Twisted Sisters Ride

Joyce and I are back at home following our 5 night 6 day motorcycle tour of the Texas Hill Country. We had a great time and enjoyed ourselves immensely. The ride was not without its share of adventures though.

Day Negative 3 – Yes, you read that right. It’s Thursday night and only three days until we leave on Sunday when my knee decides to go south for the winter. Not sure what the problem is, but I’m in pain and it doesn’t look good for the ride. Unfortunately the Bed and Breakfast we have booked doesn’t do refunds, so we’re pretty much forced to continue with our plans. If we do not find a solution we’ll have to forego the bike trip and travel by car.

Day Negative 2 – Spent the day Friday in denial trying to convince myself the knee didn’t hurt all that much. I’m a lousy liar though. Went out and bought a brace to immobilize the knee. Worked great except for one tiny problem – I couldn’t mount the bike with the brace on. So, went back to the store for a different setup and I finally settled on an elastic knee support. With the new brace on I’m good for mounting, but I’m not sure how riding will play out.

Day Negative 1 – Never say die. Saturday saw no change in the knee, but I decided to go ahead with the plan to start the ride tomorrow morning. Spent the day packing and making last minute adjustments to the bikes. The knee is killing me. I just hope I can ride in the morning.

Day One – Sunday morning dawns bright and clear. Well, actually it’s a bit foggy and damp, but why ruin a good story line. We ride the bikes to Brookshire to meet up with our regular Sunday Morning Ride group. From here we’ll run the normal SMR to Fayetteville (about 70 miles) for breakfast, then split with the group and continue west to San Marcos for lunch (about 80 miles), after which we’ll finish the ride to Fredericksburg (about 70 miles further). Knee pain is nominal for the first part of the ride. Brace seems to be helping, but the knee is a bit stiff. I must be in a bit more pain than I thought because I did something I’ve only done once since I began riding – while getting ready to leave Fayetteville I dropped my helmet. Bummer - left a small scrape mark on the very top of the helmet. Not real noticeable, but very annoying.

Fayetteville Breakfast Stop on Day 1

From Fayetteville we head for San Marcos on the back roads. By mid way there the knee begins to act up and we wind up having to stop every 15 miles and rub it down. It’s fine for the next 10 miles, then the pain begins to return and builds to a point that I am forced to stop. But after a minute of rub down I’m good for another 10 miles or so when the process repeats itself again. This was the standard procedure for the rest of the week.

We crossed I-35 at San Marcos and decide to ride to the edge of town to stop for lunch. I thought we would have several choices of restaurants to choose from, but I was mistaken. Only place we saw was called the Jive Turkey and it looked about as bad as my knee felt. We passed and rode on. About 10 miles outside of town we came upon the Casa Loma Tex-Mex restaurant and pulled in. Turned out to be great food and I highly recommend you give it a try (9595 RR12, Suite 11, Wimberley, TX 78676).

We skipped desert at Casa Loma so we would have reason to stop and rest a bit up the road. The next good size town was Blanco and we pulled into a Dairy Queen for a snack. Now I know the knee pain is getting to me as I did it a second time – I dropped the helmet. This time I wasn’t so lucky. The helmet’s chin vent was cracked in the fall and a “pencil eraser” sized scrape was left on the chin bar. Luckily we are almost to our destination as the knee is really giving me fits now. I’m beginning to wonder how this will affect the rest of the trip. 

Other than the knee pain, the remainder of the ride into Fredericksburg was uneventful and we arrived at our lodging around 4pm. We had selected the Camp David Bed and Breakfast at 708 W. Main St. based on nothing more than internet photos and a hunch that the place would be to our liking. It would be an understatement to say that we were pleased with our choice. It’s a great place to stay and we highly recommend it. Total trip length today was 229 miles. It was definitely time to rest the knee and relax a bit.

Camp David Bed & Breakfast

Cabins at Camp David

Day Two – It’s Monday and we have the day set aside for nothing more than exploring the town. No bike rides planned for today, and that seems to make my knee happy. Molly – the innkeeper – brought us our first of five days of gourmet breakfasts - and it was an absolutely wonderful meal. She is a fantastic cook and she proved her expertise each and every morning. After our meal I put the heavy duty brace on and we walked to town to check out the sights.

