Quick Trip

Fate and a sick child overtook my plans for the Swap and Drag this past weekend. My mother in law was kind enough to watch the girls Friday so I could get a little seat time in before the cabin fever inspiring weekend. BamaRides has a pretty great photo-tag game going on and since I had the time and the location, I went for the tag. It was placed on an awesome stretch of county road just outside of town.

It was chilly and the rain chances ended up being more than just empty threats. That said, 60 miles are better than none. I met a friend close by for Mexican food and stuffed myself with skirt steak before heading back out into the downpour. Much to my chagrin, the precipitation situation had gotten worse.

I stopped for a photo to move the tag. 10 miles away from the house the three layers of cotton up top were soaked through insulating my torso with water. The wind cooled it further and I reached the point of abject misery. At times like this, a handful of miles might as well be a million and you feel like you'll never get home. Eventually through the droplets and fog on my glasses I could see the end and pulled the bike into the garage. The sizzle of cool rain on hot exhaust rang in my ears as I dashed inside, stripping off the layers and rushing to start the hot water in the shower stall. If a day is good enough, not even cold and rain can ruin it. I put this one in the "W" column.

08/03/13

     The night prior was hot and I'm pretty sure nobody slept well. It wasn't bad that morning, just enough to feel it. Everyone got packed up. It was bittersweet for me. I was looking forward to seeing my family but sad to leave the road and the company of friends I had been sharing it with.
      Ken left a bit early for coffee and we picked him up at a gas station near our KOA. He had been scanning the weather radar and it didn't look good. Outside of one small downpour, we had stayed dry most of the trip. I guess it was time to pay for our good fortune.
      Hoping to dodge the front, we got on the road. It wasn't long before we saw the black clouds on the horizon and stopped to put on rain gear, face shields, etc. It was good that we did. The water attacked quickly and with fury successfully eliminating any shred of dry fabric in my pack.
      Though this was easily some of the nastiest stuff I had ever ridden in, we soldiered on. Ride in the rain, get gas, wring out gloves, repeat. During one stop Wyatt and Chris opted to sample some local BBQ. With many miles ahead, Ken and I decided to stay moving.
      There is a bond you forge with someone when you share time on the road. The good times, bad times, sights and sounds you share become part of your common fiber. There is a recognizable difference between friendship and brotherhood. This trip easily moved us from the former into the later.
Though we knew each other previously as just words on a page, this was real. Getting along online is easy. It's crazy how well we transitioned from the digital world into the physical one. When you spend nearly every waking moment with someone for a stretch of days, when its over it leaves a hole.
Our goodbyes were brief. Looks were exchanged that filled in the gaps. I would ride with this crew again anytime. I hope life and fate stay good enough to give us all that chance.
      The sun fought through the clouds at times but we stayed under the rain most of the day. Outside Memphis we stopped for gas, a bite to eat and a glance at the map. Despite the heat, when you are soaking wet a/c turns other's comfort into your freezing misery so we ate fast.

     Right outside Birmingham things got so bad that we had to stop several times. Rain is tolerable. Inconvenient, but tolerable. Riding in a lightning storm is not. Several false starts and breaks under overpasses slowed our progress. The frustration of being 30 miles from home but unable to progress safely gnawed at me. Knowing how dumb I would feel being killed so close to home after traveling so far kept me in place.
      Once there was a break, we got moving again. Things started to get more and more familiar. I approached my exit and waved Ken ahead and then waved again as he passed me. I was 15 minutes from my door. Ken still had hours to go, others days yet. Pulling into the driveway, I instantly missed the open road and my brothers. I was comforted in my loss by my wife and children. I unloaded the bike. Still covered in dirt and bugs from 9 nine states, I locked the door behind me and proceeded to unpack.

Lost Photo

from the weekend Nick was over to work on the Shovels. Mixed Sixes, Sailor Jerry and bad biker movies.

Fresh Earl

Now if it will just stop raining and warm up, I might actually get some saddle time in....

Last Ride of 2012

So it wasn't really as much of a ride as it was a chance to hang out with Brandon a bit more before he headed back to the Land of the Rising Sun. It was cold as Hell on the way there and the way back. All the same, there is always a good time to be had at the Dojo. Brandon assured me, when you can't ride for 6 months at a time, a ride of any length is awesome.

Nick was there working on his pan and took it for a spin around the block. There are still issues to be sorted out but he's getting very, very close. 

Brandon has mad trampoline and beer drinking skills.

It was good just to stand around and bs. I'm looking forward my first ride of 2013. That said, I really need to stop being lazy and change the oil on my Sporty...

