As I was saying...
All the grazing land imaginable and what do the cattle do? They run along the road
So we finally decide to just cruise up the road nice and slow making some noise until the get the hint and move away from the road. We have to repeat this procedure several more times. Eventually we reach the end of the road. There are some scattered buildings, some vehicles and ranch equipment, and a house of sorts. A dog barks wildly in the yard of the house but otherwise the place seems totally deserted. My GPS shows that this road dead ends next to a runway and at the other end of the runway, another road starts up. John's GPS shows some kind of trail connecting the roads, so we decide to follow that. It pretty much is a trail, lots of loose sand and scrub brush hanging over the path. We follow it and sure enough, at the other end we find something that looks like a vehicle might have driven over it a few times thus creating a "road". How this ever got on the maps is beyond me... :scratch
We run this little goat trail thing that consist of loose gravel/sand, ruts and potholes. It follows real close to a barbed wire fence, so falling to the left would be ugly
With cacti on the right, falling that direction is not exactly appealing either! Shortly we find ourselves on the other end in an open flat area. I look around wondering if there is really a road here somewhere? The ground looks like some kind of black volcanic based rock that has the consistency of very coarse sand. Most of the vegetation stops at about two to three feet tall. Scanning around I spot what looks like faint tire tracks in rocks leading off into the brush. It seems to go the direction where the GPS indicates there should be a road so off we go!
There are some pretty nasty potholes, ruts and washouts. Standing on the pegs, the GS is flopping around under me yet I never feel like I am on the edge of control. I just stick it in second gear and motor on through. Some of the really big bumps test the limits of the suspension, but it soaks them up without too much trouble. Considering the weight of the bike, myself and the luggage, that is no small thing! We cross numerous dry creekbeds and soon the ground begins to change to a pinkish red color and the taller vegetation gives way to tons of little bushes covered with yellow flowers. Jack Rabbits are springing out from the side of the road every few hundred yards and then bouncing off into the distance. Looks like a decent place to stop for another break and soak in the views.
Marks bike after a day and a half of running midpack int he dust
Looks smooth and flat right? Looks can be deceiving...
We have a few more cattle encounters along the way. At one, Randy just cruise right up through the middle of them and they part like the Red Sea. But then they freak and regather right in the middle of the road after he has gone through. Then Will heads off road thinking he will herd them with his bike and promptly runs over something that stops him in his tracks
He has to dismount to get the bike unstuck and headed back towards the road. We work our way through the cattle and they reluctantly head away from the road. Past the cattle, the road starts to take on more of a loose sand quality making the front end sort of wander aimlessly. It is hard to get used to that feeling when cruising along at 45 mph, but fighting it only makes things worse.
We are now heading generally Northeast, crossing numerous creekbeds, having fun sliding around the turns and generally being squidly. Soon we come upon another collection of buildings. Just prior to them, there are signs on the road stating that all ammo should be removed from any guns beyond this point... Same thing on the other side once we figure out which road is the one we want. Must be some kind of hunting ranch or something. A few miles further up the road and we reach another water crossing, Terlingua Creek.
Mark going back so I can shoot video
And Don
Will, Mark, Don and John doing the crossing.
Looking back at the pit
Looking up from the pit to the top of the hill
Your's truly... floaties and all 
Leaving the water crossing behind, we set about getting dust caked to our wet riding gear and bikes. Mark and I are running point at about 40-45mph when I come to a fast corner. As I get into the corner leaned over and sliding, the gravel becomes loose silt and the road drops into a wide gully. Committed, I have no choice but to attack it and hope for the best. I stand up, lean back a little, relax my grip on the bars and pour on the gas... I'd love to say it is my Mad Skilz that get me across the other side; however, as much as I am bouncing from side to side clear across the gully and up the other side, I will have to say it is mostly good luck! Seeing the monster cloud behind me, I know Mark and the others have very little chance of being as lucky...
By the time I get off the bike and turn to face the gully, the dust has cleared slightly and I can see the dim shadowy figure of Mark standy over his GS looking slightly confused and dazed. Then much to my dismay, the next thing to emerge from the cloud is Randy... heading straight for Mark's GS!! Somehow he manages to swerve and miss it. I am yelling at Mark to run to the other side of the gully to warn the others. He disappears into the haze about the same time Will comes blasting through with a wild look on his face! Again, somehow he manages to miss Mark's reclining steed. Fortunately, Don and John have hung back a bit and Mark successfully warns them before they start across. Satisfied that Mark is uninjured, out come the cameras!
Don paddling the DRZ through the powder
John motors through on the KTM unfazed...
Mark's a real trooper and takes it all in stride
We send Mark back for a chance to redeem himself
When Mark starts his bike, it creates a small dust storm
I don't know that he will ever get all that dirt out of the nooks and crannies of the GS. We resume our run, albeit a bit more cautiously! The terrain looks basically flat with gullys and washouts that come up real quick, and like the cattle guards in the Hill Country, they always seem to be in the corners at the worst possible place! Go figure!? Now we're back to hard ground, loose gravel and lots of dust. To our left is a long ridge line with massive boulders that litter the base of the ridge between the road and the ridge. Seeing one of those things break loose and come tumbling down the cliff face would really be a sight
It's much taller than it looks, close to 250 feet according the topo maps. Once right up under it, I don't doubt it one bit!
John and I spend a few minutes pondering some smaller roads that wander up into the hills and generally head North, eventually bringing us back to Us 90. However, it is getting on the afternoon and the likelihood of being able to get through that maze without getting lost before dark seems slim. We opt to just continue heading for Hwy 118, which should not be much further. Sure enough, about ten minutes later, we reach they highway, but there is a slight problem...
