My neighbor and I are both getting laid off. His job ended last week,
while mine trudges on for two more weeks. Our response first off....
Want to go camping?
So we headed on on short notice with the little bikes and camping
gear. we put the word out at the last second on TWT in case any folks
that lived nearby wanted to join in the fun. Our base for the weekend of
riding was Ratcliff Lake.
Friday afternoon we high tailed it down and set up camp.
We enjoyed a short ride Friday evening, explored some roads that showed
on the map, but soon figured out that the county had abandoned them.
After making our way around downed trees and mud holes we found locked
gates, so we got out of there.
Saturday we headed out into the forest in search of dirt roads and
whatever else we could find. This was the first thing I saw that made me
stop.
You see.... a good friend of mine owns a ranch called Cedar Springs
Ranch out in the Chihuahua Desert in far southwest Texas. This North
Cedar Creek Ranch in the Piney Woods just made me chuckle.
Shots of the riders and our steeds:
As we made our way a short burst on pavement just did not feel right.
The back end of the little bike wanted to slide around on the road. We
turned in on forest road 510-A and stopped to check.... Yup, nearly flat
back tire. I decided to pump it up and see how slow the leak is rather
than tear it down right there. This road ended at Holly Bluff on the
Neches Rivers.
We had a pleasant visit with a local fellow. He had Hank Jr. blaring
from the stereo in his 4X4 as he launched his boat. The young man had
set trot lines on Friday and was heading up river to see if he caught
any catfish.
His small boat with its low power motor and extreme maneuverability sure
seemed to have a lot in common with our small bikes.
Brian and I meandered around on some more forest roads and found another
that ended at the river. Once again we were rewarded with a nice visit
with a local fisherman and his little dog. The pup couldn't decide what
these big headed creatures were and barked his fool head off until we
removed our helmets. Then he settled down for some ear scratching and
tail wagging.
This is where I got my
jacket muddy. I slipped on the muddy river bank and fell on my elbow. I
find it funny that I get through all of the slick stiff on the bike,
then tumble while walking. The old man told us about another road that
goes to the river, but warned that four wheel drive trucks get stuck on
it all of the time. Sounds like my kind of road! We checked the map and
headed for it. It was straight and flat until it got close to the
river. There it had tight turns around big trees along with bumps and
holes that would easily high center an ordinary truck. The bikes ate
this road up as a snack treat! At the end by the river was an encampment
that lacked the open friendliness of the last two stops. A few raised
4X4 trucks along with three large tents were set on the bank. A fire was
going, a generator was running air conditioning for the biggest tent,
yet there was nobody there apparently. We both had that eerie feeling
that we were being watched, so we just turned around and rolled away. No
friendly visit at this camp. Riding out the rough road was a blast!
Jumping the bumps, power sliding the turns, and letting the little bike
breath deeply on the flats netted just over 73 MPH on the GPS. Fun
stuff! The tire was holding air just fine by the way.
By then it was approaching noon and we were hungry. Some knucklehead
left my snack bars back at camp. I usually eat protein bars throughout
my rides to keep my energy level and blood sugar stable. We consulted
the map and decided that the small town of Groveton looked like a likely
place to find a cafe and gas. We guessed right. 'County Seat Cafe' was
right across from the Exxon station. Typical of small town cafes, the
tea was excellent as was my burger and Brian's chicken fried steak.
Great service from bubbly waitresses rounded out lunch. No food pics
today.
After lunch we explored farther from the river. Conditions were drier.
We found several long stretches of deep sand.
After a while I was tired and spotted this old cemetery in the middle
of nowhere.
I enjoy exploring old cemeteries. They tell a tale of times gone by in
that area. This one has old and new graves. It is still in use and well
cared for even though there is no town or church nearby.
The ground is swallowing up the older markers.
Several hours and many miles later we were at an old bridge that we
visited on the last trip out here.
Boys will be boys!
Back at camp we found that James had seen our post elsewhere and headed out
to join us. He missed catching us at camp or on the roads, but joined
us for steak dinner that night.
Steak, beans, 'tater salad, and beer. Not a bad way to end the day.
Trip stats for Saturday:
A good day's ride. No wrecks, no broken bikes. Sunday we headed back for
Mothers Day activities.
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Awesome RR, Ed! Looks like you guys are gonna have to do that more often.
