Author: allmondg

Posted on

September 18

I was planning to do a multi-day ride with Randy. He wasn’t feeling well this morning and decided not to go. I understand, if you are sick and try to ride, you WILL be miserable.

I thought about a couple of plans, then decided to make a little change to the route I was planning to ride with Randy. I got the GPS out, edited the route then got ready to go.

I gassed up the bike, started both trackers, and started rolling. I got a few minuets down the road and went to turn on the route in the GPS. I couldn’t find it! I knew the first location, so I entered it into the GPS. I would just add the next site once I got to each stop.

My first stop was at Hooligan’s HD. This is in Oxford, AL and Tim belongs to the HOG chapter here as well as the chapter where we got our bikes.

I went in and was warmly greeted! I regret that this isn’t usually the norm. The salesman helped me get the check-in with the HOG app, then helped me got checked it with the riding challenge, even getting the latest keywords. I can see why Tim likes this place.

I went outside and got my picture with the bike in front of the dealership for the dealership challenge. Harley has so many challenges going on at one time, it can be confusing which dealership participates in which challenge and and which challenge is yearly or one that is on-going. Maybe one on-going challenge and one annual would be enough for people, but there are a lot of people who ride Harleys and each one like different challenges, so Harley wants to have something for every one.

The only one that I did which required a picture was the dealership challenge.

The next stop was in Tallapoosa, GA. This was to verify that I had been to a town mentioned in Johnny Cash’s song “I’ve Been Everywhere.” Tallapoosa is one of the towns he mentioned. I learned a few weeks ago that BMW is VERY specific as to what is and isn’t allowed. I used the Chamber of Commerce in El Dorado and they denied it. I had used a historical marker in the past with a sign “Welcome to Waterloo” in the background. They denied that one. I was able to go back to Waterloo and and took a picture at the Post Office. So, for Tallapoosa, GA, I was going to use the Post Office there. I entered the Post Office into the GPS, and I was on my way. Only about 30 miles away, so I would be there quickly.

As I entered the town, I remembered the Veteran’s Park which had a Huey and several other military items. I thought that across the street from the park was a city limits sign for Tallapoosa. And I also wondered if there would be a cannon in the park. As I got into town, the GPS pointed left for the Post Office, but I made a right turn to go to the park (also, there was a “no left turn” sign at the intersection.)

I got to the park and went to look for the Huey. I found it, but they were doing some restoration work on it and I didn’t think it would be a good picture. I looked around for a cannon or two, no luck. As I left the park, I didn’t see a city limits sign. Okay, at least I have to Post Office in the GPS!

As I head back into town, I pull into the parking lot of a BBQ place, “Turn Around Bar-B-Que.” It is in the same building as an equipment shop.

A few blocks away, I found Owen’s BBQ.

As I was leaving, I noticed a coffee shop! I parked in front and ran across the street to get the picture of K&M Coffee.

As I started rolling, I saw the Police Department on my right with the parking lot mostly vacant. I liked the idea of pulling into the parking lot on the right, then make a right to get back on the road. I have had great luck with police officers and sheriff deputies in the last few weeks, I thought this would be a fitting tribute, as long as they don’t come out and office me a tour and a place to stay for some reason.

I sat here for a few minutes to try to enter in my next locations. This was turning into too much trouble having to type in the names, especially when the keyboard is split between to pages that I would have to switch between. I decided to just head back home. I managed to get 400 miles on the bike today, which was what I was going to get if I had stayed with the initial plan. But, this was I get to sleep in my own bed tonight!

Posted on

August 6

I am posting this on the 15th, so it will appear out of order.

Memphis is known for BBQ and Blues. Actually the entire west Tennessee area is known for BBQ! I have a RTE (Ride To Eat) each month in Collierville (a town in the Memphis/Shelby County area). I thought I took a picture a few months ago, but couldn’t find it. Since I am usually there each month, I took one this month. I thought that I had downloaded it, but couldn’t find it. I went through the camera; not there. I finally checked my phone; there it is!

Of the BBQ places, I like Corky’s and Collierville/Germantown Commissary the best. There are others, but they are hard to get to and often too crowded. There is one place (that I will not mention) that I feel is over-rated.

Anyway, I finally have the picture for the BBQ points from Collierville Commissary!

Posted on

August 11

the ride that last few days have been to focus on Tour of Honor sites. As I finished, all that was left was to ride home. I filled up with gas in Lepanto, AR. I won’t have to stop until I get home!

As I was leaving the gas station and ready to take off, I noticed a mural on my left. I quickly turn around and pull over. Rather nice mural, though it is aging. It is dedicated to a local Medal of Honor recipient MSgt James R. Hendrix. He fought in the Battle of the Bulge in WII.

BUT, there was also some town history, which included a mule train. This meets the requirements for the Coddiwomple’s Hee Haw Challenge! I get a quick photo, then I was on my way home.

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August 9

I ended the day yesterday visiting a Tour of Honor site and noticed as I was leaving that there was a cannon behind the memorial.

