NTNOA in the Texas Hill Country, April 2024
By Jeff Myers

This, the club’s 40th anniversary year, was unique in that we were joined for our annual visit to the Texas Hill Country by BMOA, our sister British and European motorcycle club in Houston, who are also celebrating their 40th anniversary. With NTNOA staying at the Historic Leakey Inn and BMOA just around the corner at Frio Pecan Farms, the Hill Country roads promised to be alive with interesting and beautiful motorcycles.

For a small, but lucky group of NTNOA members, their “weekend” began on Tuesday, with an escape from the metromess to Fredericksburg for an overnight stay at the Peach Tree Inn. On Wednesday, that pre-party continued on to Rocksprings and a stay at the Historic Rocksprings Hotel.

The less fortunate of us finally caught up with the expedition party at the Historic Leakey Inn on Thursday. Some club members enjoyed a backroad ride and arrived by motorcycle while others drove towing trailers. Thursday afternoon mostly consisted of settling in, visiting and checking out the eclectic assortment of motorbikes parked around the Inn.

The Inn opened their on-property Back Porch Bar and Grill Thursday evening, which was convenient for those who did not want to search for dinner. They also booked live entertainment that was a nice way to wind down a travel day and catch up with our friends from BMOA.

Many started their day on Friday with breakfast in town. Groups formed for rides in different directions on the scenic and curvy Hill Country roads. Some stopped at regional attractions like the Lone Star Motorcycle Museum, in Vanderpool, and the Bent Rim for lunch. Dinner was followed by refreshments and dancing to live music at the Back Porch and relaxing under the pavilion.

Saturday provided another opportunity for spirited exploration of the beautiful Hill Country. A joint party to celebrate both club’s anniversaries was planned for Saturday evening with BMOA organizing a catered BBQ dinner under the pavilion at the Inn. Around 3 PM, the winds shifted out of the north and light rain began to fall as a cold front approached the area. The BBQ was delicious, but a dinner thunderstorm rained on our parade and dampened the festivities for some.

Sunday morning dawned dry and meant loading up. Over breakfast, I learned that Utopia, only 16 miles from Leakey, received golf ball sized hail during the previous evening’s storm. I am glad that we, and our machines, were spared that fate. By mid-morning, the clouds broke for a beautiful ride home and reflection on an exceptional weekend.