KRATZMC

After riding in the Utah 1008 rally, I left my riding pals Dennis and Tony in Salt Lake City and headed to my ranch the long way round. I made my way through Wyoming, Colorado, Nebraska and Kansas on my way to Texas, spending a night in each state. After 1260 miles on my BMW and 2,300 miles in the RV, I finally made it to Florence, Texas, arriving as headline making Thunderstorms ravaged the Hill Country.

Virtually a prisoner at my own ranch for the last five days due to the freakish weather, there was finally a break in the rain. Not since 1957 has the state of Texas seen such record rain levels. Just about every lake, reservoir and river in the State are at flood levels and overflowing. I decided to take advantage of this respite to get outdoors and to run some errands. With my RV land locked, my first order of business was to find a FedEx office, so I hit the road towards Georgetown.

Georgetown, Texas is a small town located about 35 miles north of Austin and has a private University with terrain and architecture reminiscent of the Pennsylvania hills. Victorian style homes and buildings adorn the historic district of town and during certain times of the year, the gracious homes are open for visitors to come inside to see.

Georgetown sits off of I-35 about 9 miles from my ranch, so I fired up the GS and headed east on Hwy 195 to find a Kinko’s/FedEx. I needed to overnight some money for the construction of my motorcycle hanger, which begins next week. Before I left, I checked the internet and the “2007” Yellow pages but I couldn’t find a listing. I recalled there being a Visitors information center in the Historic part of Georgetown, so I figured I would head there first. This is a college town by God, “They have to have a FedEx!”

As I rode to town, I only had one car behind me the whole time. A refreshing break from the usual California traffic. I quickly arrived at the information center and was greeted by a lovely blue haired matron. When I asked about a FedEx office, I might as well have asked the square root of 12,345. With a confused look I was referred to a stack of “2006” phone books in the lobby for new visitors. As I thumbed through the directory thinking my earlier search wasn’t thorough enough, my helper disappeared momentarily. After a few fruitless moments, Mrs. Georgetown reappeared and was happy to report that that a brand new Kinko’s had just opened up, less than two miles away. A short stop at a local gas station to top off my tank and 20 minutes later I was finished with my business. What to do now?

Sign on Hwy 183 near Co Rd 254

Earlier in the week I saw a sign off of Hwy 183, claiming the “World Best Burgers” at the General store in Andice, Texas. It was getting close to lunch time, so I decided to navigate there to check it out. Taking county road 2338 from Georgetown, I headed to Andice where 2338 ends, forming a T-intersection with Hwy 970. Roads around here are not named but have numbers. This can be confusing until you get acclimated and getting around here is like doing quadratic equations in your head.

If you have traveled with me, you’ll know I hate to eat at chain restaurants and am always on a quest to find the ultimate hamburger. I don’t think I’ll ever find the ultimate burger but it sure is a good reason to ride.
Riding towards Andice, the air was fresh and clean and the surrounding terrain comprised of rolling green hills and pastures, with yellow and purple flowers blooming along the road side. There was virtually no traffic and I soon came upon another traveler, who also decided to take advantage of the break in weather. I saw a box turtle trying to cross the road and he had almost reached the double yellow lines when he saw me approach. I saw that he was aiming for a drainage ditch on the other side but instinct took over and he buttoned down his hatches.

Turtle #2338

Fearing for 2338’s safety, I stopped my bike to expedite his crossing when I saw a pick up truck approaching. Do I waive frantically to avert a disaster, or do I let nature take its course? Fortunately the driver was attentive and politely missed the turtle. I quickly took his picture, picked him up and put him closer to his goal and went my merry way. I felt good about my deed but my stomach was thinking about the boastful sign and a nice juicy burger.

Andice General Store

Post Office, Andice, TX 78628
I soon arrived at the Andice General Store which sits at the end of road 2338. If you kept going across the road, you would end up on the front porch of the store. The store is the only store which I could see and sits across from the Post Office, which is a small yellow, stick built home. Any good quarterback could throw a pass over the whole town. Andice, population 25, was established in 1857 in an area rich in cattle, cotton and wheat.

The first thing I noticed inside the store was Coca Cola in a glass bottle, sitting in an open top ice chest on a mound of ice. I quickly grabbed one of the last three bottles and approached the check out counter, where you place your order. A short list of menu items gives you several other options but I was there for the burger. I ordered a burger with everything on it, no cheese, fries and the Coke. I thought the price of the burger was high at $6.99, until it was brought to my table.
The inside of the store definitely has a country appeal with three wooden picnic benches near the canned food section. There is a single table on the porch outside where locals can watch the world go by. There are two clean restrooms, which sit in a park like setting behind the store. The area is well kept and there were additional benches located in the shade of large oak trees.

The usual lunch time crowd arrived and I was joined by a local ranch hand named Doug. As with most Texans, conversation was easy as I picked Doug’s brain about the surrounding areas. Midway through our conversation, they brought my burger out in a typical deli basket.

The 1/3 pound burger was stacked with fresh, locally grown tomatoes, mayo, lettuce and pickles. The burger was flavorful and juicy, with the fries being the standard crinkle type. The bottled Coke was the bomb, as I washed each mouthful of burger down with that effervescent caramel flavored liquid. The burger was definitely good and I had to force the last bites down, leaving quite a bit of fries left. I usually rate my burgers by the amount of napkins I have to use, two being a good basic burger.

Andice Burger

I continued my conversation with Doug, who told me about some places along the Gulf coast he recommended for fresh seafood. Doug had worked on a shrimp boat for a spell and talked of a town called Matagorda. I mentioned my love of Vietnamese food and Doug was quick to tell me of another town 16 miles from Matagorda called Palacios. Doug said Palacios had a large Vietnamese community and had noodle houses and Vietnamese food to die for. I made a mental note for a future trip and thanked my new friend for the information. Leaving with my belly full, I continued on Hwy 970 to Florence.

CR 970 Typical of roads in the area

I finished my ride into my new hometown, noting the lunch time crowds had packed the local Mexican restaurant and roadside café called “Los Manos”. I had tried Los Manos which has great food too and finally made my way back home.

All in all, the ride was about 46 miles long and was an excellent choice from my location for a lunch time expedition. I don’t know about being the best burger in Texas but it definitely was one I highly recommend. If you don’t go to Andice for a burger, I recommend you stop there for a soda and some good conversation. You just don’t know what you might find but at least I have another ride destination. On to Matagorda!

The route, short but sweet