A New Riding Season Has Begun

It still seems weird using a title like this for a story.  In Texas it was always riding season, but since moving to Virginia, old age and actually experiencing a season called winter make it less desirable to hop on the bike and go for a long ride from around December through February.  By hey, it's March!  March 3rd as a matter of fact and time to hit the road.  The big plan was to ride to Alabama and visit with friends and family then head to Daytona Beach for opening weekend of Bike Week 2012.  But, like most of my rides, plans change.

I awoke that Saturday morning to temperatures in the 30s and a light rain.  I guess there's no better way to break in a new bike than to just hit the cold, wet roads with it.

My new 2011 Road Glide Ultra

Many years ago I had a service technician tell me, "With as many miles as you ride, you've gotta get a Road Glide, man.  They're the most comfortable bike Harley makes."  I finally succumbed to the temptation and brought a new bike home from the dealer on January 7th (Ok, so I lied about not riding in January, but it wasn't a long ride.  50 miles or so.  That doesn't really count.)  In addition to a new bike, I was also sporting a new helmet and a new coat.  Nothing like testing out the new equipment on a 2500 mile ride!

Side view of my new helmet (I got the peace sign for Renee!)

Rear view of the new helmet (I got the bullets for me!)

And here's the new coat

The plan for Day 1 was to ride hard and get as far as I could so that I could meet up with friends in Mobile Sunday afternoon.  But, I wanted to make a detour to Tuscaloosa on the way.  I've ridden through Alabama many times, but I always seemed to miss Tuscaloosa and the University of Alabama.  I decided this time I was going to make it to Bryant-Denny Stadium and get some pictures.  After all, they are the current BCS National Champions!

With that in mind, I set my sights on the Motel 6 in Bessemer, Alabama, some 730 miles away.  I knew if I rode hard, I could make that before dark.  Unfortunately, riding hard means riding the interstates, but I've made this trip so many times that I was either going to go way out of my way to find a new route or just get on with it.  Interstates it was.

The service technician was right.  The Road Glide was very comfortable.  I did more than 140 miles before my first stop to fuel and give my butt a break.  After that, every stretch was over 100 miles and usually anywhere from an hour and a half to two hours.  If you've ever ridden a motorcycle for long distances, you know that after about an hour in the saddle your butt is talking to you.  After an hour and a half, it's screaming at you.  My new Road Glide gave me at least an extra half hour before the talking and screaming began.  Still, after two hours in the saddle, my butt simply quit speaking to me at all.

The new coat and helmet did their respective jobs well too.  The only problem I had was the snap on the helmet didn't want to hold the section of loose chin strap, so I had to tuck it under to keep it from flapping around and smacking me in the chin.  That was more of an annoyance than a problem though.

I squeezed in a stop (it was time for a butt break anyway) at Blackwolf Harley-Davidson in Bristol, Virginia.  Bristol is right on the state line and shares its name with its sister city in Tennessee.  Bristol, Tennessee is home to the Bristol Speedway of NASCAR fame.

2012 CVO Road Glide Custom at Blackwolf H-D - badass bike - the picture doesn't show it as well as I had hoped so you'll have to just trust me when I say it had a sweet paint job

I love my Motel 6.  They're not for everyone, but for me, they are inexpensive, usually clean and quiet, and typically conveniently located.  The one in Bessemer had me a little concerned.  I arrived just before sunset (in hindsight, I could have made it to Tuscaloosa) and there were a lot of people milling around their rooms and talking loud as well as hollering between their rooms and the various vehicles in the parking lot.  I thought, "Oh man, this is going to be a long night."  But, as the evening wore on, everyone settled down, I orders a Domino's Pizza, and got myself a good night's rest.

After a breakfast of cold, leftover pizza, I saddled up and headed to Tuscaloosa via the back roads.  I made a stop at Lake Tuscaloosa (which was very pretty with the cliffs and all, but the pictures just didn't do it justice.)

Lake Tuscaloosa

From the lake to Bryant-Denny Stadium.  For an Alabama fan, it was like a pilgrimage.

Bryant-Denny Stadium

The Paul "Bear" Bryant Statue in honor of his six National Championships - Each coach at Alabama who has won a National Championship has a similar statue and curved wall listing their name and years they won the National Championship - There are five coaches in all, including Wallace Wade (3), Frank Thomas (2), Gene Stallings (1) and Nick Saban (2), but my main interest was in "The Bear"

Statue at the main entrance to Bryant-Denny Stadium

Main entrance to the Stadium

Just a reminder that Bama is the current National Champions

I bugged out of Tuscaloosa after my moments of reverence and headed for Mobile.  The route had me going down US-43 all the way and there really isn't much to see or talk about, but I did stop in Demopolis to give my butt a break and take a picture at Lake Demopolis.

Lake Demopolis

I remember coming to Demopolis once as a kid and seeing the locks there.  The city is at the confluence of the Black Warrior and Tombigbee rivers, two major water tributaries in Alabama.  Even though it is some 140 miles inland, they actually have inland docks at the Port of Demopolis that allow for access to the Gulf of Mexico as well as the Great Lakes.

My next stop was Tacky Jack's on the causeway basically in Mobile Bay between Mobile and Spanish Fort.  Laurie, who I hadn't seen in 25 years or so and Randy, friends from high school, met me there and we spent the next couple of hours catching up and cracking up at some of the stupid things we did back in the day.