Gourmet Breakfast Every Morning

By afternoon we were ready for more adventure, so we saddled up the bikes and headed out to Lukenbach – home of the famous song about Waylon, Willie, and the boys. It was supposed to be a short 10 mile ride, but we missed a turn and wound up going over 50 miles! All of that was OK as we wound up at a historical location called the Bat Tunnel - which was on our list of "see if you have time" sites. The Bat Tunnel is a rail road tunnel that was created many moons ago and long since abandoned. It's now home for a large colony of bats that takes flight each evening. Eventually we did made it to Lukenbach where we picked up a couple of souvenirs for the family back home. Didn’t see anyone famous, but we had a good time. It’s a stop that you’ll need to make if for no other reason than to say you’ve been there. 

Bat Tunnel Historical Marker

Lost Again and Looking for Lukenbach

Luckenbauch Found - Waylon, Willie, and the Boys are on Tour

Day Three – Tuesday is Ride day! We’re headed for the Twisted Sisters – RR 335, RR 336, and FM 337. Bum knee and all. We leave Fredericksburg and travel south on SR 16 through Kerrville and into Medina. The roads get better and better the further south we travel. Hills, vistas, turns, and elevation changes abound, but it’s here that we encounter the second major obstacle to our trip – butterflies. Not a few, but millions and millions of butterflies. They’re everywhere, but seem to be directly in our path for the most part. We kill hundreds upon hundreds by smashing them into our face shields, our helmets, our windscreens, our boots, our clothes, and every square inch of exposed space on the bikes. It’s disgusting to say in the least. We hope they will soon pass, but as the day wears on we realize this is something we will have to deal with for the remainder of our trip. By the time we reach the town of Medina and the turn onto FM 337 we are literally filthy with dead butterflies. We now have to add stops to clean our visors as well as message my bum knee. I assure you, that many stops are not good for a tight time table and a 280 mile day. I’m beginning to get worried.

Butterflies - YUCK!

As you turn west from Medina you encounter the first of the Twisted Sister Runs – FM 337.  The road is beautiful – both scenic and challenging it is a road unlike any I have ever been on in Texas. Although I was born in San Antonio and have lived in Texas for all of my adult life, I have never seen elevation changes like this on any Texas road. It is simply a stunning run with my favorite section being from Vanderpool to Leakey. On this segment the roads are mountainous, with twist backs, steep grades, and long climbs – I love it!

First of the Twisted Sisters - FM 337

When we arrive in Leakey we fuel up having been forewarned that gas is not a common commodity along the way. While Leakey is a cross point for two of the roads we will run, it’s not yet time to turn north. So with the bikes full of gas we continue west to Camp Wood and a planned lunch stop at BJ’s Sweet Shop, after which we’ll pick up SR 55 for a short run north to the second of the Twisted Sisters – RR 335.

Joyce Between Medina and Leakey on FM 337

Perhaps I should have known the ride was going to go down hill quickly when we found out that the only day of the week that BJ’s Sweet Shop is closed is Tuesday. Oh well. We did find an alternative Tex-Mex place in town that turned out to have awesome tortilla chips – Casa Falcon. Not sure if it’s better than BJ’s or not, but it is open on Tuesday.

Note the Butterflies - They Look Like UFO's

Now, I had been told that the second of the Twisted Sisters - RR 335 just north of Camp Wood - was a great road, but I didn’t find that I agreed. Don’t get me wrong – it’s a very nice run. It just didn’t live up to my expectations. In hindsight I would have skipped RR 335 to shorten the days run – but then we wouldn’t have been able to say we ran all three of the Twisted Sisters.

Matter of fact, it was on RR 335 at the 137 mile point in the ride that Joyce said to me, “I’m not having fun any more.” Seems the butterflies had added enough to the challenge of the long days ride to make her uncomfortable. Unfortunately, her comment came 3 miles shy of the half way point. Turned out all she needed was a restroom break and something to drink (and so did I for that matter).

