The morning was a bit cooler than the previous day but I had a warm cup of coffee and a delicious pastry to warm me up. Taking my cowboy coffee down to the water's edge, it was a treat to watch deer walk across the low water crossing upstream, stopping often to sniff the air then continuing on to the opposite bank. The campground was populated with broad native pecan trees which dropped their tasty but small nuts earlier in the fall. Fortunately, there was such an abundance that the critters hadn't consumed them all. I spent over an hour picking 10lb or more of pecans in the morning light. Little did I know, shelling these pecans would take many hours! I'm still working on the task but the prospect of free food, especially nuts, keeps my fingers working. They taste delicious! |
Nearing the city of Austin, I made camp along the Colorado River just outside the town of Marble Falls. The temperature was warm with a slight breeze as I stood along the banks in a T-Shirt surveying the low water level. The free county park campground was just what I needed after a long day's ride. A nice quick bath in the cool water left me drying in the last fading rays of sunshine overlooking ducks and doves on the water's edge. I heard the strumming of a guitar in the distance and went to investigate. Around the corner was a local guy sitting on a 5 gallon bucket enjoying a beverage as the sun sank into the river. He introduced himself as Tom and offered to let me pluck a few notes on his Martin Backacker guitar. I obliged and soon had a cold local Blonde (ale) in my hands and the opportunity to share some stories. "I don't know what you are doing tomorrow but you are welcome to come up to my 'Ranchito' a few miles from here." I told him I'd stop by tomorrow and we exchanged information. The night was quiet and stars bright. I rolled up to Tom's "Ranchito" and was welcomed with open arms. I offered to get some work done around the garden so we shored up and levels out some planter boxes and laid down weed barrier cloth in preparation for the upcoming planting season. Soon healthy tomatoes, peppers and greens would be sprouting from these 2'x2' squares. It was a pleasant day in the sunshine and great company to swap stories and hear about the local history. Following dinner, Tom suggested we make a visit to the local watering hole, The Double Horn, for $3 Thursdays. I was all about meeting his local gang down at the bar and trying some of the local brews. Their stout was rich and delicious with a nice hoppy note. The quality of folks I met down there and the true characters that represent this town in Texas continue to inform my opinions of how great this state really is.
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After a few weeks of living in the desert environment and only a few sporadic opportunities to be near forests, the little Ruckus rolled north and east toward the Texas Hill Country. I was impressed by rolling hills which gave way to small forests of oak and cedar. Vast ranches with creative and artistic entry gates lined the roadsides, their fences holding back cattle, goats and sheep from the roadway. The stubbier oak trees gave way to sprawling live oaks with massive trunks and branches of evergreen leaf shading the grass. It was a pleasant surprise to return to the land of forests and trees, knowing there are many more ahead of me continuing east. The shifts and changes in environment are one of my favorite parts of traveling. The famous "Three Sisters Road" loop turned out to be just down the Hwy 41 so I made a point to ride over to Neuces Canyon for a change of scenery. The winding road crawled up the steep canyon walls along the blue waters of the Neuces River. The wind blew strong from the North but I didn't care, I was back in the land of twisties after so long! Eventually I made my way up to the town of Junction, TX on I-10 and made camp at the city park. The local grocery store had sausages and fresh bread which I cooked on a grill fed by pecan wood. The din of trucks continued through the night but at least I was under a tree again and could hear the faint sounds of the flowing river nearby. The following day I took a variety of empty back roads to the German settled town of Fredericksburg, TX. A sign greeted me with "Wilkommen zum Fredericksburg" and I was surprised to see "Road" replaced by "Strasse" on some signs. 100+ year old buildings of tight limestone and characteristically German architecture reminded me of the small towns off Hwy 11 in the Shenandoah Valley. Following the advice of a fellow rider I met at the visitor center, I stopped in at the German Bakery in hopes of finding Laugebrochen. They didn't have any but their selection of strudels and treats looked delicious. I picked one up and continued through the green pastures and rolling hills of the Pedernales River Valley. I felt very much as if I was back in Shenandoah or out in the fields of the Rhine River. An occasional cactus reminded me that I was in fact, still in Texas. Heading toward Del Rio, the dammed up Rio Grande creates a deep blue reservoir surrounded by a Chihuahuan desert landscape. The name "Amistad" means friendship as the reservoir internationally borders the US and Mexican sides of the river. Spur 406, the old Hwy90 leads a few miles to the water's edge where the yellow centerline disappears into the algae blooms. Ducks swim among the reeds and submerged vegetation once thriving in the desert. My GPS shows me in the lake but due to the drought, the water level has fallen over 20 feet, evidenced by fishing line wrapped around a bush on top of the hill.
Departing Big Bend NP, I chased a coyote down the barbed wire fence line at 35mph before he ducked into a small familiar hole in the fence. Those suckers can move! Heading north on 385 up to the small town of Marathon, I fueled up and headed east on US90. That familiar addictive joy of being on the road again filled my soul and brought a wide smile to my face. A small pack(?) of Javellina scurried away from the shoulder as my little bike approached. A brisk 20mph tailwind gusted from the NNW generally offering a comfortable boost in power and efficiency. My next fuel stop in Sanderson saw 112mpg on the last tank of gas! I'll take it :) The small whistle-stop town of Langtry, TX sat off the main highway overlooking the banks of the Rio Grande. At a closed gas station/grocery store, I turned down the beaten and chipped old road headed for the Judge Roy Bean Visitor Center. A modern Texas State visitor center with maps, bathrooms and small exhibits guards the old buildings out back. Judge Bean was a humorous and curious figure in western lore, executing his own style of frontier justice from his bar/courthouse, "The Jersey Lilly" Wiki Article I enjoyed the break from the sunshine and a chance for water in Langtry. A group of Harley riders struck up a conversation before I departed, soon after passing me on US90 in a roar of chrome and exhaust notes. The old roadway was visible to my left and right, hugging the terrain closer than this modern road designed for large trucks and speeds of 75 mph. Small rock walls and boulders mark the old shoulders of that once often traversed road. Continuing east, freight trains over a mile long pass me by in a swirl of dust, colorful graffiti and black petroleum cars. To it's side, a small notch cut in the mountain reflects the old narrow gauge that once carried materials, livestock and passengers to the growing "WEST". Today all that remains are memories and scars in the landscape.
The Amistad Reservoir offers a free spot to camp for the night off Spur 406. I continue down the narrow highway realizing that this once was the old US90 before the Rio Grande was dammed. I ride until the yellow line disappears into the blue waters and stop to write in my journal. Ducks paddle by and frogs croak in this manmade oasis in the desert. |
Mike SaundersIn May 2014 I quit my job to ride a Honda Ruckus over 69'000 mi and counting. Wild camping most nights and cooking most of my own meals, I keep the costs low and the landscape changing. Archives
April 2018
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