"Della, Tish and Ann were a little quiet today while I enjoyed the awesomeness of the Texas Hill Country."
Fredricksburg, Texas and the Three Twisted Sisters = 250+/- miles
Mountain Home, Texas to Coppell, Texas = 320 miles
My goal today was to tackle the Three Twisted Sisters; the Texas Hill Country's most famous trio. Farm roads 335, 336, and 337 west of Fredricksburg. I rode Route 16 south from Fredricksburg to Kerrville then into Medina. My early start meant my favorite place - The Apple Store - was closed. There would be no delicious apple pie with cinnamon sauce for me today. A sign was posted that The Apple Store was only offering carry out anyway; I would have eaten that pie standing on the curb! Alas, another trip to the Hill Country is in order sometime in the future!
West of Farm Road 337 towards Vanderpool, Leakey and Camp Wood. The Lone Star Motorcycle Museum is just south of Vanderpool. Just outside of Leakey is the Frio Canyon Motorcycle Stop and Bent Rim Grill. A great stop for food and fuel. Farm Road 337 dips and rolls through pristine ranch land; the steepness of the hills are astonishing! A steep decline to the bottom where the flood gauges warn the traveler of flash floods, then a steep incline to the next peak. I wondered what I would do if I came over the rise and there was water at the bottom as the steepness of the asphalt would make it very difficult to make a three point turn and head back! No 'break down lane' either on the Twisted Sisters, just a thin strip of gravel before the scrub begins. I embraced the beauty of the surrounding area rather than think about the possible treachery of the route. I stop at the only break out area as the elevation climbs and see the sign that warns “Caution Next 12 Miles, Since Jan. 2006, 13 Killed in Motorcycle Related Crashes.” I was grateful that on this day, I encountered no other bikers. Especially the crotch rockets that love to take risks.
I stopped short to allow three turkeys (hens) with about a dozen little chicks to cross the road. They are Rio Grande wild turkeys in this area. Mule deer are everywhere! I saw dozens of little spotted fawns, their racks covered in velvet and already gigantic! On what was a private reserve, several buffaloes graced peacefully. Many sheep and goats grazed on the sweet grasslands. The curves on 337 are gentle and not too technically difficult; some 20 mph curves but no 15-10 mph switchbacks.
At Camp Wood, 55 connects to the next Sister 335. The elevation starts to climb, the signage was a little thin warning of the next curve, so I traveled slowly - again grateful no other travelers were with me. 335 is like a roller coaster; akin to the Incredible Hulk at Islands of Adventure! I want to throw my legs out to the side and shout 'Weeeeeee' all the way up and down the steep hills.
At 41, I went east to the next Sister 336. This must be the wildest sister of the three; she bucks and snorts and presents one challenge after another with twisty curves and steep elevation. Probably the most technical of the three Sisters. My focus was on the asphalt; I hesitated taking my eyes off the road to drink in the incredible scenery. Although I could have rode all day, my family was expecting me in Coppell before the end of the day. I hit 83 north and needed gas, I cruised into the Carven Store outside of Mountain Home, Texas. The store was established in 1935 and continues to offer a variety of sundries and honest - to - god gas pumps where you have to crank the handle to start the pump. The owners have added a 'biker shop' with leather items and T-shirts that commemorate the Twisted Sisters. I bought a long sleeved T that claims 'Ride the Sisters If You Dare!'
I talked with the kid behind the counter at the store and got directions for backroads up to Ft. Worth. After a few missed turns I connect with State Route 377 that took me all the way into the outskirts of Ft. Worth. Five blissful hours out of the Hill Country on backroads. At Granbury, Texas the traffic started to get heavy. I stopped to check my maps and plugged my cousins address in; now would start the snarl of traffic and endless overpasses that is Dallas, Texas. Siri guided me through the mess of traffic around Dallas/Ft. Worth airport to the Coppell exit. Out of the bucolic surroundings of the Hill Country and I'm smack dab in well ordered, manicured suburbia of Coppell and into the open arms of my cousin Lisa, her husband Ron and their son Andrew!
Debi Tolbert Duggar is the author of 'Riding Soul-O'
Part Memoir, Part Travelogue, Part Spiritual Salvation
Available at Bessieandme.com and online wherever books are sold
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