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November is prime time to ride the Alabama Gulf Coast. The heat and the worst of hurricane season are behind us, the air is dry and mild, and the bay sparkles under a clear sky. The clocks went back on Sunday, November 1, so the evenings come quick, but the days are still long enough for a real ride if you get out early. This is the month to take the big trip you skipped all summer.
Ride of the Month: Across the Bay to Dauphin Island
Bay water on both sides, a high bridge to the barrier island and a Civil War fort at the end
From Spanish Fort, ride the Causeway west across the top of Mobile Bay, with marsh and open water on both sides and the USS Alabama off your left shoulder. In Mobile, pick up the Dauphin Island Parkway and head south along the west side of the bay, then follow AL-193 down through the bayou country to Alabama Port. From there the long, high Dauphin Island Bridge lifts you over the water and drops you onto the island.
Turn east to Fort Gaines, the brick fort that guarded the mouth of the bay during the Battle of Mobile Bay in 1864, and walk the walls with the Gulf on one side and the bay on the other. Grab lunch on the island and ride back the way you came with the afternoon sun on the water. The bridge is exposed and the wind off the Gulf can be strong, so hold a steady line and stay loose on the bars.
Want something shorter? On Veterans Day, Wednesday, November 11, ride over to Battleship Memorial Park on the Causeway and walk the decks of the USS Alabama. It is a fitting way to spend the day. Take a minute to thank the veterans in your riding crew, too. Plenty of them helped build this community.
Late-Fall Safety: Alabama Edition
November is great riding on the coast, and it brings a few hazards of its own.
- Deer at dawn and dusk. Deer are moving on the Baldwin and Mobile County backroads, and hunting season keeps them stirred up in the woods. They cross most at dawn and dusk. Slow down near tree lines and fields, cover your brakes, and never swerve across the center line.
- You are riding home in the dark. Since the time change, the sun is down before most people leave work. Drivers are not looking for a single headlight after dark. Wear something bright or reflective, and give yourself extra room at intersections on US-98 and Highway 59.
- Cool mornings, fog and sand. November fronts bring chilly mornings and fog in the low spots along the bay and the rivers. Sand blows onto the roads near the beaches and on the bridges. Let your tires warm up for a few easy miles and watch for sand in the corners.
- Thanksgiving week traffic. Thanksgiving is Thursday, November 26, and family traffic will fill I-10 and the beach roads. The Wednesday night before is one of the worst nights of the year for drunk driving. If you ride that week, ride early in the day and stay off the road that night.
Know Your Alabama Law
- One percent of blame can end your claim. Alabama is one of the few places that still uses pure contributory negligence. If you are found even slightly at fault for the crash, even 1 percent, you can recover nothing. That is why insurers work so hard to put a little of the blame on the rider.
- Every rider wears a helmet. Alabama has a universal helmet law. Every rider and every passenger must wear a helmet that meets the DOT standard, whatever their age.
- The minimums are low, so check your UM/UIM. Alabama requires only 25/50/25 in liability coverage, which does not go far after a serious motorcycle crash. Uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage is what protects you when the other driver carries the bare minimum or nothing at all.
- You have two years. Alabama gives you two years from the crash to file an injury claim. Evidence and witnesses fade fast, so do not sit on it.
Ride Nation South Alabama
This is riding season on the Gulf Coast, and the South Alabama crew is out every weekend. Post your best fall ride, share your favorite stop on the island or the Eastern Shore, and warn other riders about sand, deer and road work. Tag us in your photos. This is your scene, run by riders who ride these roads.
Final Weeks for the $20,000 BikeWin Giveaway
You are already entered for a chance at 20,000 dollars toward any motorcycle you want, and the winner is drawn December 10. That is only a few weeks away. Know a riding buddy who has not entered yet? Entry is free, so send them the link before it closes.
Enter the giveaway
A driver who never saw your headlight on the dark ride home on Highway 59. A deer stepping out on a Baldwin County backroad. A gust of wind and blowing sand on a bridge over the bay. 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.