Montgomery to Thunder Beach

Thursday we took time, as planned, to visit the Civil Rights Museum and the home of the Southern Poverty Law Center. It was well worth the visit. The displays at the museum were very well done and serve as a stark reminder of the not-so-distant history of the civil rights movement and the intolerance that still exists in our society today.

From Montgomery we headed south and arrived at Panama City Beach late in the day. We did get a chance to visit some of the exhibits at one of the three main venues. There were an amazing number of bikes and the people-watching was on a par with the bike watching. There were some teenagers who did an pretty remarkable stunt bike act, but otherwise not a lot to do beyond looking at the wares of lots and lots of motorcycle-related vendors.

Dinner was at a place called Dusty's - a crowded bar with decent food, a moderately rowdy crowd and a decibel level that rivaled that of a spooling-up jet engine. There were a couple of young, siliconized young women who (reputedly) added a display of their personal miracle of modern medicine to the festivities, as would be expected.

Today (Friday) was RAINY. It's a bummer. All that we really got to do was to purchase a Bluetooth bike-to-bike intercom with some other horns and whistles, get a tire pressure gauge and see a disappointing custom bike show (too few bikes). Otherwise, it was a day to hang around, figure out how the intercom worked, shoot the breeze, etc. To be fair, the people-watching continues to be pretty interesting and the atmosphere intriguing, but I'm looking forward to clearing skies and a good ride out into the surrounding countryside tomorrow.

Day 2

Day 2 was a great improvement over day 1.  The weather was terrific - temperature in the 60's and much blue sky to be seen.  After adding more than a little air to my tires, we were off to Huntsville and a tour of the U.S. Space and Rocket Center (http://www.spacecamp.com/museum). It was most impressive. While there we saw an iMax movie about the Hubble space telescope that was just spectacular.

After replenishing crankcase oil in Huntsville, we made our way to Montgomery, but arrived too late to do any tourist stuff.   Tomorrow we will be going to the Civil Rights Memorial (http://www.splcenter.org/civil-rights-memorial) and then off to our intended destination - the Thunder Beach Rally in Panama City Beach, FL.

Cincinnati to Murfreesboro

It was the best of times; it was the worst of times - OK, maybe neither.  I got on the road around 8AM under overcast skies with the temp in the low 50's.  However, it did not stay even that nice.  I encountered rain on and off until well into Tennessee when some scattered patches of blue sky finally showed themselves.

Rain, needless to say, is a bit unnerving and not especially comfortable.  The good news is that I have rain-worthy gear, arrived safe and sound and met up with friend Ron as planned.  I would like to do the route again in good weather as much of it is rolling, curvy, well maintained pavement with some very pretty hilly and pastoral views.

Dinner was a tasty barbecue and a couple of beers at a restaurant walking distance from our motel.  As you can see, nothing really noteworthy or entertaining to report, yet.  Tomorrow it's off to Montgomery, AL.

The beginning ...

The first of my motocycle journeys will start on Tuesday, April 27, 2010.  The leg will be Cincinnati (home) to Murfreesboro, TN to meet up with my old friend and traveling companion, Ron.  We will then proceed to Panama City Beach, FL for the Thunder Beach Rally.

The weather for tomorrow is projected to be a little problematic so my rain gear will be readily accessible, but I'm hopeful it will not be needed.

I expect we'll arrive in FL on Thursday after wandering through Alabama - hopefully stopping in Montgomery to see the civil rights museum and visit the Southern Poverty Law Center, an organization that I've supported for many years and commend to you for your support as well.  (http://www.splcenter.org/)