose bikes that guy wanted to check out" they would say. Oh well, consider the source.

More riding ahead...time to head toward Kerrville via 187 and 39, then a visit to Stonehenge II, and a rendezvous with a deer...

 

[BMWbabe]

Oh well, consider the source.

Which source are we considering..the harley rider, you or the two strom troopers? Personally I'm pretty sure some of you are unreliable sorts


Tell me more

 

[jhansen]

Which source are we considering..the harley rider, you or the two strom troopers? Personally I'm pretty sure some of you are unreliable sorts


Tell me more

Everybody knows harley riders are trustworthy.

 

[sparkyphotog]

Which source are we considering..the harley rider, you or the two strom troopers? Personally I'm pretty sure some of you are unreliable sorts


Tell me more

Discuss amongst yourselves... (I like stirring the pot )

 

[DFW_Warrior]

Which source are we considering..the harley rider, you or the two strom troopers? Personally I'm pretty sure some of you are unreliable sorts


Tell me more

My vote is for the Strom guys. They're always up to no good!! Trust me, I know!

 

[Squeaky]

Yup, even the Strom gals are like that!

 

[Moose]

You boys would be giving each other WEDGIES if you were yapping this out in person!

Fixt

 

[sparkyphotog]

So, after lunch we headed back east on 337 to 187 north, then up to 39 toward Kerrville. We got caught behind a few slower groups of riders on 39, but I was content to just cruise and enjoy the scenery. These two roads are great, running through rolling hills with some nice curves and twists, and simply marvelous countryside. We didn't stop to take any photos or anything, because we were trying to get to Kerrville before 5:00, or else we might not have been able to check in to the campsite. When we got into Kerrville, we were at a stoplight when Bill spotted Gilk51 headed the other way. So he peeled off and went after him thinking that maybe they might hook up Sunday to ride back to DFW together. Graeme and I went on to camp and checked in. I picked up some firewood so we could build a campfire, and my bike really lived up to the nickname that Graeme gave it: the Tractor.

Bill arrived sometime later, and said he couldn't catch Gilk51. We set up camp, and decided to take a little evening ride. I wanted to head out to Hunt and get a photo of the bikes at Stonehenge II, and then ride 1340. It was a nice evening, and the sun was getting low - great time for pictures. No one was around, and there were no signs to the contrary, so we squeezed the bikes through the narrow gate and rode over for a quick photo-op!

It was also a good time for the local wildlife to be out and about. Over the course of this trip we had seen a deer or two, and a few wild turkeys, but not very many and we had no close calls so far. All that was about to change. After the photo, we headed west on 1340. What a great road! After today, I don't think there are any roads in the Hill Country that aren't fantastic! Lots of dips into low water crossings with sharp turns going into and out of the troughs. I had to really be careful as many of the turns were of the decreasing radius variety. On one in particular, the decrease in radius was rather severe, and I had gone in a little hot. I trail braked and counter-steered and got through with only a little bobble, but I was a lot more vigilant after that.

Toward the end of 1340 it straightens out and we were cruising along through the country side. My butt was in need of some air, so I stood up on the pegs for a few miles to get cool and dry things out a little. When standing, I can't see my mirrors, so when I sat back down I was surprised to see empty road behind me. Now where had Bill and Graeme got to?

I slowed down and eventually saw their headlights appear in the distance. It was getting late, and I was tired and hungry, so I figured this was as good a place as any to turn around and head back. I turned the bike around and parked it in a clearing by the road and waited or Bill and Graeme.

It was taking a lot longer than usual for them to catch up, and I wondered why they were riding so slow. When they finally arrived, they pulled there helmets off, and immediately started chattering wildly, and Graeme anxiously fumbled for his smokes. Bill seemed sort of calm, but a little out of sorts. I casually sauntered over and asked what was up.

Bill said, "I almost hit a deer back there! Didn't you see the herd by the road?"

"No." I said in disbelief.

Graeme said, "Actually, Bill, you DID hit it!"

Bill eyes got very wide, and he said, "Really!?"

Graeme was the sweep rider had a nice view of the whole event. He said that when I rode past the herd spooked. Most of them ran away from the road into the trees, but one bolted straight at Bill's bike. Bill pinned the throttle to try and miss him, and thought he had succeeded, but by only a few inches. According to Graeme, the deer jumped helmet high right as Bill passed. It must have caught it's leg on Bill's tail bag or something, because Graeme said that the deer did a twisting summersault and landed on it's back in the ditch about ten feet off the road!

We checked Bill's bike and could find no evidence of deer strike, so it must have been a glancing blow off the soft-sided tail bag, albeit at 70+ MPH. After everyone calmed down, we head back east toward Kerrville, VERY SLOWLY. We checked the ditches carefully for the first couple of miles looking for a wounded or dead deer, but found nothing. Naturally, my eyes were peeled and we saw a very large herd of deer a ways off in a field. A few miles later we came around a bend and had to get on the brakes hard as there were three more of the critters running across the road! I looked up into the trees where they had come from, and there six more waiting to cross! Warning to all: BE VERY CAREFUL RIDING IN THE HILL COUNTRY AT DUSK!

We got back into town with no further incidents, and stopped to eat dinner at Billy Gene's Restaurant. This is a nice place with a patio overlooking the Guadalupe River. We sat out on the patio, enjoying good eats and a nice, cool breeze. After dinner, we stopped at a gas station for some bottled water and sodas. We had had quite an eventful day, and Bill was particularly exhausted, so he took a little nap while Graeme and I got supplies.

Back at camp, Graeme turned in early. Bill and I made a feeble attempt at a fire, but in the end we were all just too worn out. I wearily crawled into my tent and was asleep within minutes.

 

[mikes old virago]

I did this trip from Austin, camping in Garner S.P., with two friends. We were so pumped after the trip. You can see our pix at Meetup.com/ austin Motorcycle riders group/ photos/ Mike Millers Garner campout. It's got to be the best ride in Texas.

 

[Calgary-Yogi]

Bill and I made a feeble attempt at a fire

Dare I type it

SO EASY A CAVEMAN CAN DO IT

In your defense, it did take them 1000's of years to learn

 

[sparkyphotog]

Dare I type it

SO EASY A CAVEMAN CAN DO IT

In your defense, it did take them 1000's of years to learn

Yeah, I deserved that. But...diesel?