Motorcycle Alabama

It's time to start planning for The Ralley in the Valley III. This is your chance to come hangout with all the cool kids on Bama Rides.

So get your bikes ready, put in for time off, get your kitchen passes and prepare for a weekend of good eats & great riding.

On Saturday we will have a street ride and a adventure Dual Sport bike ride again this year. Any style bike will be welcomed on either ride.


What: Ride, camp, eat, sit around the bonfire and tell tall stories. Repeat. You are welcome to participate in any or all of the weekend's festivities.

Where: Camping - At the former Chapman House B&B(Hwy 65 in Princeton, Al). There's 5 acres to camp, watch the bonfire and park.


Riding - Street Ride - Roads of Northeast Alabama and parts of Tennessee.
Adventure Dual Sport Ride - There will be a adventure Dual Sport ride. (Route still to be determined)
Off Road - There are some off road riding areas I can point out for you.

When: Sept. 18-20 (Friday, Saturday & Sunday).

Cost: be a member of Bamarides or Mississippi Rides.

Need to start getting a head count. Let me know when you will be at camp and which ride you plan to participate in.

If you want to ride over and eat without camping, that's OK too.

I'll have my wife Sandy throw something together for breakfast and there will be dogs and burgers on the grill at night.
I'll need a head count for food and refreshments. I'll provide the soft stuff. Jackson Co is a dry county so you will need to bring the hard stuff with you.
We have 2 showers in the house you are welcome to use, bring towels and soap that you will need.

This is a great place for tents, not enough trees for hammocks. There's a couple couches and plenty of floor space if you want to sleep in the house.



We have plenty of room for parking and camping...

I need to get a head count for the ride you plan on and which meals you will be enjoying with us.

I'm in. If I can get the Duc run through I will ride it.
I will be on the street ride.
Be there late Friday night or early Saturday morning.
if there are no street riders i will load up the truck and go Dual Sport.

I'm in.
Arriving Friday afternoon.
Planning to camp but may take some floor space if it's available.
Probably dual sport.

In! Hopefully Friday afternoon. Dual sport.

I'm in. We're still working on the route for the dual sport ride. We've been exploring and route planning. One thing we're having a hard time with is a lunch stop. Everybody may have to pack one if they want to eat.

count me in for camping fri- sun. Dual sporting it.

I have 6 people committed to coming out next weekend. I know a couple more said they were coming before the great crash of 2015. Let me know if you plan on coming.

Sandy has 2 large pots of soup for Friday night and 12 lbs of BBQ for Saturday night. If yall don't show up and eat, I be eating leftovers for a month.I'll be as big as a barn.

Bad news and good news. Bad news, no Rally in the Valley for me. Good news, I get to ride with one of my brothers.

I previously said I'd be there but it's not working out. Trying to get a house on the market and working 8 days a week. Maybe next time.

I'll be there Friday evening through Sunday morning. Street ride.

Still plan to be there with the wife. Will be going on the street ride Saturday and if I can talk her into it we will camp that night.

See you on Saturday for the dual sport ride.   Maybe Friday night, plans are in the flux.

Sounds great. We will be ready to eat Friday night around 7pm.

If someone wanted to maybe show up for the street ride on Saturday ,what time should that somebody be there to tag along?

Street and dirt rides will be leaving out around 9:30 -10. Breakfast served at 8am Saturday.

Heading to Oktoberfest tomorrow night to celebrate my birthday so I doubt I make breakfast but I will be there for the ride.

I'm going to try to make the camping on Friday...if I can find my camping stuff.

I'll definitely be on the Dual Sport ride Saturday.......

See you there!

I'll be bringing some Barbers"parts as part of the reparations  for being a mooch.
All Dr 650 Stuff and a few KLR stuffs if I can find it. Some brand new in oem  box.

I'm thinking about going on the street ride. I just have to pull my bike out shortly and dust her off. & decide what to bring.  :)

I would love to go but I'm home bound with a special needs family member that can't be left unattended. Maybe next time 😜

I'll be at Chapman house around 4. Dinner served around 7. Breakfast at 8 Saturday. Rides leaving at 10a

So mad about not being able to make this one. Have to go deal with Dan Auerbach's wedding saturday. * had to sign a NDA for godsake.

If I can get family plans arranged for tomorrow, I'll be there in the morning for the street ride.

