Between the Natches in Texas and Louisiana: Riding the El Camino Real

After riding 900 miles to Texas from Tennesse on the interstate, we tackle the Twisted Sisters near Kerrville, Texas.  We had a great couple of days riding that road.   I was done here, and the weather was getting ready to take a turn for the worst.  I really didn't want to have to rush home to beat it.  Plus, there are some great roads between Texas and Tennesse that I always wanted to explore. 

I wanted to ride The El Camino Real between Nacadogches, Texas, and Natchitoches, Louisiana. An old Spanish road that was used by the Indians and Spanish conquistadores during the 1500s.  It cuts across southeast Texas from the Mexican border through San Antonio.  from there into East Texas and then into Louisiana.  I will take this ride in 2 bites over 2 days.  I want to end up in the Indianola Mississippi in the  Delta because the Delta is calling my name.  The El Camino Real will lead me there.


 I leave Kerrville on TX Route 16 north through the Texas Hill Country. I cut across central Texas on US Highway 84.  The desert landscape of HIll country gives way to the green lushness of east Texas and Louisiana. Throughout the ride, the roads' side is lined with wildflowers, and the air has the sweet smell of Texas Spring.    I eventually join TX Route 21, which is the El Camino.   

I stop in Crocket, Texas, for a short water break, named after Tennessee's Davey Crocket of the Alamo. Imagine a town in Texas named after a Tennessean. I like to say to my Texas Friends, who's your daddy?  Well, Tennessee, of course. I finally stop in Nacogdoches, TX, which is my stop for the night.  

The next day, I start at the Old Stone Fort in Nacogdoches, a historic Camino structure.  The road to Natchitoches, Louisiana, is a great winding road that crosses Toledo Bend Reservoir, the Texas, Louisiana border.  Once I'm in Natchitoches, Louisiana, I stop at an old French Fort St. Jean Baptiste State Historic Site.  For lunch, I get my Cajun to fix at the famous Lasyone Meat Pie Company. The Gumbo, Red Beans, and Rice were just what I needed. 

After lunch, I make my way to the Delta. I cross the Mississippi at the Greenville Bridge.  I'm back in the eastern United States, back to civilization.  I stop in Indianola overnight.  The home of BB King and a new undiscovered motorcycle road.  Mississippi Route 7.  Over the last 2 days, I have ridden over 660 miles through 4 states, but there is still more to do.