North Alabama Getaway

[Guidedawg]

One of our Widow's Sons chapters sponsored a charity ride to support Samson's Strength Sustainable Veteran's Project.  The concept is simple - charge $20 per bike and $5 per passenger to go directly to the charity, gather a group of bikers and all ride together to explore, eat, and return to the lodge for awards, fellowship, etc.

The event took place in Boaz and since the photo tag was in Goodwater I chose a route to take me that way.



It wasn't long before I arrived at the tag location.



Then I continued on the always pleasant ride up county road 7 (probably because I've never gone through after a bad rain) and made my way into Boaz and the lodge.



I'm not sure how many they expected but with many surrounding states canceling their annual rallies this was the first opportunity for many to gather in a group event.  There were members from Tennessee and Kentucky represented as well as Alabama.



I believe the last count was 78 or 79 bikes and over 100 people







The original plan of riding to Mentone to look around and eat was out, so the backup plan was to ride to Dogtown and split the group between the 2 restaurants available.  I was with with the group that stopped at Big Time Cafe.  They were called in advance and preparing 50 orders of burgers and fries when we arrived.  Organizers brought tables to set up in the empty lot next door.:
I do not know the exact route we took but it covered this area:



I know we went through Collinsville and Whitesboro and seem to recall being on 227 but I was in the middle of a very large group of bikes so I was just in following the crowd.  I do some group rides though I prefer solo or very small group. This may have been the largest I've been in that wasn't split into multiple groups and because everyone was used to staggered formation and there were assigned teams to block intersections there were no issues.

We returned to the lodge and I left before everything was over because I had decided to make this an overnight trip and enjoy some riding in north Alabama since I do not often have my bike up this way.  I had made a reservation in Scottsboro after asking here and among Widows Sons riders to suggest riding areas.  My path took me past Guntersville State park.



I didn't want to take the high traffic 431 into Guntersville, but didn't want to miss some of the road south of the park by taking Google's suggestion of using Martling's Gap or Hustleville Roads  either. I looked at a map and spotted Wyeth Mountain Road.  It looked interesting, so I verified it was paved by dragging the person icon to check street view.  I've learned it won't select dirt roads so that is the quickest way for me to determine.  This looked like a good start for some twisty riding for a flatlander like me.

I'm glad I was behind a car toward the end as we got into the real curves.  Those were downhill and steep and I felt like I was braking the whole way, but I enjoyed it.

This was the first time I have been on South Saulty or into Langston so it was intersting to ride along the lake/river.  There were a LOT of campers and fishermen out.







I went into Scottsboro crossing over the river I had been riding alongside and found my hotel.  I checked in, grabbed some take-out, made plans to meet a friend late morning to ride around Huntsville, and went to bed early.

[Guidedawg]

I could not find my copy of Motorcycling Alabama so I chose routes based on suggestions from friends and on this site.  Instead of note cards, I wrote up routes on notebook paper, trimmed, and packed them to tape onto my fuel tank as needed.  My plans for Sunday were to make a horsehoe route from Woodville back down to 72 and then to visit a friend in Huntsville.  However, at the last minute I decided to download copy of Motorcycle Alabama to my Kindle and took that along.

As I looked at the northeast Alabama section in the hotel, I saw that some of the twistiest roads in the state were up and down Crow Mountain which was not far.  Unforunately, I did not have a pen to make my notes so I had to use Google maps and then make notes in my phone.  I woke up early enough to make that ride before returning to the hotel and making my originally scheduled ride.



I was glad to have the route up Co Rd 33 to myself because I went wide in one of the switchbacks. I don't want to ride destination motorcycle roads with the pressure of other bikes behind me. Nevertheless, there was no uncomfort and I enjoyed the ride to the top.





Since I was in the area, I took my first visit to the Rock Zoo.

















I enjoyed the ride down the mountain and saw Alabama's nuclear reactors before returning to Scottsboro.



to grab breakfast and take it back to the hotel. I ate quickly, packed the bike, checked out, and headed to Woodville for my second route of the day.



I had initially thought these county roads might be "white knuckle" moments for me on twisty roads, but that was before I decided to add in the Crow mountain morning ride. There was nothing "white knuckle" about that at all, and because I warmed up on the "toughest" route, these roads were a true pleasure and I'm sure I took the curves much faster and smoother than I would have had I not done my early morning exploring.

