The Bicycle Adventure Club - Come Ride With Us!

Flowers In The Hills 2

April 13th to April 20th

Ride Director: Becky Hettinger
Ride Co-Director: Charlie Hettinger
Report by: Albert Meerscheidt

Riders could choose from over 24 routes ranging in distance from 17-55 miles and, new this year, a variety of remote start rides if you wanted to skip riding out of town. Texas hill country terrain features many gentle hills with the occasional leg-burner thrown in. The steady wind and occasionally the 90 degree heat increased the challenge. The hill country has been without rain for so long that there weren’t many flowers this year, but the hills and the views did not disappoint.

Among the group’s favorite routes were rides; Pecan Creek, Not Quite Comfort, LBJ Ranch Ride.

In addition to the riding many participants took advantage of various regional attractions.

          Touring the National Museum of the Pacific War

·         Touring the Fredericksburg Pioneer Museum

·         Birding at Lady Bird Johnson Park

          Touring the Longneck Manor

·         Relaxing at the hotel pool

Our tour leader, Becky Hettinger, couldn’t have made the trip’s 17 participants feel more welcome.  In addition to three group dinners, four of the nightly social hours featured interesting presentations from local speakers.

Michael Cook, a viticulturist from Texas A&M University, introduced us to the burgeoning Texas wine industry.

We learned about the colorful history of the area’s German immigrants from Evelyn Weinheimer, a local historian from the Pioneer Museum.

Goat herders Bonnie and Dale Naumann demonstrated how they make mohair from angora goats, delighting us with the guest appearance of Tilly, a delightful baby angora goat who will be going home with Becky next week.

Rick Barongi, owner of Longneck Manor, gave us an introduction to his work providing a home to giraffes and rhinos born in accredited US zoos. Many of the tour participants took advantage of the opportunity to tour the manor and meet some of the critters.

A word about the goodie bag our hosts presented to us at the opening cocktail party.  It brimmed with stuff you might actually want to take home as souvenirs of the trip, including a set of hand-stamped leather coasters, local olive oil, and a dangerously large bag of the world’s best candied pecans, locally sourced, of course. (Don’t take my word on the pecans. Order some for yourself at https://www.marksthespottx.com/).

Becky outdid herself with the closing banquet — where Becky again donned her apron and spent much of the evening helping the serving staff. The standout meal featured at least a half dozen gourmet appetizers and beef tenderloin. (This is after all, Texas.) But there was still plenty to keep us vegetarians happy and well-fed. As a closing gift, we were presented with a box of delicious handmade chocolates, again, locally sourced.

There weren’t many flowers this year, just a great Texas hospitality, good riding companions, and wide-open roads that make me want to ‘come on back y’all’.