Tuesday, April 23, 2013

On Tuesday, the guys didn't ride. Roy was having a bit of trouble with his bike and Ed wanted to shop for tires. I took MY trip out to the Twisted Sisters.
When I went through Johnson City (named for Lyndon B. since he was born there), an old mill with metal sculptures on it definitely caught my eye. Across the street, a metal sculpture gallery.
My GPS took me down some "back roads" and as I approached Medina, I stopped to take a picture of one of the many houses perched on a hilltop. I'm not sure (if I were the owner of the house) that I'd be able to take the extreme grade leading up to the house every day!!
In Medina, I stopped for gas and had a nice chat with the clerk and a local resident at the corner store.
I then headed down Ranch Road 337. At first, there were gentle winding curves and PLENTY of ranches. In Vanderpool, I stopped at the corner store and actually gave the lady an idea for a Twisted Sisters t-shirt logo ("I Got Twisted by the Sisters!). I also caught site of several deer right by the store (but they bolted before I could grab even a quick picture) and of the hummingbirds lining up at the store's feeders. I took time as I continued down 337 to take a picture of the flood gages. Just because I drove down the highway when it was dry out doesn't mean the road doesn't flood out. The gage will tell a driver just how deep the water is when there IS water.
Next stop, Leakey (pronounced LAKE-y) or more specifically the Hog Pen at the intersection of Ranch Road 337 and Ranch Road 336/Hwy 83. Cool Place! Down the road (still in Leakey along 337), I also stopped at the Frio Canyon Motorcycle Stop where I chatted with some other riders and bought a couple of souvenirs.
I didn't get hungry until I stopped in Camp Wood at the intersection of Ranch Road 337 and Hwy 55. In this lazy town, there were cars lined up in front of Casa Sifuentes (owned and operated by Velinda Sifuentes) and upon eating my Mexican food, it was totally obvious why all the people were packed into the restaurant.
After Lunch, I headed up 55 to Ranch Road 335 where I had a leisurely drive past many ranches then I drove down Highway 41 to drive back south down Ranch Road 336. Of the three Sisters, 336 was the curviest, a nice ride. The only "look out for" were the cattle grates on the road. It was a bit slippery because of a constant drizzle and one of the grates was right in the middle of a switchback turn.
RR 336 took me back into Leakey where I filled up with gas and headed out (north) on Highway 83. The beginning of the road near Leakey was pretty nice but it really straightened out as you approached Hwy 41. I made one stop along Hwy 83 at a lookout there. You looked almost directly down upon a community with a river running through it which was really neat.
I made a brief stop in Fredericksburg on the way back. Its main street was 290 and it was pretty cool. I snapped a picture of the Admiral Nimitz Museum (hmmm... dry land... he must have been born there) but unfortunately I cut off the widow's tower because I was stopped at the red light WITH my helmet on and goofed up. The building, even without the tower is still interesting.