From Midland Texas to Austin Texas
From Midland Texas to Austin Texas
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Historical Marker describing the Town of Cummins, now
defunct. Butterfield California Trail
Bee County Courthouse
River Crossing at Llano, Texas
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The morning weather in Midland is cold and overcast -- pretty much as forecast. I ate a light breakfast at the hotel, loaded the green beast and got out on the road. It was warmer than it had been on Tuesday afternoon but after ten miles I could feel the cold beginning to creep through the seams of the gloves. My departure took me onto Interstate 20 heading east towards Big Spring, Texas. At Big Spring, I exited I-20 onto the I-20 Business Loop. I make a mental note to start avoiding these loops as they unfailingly lead you into some of the least attractive parts of a town. Big Spring was no exception. After two or three miles of non-descriptive business fronts I end up in the old downtown. I was looking for a place to have a warm breakfast and some coffee. Part of my plant was to warm up while I ate breakfast. Street after street greeted me with only boarded up storefronts. Handsome buildings from the 1920s now lay abandoned. One street seemed to offer a place to eat but that business was closed. A Texas State Prison chain gang was busy removing debris as part of the latest redevelopment scheme. In addition to finding no place to eat, I had also missed my turn onto Texas 87. I backtracked on Interstate 20 now heading west. I find the exit for Highway 87 heading south. Highway 87 takes me through a more robust part of Big Spring. Herman's Restaurant has proudly been "Our family Serving Your Family" since 1960. The food was good and solid, the help friendly and the coffee warm. As in Midland, there are concerns about how to restart economic growth and reduce the dependence on oil exploration. One breakfast patron was interrogating the bus person (gender indeterminate) about a meeting held in the restaurant earlier today. Who was there? What did they talk about? Who is buying the paper? What do they know about running a paper? I have no idea who she was or what her role might have been, but she was curious and very thorough in her interrogation. Back out to the bike. The temperature hasn't risen at all. I leave Big Springs behind heading south on 87 towards San Angelo. I am pleasantly surprised by the quality of this road. It is a well-maintained four-lane highway. The miles march by very quickly this morning. I make a stop in Sterling City for gas. If anything it is getting colder not warmer. Approaching Sterling City, the landscape has begun to soften. There are now some ridges and some hills on the horizons. The plants are now denser, taller, greener -- small trees and carpet of green grass. As I continue south, a mix of two yellow flowers joins the grass. One is a tall bright yellow daisy. The other is shorter paler yellow buttercup. The flowers form a nearly unbroken ribbon of color in the median and on both roadsides. Approaching Sterling City, I stop at a historical marker commemorating the town of Cummins. Cummins was founded in 1890. Shortly thereafter, Sterling City was founded about two miles to the south. In 1891, the Texas legislature created a new county and an election was held to decide whether Sterling City or Cummins would be county seat. Cummins was the leader until several ballot boxes were disqualified and Sterling City became county seat. Within a few years, Cummins' businesses shut down and moved to Sterling City. Nothing of Cummins remains but this historical marker. On the south side of Sterling City I stop at another historical marker. A small town had formed here but when Sterling City became the county seat, the town withered and died. The sight and smell of oil and gas extraction starts to abate as I move further south. Approaching San Angelo, I notice the arrival of a third color in the roadside color palette: a deep blue. This plant grows in small patches with upright stems of blue blossoms. The small patches are punctuation marks in the continuous beds of yellows. Another historical marker marks a point along the Butterfield California Trail. I believe that this trail, at least as a stagecoach route, stretches back to near my home in the San Diego area. In the Anza Borrego desert the route is well marked. And I believe that the route continued through Julian, Ramona and Poway. On the other side of San Angelo, I'm riding across farmlands. The earth is tilled showing a rich soil. Some fields are already planted and growing. But all along the road there are signs that farming is less a family business and more of a corporate business. Many homes lie abandoned. The good news is that the weather has finally changed. The temperature is rising and there is sun coming through the breaking clouds.   As I head toward Brady, a pale rose color starts to show up in the flowers along the road. The rose flowers are atop an upright blossom. The blue flowers are now presenting themselves as fields not just isolated patches. The pinks are joined by an orange / red daisy. Small white blossoms are only visible when you stop to take a close look. A tall white poppy-like is a part of natures bouquet. Brady describes itself as the geographic center of Texas, the Heart of Texas if you will. The town square holds a handsome courthouse dating to the creation of Brady County in 1891. Apparently, West Texas was one giant administrative district until 1891. The legislature carved this area into dozens of new counties including Sterling as discussed earlier and Brady just to name two. I take a walk around the town square hoping to find a nice local eatery but find only government offices and furniture stores. In the interest of expediency I make my lunch stop at McDonalds. I swear I'm not going to do this again. The day has warmed significantly and my chaps are uncomfortable enough to come off at this stop. Its now sunny with a beautiful blue sky. South of Brady, I turn onto Texas 71 heading toward Llano. Texas 71 turns out to be a great road! Well maintained with very nice scenery, nice ups and downs and twists and turns -- it really made me think of this part of Texas in a very positive light. At this point, the flower show is at full swing as well. Llano also proves to be a very attractive town. A river flowing through town is dammed and a very attractive lake is the town's centerpiece. The falls make a beautiful sound. I had planned on spending the night in Llano but decide to push on to Austin. For the entire drive, I have noticed that many of the farms or ranches feature beautiful and sometimes unique gate sculptures. They frequently include not just the name of the ranch or farm but also folk symbols and wildlife. In Llano I notice a business that specializes in the manufacture of these gates. Their calling card alongside Highway 71 is this giant spur. I press the remaining 55 miles to Austin on Highway 71. About ten miles outside Austin, I'm caught in rush-hour traffic and can really feel the heat. I get into central Austin and struggle to find a hotel. I fight across the freeway to what looked like a Quality Inn. On close inspection the guests look a little too shady for my taste and I move on. My next choice is the Hotel San Juan -- it looks great but is full. My next choice is the neighbor property, Austin Motel that looks slightly tackier but clearly has a special appeal. Between these two motels is a coffee shop. On the first and third Wednesdays of each month, a group of motorcyclists meet here to bullshit and finally go grab something to eat. It is a very interesting assortment of bikes. A vintage BMW is very interesting. A beautiful all black Valkyrie Tourer looks sharp. Dinner is at the Guero's Taco Bar. My former work colleagues Chris and Randy make an unexpected telephone call during dinner -- it is great to hear from two old friends. Chris, displaying flawless maternal instincts, is concerned by the solo aspect of my adventure and promises to check in frequently on my location. I have to remind Randy that my motto is not "Be Safe, Have Fun" but rather "Have Fun, Be Safe."\ Continue from Austin to Houston
Video Clips: Bluebonnet Field Quicktime Movie 1.6 megs View of River Crossing at Llano, TX Quicktime Movie 1.0 meg
Route Summary Depart Midland on Interstate 20 heading east. At Big Spring exit I-20 and transition onto US 87 heading south. At San Angelo, turn onto US 67 heading east. At intersection with Texas 306, turn onto Texas 306 heading south. At intersection with US 87, turn onto US 87 heading east. Just south of Brady Texas, turn onto Texas 71 heading south. Outside Austin, transition onto US 290 At intersection with Texas Route 1, turn north onto Texas-1 Arrive Austin, TX
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