The guys are getting closer each day to the bathroom remodel being finished. They are working on the grout today and the glass company stopped by to get some measurements. He was here early and I was able to get in another day ride.
Left to ride down to Tuscaloosa and take a quick ride on the Black Warrior Scenic Trail. Not very long, but it is on the list to get me a point on the AULDR challenge.
The ride to Tuscaloosa is on US43, then straight on AL13, which joins back with US43 about 30 miles from Tuscaloosa. I have the GPS set to get me to the start of the scenic trail., which happens to be near the campus of the University of Alabama. Spring break and the place is empty. I quickly find the route for the trail and follow it. Though what I saw was nice, it was a little disappointing. Only real advantage was that I earned a quick point for the AULDR challenge.
Being in Tuscaloosa, I decide to head over to T-Town Harley Davidson for a photo op. I quickly get to the parking lot, which almost empty. I park to get the lighting and angles, then have my picture. As I am finishing, a member of the dealership rides past and asks if I need him to take my picture. I explain that I would have, but I have just put all the gear away. I thanked him for the offer and we chatted for a little.
I realize that I have a little extra time. I decide to ride toward Birmingham for my route home. Once in Birmingham, I go south a few miles to stop at Pelham and Heart of Dixie Harley Davidson for a picture. From here, Trussville is almost along the way. I make a stop for another photo op at Riders Harley Davidson.
A nice day ride. I managed to avoided traffic in towns and on the interstate, visited three dealerships, had plenty of quiet two-lane roads, and still got home by 4pm.
This plan had been for a three-day ride. At the last minute, we decided to make it a day-ride today, we will see what the next few days hold before committing on rides for the rest of the week.
I decided to take off and visit the Sheriff’s Deputy that I met a couple of weeks ago. On that trip, I didn’t have any poker chips to hand out. Today I have a few to hand out.
I decided to make a quick trip north to the AL/TN state line in Cypress Inn. There is an area to park so I can get some good pictures of the signs with the bike. I take off up AL17/TN13, then turn onto TN227 once I cross into TN. I had first decided to take this little route about a month ago after signing up for the Hoka-Hey Motorcycle Challenge. It was an unknown road, but I expected it would be like some of the roads on the Hoka-Hey ride. I liked it then, and love that it is a little secluded. It is a nice little winding road, not a mountain twisty road. One day soon I will have to take the turn to the east off of TN13 to see where that leads.
I get to Cypress Inn and park at the Alabama sign. I get a good picture of the bike at the sign. I don’t need a close-up of the AULDR sticker since it is easy to spot. I walk over to the Tennessee sign and get a couple of pictures. One of the sign with the bike in the background (across the road), and another with a close-up to show the sticker.
I head over to the Natchez Trace and go south. I set the cruise and just relax. My goal for today is to avoid divided four-lane roads. I may hit four-lanes when I am in the town, but they will not be at highway speed. The route I have set is to stay on the Trace until I get to MS4 in Dennis, then go west on MS4. I will pass through Boonesville, eventually getting to Ashland where I met the deputy.
As I cross over the Tennessee River, I notice that my voltage meter is wavering. I is going from 10v to about 14v. It stabilizes for a bit, then does this again. Nothing else seems to be wrong, nothing is powering down or showing that anything is wrong. Not wanting to take a chance that something bad will happen when I am on a deserted road with no cell coverage, I decide to make a quick run to the shop. I make the turn onto US72, there goes my plan to avoid divided four-lane roads. The needle is still fluctuating on the voltage meter. As I get up to about 3000rpm and speeds closer to 65, the needle stabilizes.
I get to the shop and Lilly greets me. She is one of the nicest people you would ever want to meet, always has a smile; but I can see in her eyes that she is a bit nervous as I walk in and explain my problem. We chat, she tells me that they have a lot of work today and that she is not sure if they will be able to get to my bike. BUT, she calls Casey to see if they can work something out.
I explain the problem to Casey, the bike is taken to the back. Derek is a great guy, and I trust him a lot with my bike. I think that he knows the wiring and accessories on the bike almost as well as I know them. I go to the front and talk with Wendall.
A few minutes later, Casey comes out to explain that the voltage regular that was install a few weeks ago is bad. I understand that mechanical and electrical devices can have a bad day, and things can go wrong. She has one in stock and will get it swapped for me.
The bike gets repaired. I call home to report that I will try to take a little more time. MaryJo asks if I can get home by 1pm since there is a guy coming over to give us an estimate on new glass being installed. I take a long way home and pull into the driveway at 1:01pm!
