with its open roads and dusty trails the Texas Hill country offers some of the best riding in the nation. With a landscape dotted with rustic towns, cattle and bison ranches and semi desert flora and fauna the annual Hill Country Hangout draws attendees from across the nation.
April 17-19 the Club brought together eighty-one folks from eleven states to enjoy a weekend of riding, fun, and comradery. One, John Beemer, travelled the farthest from his home in Franklinton, Noth Carolina, a 1,461 mile ride from Kerrville.
Many of the riders find the Hangout a must attend rally and have attended multiple times, some over six times. For example, Bob Shaffer, a retired oil and gas parts manufacturing professional travelled from Clinton, Louisiana for a third time to attend. Bob returns for the excellent Hill Country riding after getting hooked on the wide-open landscape of West Texas. Having ridden for close to 50 years, his favorite destination is Bandera, the self-proclaimed cowboy capital of the world.
In addition, to most attendees attending multiple times, there were also a substantial number of first-time attendees. Take Steve Martin who lives in NW Iowa, He decided the rally was for him after seeing the rally’s ad in the MOA magazine. He rode in on his RT from Arkansas with two of his friends after a visit there. It was beneficial to have him attend as he shared a wealth of information about the MOA Foundation for which he was previously an Officer and is now a volunteer. Like many of the other attendees his favorite part of the rally was finding the rides on Hill Country roads very therapeutic.
Attendees provided some excellent feedback about their Hangout experience. A survey of the attendees gave it 4.5 out of five stars. The responses also tell how well they enjoyed it with 86% saying they would recommend it to a friend and 93% found the Hangout to be worth cost of admission. In addition to rating how the Hangout was run and organized, respondents provided thoughtful comments and insights into what they enjoyed and offered advice on what might be improved.
The overwhelming reason for attending the Hangout was for riding the outstanding Hill Country. This should be no surprise given the area is a haven for cyclists. The next highest rated reason for attending was the opportunity to spend time with friends they made while attending the Hangout over the years. The comments folks provided support the purpose for attending such as “Riding area rods aand visiting with others," ”The rides and socializing”, and “Hanging with pals and riding the roads.” There were many other similar comments offered.
The Hangout was held at the Kerrville Schreiner Park in Kerrville, Texas. This site proved extremely popular with attendees giving the Kerrville location a 4.9 star rating due to it being a gateway to the Hill Country. In addition, the park received a 4.6 rating.
As for how the Hangout was run and organized, the respondents rated these very highly. For example, communication before and at the rally, signage and directions, and registration check-in each received a 4.8 rating while how well the Hangout was organized overall received a 4.6 rating.
While the Hangout was hosted by the SAN Antono BMW Riders Association and advertised largely within the BMW community, there were other bikes represented to include Hondas, Yamahas, Ducati, and Harlies. This indicates word of the Hangout spread well beyond the BMW community.
Several folks offered up ideas they believe can improve their experience while attending the Hangout. Several respondents suggested they would like to beer offered. While this is good input, serving beer and alcohol in the park has restrictive regulations which the organizing committee voted against pursuing. Another suggestion was to avoid cold and inclement weather by holding the Hangout in May vice April. The Club is considering this for next year’s Hangout.
There were many additional favorable comments that showed appreciation for having the Hangout and the work that went into it to make it successful. This response sums it up: “Thank you for organizing and running this fantastic Rally.”
The Club is making plans to hold another highly successful Hill Country Hangout next Spring.
