The weather consisted of periodic rainstorms throughout the day, with temperatures in the low 70’s to 80 when not raining.
Day’s distance: 156 miles
Total trip distance: 8,353 miles
My first stop and main goal today was to get the motorcycle serviced at BMW of Atlanta. The bike requires service every 6,000 miles and this was the second service stop of the tour. Except for needing a new set of tires, the bike should be good until I get back to Seattle. Although my last set of tires lasted more than 13,000 miles, the bike was fully loaded for only about half of those miles. I will play it by ear, but likely stop in Denver to pick those up.
The folks at BMW of Atlanta took great care of me and the bike. Everyone working at this family-owned dealership was cordial and the bike seemed to purr after the service. Definitely two thumbs up!!
Since I only had to travel a short distance today, I was open to the suggestions provided by the folks I met at the dealership. I planned a lunch at a nearby Jim N’ Nicks BBQ followed by a short but twisty ride down a local road named Raccoon Creek Road.
The driest part of the whole day was spent waiting for the bike to get serviced. The afternoon was spent ducking the worst of the multiple rainstorms that came through the area. I made it to my lunch stop, but not before the first afternoon thunderstorm started.
This storm passed through in about 30 minutes, and I finished lunch and continued to Raccoon Creek Road and Braswell Mountain Road, in that order.
The road surface was in good shope on both, but it was wet from the continuing rain.
Braswell Mountain Road was a pleasant alternative to taking I-20 directly to Leeds, AL. It was a quiet two-lane road passing by some very large farmhouses and estates.
When I do have to ride in the rain, I’d rather be on a quieter road going more slowly than on a freeway getting splashed by cars and trucks.
Ducking under cover at a roller skating rink was required while the worst of yet another storm passed through.
I arrived at the motel just outside of Leeds, Alabama just after 5pm. I was again on Central time, gaining back an hour. While traveling east and losing a hour due to the timezone change felt like progress on my tour, this timezone change made me feel like I was leaving part of the South, and therefore part of the Tour, behind me.
I walked to Logan’s Roadhouse for a beer and maybe some dinner. I was talking to a local resident for some time. After she left, I caught up with Facebook. I caught myself watching One Direction videos on my iphone and felt self-conscious, but the bartender said she loves One Direction 🙂
I used the motel’s pool and hot tub before crashing for the night. Tomorrow I’ll visit the Barber Vintage Motorcycle Museum.