Short ride, but got to talk with some friends and the bike is ready for longer rides!
The plan was for me to go on a ride about 9am. Blue was still not doing well overnight. I decided to stay home and give MaryJo a break since she stayed up with him last night. Blue seemed to be doing better as the morning went on. He ate and was active. I sat on the deck for a while and let him lay in the yard. He seemed very content. MaryJo suggested that I go on a ride.
Usually, she wouldn’t have to tell me a second time, but I was a bit hesitant. She explained what she had planned for the day and that Blue was doing okay. Enough confirmation for me.
I looked at a few places I wanted to visit and set up a short ride. Okay, a short 300-mile ride. A quick pre-ride check and getting the Spotwalla set up; I was ready to go.
The lo-fuel light was on, so the first stop was at the gas station about 2 miles up the road. I reset the odometers for the tank and the trip. I head to the Trace. My goal is to head up the Trace to Franklin, then I would visit Moonshine Harley-Davidson, a site on the HOG Dealership Challenge. From there, I would go to the Harley-Davidson in Columbia for another point, then over to Bell Buckle. At Bell Buckle, I would visit the 9/11 Memorial at the Tennessee Fire Academy for an AULDR point. A quick stop in Shelbyville to visit a Masonic Lodge to earn another AULDR point, then head home.
As I was on AL17/TN13, I decided to visit the Masonic Lodge in Collinwood. This would give me the AULDR point for visiting a Masonic Lodge in Tennessee, it was directly on the route, and it would save me in the traffic in Shelbyville. I got my picture at the Collinwood Masonic Lodge #702, then made the left turn onto the Natchez Trace.
I love riding the Natchez Trace. Usually there isn’t a lot of traffic, and it is always beautiful. Only traffic I encountered was as I neared Nashville and my exit to Franklin. The traffic was bicycles. Thought they are allowed to us the entire lane, they are required to ride in a single file. Most were single file along the right shoulder. I did encounter a couple of groups that we two and three wide in the lane. I also encounter a solo rider who was walking the bicycle in the middle of the lane, going uphill. She seemed to have actually just stopped and was standing there. There were also some “crotch rockets” that were going much higher than the speed limit. This traffic was only for about 10 miles.
Once I turned onto TN96, I knew that I was going to get some traffic. I didn’t find as much as I was expecting as I rode to Moonshine Harley-Davidson. I got my picture, then planned my route to Harley-Davidson of Columbia. The plan is to get on I-65, head about 20 miles south, then spend the rest of the day mostly on two-lane
As I left Moonshine Harley-Davidson, I found all the traffic in Nashville. It was about a half mile, but it took me almost 30 minutes! Only one or two vehicles in each lane could make it through each cycle of the light. Once I finally got onto the interstate, it was a fresh break! Sure, there was traffic, but everyone was moving at or above the speed limit. The trip from Moonshine Harley-Davidson to the interstate took more time that the time I was on the interstate and getting to Harley-Davidson of Columbia, this was over 20 miles! I got a couple of pictures and was ready to roll again.
I was finally back on two-lane roads. Since there were no roads that went directly to the fire academy, I was twisting and turning on back roads, farm roads, and crossing major roads. The ride was worth all the traffic I has been through today. As I pulled to onto the campus of the fire academy, I saw the entrance gate closed.
I am an introvert; I don’t like to deal with people. But when I do, I do my best to be calm, polite, and nice. I rode up to the guard shack, turned down my music, and greeted the guard. I simply asked if I could visit the 9/11 and Fire Memorial that was on their campus. It was only a few hundred feet and could be seen from the guard shack. The guard smiled, asked if I knew the best place to park and opened the gate. I parked, got some pictures, then got a red poker chip from my saddle bag and put it in my pocket. I handed that to the guard as he opened the gate for me to leave.
I set the GPS to take me to Lynchburg. I knew that wasn’t too far away, and the back roads would be beautiful. Other than a mix-up with the GPS telling me to turn, then telling me I made the wrong turn, everything went well. A little traffic in Shelbyville, but that was expected. I noticed that the parking lot at Nearest Green Distillery was packed. I rode past here a couple of years ago for a BMW challenge point, I was the only non-employee at the time. I didn’t go in’ I just got my picture and left that day.
As I neared Lynchburg, there was a little traffic. I think that the distillery was getting near closing time, so everyone was getting ready to leave. I pulled to the Harley-Davidson of Lynchburg, parked at the door, got a few pictures, and was on my way home.
