Motorcycling Taking get Lost Rides
Whether hiking, driving or riding, I love to get lost. As a rule I can't find my bum with both hands anyway but there are times when I set out with the intention of getting lost to see what I can find. My favorite 'get lost' vehicle is definitely my motorcycle.
Here in Texas there are very few days that riding is not an option. While, I don't consider myself an all-weather rider, I come real close. There are lots of out of the way places to explore and it is easy to become completely lost in the surroundings. One advantage to getting lost in Texas is that, with the possible exception of west Texas, none of our roads are straight for very long. The names of the roads are even more help. I have been on many a Farm-to-Market road called North 'something or other' that ran directly into the setting sun, which is west as I recall from my boy scout days.
Another great thing about Texas, at least in the country, is that you can stop and talk to just about anyone. Directions will be forthcoming, after you have been fully updated on the latest town scandal or have been given a few pointers on the proper method for shearing angora goats or making a mailbox (baseball) bat proof. As for the directions themselves, don't count on concrete information. References to "the old Smith place" or "a little bit past the river" are far more common than references to actual roads or the use of such terms as right, left, north or south. The fact that "the Smith place" is now a high school or that "a little bit" is six and half miles (which is indeed a little bit when compared to the overall size to the state) never enters into the conversation.
Getting lost is easy, fun and rewarding. I always set out with my camera in my tank bag. I have come across some of the most beautiful churches, schools, ranch-houses, barns and cemeteries that you can imagine (yes, cemeteries can be extremely beautiful). There is no tourist guidebook that lists any of these places, yet many of them rival the beauty of our most prized landmarks. Old wooden bridges on all but abandoned roads lead to some of the most incredible stands of pecans and cypress trees I have ever seen. I have, at times, mapped where I've been, but I always take photos.
I have ridden the twisties of the Hill Country at high speeds, but nothing gives me more pleasure than to ride, slowly, through the forgotten places of the world. There is a place, not far from you, that time has not touched. Go see it before time catches up.
