It got a lot colder than I was expecting last night at the Hannahatchee camp. Even with my sleeping bag, it was a bit chilly to be sleeping in a hammock. I would often wake up every hour or so from being cold and around 0700 I was awakened by the sound of gunshots coming from the shooting range just down the street. I knew there was a range over there, so it didn’t scare me or anything but it’s not easy to sleep with gun fire so I hopped out of my hammock. I took some time again this morning to get a little Bible reading in and I also got a short workout in. After packing the bike back up, I headed west to Sweet Home Alabama!
I decided I would head over to Chewacla State Park (located in Auburn) and check that out. On the drive there, I made a stop at the ‘Drive-Thru Museum’, located in Seale, which during the coronavirus was open! The first museum that I was able to visit on this trip. It is billed as being the first drive-thru art and antiques gallery and was created in 2014 by a man named Butch Anthony. The shipping containers that make up the shell of the museum are full of unique pieces are art.
After driving through the museum I continued making my way west towards Auburn. It was around lunchtime and I was getting hungry, so I made a stop at Sheila C’s Burger Barn to get myself a cheeseburger. The restaurants had not yet opened to dine-in, so I found a sliver of shade underneath a small tree on the curb and ate. It was not one of the better burgers I ever had but it was big and did its job of filling the hole in my stomach. Next up, was a stop at Chewacla State Park. It was four dollars to get into the park, which I don’t think was bad after seeing the place. Upon entering the park, I drive down the twisty road having no idea where I was going. It seemed like I was riding for a long ways until I eventually found a lot to park in. I then got out the map they had given me at the gate and began looking it over. The park itself is big (as I realized driving in!) consisting of 36 trails, a lake, large fields, and picnic pavilions. I wasn’t even sure where the lot I had parked in was on the map. I decided I would just start hiking and see if I can follow the trails once on them and found some signs. As I am hiking, I see there are a lot of mountain bike trails that are very nice and well maintained. They have custom wood ramps, jumps, banked corners, among many other biking centric features.
With it being a beautiful Saturday afternoon, there were a lot of people out enjoying the park. I took a more hiking focused route that would lead you down to a waterfall. After about a two mile hike, across a few different connecting trails, I make it to the waterfall. There are people everywhere down by the base of the falls, sitting on the rocks, swimming in the water, taking pictures, and just enjoying themselves. It was nice to see people out after riding through mostly ghost towns for the first two weeks. I spent a little bit of time down by the falls before doing a few more miles of hiking back to my bike. I then make my way over to a picnic table over at the other end of the park and sit in the shade for awhile.
My bike has been making a lot of weird noises, coming from the chain or front sprocket. It sounds more like a grinding noise that I have not heard before, so I am not sure if it is the chain or worse, the front sprocket bearing or something. It was been making the noise most of the day and I stopped a few times to check it out but I could not identify what exactly it was. Additionally, it would only make the noise when I accelerate or decelerate; when pulling in the clutch the noise seemed to stop. This also worried me that it was more bearing related. So I had this on my mind and trying to figure out what it is and whether my bike will break down on me. This brought up thoughts about getting stranded somewhere as well as thoughts about why I am even out here doing this trip. I also began thinking that I should have taken Suzi, my other V-Strom 650. I have done a lot of riding on that bike, never having any issues and feeling very comfortable on it. You kind of build a relationship with your motorbike and I left Suzi at home and am out riding on another bike. With this new (to me) V-Strom, I do not feel nearly as confident on it. It is almost an identical bike but it just handles differently. I have had a bunch of wobble from the front tire, so if I take my hands off the handlebars it starts going into a tank slapper type motion. I have been having troubles with the chain which seem to be getting worse with the noises now coming from it. So I am sitting here at this picnic table, running through various scenarios and thoughts that come rushing to my head, not sure where I am going or what I am going to do next.
The place I was sitting at was in the shade and quite peaceful. Two days earlier, Miller (a great friend and the man who taught me how to ride motorcycles) sent me a video of a guy named Nathan Millward who rode from Sydney, Australia to London, England on a 105cc Australian Postie Bike. A few years after completing that trip, he shipped the same bike over to New York and rode it across the country and up into Alaska. I was quite fascinated by the short video and have been thinking about it over the last couple of days. While I was sitting at this picnic table, I decided to buy the kindle version of Nathan’s book, called ‘The Long Ride Home’, to read the whole story of his journey from Sydney to London. So as I was sitting there enjoying the shade, I began reading his book.