The view from the front porch of Tacky Jack's

Sign on the piling at Tacky Jack's - seems like good advice

Sunset from the porch at Tacky Jack's looking back at the USS Alabama

I ended my day at my parents house in Foley after riding about 300 miles in all and even though I was on the road all day there were so many stops it was a pretty easy day of riding.  On Monday, I rode down to Gulf Shores and hung out at, where else?, The Hangout.  They had WiFi so I could stay connected to work as well as enjoy the beach.  I made a run to the Flora-Bama Lounge as well as a stop at the Pink Pony Pub and B&L's Happy Shak.

The Hangout is one of my favorite places - It's right on the beach and offers great views as well as cold beer

The sign says it all

The entrance to the Flora-Bama

The view from the back deck of the Flora-Bama

Inside the Flora-Bama - hey, it was still morning!

The beach at the Flora-Bama

The back of the Flora-Bama

Unfortunately, they are doing construction at the front of the Flora-Bama of what looks to be a respectable building.  I remember it as a makeshift series buildings and decks.  I think they are going to make it look like a regular place instead of the eclectic hodge-podge I remember.  Oh well, progress.  Still, it's a great beach bar.

The Pink Pony Pub has been on the beach in Gulf Shores since before I was born

B&L's Happy Shak offers a groovy atmosphere as you can see from the pictures

B&L's Happy Shak is family-operated by Brian and Liz Ottosen.  I saw the peace signs and knew Renee would love the place.  Once inside, you get a sense of the overall funkiness of the place, so I couldn't leave without some pictures to make you smile.  There's something for everyone at the Happy Shak from funky clothes and home accessories to hemp jewely, collectables, tye dye shirts, woodstock and hippy merchandise.

Part of the fence at the Happy Shak

More of the fence in the back

The van at the Happy Shak

On Tuesday, I took the bike to Eastern Shore Harley-Davidson to get serviced.  On the way there, I had to stop at the Spear Hunting Museum.  I've passed by many times, but always blew by without stopping in.  Unfortunately, it was closed, but I couldn't resist a couple of pictures.  Maybe one of my trips back I'll get to go inside.

Yeah, I know, Spear Hunting Museum in Summerdale, AL, go figure

If the Spear Hunter Museum says Gene Morris is the "greatest living spear hunter in the world" then who am I to argue the point

I had lunch at my cousin's BBQ restaurant in Robertsdale, Porky's.  For those of you in the area, make sure you stop in and say hello to Ron and Shirley.  Ron's got a custom made smoker in the back and cooks up some terrific BBQ.  The pulled pork was my favorite, but the ribs and chicken we pretty good too.

Porky's BBQ in Robertsdale - GET SOME! - You can never go wrong eating at the place where the local law enforcement officers go

From Porky's I made my way back across the causeway to Mobile with a quick stop for another shot of the Battleship Alabama.

Every time I cross the I-10 bridge across Mobile Bay or the causeway from Spanish Fort, the USS Alabama is there to welcome me home

I had some time to kill in Mobile before meeting friends at Callaghan's Irish Social Club.  So, I wandered around downtown a little and took some pictures.  If you've never been to Mobile, you'd be surprised at the architectural as well as the natural beauty in the city.  Plus, Mobile celebrated the first-known American Mardi Gras celebration in 1703 (yep, even before New Orleans), so you know that has to make it a party town!  I found a parking spot beside Spanish Plaza and proceeded to wander around a bit.

Spanish Plaza in the heart of Mobile

The azaleas in Spanish Plaza

The statue of Hernando de Soto in Spanish Plaza - note the beads left over from Mobile's Mardi Gras celebration the week before I arrived - He explored the area of Mobile Bay back in 1540

Bernardo de Gálvez, again well-beaded - On March 14, 1780, he captured Fort Charlotte in Mobile from the British

Government Street - I love the old oak trees and the way they form a canopy over the street and sidewalks

Church Street with her oak canopy too

The Malaga Inn and the giant oak that welcomes you at the front door

The Mobile Carnival Museum celebrates the history of Mardi Gras in Mobile

Another shot of the front porch of the Mobile Carnival Museum

A shot of the top of tallest building in downtown Mobile, the RSA Battle House Tower, through the oak trees

After my walkabout in Mobile, I headed to Callaghan's for an evening with friends.  For some unknown reason, I had my camera out the entire time I was with friends, but never took any pictures.  I guess I was too busy enjoying everyone's company.  Oh well, they all know what they look like.

High school sweethearts, Kenny and Joyce (our oldest married couple with almost 34 years under their belt) were there along with another long-term high school couple, Steve and Tina (coming up on 33 years together).  Laurie, or Wheatie as we all know her, was there with her son Trey, so she was assured of having a designated driver.  And, of course, my best buddy Dana was there looking as pretty as the day we graduated high school.  It was great to see everyone and we realized it's time to start planning that 35th reunion.

Callaghan's Irish Social Club - a great neighborhood bar - Kenny told me they close down 6 square blocks around Callaghan's for St. Patrick's Day - Must be a good time!

I finished up my stay in Alabama at my Uncle Jim's 60th birthday party at Porky's Wednesday night.  More good food and good times.  I didn't take the camera so pictures are lacking, but it was a nice treat to get to see so many of my kin in one place.  Jim's a terrific guy and it was a lot of fun to get to participate in his birthday celebration. 

Thursday morning I jumped on the bike and headed back to Virginia.  Yeah, that's right Virginia.  I decided to blow off going to Daytona.  I've been there and done that and it just seemed like it was time to go home.  Plus, a new cold front was moving in and if I wanted to miss having to ride in the rain, I needed to make tracks north and east.

More about that part of the story in the next blog.