Ivan Coleman Davenport Annual Campout

Every year we have a memorial camp out at Krause Springs in Spicewood, Texas to remember Coleman Davenport, who owned an ice house at the northern edge of San Antonio. The sign said “Hills and Dales’ – but everyone who ever spent time there called it Howdy Neighbors – Coleman would sit at the register and call out “Howdy Neighbor” to every person who walked through the door.

So, I loaded up the bike for four days of camping and visiting with old friends.

This is our usual camping spot under the cypress trees at Krause Springs – everyone else is down in the water cooling off.

I set up my tent a little ways away from the main group – essential if you want to actually sleep.

On things about Krauses is the dang racoons – there’s no trash cans in the camp area – so if you forget to haul your trash out before you hit the sack . . .

And the little buggers have figured out how to get into your ice chests and haul off anything that looks tasty as well.

On Friday morning I took the scooter and made a run down to Kendalia – about 85 miles from Krause Springs. There were several county roads I wanted to ride, and then I’d seen a report that the Kendalia General Store made a good burger – so I wanted to check that out.

The weather was cloudy and a little hazy, but it was only in the mid 80s – so it was nice riding weather. I cut down CR 408 right in Spicewood. Nice 35mph one lane County Road.

My KPS (kevo positioning system) – kind of like a rally strip chart. I sit down with a map before a ride and write down my turns (most of then anyway) on 3×5 index cards – and then stick them in a handlebar map case. So, all I need to do (theoretically) is look down and see what my next turn is.

You’ll notice I don’t put the mileage between turns – since my Ural reports neither miles or kilometers on the odometer – but some other measure of distance related to the phase of the moon I think. Of course, this system all depends on being able to read the road signs.

You can tell from the Cypress Trees that this stream is usually wet.

As you cross the divide down into the Cypress Creek you get a nice view of the valley.

Down below Round Mountain I cut Southwest on CR307 (Sandy-Round Mountain Road) – which is a great road – about half the distance to Sandy is nice well-graded gravel – the Blanco County grader operator who maintains this road should get a bonus – no washboard at all.

From Sandy I took FM1302 down across the Pedernales.

I cut south on The Hye-Albert road, and then a jog on 1888, and down Crababble Road. This is a great road from the Blanco River crossing down into Kendalia. Great hills, no traffic (actually I probably only passed 2 cars this whole route).

And finally to the Kendalia General Store. There’s no sign, but there are no other businesses really in Kendalia and the post office is on the other end of the building – so it’s not like you’ll spend an hour hunting it down.

And the burger was worth the ride. This is the Kendalia Burger – cheddar cheese, bacon, grilled onions. Excellent burger – fresh beef, well seasoned with salt and pepper, fresh fixins, the grilled onion was grilled in bacon grease. The paper it was wrapped in was transparent before I’d eaten half the burger  – always a good sign.

Well fed, I headed back to Krause Spring to visit and hoo hah with the rest of the folks.

It was an excellent camp out. Here’s to Coleman.

Go ride.

Kevo