Every year there is an event to celebrate a legend in rural northern Alabama. The legends name is Rick.  he owns Ricks cycle parts, a shop that works on primarily American Machines in Rainesville, AL.  There's no sign.  Just a barn behind a house.  However the proof that he is well know throughout the land appears on a Saturday in April, when hundreds motorcycles flood his front yard for what he calls a customer appreciation event.  I think his customers appreciate him.
We had an invitation from Ricks son, Michael (a talented custom builder himself) to come out the night before and partake in a pre celebration of sorts.  Somehow I failed to take any pictures of the actual Saturday event.... I fell asleep on the ground in Micheal's booth.  I do, however, remember seeing Michael's up and coming shop in downtown Fort Payne (see photos of the Alabama-the band-memorial statues on earlier blog entries) which is soon to have a mini ramp as well as the metal arts of Michael himself.  I wish I could be in Alabama for the grand opening.  Maybe I will if it gets done before July.  thanks for the hospitality Michael!
Look at Michael's webpage.  http://violentchoppers.com/

You can find this large fellow out in the sticks around Moody, AL, right next to this mailbox post.  Art.

 Hale county in Western Alabama is like no other place.  Full of contradictions.  Green landscape, rural poverty, a concrete skate park 50 miles from the nearest urban center and a lake in a forest.  Ok, a lake in a forest is not a contradiction.  Ten or so friends made a reason to get out of town on short notice and go somewhere we had never been (at least on motorcycles).  A record number of breakdowns didn't keep us from getting there, but they did give us some stories to tell.

Chauncey in Alabama