Hi {{contact.first_name}},
October is the reward for surviving the Gulf Coast summer. The heat finally lets go, the humidity drops, the afternoon storms fade, and the peak of hurricane season is behind us. The snowbird crowds have not arrived yet and the roads run quiet, the mornings turn cool and clear, and the light off Mobile Bay gets long and golden. This is the month Baldwin County riders wait all year for, so fuel up and go get the best coastal miles on the calendar.
Ride of the Month: The Eastern Shore on Scenic US-98
Mobile Bay on one side, live oaks overhead, and the prettiest slow miles on the coast
From Spanish Fort, drop down onto Scenic US-98 and follow the bluffs of the Eastern Shore. The road hugs Mobile Bay through Daphne and Montrose, past the moss-draped live oaks and old bay homes, into Fairhope with its pier and gardens, then on through Point Clear and down to the Weeks Bay estuary. It is easy, unhurried riding with the water flashing off your right shoulder and the canopy closing overhead, about as scenic as the coast gets in Alabama.
Take your time, stop for the view off the Fairhope pier or a plate on the Weeks Bay causeway, and watch for turning traffic and cyclists all along the Scenic. Loop back up US-98 with the afternoon sun on the bay, or run inland through the Fish River and Magnolia Springs back roads on the way home.
Want to trade the coast for the pines? Run north into the Conecuh National Forest and thread Highway 137 and the two-lanes around Open Pond, longleaf pine and quiet forest miles that ride beautifully in the cool October air. Closer in, the Bon Secour backroads and the county lanes through Magnolia Springs and Weeks Bay stay shaded and gorgeous, and Historic Blakeley up the bay is a fine short loop. All of it is best in the cool of the morning now that the heat has finally broken.
Fall Riding Safety: Alabama Edition
October on the coast is prime riding, and the turning season brings deer, cool mornings, and short days.
- The rut is on. Deer season is ramping up hard on the Baldwin County backroads and the county two-lanes, and the bucks move at dawn and dusk. Scan the shoulders and tree lines, cover your brakes, and never swerve blind across the center line.
- Cool, damp mornings and the season's first fronts. October cold fronts drop the temperature fast and leave dew and patchy fog in the low spots along the bay and the river bottoms. Dress in layers for a morning that starts cold, and give cold tires and shaded, damp pavement a few easy miles.
- Wet leaves and gravel on the shaded lanes. The live-oak and pine canopies drop leaves and needles into the corners on the Eastern Shore and the Bon Secour roads, and they get greasy after a morning dew or a passing shower. Give the shaded curves easy throttle and long following distance.
- The days are short now. Sunset creeps earlier all month, and the low evening sun sits right in drivers' eyes on the ride home. Assume they cannot see you, run your light and reflective gear, and keep a lane position where you always have an out.
Know Your Alabama Law
- Alabama's 1 percent rule can end your claim. Alabama is a pure contributory negligence state. If you are found even 1 percent at fault for the crash, you can recover nothing at all. Fault is everything here, which is exactly why insurers try so hard to pin a sliver of blame on the rider.
- Everyone wears a helmet. Alabama has a universal helmet law. Every rider and passenger must wear a DOT helmet, no age or coverage exceptions.
- The minimums are low, so lean on UM/UIM. Alabama requires only 25/50/25 in liability, which does not go far after a serious motorcycle wreck. Uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage is your real backstop when the driver who hit you carries the bare minimum or nothing.
- You have two years. Alabama gives you two years from the date of the crash to file an injury claim. Evidence and witnesses fade fast, so do not sit on it.
Ride Nation South Alabama
The local chapter is where Gulf Coast riders post weekend miles, call out deer, gravel, and leaf-slick corners from the Eastern Shore to Perdido, and share the shots worth putting your helmet on for. Post where you rode this month and tag us. It is your scene, run by riders who actually ride these roads.
Last Weeks for the $20,000 BikeWin Giveaway
You are on this list because you entered, which means you are already in the running for 20,000 dollars toward any motorcycle you want, drawn December 10. Got a buddy who would want a shot? The entry page is open and free.
Enter the giveaway
A driver turning left across your lane on Highway 59. Blowing sand on the Fort Morgan road. A distracted tourist who never saw you on the Beach Express. If you ever go down in Alabama, one sliver of blame can end your claim, so you want a lawyer who rides these roads and fights the fault game hard.