Random

It is always a good feeling when you look through your phone photos and see a random shot from a day in the saddle. I'm planning on getting out again this morning and likely won't be back until supper time. Enjoy the good days while you can.

1/2 a Day in Hope Hull

Woke up Saturday morning, shook off a hangover and put in 90 miles before all before 7:15am to get some face time in with this guy. Hope Hull, AL is beautiful, Loaf's kids are rad and there is no substitute for time spent with someone you don't get to see nearly often enough. Thanks again for hosting me, had a blast.

Dual Sportster

Video description on youtube says it all.

Mini

I took the Viper out for a romp the other morning to grab a couple pics for a BamaRides tag game. Here are the results. Damn this little thing is fun and it really makes me want a proper dual sport.  

Ramble

      Sometimes the call is too great, the pull too strong to resist. When you get a window you have to take it. You choose a path and follow it. You make a wrong turn and you double back. In the end, when you find your way home, sometimes the first mile seems like it was traveled on a different day. When the sights, smells and sounds grow so high in number, my brain tricks me into pushing them so far back that they seem so distant. 

      I discovered long ago that a catfish dinner can be just what you need after a long day. Brandon and I discovered The Ark on our way back from who knows where some time ago. It was one of those days where we rode until we ran out of daylight and then hopped on the slab to power home. I've passed it time and time again on my way out of town. For this ride, it was just an excuse to get out of the city.

      It is rare these days that I have a chance to just go. Don't get me wrong, I am always going somewhere. It is days where I can go nowhere that I rarely see anymore. Looking at a map, I made a few mental notes and calculations and had a loose plan in mind. In the end, loose was the best word for it as I ditched earlier ideas and took turns with better looking horizons. I chased water where it ran and turned again when the water became the shore.

      I looked for routes that ran close to the beaten path but not on it. I made mistakes and got burnt by the sun. I pushed my luck, gambled and won. The day was cold until the mid afternoon and I fell in love with the chill in the air and the goosebumps that resulted. I ran through traffic approaching the city again and could have kissed the first familiar face I saw.
     I would say that days like these are few and far between but it would be a lie. I am fortunate to have a lot of good days lately. They are all good in different ways filled with different things. The season has changed and this is the first of what will hopefully be many, cramming all that we can in before the cold returns and we'll dream of times like these. I'm going to fill my pocket while I can.

Austin and Back, Part 2

 Valdez!

Artwork by Jon Meeks

 Burning out.

 Morning view over the water at the last campsite

Austin and Back, Part 1

So I had big plans to document this run with words like I did the OK is OK trip but there was too much fun being packed in to keep a ride journal going. I even went so far as to compose some drunkenly one night at 4am but when I looked back it was just incoherent and laughable. As a result, two posts of some pics is all you get. Enjoy and if you ever have a chance to visit Austin or camp in Louisiana or Mississippi, I highly recommend all three. 

 Officer Smith

 This place...just wow. Overwhelming.

Why I Want a Dual Sport

After seeing this footage of my buddy Jrou111's recent trip, I really should say need instead of want. Seriously, this clip is awesome. Need, I need one.

OK...

Maybe the Sportster isn't a dirt bike. At this point I got off and it was able to stay upright without the kickstand. No, Don wasn't with me, I got into this mess all by myself.

Train Cars

So after reading this post, I decided to go out and take a closer look at a couple of the old train cars nearby. Both of these are really close to the house. The first is actually attached to an orthodontist's office.

 According to the marker it used to be the North Birmingham Railroad Depot. There are other railroad implements scattered around the building as well.

As the sign says, this one is currently in use as the clearance section of an antique store. I've been in it before but I really didn't pay attention or grab any pictures. A return trip is in order.

There is also a new shopping and entertainment area right outside of the city proper that is utilizing old train cars. I meant to make it out there too but ran short on time. I'll make it a point to go check it out soon. 

What I See Imagery

Scored something new for the girls' playroom wall. They have been playing with my motorcycle models a lot lately so it seemed like a good idea. They dig it and now the room has a touch of class.
Check Kustom Jeff's stuff out here. Cool shots and excellent prices.

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.

Revvin' For Research

I know some folks aren't big on charity rides and frankly, they aren't really my bit either. That said, I was at Heart of Dixie HD and saw the flyer for this ride and decided to do it.

A couple years ago, I got a call from my Mom saying she had found a lump. A biopsy revealed it to be breast cancer. Though they only found it in one breast she elected to have a double mastectomy. Luckily, it had not spread to her nodes or elsewhere. The surgery and recovery were rough on her as were the chemo treatments but with the support of her family and the church, she soldiered on. Despite later complications with a compromised immune system from the treatments, she was declared to be in remission. We are thankful that her diagnosis, the surgery and recovery were not worse. She was one of the lucky ones.

I did this ride for my Mom and in memory of a friend's mother who was killed by the disease. Thanks to the Dixie Divas for putting the ride on, to Heart of Dixie HD for hosting it, to all of the other sponsors that I am forgetting to mention and to Breast Cancer Research Foundation of Alabama for keeping up the good fight.

 

 Got to see Kustom Jeff's slick Sporty chop too, killer looking bike.

BuRP '13

BuRP this year was a blast, as has come to be expected every year. I actually arrived a day later than I had originally planned. I had a one night layover in Atlanta to visit with an old friend and catch a Matthew Sweet show. Here is a reader's digest of a trip I could easily spread over several posts.

I took 78 out of Birmingham, you always see the good stuff on the back roads. This trip was no exception. There was a random city park in Talapoosa, GA that was covered in old helicopters, tanks and planes. It held my attention walking around for about an hour. 

I stopped in Temple, GA for a $5.99 bbq plate. Jones offered a cool break, hot food and friendly service. I got full and back on the road in under half an hour. 

Right outside Atlanta, I followed my plans to avoid the density of the city by bypassing it on the interstate. It worked well and I arrived half an hour ahead of schedule. I met up with my friend and we proceeded to get fed and to the show. My first time at a Taco Mac, I was blown away by the beer selection. The food was great too. 

Old school GPS.

Blurry shot of Matthew Sweet performing his breakthrough album Girlfriend in its entirety. We had excellent seats, also got to see the Wailers and Soul Asylum. After the show I made quick with the bedtime. I left the next day before the sun was even in the sky. Much to my surprise, Atlanta has gridlock and traffic jams even at 6am.

I planned ahead a bit and told the group in NC my intentions to arrive in Maggie Valley early. I arrived at 9am, unpacked and we let out for Deal's Gap. We also rode Foothills Parkway and part of the Blue Ridge Parkway before calling it a day.

The next morning we made a b-line for Ashville and some roads on the map that looked promising and truly paid off. We had to do about 5 miles of muddy loose gravel to get to it but I would do it again for these roads, easily. Little Switzerland was slightly disappointing and the connecting pathways claim the worst tar snakes I have ever seen or ridden on.

 Did more time on the Parkway, what an amazing stretch of road.

12 years of knowing each other and you'll have inside jokes for days...and there will always be new ones coming down the pipe (pun intended).

 I left the next day around 10am in no rush, the wife and kids were out of town so I was returning to an empty house. This big bike was built on a show about the world's biggest whatevers. It sat in front of Wheels Through Time for a spell before ending up getting sold from dealership to dealership. I've seen it at several in the area.

It is hard for me not to take the Ocoee river road home. It is a great ride with hard to beat scenery. After being spoiled by sights like this, I finally reached the slab and powered home. Once I arrived I grabbed a shower, a bottle of rum, a six pack and a couple movies from the Redbox. I ate Chinese take out and fell asleep with the sound of one of the DVD's menus playing on loop until the morning came.