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Ride on Feb 16

This was my first attempt to use Relive. I need to work on getting the pictures placed at the correct location and add a little music. Once it is done on the phone, I can’t seem to find a way to edit it.

However, let me tell you about the ride…

I started the day with almost a full tank. No need to fuel up. I got a phone of the starting miles at 10:46 and started rolling. I had just learned of the Natchez Trace HD’s new challenge, AL 15 for ’26. Much like the HOG 15 for ’26, this was 15 sites in the area to visit in 2026. I wasn’t at the meeting where the challenge was talked about in detail, but I assumed a few basic rules. First, I needed to ride the bike to the specific site. No pictures were included in the details, so I tried to err on the side of caution and use the AULDR policies to ensure that I got the required location. Next, I would need to have the bike and/or myself in each picture with the specific site. Lastly, I would need to have a copy of the 2026 HOG Members Guide. I try to print an 8 1/2 x 11 copy and laminate it so I don’t worry about wind or rain. I also keep it with my clipboard.

First stop was at Old Bank in Decatur. As I try to do, I did a little recon on the various sites. I would get the GPS coordinates and use mapping software and various sites to get a lay of the land. This would help me to make sure I could get there, take my picture, and get out quickly. Using this technique, I was able to park in front of the Old Bank. I didn’t realize that it was a holiday, so there was little traffic.

Next stop was just across the river in Mooresville. This is a very small, historic town. The entire town is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. There is also an old Church of Christ where President James A. Garfield preached. With my family history in with the Church of Christ, I know this is a town I will visit again and hopefully attend church there. Anyway, I needed a picture at the Mooresville Post Office. I knew where I wanted to go and found a nice place to park.

Back on the road, I backtracked to Decatur then headed south on US31. My next stop was in Priceville at the Morgan County Veterans Park. I have visited here many times over the last few years on my rides with the Tour of Honor. There is a Huey and a Gold Star Memorial in the park. The Tour of Honor doesn’t start until April 1, so I will be back in a few months for more pictures.

I took the long way and headed southeast on AL67. I got to AL69 and turned right to get back to Cullman. Through Cullman and my next stop was not far off AL157 on the way back to the Shoals. I pulled into the parking lot at the Jesse Owens Museum. Even though it was a holiday, I did expect it to be open for visitors. I was wrong. I walked around the grounds a bit, got my picture and continued home.

My next stop was what was originally a Military School, but has changed focus, location, and name over the years. It is now known at The University of North Alabama and is in downtown Florence. My stop was at the original site of Lagrange College and Military Academy. There were several of places that I could use in the picture, but I picked a view of the bike with one of the original school building in the background. Others in the local HOG chapter have opted for either the sign at the main road or one of the memorial markers at the school’s site.

Almost home and I made a quick stop at FAME Studios. When you visit, you never know who will be there. The artists seldom announce they will be there working and they often start in the evening and will continue until they are done, which may be hours or even days. When the studio is not conducting recording sessions, tours are available. Not many cars were in the lot, so I expect that the production team was working on the touches of a recent artist’s visit. I parked in the lot and got a nice little picture.

Being in Muscle Shoals, I decided that I might as well head over to Tuscumbia for a picture at Ivy Green, the childhood home of Helen Keller. The gates were open and I was able to get a nice picture.

Day’s short ride is done. I pulled into a parking lot near the house for my ending day’s mileage photo. Home by 3:30pm, just under 5 hours. 197 miles. Not bad for a last minute decision to ride 7 of the 15 sites.

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The First 100 Miles: A New Rider’s Perspective

The recommended first step in learning to ride a motorcycle should be to take a rider safety course such as one by from the Motorcycle Safety Foundation (MSF). I took mine at Harley Davidson of Savannah in Georgia (Thanks guys!). IT WILL NOT MAKE YOU AN EXPERT! But, it will open your eyes to how other drivers – car and truck drivers – see, or rather don’t see a motorcycle. That said, don’t ever let the acts of another scare you away from learning to ride. Enough of the doom and gloom….

scare you away from learning to ride. Enough of the doom and gloom….

The course I took included a three hour online Basic Motorcycle Rider eCourse (their naming, not mine) which introduces you to the motorcycle controls and some acronyms to help you remember the pre-ride checks and startup procedures. Those of us who are military minded know this as PMCS, but I digress… This is about the first 100 AFTER the course which upon successful completion will provide proof of proficiency to the DMV. That means the second step for the new rider is to get the “M” endorsement on the license and a motorcycle. That’s where my journey begins…

My daughter dropped me off at the Indian dealership in Savannah, Georgia with nothing more than the appropriate gear for riding and a desire to purchase a motorcycle. In other words, I was going to be either riding my own motorcycle by lunch or I was going to experience an extremely long walk of shame home. Luckily I did not have to face the shame as I rode home on a used 2013 Yamaha V Star 1300 Tourer. Yea, me!