The road home was familiar. It seemed like the bike was on auto-pilot. It knew which lane to be in, when the speed limit changed, and knew when the lights would change. As I made the turn onto Minor Hill Road, the lo-fuel light came on. The range was a mile less than the distance to the gas station. Challenge accepted! I pass two gas stations, no concerns about getting to the gas station by the house. I pass the third and had a little concern. I see that the GPS had me going the long way home, I was going to go through St Florian which is a mile or so shorter. Bike says 10 miles of fuel; the GPS says the turn into the gas station is 9.1 miles. The bike now only shows the message that I have a low range of fuel, not the miles to empty. This is usually a sign that I need to get fuel NOW! I pass the gas station in St Florian. I only have 2 miles to get to my goal. I see the hill ahead with the warning that there is a stop light ahead. I only need to get to that sign; I could coast into the gas station from there!
The bike never sputters or stalls. I pull to the pump and turn off the bike. My fuel tank is 6.0 gallons. I put in 5.818 gallons on 294.8 miles. That wasn’t even close! I still had 9 miles! Assuming that I didn’t have to sit idle, accelerate hard, or ride hard. It might have been close to get home then back to the gas station.
MaryJo met me at the garage door. Supper was coming out of the oven. The best part of my rides is getting home to hold MaryJo!
After supper, I worked a little on the website documenting some of the rides from earlier this year.
My goal is to try to get some of the AULDR site points for Alabama, Mississippi, and Tennessee. There is one site point for each state that I can’t get until April 1, that is a Tour of Honor site. Okay, I am the Tour of Honor state sponsor for Alabama and Mississippi which means that I know the sites for those two states. If I have all the other site points, I will simple need to make a quick ride to one of the Tour of Honor sites in these states. Doing that will give me three points for each state (completing the state site points gives you a two point bonus).
I also want to visit a few Harley Davidson dealerships to take my picture with the Road Glide and me at the dealership’s sign.
I gas up and the first site is the 9/11 memorial in Florence. This is behind the museum in Veterans Park. I visit this site each year since I earn bonus points with the Tour of Honor. Actually, I earn two bonus points since there is also a Huey/Cobra also at the museum. One AULDR point.
I then head over to Sheffield. I have been in Alabama for almost nine years and have yet to visit the Sheffield Masonic Lodge. I know members, and many of those members visit us in at our lodge in Florence. Now that I know where the lodge is located, I will have to come back. I get the picture and on to my next stop. a second AULDR point for today.
I spend a lot of time, and money, at Natchez Trace Harley-Davidson. In January, they showed me about the HOG App and being able to earn points, and cash, by checking in at various Harley dealerships. The Ride 365 Challenge has annual and monthly challenges. On of the annual challenges is visiting dealership and taking a picture of the dealership’s sign with the bike and me. I did the app check-in January, but haven’t been able to get a picture of me at the dealership, until today! They usually have a lot of bikes right at the front of the door. Today, I was able to get a good picture of the sign, the bike, and me! Only one app check-in per year, but I did get the point for the HOG Ride365 picture, first today.
Next stop is Booneville. I have a few options to get there. I usually make the turn of US-72 at Iuka, today I decided to mix it up a bit and make the turn at Burnsville. As I get into Booneville, I see signs about road closed ahead, but never find the road closed. I pass Danny’s Italian Beef. Great sandwiches and I hope to get back there again soon. It is not time for lunch yet, so I will pass today.
Downtown Booneville is only a couple of blocks. There are several veteran memorials and a Vietnam Huey on display around the Courthouse. The 9/11 Memorial is at the train museum. Every time I visit, there is someone parked next to the flagpole with the memorial. I manage to park in front of the car and can get the bike in the picture. Around the corner is the Booneville Masonic Lodge. I get the picture there and ready to head to some twisty roads toward Southaven. Two more AULDR points in Booneville.
I head out of town and make the turn onto MS4. Wonderful riding, though slow for a bit behind some trucks with MS-DOT. That was a long 20 miles, but still great scenery. The trucks get a spot to pull to the side and let traffic pass.
Heading toward Ashland, MS4 joined with MS5. As I near Ashland, MS4 makes a turn to the left, but I need fuel! I pull into the gas station at that intersection. They only have 87 octane, I need 91 or higher. As I pull out of the gas station and plan to go farther into town, I check traffic and do a yield onto MS5 leaving the gas station. Once on MS5, I see a Sheriff on the side of the road. I slowly pass, making sure that I don’t speed. He pulls out as I pass him.
