A Grateful Dead song comes to mind when I think about this weekend; "what a long strange trip it's been". This weekend had a little bit of everything.

 

Fergy and DiamondLyl, Cass and Angie (soon to be known as Fiesty), Aggie and myself met up at the Denny's around 08:30 Friday morning. Had a great breakfast and were looking forward to the trip ahead. The temperature was in the 30's, but we were undeterred as the prospect of what lay ahead was much more at the forefront in our minds. We were headed to the Hill Country! Cass and Angie were done eating when Aggie and I arrived so they headed out to gas up and do last minute things. When we finished eating breakfast, we went to the parking lot to find Cass and Angie still there with Cass on his cell phone. He had fuel all over his timer housing and was talking to the dealer since he just had his Screaming Eagle Road Glide there for service. They told him that there was not a problem and once warmed up, the bike would be just fine. So off we go!

 

It was cold. It was damn cold. It was windy. It was damn windy. We headed down I 10 hoping to make good time. I thought it was me but found out from Cass and Fergy that they had small snowflakes hit their windshields too. It was cold. It was damn cold. As we were blazing down the Interstate against what seemed like 50 mph winds, it felt like we were at a 45 degree angle most of the time. We made several stops along the way to take a break and gas up as the fuel mileage was not so good. It was windy. It was damn windy. But the closer we got to our beloved Hill Country area, the better things seemed to get. We exited the Anderson Loop in San Antonio at Hwy 16, the Bandera Highway, which would put us on the verge of the magnificent Texas Hills we came to ride. But we hit a snag. Cass' bike started cutting out. He barely made it into the corner gas station at the end of the exit ramp. At the very least we felt fortunate that it happened here and not in the middle of the busy highway where it could have been really bad. We experimented and decided that his battery had crapped out. With Cass' bike taken apart, Fergy and DiamondLyl took off and somehow managed to find the correct battery and were back in a little over an hour. So we were on the road again (another song comes to mind)! However, when we reached Bandera, the voltage level in that brand new battery was dropping fast. From Bandera it was about another 20 miles to our destination at Koyote Ranch so we decided to go for it. Good decision. We made it in and began to make some calls. The people at Koyote Ranch were incredible. This is a "biker friendly" place that catered to us like we were royalty. We highly recommend this place for overnight stays or just to stop in for a beer. The hospitality, just like the scenery is second to none. They are on Hwy 16 between Kerrville and Medina. See them at www.koyoteranch.com. The Koyote Ranch Manager Jack hooked Cass up with a Harley Certified mechanic in Ingram. We would go in the morning so we spent that night enjoying a few cold ones and absorbing that night sky. Turned out to be a great day after all.

 

So with Cass' battery all charged up, we head to Ingram by way of Hwy 27 through Kerrville and locate Jack's Cycle Service. We were met by the new owner Ron Kujat. He took Cass' bike in immediately and began to work on it. He went directly to the problem as he had a hunch as to what was wrong. Turns out that the stator was burned out. It was smoked, literally. Ron called his wife Doreen as she was already en route to Boerne home of Javalina Harley to get parts. She was already halfway back when Ron discovered that there was more wrong and needed more parts. So when she got back, he would go back to Boerne and get the rest of the parts, which meant we had a longer wait. So Ron tosses Cass his keys to his Electra Glide and tells us to go have some lunch instead of just waiting around at the shop. Needless to say, we were blown away. You cannot beat this kind of service and hospitality. We head out and find a nice little Cajun Food restaurant called Jazz. This place is on Hwy 27 also and is situated on the Guadalupe River. We sat on the back deck overlooking the river and enjoyed the awesome sunshine and cool breeze, drank a few cold ones and munched on raw oysters and other fine fare they offered. It was grand. After the fine lunch, we returned to find Cass' bike would soon be back together. In the meantime we thought it would be a good thing to patronize this fine establishment so we bought t-shirts, hats, coffee mugs, doo rags, etc. These were fine people that did excellent work that literally bent over backwards for us. Not only did Ron get Cass' bike fixed right, he was able to do the paperwork to get this done as a warranty repair. He is "Harley Master Certified". We highly recommend anyone needing service while in the Hill Country to see Ron at Jack's Cycle Service. Ron bought the shop from Jack and kept the name for familiarity in the area. Write this down and keep it with you: Ron Kujak and Doreen Beck at Jack's Cycle Service 3370 Junction Hwy (Hwy 27) Ingram, Texas 78025 Phone 830-367-7575 email: jackscyclesv@hctc.net

 

We hit the road and made our way up Hwy 27 until it intersected Hwy 41. We headed west until we reached FM 335, one of the fabulous Twisted Sisters. It was a glorious ride all the way to Camp Wood. We picked up the second leg there on FM 337, probably the most popular of the 3 Twisted Sisters as it is a long stretch of twisty, winding switchbacks that offer some of the best panoramic views of God's Country that you will ever see. This led us back to Medina from which it was a quick 10 minutes back to Koyote Ranch. What a spectacular ride! The third of the 3 Twisted Sisters is FM 336 which we recommend not doing. It is loaded with cattle guards and you have to literally stop every mile or so to cross them. It's just not worth it. But once back at Koyote Ranch, we were greeted by the Gulf Coast Ghost Riders as well as those two other guys from the Waco area. They're somebody I think. Just kidding! Pistol, Riptide, Trouble, and a friend of theirs called Sticker along with his girlfriend, Stacey, were there along with Bahama Mama and Smokin' Joe. It  was a great get-together. I wish that we could all have been there. Maybe someday. Someday soon I hope. Needless to say, there was much imbibing going on as a good time was had by all.

 

After another fine breakfast at Koyote Ranch, we were all packed up and ready to go Sunday morning. We thanked our gracious hosts for a great stay and made our way to Luckenbach. This is where I think we all felt the spirit of the Sons of Texas. There is not much in this town, but it is loaded with Texas Historical Significance. For the official record, it's Luckenbach, Texas Population 3. Needless to say, Smokin' Joe was on Cloud 9! We took lots of pictures and should be seeing them on the website soon. It was a neat place to visit and would be worth returning to. We can all now say we've been to Luckenbach Texas with Willie and Waylon and the Boys! So we get back on the road and head for home. The road home ended just like it started. The weather forecast called for 72 degrees and mild. The weatherman was wrong. Way wrong. Because it was cold. It was damn cold. And it was windy. It was damn windy.