Let me know if anyone needs my address. There will be a small sign at the road.

Unfortunately a bunch of stuff had popped up at the last second and I'm not going to be able to make tonight. Hopefully I can get everything taken care of and be there in the morning and still camp tomorrow.

I found my camping stuff, or at least enough to call it camping....

I'll head up that way this evening!

See yall there!

Lugnut

If you see a big green bag of crap in a lawn chair, it's not me.  I just dropped it there whist I go explore around.

My day has fallen apart. If I am not there by 7pm, I will be there in time for breakfast tomorrow morning.

Rodney and I are leaving N B'ham in about 30 mins. Headed your way. Save me a piece of bread  ;D

Will do

About to head that way...

Good deal. I don't DO have a sign out. There is a 4X4 wood frame at the road near a black mailbox. 14.5 miles from Hwy 72.

I got called in for the weekend.  No fun for me.   >:(

PICTARS!!! ...for those of us who are with you in heart and spirit. ?

For you Kris

(http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/09/19/ab85c4c14b87027538ee057d10e5149e.jpg)

Second stop. Lunch in Lynchburg(http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/09/19/8ba9d2f0c62eb01777fa208f55209b7d.jpg)

<--- jealous!

Thank you!! I have always wanted to go there. Great destination!

about 200 miles for the street ride today. the dirtdobbers are still out.

I hate that I missed this event, but I have two brothers who also ride. I have had the opportunity to ride with each of them this month. 

Nightly activities.(http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/09/19/c4fba8c597852740812476ae0ab8e0d2.jpg)

The dirt riders had quite the adventure. Reports and pics coming next week

More fire

(http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/09/19/9a8548f9781eebbcd3f34932c1778fc3.jpg)

Ha! No crowding around one of YOUR bonfires!
Looks wonderful.
I can't wait to hear the dirty story!

I'll preface part of the dirty story by stating that a little dose of humility may be good for the soul, but it can dang near kill you too.  Props to the young healthy people....hat-tip Griff.  In fairness, the old healthy dude helped pull me out of the hole too....hat-tip lugnut.  If adventure truly is adversity in retrospect, we had a grand adventure.

Sleepy gland swolled plumb up....more later.

My envy gland is plum swolled up.  Wish I was there.  More pics please!

I had a lot of fun riding and hanging out despite the 'adversity' goings on. Thanks again Johnny for hosting this.

KDTRULL,

Once my phone charges back up, I'll send you some photos of the Dual Sport ride to post in your ride report. You are such the word-smith!

I'm so sore right now I can't spit straight!

Quote from: lugnut on September 20, 2015, 02:08:22 PM
I'm so sore right now I can't spit straight!

I can still spit straight. Just too tired to sit up to do it. Not a pretty out come 8)

Just got home from work.  Get to live vicariously through the pics and stories.

I got some story coming soon...just trying to chop some of the long-windedness out of it.

First things first:
Griff and Dirty Diesel did a really good job planning out an enjoyable ride.  Thanks fellers...it was a blast and had all the best elements of a good dual sport ride (in my mind).
Had I not gotten in over my head a bit, we would have had a whole 'nuther hour or more of fine riding.
Which takes us to the adversity part of the story.  I really like that phrase someone coined on here, "Adventure is adversity in retrospect."  And it is quite true.
So let's get to some adversity:

(http://i556.photobucket.com/albums/ss4/kdtrull/2015%20Rally%20In%20The%20Valley/Adversity_zps9ukdshhl.jpg) (http://s556.photobucket.com/user/kdtrull/media/2015%20Rally%20In%20The%20Valley/Adversity_zps9ukdshhl.jpg.html)

There was a downhill off-shoot from the main trail we were on.  We stopped to talk about it a minute before Griff and I decided to give it a go.  He had previously been part way down but turned around before seeing the two ends at the bottom.  The downhill was tricky and taxing for me but uneventful.  But, I knew by the time we got to the bottom, I was gonna' have problems getting back.  My arms were spent and I was down to my last half liter of water out of 4 liters I started out with. 

Point "A" in the picture: where I got stuck the first time.  After a break, and some help, I got free and made it to point "B".
Point"B",  stalled hard and fell over.  I didn't immediately realize it but I was done at that point.  We waited together while I rested but I was really in bad shape and could not get my pulse down.  Then some nausea set in. 

