THE GREAT CHICKEN RALLY - May 2013

Ditto Landing Huntsville, Alabama
May 22 - 27   (1,650 miles)
Trip Report by Tony and Jill Barcia

We left Wilmington on the Wednesday before Memorial Day weekend.  Most of the places we drive through had many flags displayed along the approach and throughout the middle of town.  Some of the flags complimented crosses (some bearing the names of fallen heroes) lining the medium entering downtown.  It was wonderful to see the patriotism of these towns.

Very little of our journey to Huntsville, Alabama was back roads.  We traveled the quickest and most direct route which was 74 out of Wilmington to 95 South to 20 East.  We stopped in Madison, Georgia the first night.  Madison is a beautiful, historic town with tall overhanging trees for many blocks through downtown.  All of downtown was decorated for Memorial Day including a large flag on each light pole on every block and an enormous flag in the band shell of their new park.

Historic Madison, Georgia Courthouse

Big flag in park

Tree lined downtown streets

The next morning was a pleasant 4 1/2 hour drive to Ditto Landing on the Tennessee River (rally headquarters).  http://www.dittolanding.com/ 

Ditto Landing marina on the Tennessee River

This campsite was the most beautiful camping area I have been to.  So many trees, every site was shady and the trees practically reached the sky.

The main covered area was spacious with plenty of room for tables and chairs for the dinners and breakfasts.   A very nice bathroom with showers and lots of hot water.

Chicken Rally Headquarters

If you look at the Chicken Rally website http://www.bmwmoal.org  you will see it includes three dinners (BBQ and chicken, chicken, chicken) all cooked on site by the volunteers (BMW Motorcycle Owners of Alabama) as well as 2 pancake breakfasts (the best I have ever eaten) and 1 continental breakfast on Sunday morning.

Especially delicious pancakes!

There are many back road rides and fun places to visit during the weekend.  Our friends Nancy and Bill (from Knoxville - BMWROK) and Tony and I decided we would ride to Lynchburg, Tennessee to Jack Daniels Distillery on Friday.  It is a dry county so there are no samples but the tour is fabulous.  The tour is about an hour and we saw and learned so much; it is definitely worth the trip.

Arriving at the distillery

Tony, Jill, "Jack", Nancy and Bill

Our guide, Ron

Statue of Jack Daniels

Tony and Bill decide Jack needs a BMW ballcap

chairs made from used barrels

At the distillery the barrels are used only once, but nothing goes to waste everything is recycled.  The used barrels have many uses, even the burned wood is sold as "flavored" charcoal in the gift shop.

planters made from used barrels

The next stop was into Lynchburg for lunch. We went to the Barrelhouse BBQ (official site of the Jack Daniels cook off) which cooks the BBQ with the wood from the used barrels.

Saturday the four of us rode some nice back roads to the Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum.

If you haven't been there you should go.  You will be able to see every bike you ever owned in pristine condition.   A very interesting bike was not a BMW but a DKW Japanese knockoff.

For 6 days we had perfect weather for camping, riding and having fun. We split up the ride home by spending the night off 95 in Augusta. An interesting note about the Chicken Rally is that BMW MOA is a big sponsor and Vance Harrelson (a member of the Board of Directors of the MOA and a member of MotorcycleOwners of Alabama) was there to promote the 2013 MOA Rally in Oregon and to give away a new 800 GS to the winner of Saturday night's Grand Prize Raffle.