Spydeb's Adventures Begin!

I’ll admit I was a little disappointed about not being the next Can Am Ambassador. It wasn’t until my husband asked me “What was it about the position that appealed to you the most?” that I realized something. I responded that I always wanted to take the time to journal my rides and share them with others but never had the discipline to execute.  The contract I would have been under for Can Am would have made me accountable. This lead into the discussion that there was nothing or no one keeping me from those goals but me.

  As my consolation prize to myself I packed my Spyder up for a 456 mile ride to one of the oldest suspension bridges in Texas. My husband serves in Texas State Guard and needed to be in Gatesville for drill by 8:00 am so the first 131 miles began at 5:30 am and the temperature was 39 degrees. Although I was in my leathers, I froze all the way, knowing that by noon it would be close to 80. My husband rides a 2005 Harley Springer Classic and took advantage of my trunk to get all his gear to drill on time. 

 After leaving him in Gatesville, I headed west on Hwy 84 toward Goldthwaite and enjoyed freshly paved road and the sun rising and warming me up as I rode toward the Regency Bridge. I tried to get my fellow Spyder friends to join in, but family and other prior obligations kept them from meeting up, so I

decided to take my time and enjoy it all.  This area is the northern most part of the Texas Hill Country that features rolling hills with nice curved roads that wind through the countryside. When I reached Goldthwaite, I saw the town’s banner, “Goat Cook Off,” over the road that I thought was extremely uncommon for other parts of the country.

 

 From FM 574 to FM 45, you head Southwest towards the old bridge. The ride takes you through many communities on the verge of extinction. These communities were small towns that originated during WWII when the US government purchased land in the area to form Camp Bowie. After the war, many residents did not return. I found one of the old gas stations to be an interesting place to take a picture.

My family’s cemetery is located two miles from this bridge so I have grown up seeing it from time to time. We always referred to it as the swinging bridge as you can feel it moving back and forth while you’re on it.  With each visit, I am always amazed it is still standing and that I survived crossing it without it falling. Although I am 41 years old now, it is still as scary as when I was a child. Ever since I bought the Spyder I wanted to drive it over the bridge. Here is a brief video of its history and my successful Spyder ride over the bridge. I hope you enjoy the video and if you are ever are in the area for a ride, let me know!

Click Here to watch Regency Bridge Video