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.

Blur

Photo courtesy of Kustom Jeff

So the last couple weeks have been a blur. I am going to take a page from my other blog and let a few pictures do the talking. An in depth report is coming once I have a chance to get my thoughts together.

 

In other news, I am now on Instagram here. 

The Big Easy

Though this wasn't a motorcycle trip and wasn't during Mardi Gras, it was still an awesome, relaxing time. We were down for the wedding of some of our close friends and got a great vacation out of the deal. We were able to see a lot of the city, do some drinking, gambling and we ate some awesome food. Instead of saying more, I'm just going to caption the pictures and that's it.

      Coffee, day drinking and a good book.

View of the water.

 Our limo.

 Jackson Square

 Bourbon Street

 The same.

 Cafe Du Monde.

The Napoleon House

Totally different sight in the morning.

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.

Article on BamaRides

     I had another article published on the front page of BamaRides.com earlier this month. It's a bit of reflection on the recent OK is OK road trip vs the cross-country trips I have taken before. I'm giving them exclusive content you won't find on this blog so check it out here.

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.

08/01/13

     The morning finds our group growing smaller. Wes has decided to power through from El Reno to Nashville in one shot, roughly 700 miles. Chris helped him put on the new shift linkage and after we gassed up, we said our goodbyes. It was odd after a full week, looking back in my mirror and finding an empty spot where his bike was.
     Breakfast came in the form of a small restaurant tucked behind the lobby of a Ramada Inn. We tried, and failed, to blend with the locals. I was worried about what we would get but our food was excellent and cooked perfectly. Its nice when things like this sneak up and surprise you.

     THe main stop for the day is the Route 66 Museum in Clinton. This is an excellent facility. The horseshoe shaped walking tour chronicles the construction, heyday, and decommissioning of the mother road. I was especially interested in the diner and neon displays. There were several companies that made prefabbed diners and they had one on display. The owner paid for the purchase by depositing 10% of the daily revenues into a drop box outside that would be picked up later.

     I enjoyed the insight into the road we had been traveling all week. 66 is many things to many people and it seems more and more of it is disappearing. Time has been moving forward, driven by technology, advancements, evolution, etc. The mother road has been standing still, a snapshot of a simpler time before everything and everyone got into a furious hurry.

     I always wanted to see it, satisfy my obsession with the ravages of time on abandoned structures and the natural reclamation of the things man has forgotten. I didn't expect to be so enamored by the people, friendly and happy to see you. I guess as the road stands still, there are some who have chosen to stand with it. To them, I am grateful. They are keeping an important piece of our country alive. Get out and see it while you can.

     Fort Smith was just over 250 miles away from Clinton. We loaded up with gas and water and hit it, opting again to avoid the interstate. The Oklahoma back roads are scenic and you can travel at 65-70 with minimal interruption by small towns so it was a no brainer.
     Ken and I noticed city names that were familiar: Wetumpka, Enterprise, Eufaula. Alabama and Oklahoma had further similarities, both Eufaulas were lake towns. The water swallowed both sides of the road and the beauty helped fuel my second wind.
     It grew darker as we pressed on. Since setting up camp in the black was inevitable, we stopped to eat. The Eaton Hole served authentic home cooking and featured live music. The food was great and the portions large. It was a challenge to get back in the saddle.
     We soldered on. Fort Smith, like OKC, was much bigger than I was expecting. We managed to get lost more than once before swallowing our man pride and asking for directions. We found our stop and talked to a couple Sturgis bound riders. Lit solely by flashlights and lanterns, we set up camp. I was bushed and fell into a deep sleep, lulled away by the soundtrack of nature and the gentle talk of my companions.