Hill Country Ride

As promised, I am posting some of my recent rides in and around the Texas Hill Country while on my Triumph America. This post will cover a Labor Day ride that was very enjoyable for me as I am mostly a solo rider. I do on occassion meet up with other like minded scoot enthusiasts while on the ride and find these encounters to be the best parts of the ride.

Wimberly is a little town, once home to many artisans working in leather, stained glass, furniture, antique stores, little bakeries and coffe shops, wood carving and more, but lately has been seeing a lot of expansion as this is a "a place to be." While there is nothing wrong with wanting to be in a place, the increased population brought in affluent buyers building really gorgeous homes, but at the same time making the place to expensive for many of the local artisans that were craft subsistent and, sadly, they have to move on as tey can no longer afford the taxes. That said, there are still many craftsman in the town and the "old Town" part still has that village charm, though many of the stores are now becoming high end Rodeo Drive type establishments selling imported goods. And there are still some of the stores that I still love to visit because of the quality of the goods that are still made locally. There are still some keen bakeries and diners, and I truly enjoy going in for a bite and maybe a conversation with a local.

After a bite of breakfast and coffee At the Wimberly Cafe, I'm ready to get back on the road. I head out towards Blanco taking RR 165. More rolling hills and a decent road with mild twists and turns creates and enjoyable ride for the cruiser or Tourer. Many ranches lie on either side of the road with lots to see.

A quick drive through Blanco, another small Texas town that has been able to maintain its charm, I hit State Highway (SH) 281 headed for Johnson City, where the LBJ State Park and his burial site are located. A bit larger, I just keep rolling through connecting with SH 290 heading west. Just outside the west side of town on 290 I come across a pretty interesting site. It's a ranchette where a local metal sculpture has displayed some of his works throughout the property. Some unusual and beautiful pieces of work are immediately visible from the road and I stopped to take this picture of a metal Longhorn statue. Sort of a tribute to the old cattle days of central Texas. I believe that the property is open to the public at certain times, but I didn't stay to check it out. I'll save it for another day.

Anyway I continue on towards Fredericksburg, enjoying a nice gently curving 290. Along the way are the customary ranches (big ones) dotted witht he occassional specialy store, fruit or vegetable stands and more than a couple BBQ places that bear investigating in a future ride. Just before making Fredericksburg I turn south on RR 1376 heading towards my real goal, Luckenback, TX. Made famous by Willie Nelsons song of the same name, this is a truly distinctive village, if I can use the term, having an old time Post Office (now a gift Store), a general store selling refreshments, burgers, dogs and the like, and a small unsupposing stage. As this was Labor Day, a lot of fellow bikers and muscle car enthusiasts were starting to show up for an impromtu party. A band was warming up (about 1 PM) and people were milling about enjoying a cold one and checking out each others rides.





Some really nice bikes and rods were to be seen. I just stopped for a break, a bit of a chat, and then was on my way again. Driving south I picked up Farm Road (FM) 1888 heading back towards Blanco. After Blanco I headed south on 281 to pick up RR 32, affectionately known locally as the Devils Backbone as the road runs along a "spine" of hills with some great views.






Notvery challenging, the road is paved well and has a couple of nice picnic stops where I met a couple of riders chilling on the road side. After a bit of checking out each others rides we elected to cruise back towards San Marcos untill we would split going our own ways. RR 32 eventually intersects with RR 12 and I'm back in San Marcos heading for the barn. All in all, about a 200 mile drive, a beautiful day (though it did start getting pretty warm towards the end, close to a hundred F), and a chance to meet some interestin folks. A perfect bike day. I frequent this part of the country just for this readon. Hope your days are filled with the same.