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dolariROAD TRIP!
Considering it's the last one I'm going to be able to do for some time, I got a 64 ounce drink cup of tea, a truck with a full gas tank and left for parts unknown. I left at 4PM...I got back a little after midnight. And about 350 miles!
Ever looked out on the horizon and seen clouds out there...did you know those clouds are most likely 70 miles away? I saw some clouds on the horizon and figured I'd head west. Let's find those clouds!
Man, I love this stuff.
From Austin to Oak Hill to Cedar Valley to Fitzhugh.
Fitzhugh is a small place, barely anything left of the town but a few scattered houses, but it had something VERY unique. It had three seperate churches, all within a few seconds walk of each other and a cemetary just off of all three churches, again, just within walking distance. Kind freaky if you ask me. If I ever need to feel holy, I know where to go! :)
From Fitzhugh to Johnson City (hometown to President Lyndon Baines Johnson...even though his actual home is about twenty miles west of there) to Sandy (which has the most beautiful, isolated and quiet and peaceful cemetary int he world. Just about 200 headstones, a cement picnic table under a shaded oak tree, and NO NOISES ANYWHERE other than the gentle rustling of the wind. Gorgeous.) to Willow City.
If you ever...EVER find yourself in the city of Fredericksburg, Texas, You MUST take the Willow City Loop road. From Fredericksburg, take Highway 16 north to Old Willow Road. Turn right onto Old Willow Road. The road will make a sharp left and merge onto Farm Road 1323 into Willow City. FM 1323 will make a left turn. Keep straight on the Willow City Loop Road. (If you need to stop to water the tires, or grab a drink or some eats, I heartily recommend the big ole general store in Willow. DO NOT go onto Willow City Loop Road, and follow FM 1323 out of Willow City. There'l be a big huge general store to your right, whose name escapes me, but you can't miss it. Trust me, you'll love it. Make a 180, and head back to Willow City Loop Road). The next 13 miles you will see terrain like no other in Texas. You'll start out in grassy brush, then creek valleys, then, on the edge of a huge depression, with views spreading miles to the north. You'll go into mountian valleys, see a sign that says "A good rain, and a baby calf are always welcome", run past granite boulders, and finally deposit you on Highway 16 again. After that, go see Enchanted Rock. :) Going south onto 16, you'll hit Eckert.
From Eckert to Fredericksburg (If you ever visit San Antonio, you MUST visit Fredericksburg. This also means you MUST take the Willow City Loop Tour. Enchanted Rock is optional) to Harper (which, to me, looked very much like Smalltown, USA. Very self contained, with wholesome families with wholesome kids. Very tiny little town.) to Noxville.
My ultimate gola was to go farther out than I had ever gone before. Cap'n Kirk eat your heart out. Before today, I'd never gone west of Fredericksburg on my own. Around fredericksburg, some 70 miles from Austin, I finally hit the cloudbank. And it was getting dark, almost 7PM by my reconing (I waste a lot of time reading Historical Markers :) ). Very dark indeed. Noxville is on FM 479, which is the old US 290 highway. Why they rerouted US 290 straight through to I-10 instead of having it follow it's old route is beyond me. The FM 479 route is BEAUTIFUL. Lots of mountains, creek beds and wonderful views of big skies. The new US 290 may be direct, but 5 will get you nine it's not as much fun a view. I passed Noxville without even noticing it. It was just ONE house. And that house was abandonned. I looked for the cemetary, but couldn't find it. Oh, well....
From Noxville to Segovia (I pulled up to a gas station to see what was inside. Nothing! As a matter of fact, all it had was two sides of a building...the other two were missing. Magic elves seemed to be holding the rest up.) to Junction.
