A nice day ride.

We had us a nice little day trip this afternoon. Handled some chores that needed completing, took the youngest boy to Moes to temporarily fill up his ever-hungry belly and then saddled up on Silver for a ride to Tuscaloosa, Alabama via county roads.

Around 2:00 PM we snaked our way over to the Tannehill State Park area from Alabaster and then turned west on County Road 216. It is a very pleasant ride through the countryside with plenty of curves. The pavement is in surprisingly good shape and there is one section of 216 that tries to imitate so many of the North Carolina roads with their nice sweepers and elevation changes.

We knew we wanted to have dinner at the Cyprus Inn on the banks of the Black Warrior River in Tuscaloosa. They do not open until 5:00 PM on Saturday so with plenty of time to kill we made a side trip to see the Bankhead Lock and Dam. We discovered a lonely road named "Lock 14 Road" and took it most of the way in to the Lock and Dam. Good luck trying to find that road on the map! We somehow missed a turn on the return trip back to CR 216 and were treated to the "scenic route". Tammy claimed we were lost....co-riders can be silly like that (cough, cough).

We rode through one small sprinkle that was barely enough to wet the windshield and pulled into the Cyprus Inn parking lot in Tuscaloosa just as they were opening. Timing was perfect. The meal was satisfactory and we really enjoyed eating with the beautiful view of the Black Warrior River.

The return trip was even better with the temperature having cooled to the low 80's upper 70's. We could see where there had been some rain but we managed to avoid most of the wet stuff. I chalk it up to good motorcycle piloting....yeah right!

All in all an excellent Saturday spent doing what we love. A little over 200 miles round trip. Just right for a weekend afternoon.

I hope you all are having a wonderful and relaxing weekend.

I'll post a few pics below:


I swear...one of these days she is going to fire that motorcycle up and ride off without me!
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We stopped for a water break on a lonely stretch of road on our way to see the Bankhead Lock and Dam
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Tammy playing with the camera while we ride.
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Proof that I was there. Taken on a bridge spanning the Black Warrior River.
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Tammy and "Silver" on the same bridge mentioned above.
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The Bankhead Lock and Dam on the Black Warrior River. Don't ask me why I didn't think to zoom in. Blame it on dehydration...
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My better half and Silver...I think they're both good looking!
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At last our destination! We were looking forward to dinner at the Cyprus Inn right on the banks of the Black Warrior River.
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The view of the Black Warrior from our table.
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Me and my bride on the grounds of the Cyprus Inn.

49 UP

Absolutely fascinating....

I had a few unexpected hours at home today (recovering from a root canal) and found myself milling about the Netflix web site.

I have an interest in documentaries and ran upon this one from England. It is a study of several people beginning with interviews when they were children at age seven. Then every seven years the producer filmed in depth interviews with the people about their lives. The latest installment is "49". I was enthralled the entire time I watched the film.

Being an American, the look "inside" the English life was interesting beyond words. And oh WOW the beauty of much of the scenery shots. The Yorkshire hills are beyond belief!

Have any of you seen this film? If so, what is your opinion?

The answer to your traffic woes.

Now this is just too cool! I was over at Iron Dad's blog and found this link he posted to this video.

Now I gotta ask you, just how fun would this be to fly / drive?

Iron Man - The Review

Some of you may remember my post declaring my excitement over the upcoming Iron Man movie. I am happy to report that the movie finally made it's way to the big screen in my town.

Having commented to my better half several times in the recent past about looking forward to Iron Man coming to theaters, it was a foregone conclusion that we would be making a trek to the local cineplex soon after the film landed here in Alabama.

I was prepared to return to blogland and offer my opinion that even though the film was cheesy with overwrought CGI special effects, Iron Man was simply too cool to dis in my blog. Fortunately for me I don't have to. The movie was excellent!

Choosing Robert Downey, Jr. to play the part of Iron Man was a stroke of genius. His comedic timing was spot on and he offered a depth to the character you wouldn't expect to find in a "super hero movie". However I must admit to feeling a bit ill at ease over the choice because lets face it....who knows if Robert will be available for the sequel? He's got a rocky past and hasn't been the most dependable actor to grace the silver screen. Hopefully he can keep it between the lines and be available to further this wonderful franchise.

It was a treat to watch Jeff Bridges as Obadiah Stane. You get the feeling early on that his character is of questionable integrity, and I found myself anticipating when he would finally show his true colors. Another one of those interesting bad guys.

Gwyneth Paltrow did a nice job of keeping her character from just being another "love interest" that moves the plot along. She wasn't given a whole lot to work with but she did exceptionally well with what she had. There is no hiding the fact that she's got real acting chops.

I highly recommend the film folks!

Motorcycle Awareness Month

Hey folks.

I wanted to make a post in honor of Motorcycle Awareness Month.

As a fan of the two wheeled transportation option I have a vested interest in other people being aware of those of us using transportation with a little less protective metal around us. I have found that most people keep a polite distance between their bumper and my rear wheel. This gives them and me both a protective "cushion" in case something were to happen and I ended up on the pavement. As a motorcyclist I am very appreciative of this.