Griff offered to ride to the top and come back for me.  I thought, "man...this is gonna' be OK and we'll be back on the fun track soon.  By the time he rode up and walked back down, I was ready, and grateful, to walk it out in all the shame that comes with it while he rode my bike back up.  Really, I did not care.  I was in trouble and thrilled to have the help. 

Points "C" through "E" are all the approximate locations I had to sit down and rest.
Point "F", thinking "hmmm....maybe I should'a tried the bike one more time.  ;D 
Point "G" is where the guys walked back down to make sure I was not laid out on the trail.  Fatboy out of danger!!!

Still a long-winded story but hang in there.  We'll pick up the pace in the next session....in a few minutes.

Lugnut (Dave) snapped this sad-sack image at point "G" but was then kind enough to help tote my gear up the hill.
Either John or Ryan was with him and toted stuff too....but I was so out of it, I don't remember which:

(http://i556.photobucket.com/albums/ss4/kdtrull/2015%20Rally%20In%20The%20Valley/IMG958166_zpsgxa0nimp.jpg) (http://s556.photobucket.com/user/kdtrull/media/2015%20Rally%20In%20The%20Valley/IMG958166_zpsgxa0nimp.jpg.html)

I do remember that Ryan offered up some Gatorade that I was thrilled to receive.

We all had various manifestations of moderate adversity.  I will defer the details of those events to their owners, if they choose to do so.

At the bottom of the cursed hill, toward the right side path in the image, we found this nifty waterfall / sinkhole.  We could not see any pool of water at the bottom so we speculated that there may be a nice cave to explore (some other time!!!):

(http://i556.photobucket.com/albums/ss4/kdtrull/2015%20Rally%20In%20The%20Valley/IMG_1868_zpsk8fczeym.jpg) (http://s556.photobucket.com/user/kdtrull/media/2015%20Rally%20In%20The%20Valley/IMG_1868_zpsk8fczeym.jpg.html)

(http://i556.photobucket.com/albums/ss4/kdtrull/2015%20Rally%20In%20The%20Valley/20150919_154920_zpstjpezyaa.jpg) (http://s556.photobucket.com/user/kdtrull/media/2015%20Rally%20In%20The%20Valley/20150919_154920_zpstjpezyaa.jpg.html)

Back on track,  we did several more miles of nice faster paced riding in the forest and had some nice stops:

(http://i556.photobucket.com/albums/ss4/kdtrull/2015%20Rally%20In%20The%20Valley/20150919_171112_zpsusgevk3e.jpg) (http://s556.photobucket.com/user/kdtrull/media/2015%20Rally%20In%20The%20Valley/20150919_171112_zpsusgevk3e.jpg.html)

(http://i556.photobucket.com/albums/ss4/kdtrull/2015%20Rally%20In%20The%20Valley/IMG958175_zpswwzguczj.jpg) (http://s556.photobucket.com/user/kdtrull/media/2015%20Rally%20In%20The%20Valley/IMG958175_zpswwzguczj.jpg.html)

After a couple more notable events and many miles, we made it back to Johnny's just in time to eat a fine meal and build a small fire  :o:

(http://i556.photobucket.com/albums/ss4/kdtrull/2015%20Rally%20In%20The%20Valley/20150919_213055_zpsygpiac6y.jpg) (http://s556.photobucket.com/user/kdtrull/media/2015%20Rally%20In%20The%20Valley/20150919_213055_zpsygpiac6y.jpg.html)

(http://i556.photobucket.com/albums/ss4/kdtrull/2015%20Rally%20In%20The%20Valley/20150919_213244_zpszaqym4vg.jpg) (http://s556.photobucket.com/user/kdtrull/media/2015%20Rally%20In%20The%20Valley/20150919_213244_zpszaqym4vg.jpg.html)

It's hard to beat the social environment something like this creates where folks you know well, folks you know a little, and folks you've never met before can all hang out and comfortably talk to each other on the same level.

Thank you Johnny and Sandy for making it happen.

Just a few more pics from exploring the local area on Friday before the ride.

This is the WTF Radio Observatory and RV Park  ???