A little while later, before it gets too late and starts getting dark, I figured it was time to get moving to find camp for the night. As I am leaving the park, there is a lot of chain noise that I try to figure out what it is. Still unsure, I make my way towards the Talladega National Forest to find a camping spot. I decide to take the long scenic route to get there and just try to ignore the chain noise for the time being. There is nothing I can do about it right now and I might as well enjoy the riding and the scenery while I am here. The Alabama countryside is very beautiful. There are a lot more hills than I expected which sure beats the flat land riding of Florida. I stopped for gas on my route and hit the chain with a quick shot of lube before taking off again. The lube seemed to quiet the grinding noise down which leads me to believe it is in fact the chain that is the problem and not a bearing. This is a relief as the chain is easier to maintain and fix than having to replace a bearing or some other major part. I enter the National Forest land through a long gravel road that eventually leads me to a clearing that is used for camping. Upon entering the camp site, I come across a few large piles of poop which look like they may be from bear. I go a little farther into the camp site away from that area and set up camp. I keep all food and stuff locked away to avoid any issues with critters as I don’t want any close encounters tonight with a bear. By the time I get my tent set up, the sun has set and it is near dark. I crawl into my tent, listening to all the wildlife making noises before falling asleep.
I wake up the next morning, after sleeping fairly well, to a cool Alabama morning. It was very peaceful and with the cool temperatures, I take the morning to relax a bit. I eat a protein bar for breakfast, do a little reading, and get a short workout in before packing up the bike. I then make my way down the long gravel road out to one of the paved roads and head northwest cutting my way through the Talladega National Forest land. I take in the fresh air and cruise down the road until I eventually turn onto route 281. Route 281 is a beautiful scenic drive that cuts through the hills and offer some great views that eventually leads me to Cheaha State Park which is my next stop.
Cheaha Mountain is the highest point in Alabama at 2407 feet and the park itself contains some nice hiking trails and overlooks that offer fantastic views. At one of the overlooks, there was a family with two teen aged boys one of which had his girlfriend with him. The young couple posed for a picture while the other boy (which I believe was a brother, of the guy or girl I do not know) snapped the photo. Before he took the shot he said ‘Not too close, leave some room for Jesus’. That made me smile, it has been awhile since I have heard that one. A young guy came up and asked me if I wanted a picture (seeing that I was by myself), so I gave him my phone and he snapped a few shots. I returned the favor to another couple at another overlook. Nice folks all around and I had a good time hiking.
After hiking, I stopped for some dinner and then headed to Big Oak Hunter Camp on some WMA land in the northern part of the Talladega National Forest. As I was riding, I did not hear any further grinding noise from the chain. So it seems that it just needed some lube. I am wondering if some sand had gotten into the chain, as I have been riding on quite a few sandy roads. I set up camp for the night, talked with some family (I actually had some cell service out there) and then relaxed in my tent for the rest of the night. There were two guys at this camp, a father and a son who were turkey hunting. They came in after dark and left before sunrise the next morning. I chatted with them briefly, they were nice folks. Before going to bed, I continued to read ‘The Long Ride Home’ and I found out that Nathan, during his ride through Australia, actually exchanged bikes. He had some maintenance that needed to be done on the postie bike he had been riding during his time in Australia so he stopped off at a shop. He eventually bought the same bike but one that was all tricked out by a previous owner and ready to handle the long journey ahead (much more so than his original bike). It was interesting timing reading this after just the previous day thinking I should have taken Suzi my other V-Strom on this trip.
The next morning I continued with the same routine of relaxing in the morning and was able to do a bit of work on the computer. While I was sitting at camp, two brothers in their sixties walked over from another camp site to use a nearby vault toilet. The one brother came over and talked to me for awhile. He used to ride motorcycles and did many long distance bicycle trips, where he camped and lived off his bicycle. So we chatted a bit about trips and experiences on the road. I found out that they are living out in the woods, just moving around to different campsites. He has been out of work due to being a liability risk as he sustained a serious neck injury. He tried the affordable housing type places but doesn’t like them due to crime and getting robbed, so he has been making things work living out in the woods.
