KRATZMC

Here is another RTE (Ride To Eat) idea for the Hill Country.

Saturday, 9 August 2008

I gotta eat, I gotta ride, so I decided to head off to Lampassas to try Storms Hamburgers. Open since 1950, I figured they were still open for a reason so off I went in search of the Ultimate Burger, accompanied by my local ride companion Bob “Redbob” Head. I decided to ride my “89″ Transalp for it’s first real ride with it’s new owner and headed for “D Boone’s Country Store”on Highway 195.

I topped off with fuel and waited to rendezvous with Bob at 1100 hrs. With the temperature at 98 degrees and the sun overhead, I found some quickly vanishing shade in the parking lot. Thankfully Bob arrived on time and we were on our way to another culinary destination.

Storm’s on Hwy 183 which is the main st for downtown Lampassas.

Lampassas, Texas is a small town located at the junction of Hwy 183 and Hwy 190. The local area consists of low laying hills, many trees, rivers and streams and rides on the surrounding roads offer views of beautiful and unique propertes. From Lampassas further to the north and west, marks the transition of “Hill Country” towards desert like landscape as the treed terrain gives way to smaller scrub. There are many back road routes if you are locally savvy but we were hungry and took a direct route from my hometown of Florence. As usual there was very little traffic but it was a tad warm.

I was wearing my usual, light colored perforated clothing, Olympia brand pants, Joe Rocket Phoenix jacket, deer skin gloves and Nolan X-com flip up helmet.  I like the deer skin gloves due to their tan color which reflects the sun, keeping my hands cooler than my typical black ones. Bob wore his typical Harley uniform, blue jeans, t-shirt, no gloves but at least he had a helmet. My teasing about ATGATT, wearing “All The Gear All The Time” falls on his deaf ears.  I hope we never have an “I told you so day”.

Riding through the deserts of the southwest over many years, I have learned that riding with exposed skin is bad and that keeping the sun from beating directly down on your exposed skin actually keeps you cooler. Protecting your skin from the sun allows you to cool naturally before the sweat evaporates and doing what its supposed to do. Actually perforated clothing in extreme heat gives you a sense of being cooler but your sweat evaporates too fast. So, I always wear a tropical weight or long sleeve cotton shirt with t-shirt underneath. This with keeping hydrated, has allowed me to endure many hot ride days, for longer periods.

Our 40 plus mile ride to Lampassas was quick and pleasant. As you arrive in Lampassas from the south, you will find Storms on the right hand side, about one mile into the town proper. The first thing you see is Storms hamburger boast located on the roof line, “Great Texas Hamburgers”.

Originally named Dairy Cue, the name was changed to Storms in 1971. Storms is actually a Texas chain which originated as a Stage outpost over 120 years ago and the Storm family opened their first diner near San Antonio in 1944.

Surrounding the building are old fashioned drive in stations, from where you can order and eat from inside your car. Hidden on the opposite side is a covered dining area with order stations. Out of the sun and next to a pond with box turtles and waterfall, the temperature was about 15 degrees cooler, to our relief. Rubber coated metal benches are a little rough on the elbows but this is a Hamburger stand. There is a nostalgic appeal which was confirmed by the arrival of several classic restored cars. I noticed most of these folks ordering the Root Beer and Big Red Ice Cream Floats. Must be something to them.

Storms Menu board

Beat the heat in the outdoor dining area. There is no inside dinning room.

The menu is basic drive in and as I typically recommend to my friends, always try the specials. In this case, I ordered the Storm Special, a 1/2 pound hamburger with fries and a Coke, not Pepsi and water! Bob ordered the 1/4 pounder with a Coke and water too. Within five minutes and pleasant looking waitress brought out or order and I dived into my burger.

The first unique thing I noticed about the burger was that the patty consisted of three thin patties. I had never seen this before but chomped into a good basic drive in burger. Heads above the chain burgers but not the ultimate burger I am seeking and definitely worth the drive. The thin patties were juicy and the bun perfectly carmelized, topped with mayo, mustard, onion, pickle, tomato and lettuce. The fries were standard cuts but good, especially when salted on a hot day. The Coca Cola seemed better than the usual fountain fare but the heat always makes it taste so good.

Anyway, I thought the meal was worth the 95 mile round trip but I guess I am crazy that way. I highly recommend you try it if you are in the area around mealtime, or making it a meal destination if you’d like to explore the surrounding area for antiques. I will definitely go back to try one of the soda floats, which they will make with any soda you wish and Blue Bell vanilla Ice Cream. Visit their site of Texas’ own favorite brand of Ice Cream by clicking the link.

The 95 mile burger run.

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