Riding Texas' Hill Country, Part One

I am probably the last motorcycle-touring enthusiast in North America to discover the heart of the Texas Hill Country. This is even more shameful when you count I was born, raised and educated in the Lone Star State. I did my best to correct the deficiency over the recent Labor Day weekend.

If you are familiar with Texas weather, you will understand my lack of surprise that enormous thunderstorms followed me for the entire three-day jaunt. Drought? What drought? Rain adds an entirely new dimension to the excitement of travelling by motorcycle. The blinding torrents of water I encountered the moment I hit the road practically rewrote the entire adventure. Sheets of lightning crawling across the heavy overcast relieved the predawn darkness almost continuously. Lucky for me, I was able to use the brilliant flashes to estimate the location of the center stripe. The storm lasted just about two hours. Then, I got a temporary reprieve and made up for lost time.

When I first thought of writing this article, I organized my thoughts and experiences along a specific time line. I planned to quote highway, farm to market road and ranch road numbers. That was so readers who wished to follow a similar path could make their own route. Lucky for you, I decided that was too boring. If you want directions, send an email. I can send you a Garmin GPS route or just some notes on which highways and by-ways I found interesting. The spine of the Hill Country is Texas Highway 16. Pick it up as far north as you can and ride it all the way to Bandera, Texas and points south. There are dozens of possible side trips along the way. I travelled on 218 out of Hamilton, TX and discovered isolated and beautiful places like Star and Bend, Texas on various farm and ranch roads.

State highway 16 is a wide two-lane road. It is in good condition, lightly travelled and free of excessive law enforcement. I explored TX-16 from Priddy, TX south to Bandera. At Priddy, the terrain is rolling plains of breath-taking expanse. Golden hayfields cover the landscape making a patchwork with green pastures and dark forests. Against this backdrop, the roadway swoops around long curves and climbs hills only to plunge into a narrow pass or wide valley on the other side. Then, it begins again. Climb, dive into a curve and recover in time to race to the foot of the next 500-foot hill. This kind of ride leaves you proud you ride a bike and feeling privileged to be alive. The air brought exotic fragrances of crops in the field, desert sand and wild flowers. It was wonderful and it lasted more than four hours.

As I travelled farther south, the hills and curves became more pronounced and closer together. Large deer began to appear on the roadside. Many waited for me to pass before crossing. Thank goodness. When I arrived in Llano, I felt completely relaxed. My good friend and all around motorcycle Guru, Jim Kauffman, helped me plan this trip. He included a lunch break at Cooper’s Bar-B-Que in Llano on my itinerary. I felt obliged to try it. I was not disappointed. The cheerful crew recommended a chopped beef sandwich, beans, Cole slaw and potato salad for a hungry traveler. I got the works and devoured it with a large glass of iced tea. I got change back from the ten I handed them in payment and I felt sure I would not need to eat again for a day or two!

Thus ends our first installment. Next time, I will tell you about the real Hill Country roads south and west of Kerrville. There are many roads and trails to ride, good places to eat and comfortable places to sleep. If you are in the mood to party, I know the perfect town. Just thinking about it makes me want to go back – and soon.

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