I ended up leaving camp around lunchtime and decided to head down the street to a Tasty Dip that I passed by on my way in to camp. It is an old school dairy isle that started back in 1948. I got myself a double cheeseburger and then treated myself to a large twist cone, which was quite delicious. After finishing my lunch, I head to the north east part of Alabama to Little River Canyon National Preserve. I ride through more beautiful parts of Alabama, passing by large fields full of yellow flowers, before arriving at Little River Canyon (which is a very cool place that I thoroughly enjoyed).
They have a few spots with some water falls and a nice hiking trail that will take you down to a place called ‘Hippie Hole’ that is a popular swimming spot. It was later in the afternoon by the time I got there and I was wearing my pants when I hiked the trail (not initially knowing there was a swimming hole), so I didn’t jump in the water.
I did want to swim though, so I decided I would find a camping spot nearby so I could spend some time down there in the morning. I called a few campgrounds but they were either closed or wanted to charge $25 a night for primitive camping, which I was not going to pay for a small piece of grass to set a tent up on for the night. I drove around for awhile trying to find a place to set up my tent. There were a couple of driveways that led to what look like gated hunting land (with no trespassing signs) that I looked at but they weren’t very well hidden from the road. I also ran the risk of someone driving in there while I was set up (not knowing what the land was used for). While searching for a camp in the back country, there was a cool moment where a hawk flew side-by-side with me (only about 15 feet away) for quite a while. It was a cool moment to be riding with a hawk as it soared through the air. It was near dark in my search and eventually I just set up in a nearby WMA parking lot behind a small building (which was next to a sign that mentioned ‘No Camping’) that allowed me to be somewhat hidden from the road. There were no lights around, so once it was completely dark I was hidden and it wasn’t during a major hunting season so road traffic was light.
The next morning as the sun began to rise, I wake up, get the bike packed up, and drive down the street to Little River Canyon. It is quite chilly in the morning, so I just hike down to the canyon, which I have to myself, and spend some time reading and listening to the river as the water crashes over the rocks.
Eventually people start hiking down into the canyon and the temperatures begin to rise. I hike back up to my bike to get some shorts on. As I am hiking back, a guy asked me if this is the trail to Hippie Hole. I told him it was and about a 10 minutes more and he will be there. He thanked me and then asked me if I wanted a hit from his blunt. I said ‘no thanks’ and chuckled as I continued hiking back to my bike. I put some shorts on and then make my way back down to Hippie Hole.
There is a smaller waterfall down there where you can jump off of. I crossed paths with the guy I passed on the trail who offered me a hit from his blunt. He had just finished jumping off the cliffs, so I chatted with him briefly before he started the hike back to the parking lot. I wanted to go for a swim and jumping off the falls was one of the unique aspects to this location, so I had to do it. I walked over to the cliff just above the falls, take a breath looking at the water below and jump.
As I hit the water, there is a shock to my system as the water is very cold. There has been a lot of rain recently in this area, so the current is also very strong. I swim over to the edge to briefly catch my breath and then climb up the rope that leads back to the cliff edge. I had my GoPro in my hand to get some action footage of the cliff jump. I decided to go for another jump and to get some more footage. On this jump, as I hit the water, I felt the GoPro come loose in it’s stand and I quickly grab the case while trying to swim back to the surface. It turned out the swivel piece on the stick came loose and the camera just rotated. It was an ‘oh crap’ moment though where I thought I was going to lose my GoPro down the river never to be seen again. The second rope climb was also not as easy. I struggled to get my footing and pull myself up, so I had to climb back down to take a quick breather before struggling my way up the rope. After finishing the climb, I was pretty spent. I moved up to the quieter section of the river and jumped in the water to rinse my body off (it has been a few days since I last had a shower or access to water, so I took advantage of this opportunity!).
