Gee's Bend Ride

[Guidedawg]

I made this ride a few weeks ago, but just got around to writing up a report.  Nevertheless, I always enjoy reading about y'all's rides, so I thought I'd contribute even if the pics are only of the ferry crossing.

A friend invited me to go along with him on a test run of a ride he would be leading with the FaithRiderz, a church-based group I rode with in the past.  I knew I would be unable to attend the group ride, so I was only too happy to go along to test the route.

We decided to ride it in reverse order, going to Camden first and then eating lunch in Selma whereas the group will first go into Gee's Bend, take the ferry to Camden, and grab a burger at Larry's.  However, we wanted to ride the roads with which we were most familiar first.

My buddy pulled up with his Father-in-law tagging along, so we were a diverse group of a Victory, a HD trike, and my Honda VTX

full route

I often go through Camden if I am traveling to visit family in Washington County, but when I do I normally go on Highway 80 past the airport towards Selma before turning to go through Hayneville.

In this case, we took the northernmost Hope Hull exit and enjoyed a much nicer ride into Hayneville.  I suspect this may become my new route the next time I go that way.

The rest of the way was the typical Lowndes and Wilcox county ride...two lane roads with little traffic, several creek crossings, and wooded areas.

The only pictures I took were of the ferry ride itself since this was my first time to ride one while traveling on motorcycle.  The men you see in the pics are my friend and his father-in-law.

There was a building with visitor info on the Camden side, but we did not take the time to stop since it was close to departure time.  We went straight to the ferry and were the first in line.





A few other vehicles pulled up behind us.  I'm not sure how many typically use this crossing, but I suspect the bikes will need to close in together for the group ride.





Before long we were underway going down the Alabama river.  Since it wasn't a straight line to the opposite bank, it was a pleasant trip where we saw boaters, fishermen, and several nice cabins on the other side along the river.













It wasn't long before we docked on the other side to explore the Boykin community, better known as Gee's Bend.





If you aren't familiar with the history, it's worth a read:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boykin,_Alabama

We did ride past the famous quilters collective before running into dirt roads, but it doesn't appear that recognition has done much for the community.

The route to Alberta was much longer than I anticipated, but once there we made our way to Selma.  I made a mental note to return to explore Orrville and Old Cahaba on a future trip.

Our first choice for BBQ (based on TripAdvisor reviews) was closed, so there was a bit of back and forth riding before we finally settled at Lonnie's – a place with decent food but not a spot if you are in a hurry.

Rather than taking for more direct, but boring Highway 80 to Montgomery, we went along Highway 14 to Prattville and then the back way to Montgomery going past Maxwell AFB before going back into the city.

It was nice weather and an enjoyable ride.  The roads weren't particularly scenic, but they were pleasant with little traffic and the experience of my first motorcycle ferry ride definitely make it a fun experience.

[klaviator]

I've done a few ferry crossings while on rides.  I don't know why but it's always been really cool.

Thanks for the report.

[lazeebum]

There's just something cool about a motorcycle on a boat!

[Nice Goat]

Awesome!

I've tried twice to ride that ferry on a motorcycle... unsuccessfully.  It appears to run only when the captain feels like it.  You were lucky to catch him on a good day.