Can you tell me how to get...how to get to...

Sunny Day

Sweepin' the clouds away

On my way to where the air is sweet

Can you tell me how to get, How to get to Hico, Texas!


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TO HICO from AUSTIN:
We headed out 183 N

then 281 N to Lampasas

Just outside of Lampasas take

FM 1690 N to Izoro through Pearl to Purmela

At Purmela take FM 1241 N

You end up on 281 N just outside of Hamilton

Continue on 281 N to Hico

FROM HICO to AUSTIN:

Going home we made a little mistake, but it was the best mistake I had made in a while. We ended up at a Y sitting in the middle of cow pastures and rolling hills. Because we stopped there to take pictures of the old fence and barn, and to be honest, take a leak behind a bush, we missed a summer rain storm down the road.

We headed E on Hwy 6 towards Iredell just before you get to town take FM 1238 S to Cransfill Gap

Then we headed W on Hwy 22 back to Hamilton then because it was getting dark we headed S on 281 to 183 S in Lampasas to get home quickly.


More pics of the Hico trip coming soon!

Where should we go?

Where do you go when you have a cruiser, beautiful Texas spring weather, and a free afternoon? Llano for BBQ at Coopers? (If you haven't been it is a carnivores delight! A little on the expensive side, but well worth the almost neanderthal experience. I actually forgot to use my fork. Look for details of our next visit coming soon.), Bastrop for the piney woods smell?, Luling to see the old mill?, there are so many options.

How about Wimberley? Since this was our first out of the city of Austin ride, it was a perfect distance, curvy, 2 lane road headed to "A Little Bit of Heaven" according to the Wimberley Chamber of Commerce.
Route:
Mopac-S to 290-W to R-12-S
Return via:
R-12-N to FM-3237- N to FM-150-N to 290-N to Mopac-N
(Those that are not from Texas or have not traveled in Texas: R= Ranch Road- usually a two lane road, but on occasion it will have 4; FM= Farm to Market Road- usually a two lane road, connects the small towns and is usually considered the backroad to somewhere)


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New Rider Tip: You want to stop and stretch those legs and backs out after about 30 minutes. There is a rest stop on the right after the 71-W and 290-W split.

Ranch Road 12 is one of my favorite roads. When I attended Southwest Texas State University (now Texas State) in San Marcos we use to ride out to Wimberley. You could find a nice secluded spot to stop and neck if your roommate was commandeering your room that weekend. From Austin to Wimberley, the Ranch Road 12 winds and curves to the hills above and the creeks and rivers below. At this time of year, it is still green and sprinkled with pink, blue, and yellow wildflowers.

Just as you enter town on the left is the Wimberley Chamber of Commerce. We sauntered in, me with my fringed black leather jacket and black boots, looking like a one percenter wannabe to find a dignified Southern lady behind the volunteer desk dressed in a light blue-jean jumpsuit with a white mock-turtleneck shirt with a red, white, and blue scarf tied around her waist. When she addressed us, it was like molasses, a Southern drawl from way back. She hooked us up with a restaurant, Juan Henry's Restaurant, locally owned of course; a great, colorful map of the Hill Country, and a few pamphlets on the bed and breakfasts for our future visits. She was truly delightful!

Another reason to stop is the really cool- 3-D model of the Hill Country!

The short ride over to Juan Henry's was lovely, especially because we missed it the first time and ended up cruising down River Road. Here are some photos that I stole from the Internet. (We will have our own as soon as one of us purchases a nice digital camera or remembers his.)

We had enchiladas and tacos and discussed the route back. Originally we were just going to go back the way we came, but after looking at the Hill Country 3-D model at the Chamber of Commerce and the new map, we decided that FM 3237 looked like an interesting ride. It curved up through the hills and had a higher elevation than RR12, which we thought would give us a better vantage point.

Overall the ride back to the metropolis of Austin was a beautiful, quiet ride until “Jackass in a f$%^#*! Dodge Viper” roared by. We assume that the posted 55 mph that everyone else was cruising at did not pertain to him. There was no warning of his approach, but as we jerked to our left to see the rapid racing blue with white stripes Dodge zoom past, we felt the spray of pebbles as he cut back into our lane a close ½ car length ahead of us. “Asshole!”

Trucks on Sticks?

Your first question may be... why "Trucks on Sticks"?

If you ever traveled the I-35 corridor from Austin to Dallas, you too, might have noticed that these Texans have a propensity for placing trucks, or more specifically 18-wheeler cabs, 20 to 30 feet in the air as an advertising gimmick. What “S” finds interesting is that Texas is the southern end of “Tornado Alley”, so why would you place a six-ton truck (this may be a slight exaggeration, but you get the idea) on a stick above innocent travelers where wild winds have been reported on a number of occasions. It just begs the question, Why?

(Image found on google.com, not necessarily one that can be found on I-35, but we will get you real examples from our touring.)

The main purpose of this blog is to chronicle our venture in two-up motorcycle touring. So grab your favorite beverage and spend some time with "K" and "S" as we cruise across Texas.