Ride Director: Becky Hettinger
Ride Co-Director: Charlie Hettinger
Report by: Stephen Kiel
The 2019 edition of the “Flowers in the Hills”, set in the Texas Hill Country, ride is a wonderful start to springtime. It is a fixed-base ride out of the charming town of Fredericksburg Texas, a popular destination for cyclists and non-cycling vacationers. Several local businesses display “Fredericksburg – Welcome Cyclists” signs in their front windows. Local sights included a National Museum of the Pacific War (WWII), wineries, restaurants, breweries, and museums about the German Pioneer settlers. Our hotel the Inn on Barron Creek was a perfect base for the trip.
The Flowers in the Hills ride offered 24 possible routes from which to choose, allowing riders to select more challenging or casual rides each day, or to enjoy different varieties of flowers in the different areas. We saw deer running through the fields, a variety of birds, and posed near, but not too near, some longhorns next to the fence. The routes take riders to old town Luckenbach, the LBJ Ranch National and State park, preserved one room school houses, and of course fields of Bluebonnets, the state flower of Texas. This year we had good winter rains and we were treated to a “super bloom.” In the afternoons at the end of the rides, there were often several of our cyclist frequenting the exceptional pie and ice cream shops or the local brewery. Those that needed a quick tune-up for their bike were able to drop in at the “Hill Country Bicycle Works” for friendly and expert assistance. The wild seed farm was another popular and amazing destination.
At our first evening happy hour we received not only a warm welcome, but a goodie box filed with local souvenirs to remind us of the trip. All the evening happy hours had great food and beverages that took the edge off your appetite and featured several interesting guest speakers. We learned about the history of the Texas Rangers from Marvin Schoder. Dale and Bonnie Naumann talked about raising angora goats and processing the wool into fine fabrics. They also brought a really cute baby goat that stole the show. Michael Cook from Texas A&M told us about the growth in the Texas wine industry and some of the hurdles that wine producers faced over the years. Evelyn Weinheimer, from the Pioneer Museum, told us about the early history of Fredericksburg and how the original town settlers made their way from Germany to start this town in the Texas Hill Country. Evelyn is a direct descendent of some of the founding fathers of Fredericksburg and an avid historian.
This was a great ride for any level of experience. The routes are beautiful and not overly technical. I speak for the rest of the group when I say thanks to Becky and Charlie for a great, well planned and well executed trip!
Bicycle Adventure Club
PO BOX 23998 San Diego, CA 92193
Telephone (858) 715-9510 office@bicycleadventureclub.org