This is how my day started at 6:30 in the morning. Sure glad I went and got some trash bags to cover my seat; water wicks down from the stitching into the foam and it takes a couple days for the seat to dry out. So, you ride around with a wet butt, and the results of having a wet butt all day are the same regardless of your age – ‘nuff said.
Luckily for me, this place is used to getting a little water – they got A LOT of water day before yesterday – 20 miles south of here this is what it looked like.
Things drain purddy good though, so I gave it until about 10:30 before I got on the bike. 
While I was waiting around I met some very interesting people. Amy & Donna are from Toronto and Niagara Falls respectively and did three 500 mile days in a row to get here. They stayed yesterday for a ride around and are leaving this morning for Yosemite. Even though they were two hours late getting started because of the storm, they were pretty sure they could get 750 miles in before calling it a day. Ride safe girls – respect!
I also met Ralph and Doug – they are from Oklahoma City and they too are serious riders. They have been all around the country and we swapped stories for about 30 minutes while they were loading their bikes. I got a really good lead on a place in Colorado to check out and you can be sure – that’s gonna happen – thanks guys, & safe travels.
The stark difference between the landscape of Texas’ Hill Country and the rest of the state make Hill Country a popular destination for motorcycle riders. Being able to ride around Southern California I have to admit that I’m a bit jaded when it comes to “great” places to throw a two wheeler around; these flatlanders think two turns within a half mile constitute a five star rating. But, I was trying to keep an open mind as I pulled out of Kerville.
I was a little worried when I saw these in the road. This is crack sealer and when it gets warm it’s gooey. Not sticky because it dries on top but underneath that layer it’s pretty flexible in the heat. So, if you’re carrying any kind of speed into a turn and you happen to get one (or more) of these under your tires, things get kinda wiggley – THAT’s not a good day. But the tar snakes went away almost completely after 30 miles and the rest of the day the roads were almost new. I’ve said it before, but in general, the roads in Texas are the best maintained roads in the country.
As soon as I got away from the stoplights of town the road started to get fun, and as soon as the tar snakes disappeared, it was an absolute blast. With all the stuff that makes the bike top heavy back in the motel room, tossing the bike through the turns seemed almost effortless. And while this wasn’t what it looked like around every turn, every once in a while it was quite scenic.
The route I took is actually one of the top 10 or so rides in the United States – it’s called the Twisted Sisters. Three different ranch roads that connect here in Hill Country. It’s on my top 10 list for SURE. With all the turns and altitude change and good road signs for corner speeds, riding aggressively is exhilarating and while you’re catching your breath, the road is still pleasant to ride. There are dips steep enough that you can feel the shocks almost bottoming out at the bottom and when you hit the top, you think – “you know, if I were only going 5 or 10 mph faster, I would have been airborne.” And on the faster stretches the speed limit is 75, and it’s not a straight road. Sometimes you have to slow down for the turns.
What’s GREAT out here though is that they actually bank the turns. I’m sure that it’s for drainage but it makes it seem like you’re at a NASCAR track. They do try to make you think a little about what you’re doing though. The numbers from this sign, combined with the other sign I saw make the total 21 riders killed in 7 years. It’s a fun activity but it is dangerous. I only saw one crotch rocket going at what I would consider suicide speed around a corner, mostly just old guys like me occasionally twisting the throttle a little to get a shot of adrenaline.
The unspoken warning when you go over a cattle guard is that this could be an open range. If you don’t pick up on that – this is a much less subtle reminder. This momma’s calf was on the other side of the road and I stopped to make sure she wasn’t interested in going over there to protect it. She stood calmly for her photo session and as I slowly made my way past, she turned in my direction but didn’t charge or anything. If there are cattle guards – you really need to have your guard up. Motorcycle + Cow = Nothing Good.
I turned around to take this picture. I tend to like clever puns & this qualified. You might have to click no the picture to enlarge it but this guy put all his old stuff out by the road and the sign for the Double Creek Ranch says “Rust in Peace.”
All three of the “sisters” roads 335, 336, & 337 were virtually empty. I would expect that every gear head with a stick shift would be out here – but this is truck country and a sports car is something rarely seen. I highly recommend the Three Sisters ride and would like to thank the ladies from Canada that I spoke with this morning for the suggestion.