43 year old motorcyclist from Newark, DE was attacked by inanimate alligator in front of Gainesville Harley-Davidson in Gainesville, FL. The victim was not seriously injured in the catastrophic incident. However he is being treated for mild brain damage unrelated to the attack. Details to come.
2010 has been an amazing year for me. I accomplished nearly all of the motorcycle-related goals that I had set forth, as well as a few unexpected ones. When I recall that in 2009 I had only gone on my first overnight trip on my own bike, I am completely amazed that by 2010 I was leading groups on overnight trips! I planned and led sixteen motorcycles on a weekend trip to the Williamsport HOG Poker Run in June. Wow, that was a total blast… especially dinner at Bamboo Bernie’s & dancing at Cancun Cantina West across the street from our hotel! I’m sure that trip along with my weekly mid-day summer ride series played a large part in my being voted in as a full patched Road Captain for First State HOG.
I also planned out routes and led the majority of the way on several trips with my hubby. Jay & I spent the weekend at Gettysburg Bike Week and took two four-day trips along the Blue Ridge Parkway. Each of those was an amazing experience too. It was pouring here when we left for Gettysburg, but the radar clearly showed that the storm was moving out and we’d see sunshine by the time we arrived at our destination. So we geared up and headed out into the rain. At one point during the rain delay and debate that morning Jay asked me why we should ride our bikes instead of taking the cozy dry car, and I responded “because we are motorcyclists, that’s what we do!”
That comment couldn’t have been more appropriate to describe my accomplishments over spring break. Not only did I challenge myself over some pretty rough and quite unfamiliar mountain terrain during the few days we visited the Blue Ridge Parkway, but I also took several more local day trips & rides throughout the rest of my break – totaling over 2000 miles for the week!
Speaking of mileage, I did fall about 250 miles short of hitting the 20K mark on my Harley’s odometer before this snap of below-freezing temperatures settled in. The other goal I did not achieve was getting certified as a motorcycle safety instructor. Unfortunately, the course schedule conflicted with not just one but two different trips that I was not going to miss. C’est la vie…there’s always next year.
I got a new cage this year (albeit topless), and in addition to that my bike has also seen a few changes. I got a J&M CB radio for my handlebar – it works great in being able to communicate with my fellow Road Captains. And after searching high & low, I finally accepted that I was going to have to fork out the $400+ for a Mustang seat if I wanted a solo w/backrest for my Dyna. I am totally glad I did – and so is my chiropractor!
Looking forward to 2011, I have a simple plan…RIDE! I want to visit Maggie Valley & Pigeon Forge, I plan to take a group to Gettysburg, and I’m thinking of visiting Skyline drive again (this time on my own bike). I want to ride to, and around, Deep Creek Lake, and visit the wind turbines and waterfalls… maybe finally get to visit Falling Waters (a house designed by genius architect Frank Lloyd Wright that sits on a waterfall)! I might even take part in America’s 9-11 Foundation Ride this year. Regardless, if you’re looking for me in 2011 chances are you’ll find me with my knees in the breeze!
I don’t know if any of you have seen this place on TV but I had seen it one too many times on the box. I decided it was time to see it in person. On the grounds of the Barber Motorsports Park in Leeds, Alabama is the Barber Vintage Motorcycle Museum. The collection of 1200 vintage and modern motorcycles (600 on display at any given time) will blow your eyeballs out of your two wheel lov’n skull. They range in make and model from 1903 to present time. The museum is also home to the world’s largest collection of Lotus cars. The motorsports park covers 740 acres and has a 2.38 mile world class race track. When I entered this shrine to motor madness history a smile was instantly pasted on my face. For the next three and a half hours I practiced the art of Motorcycle Photography for your benefit. I didn’t realize time flew by so quickly as I was engrossed in the incredable display of mechanized history. We were advised to take the elevator to the 5th floor and work our way down and we did. The elevator is large enough to move cars up and down the musuem. The sides are glass. There is a Indy style race car on top of the elevator car. The elevator shaft is lined at the corners with 4 towers of motorcycles on display going from the basement up past the 5th floor.
The whole backside of the museum is windowed overlooking the racetrack and letting lots of good light into the museum. Good for taking pictures! Further inside the museum there are spot lights that I couldn’t figure out how to compensate correctly for so those pictures have a yellow glow to them. There is a 360 degree tower that goes up 4 floors with motorcycles displayed like stems coming out from a Christmas Tree. There are motorcyles from every era and every country. There are motorcycles from every facet of the sport. There are also classic cars and racing cars. There are Whizzers hanging from the ceiling on wires like a mobile.
Concrete spiraling walkways take you from one floor to another. The spaciousness of the museum and size of the collection is amazing! In one large corner of the museum there is a board track racing display, a recreation of the original 1903 Harley-Davidson shop along with a green Ford Model T. Apparently it orginally did come in different colors. The board track display not only had Indians and Harleys… there was a Crocker!
The Daytona display was cool as was the vinatge race bike collection. Did you know Michael Jordan put together an AMA race team in 2004 and the race team is still competing?
I would have to say the vintage military motorcycles might be the best part of the collection. As a Harley-Davidson enthusiast I payed homage to two of my favorites: the XR750 dirt tracker and the 1970 Super Glide (the original factory custom from Willie G). Can you say “I am not worthy.”
I got up and took some interesting detail shots such as the tanks on a Reading Standard from our neck of the woods and a BSA. Definitely had to get up close to some vintage Indians!
My favorite model wasn’t on two wheels or four and I got to take her home with me. Kicking and screaming of course.
The basement level wasn’t open so we had to take pictures from above. I wish we could have gone down there!
We definitely enjoyed the Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum and it was worth the two extra days of travel and two overnight stays at motels in order to see this mecca of motor mania.
I took a ton of pictures and we haven’t even downloaded the pictures from Diana’s camera yet. Click here to see all my pics.
“Tomorrow, today’s bikes will be history, these already are…”
Diana and I recently visited her Dad in Clearwater, Florida. Took the Toyota Corolla… I know not very exciting. Drove straight through seven states to get there in 20 hours. After spending a few days in chilly Florida we went to the Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum in Alabama. We consulted with Lady R who recommended Rt 25 that took us from Montgomery into Leeds where the museum is. That was an awesome road! Made us wish we were on the bikes. Glad we consulted with the local experts. Too bad we couldn’t meet up with Lady R and Harley but our schedules didn’t quite match up. The Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum was unbelievable! Makes the Solvang Museum look like a salvage museum. Will post story and pictures soon. Tons of pictures! I must warn you Dave, these pictures will put you over the edge and you will be taking Tramp straight to Alabama after you see what is inside this building. Can you say Crockers?! We hit Tennessee and West Virginia on the way home making a total of ten states on our road trip. Smoky Mountain Harley-Davidson is a cool dealership! More to come on these stories. Stay tuned.
Click here for 2011 vintage motorcycle calandars.
The January East Coast Biker 2011 issue is now online. Go to page 48 for Diana’s year in review wrap up. Click here.
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