No one wants to make big changes to their ride, protective gear or travel equipment before going on a trip. Murphy's Law will remind you that ever little change absolutely can come back to bite you when you least expect it. So when a Sandie makes a motorcycle change, what better way to test everything out than a short weekend trip?
We are blessed to have many great attractions within a day's ride. When you are looking at short overnight trips, the riding world really opens up to those in NWFL. George, Sam, and JoeJoe took Bobby B, Mark S, and Lorna to their first ever trip to Barber’s Vintage Museum.
We met up at Good Things Donuts. It was strange seeing the weekday morning crowd, but nice to see customers steadily coming and going. Lorna was coming back from a Dr’s visit and wasn't quite ready to ride. So Mark being the nice guy took her up in a convertible. While I was happy to be on the bike, there were definitely moments when I would have liked to have a drink and snacks while cruising. It especially would have been awesome to put the top up and crank the AC while sitting in traffic…
We caught some lucky breaks through most towns on the way up. We skirted through the back ways and bypassed most congestion. We had a good lunch at a new restaurant that claimed to have the best fry. I didn't get anything fried, but those that did confirmed their dishes were pretty good. We lingered a little long through some of those towns and ended up reaching Birmingham just as the afternoon traffic started to peek. Fortunately there were little places for a Sandie to get lost, and we all made it to the hotel. After a quick bite to eat, we hung out at the hotel to catch up with each other and swap tall tales.
The next morning we started out with a fantastic breakfast, then made our way over to the museum. As soon as I turned off the bike I could hear the familiar “varoom” sound of bikes on the track. Today was apparently a track day. So after paying the entrance fee, we headed over the bridges to watch some people practicing laps. We listened to the engines and smelled the exhaust for a bit, then headed inside to look at the largest collection of motorcycles and memorabilia I've ever seen. There was so much to look at, my brain couldn't process all that I was seeing. The staff was telling us that what is on display is only a portion of the collection. Apparently there are well over 2,000 bikes in the collection. It was darn right overwhelming to try and look at it all.
Next we headed out and took a ride down AL-25, one of the coveted motorcycle super roads. There was only one tight switchback, the rest of the ride was a leisurely stroll through the mountainside forest. It was beautiful country, and I was thankful to be able to enjoy it. We saw quite a few other motorcycles mixed in with local traffic. Everyone seemed to be in good spirits and gave friendly waves.
We took 31 south for the return trip. Passing through central Alabama on a Sunday morning is kind of peaceful. It helped that the skies were clear and temps were in the low 70s. We stopped by the Confederate Memorial State Park. After stretching our legs and marveling at the struggles of those before us, we continued south. We stopped for lunch at “It Don't Matter” family restaurant in Highland Home. By the time we came out, temperatures had starting to hit the low 80’s, and home felt close. We all made it back safely before time for dinner (well 2nd dinner for JoeJoe).