The situations that scare me more than the car behind me is where there are multiple roads feeding onto the road on which I am riding. Or even more dangerous is the scenario in which a car in the oncoming lane is attempting to turn left across the lane I am traveling on. Studies have shown that the 2nd scenario I offered is one of the most dangerous to motorcyclists. It is easy for the driver of a car to become distracted (cell phone, adjusting radio, talking to passengers...) and never even "see" that motorcycle travelling in the lane they are about to cross (or turn on to). A common comment from car drivers involved in an accident with a motorcyclist is "I never saw them."

Those of us who take safety riding courses are taught techniques to improve our visibility. Techniques such as wearing bright colored clothing and helmets (not all of us just have outlandish taste in riding gear!), shifting our lane position from time to time so that you can see us in different mirrors which reminds you that we're back there, keeping our headlights on at all times, and other tricks. However the most powerful tool out there for we motorcyclists is just a general overall awareness by car pilots that we are out there. In other words if the thought "is there a motorcycle there?" crosses your mind as you lane change, merge or cross a lane of traffic then you are doing the absolute most you can to help keep goofballs like me safe. And to those of you willing to do this I offer my sincere gratitude.

No one has forced me to ride a two wheeler. I am aware that I choose a mode of transportation that puts me in more danger than the person who rides solely in a car. That choice is not your problem. However I want you to know how much I appreciate those of you who care enough about the people in the world around them to put effort in to being aware that we motorcyclists are out there on the road with you. If you happen to see a long tall skinny fella on a silver Gold Wing in the Birmingham, Alabama area give him a wave. It might be Sarch waving back at you!

Urinetown...The Musical

I had one of those strange bittersweet parental moments a few weeks ago.

My oldest son attends a university here in Alabama. He is within a couple of hours drive which works out just right for him. He is far enough away from home that he has his independence, and yet when he has a need or desire to get home he can get here before the next meal. Unsurprisingly, the young man rarely feels the need to be home and thus we're no longer intimately aware of everything going on in his life as we were when he was living here.

A few months ago he mentioned in his understated way that he was involved in the school musical this semester. Of course Tammy and I jumped on that and had him purchase us a couple of tickets and a couple more for my parents while he was at it. Boy am I glad we did.

Saturday afternoon my folks pulled in the drive and we all loaded up in my wife's Tribute for the two hour trip down to Troy, Alabama. It was a beautiful day and the ride was pleasant and filled with the comfortable and easy conversation that comes with being among family.

Upon arriving at Troy University our oldest son met us and joined us in the Tribute for a run into town to grab some grub before the show. It was great getting to talk with him and listen to him converse with his grand parents over some local Mexican food. Then back to the campus where we drove among the academic buildings and dormitories as Justin gave us a running commentary on campus life.

Eventually Justin had to part with us to go get ready for the musical (IE -don make up - don't think for one minute I didn't take advantage of the opportunity to rib him after finding out about this turn of events!) Tammy and my parents and I strolled through the trees and past the fountains on the campus grounds then found our way into the bookstore and eventually the food court where we downed a couple of smoothies as we awaited show time.

The Troy University theater is surprisingly nice with a classy foyer that opens into the theater itself. You enter at the top of a steep tiered hall. Upon entering the theater itself we discovered "vagrants" (students in costume of course) lying around on the floor and across many of the seats. There were several "police officers" patrolling the theater, and if a vagrant happened to be blocking your seat a police man would stroll over with his night stick and make the vagrant move. Amidst much protest by the homeless person of course. I overheard several threats from the officers promising that the offender would be sent off to Urinetown if they didn't get in line. Ah ha....they show had already begun and there hadn't been a single spot light lit yet!

I am not going to go into a drawn out description of the musical, but suffice it to say that it was truly a treat. I mean that sincerely and not just from the biased point of view of a participating student's parent. The music was upbeat and original and wonderfully sung. These kids could sing! The acting was a delight and the humorous dialog hit the mark. Many times the packed theater exploded in laughter. Those college students managed to create a diversion for their audience that you don't get to experience every day.

They managed to make me forget the "real world" for a bit and transported me to a place where I could experience a whole plethora of emotions over the course of a couple of hours. I was not alone. As I looked from left to right down my aisle I was able to make out the smiles and sparkling eyes of the other attendees. Young and old, we all were having a great time.

And now the strange part....my oldest son, the one I've fed and bathed and chased around the swing set as a child was among those actors and singers. I sat there in that dark theater watching my son sing and dance and move props around in rhythm to the beat. I really cannot describe what I was experiencing at that moment. He was not a main character, but he was out on that stage in some roll or other for most of the show. Having not seen him regularly over the last several months, his mother and I had no reference point from which to view this development in his life. We saw him last Christmas....and now here he is having memorized all this and being an integral part of making so many in this theater happy. We had nothing to do with this. Our boy is a man with a life that is moving on it's own track......how odd. Joyful, bitter sweet, and odd.

Times like this make me wish I had Bobkat's wordsmith capabilities or the eloquence of Carmi. Does any of this make sense?

Flash photography was not allowed but I managed to find a few pictures that someone had taken and posted on their Facebook page. I have posted several below:

Justin can be seen playing the part of a vagrant. He is on the left side scaffold, third from the front (behind the girl in the white dress)
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This one is terribly out of focus but Justin can be seen hanging from the steps in the center. He's wearing a brown jacket, white shirt and brown pants.
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Here Justin is playing the part of a doctor. He can be seen on the right wearing a white lab jacket and a silly slicked down hairdo.