Hey folks,
I am trying to finalize my plans and I am looking for must ride and or must see destinations on a trip I am planning forearly Feb.
I plan onflying into San Antonio on 2\2\08, renting a bike and then planon being in New Braunfels on 2/3/08, (Super Bowl Sunday) visiting some friends. Then on MondayI plan on heading to the coast, Corpus Christi or so then heading up the coastto Galveston and eventully back to San Antonio on the 7th or 8th to fly back home to Seattle.
Any suggestionsandinfo is appreciated. Also if anyone wants to meet up to ride anywhere along the way let me know.
THANKS, and HAPPY NEW YEAR ALL, Aaron

 

Well, avoid hwy 37 at all costs, unless you like heavy traffic multi lane interstate clogged with strip mall after strip mall. It's been a few years since I've been down that way but thats all I remember. 181 might be ok coming out of SA on the SE side. at least traffic shouldn't be an issue. Not exactly what I would call scenic just coastal plains. At least you wont be covered in bugs since it will be winter. make sure ya top off when ya can , just because a map says theres a town doesnt mean there's anything there other than a 4 way stop sign. do a little home work on google maps, you shoud be able to tell where there's an actual town.

Along the coast 35 is supposed to be a decent ride. Dont forget to stop and chow on seafood along the way. It's dirt cheap. Skip the chains and go for the hole in the wall places with full parking lots.

weatherwise dress for 40-70 degrees and high winds

sorry I cant help more the only towns on the coast Ive been to are Corpus, Palacios, and Galveston.

 

Hey JW, Thanks for the tips. I will run backroads as much as possible, 123/ 181 to the coast looks like an option from New Braunsfels. Hit the seafoods joints for sure.
There has to be some kind of sienic rides down that way in Texas......dosen't there?

 

If you're going to be in SA, you need to head over to Leakey and do the "3 Sisters". Hwy 335,336,337

 

What JW describes on IH 37is identical to what you will get on IH 35 between SA and New Braunfelsbut I don't know that there is anyway to avoid that. There are some back ways but IH 35 is going to be your most direct route to New Braunfels.

I don't recall IH 37 being as bad as JW says. Once you are south of San Antone it is pretty open and, although I haven't traveled it in several years, I don't recall it being anything like IH 35. You will hit traffic north of Corpus from the 77/Robstown exit on. I haven't taken 181 so I can't comment on it except that I think it would be slower and more scenic. Wind may be a factor in any case. It a matter of whether you want to get there more expediantely or not.

While in New Braunfels you should take the time to drive up the River Rd. along the Guadalupe River. It is absolutely beautiful this time of year and should not be all congested with kids partying as it will be in the warmer season. This is not a long ride -13 miles or about a half an hour each way- but very scenic. It has plenty of twisties and turns andcrosses the river several times.

From Hwy 46 take River Rd north 1.8 miles to the River Rd. Ice House. Turn right to stay on River Rd. (Hueco Springs Loop Rd goes straight and loops back to 46) Follow River Road north along the river for another 11 miles to 2673. There's a place there called JC's Burger Stop. Eat a hamburger. Drink a beer or have a Coke. Turn around and go back.

You will love this little ride!!!

While in Corpus you may want to check out the USS Lexington - a WWII aircraft carrier turned into a museum.

Also in Corpus go south to Padre Island and check out the sand dunes and the seashore. Head north on Padre Island to Mustang Island and Mustang Island State Park. Keep going to Port Aransas.

In Port A you can cross over to the north on the ferry and take 361 across the causeway to Aransas Pass then you can head north east on Hwy 35 to Port Lavaca. You can stay on 35 all the way to Alvin where you can connect to 6 going south to Galveston Island.

Or you can take 35 to just before Angleton and catch 288 south until you hit 332. 332 will take you to the coast via Freepost/Surfside Beach and at Surfside Beach it takes a hard left (to avoid going into the Gulf) and heads up the coast toGalveston Island from the southwest. That is the route I would take if I were going.

Coming back you can take IH45 across the bay to Bayou City and take Hwy 6 to the northwest through Alvin and keep going until you hit 90. 90 will take you west to 99 and you can take 99 up to IH 10, then west to San Antonio. This will take you southwest ofand you will avoid Houston (the Texas version of Los Angeles).

If you don't mind going through Houston and you have time you can take 146 instead of 6 off of IH 45 and it will take you up through Texas City and north to Pasedena (where I was born). You canstop and see NAASA and say "Hey" to the astronauts and even stop by the San Jacinto Monument where the most decisive military battle that was ever fought was won and resulted in the exchange of more real estate than any other battle - Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, part of Colorado and Nevada and most if not all of California. The whole battle took twenty minutes - buts that's another story...

If you have a GPS that you can mount to the rental or you can rent a rental with a GPS and it is a Garmin compatible with my Zumo 550 I can plot you a route to make it easier on you to follow. Jut e-mail me and let me know what your preferences are.

JW said to dress for temperatures from 40 to 70 degrees and windy and I do not disagree. I would only add that it may be pretty nippy

 

If you come through New Braunfels let me know, I'll show around River Road and a nice little ride up 32 on Devil's Backbone. I agree about Leakey, if you are anywhere near SA you need to hit up at least 1 of the 3 sisters.

 

come to think of it, we went down 37 for july 4th weekend so that may have had something to do with the traffic.

35 out of corpus is listed as one of the best scenic roads as far as coastal goes in Texas. But, being that you live in the NW I doubt if the Texas coastline is gonna blow you away, visually anyway. You will only see the coast here and there and only in coastal towns. Most of the texas Coastline is marsh.

If you are dead set on Galveston, then go for it, but if you want to just get some kick *** riding in stay in the hill country. You could spend a month riding the hill country and still not see it all. The weather here is a crapshoot, sleet and freezing rain or 78 and sunny.

if it were me, I'd have your friends take ya to SA, and Austin to party, and ride the hill country

 

Aaron,

Why are you wanting to run the coast? Is there business to be taken care of? The reason I ask is that our beaches are nothing like the Northern Ca (assuming that Washington state is the same) scenery. It's mostly just flat grasslands on one side of the road with the beach on the other. If you are just wanting to do some good riding, then San Antonio is just to the East of some of the finest riding our state has to offer.
Day 1 Takes in the Three Sisters. It doesn't get much better than this in Tejas.
Day 2 is a run from Bandera to Llano. Take some time to wander around Fredericksburg and grab some German food from one the excellent places in the town.
Day 3 is a nice run on the western side of the Tx Hill Country
Day 4 Run back to San Antonio.

There are plenty of people on this Southwest forum who can help you plan out your ride if we know what you like.

TR
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I got a great book for Christmas. The Biker's Guide to Texas, 25 Great Motorcycle Rides in the Lone Star State, by Dorothy Waldman.

If you can get this it has some great ideas and gives you all the great places you may want to stop along the way.

 

Hey TR, if he's interested we can not only help him plan out one or more of these great rides but some of us may even want to ride with him...