Ride #21, 277 miles.
I haven't been out of the Hill Country since early October of last year. That changed today. I overslept a little this morning and think I left part of my brain on my pillow. First stop was for some breakfast tacos in town. I normally pay with cash, but I was a little short so I used my debit card. When I was punching buttons on POS screen I realized I forgot my glasses in the saddlebag, so I went to quickly retrieve them after I placed my order. When my food was ready the manager gave me back my debit. I didn't realize I left it in the POS card reader. Doh! Tacos were great as usual, then stepped outside to finish my coffee. As I was gearing up to get back on the bike it quickly became obvious that I left the key in the bike with the ignition ON! The battery was dead. Admiral Nimitz obviously wasn't doing a good job watching my bike. I went back into the taco shop and told the manager what I did and asked if he had any jumper cables. His words, "I got you." I was parked right next to his truck and within two minutes the Scout was running. Phew! I began to question myself, whether I should proceed with the plan. I think the coffee was kicking in, so I went for it.
I headed due south to Hondo, TX, just west of San Antonio, where the Hill Country isn't, and the land is flat. It's amazing how quickly the hills vanish. Within about a mile there are hills and then there are none. I filled up in Hondo, having to shut off the bike but it started back up easily. I didn't have any issues the rest of the day. I was reading 13V+ with just the ignition on and 14V+ when engine running. I think the battery is OK.
I rode due west for bit, then turned northwest at Sabinal. I was amazed at the mile or two of RV's waiting at the light to hit the main highway. I guess their weekend of fun was over and they were heading home. I headed to Concan, re-entering the Hill Country. Just as dramatic as the exit, I was right back in it. I headed up to Leakey, where I filled up the tank again and chilled a bit with a cold beverage. I rode 336 north (one of the Three Sisters) and made my way over to Mountain Home where I stopped for a few photos at a rest area. The rest area overlooks the place where I went to summer camp as kid for four years, from the early to mid 70's. Photos 06, 07 and 08 are the camp. 06 shows the main house where the HQ is, where all the activity coaches and staff stay, and the mess hall is to the right. 07 shows the river and some cabins which I stayed in. They've added a lot of building since I was a camper. The dock used to be much bigger and they didn't have brightly colored kayaks back then, just the aluminum canoes. 08 is where the rifle range is/was. We laid on mattresses and shot .22 rifles at paper targets, aimed back towards the road, but into the big cliff side on the other side of the river. I have a lot of fond memories of this camp. No cell phones, tv's, computers... This is definitely where I made a connection with this part of Texas and probably a big influence for why I'm here now.
When I was done with the nostalgia, I jumped back on the bike and made one more stop in Harper for some gas.
429 miles this weekend.
Last year I was first in at 23 rides, but it wasn't until July 7th. I would like to beat that date if I can this year. Just three more rides to go. Of course I've already been smoked this year...