George's Rides

Dateline:  September 3, 2005.  I took some photos but can't find them.

Summer in Texas.  Hotter than hell.  I haven't been riding much, as I
am working out of town, and when I get home on weekends there are so many
things to do that gearing up for a ride in the heat usually becomes low
priority.

Saturday, I decided come hell or high water, I was on the bike.  I
checked the entertainment section of the local news and noted The Greencards
were playing in Gruene Hall, in beautiful downtown Gruene, Texas, which is
near New Braunsfels.

The Greencards are a bluegrass band of some local renown.  They are a
group of Brits and Aussies, hence the name Greencards.  They have a CD
out, which I have purchased, but I had never seen them play.  I would
remedy that.

I loaded up my tankbag with water and camera, and headed out.  I left
the house and stopped for gas.  Gas is still cheap in Austin, only 3.09 for
premium.  I filled up my tires with air, as they were both low from
sitting for so long.  (a mini-rant here:  Why do air hoses not have 90
degree fittings any more?  What a pain in the ass to get the hose to
the valve stem!)

Finally, I was ready to hit the highway.  I headed over to Loop 1
(MoPac) and headed south to TX45, which I took to FM1826.  FM1826 was
wonderful, no traffic in front of me at all, which allowed me to run along about
75 with no problems.  At the end of FM 1826, I turned south on FM150.
This is a delightfully 3D road, with ups, downs, rights, lefts, a real joy
to ride.  Unless there is a Honda wagon in front of you, slamming on the
brakes at every tree.

At Hays City, I made a right on FM3237 to make towards Wimberley.  This
is more good Hill Country riding, not as many curves and hills as 150, but
it does allow me to come to Ranch Road 12 south of Wimberly, so I can
avoid the c-f that town has become on weekends.

Once on 12, I head south across the Blanco River and on to Ranch Road
32, where I head west for a bit, then turn south on Purgatory Road, which
is named for Purgatory Creek as it is a well maintained, low-traffic
county road.  At the southern terminus, I turned to the west on FM306, in with
the Canyon Lake-bound traffic.  In just a few miles, I turned again,
onto FM2673 toward Sattler.  Once in Sattler, I turned on Sattler Road and
then onto River Road.

Like most River Roads, the Guadalupe River Road is well worth exploring
on a motorcycle.  Beautiful views and lots of curves, both of the asphalt
variety and the human type, as many people enjoy spending a hot summer
day floating down the river on tubes.  Beware, though, the 20 mph speed
limit is strictly enforced.  In 10 miles of road, I saw 7 Comal County
deputies, several with cars pulled over.

After that refreshing interlude, I turned left onto TX46 then took the
Rock Street exit, which leads to Gruene (pronounced Green) Road, which
leads to, oddly enough, Gruene.

I was lucky to find a parking spot right by the cop directing traffic,
and walked across the street to Gruene Hall, where the Greencards were in
the middle of a smoking set, playing to a packed house of hot, appreciative
fans.  This group is well worth seeing if they appear in your area.
They recently toured with Bob Dyan and Willie Nelson.

After staying for another set, the heat started getting to me so I
headed out.  Some afternoon thunderclouds were building to the west, so I
opted for a more direct route home.  From downtown Gruene, I went northeast
on Hunter Road to FM306,  which I took northwest to Purgatory road, from
there I returned to my house by a reverse route from the outbound leg,
stopping in Hays City for gas (3.19/gal for premium) and a Hays City
Burrito (smoked brisket, pico de gallo, and cheese in a tortilla.)

The storm clouds stayed at bay for the most part, only 1 brief shower
marred the day, and rain felt cool.

The total trip was about 120 miles, and at least that many smiles.

# posted by George Pollard @ 6:23 PM