Just past the series of tums going up the mountain (Nat?) is County Road 216.  My uncle lives on this road and my family visited several times from south Alabama when I was a teen.  It is strange to see the road paved.  There were two attractions I enjoyed on this stretch - a waterfall (on private property; do not try to explore) and an old cemetery at the beginning of the road.  Since it was on my route, I pulled off onto 216 and went to Ross Cemetery.



It's a very small and somewhat overgrown area.  There are a few headstones at the front in a fenced area and others further back with dates from the late 1800's and early 1900's.  When I was a boy there were several graves marked only by standing rocks.
But there is a trail that leads to a view off the mountain and it's always been one of my favorites, but it is more likely due to my good times visiting the area as a kid.





Due to COVID fears, I did not drop in unexpectedly on my uncle, but continued my route.  Once past his road, it was all new to me and mostly small communities such as Pleasant Groves.  I went through Skyline where the congregation of the Church of God were outside listening to a worship team singing from the back of a flatbed trailer. I turned onto 146 at Cumberland Mountain outfitters and wondered just how mountain names there on in these hills.

The ride down AL 65 was especially rewarding.  By this time I was grinning ear to ear as I went through each community and lots of farmland.  There was no traffic and I loved the curves, twists, creeks, and overhanging trees.  It was a treat and just when I thought I had leveled out it started all over again.

My solo exploring was over as I headed into Huntsville on US 72 and went to the home of my friend Bob.  Bob is one of my Santa mentors, and is known as Huntsville Santa.  Besides photo shoots and private appearances he is the Santa at the Galaxy of Lights and Huntsville Christmas parade. I arrived at his home at 10:30AM.  My goal had been 10AM, but considering that I did an originally unplanned route the same morning, I was pleased with the result.

He decks out his yard with synchronized lights each year and recently set them out again during the stay at home orders so people could have something as a nice distraction when going out.



We visited for a bit and then he led me to New Market where we ate some good BBQ. You could go inside to give your order, but then had to go out and they would deliver it to your car.  He and I parked at the covered picnic area and had lunch there.



It was overcast and Bob's radar showed a small line of showers coming soon so we went back to his house just as it started sprinkling.  Although he did not live far, it rained steadily the entire time, getting a bit heavier along the way,.  I ended up waiting it out until 1:30PM

He had planned to drive me around Monte Santo and down to Ditto's Landing where we would part and he would point me towards 36 and back to the Interstate.  I had considered taking 231 South all the way to Montgomery but he told me it was washed out and I would have to detour that way anyway.

However, due to the lateness of the hour and the wet roads, we just stopped off at a cemetery instead.
 


In addition to Santa, Bob is Undertaker Bob on the Huntsville Ghost Walks and part of the Cemetery Stroll.  He showed me a particular mausoleum and the area where he works during the Halloween event.  We decided to save the city tour for another time and he lead me back to I-565 where we parted ways and I headed back to Montgomery

[Guidedawg]

Although I prefer backroads, the VTX 1800 shines on the Interstate.  Fortunately, we did not run into any accidents or traffic backups which is always a fear when I'm on I-65.  There was one point when a car decided to share my lane with me, but he noticed me just before things were about to become very uncomfortable and jerked back into his lane.

Unfortunately, the rain returned.  There were a few instances where I was able to "outrun" cloudy areas but the wind was ever-present and after the 2nd short shower I pulled over on an exit and dug out the Frogg Toggs I keep in the bag.  It turned out to be a good idea because I ran into very heavy rain soon afterward.  I normally wear a half-helmet and the night/rain glasses I wear over my prescription eyeglasses do not wrap/cover as well as my sunglasses.  So, it wasn't long before rain drops were on both lenses and of course the windshield and it was all I could do to see the lines of the road, much less tail lights.  I was a bit north of Birmingham when I pulled off again.

There were 3 other motorcycles under the overpass and the riders were changing into rainsuits.  I took my dew rag and wiped down my glasses until I could see again and returned to the Interstate.  By the time I reached Birmingham, it had stopped and when I exited in Pelham to fill up for the last time, I was able to remove the suit.  I have never gotten more than 2 wears out of Frogg Toggs because I inevitably burn a hole in the leg.

Next time I'll make a habit of packing my good rain suit no matter the weather forecast.  Perhaps a full helmet might not be a bad idea if I can get used to it, particularly if my wife is riding so we can have some communication other than yelling at red lights.
I thoroughly enjoyed my weekend and look forward to riding those roads again. 

[Nice Goat]

Another awesome ride report!  You found some of my favorite roads on this trip.

[lazeebum]

Thanks for another great ride report. I'm glad the rain slacked up some.

[kdtrull]

That looks like a great ride.  Thanks for sharing.