Now - your opinion of the road may vary, so please include it if you can. But if you’re looking to cut the ride short, I’d start by eliminating RR 335. This would eliminate the portion of FM 337 west of Leakey, but that’s OK as well as it’s not much to write home about either. The run from the top of RR 335 along SR 41 to the third leg of the Twisted Sisters is just flat Texas country road. Nothing there of any significance either.

We continued up RR 335 to the intersection of SR 41 where we turned east. To say there is nothing on SR 41 would be an understatement. It’s flat, it’s boring, it’s uninhabited, and it’s lonely. By now Joyce had informed me that we needed to find a bush because the prospects for a clean restroom were looking pretty dim. As we rode I kept an eye out for one of nature’s pit stops, but everywhere I found a bush that looked promising I could not find a safe place to pull off – and where a safe shoulder was found there were no bushes. By this time even I was beginning to get uncomfortable.

About 10 miles out on SR 41 we passed a shack on the left with a sign that was barely visible. I caught a quick glance as we went by. It said DEER CORN – SODAS, and that was all. I radioed Joyce to turn around and we headed back to see if there was truth in advertising – even if it was an old broken down sign in what looked to be an abandoned building. Turned out we were in luck.

Now, don’t expect much if you decide to stop here. The old guy who runs the place smokes like a chimney and seems to be quite comfortable living in about an inch of cigarette ash. I seriously doubt the place had been cleaned in many, many a year. But he was kind enough to allow us to use the restroom and true to form he did have sodas. I went for a Gatorade and Joyce opted for a Popsicle. We sat and talked for a bit with the owner – who it turns out was an old Harley rider from way back. He actually sold his bike to buy the shack from the previous owner and now finds himself stuck on SR 41 out in the middle of no where. I think I have truly found the infamous BFE that we have all heard so much about!

With our kidneys tapped and refreshments in our systems we headed east once again for the third leg of the Twisted Sisters – RR 336. This would turn out to be one of my favorite roads of the entire trip! The only thing that hindered this roads beauty was the number of cattle grates you were required to cross. While most were fairly smooth, they did slow our progress - but it was worth it. RR 336 is full of twists, turns, elevation changes, vistas, overlooks, wildlife, scenery, you name it. This is a great road and I had a blast running it. Don’t miss this one!

RR 336 changes into US 83 and ends back in Leakey where we stopped once again to fill our tanks. Be careful if you are out here as the only station in town closes early. There is no such thing as an all night fuel stop in Leakey, so plan carefully!

From Leakey we headed west on FM 337 back toward Vanderpool. This would be one of only two roads we had to rerun on the ride. Fortunately this is the best section of FM 337 and you get to run it both forward and back!

At Vanderpool we turned north on FM 187. Our original plan was to stop at the Lone Star Motorcycle Museum and Lost Maples State Park - both just north of Vanderpool. But the museum was only open Friday thru Sunday and by the time we got to Lost Maples it was closed as well. The butterflies and frequent knee massage stops were taking their toll on our time table and it was starting to get dark. The remainder of the ride would need to be done as quickly as possible if we were to beat nightfall back to Fredericksburg.

We took FM 187 north and then turned east on SR 39 toward Hunt. This road, while not as twisty and with fewer elevation changes, was a very nice run. I only wish we could have slowed our pace a bit so we could have enjoyed it more. It will definitely be on the list for a return trip at a later date. The road follows the Guadalupe River and its many river resort recreational areas all the way to Ingram.

SR 39 Outside of Hunt

At Ingram we picked up SR 27 for a short ride into Kerrville, turned north onto SR 16 and hot footed it back to Fredericksburg. Total trip distance – 280 miles, our longest ride ever!