I see another gas station up ahead. The Sheriff is staying a bit behind, he pulls into the gas station as I pull up to the pump. The card reader at the pumps is not working, so I go inside to ask them to turn on the pump for me. They require my credit card and my Driver’s License. I have no problem with that and had it to the nice lady. As I look up, the Sheriff’s Deputy is walking in front of the building. I joke that if he asks me for my license, I am going to send him in to see her! She laughs and says he won’t pay any attention to me. I hold the door for him as I walk out and say hello.
I pump my gas and go back inside. The Deputy is paying for his lunch. He asks where I am from. I tell him and he says that I am a long way from home. I tell him that my wife said I needed to get out on the bike, and that God had given me a great day to go out to enjoy. He says that I look familiar. I comment that “those pictures at the post office were supposed to be taken down by now.” We both laugh and he replies, “That is okay, I know all about you.” He tells me to have a good day. I know that he has already run my tags and knows most he would need to know about me.
As I note my fuel stop, odometer picture, and get ready to start riding, he walks back to his car and parks at the end of the parking lot to enjoy his lunch. I know that if I had anything on my record, he would have taken the chance to have a longer talk with me.
I get back on MS4 and enjoy the nice rural roads. Not much traffic, and the air is so fresh. I don’t get close to the speed limit. The Holly Springs National Forest is beautiful. I ride around Holly Springs and decide to get on I-22. This takes me up to I-269 then to I-55 where I make my way to Southern Thunder Harley Davidson.
I see the dealership sign from the interstate. As I pull into the parking lot, I try to make my way to the side with the sign. Not getting there. Trucks blocking where I can’t even walk around to the side with the sign. I park in the parking lot and get the picture of the bike and the water tower in the background. I post my picture with a note that I wasn’t able to get to the side of the building with the sign. (The picture was accepted a few days later on the HOG Ride365 site.) A check-in on the app and my second HOG Ride 365 picture of the day.
I get on the interstate and make a quick ride to Bumpus Harley Davidson of Memphis, then back on the interstate to Jackson for my picture at Bumpus Harley Davidson of Jackson. My third and fourth HOG Ride365 pictures of the day.
Bumpus brings back memories, not the dealership, but the name. My great grand mother was from Bumpus Mills, TN. Her maiden name was Taylor, but I think that her mother’s maiden name was Bumpus. Bumpus Mills isn’t far from Murray, KY, where she lived when I would go visit. I doubt she ever remembered me when I visited, I was one of about 50 great-grandchildren of hers.
I leave Bumpus HD in Jackson and my interstate riding is done for the day. The ride home from here will be mostly on back roads, only a few miles of four-lane roads.
I had found a 9/11 memorial in Beech Bluff, TN. A small town where I have not visited. I had put the location into the GPS and trusted the route where it led me. I find the fire department and make a loop through the parking lot. Since it is gravel, I park at the post office across the road.
As I look around, a gentleman, Paul, delivering local papers asks if everything is okay. Everything is fine and we start talking. He rides BMWs, has a couple of them. He belongs to the BMW riding group in Memphis. We had a mutual friend in common, Robert passed away from cancer a few weeks ago. We talk a little about Robert and our riding. I tell him about my website (if you see this, Hi Paul!).
We talk about the memorial I am trying to find. He initially thought that I was geocaching. I didn’t bother to even check my geocache account to see if there were any in the area. From his comment, I expect that there was one or two.
We find the 9/11 memorial; a plaque on the flag pole. Since I am already parked, I take a picture of the plaque then a picture of the bike with the fire department in the background. Regretfully, my phone didn’t save the pictures. No AULDR points for this visit.
I follow the GPS route until I am on back roads that I know. I briefly think about deviating, but decide to stay on route. I eventually put into Savannah. The plan is to get the AULDR point for visiting the Savannah Masonic Lodge. That plan is is shot once I get home and find that the picture there was not saved either. I took a couple, none were on the phone.
I leave the lodge and pass Mawmaw’s house. There are trucks that look like people are working on her house. Well, it isn’t her house anymore, Gwenda sold it a few years ago and it looks like the new owners are going to try to renovate the house. It was old and I know nothing had been done to the house since the 1970’s. Pawpaw built the house and did the additions. I spent many summers there, and most Christmases growing up. SO many great memories. The first real motorcycle that I rode was at Pawpaw’s, I remember that Blue Suzuki, I think it was a 360cc. I rode it a lot over the summers. Not sure if Pawpaw got it for me or for James. Mom wouldn’t let me have it, and I know James loved riding it too.
