The Two-Lane Loop

Start in Fredericksburg with coffee and leave before the square wakes up. Take Ranch Road 965 north toward Enchanted Rock while the granite is still cold enough to touch.

Leg one: 965 to Llano

The dome appears the way it always does — too suddenly, too pink. If you did not reserve a day pass, keep driving; the roadside view is honest enough and Llano has barbecue at eleven.

Leg two: the river roads

From Llano, drop south on 16 and pick up the Willow City Loop if it is April. Thirteen miles of ranch road through a private valley, open to drivers, closed to anyone who thinks a gate is a suggestion.

• Low-water crossings flood fast — turn around, every time.
• Fuel in Llano and Fredericksburg. Not between.
• Sunday afternoon shows at Gruene Hall start at 1 p.m.

End at Wimberley, feet in Cypress Creek, tank half empty, having covered 240 miles without touching an interstate. That is the whole assignment.