Sweet Home Alabama

Ah camping, nothing like hearing the wind in the trees and the birds chirping as you wake up.  Of course I could also hear Big Jim snoring in the next tent.  Not to mention the group of Boy Scouts across the road who wouldn't stop playing around the bathroom all night.  It would have been nice to see the stars, except you couldn't, not with the sodium light blazing not 50 feet away.  Maybe it was just this particular campground.  I don't have much experience with them.  It was a lot like a neighborhood with small lots, no fences, poor walls, and shared toilets.  Still, it was pretty, and I enjoyed it.  Well maybe everything except the bathroom. 

We camped at Oak Mountain State Park outside Pelham Alabama.  Big Jim, Dirt Hippie (DH) and I.  But before we left beautiful Downtown Havana, we felt we needed to construct some sort of contract with DH.  He's not a bad guy but he is prone to peculiar behavior. 

Sooo we (Jim and I) drew up a document which we titled "Contract for Acceptable Behavior".  I'll go over a few of the highlights:

1.      I will not complain about the way the Grumpy Old Man drives.

2.      I will not complain about the places we stop to eat or get supplies.

3.      I will not complain about the campsite (as I have made all the arrangements).

4.      I will not try to force my bizarre diet on others.

5.      I will not make comments regarding the diet of others.

6.      I will drink beer.

7.      I will not complain about trail conditions or the type of trail we ride.

8.      I will not keep remarking about my vast camping experiences.

9.      I will not holler “ohhh, here kitty kitty kitty” whenever I see a cat.

10.  I will refrain from calling the Grumpy Old Man “Dad” when others are within earshot.

11.  I will refrain from making fun of the people in Alabama. 

12.  Disregard the above.  They will get what they deserve.

13.  I agree not to take unflattering pictures of my traveling companions and subsequently post them on a social media site.

14.  Whenever Big Jim or the Grumpy Old Man raise their hand I will immediately stop speaking as it means I have started to become obnoxious.

He violated half of them before we got out of Florida. 

      Anyhoo, we had a great trip in my opinion.  We rode (I walked) some very rocky single track at Oak Mountain, rode an amazing trail system at Cold Water Mountain, then rode the fast flowing stuff at Oak.  We ate like pigs, at least Jim and I did, drank a few beers, and rode our bikes.  I crawled into my tent tired and happy at night.  I'm ready to do it again.

 

       Just a comment on the video at the top.  It's from the new trail at Cold Water Mountain, and it's the best downhill I've ever ridden.  The raw footage was 8 minutes long so I just included the first half.  Yea, I know I'm slow so you don't have to tell me.  And yes, Big Jim and DH dropped me.  That's not unusual.  As for the music, well YouTube has limited choices, so just turn the volume down if you don't like it.  I left the ending where Big Jim is just sitting there in so it would match the music.  Notice how he flexes and poses when he knows the camera is on. 

       I hope to do another trip before it gets too cold.  Thinking about FATS sometime in October.  We'll see.