After going for a swim, I hiked back up to my bike and decide to head to Fort Payne and to check it out. Fort Payne is a really neat town. I just drove through it and would have liked to stop and sight see a bit but most everything was closed down. I stopped for a bite to eat and gave a call to Grant who is an extended member of the family. He is the son of Lamar who was married to Midge, the sister of my grandfather. I got Grant’s number from my aunt, whom I talked to the other night, and found out that they were in the area. Having never met Grant and not seeing Lamar since I was a young boy, I was excited to meet this part of the family. I got in touch with Grant and got their address which was just about an hour drive from Fort Payne. Usually they are living down in Florida but they came up to Alabama once the virus shutdowns started. So this was another good opportunity for me that the virus shutdowns actually played to my favor. After finishing up my meal, I make the drive over to meet up with them.
I pulled into Lamar’s house right after they had pulled into the drive after doing some planting in their garden. I spent that evening fellowshipping with Lamar, Grant, Kimi (Grant’s wife) and their three kids. I stayed five days on the farm with them and really enjoyed myself. It was great to hear all the stories of my great grandparents and other members of the family that I have never met. It is always interesting to hear what they were like, some of their quirks, interests, jobs, etc. and it is funny to see how I have many similar traits and interests that they had.
I was able to help out a bit on the farm during my stay which was fun and was able to learn a few things.
Although we did work a little, we were able to spend quite a bit of time exploring the farm and the trails that cut through the woods.
I was also able to do some fishing in the pond with Grant and his son Isaac. It was my first time fishing in over a decade (after growing up fishing and spending many summer days around a pond). We were able to catch some bluegill and a few bass. It felt good to do some fishing again and I enjoyed it.
Our nights often consisted of building a camp fire and spending time around it. We roasted some hot dogs and some marshmallows.
On my last day there, I was able to meet Matt (Grant’s brother) and his wife. It was good to talk with them and to share a meal together. It was a great few days and I am thankful for the opportunity to be able to spend time with a great family who was extremely hospitable.
The next morning, which was a Sunday, we ate breakfast and then had church together via an online stream (as all the church’s are closed). By this point, it was about noon and I said goodbye and headed back on down the road towards Muscle Shoals.
I stopped by a park in Muscle Shoals where they had picnic pavilions with electricity. I grabbed some snacks on my way and sat at a picnic table to eat and to get a little work done on the computer (like writing these blog posts). After working for a bit, I drove over to nearby Colbert Alloys Park campground that was $12 a night but had showers and WiFi available. I set up camp, relaxed a bit, and did a little more research on the next part of my trip.
The following morning, I took advantage of the parks playground and their pavilion to get a good workout in. Since the camp had a shower, I didn’t mind pushing hard to get a good sweat in. I got a little running in, did some pull ups on a swing set, some decline push ups, along with some other various leg exercises.
After getting a shower, I spent the rest of the morning sitting on a hill by the Tennessee River and read the Bible. Now Muscle Shoals has got the swampers, so I had to make a stop to see the famous Muscle Shoals Sound Studios where so many incredible records were made.
As I pulled up to the building, a lady was standing out front next to her car. She saw my pull up to take a picture and she asked me if I wanted her to move her car so I could get a picture in the front of the building. I said that would be great and she moved her car for me. She worked at the studio and I talked to her briefly. She mentioned that they would be able to open the studio again in another two weeks but that she did not like it being closed and was ready to have it back open. While standing outside the studio, you can feel that there is something special about the place. I also stopped by FAME recording studios but the Muscle Shoals Sound Studios just felt different and special. I would have loved to go inside for a tour but that will have to wait for another time. It was still really neat to be able to stop by the building though. After driving around Muscle Shoals a bit, I headed south to make a stop at a place called Dismal’s Canyon.
This is a very neat place with a unique habitat that enables ‘Dismalites’ (glowworms) to live. There is a nice hiking trail alongside the stream that cuts through the canyon with various offshoots that you can explore. The trees, rock formations, and other vegetation was very enjoyable to take in. It was a fun hike and the cool air inside the canyon was a nice break from the heat of the day. You can take a hike there during the night to see the ‘Dismalites’ light up at night. I did not get a chance to do this so will have to put that on a list for next time.
After finishing up my hike, I fire up the V-Strom and begin making my way west into Mississippi. It has been a great time in Alabama and I thoroughly enjoyed the family, people, and scenery of this great state. It sure did feel like home while I was there and it wasn’t easy leaving.