Last week I got a phone call from my sister-in-law’s dad, Richard. He said that my brother Kevin told him that I had a new motorcycle. Well, Richard was in San Antonio for a couple weeks and brought his bike and has been riding all around the Hill Country. He asked if I wanted to meet up on the weekend and go for a ride, and I of course said I’d love to. I had only rode solo before so this would be a new experience for me. I had no idea what kind of bike Richard rode, or if he wore a helmet even. I was somewhat surprised when he arrived at our house on a nicely farkled BMW R1100 RS, dressed ATGATT with a Revit Air mesh jacket and Shoei modular helmet. Pretty cool gear! After a short visit with my family we fueled up the bikes and headed out.

Of course we took 1431 west from Cedar Park. It was great weather, with clouds covering the sun and a mild temperature. We got caught behind a couple cars, but it was still a lot of fun. At Marble Falls, we headed south towards Round Mountain, then west again towards Willow City. I wanted to try the Willow City Loop since I’ve read a little about it and it seemed like it would be fun. I was not disappointed at all! It’s a pretty slow road; I kept it at around 30-35 mph and flipped up my faceshield to enjoy the breeze. The loop is very popular when the wildflowers are in bloom, with bumper to bumper traffic even! For us however, we only saw a couple cars (locals) and one group of motorcycles pass us in the other direction. The scenery itself is pretty great. The road gives some amazing vistas, and then drops down into a small canyon with cliff-faces off to the right side. There were several dry water crossings, and two that still had water. They were a little slick but nothing too terrible. Pretyy much the entire loop was fantastic. Lots of trees, a few deer and cows, and a really nice creek. It was almost like a good hike, but without the physical exertion. I think it is a road that you really need to ride if you are in the area (and it’s not wildflower season!).

After we finished the loop, we rode up to Llano for lunch and coffee. It was about 2:30 when we parted ways, with Richard heading south back down to San Antonio and myself heading east back home. It was a great day and I look forward to riding with Richard in the future.

Took a quick ride over to the library this evening, and Autumn is definitely in the air! Not only is it a lot cooler, but many houses have fires going in their fireplaces. And since it isn’t too late, lots of people have their barbecues going. This is part of what makes riding on a motorcycle so fun. You are really right in the elements, not having everything filtered through a windshield or air conditioning system. Sometimes the smells are not so great, like riding past a skunk or cow manure, but burning fireplace logs and BBQ totally make up for those times. They say the sense of smell can evoke vivid memories, and tonight I remembered the last time I experienced these things on a bike. I was still riding my little Supercub probably about a year ago. That was really a fun little motorbike. But the bigger bike is much better.