Texas Hill Country Wildflowers

March 25 & 26/2019  Weather   Gorgeous!  80 high/59 low

the flower power bike gang- the bluebonnets go on up the hills like carpet

the bluebonnets this year are thick from the fall flooding

We are doing "the loop"  back to back 2 days.  It's the old Willow city loop which is one of the most popular spring wildflower roads in the Hill Country.  Just outside of Fredericksburg you can catch the one way 11 mile ride through private ranch roads.

along the highway Indian Paintbrush and Bluebonnets

   One day we went north and the next day friends said lets go again and we rode it south.  Incredible wildflowers.  We cannot think of anywhere we have been lucky enough to be in Canada or the USA where the flowers are so predominant along the roadside. 

fields of white poppies

My Name is Shawn

April 5/2018  Weather 73, sunny and a low of 53. 
Spoiler Alert:  FYI  there is "No" city in Willow City.  It would be fair to say it is a Ghost town.   You won't find gas, or restaurants or much of anything in Willow but some great views.

Willow City Loop Road

We are in search of the wildflowers today and even though we have heard unfavourable reports we will take the ride on the Loop.  Before heading north on Hwy 16 from Fredericksburg we are stopping for some lunch.   A fun stop is at the Airport Diner.   While enjoying our food we can watch the planes flying in and out.   This is a busy small airport with a boutique hotel.  Not something you hear about often; a cool diner and hotel attached to a small town airport.

our view from our booth at the Airport Diner

Hey there's 2 fellas that will be in the Chuckwagon Cookoff this weekend (Fairgrounds are right next door to the airport)

Cruising through Fredericksburg on Hwy 16 to Old Willow City Road we catch the Loop road (you can also get on it at FM 1323).  The scenery is breathtaking any time of the year and can be jaw dropping during wildflower season in the spring.   Sadly this year is the poorest we have seen in the last three years.  Flowers are sparse at best, it appears the ranchers have graded and cleaned and put in fences along their ranch property thus disrupting the natural seeding of the flowers.  The narrow road travels through canyons that were cut by creeks; the ride itself is a great motorcycle road except it is pretty busy with other cars/trucks ~ flower peepers!   

bits of bluebonnets; we have seen this covered before like a blue carpet

white poppies

The ride up and back is about 13 miles each way.   This year we stopped at Harry's on the Loop to get a cold refreshment.  We walked in and chatted with others sitting around and then a fellow got up and said "would you like a beer?"  Well we said "Yes, you must be Harry".  "Nope" he said "my name is Shawn" ???????
And isn't that just the way things go.  Funny.  

Harry's on the Loop

Willow City Loop

wild Texas bluebonnets

March 28/17 Weather high into the 80's, low 60.  This week is solid warm weather.  After the rain last night the Windmill riding gang thought it would be the  right day to head over to the Willow City Loop near Fredericksburg to see the Bluebonnets.   In 2016 we went several times to see the wildflowers and they were ``spectacular``...... this year they seemed quite a bit thinner.  Apparently the flowers need plenty of rain in October for germination and unfortunately it was a very dry month in 2016.  Lots of rain came in November and December but just not at the right time.  Really it is hard to believe that has to be so exact but the stand of flowers does show the difference.

That Texas star is everywhere!!!!

First stop was for lunch in Harper.  Just have to show you what I found in the ladies restroom.   Another Texas Star...... Love it :)

winding down towards an old mill

Back on the bikes we wound our way through the back roads with a couple of turn arounds and a few stops to check the county map to find another road across the back country.

flowers along the cattle guard crossings in the Willow City loop

Then we popped out at the Willow City Loop.  The ride is about 15 miles and part of it ventures into private ranch property; this is a very popular tourist attraction every spring.  We respect the signs posted and do not stop and park and walk into the fields.    Usually this is the best viewing of the Texas bluebonnets, white poppies, and several fields of a yellow flower that we are not able to name.  The little pink flowers that are everywhere are so pretty - named Winecups or Poppy Mallows!

winecups or poppy mallows

field of yellow and white flowers along the way