Home for the Holidays

This guy came by on his holiday back to the states to pick up one of his bikes to ride while he was in town. We shot the breeze over beers for a bit. Bad weather was threatening and a clock was ticking so we had to cut it a little short. 

"Hey...take a picture of me leaving and if it's cool enough, put it on your blog."
Nudge nudge, wink wink...great stuff buddy.

Rolling on the River

The cold weather reminded me of this picture and the first ride I did with some of the Bama Rides crew. We hit some of my favorite local spots and some new roads I had never seen before. I was never much for taking a street bike onto dirt or gravel roads but it seems to happen a lot when I get out with them.

I don't stop riding in cold weather, I just usually don't ride as often or as far. I have a lot I can work on in the garage to keep me occupied including sorting out the Shovel (long overdue) and starting a cosmetic makeover on the Sporty. It will be interesting to see what the winter brings.

Recap From Monday

Typed this up for Bamarides.com.

If the first question out of your mouth after the handshake is "How do you feel about riding farther, faster and longer and coming back when it will be darker and colder?" and the reply is "What are you thinking" instead of "no," you know you are in the company of someone who isn't afraid to ride. 

You could call what we did meandering, though we had a very specific goal: I needed to scout a campsite at Payne Lake for an upcoming trip. I looked at the roads and connecting roads on the map and laid the tape on the tank before leaving. We shot the breeze for a minute before heading out. 

Glenn is a trip if you've never met him. He has this affable yet slightly mischievous way that makes him seem like he is up for anything. He carries a lot of bags on his bike and they are topped to the brim just in case that "anything" breaks out at a given moment. He's bi-lingual (thanks to immersion) and married (also thanks to immersion) and has one child. A family guy, like me. The Navy took him to more places I'll ever be and man...his stories have stories. 

We beat a path down Shades Crest and crossed to the South section. I had never lead on this route before and I blew a turn which we quickly fixed. I remember checking roads on Google maps to make sure they were't dirt and that they looked paved...and they were. That being said, they were't paved well and every offshoot road was dirt. We blasted down the road, which was plenty curvy, thinking at any minute we'd run out of pavement and I'd be a liar for saying it was an all street ride. We made it to the end and with a quick right we were back on solid road. 

We hit some patches of grooved pavement and passed by West Blocton, Centreville and Brent and made our turn onto Payne lake road. This was a killer stretch that we bombed over, I was a liar here for sure hitting at least +10. The sun was quickly retreating and my fingers were good and cold. I knew were in for some fun later. 

The campsite was a ghost town: eerily empty ranger station, eerily empty camp host house. We ran around to the boat launch to take a look at the water and the view was good. We bs'd a little more and took some pictures. Riding to the open loop we did see one couple camping with a horse trailer. They eyed us uneasily at times and graced us with a cryptic head nod which may or may not have been a gypsy curse. 

We looked at the sites and made sure the bathrooms had everything the wife would need on our trip. More bs'ing, more photos. We departed smiling at our silent companions hoping to make them rethink their actions upon us. Back to the cold hands, I took leather Thinsulate lined gloves to ride in but that didn't stop three of my digits from becoming pale with purple nails. I rubbed my hands together and thought about how life would be if I had to ditch "JT" and answer to "Ol' Seven Fingers." We stopped for gas in Centreville and talked routes back. Glenn produced some extra gloves from one of his hard bags (which I am pretty sure he inherited from Mary Poppins) and I tried them but decided to keep on with my gauntlets. 

Instead of fighting wildlife and going through Montevallo, we made a b-line for the interstate. While boring, they are normally better lit and warmer. We killed it on this stretch making good time and hit 11 and finally the interstate. Again, tearing ass in the cold darkness I kept an eye on Glenn. We made our way to a crossroads and parted ways. The last words of the day were via PM, but they won't be the last. 

We covered about 150 miles and at least 3 counties from 4:00 to 7:45. I didn't take many pictures because Glenn had the good equipment and most of the time was spent riding. I was freezing most of the night after but eventually got color and feeling back in all 10 of my fingers. It was a great afternoon for a ride and I was grateful to have someone to go with.

As seen this past weekend...

Weekend Happenings

Great weekend, new stickers in the mail from Slave Made, vintage gear and parts. Check it...

http://slavemade.blogspot.com/

http://txdennis.blogspot.com/

Also got this buckle from my buddy Tom, good stuff. 

I tried to go for a spin Saturday morning, it was 25 degrees when I left the house at 8am. I made it a few miles before heading back. With all the gear on it was doable but enjoyable...not so much. Later in the day I got out, swung by Haints HQ for a few, tried to go for a spin but was halted by a dead bike (not mine). Nickel's worth of free advice, always check polarity when attempting to jump start another vehicle. Failure to do so can make a bad situation worse...