This morning started just like any other morning of this trip has: load up the bikes, do last looks to make sure we didn’t leave anything behind and gear up to head out. The sun was beaming down hard and it looked to be a rain free day. As we left New Orleans, we got to see just how much water surrounded the city which we couldn’t see too well when we rolled in a few days ago since it was already dark. After hearing from Austin just how bad things were here during Katrina, I had a new amount of respect for the people of New Orleans who decided to stay and rebuild as well as for the mercy of mother nature. We both drove out of there very thankful for this beautiful, clear day.
Today became one of those days where Marco & I had tunnel vision until we got to Birmingham, Alabama which was about 350 miles away. We were told by Tim, who helped us back in Albuquerque, to go visit the Barber Vintage Motorcycle Museum. When we looked it up, we were both blown away. This place looked incredible and it stayed on our minds all day as we rode. We decided that the best thing to do was find a place to stay somewhere in Birmingham that was close to the museum so we could be the first ones there tomorrow.
After we got close to the airbnb place where we’d stay for the night, we were brought to a security checkpoint. I thought to myself, this is certainly different than what we’ve encountered before. Didn’t expect to ever find a place in a gated community that would be available to rent. After driving around the community for a bit, and seeing some incredible homes on the way, we arrive at our destination. We were met by an awesome couple, Tom and Jenny, who are actually originally from Jersey which was an awesome surprise. They show us around their apartment and make us feel right at home.
Once we got settled in, we decided to grab a bite somewhere close. There was a Jim’n Nicks BBQ around our area and since we enjoyed it back in Colorado we figured why not. After we treat ourselves to a good meal, I get on the phone with my friend Patrick who recommended that we take the Blue Ridge Parkway on the way back home. It’s a 469 mile road that takes you through the Appalachian Highlands in Virginia and North Carolina. We’re a few days away from getting there so we wanted to get an idea of where to hop on since we wouldn’t be riding the whole parkway which would take at least 2-3 days to complete. After a good idea of where to go, we head back to our place to rest and get ready for tomorrows epic trip to the motorcycle museum.