Simmesport, LA

Today I was hoping for two sites. I wanted to get a sign of some sort for Jacksonville, AR and one for El Dorado, AR.

I visited a site to finish up Louisiana and started working on Arkansas. I knew that El Dorado was one of the Coddiwomple sites. As I came into town, I saw a huge mural on the top of a building, When I stopped, the building in front blocked the view. I was still hopeful and found the El Dorado Chamber of Commerce! Being a Saturday, they were closed which left the parking lot empty for me to park for the best view.

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July 28

My goal today was to visit some potential Tour of Honor sites. Along the way, I found some Coddiwomple sites!

My first planned site was a mural in Jasper. I knew the location and was looking for a mural of Sergeant William Jasper, the namesake of the town. He was a soldier in the Revolutionary War. As I rounded the corner I had an odd feeling that this was not going to be a fruitful visit. The corner where I was expecting a mural had the remnants of a burnt building.

There was a good part of the visit in Jasper, I found a mule statue in front of a bank on my way to the mural location. As I was riding to the mural location, I saw several other mule statues! I learned that Jasper has a lot of mule statues. I can only submit one mule per town, so I didn’t get any other pictures. If I check the rules and see that I can submit others, I may go back to Jasper.

My next stop was to be in Jacksonville, AL. This was to check another Tour of Honor site for next year. As I neared Jacksonville, I saw a sign and realized that Jacksonville is one of the towns in another category of the Coddiwomple challenge. I pulled to the shoulder of the road to get the picture.

The that was on my route was for the Tour of Honor. It is a site that I may submit for next year. I’ll not include the pictures on the post. I will have to wait until after April 1 of 2026 when the sites are announced.

My next target was a mural in Boaz. I found a mural, but it wasn’t what I was looking to use. Then I noticed a few things. First, there were several other mural in the town. Second, the mural across the street from where I parked has a mule on it! Another score for the Coddiwomple challenge. Because of the mural, location, and where I parked the bike, I needed two pictures.

My next stop was in Cullman. The mural was a few blocks off the main routes. If I had not learned of it from an internet search, I doubt I would have ever found it. Again, I am not including the picture since I may submit it for the Tour of Honor.

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July 23

Great day to be out on the bike. Hot, but still a great day. I set a very aggressive agenda for today, but scaled it back as I neared Memphis.

The plan initially was to visit the Veteran Cemetery off Jackson Avenue in Memphis, the Doughboy in at the Art School in Overton Park, the Gold Star Memorial at the Liberty Bowl Stadium, Graceland, then to Helena for a photo op with the Doughboy and the Merci Train there.

I started riding the road I would travel about every other weekend my first year in college when I lived in the dorms. Ah, US-64. As I neared Hornsby, I thought about going through town on the old US-64 since the “new” US-64 by passes the town. I haven’t been through the town of Hornsby since the spring of 1977. I am sure that I can pass through safely, I know that no one involved is either alive or would even remember me. But I don’t want to take chances.

As I neared Memphis, I realized that visiting the various sites in Memphis would add a lot of time to my ride today, and have me going through parts of Memphis that could have traffic. I set the GPS to skip all of those sites. I can go visit another time this year. Today I will focus on Helena, AR.

I hopped on the Interstate that went around Memphis and set my sites on US-61 south. There wasn’t much traffic, something that I enjoy.

I made the turn on US-49 off US-61, the theoretical “Crossroads” where Robert Johnson made his deal with the Devil. This 10 mile stretch of road was the worst paved road I can ever remember. It wasn’t that there were potholes, the road had cracks and bumps. Some repaired and some not repaired. It was hard to tell whether the repairs improved the road or made it worse!

I crossed over the Mississippi River into Arkansas and the road improved. I set my first stop at the Doughboy. I found a parking lot and was able to find a spot where I could get the picture of the bike and the doughboy. As I was getting set up, some lady parked next to me, REAL close! I had to move the bike to another parking lot, this would require two pictures. Pictures taken and I was on my way to the Merci Train.

The Merci Train is a few blocks away. I think there is a military/veteran museum, but I have never seen any indication of anyone around. I parked in the parking lot of a medical building, which also looked deserted.

As I was coming into town, I saw a small park with a cannon. As I had gotten closer to the Doughboy, I passed two other parks with cannons. I liked the first one the best, so I stopped there on my way back out of town on my way home

It wasn’t the best angle, but I was able to get the cannon, bike, and rally flag in the picture.

As I was walking back to the bike, a lady pulls up in her pickup truck. At first, she reminded me of Ms. Sue from Maggie Valley, but this lady appeared to be a few years older than Ms. Sue. But you could tell this lady was still as feisty as Ms. Sue. She told me that she lives behind the park and tries to keep a watch on things. She even cuts the grass for the lot next door since it is a vacant lot and she doesn’t want people to see it all grown over.

My ride home was great. I got home, got a shower, MaryJo prepared a bagel sandwich for me and had a bottle of Gatorade waiting for me. About 475 miles in 9 hours. Not a bad pace.