(http://i556.photobucket.com/albums/ss4/kdtrull/2015%20Rally%20In%20The%20Valley/20150918_154741_zpsek0fbduu.jpg) (http://s556.photobucket.com/user/kdtrull/media/2015%20Rally%20In%20The%20Valley/20150918_154741_zpsek0fbduu.jpg.html)

(http://i556.photobucket.com/albums/ss4/kdtrull/2015%20Rally%20In%20The%20Valley/IMG_1863_zpsem3i2j7k.jpg) (http://s556.photobucket.com/user/kdtrull/media/2015%20Rally%20In%20The%20Valley/IMG_1863_zpsem3i2j7k.jpg.html)

A pretty old Alabama Tag-O-Rama tag site....if there's a home there, it must be embedded in the mountain:

(http://i556.photobucket.com/albums/ss4/kdtrull/2015%20Rally%20In%20The%20Valley/IMG_1861_zpsrnpysp7y.jpg) (http://s556.photobucket.com/user/kdtrull/media/2015%20Rally%20In%20The%20Valley/IMG_1861_zpsrnpysp7y.jpg.html)

A very nifty road that I wish I would have explored further:

(http://i556.photobucket.com/albums/ss4/kdtrull/2015%20Rally%20In%20The%20Valley/20150918_160026_zpszyjprcad.jpg) (http://s556.photobucket.com/user/kdtrull/media/2015%20Rally%20In%20The%20Valley/20150918_160026_zpszyjprcad.jpg.html)

(http://i556.photobucket.com/albums/ss4/kdtrull/2015%20Rally%20In%20The%20Valley/20150918_160912_zpsc9kr9ss8.jpg) (http://s556.photobucket.com/user/kdtrull/media/2015%20Rally%20In%20The%20Valley/20150918_160912_zpsc9kr9ss8.jpg.html)

Just one more shot of the loaded XT before I left home Friday morning...too much crap on a tiny bike:

(http://i556.photobucket.com/albums/ss4/kdtrull/2015%20Rally%20In%20The%20Valley/20150918_104048_zps39fz5noc.jpg) (http://s556.photobucket.com/user/kdtrull/media/2015%20Rally%20In%20The%20Valley/20150918_104048_zps39fz5noc.jpg.html)

OK...your turn.

My 'adversity' was getting sick to my stomach. I apparently ate something for lunch that didn't sit well. On our way back I ended up pulling over on a side road and puking my guts out in the ditch. I also found out on the way home my headlight had apparently come loose and was now pointed at the sky. It wasn't worth much to start with but this really didn't help. My bike also decided it didn't want to keep all of it's oil inside the motor. I'm going to have to fix the leak before I ride it again.

My story is that you can successfully navigate many miles of trail and even get a GS to fly but if you let you guard down pulling of the road onto peegravel you can find yourself on the ground with the quickness. Nothing but my pride hurt and it still didn't hamper my spirits. This trip reminded me that if you plan everything out you kind of already finished your journey before you started. The fact that everyone of us had something happen kind of made me feel like we earned the adventure. Its been awhile since I showed up hours late with a big old smile. The icing on the cake was the great food waiting on us and the story telling around the fire. I'm sure ever year this trip will be retold better and better. Thanks again Johnny for the incredible hospitality and to your wife. Anyone who miss's this event is truly there loss.  ;)

Well, I guess I better fess up! The old man was the first one down that day......not sure how or what happened, but I think it went something like this....oh yeah, I remember now.....I fell.
We were puttin' along pretty good and then we decided we were going to challenge the power line trail. We met our first issue when we hit this big mud hole. The slick kind of mud. The kind your mama told you to never play in....and we didn't listen. Griff shot through it and up the other side, only to find another huge mud hole waiting for him. Being the young agile rider he is, he shifted around the obstacle. I was third in line, and probably should have waited before I followed Ken. Ken hit the mud, and veered left, I took the right side. When I saw the second mud monster sitting there waiting for me, I thought I would lay down a second and rest, unfortunately, the KLR had decided the same thing and that big old bike laid down, right on top of me. Not a good situation to be in, especially when I realized I was slowly sliding back into the first mud hole. Quick responses from the fellow riders saved the day. My thought was to start the bike up and while I was off of it, we'd get it up to the top of the hill, but my foot was stuck so far into the mud, and it was not letting up, I could not move. After a brief struggle, we got the bike and rider up to some dry ground. I turned around to check for the last rider and he was gone....only to find him on top of the power break near the tower looking down on us in the valley. The trail going up to the tower looked like a brick wall. As Ken always says, my glands started swelling, things started to get blurry, I was losing my mind. The only way out was either up the power break "wall", or back through the mud monster. Griff saved the day by volunteering to go up the power break trail and check it out. When we saw that he made it, the helmets went on, the gloves were tightened up, and up the trail we went. All three of us made it. I had no idea that an old man my age, on a big heavy KLR with a street tire on it could ever make it up something like that. My hats off to Griff for his patience and understanding. I guess I was still shook up from the bike falling on me, or the mud monster trying to eat me, or hey, maybe it was the swolled up glands, who knows? (Swolled up is a southern term). Anyway, we all hit that adversity spot at one time or another during the day, and it's only fair that the rest of the riders share their own stories if they decide that's what they want to do. Although we were missing several of the usual riders this year, the quality of people that showed up was incredible. I learned a lot about the different bikes, recent events, cool places to visit, tips on motorcycle camping and gear, and pepperoni soup! Hats off to Johnny and Sandy for hosting such a great event and tying all of us together via the one love we all share....motorcycles and riding!!!!

