It seems to rain all the time now in Central Texas, so I’ve taken to dashing out of Wimberley whenever I think I might be able to “harvest” a few counties.
This was the plan for the day:
The Moto Guzzi Centauro has been patiently awaiting its turn on the 254 county circuit, and finally a dry day was prognosticated. I waffled in the morning, but decided to give it a try and see how far I’d get before the weather turned against me.
The first stop was a couple of hours away – Hondo, seat of Medina County – via some of the best roads the Hill Country has to offer.
Sisterdale is one of the older Hill Country settlements, and was once famous because its educated citizens used to debate in Latin.
Between Sisterdale and Comfort, a fine stretch of road, I came across this fine establishment, the Lone Star Cartoon Saloon. They weren’t serving any beverages – in fact there was no one in sight – but it looked like more than one person had stopped and “set a spell” with a cold Lone Star.
With all the recent rains, the aquatic wildlife seem to be on the move. I came howling out of Comfort and saw this very large softshell making his way slowly toward what would have been certain death in the road. I turned around, came back and gave him a good look. All OK..
So I picked him up and took him across the road. He wiggled vigorously the entire way, and at one point decided to try to bite me. He almost succeeded, so I had to put him down and pick him up with more distance between my hands and his mouth. I did get across to a fast-running stream and deposited him in the water – he seemed happy, and so was I.
Moving along, headed toward Hondo…
Passed through Bandera, where the Medina River was full to overflowing…
Finally got to Hondo after many many stops…
I did not see it, but Hondo is famous, for decades, for the following sign:
Er, by the time I was aware of it, the Hell-driving had already been done…
From Hondo, due south to Pearsall, seat of Frio County. George Strait was born in the town of Poteet, but raised in Pearsall. Other than the Frio River and a zillion white-tail deer, it’s a fairly tranquil place…
From Pearsall, mostly south to the wide spot in the road known as Tilden, seat of McMullen County. I stopped in front of a store of some sort and asked a lady where the courthouse was. She laughed, looked over my shoulder, and said “‘at’s it right thair”. No doubt, as I crossed the street with an Italian roar, she was thinking “how did somebody that damned dumb get such a fancy motorcycle…” I’m not sure if I know the answer to that, but I did get to the courthouse…
Tilden was settled in 1858, and was apparently first known as “Dog Town” because everybody there used dogs to herd their cattle. It was reputed to be a lawless and bandit-filled place. The existence of this hand-done sign, welcoming the traveler to McMullen County, suggests that things may not have changed all that much:
From Tilden, north now to Jourdanton, seat of Atascosa County. What the following picture does NOT show on the road between Tilden and Jourdanton is the State Trooper who was behind me, writing something that I was fairly certain I would not appreciate getting. To my amazement, I was given my third (on this adventure) warning ticket for…surprise…speeding. And I assure you, this time it was an accident. I assured the Trooper, too, that I would forthwith change my errant ways, and we were both satisfied with that. I better hurry up and finish this adventure while I still have a license…
Then northeast to Floresville, seat of Wilson County.
Floresville is a modest little burg on the periphery of San Antonio, but is famous for being the birthplace and hometown of one of Texas’ most famous contemporary political figures, John Connally.
Then due north to the last courthouse stop of this circuit, Seguin, seat of Guadalupe County. Seguin is one of the oldest cities in Texas, and was the cradle of the Texas Rangers and home to Jack C. Hays, after whom my county is named. Hays just about single-handedly figured out how to fight the Comanche and win – and he did so until he moved on to California and all his lessons were forgotten and had to be relearned.
Nanci Griffith, beloved Texas singer, is from Seguin.
From Seguin, it was another 40-odd miles up the road to Wimberley.
This trip added 6 counties and 358 miles to the adventure’s tally. The Guzzi is a 21-year old bike, and some of the south Texas roads had been brutalized by the oilfield trucks – it was a demanding day, but the bike ran like a Swiss watch, or roared like a lion (until the State Trooper silenced it), all day. It was a wonderful addition to the adventure. And here’s the map after the Guzzi’s day:
