I was browsing around the Ride Dual Sport forums and I came across a short ride report and photos of Regency Bridge near San Saba. I’ve ridden around the area a couple times before, and I really enjoyed it so I figured I’d go again and see the bridge. I had the whole day to myself so I decided to take my time, ride on country roads and avoid the highway if I could. Just north of the town of Burnet I made a left onto County Road 106/San Saba Road and proceeded northward in the general direction of San Saba. This was a really nice stretch, with a speed limit of maybe 45. I must have ridden about 30 though, just taking in the sights and smells of the countryside. It went on for several miles and the only other vehicles I saw were two bicyclists out for a leisurely ride. It was great.
I kept wandering around the back roads, occasionally looking at my GPS to make sure I was headed northwest and eventually hit FM580 at Nix. I had never ridden on 580 and it was a fantastic stretch of twisty road with almost no traffic. I’d definitely recommend that for a Butler Map! I continued on past Bend and then spied a nice gravel road on the right hand side. I saw on the GPS that that road was a loop, so I caught County Road 420 on its north side, turned off the ABS, and took the road east. Riding on the gravel roads is a lot of fun and I look forward to riding on some each time I go out now. I stopped at Colony Cemetery to take a couple photos and had a drink of water, then proceeded on the small loop east and then south.
It was tons of fun standing on the pegs and putting the training I got riding off-road to use. The gravel got deeper than I’ve ridden before but my bike and tires handled it with ease. There were some small hills to go up and down, and a lot of really cool scenery to take in. There was even a small water-crossing. It looked a little slick but was pretty short and wasn’t a problem.
The hill after that was rutted with erosion for rains, but standing on the pegs made it easy and actually a lot of fun! It was great just finding a relaxed stance and letting the bike wiggle underneath me, while keeping a light touch on the bars just enough to control the throttle but letting the bike just do its job. After riding like this for a while, I have a lot of confidence on gravel now. I remember being semi-terrified of the stuff before, but that seems like ages ago! I’m no expert by any means but I have expanded the limits of what I know the bike can do safely and that takes away a lot of the apprehension.
Back on the pavement I continued on to San Saba where I made a quick gas stop then headed north on 16, then followed the signs to Regency Bridge northwest on Ranch Road 500. After a few miles there’s another gravel road (yay!) that heads north to Regency Bridge. I met a KLR rider at the bridge and we talked for a little while about riding, bikes, and the bridge. He lived nearby and had a lot of great stories and told me the history of the bridge. I think we were very different people but because we were both riding motorcycles, and specifically dual-sports, we had some things in common and I enjoyed meeting him.
The bridge itself is pretty cool. It’s one of the oldest suspension bridges in Texas, with wooden planks to ride across. The “railing” was pretty low and you can see through the cables so it’s quite a hairy ride Especially because you’re up about 75 feet above the Colorado River! I decided to just get across, the park my bike and walk back over the bridge. Much safer that way! The view from the bridge is really great and riding across this old bridge is something I’m glad I did.
I continued on County Road 433 north, then east on 432. It was all gravel, with plenty of soft spots and a few stretches of dried up tire tracks to add a little excitement. I rode this for several miles and many smiles before finding the pavement again. By this time it was getting on mid-afternoon so I headed back home thinking about having a nice meal and a cold drink. Regency Bridge is a nice destination and I imagine I’ll be back again, not only to see the bridge, but to ride the gravel roads which there seemed to be quite a lot of!
Odometer: 236.33 miles