THE HILLS ARE ALIVE... WITH THE SOUND OF HARLEYS

Dear Diary... a glimpse into the pages of a journal written by a woman rider.

Monday
July 5, 2010

Wow! I feel like I'm still soaring through the air with the sun on my face and the wind at my back... what a ride! We just cruised home after spending four days riding the Glides around the Fort Payne area, including Lake Guntersville, and Lookout Mountain. We had an awesome time exploring this northeast area of Alabama that's usually out of reach for our day rides, and I was reminded of what a beautiful state I live in.

Nestled at the foothills of the Smokey mountains, Ft Payne is like a gateway to a riders playground. There were plenty of big hills, some spectacular views, and lots of exciting curvy roads to feed our pleasure. As you to leave Ft. Payne to the north, once you navigate through the old historic downtown and reach the outskirts of town, you immediately start climbing in elevation. Some of the inclines and declines (and there were many!) were very steep straight shots of road but would stretch on and on for about 3 or 4 miles. Totally fun!!

Twisting the throttle back and listening to the sound of my powerful V-twin effortlessly pull me up one of these long inclines was like music to my ears. Brub, brub, brub, brub... the melodic sound echoed off the rocky cliffs that flanked the highway as our Glides rode together in rhythmic harmony. Climbing, climbing, then climbing some more, I swear, it felt like I was riding right up to heaven! Chugging our way to the top, I feel my smile widen when I'm rewarded with a softening hum as I crest the hill and level back out.

Coming back down, on an equally long decline is probably even more fun than the climb itself. I learned real quick, that when I saw one of those yellow diamond shaped warning signs showing the silhouette of a truck on a steep decline, I was in for another fast flying treat! There's something really invigorating when you find yourself flying downhill (a very steep one at that!) at 70+ mph. I felt like a soaring super hero flying downward head first toward earth. What a rush!

We saw several other riders out and about during this holiday weekend and the waves were plentiful. It seems we were all having the time of our lives, experiencing these wonderful roads on two. The sound of rolling thunder reverberated through the countryside and made my heart sing.

The hills are alive... with the sound of Harleys!
Me