Medina is apple country, which is not what most people expect of Texas. Up here in the western Hill Country, the elevation and cooler nights let orchards thrive, and the little town on the Medina River has made itself the Apple Capital of Texas, with roadside stands selling pies, cider and fresh fruit from late summer into fall. The shops have a rustic, Western look, with porches, hitching rails and a feeling of being a long way from anywhere.
The surrounding land is the Edwards Plateau, a limestone upland carved into hills and valleys by rivers, with scrubby live oak and Ashe juniper, locally called cedar, covering the slopes. Clear, spring-fed rivers run through narrow canyons, and the Medina River, a few miles away, is one of the prettiest. Bandera, a short ride east, calls itself the Cowboy Capital of the World, with dance halls and rodeos, and Kerrville to the north is a larger town with a long river park and a folk music festival in spring.
For riders, Medina is the gateway to the roads that locals call the Twisted Sisters. These are three Ranch Roads, 335, 336 and 337, that run west toward Leakey and Camp Wood, climbing and diving through the canyon country in a string of tight curves and steep gradients. They are some of the most famous motorcycle roads in the Southwest, and on weekends the area is full of riders. The surface is mostly good, though cattle guards and low-water crossings call for care, and cattle and deer sometimes stand on the road. Gravel on the corners is common, and the shoulders are narrow.
Medina has fuel, a store or two and a few places to eat, but it is wise to fill up here, since the roads west have long gaps between stations. Kerrville and Bandera have larger supermarkets. The best seasons are spring, when the wildflowers, especially bluebonnets, carpet the roadsides, and autumn, when the heat has broken. Summer afternoons are hot, often well over thirty-five degrees Celsius, and sudden thunderstorms can flood the low crossings. Carry water, and start early.