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July 16

First, I added a new photo to the post on July 2 with an additional photo to verify that I was in Waterloo, AL. I took the BMW for a ride today and the Post Office in Waterloo was the first stop.

I tried to visit Artsy Coffee in Muscle Shoals, but couldn’t find the entrance. I tried the road next to the shop and hoped that it would circle around. No luck. I will give it another try later this week.

I rode to Huntsville to visit for some Tour of Honor points. While getting some pictures in the front of the museum, I notice a cannon! I grabbed a quick photo, then resume my Tour of Honor photo collection.

On Wilson Dam Road, there has been a building with a sign that a coffee shop is coming soon. A few days ago, I noticed it was now open! I made the stop on my way home. Neat little coffee shop, I will have to give it a try one day.

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July 2

Great day on the road, but only one Coddiwomple, a visit to Waterloo, AL.

The original photo was denied since it wasn’t an official sign. Toda,, July 16, I went back and got a photo of the BMW at the Post Office.

Posted on

June 11

Today was to be the first day of a two-day ride. I got busy working on other projects last night and didn’t get to plan the routes. So, this morning I decided to make today another day-ride and would visit a few sites near the house and get them submitted for Coddiwomple and Tour of Honor.

As I was riding today, I realized that I have been using this website to post information on my Coddiwomple adventures, but I haven’t been keeping my main website up to date on all the rides.

I gassed up the bike and took off for Corinth. Along the way, I stopped at High on the Hog BBQ in Glen, MS. I have been there alone, with MaryJo, with CMA, and with members from the HOG chapter. Since I think I am the only BMW rider in Florence, I don’t have any BMW riders to join me. I will admit, this is a fantastic place. A mom and pop place. They are closed on Sunday and Monday. When they open on Tuesdays, they have BBQ fresh off the pit that has been cooking for two days!

I make a stop in Corinth at the Veterans Cemetery, then head over to Walnut, MS to get a picture of the Huey at the park there.

I meander my way on backroads, ignoring the GPS (which was pissing it off!). I only have a few miles on US45, then most of US64 are four lane. I make my way through Adamsville and pull into the parking lot at River Barbeque Company. I had tried to get a picture here a week or so ago, but the settings on the camera resulted in washed out pictures. I was able to save some, but the one from here couldn’t be saved. I parked in the same parking spot as before and tried to get the exact duplicate picture.

Posted on

June 10

Even as I was doing the final checks on the routes, I was still undecided whether to do a day ride and leave the next two days for a two-day ride, do three single day rides, or do a single three-day ride. Not being in a rush this morning, and not having a bag packed, I decided that today would be a one-day ride.

I set my loop to go to Murfreesboro to visit the Tour of Honor site and a few other places in town. Along the way, I would see about some Coddiwomple sites, these are more of a scavenger hunt since the I only know what to look for, but don’t know where I can find it.

First stop is the UPSP office in Lewisburg. The challenge is in honor of music pioneers, this is for Lewis. The name of the pioneer need only be a part of the location’s name. Hence, Lewisburg works for Lewis

There is no surprise that I am overweight. Okay, I am fat! BUT, I seem to be able to spot a BBQ place, almost like I follow my nose. Shortly after leaving to Post Office, I spot Ziffel’s BBQ in Lewisburg. I can’t pass it up.

I was going out of my way to not only avoid interstates, but to minimize my time on four-lane roads, at least until I am ready to start getting home. I meander into Chapel Hill, TN. Stopped at the light, I spot a rooster! The light turns green and I pull into the bank’s parking lot. I notice that there are some veteran memorials in the small area next to the bank, but my focus right now is the rooster.

I had managed to pull into the exit lanes, the drive is one-way and I am pointing the wrong way. To make it more fun, the bike is pointed downhill. I maneuver the bike around and get ready to start rolling. I wait for the light to change so I can have a clear road. As I pull out into the road, I spot a coffee shop! South Arrow Coffee Co. I pull in. The parking has the bike pointing downhill again, so I angle so I can turn around in the empty parking spot next to where I stopped. I get the picture and ready to roll. As I am turning around, a lady, oblivious to the fact that I am trying to turn around, pulls into the spot that would give me a little extra room to make the U-turn. Gee, thanks. I manage to get out, while she is still on her phone.

My Tour of Honor sites were in Murfreesboro. I visited the Tour of Honor site which also is a 9-11 memorial. One picture, two points. I make my way to the Harley shop to do my check-in there and update my miles. I visited the Stone River National Battlefield to get a picture of a cannon. Cars and motorcycles are not allowed on the trail near the Visitor’s Center. I take a picture of the bike with a cannon in the background. I am not happy with the picture. When I got to the Veterans Cemetery which was across the street, there was another cannon. And I could pull up next to it. Much better picture!

Meandering on mostly two-lane roads to get back home. I stopped at a BBQ place where we had stopped for lunch a few years ago. It still looked good, but I had supper waiting on me. I will be back to the Ole Gin House BBQ!