News Release

Scenic Hills Cruise 2005 Set to Wind Through the Hill County

San Antonio, September 7, 2005– On October 15, 2005, members of more than 20 area car clubs and one antique motorcycle club will embark on AACOG’s fifth annual Scenic Hills Cruise.  From 8 to 9:30 a.m., a beautiful panoramic view of Leon Valley is afforded participants at the starting point for the cruise -- the parking lot for the Church on the Rock located where Bandera Road goes over what the old stagecoach drivers called “Nine Mile Hill.”  The Leon Valley Chamber of Commerce will provide morning coffee and  breakfast goodies to cruise participants.  The historic Huebner-Onion Homestead at 6613 Bandera Road is another great stop in Leon Valley for history buffs and lovers of local lore. 

Other hospitality stops on the cruise this year include: the internationally known Floore Country Store (where Willie Nelson got his start) in Helotes; the Kerr Arts and Cultural Center will welcome cruise participants and host an Archaeology Fair in Kerrville; and the picturesque, hill-country-style Fredericksburg Visitor Center will display a welcoming banner and provide goodies including Texas wild flower seeds.    Other community hospitality stops welcoming cruisers are historic Polly’s Chapel near Pipe Creek, the Hunt Store in Hunt, the Luckenbach Store in Luckenbach; the Full Moon Inn (in the suburbs of Luckenbach); the Love Creek Store in Medina (offering a sip of homemade cider); and lemonade and picnic opportunities in the park pavilion graciously provided by the folks in Tarpley (not far from where dinosaurs left their footprints over 100 million years ago).  The Camp Verde Store will provide coffee, tea, lemonade, and homemade cookies at the base of Bandera Pass near where the Army once unsuccessfully gave camels a try (Camp Verde).  The Lone Star Motorcycle Museum just outside of Lost Maples near Vanderpoole will offer free refreshments and $4 meat pies.  The Joshua Creek Hunting Club near Welfare will provide a unique hospitality stop, and the Bandera Convention and Visitors Bureau will host a western-style welcome in the Plaza.  There will be a special Comfort welcome hosted by the Chamber of Commerce, and Boerne’s two hospitality stops for cruisers will be at their new Visitor and Convention Bureau in an historic homestead on South Main Street, and the Pre-Holiday Craft Show & Chili Cook-Off held at the Kendall County Fair Grounds.

Encompassing an area sometimes called the “Texas Alps,” the Scenic Hills Cruise offers special driving treats.  Old #9 is an unimproved segment of an early Texas highway, where grasses and fall flowers wave at the edge of the narrow, “shoulderless” two lanes.  At sunset, if they haven’t already migrated to Mexico for the winter, more than a quarter million bats spiral upward and out over the hill country at the Old Tunnel Wildlife Management Area.  If the frosts cooperate, the changing leaves at Lost Maples are spectacular.  There are also nostalgic photo opportunities afforded by old-fashioned, 1930s-vintage gas pumps in Waring.  The beautiful hill country scenery combined with historical and friendly communities and fun shopping venues make this cruise a favorite with everyone.

For more information, contact AACOG Tourism at (210) 362-5220 or Community Relations at (210) 362-5204 or visit www.aacog.com/tourism.

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