An Epic Year! Part 1
After 4 years of getting to do very little riding due to financial circumstances, 2019 was to be different. Very different! In fact, it turned into an epic journey of friendships, amazing sights, and more miles on two wheels than I had racked up in the previous five years combined. It was my biggest year ever in terms of miles logged on motorcycles. Maybe 12,500 miles seems small to some of you, but it was big to this novice.
It started early. Actually, it started in July 2018 when I made the final payment on a loan and I began to plan for a bit more riding in 2019. I never suspected nor did I even dream of what was going to take root and blossom into such an epic year of adventure.
Part 1
It was just the third day of the new year when I read a new post from DDT titled “Hankering”. He was inquiring if some folks would like to ride over to Lorman, M S for some poultry vittals. Maybe on January 12? My bike was waiting on a new U-joint, but that was expected to arrive any day. Yes! I could be ready and I was itching for an excuse to get in the saddle and get this year started right.
Bruce and I arranged to meet in Oxford, AL the evening of January 7. I let the frost clear off before rolling out. The grin on my face was huge as I headed south on 4 lane and continued as I switched to 2 lane roads. I was singing like Bronson, “Rolling down that long lonesome highway”. DDT was waiting when I rolled in.
January 8
DDT lead me up to Cheaha State Park, the highest point in Alabama so I’m told……..couldn’t see it for the fog. We did catch a couple of photos on the way up that hill though. It was nice easy riding following DDT on those backroads.
The weather slowly improved as the day wore on and as we rode farther south. We cruised through Union Springs stopping just long enough for DDT to grab a photo of me by the “bird dog”.
Then it was on to Eufaula where Bruce grabbed another photo opportunity at the Shorter Mansion.
I really liked Eufaula. It seemed like a nice easy going southern town with some great examples of old architecture that I love. We had supper on the porch of a really interesting restaurant there. The food was great! And, in the middle of the street intersection there by the restaurant was a very tall statue of the confederate type.
I hope that it continues to survive the political storms that our nation is drowning in.
Jan 9
We decided to walk past the “continental” breakfast at the motel and start the day in the Waffle House next door. After breakfast, we prodded our steeds along more nice country roads on our way to Enterprise, AL. It was there that DDT was thinking that I needed a photo of me and my trusty steed beside the Bowevil statue.
Right after that photo, we stopped for fuel and a couple of “wow! This has been fun” type phrases before rolling out in different directions for our solo journeys home.
I spent another night in a motel on my lazy way back to Cookeville, TN. The grin on my face had now morphed into a mixture of joy for being out there riding in places I’ve never been before and sadness that it was almost over for this trip. I was acknowledging that this was where I was longing to be, in the saddle, on roads new to me, seeing things I might never see again. Life is sweet! This was a sweet way to kick off this year! Many thanks to my friend DDT for putting out the invite and for allowing me to tag along for a few days. My excitement and joy left me short for words at that time.
