This report is short on pictures, but I enjoy reading about other rides and try to return the favor by taking you along on the journeys.
Our annual Widows Sons Alabama rally is held in a different part of the state each year so hosting duties can be shared among chapters and to give members and out of state visitors a new destination. This year’s event was held in Foley with events at the Alabama Gulf Coast Music Hall.
I planned to ride solo along backroads and grab a new county for the National Register of Historic Places along with exploring some areas I’ve never seen, but it wasn’t to be.
My mother lives in north Mobile County and had a last-minute doctor’s appointment scheduled for the morning I was riding down. Neither my brother nor sister-in-law could take her, so I devised a way to take care of the appointment and still make the rally (My mother riding on the back of the bike was not an option 😉 ) Instead of leaving Montgomery on Friday morning as planned, I rode the bike to my brother’s house after work on Thursday.
I’ve ridden this route several times but had a few surprises. The sun went down while I was in Camden and I discovered my night vision is even worse than suspected on darker country roads. Also, there were two lengthy sections of road construction where asphalt was removed and it was the rougher grooved pavement. Although that did not slow me down, one impatient driver passed and slung large pieces of loose gravel stinging my legs and arms.
I was not wearing long sleeves, so I was feeling a bit cool as I made my way through Washington County and the dirt road of my brother’s home.
My mother’s appointment was at 9:30am in Mobile, so I was back on the road on the bike right after lunch. Rather than driving south to Mobile and going over, I backtracked north on I-65 to Stockton and went south from there. I consulted with fellow forum member Chuck (of Chuck&Susan) on area roads and he told me this was probably the most interesting as most of those in south Baldwin County are flat and have lots of traffic.
The clouds grew darker as expected from the forecast. I pulled in at Blakely State Park since I wanted to see where it was anyway and stopped to put on my rainsuit pants. I didn’t want to have to find a spot once it started raining since the pants take more time for me.
I didn’t travel far before I pulled off at a boat ramp and donned the jacket. This may have been the first time I was in gear when the rain hit. I did remove the jacket somewhere along the way, but left the pants until I arrived.
My path took me onto Alternate/Scenic 98 along the Eastern Shore where I got to glimpse the bay as I rode. However, it was the amount of debris and tree damage that really stood out. Discarded building material and furniture are laid out along the road at various parts of the county.
I moved along from the bay and turned east towards Magnolia Springs. Admittedly, since I had never been there I envisioned an idyllic community along a lazy river with smiling postal carries traveling by boat. Instead, it was like every other rural south Alabama town, but still fun to travel somewhere new.
My destination was on the Foley Expressway and my luxurious Super 8 accommodations were on the main strip of 59. There were plenty of motorcycles at both and I took a few different routes between them.
We had some official bidness’ to take care of Friday night involving a lot of motorcycles moving at a quick clip out to some farmland and then some sitting around listening to music at the hall.