You may be wondering why a used bike. Simple. As a new rider, I did not need all the distractions of the mega-buck bells and whistles of the biggest, baddest monster cycle on the market. One, it would be too much power and weight to handle when I needed to focus on the basic controls of the bike: throttle, clutch, and brakes with a turn signal here and there for good measure. My bike has enough power to haul this big guy around without looking like a circus bear riding a 20 inch bicycle as well as bags to carry items for the motorcycle (ie – cover, wipes, papers, and TOH flag). So, I figure I’m all set to jump right in and tour the world on two wheels. Remember the safety course? It taught me the basics of riding a motorcycle and at the end of the second day I was able to ADEQUATELY demonstrate proficiency handling the small bike used for training. Big difference! Training was on a standard 500cc motorcycle; I’m now riding something with almost three times the power AND in traffic! Again, BIG difference! And a little bit scary…

My first SOLO experience on my OWN bike was a serious wake-up call to the reality of riding. I left the dealership, made a right turn heading AWAY from traffic and congestion until I felt comfortable riding MY bike. That first “ride” was about five miles out and back including a turn-around at a gas station on the right. Leaving there meant I HAD to make a left ACROSS possible traffic. At that point, my greatest fear was stalling the engine. I didn’t stall, and was on my way back to the Harley Davidson dealership (location of the rider course) to pick up my free t-shirt (yes they had one big enough) for proving I now had the big “M” on my license. Thanks to a suggestion from my brother, I went ahead and ordered a set of HD rain gear (again, big guy here so finding big enough is rough, big AND tall is, well…. we’ll soon find out.)

It’s funny that when you drive a car, you really don’t think about which route you take to get somewhere. You want to get to wherever as quickly as possible, which usually means major highways and Interstates. HOWEVER! On a bike, especially as a new rider, I sought out the least traveled back roads to avoid large groups of traffic. It may mean you go out of your way a little, but for the sake of sanity (and safety) the back roads are less stressful when putting into practice those new found skills.

My first actual trip was from the dealership to home; about forty some odd miles on normal surface roads from the outskirts of Savannah to far side of Hinesville. Not too many traffic lights and, more importantly, not too much traffic. It was a good, but nervous, trip see as this was the first time on a bike since the riding course. What made less stressful were the multiple stops (HD for T-shirt and Southern Biker Gear for gloves) on the way home. But, do I ride to work on Monday? That was the pressing question.

I work in an office environment and I’m expected to dress accordingly: no jeans! So, as suggested, again by my brother, TAKE pants and shoes, WEAR jeans and boots, CHANGE when you get there. Why didn’t I think of that?!? Anyway, it was a cool ride in to work; the trip home would be in heavier traffic. It wasn’t as bad as I had psyched myself out to be. I still worried more about stalling, slowing, and turning, all the slow-speed maneuvering that the class had focused on, but I did fine. Didn’t ride Tuesday because I wasn’t going to carry two boxes to UPS (Amazon returns – another story for another time) on the back of a motorcycle. Sure, it could be done, but I wasn’t ready to tackle that. Didn’t ride to work on Wednesday either because forecast was for 15% chance of rain – no rain gear. No rain. Then I had to remember that a CHANCE of rain is based on the number of times it had rained on that particular calendar day and is “forecast” as a statistical percentage of how likely (or not) it will rain. Screw it! I rode the 25 miles to Jesup. That ride is what led me to this writing.

ATGATT means: All The Gear, All The Time. The gear includes over the ankle boots, long pants (usually jeans), long sleeves or a jacket, a helmet, and gloves. The helmet I have is considered a full-face modular where the front portion rises up to allow easier donning and removal. I usually wear it with the visor open a bit (about an inch) because I worry about fogging up. Now, on the ride BACK from Jesup, being a bit later than I had ever ridden before, the breeze (wind) into my eyes made me think of bugs (don’t know why, it just did) and I surely didn’t want anything blowing into my eyes, so I closed the visor completely. Y’all! I had never experience such a peaceful silence! Then it hit me (the thought, not bugs): Why in the whole of God’s green earth had I waited so long to ride a motorcycle? So THIS is what wind therapy is all about! It really is the only thing you can do once you’ve been bitten by the riding bug; you’ve got to ride! So now you may be wondering: Is there a cure for the riding bug? God, I hope not!

March 11, 2020

Jeff Allmond

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Hello world!

Well, we have decided to put up a little area on the web for us to list our memorable rides, places we have eaten, and books that we have read (ok, books that SHE has read).

Notice, I said memorable, not necessarily favorite. Some places are NOT our favorite, but are places will will never forget. Don’t get it yet? Let’s see, our ride through Charleston, WV in the pouring rain, memorable, but NOT a favorite. Make sense?

So, we will be entering our thoughts and memories as we go on.

One last thing, these opinions are ours, no one elses. And, the places have not paid us any fees, given us any discounts, or in any way have they tried to influence us. If any decide to help fund our journey, it will be graciously accepted, but we will let you know.

Hope you enjoy.
MaryJo and Gary