the Alabama Autocom Adventure
First, I apologize – no pics in this ride report. This one was about the experience, not the scenery.
Last year I met Don and Jennifer Stover at the Shiloh Rally. Some of you may know Don as “The Cigar Man†(He sells cigars at rallys). Given my passion for cigars, we hit it off, and have since swapped a little contraband at the RA rally and the Chicken Rally.
Two weekends ago I went on an Iron Butt ride with a small group that included Don and Jennifer. The performance of their Autocom unit throughout the ride impressed me, and with a little goading from Don I decided to take the plunge. All my parts came and, and the plan was for me to ride down to his home just outside Birmingham, AL to set everything up.
I got to looking through everything Friday night, read all the instructions, and about twenty minutes later had everything installed and working beautifully. Of course, I decided a trip down to Don and Jennifer’s would still be fun.
Because of a work commitment Saturday morning (an appearance on a talk radio show to discuss real estate appraisal), I didn’t get started as early as I wanted. The ride down was pure slab and uneventful. I did hit rain along a thirty mile stretch, but nothing major. I pulled into Stover Manor about 2:00 pm.
Don fired up his “Big Green Egg†(you MUST have one of these grills) and we enjoyed a couple of cigars while he grilled some huge steaks and some mixed veggies. Mainly I sat on the screened porch overlooking the lake and chilled. The bottle of Merlot I took along was a terrific match for the perfectly grilled steak. After another cigar on the same screened porch, we finally decided to look at my Autocom setup to see if he had any suggestions for improving the performance. That’s when the adventure began.
I had just left my key in the ignition when I arrived, and I noticed that I had to turn it VERY slightly to take it out. I didn’t think anything of this at the time. I opened up my system case to get to some accessories I had ordered. We played around for awhile, and about six o’clock I decided I needed to start the 250 mile trip back home.
Don plotted me a return route on more interesting roads, and I geared up to ride in the steady rain that had started falling. When I turned the key, nothing happened. The battery was stone cold dead. I felt like an absolute idiot.
We hooked up a battery charger (note to self: install one of those jump start posts on my motorcycle) and decided this was just God’s way of saying it wasn’t the right time to leave. We enjoyed some good cold watermelon as the rain played on the metal roof of that screened porch. At 7:00 pm I tried it again with no luck. We then pushed the bike to the top of the driveway and tried to roll start it. I have never been good at this, and the wet driveway didn’t help. No go. So, it was back on the battery charger. It was beginning to look like I might be a surprise overnight guest.
After watching the first hour of The Italian Job, I tried again at 8:00 pm. This time it started like a charm. I geared up and headed north on back roads that were far more interesting than I-65. The rain had stopped, and there was a very light fog that just added to the ambiance as I cruised through northern Alabama. When I got to Huntsville, some sort of special event was underway, and I got stuck in a monster traffic jam. At one point it took me over half an hour to roll about three miles. I did not get back to my home in Nashville until 1:00 am.
It was a long day that I made longer with my stupidity. But in retrospect, leaving the key turned on just let me spend more time on that porch, eat some watermelon, and avoid riding some fun but unfamiliar roads in the rain.
I hope one day you all have a “bad†day that is as fun and memorable as mine was.
A Good "Bad" Day - no pics
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DJ Downunder
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