I leave Harbert Drive and turn left on Pinhook Dr. I ride out to Airport Rd, I don’t remember what it was called when I was growing up. If I were to turn left, Neill Cemetery Rd will be on the right after I pass TN203. I could go that way and visit Mom, Mawmaw, Pawpaw, and many other ancestors. I make the right onto Airport Rd then the left of TN69/AL20.
I know this road so well. I head to Florence, make the turn on Cox Creek Parkway, then head home.
Ride was about 390 miles, about 125 miles on interstate. The entire ride was fantastic and I made a new friend.
Nice day, thought I might take off for a few hours. For a quick view of the route, here is the link in Spotwalla: Click here
Topped off the fuel tank and headed east. So much for the “Go west young man” comment. I stayed on US72 until I was past Clements HS. I turned right on Hardy Rd at the Elementary School. Hardy becomes Ripley, then changes to Huntsville-Browns Ferry Rd. I pass the Buc-ee’s and veer onto Greenbrier Pkwy. Then down to Old Hwy 20 and make my first stop of the day at the Redstone HD. I get my electronic check-in and picture for the HOG Dealership Challenge.
After turning off US72, the ride has been a slow meandering on two-lane roads, mostly in farm land. As I leave the dealership, I decide to take advantage of the interstate to get me through Huntsville. All the other roads will take me hours to get through town due to traffic and so many stop lights. The interstate eventually ends and I am back on US72. Though higher speeds, very little traffic.
As I near Scottsboro, I may make the right turn onto AL35. I cross the river and now the route is going to become even more fun. I turn left onto AL40. As I ride up the southern parts of the Appalachian range, the roads has nice switchbacks and fantastic views. Areas to pull of come up on my too quickly for me to plan to stop, besides, I like to keep rolling on these twisty little roads.
Back on level roads again and soon AL40 ends and I switch to AL117. My next goal of the day is to photograph a couple of state signs with AULDR stickers. At the Alabama/Georgia line just past Mentone, I was able to get the pictures last year. I assume the signs are still there, and I have new stickers in the event that the previous ones are gone or faded beyond recognition.
I pass through Mentone. This little town is wonderful. Several small places to eat, plenty of BnB’s where you can stay, and the police don’t try to hide because they want people to drive slowly through town. Not a problem!
I pull up to the spot where I can get the pictures of each sign and the bike. I get the pictures and close-ups to prove that the AULDR stickers are there. As I start to leave, I see another biker pulled over standing around his bike. I roll over to check on him.
He is only taking a smoke break and checking in. We talk for a few minutes, then I head back to Mentone.
I make the left turn in Mentone onto Desoto Pkwy/Scenic Hwy. I had come through here last year. I was riding from Gadsden to Mentone and missed a turn. Though the road I was on was beautiful, it wasn’t officially the HOG 50 route. Taking it from Mentone to Gadsden, I will make sure I stay on track.
The part that I missed last year is truly a mix of roads. Some of the two-lane areas aren’t two full lanes, and they have slow turns with trees blocking views around the curves. The speed limit is nice and slow, which helps me keep an eye open for loose gravel. Other parts of the road have clear views for miles, two wide lanes, and higher speed limits which are easily enjoyed.
I divert from the trail to visit the HOG 50 checkpoint. I visited here last year and don’t need the picture for the challenge coin (I don’t get to earn more one coin from Harley for each ride). I walk around for a bit and look over some of the signs. This is a point along the Trail of Tears and the location of a log cabin which was used as a stop along the trail. Here is the picture from last year.
There is construction in Fort Payne, so the GPS keeps getting upset that I won’t follow her directions. I get to the stop, then manage to find an alley where I can get back on track.
The road changes name as I pass from town to town and through different counties. The scenery changes as often as the name changes. However, it is a very nice road to ride. Very relaxing.
As I get to Gadsden, I mostly know the route home. I keep the GPS mainly to help me know where/when I will be making my next turn. The GPS also posts the speed limit if I miss a sign with a speed limit change.
Familiar route from Gadsden. US278 to Cullman, right on AL157, then right on Wilson Dam Road in Muscle Shoals. Just over two hours after leaving Gadsden, I am back home and relaxing in my recliner.
I earned four more points in the AULDR challenge and one HD dealership check-in/picture.