On FM 2169 into Junction out US 377 from Junction are a series of strange formations to the north...like little mountanettes. Very cool looking because they're just there - in the middle of flat plains. About this time, I also got a few drops of lovely rain. I'd hoped I'd get to see some before the day ended! It thundered and lightning like heck, but there was not hardy a sprinkle. Just enought to feel like your hands were getting wet. Junction was as far west as I planned to go. I began to turn northeast, and head back to Austin.
From Junction to London to Erna to Streeter to Koockville (huh huh huh she said koockville huh huh) to Mason to Art.
Between Mason to Art, something REALLY wierd happened. I was driving along at about 70 MPH, legal on Texas county roads. I see a pair of headlights comeup...and I keep pushing along. Just as we get near, red police lights come on. I freak and hit the breaks. Just as soon as they came on, they turned right back off. Wierd, huh?
From Art to Llano/
Alas, Llano. It was here I pulled over to stretch my legs a bit at a Safeway, and locked my keys in the car. I tried to break into my own truck via a partially opened drivers side door, and uncrank the window. Nuthin' doin' bub. I asked inside for a wire hanger, and instead they called the cops.
Not more than two minutes later, one of Llano's Finest (and I do not say this sarcastically, at all) along with a VFD EMS member pull up and, in about twenty minutes pop the door open for me. Didn't cost me a thing, and Iw as on my way in no time.
Hats off to you, Llano, for helping a poor woman in distress a hundred miles from help, in the middle of the night and asking for nothing more than a thanks! Especially since my registration was overdue by a month! :)
From Llano to Kingsland (DAMMIT! I just spent the last two hours pumping info into Mapquest to get an exact milage, and it kincks out on me, takling all the info with it. I HATE YOU MAPQUEST! MAY YOU BURN IN THE FESTERING DIGITAL HELLFIRES OF THE INTERNET CRUNCH! (Sorry, I had to vent)). to Marble Falls to Jonestown to Cedar Park to Austin.
Quite the trip. I wish I could give you exact mileage, but MApquest wants to play dirty tonight.
Once I got home, I sat down to an evening of Doctor Who and punching all this in since 3AM. It's 5:10 now...What a day!
Considering it's the last one I'm going to be able to do for some time, I got a 64 ounce drink cup of tea, a truck with a full gas tank and left for parts unknown. I left at 4PM...I got back a little after midnight. And about 350 miles!
Ever looked out on the horizon and seen clouds out there...did you know those clouds are most likely 70 miles away? I saw some clouds on the horizon and figured I'd head west. Let's find those clouds!
Man, I love this stuff.
From Austin to Oak Hill to Cedar Valley to Fitzhugh.
Fitzhugh is a small place, barely anything left of the town but a few scattered houses, but it had something VERY unique. It had three seperate churches, all within a few seconds walk of each other and a cemetary just off of all three churches, again, just within walking distance. Kind freaky if you ask me. If I ever need to feel holy, I know where to go! :)
From Fitzhugh to Johnson City (hometown to President Lyndon Baines Johnson...even though his actual home is about twenty miles west of there) to Sandy (which has the most beautiful, isolated and quiet and peaceful cemetary int he world. Just about 200 headstones, a cement picnic table under a shaded oak tree, and NO NOISES ANYWHERE other than the gentle rustling of the wind. Gorgeous.) to Willow City.
If you ever...EVER find yourself in the city of Fredericksburg, Texas, You MUST take the Willow City Loop road. From Fredericksburg, take Highway 16 north to Old Willow Road. Turn right onto Old Willow Road. The road will make a sharp left and merge onto Farm Road 1323 into Willow City. FM 1323 will make a left turn. Keep straight on the Willow City Loop Road. (If you need to stop to water the tires, or grab a drink or some eats, I heartily recommend the big ole general store in Willow. DO NOT go onto Willow City Loop Road, and follow FM 1323 out of Willow City. There'l be a big huge general store to your right, whose name escapes me, but you can't miss it. Trust me, you'll love it. Make a 180, and head back to Willow City Loop Road). The next 13 miles you will see terrain like no other in Texas. You'll start out in grassy brush, then creek valleys, then, on the edge of a huge depression, with views spreading miles to the north. You'll go into mountian valleys, see a sign that says "A good rain, and a baby calf are always welcome", run past granite boulders, and finally deposit you on Highway 16 again. After that, go see Enchanted Rock. :) Going south onto 16, you'll hit Eckert.