Day Four – Wednesday is Full of Woe. Bike Trouble! We decided we would need to wash clothes after breakfast. The dead butterflies that adorned our cycle gear were just too much to let ride. Even the clothes we wore underneath our gear needed to be washed. Seems the bug splats went all the way through the mesh jackets we were wearing. While Joyce rounded up the gear and took a shot at cleaning our boots, I headed off to the local car wash on her bike to see if I could knock off the dearly departed creatures we had encountered. The bike was acting funny when I left and it stalled on me twice before I got it running. Thinking it might be getting low on fuel I pulled into a gas station, filled up, and then continued down the road to the car wash. Knowing the damage a high pressure wash can do to an engine I made sure to stay well clear of the bikes electrics and other vulnerable areas. I must have done a good job because the bike started right up when I finished and I rode it back to the Bed & Breakfast.

We packed all of our dirty clothes into Joyce’s back pack and my tail bag and then headed out to the bikes for the ride to the laundromat. Unfortunately, Joyce’s just cleaned bike would not start. I assumed the issue was due to water getting into someplace it wasn’t suppose to be, so I pulled everything out and dried it as best I could. Still no start. Checked the fuses, check the solenoid, checked the wiring, but didn’t see anything out of the ordinary. This was not the first time this issue had occurred on her bike with the prior two instances requiring new batteries. We were now faced with the distinct possibility the battery had failed once again. As upset as we were, we were still very thankful the bike didn’t die yesterday while we were in the middle of nowhere. Be that as it may, it looked like we were going to be stuck in Fredericksburg for the time being. At least we had a place to sleep.

We called the dealership in Katy to see if they could give us a clue as to how they had corrected the previous two issues (other than changing out the battery). Unfortunately they were unable to suggest anything we had not already tried. Dan, the service tech at the dealership then set into motion what could only be described as a minor miracle. He pulled out his dealer network book and located a Kawasaki dealer in Fredericksburg (they only sold ATV’s). He called them on the off chance they might have something that would work and found out their parts guy was currently on a run to San Antonio to pick up parts at another Kawasaki dealership. He got the cell number of the parts guy (Charles) and phoned him. Charles picked up a Vulcan 500 battery in San Antonio and brought it back with him to Fredericksburg. By 5 pm we had our new battery installed and Joyce was back in business. We also had a firm appointment to put the bike back in the shop when we returned so they can find out why it keeps eating batteries. This is its third battery in 2500 miles!  We finished out the day doing laundry and cleaning my bike off with Lemon Pledge. Smelled real nice, but man it made the bike slick. Exhausted from the day’s events, we decided to call it an early night and put this day behind us.

Day Five – Thursday is a Better Day! With the bugs washed off our clothes and bikes we took a fresh look at the ride we had originally planned for the day. The 180 mile route would take us to three different state parks and encompass the majority of the day. After much discussion we decided we had tempted fate enough and elected to cancel the day’s ride. We did make two side trips out to visit an Indian site (Cross Mountain) and a local Herb Farm, but for the most part we stayed in town and explored the museums and downtown shops. At the end of the day we stopped at the gas station and filled both bikes up for the return trip.

Myself at the Herb Farm

Musicians in Town Play at Most Restaurants

One of the Many Local Eateries

Day Six – Time to Go Home! I had planned out a different route home than the one we took to get to Fredericksburg. The return roads kept us south of I-10 for the most part – encompassing Seguin, Gonzales, Shiner, Halletsville, Wallis, and Fulshear before arriving home in Katy. For lunch we planned to stop in Greune and eat at an old favorite restaurant of mine called The Grist Mill. The last time I ate there it was an out of the way hole in the wall that was never crowded. My, oh my, how times have changed. Seems Greune has grown into a tourist trap and is now over run with traffic and pedestrians. We’ll have to skip this stop on future runs – it’s just not the same any more.

All Packed Up and Ready to Go Home

Other than knee stops, the remainder of the ride into Katy was uneventful. We arrived home at 5:30 pm, tired but happy (and in need of a shower). For a first overnight tour we feel we did well. I’m not sure if there was anything that didn’t get thrown at us, but we survived with our wits intact and a desire to do another ride in the near future. Total trip length was 825 miles from start to finish. Not bad for a first effort, even if I do say so myself.