KRATZMC

This was a little RTE (Ride to Eat) to nearby Marble Falls, Tex, we did in mid-December 2008.  It was starting to get a little nippy and for the fair weather riders here in Hill Country, it marked the end of the riding season.  As usual we assembled at Bar None Coffee Company in Georgetown, in order to clear our foggy minds, empty bladders and get our Java fix.  I was joined by my new Co-rider Cecilia Roberts, Riders Merritt Francies and Brad Watson.  As for machines, Merritt was on his BMW 1200S, Brad was riding his Police “Special Edition” HD Electra Glide and Cecilia and I were on the Honda ST-1300.

Brad Watson and his H-D.  Easily recognized, Brad often gets the “One Fingered Salute” from certain segments of the riding community.

Merritt Francies, Cecilia Roberts and yours truly.  Two examples of how to deal with helmet hair, the rearward hat technique and the borrow the over sized hat technique.

This was Cecilia’s second ride so she is still getting down the mechanics of buckling up her helmet and figuring out how to deal with “Helmet Hair”.  We were also in the process of finding out if Cecilia was going to enjoy riding enough, before sinking greats sums of money into some higher quality riding gear.  My philosophy of “A.T.G.A.T.T.” (All The Gear All The Time) goes for my passengers as well.  when dealing with Co-riders of the other Gender, you must convince them that riding is not a fashion show and that function over fashion is the rule.  I always try to reinforce that It is hard to look cool from a hospital bed.  Cecilia is receptive to the concept of safety gear but the “Girl Hair Factor” is something I still need to learn about.

The Basic mileage to Marble Falls was a mere 50 or so miles as the crow flies but of course we never take the most direct route.  Merritt is always looking for the most twisted road so with him in the lead, we allowed an hour and a half ride time to our destination.  As for the Eat location, we thought we would play it by ear.  The Blue Bonnet Cafe is always a good choice but it is usually crowded destination and so is Atwood’s but as usual, I was looking to expand my repertoire of eateries.

Immediately out of Georgetown, Merritt led us down an interesting little road, CR-258.  CR-258 unwittingly connects 3405 to Hwy 183.  As with any farm road be mindful of rural traffic which may pull out onto the road and there are a few tight radius curves with some debris, with little no advisory warning signs.  This short stretch of road was scenic, curvy and went past a well hidden little park and campground, of which I made future note.  I highly recommend taking this little gem and the park and it’s nearby creek will make it a nice afternoon picnic spot.

Here is the route we took.  Round trip was about 107 miles.

Once we arrived in Marble Falls, a quick look in the parking lot detoured us from the Blue Bonnet Cafe.  The usual line out the door was not appealing for our growling stomachs.  We rode a block further down towards the Colorado river and we spotted a non-chain restaurant called the River City Grill.  Its north bank location on the river offers splendid and scenic views from the dinning room and there were plenty of open tables.

Look for this place

I felt a soup was in order to reheat the body core and I noted the Homemade Vegetable Beef Soup on the menu.  No brainer!  For my entree, I chose the Chicken Salad sandwich and instead of fries, I opted for the baked sweet potato.  This  appeared to be a diversion from regular fries and healthier to boot.  Besides, Cecilia had order a side of Chili Fries and would have plenty to spare.  Brad had the same selection as I, with Merritt trying the Fish Tacos and Cecilia attacking a Cobb salad.  Cecilia always tries to eat healthy but I couldn’t help but think that the Chili Cheese Fries negated the healthy salad.

Chili fries

Cobb Salad

Fish Tacos

Chicken Salad Sandwich with Sweet Potato

For those that want to try, I would highly recommend the River City Grill.  The view of the Colorado River from the dinning room and the tasty homemade style food beats any chain restaurant hands down.  For presentation, I will let the pictures speak for them self.

With bellies full and appetites in check, we headed home.  We took a slightly different route home but as with any ride, there are two.  The one up and the one back and even if you ride the same road, it can have a different perspective going the other direction.  Of course the ride back via the rural back roads was scenic and free from traffic.  We even saw, or at least Cecilia saw a “White Elk” on one of the game farms near CR-1174.  I had to rely on her account, as I was too occupied with picking our line through the curves.  Pretty much anywhere on the route we took there was minimal traffic and compared to California standards, traffic was non-existent.  The are always unusual sites to see in Texas and a bevy of interesting ranches and homes along the way.

If you are in Hill Country and want a nice half day ride I did the math for you.  All you gotta do is hop on your machine and ride and enjoy.

Tags: Home page //