Team-HSV rode the route to the eclectic Wildflower Cafe in Mentone on May 1st. There were at least two detours and some challenging uphill twisties that we encountered. This particular ride gets a bit funky along County Road 38 near Langston, AL which climbs up from Lake Guntersville. [ N34° 32.318' W86° 04.407’ ] We had to manage a wee bit of gravel as a road was shrunken down to One-Lane as we climbed to 1400’ feet ASL on the Tenn River bluffs. Cars still manage to drive through on the Rough Pavement, so it “should not be” a problem for any competent 2-wheeler… If you point your front wheel where you need to go to avoid the rippled & subsided asphalt, then all will be biggly Okay! It was very similar to the road project we surmounted on our mountainous ride in Corsica (where we actually moved the construction fencing aside to proceed [and put it back when past]).
So the Wildflower Cafe is an “interesting Ride-2-Eat Destination” for our club. It Ain’t no southern BBQ joint! It’s an artsy-fartsy mountain haven with wholesome made-to-order lunches. Their driveway & parking lot is mostly well-compacted gravel, but it’s well tucked away in the woods. But it’s all very manageable! 6007 Alabama Highway 117 / Mentone, AL
I’m attaching a photo of the menu for your review. It isn’t an inexpensive destination, but U get what U pay for. Mrs-HSV had a spinach-quiche with a side of baked mini-tomato pie (3”). Le grande Poobah enjoyed his Canyon Ground Steak Burger with a side of fresh julienned vegetables. With one water & one iced tea, we dropped $40 incl tax & tip… Bring a credit card just in case you have a decadent dessert! https://www.mentonewildflower.com
Our Problem in HSV is we need to get there a little before they open at 1100 on Sat to get a group seated. {I never know how many chairs we’ll need...} Our ride from HSV was about 99 miles mostly along back roads. With some traffic and many twisties, there’s not a lot of group passing zones… So, the HSV Crewe will leave from Murphy’s Gas Station on South Parkway at 0830 {leaving 2.5 hours to get to the restaurant by 1100}. If anyone is thinking of eating a quick Vintage M/C Breakfast at the Blue Plate Cafe on Governor’s Drive, then I’m suggesting U arrive much earlier than the typical 0745 (maybe 0710)! We’re going to head south to Murphy’s NLT 0815 so we can get a quick fill up of High-Test ethanol-free petrol and be on our way south NLT 0830!
Attached is my planned GPS route (but there’s a weird unwanted turn that I can’t delete; ignore that!). It Will Certainly Be a Scenic and Interesting Ride-2-Eat! Y’all may choose your own desired route to get to the restaurant in Mentone by 1100. [ N34° 34.740' W85° 35.386’ ]. My Tracks indicate we ride from the 600’ level in HSV up & down along some twisty backroads before eventually climbing up to 1535’ at the Wildflower Restaurant. P&K CoddiWompled our way home through Rainsville, Albertville, and New Hope.
As we learned when riding in Europe, followers who are “Riding their own Ride at the own pace,” should expect the bike in front of them, to be visible or stopped at the next Turn-Point. Leading riders shouldn't make a turn and Not Be Seen by a following rider. A simple but crucial group riding rule. This rule applies to every rider in the procession. Ride your own ride on every twisty road section and anticipate a leading motorcyclist in front of you to wait for your approach. One-to-two, two-to-three, three-to-four, all the way back to the chase motorcycle.
Hope you’ll ride or drive to the Wildflower Restaurant in Mentone on May 14th. Please RSVP to president@bmwmoal.org by the 13th so I can try to warn the staff ahead of time! There is a covered outdoor seating area if we all happen to get there on-time...
MAY-22-R2E.GPX
R2E-May-2022.pdf
Menu.jpeg
Front-porch.jpeg
Happy Trails whenever U can - Ciao!
HSV-Karen & HSV-Phil
USN-Ret'd —-&-— USAF-Ret’d
'09 650GS-twin — '14 K-GT
'82 R100CS ——— '75 R90S
'16 R1200RS —-— ’05 Vespa 200L
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