10th Texas Hill Country Rallye

[edmayo]

More picturesIMG_2093.JPGIMG_2085.JPGIMG_2061.JPGIMG_2092.JPGIMG_2070.JPG

1st) Stefan and Morrie (in background) and our group at the Rathskeller German restaurant Saturday night. (great red cabbage and wienerschitznel)
2nd) red 66 of John Brindley and green 69 of Bob Ferman at a roadside rest stop
3rd) Juan Maldonado and his 73 3.6 hot rod
4th) Leon Gutierrez from south of the border (long distance award)
5th) newbie Krystal wanting to be accepted (she was!)

[fast911s]

Who is this mystery man and what does he have to do with the sport of tennis?

Not sure who it is, but even the bag can't hide his good looks.

[Macroni]

Looks like a great time for all!

[Mark Wilson]

Great pics - thanks for sharing!

[t6dpilot]

Hey, is that tangerine car with the blue stripe one that Magnus sold sort of recently?

[fast911s]

Jerry Murray flew in from California, and grabbed a local ride for the event.

[jpnovak]

My weekend recap. 2011 Hill Country Rallye


We had organized an Austin Caravan to this years HCR. Of course, my boss decided to call a Friday afternoon 2pm meeting that conflicted with the starting time for my departure and group caravan. Oh well, The back road route was planned and I would just meet up with them later. As you will come to read the weekend does not always go as planned...

Finally, the meeting is over and I am on the road about 3:15. ARGGH immediately I hit early traffic trying to cross Austin. Once I get through downtown the roads start to open up a bit. Maybe this will not be so bad after all.



Next thing the phone rings. Charles (ChasV) is also late leaving work. He is about 2 exits behind me. We said we would meet at a highway intersection where our turn-off is.



We start heading West out of Austin. Destination: Fredericksburg TX. I then call another friend to see how far behind we are from the group. Based on the clock we were 55 minutes late by this point. Newsflash! HWY 71 West is closed due to an accident. LifeFlight is on the scene and the caravan is turning around. Bad news for some. Good news for Charles and I. Next thing we are all one group.



After rerouting our travel plans due to the road-closure we are back on familiar turf. Those twisty TX backroads of the Hill Country. Finally time to relax and try to make up some time.



After some miles we finally get to the good stuff. Water crossings and all there is nothing like the Hill Country roads.



Doing my best Jack Olsen Shot at speed. All smiles for me. The air is "relatively" cool, the top is down and the flat-6 is singing a beautiful song!

[jpnovak]

We hit the final stretch of highway in to FBurg and then arrived at the hotel. The car count was significant. There were many last minute additions to the roster. Everyone was having a great time. Beers were being consumed.











Smiles were on all faces and the bench racing and BS continued into the night well past our traditional parking lot BBQ Brats




Saturday Morning we all met for breakfast. We overwhelmed the small diner. It was bad enough that it took 25 minutes to take the orders. Remember all does not go as planned this weekend.



We were thankful to have Luis, Leon, and Eduardo also known as Team Mexico. They braved the border and headed North. They are all great friends and drives. You are welcome anytime to visit!



While we were waiting for food Stefan was enjoying the moment. I think this conversation was about how they should have taken that left at Albuquerque.

[jpnovak]

After the bellies and gas tanks were full we all set out to enjoy the days drive. And what a drive it would be.

The morning clouds were a welcome site with the open top car. At least the SPF70 would last a little longer. I usually end up driving solo. This weekend Al was in town and grabbed shotgun. He was a great companion, navigator and photographer. Thanks Al!

I ran point for the first group. We hit the road with about 8 cars. Life was good.











After about an hour we reached the first stop. "The Store" in Hunt is an old-time general store. Popular with the Harley crowd we got lucky and arrived early enough for a front row parking spot.



Hwy 39 follows the river. It was unusual to see water in the river given the drought that TX is in. Good thing these are all spring fed. Where is my suit? I could stand to cool off a bit!



Eventually we picked up our first group off two wheeled cruisers. this group was rolling along well but not as fast as we would have liked.



Eventually they turned off and we were back up to the speed we were running early on before traffic.



After 20 minutes of connection roads that were straight we headed back into the twisties. Yes, HWY336 is the first of the "three sisters". Easily one of the Best roads in TX. This trio could easily be considered the "Dragon" of TX. The upper part starts with long sweepers. I guess I should way the tether on my video camera. This way I could calculate the cornering force from the swing angle. Yes, we are cruising.

[jpnovak]

After the introduction we continued to the next 27 miles of Pure Bliss!








Eventually we stopped at the top of the ridge for a photo session and to check what was behind that tree over there!



Back on the road. Hey we know those guys. Yes, Group 2 caught up with us as we were getting in the car.










Finally a gas stop. We caught up with Group 3. They shortened the route slightly due to the delay at breakfast.