Long Way Home

Baby's first solo ride to Barber

Our buddy snapped this shot on one of our riding breaks. Almost to Barber!

I rode 885 miles on my Guzzi! I carried luggage on my bike! I traversed gravel roads to get to a bakery and faced many other fears on this trip (some of which I conquered, while at least one conquered me). Here’s a rundown of the activities and the itinerary from my first solo ride to the annual Barber Vintage Festival in Birmingham, Alabama (and longest solo ride to date). Mark and I brought a friend on this trip, so we were three bikes traveling from Louisville to Birmingham, taking back roads as much as possible, resting as needed, and eating lots of tacos.

One thing I learned about myself on this trip is how much I enjoy riding the smaller highways. Mark commented on my pace on those state roads. We were able to cover more ground because I wasn’t facing a lot of traffic or high winds and I wasn’t slowed down by taking on so many curves (which are fun, but which Mark blasts through while I am not quite as skilled at that).

Day 1, Thursday

Louisville » Chattanooga | 303 miles

The first day, we rode from Louisville to Chattanooga and stayed at the Moxy. We ate dinner at STIR, and I celebrated my accomplishment with oysters. I used my Beeline Moto to navigate (even though I didn’t really navigate; I just followed Mark) and to track my rides. I love it so much because it has the cutest, simplest design and, unlike other GPS systems we have tried, does all the things you would want a navigator to do: creates smart routes, allows for easy editing of said routes, adjusts the route in real time if you decide to veer in a new direction, and automatically records and pauses when the bike moves and when we take breaks. Then it generates a neat little summary in the app, like the one above.

The Beeline + Shots from Day 1

Day 2, Friday

Chattanooga » Birmingham | 151 miles

We got up, had Starbucks, hit the road, and were at Barber before we knew it! I was really hoping we could head to our campsite first, but logistically that didn’t make sense, so we rode straight into the organized mayhem, which really wasn’t bad, just a little intimidating. The park is 880 acres, with the racetrack in the middle, a two-way road circling that, and all kinds of things to do along the way. First things first, where were we gonna park? The weather was great for riding but a little hot once we stopped because the sky was perfectly clear and the temp was around 80. And because it was later in the day, the prime spots were taken. Which meant I had to navigate at low speeds in crowded spaces and make some very tight turns to squeeze into a spot! Eek! Thank goodness for MSF training and all the practicing I had done in the church parking lot in our neighborhood. We were all sweating by the time we parked and shed our gear. We hopped on the tram, went first to the museum, and learned pretty quickly that a very special event was about to happen. Former racer and first American to win a MotoGP title Kenny Roberts was there for a World Champions Exhibit Reveal. And people were pretty stoked about it. If I had a nickel for every time I heard an announcer say “King Kenny” over the course of the weekend…

King Kenny is on that yellow bike in the lower right corner.

Then we rode to the campground, taking a route I would have preferred not to take up some high and winding roads and on some busy roads, including one right turn requiring a stop at the top of a hill. Note to self: practice stopping at hilltops. I had done a little of that in the church parking lot, but not quite so steep and of course without the pressures of traffic.

We set up camp at Oak Mountain State Park and then decided to go to the closest restaurant we could find for a quick bite. I rode on the back of Mark’s bike, which was nice for a break and to not have to ride in the dark since the sun went down while we were at Creekside BBQ in Pelham. The food was good and service was fast. Back at camp, I had a nice shower and went to sleep. The campground was recently renovated, and the bathhouse consisted of private shower stalls with external doors. Very nice.

Day 3, Saturday

Oak Mountain » Starbucks » Barber | 21 miles

Barber » Taco Mama » Oak Mountain | 11 miles

Saturday was a full day of Barber. I rode on the back of Mark’s bike again, which was an appreciated luxury. Starbucks for breakfast, then a stop at MAPCO to fuel up and get some snacks. Since you are able to take all your stuff into Barber, we bring a cooler with cold food (like a charcuterie package) and drinks (soda water, beer, bottled water, Red Bull).

We visited most of the spots along the track, did another quick run through the museum, grabbed souvenirs for the kids, and watched the sidecars race. We toured the paddock and said hello to my former colleague Renée and her partner Tim Joyce, who make up one the top vintage sidecar duos in the U.S.! So inspiring.

Now that the BMW Motorrad Days event overlaps with this festival, there was a new area with lots to do, including free screen-printed helmet bags, nametags stitched while you wait, and an artist doing a live drawing of a concept bike.

Our last stop was the Triumph area, where they were handing out free cigars and showing MotoGP races on a big screen. I opted for butter pecan ice cream from the food truck. It was nice to cool down in the shade, walk up the hill to watch the last race of the day, then tram it back to our parking spot to gear up and head out.

We decided to feast at Taco Mama, which was on the way back to camp. Delish and convenient.

Day 4, Sunday

Oak Mountain » Louisville, KY | 450 miles

This day, we parted ways with our friend, who was headed to Huntsville before home.

This night, I hit a wall. But first I had a really great day of riding, We took the smaller highways back, there was very little traffic, the temperature was comfortable, we found some great Latin food in a random town… I was feeling very good. For one of our last breaks, we followed signs down gravel roads back to a little bakery.

At this bakery, we sat outside at a picnic table, ate a giant whole grain cookie, and drank some energy. As we started calculating the rest of the ride, it became clear we would not be home before dark. Gravel roads, fine. Dark? Ugh. I had never ridden in full dark, especially on a highway. My night vision is not great, but I said I would at least try it. If I couldn’t swing it? Well, there wasn’t a plan B except maybe to stay somewhere for the night, so we waited to cross that bridge, as they say.

We had PERFECT weather the entire trip, Thursday to Sunday. Warm enough but never hot, nary a cloud in the sky. We added and subtracted our layers here and there, joked about the comfort window being 79-81 degrees as we monitored the temp on our dashboards, but we were never uncomfortable. Even starting our journeys on cool mornings was manageable due to the sun’s warmth and jacket liners. But the forecast for Monday was COLD, like the high was going to be in the 50s. So, we really wanted to get back, but we were going to be riding in the dark.

How could we minimize the amount of time in the dark? Take the interstate once we got close to Louisville. Daunting. But I said I would try. We pulled over near Elizabethtown to put on our liners and change our helmet visors from tinted to clear. Dusk was fine riding, the sunset was gorgeous, visibility was fine. I was glad we had made that stop to prepare for the setting sun.

But once we hit I-65, it was a no for me. There was construction, very fast cars, and all the lights were just kind of blurry. I told Mark we had to pull off at the next exit, which was Lebanon Junction, kind of rural, smelling of mash.

We pulled into a Dollar General, I got off my bike and realized I wasn’t getting back on. Nighttime riding was just too far beyond my skill level. Mark offered to get us a room nearby, but we were soooo close to home! So I proposed something maybe kind of extreme. What if he rode us home on his bike and then we came back for my bike (which would mean him riding it back home for me while I drove in the car). We tested out the idea of leaving my bike overnight, but the guy working at Dollar General was weird about that.

So we executed my plan. We would still get home at a reasonable hour. It wasn’t late, just dark. And my husband is a total badass. Me, partial.

I felt bad for wimping out and for asking him to carry so much of the burden. But also I am trying to wipe the phrase “I feel bad” from my vocabulary. I say it way too much. Plus, I knew he could handle it with ease and that being on a team sometimes means being carried.

Tienda Tikal; Jessica outside StoneCave bakery taking Ibuprofen;Our stop to bundle up and change visors

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