Biker Living
November - December 2011


Where is the rain? A little sprinkle here and there is not going to cut bait. Texas needs a toad strangler and they need it now.

The wildfires in Texas have cost the state millions of dollars to fight the blazes. The cost to homeowners is much worse as many of the residents have not only lost houses in the blaze but also their cherished possessions as well. Souvenirs of their kid's graduations, pictures of grandma and grandpa, cherished family heirlooms, all gone in a puff of smoke.

One of the areas hit hardest by the wildfires and drought of 2011 is the County of Bastrop, including the State Park by the same name. 34,000 acres were burned and people's homes were reduced to ash. Many of the Lost Pines in the Loblolly Pine forest have been destroyed and many more are dying.

You may wonder why in the world anyone would refer to a tree as a lost pine. It is a good question. There is more than one opinion on the issue. The prevailing word-on-the-trail is that the soil type found in the area is like the soil found 100 miles away in East Texas. How that soil got there is a mystery that has been explained as the shrinking of the eco-system due to effects cause by the environment during the Pleistocene period. That is a big word for what we know as the ice age. However these trees got there, they are truly beautiful, majestic trees that have towered over the area for centuries.

Any of y'all that live in or around Austin have probably taken a ride east on TX-71. Maybe you realized and were amazed at how wonderful a ride it was, barely 30 miles from downtown. I realized it. I thought about it so much that I planned a trip to Bastrop a few months before the wildfires. I had my trip all laid out. I would get a cabin in the Bastrop State Park and fan out each day in search of all the many sites the area had to offer. You can imagine how disappointed I was as news of the wildfires reached North Texas. I had inklings of cancelling my trip, but the more I thought about it, the more I wanted to see what was going on for myself. I figured they could use a little of my money pumped into the economy. Of course the parks were closed. I had to rent a motel room for a few days. With so many displaced locals, renting a room wasn't that easy.

What I found when I arrived in Bastrop evoked a mixture of emotions. I saw how brown the trees were. The gray, ash covered forest floor was devoid of life. The odor in the air reminded me of a fireplace. On the other hand, there were disaster relief tents set up which were well stocked with supplies. Every motel lobby had application for housing assistance. Crews were already busy clearing away the debris and planting grass. In some cases people had started to rebuild.

One thing that stood out more than anything else was the attitude. I don't believe I have ever been to a community that had so many polite people. I know Texans are friendly but I have never felt as welcome as I did while visiting Bastrop. It is a testimony to human nature. In a similar situation, some may lose themselves in despair. The people of Bastrop were ready to rebuild as quickly as they could. The park will be open next year. They have already upgraded many of the facilities inside the park. Soon there will be new growth and in a few years there will be little left to remind us of the wildfires of 2011.

I am making plans on renting a cabin in the spring of 2012. I hope to see some of you riding through the area. If you see me, stop and chat. We can celebrate the renewal of one of the most beautiful places on earth - God Bless Texas!

Ride Safe - Cappy Out




Relief Supplies
A Church Relief Center

The Fountain
All that is left

All Gone
Some Don't Even Have A Fountain

A Home Gone
A Home Lost

Men of Action
God Bless the Fire Fighter

Some Were Spared
A Few Escaped

The Happy Tower
A Community With a Great Attitude