Feature Destination – Barber Motorsports
25 Days, 15 States, 11,455 Kms
In 2018 a three week window of time opened and up and after some quick calculations I determined that it was enough time to make a run to the famous Barber Motorsports Museum in Birmingham Alabama. The goal was to visit the museum and finally make it down to the deep southern states with New Orleans as the turn around point. When I mentioned the trip to my riding buddy in typical fashion his only question was when are we leaving. Knowing there would be some long hard days ahead I decided to upgrade my mount and I found a pretty clean Honda 2009 ST1300 and bought it sight unseen over the phone. A few weeks later we were pushing or way through heavy rain towards Missoula Montana and Cheyenne Wyoming.
Our journey took us through the Ozark Mountains to the historic town of Eureka Springs Arkansas. It was still raining when we left the next morning but this is an area that’s definite worth a re-visit. You never know what you’ll find out in the back country of the US we passed through Twist Arkansa the town where BB King’s famed guitar Lucille earned its name after a dance hall brawl. Memphis was next on the agenda and we spend the night checking out the clubs on Beale Street. No trip to Memphis would be complete without a trip to Sun Studios and Elvis’s place to check out his house and rides.
Nashville was next on the list of places to visit and after a quick stop for provisions at Jack Daniels distillery in Lynchburg, Tennessee. Nashville of course is known for its country music scene and it did not disappoint. Broadway Street is lined with clubs featuring live music on multiple floors including Roberts Western World where Robert, dress like Elvis, performs daily.
It was a long day and night in Nashville and we even managed to spend some time centre stage at the Grand Oly Opry. From Nashville we headed south to Birmingham and the Barber Motorsports Museum. What great collection of motorcycles and worth every kilometre to get there and spend a day wandering the the many floors and halls. All of the bikes are in pristine condition and there’s track there as well. New Orlean’s was our next destination and we picked up a section of the The Natchez Trace Parkway a scenic byway that seems to have been made for motorcyclists.
Arriving in New Orleans the temperature was hovering over 40 degrees with the humidity was around 100% so needless to say you have to use mind over matter to keep your cool while dressed in riding gear and sitting on a very hot bike. It’s just something you have to be prepared for down south…it’s hot but fortunately the French Quarter is cool in a different way. Another great spot for live music and culture.
After a couple interesting days in N’Olins as they say it was time to plot a course for home that would get us there while avoiding most interstates. It was a great trip through the back country of Louisiana, Texas, Colorado, Wyoming, Idaho and Washington. We had an un-planned layover in Abilene with an un-fixable rear tire but you have to expect the unexpected on a road trip it all part of the adventure. The trip took 25 days with an overall average of roughly 600kms a day camping most days.