It would appear that we are on private property after all. We can almost spit to the highway and yet have no way to get there! Gas could be an issue, but we have not yet dipped into our reserves. The thought of actually having to go back actually appeals to us somewhat except for the time involved. John tells me that there is a truck coming behind us in the distance. I take a look and sure enough, there is a dust cloud getting closer and larger. I had been very careful to look at all the fences and cattle guards as we made our way into this area to see if there were any posted or no trespassing signs. I doubt this rancher is going to really care much about that... I am not really looking forward to any kind of confrontation. I turn back around to face the gate and then see Will standing there with one of the locks in his hand and the gate open!? Seems I did not notice that one of the locks was actually unlocked! What a stroke of good luck!! We quickly move the bikes out to the highway, close the gate and get moving!
There is still a few hours of light remaining and still being high on the whole dirt riding thing, we look for some side roads that might be fun and still take us bsically North. All the gates we pass are obviously locked and marked as posted. So we have to suffer through the next 35 miles of twisty curvy Hwy 118 up to Alpine... It's brutal! Even though it is still quite light out, the sun is getting lower on the horizon and the temperature is already dropping rapidly. Crusing along the pavement and soaking in the beautiful scenery, it occurs tome that the best is already over for the weekend and it bringes a twinge of regret. We soon reach town, get to the hotel and find the street riders already settling in for dinner at a restaurant next to the hotel. We join them for an evening of story telling and laughter before retiring to the hotel and eventually calling it an evening.
Sunday May 17th - 690 miles
Sunday morning arrives much to early. I find myself laying in bed trying to figure out ways I can sleep later and still get home at a reasonable hour. I am still in that half sleep half away dream state and it includes things like flying and teleporting... Finally reality forces its' way in and I am left with no choice but to get moving. After getting my gear all packed, I head down to the parking lot and find the others. Some have already gone, others that were planning on heading out at the crack of dawn are still here... hehe. Randy, Will Bird and I head out.
The run East on US 90 to Comstock is tough. The farther East we get, the colder and windier it gets. We're running a pretty fast pace and sucking down the gas. A quick stop in Sanderson and we are back on the road. We stop in Comstock for a break and some snacks but neglect to get gas at $2.50/gal!! I know better, the first rule of riding in vast open spaces is to get gas whenever possible...
The run down 90 had me feeling pretty stiff and sore because of the cold and lack of moving around on the bike. As we head North on Hwy 163, that fades and I start feeling pretty good. We run a great pace up the road to FM 189. The cactus are not blooming just yet, but I can see they are covered in big fat buds and in a week or so this place will be incredibly colorful! We hit FM 189 and continue the fun pace. I see tons of wild turkeys and more of those pinkish/copper colored snakes. About fifteen miles before reaching the US 277 intersection, my reserve light comes on...
We are still a good 45-50 miles from Rocksprings, the next available gas stop!!
When we reach US 277, I pull over to see how the others are doing on gas. Randy and Will are both on fumes... I figure I have close to a gallon still. I am the only one carrying extra gas in a 2-1/2 gallon tank. I drop about a half gallon in my bike, and about 3/4 gallon or so in Randy and Will's bikes. We get going again and just a few miles down the road I look in the mirror and notice there is no one behind me?! I head back to find that Will's bike has sputtered to a stop. It seems the gas takes time to work its' way down through the plumbing in his bike. After a few minutes, we get started again. I reach the turn off for Hwy 55 and once again check the mirrors to see no one is with me. This time we just dump what is left of the gas in Will's bike and hope that Randy and I have enough to make it. Will takes the lead and we start heading East to Rocksprings at a nice gas conserving pace. The weather ahead does not look good...
As we get closer and closer to town, I am starting to get nervous. My reserve light has been on for at least the last 25 miles. It looks like it could start pouring down rain any moment. Will occasionally slows for some reason, but we eventually make it into town and get gas. 5.3 gallons in my 5.5 tank, 5.5 in Randy's 5.3 tank, and 6.3 in Will's 7.0 tank. It turns out that Will was slowing because when he hit a hill, the gas would run to the back of his tank and starve the engine
Too close
Tanks full once again, we head East on Hwy 55. This time we don't enocunter our friendly constable or any other LEO, but we still run a relaxed pace and enjoy ourselves. We've managed to miss a lot of potential rain so far, I just hope our luck holds. We pass through Campwood and run FM 337 back to Vanderpool where we stop for a BBQ lunch and meet some other riders out enjoyign the roads. Afterwards, Randy splits off and heads for Bandera. Will and I head North on Hwy 187 to Hwy 39 for the run into Kerrville. Then up 16 to Fredericksburg. We take FM 1631 to FM 2721. I've never come this way before and want to check out the roads. They are quite nice. We hit FM 1320 and head North to FM 1323. The blue bonnets are great along this section!
Soon we are headed North on US 281 up to Marble Falls. Again, there is a storm brewing that looks like it will hit us. Sure enough, just outside Marble Falls it hits. As is so annoyingly often the case, it rains hard enough that if I don't get out the gear, I will get soaked. But moments after getting all the gear on, the rain stops
Better safe than sorry, riding home the last three hours wet and cold would not be a good way to end a long day! We reach Will's house in Leander around 7:00pm and I call Beth to let her know when to expect me. The ride home is boring as I stick to the main highways to make time. I am tired and ready to be home. I roll int he driveway about 10:00pm and park the bike in the garage. Sleeping in my own bed tonight will be sweet! I'm sure all I will dream about is huge rocks, sandy washouts, and huge whoops! I cannot wait to go back!
Adios,
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