shout out to Dave, first time in several years he has camped.

Dave, aren't you glad you didn't skip the dirt ride and go on the boring ole street ride??

I'm converting from dual sport to ADVENTURE riding.  My old bones won't take the dirt rides very well. Loved the camping part!!!!! Great time, great food, great people! I'll be ready for it next year!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Thanks Johnny and Sandy for the hospitality and a nice boring street ride. It was a perfect route with plenty of scenery, curves, good food and company. And the most excitement we had was a bad battery connection.  :o

Thank you to everyone that showed. Good company makes for the best times. Of coarse the location and planning made it an exceptional weekend of riding to go with the friends. So all together it was a beseptional weekend.  ;D

Experimenting with more mobile-friendly encoding....smaller dimensions and MUCH lower bit rate.
2015 Rally In The Valley P1

http://vimeo.com/140255219

Saturday's ride in the forest:

http://vimeo.com/140380775

Nice video. Shows some of the 'secret' trails. These are all public access but you wouldn't know about them unless someone told you. They are all part of Franklin State Forest near Winchester, TN. 

Last one.  This is the hill that whooped my tail.
Skip to the 5 minute mark if you just want to see what's at the bottom.

http://vimeo.com/140486129

That's some good video but it really doesn't do that hill justice. That sucker is steep and rocky.

Quote from: griff on September 26, 2015, 08:34:39 AM
That's some good video but it really doesn't do that hill justice. That sucker is steep and rocky.

Photos and videos almost never capture the grade accurately.
This image might add some perspective. 
The trail length measured about 2590 ft. distance (in Basecamp, from the top intersection to the bottom intersection) and dropped about 477 ft. elevation (1779 - 1302).

(http://i556.photobucket.com/albums/ss4/kdtrull/2015%20Rally%20In%20The%20Valley/hill_zpskf8jrsog.jpg) (http://s556.photobucket.com/user/kdtrull/media/2015%20Rally%20In%20The%20Valley/hill_zpskf8jrsog.jpg.html)

Quote from: kdtrull on September 26, 2015, 10:21:32 PM

Quote from: griff on September 26, 2015, 08:34:39 AM
That's some good video but it really doesn't do that hill justice. That sucker is steep and rocky.

Photos and videos almost never capture the grade accurately.

That what I was thinking and I was also thinking it looked steep in the vid.  So it must have been quite steep indeed.   

I told my wife the same thing. That hill looked steep on the video.

From the stats Ken gave, it dropped a foot every 5 feet. That means the front wheel was roughly a foot lower than the rear most of the time.

Been down a couple hills like that.
It kinda sucks. If you mess up just a little your screwed. Might as well go back to the bottom.
If you don't you look like a hero.

Quote from: LawnmowerRG on October 05, 2015, 03:35:57 PM
Been down a couple hills like that.
It kinda sucks. If you mess up just a little your screwed. Might as well go back to the bottom.
If you don't you look like a hero.

I wonder what you look like when you walk out after someone else rides your bike out.  ;D
Oh yeah...I know....A big fat sad sack!!!

Yeah, I believe I would have just skipped that part. Waaay out of my skill set.

Well at least you gave it a shot.  And remember the adventure all that adversity produced.