Andy's Version of Fredericksburg

Blistering Run to Fredericksburg‏

Weeeeeeeere Baaaaack! Met Doug at Sycamore School Rd. off I-35W @ 4:00 (after discovering my tail/brake light was disfunctional). In earlier passing the FWISD electronic weather sign on S 820, saw it read 102 degrees!

We headed south on 67, interrupted by a pie stop @ Hico. Post pie, we remounted and continued our decent down 281 into Hell. The farther south we got...the hotter it got. Passing thru Marble Falls around 8:00, temp still read 100. By this time we were seeing a lot of sleeping deer on the side of the road...

Doug tried to run me out of gas outside of Johnson Station...but I wouldn't let him... Outside of J.S., I pulled over to turn around and go back for dinosaur juice because it looked like we'd run out of gas stations (Doug still had 6 1/2 oz. of rice).

Tanked up, and realizing I'd run out of pie, I started to look for an eatery. Instead, I found a drinkery. Told the bargirl I wanted a Miller Lite soooooo cold it'd give me brain freeze. She didn't have one, but what she brought was so good, I had another!

Back on the road we cut across to Fredericksburg, getting to a fine Mexican eatery 6 minutes after they stopped serving... Refer back to my second beer.... I swear it didn't take no 6 minute to drink it!

Motel 6 was clean, cool, had 2 beds and ice, so we slept over...

Next morning we rode up to the Nimitz Museum and met John Sutera and his wife (she who got this ball rolling) of Dallas, along with John's recently discovered cousin, Guadalcanal Marine Vic Shuttera (Fresno, CA).

Cpl. Vic is remarkable! 91 years old, ramrod straight, sharper than I was that morning...and weighing close to what he probably weighed in 1941.

In attendance were the Suteras, John's brother (?), wife and two children (both very interested in Vic's history, the Marine Corps and our poker chips), Vic, and us. Two members of the San Antonio Leathernecks Confederation MC were also in attendance, but they behaved and I don't think they soiled themselves...

The plaque honoring Vic's Guadalcanal service was unveiled after the honoree gave a short impromptu speech and photos were taken.

Then all took a short guided tour thru the museum's outdoor battlefield. Vic was a halftrack driver on Guadalcanal, and spryly clambered into the drivers seat of the 'track on display.

The Suteras invited Doug & me to lunch...so we ate. After bidding our goodbyes, we mounted up and headed north on 16. It didn't seem as hot going north, but the temprature said otherwise! 16 is a NICE road for motorsicles!

Doug, in the lead passed up a little cafe in Goldthwaite that said it served beer...

Needed gas in Commanche...told Doug of my thirst...he thaught the county was dry...

Beer on sale at the gas station, so I asked the counter girl where a weary traveler can get a sit-down beer in town. No place she replied..."got any small paper bags"? Sitting on a park bench overlooking the gas pumps, the first one soooooo good, I asked Doug how long he was gonna' nurse his coke...long enough he said, so I had another. No brain freeve here either, but damn good!

"On the road again," we cut across to 377 and on into Fort Worth. It was now officially the hottest day on record! Doug peeled off @ Brian Ervin and I continued east...narrowly missing a 5 car rear-ender pileup on 20 @ 820. Rolled into the driveway 2 about 6:00. Best I can figure, about 520 really hot miles.

Must say that all of the Suteras/Shuttera were exceptional folks...especially Vic.

Cpl. Vincent Shuttera, USMCR 1941-1945, Regimental Weapons Company (RWC), 4th Platoon (Halftracks), 2nd Bn 2nd Marines, Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands.

Semper Fi Brother!

Andy

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Last modified: December 10, 2009