Because we really want to see new country, we decide to start day 5 (of our 4 day tour) from the location we should have ended day 2. My wife again agreed to take us to our starting point. This time, however, we were aiming for more then just a day trip…
We decided to start our ride today from Round Mountain, TX. Mainly because this was easy to get to by car and would put us near the place where we should have been around mid-morning on the third day of our trip. After giving my wife our exact route for today, we unloaded the bike and the gear and started out east on FM 692.
In less then a mile, we turned north on CR 305 and followed it until it intersected HWY 281. 281 is the route we take when driving, but it is not a good bike route. It’s heavy traffic and high speeds make it a bit unnerving for all but the most hardened road warrior. With that in mind, we again turned east; this time on Flat Rock Road. We followed Flat Rock Road until it ended at a “T” intersection with CR-401. Turning left on CR-401 we again road until we intersected HWY 281.
Back on 281. This time we don’t have much of a choice, about a mile ahead, 281 is the only crossing for the Colorado river. So, we stick to the shoulder (thankfully, it’s quite wide here) until we begin the fast decent into the town of Marble Falls and across the Colorado river. As we descended, we opted to take a lane and move as fast as possible until we are across the bridge and into town. Over the last few days, my tandem handling skills have improved and my son has come to trust me quite a bit (…I think). But, crossing the bridge with its (very) low wall and 60 foot drop to the river below was an unexpected test of nerves.
Once safely across, we made a quick stop to get our bearings before starting out again. It was on this stop, that my son also mentioned that his seat on the bike “felt weird”. Sure enough, one of the clamps had failed and the seat base was loose enough to move around a bit. A loose seat combined with no handlebars in the rear cockpit (his choice) must have made the ride over the bridge even more interesting. So, after a short talk on how important it is to speak up when things don’t feel right, we continued on our way. Within a mile, we found both the road out of town, and a set of clamps to fix the seat.
Northeast again, this time on CR-340. We followed CR-340 for several miles as it meanders first northeast then northwest until it meets back up with HWY 281 in the town of Burnet. By the way, the name of the town (Burnet) is pronounced like “Burn it”. We learned this when we asked a local how far we were from “Bur net”. His response, “It’s Burn it, can’t ya learn it?”
Woo Hoo! We made it to our destination without a major detour, injury, or mechanical breakdown. Perhaps luck is going our way! As planned, we stayed the night in the hotel in Burnet. After several days (off and on) of 80+ temps, we were ready to enjoy the pool at the hotel. After getting settled in to the room, we put on our suits and headed to the pool. Closed for the season! Eighty degree days for the last month and it’s not “the season” yet?
Note to self. When calling ahead, don’t just ask if they have a pool (I did), ask if it is open! (I didn’t and it wasn’t).
Around dinner time, we called my wife to let her know we were 1) Safe and sound 2) Where we were supposed to be and 3) we didn’t need to be rescued. (for once, I think she was impressed!) However, she had some news for us also. We were invited to a (rather sudden) family event and tomorrow would be our last day of riding no matter what. We had to make it there by tomorrow evening either by bike or by car. The pressure was on…