From Eckert to Fredericksburg (If you ever visit San Antonio, you MUST visit Fredericksburg. This also means you MUST take the Willow City Loop Tour. Enchanted Rock is optional) to Harper (which, to me, looked very much like Smalltown, USA. Very self contained, with wholesome families with wholesome kids. Very tiny little town.) to Noxville.
My ultimate gola was to go farther out than I had ever gone before. Cap'n Kirk eat your heart out. Before today, I'd never gone west of Fredericksburg on my own. Around fredericksburg, some 70 miles from Austin, I finally hit the cloudbank. And it was getting dark, almost 7PM by my reconing (I waste a lot of time reading Historical Markers :) ). Very dark indeed. Noxville is on FM 479, which is the old US 290 highway. Why they rerouted US 290 straight through to I-10 instead of having it follow it's old route is beyond me. The FM 479 route is BEAUTIFUL. Lots of mountains, creek beds and wonderful views of big skies. The new US 290 may be direct, but 5 will get you nine it's not as much fun a view. I passed Noxville without even noticing it. It was just ONE house. And that house was abandonned. I looked for the cemetary, but couldn't find it. Oh, well....
From Noxville to Segovia (I pulled up to a gas station to see what was inside. Nothing! As a matter of fact, all it had was two sides of a building...the other two were missing. Magic elves seemed to be holding the rest up.) to Junction.
On FM 2169 into Junction out US 377 from Junction are a series of strange formations to the north...like little mountanettes. Very cool looking because they're just there - in the middle of flat plains. About this time, I also got a few drops of lovely rain. I'd hoped I'd get to see some before the day ended! It thundered and lightning like heck, but there was not hardy a sprinkle. Just enought to feel like your hands were getting wet. Junction was as far west as I planned to go. I began to turn northeast, and head back to Austin.
From Junction to London to Erna to Streeter to Koockville (huh huh huh she said koockville huh huh) to Mason to Art.
Between Mason to Art, something REALLY wierd happened. I was driving along at about 70 MPH, legal on Texas county roads. I see a pair of headlights comeup...and I keep pushing along. Just as we get near, red police lights come on. I freak and hit the breaks. Just as soon as they came on, they turned right back off. Wierd, huh?
From Art to Llano/
Alas, Llano. It was here I pulled over to stretch my legs a bit at a Safeway, and locked my keys in the car. I tried to break into my own truck via a partially opened drivers side door, and uncrank the window. Nuthin' doin' bub. I asked inside for a wire hanger, and instead they called the cops.
Not more than two minutes later, one of Llano's Finest (and I do not say this sarcastically, at all) along with a VFD EMS member pull up and, in about twenty minutes pop the door open for me. Didn't cost me a thing, and Iw as on my way in no time.
Hats off to you, Llano, for helping a poor woman in distress a hundred miles from help, in the middle of the night and asking for nothing more than a thanks! Especially since my registration was overdue by a month! :)
From Llano to Kingsland (DAMMIT! I just spent the last two hours pumping info into Mapquest to get an exact milage, and it kincks out on me, takling all the info with it. I HATE YOU MAPQUEST! MAY YOU BURN IN THE FESTERING DIGITAL HELLFIRES OF THE INTERNET CRUNCH! (Sorry, I had to vent)). to Marble Falls to Jonestown to Cedar Park to Austin.
Quite the trip. I wish I could give you exact mileage, but MApquest wants to play dirty tonight.
Once I got home, I sat down to an evening of Doctor Who and punching all this in since 3AM. It's 5:10 now...What a day!
