COOL CATS CRUISE CRAWFORDThe weather in Texas is not very predictable, especially in late spring. The weather records range from ice and snow to 100 degree heat. This year will be recorded as one of the coolest and wettest on record. The country side reflects the good weather with an over abundance of wild flowers and blooming plants.Old RT(99BMWR1100RT) and ST(2001HondaST1100) team up for a tour of central Texas to Crawford, home of President George W. Bush's ranch.There are direct Interstate highway routes and Texas two lane crusin' routes from our garages to Crawford. We are classified as Sport Touring motorcycles and that is why we always choose the Texas Two Lane route.Our escape from the garages requires a short Interstate 20 run to Oak Groove Rd then out of the metro mess of DFW. Farm road 1187 takes us through the edge of Crowley then we hit the country along Farm road 2331 to US 67. The area is green with tall grasses and crops with full stock tanks, creeks and roadside ditches from recent rain. This area of Texas is currently see a natural gas well drilling boom. The support vehicles for these new wells are destroying our Texas Two Lanes. Our route down FM 2331 is slowed when we discover a mile of construction without road surface and only a packed gravel wet road base. The wet mud sticks like glue to fenders and underside of the two shinning Sport Touring motorcycles.We cruise through Godley, then dodge more well service trucks all the way to US67 just west of Cleburne. This part of US67 is beautiful down into the Brazos river valley then into the Paluxy river valley and Glen Rose, Texas. Glen Rose is located in the center of Somervell County and is the county seat. The court house square looks just like it did in the 50's, with a few operating businesses. During the Prohibition period this are was known as 'Whiskey Woods Capital of the state of Texas', with moonshiners located in the area Cedar brakes.One of the current business downtown is Grannies Cafe, located off the square on TX144. We take advantage of the lunch buffet of fresh veggies, salad, fried catfish, and chicken fried steak. I don't remember ever eating Peach Cake before but, it was very moist and tasty. This is another good stop we will record for the next time we are close to Glen Rose around meal time.With the rider's tummies full and our fuel tanks full of $3.00 per gallon super unleaded fuel, we take TX144 South across the out of its banks, Paluxy River. This Texas Two Lane seems to run on top a natural ridge overlooking green ranch land and rolling hills. The area is covered with wildflowers that are normally gone by this time of the year. What a beautiful area of Texas, you see why the area is a popular Church camp area.Walnut Springs is located at the intersections of TX144 and Farm roads 927 and 203, fifty two miles northwest of Waco in northern Bosque County. Walnut Springs was named for a nearby spring surrounded by walnut trees. The town was established when Texas Central Railroad ran a line and built a divisional machine shop in 1880. The machine shop burned in 1920 and never rebuilt. The town had some growth in the late 1970's, when the Comanche Peak Nuclear Plant was being constructed.State Highway 144 south takes us over more rolling central Texas hills, covered with late spring wildflowers and greener than normal from numerous rains, into Meridian. The county seat of Bosque County is on the North Bosque River, the Santa Fe rail line, state highways 6, 22, 144, and 174, forty-seven miles northwest of Waco near the center of the county. Texas legislature established Bosque County in 1854 and the county seat was created from donated land by Dr. Josephus M. Steiner. George B. Erath surveyed the land for a town site and he named the town for their proximity to the ninety-eighth meridian. The Santa Fe line crossed Bosque county in 1881, passing 1.5 miles east of Meridian.South from Meridian on State highway 6, we experience more rolling hills covered with Oaks, Pecan and hardwood trees, supporting lots of cattle, goats and horses. There is only about ten miles to Clifton. The town was named for the limestone cliffs that surround the town and was originally called Cliff Town.Continuing south on State Highway 6 another eleven miles into Valley Mills. This town was named for the flour mills established on the banks of the Bosque River in 1867.State Highway 317 south for nine miles and we arrived in Crawford, known as home of the Western White House. President George W. Bush owns a ranch just West of Crawford and this makes the town a popular spot for tourist and protesters. Crawford was established as a stage stop by the Brownwood stage in 1867 and a ford location of the Middle Bosque River. The local gas station, gift store, and restaurant made a pretty good strawberry milk shake, on this stop.On the return leg of this tour, we back track to Valley Mills then North on State Highway 56 to Laguna Park on Lake Whitney. We cross the dam on State Highway 22 North; the lake is over full by a few feet covering the picnic tables, boat launch ramps and some roads near the dam. We stopped for a short break in downtown Whitney, admiring the way the original downtown had been maintained and prospering. North out of Whitney on State Highway 933 takes through more ranch land with a few more mobile homes to Blum. Blum was established in 1881 when the Gulf Colorado and Santa Fe Railway built a line through Hill County along the Nolan River. In 1908 the local cotton gins processed over 5,000 bales that year, from local farmers with a population of 1000.We headed north at State Highway 174 through the edge of Rio Vista and on to Cleburne. Cleburne is the county seat of Johnson County, on US Highway 67, Thirty miles south of Fort Worth. The town was named in honor of Gen. Patrick R. Cleburne, under whom many of the men had fought during the Civil War. The Gulf Colorado and Santa Fe built a line through Cleburne from Fort Worth to Temple in 1881. The Santa Fe constructed a central machine shop at Cleburne in 1898, helping to double the city's population in the 1890's. We take a short break, in front of the Farmers and Merchants bank building on US 67. The building appears to be in good shape and occupied as a mobile home sales office. We run out of town on US 67 North then Farm Road 2280 through Keene to Farm road 917. Keene is located five miles northeast of Cleburne in central Johnson County. The first settlers to reach the area, Jeremiah Easterwood and his family arrived in 1852. Easterwood built the Methodist church, which also served as a school. Eventually the community became known as Elm Grove. The Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fee Railway built in the area about 1890. In 1894 the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventist opened a school to train ministers on 836 acres in the community. The assembly hall was built on the campus of Southwestern Union College that year, and a post office opened. Postal Service officials selected the name Keene. The local post office closes on Saturdays rather than Sundays. Farm Road 2280 connects to Farm Road 917 about two miles west of Interstate 35. Farm Road 917 East took us through Lillian. Lillian is fifteen miles northeast of Cleburne in northeastern Johnson County. Located on Farm Roads 917, and 2738 the original community was established by G.J. Renfro in 1902 when he purchased land from J. W. Cunningham near the International-Great Northern Railroad. Both men's wives were named Lillian, hence the name of the town.From Lillian, we headed north on Farm Road 2738, back into Tarrant County and our home garages, for a total of two hundred thirty miles round trip. We are back in time to put the ribs on the Bar-b so they will be smoked for Sunday lunch.We just completed another good ride on 'Wonderful Texas Two Lanes' with great weather and scenery. Good Lord willing, we are going to do this again.hiramg,2007
This is a motorcycle ride in the state of Texas. This motorcycle route has 10 scenery characteristics and other road conditions to help you plan your road trip. This motorcycle map was created by ST1100 in July. Click here to see other Motorcycle Roads by ST1100