Ninety-five. That is how many people lost their lives in motorcycle crashes in Louisiana in 2017.

Here it is May 2018 and some experts are predicting that number will rise even higher this year. The year isn’t even half over and already so many of my fellow riders have been lost to impaired and inattentive drivers that I cannot accurately tell you how many have died. There is an official count, and I guess I could check it and report it to you, but right now I can tell you that it is too many.

I have been riding motorcycles since I was 13 years old. Over the years, I have lost many friends and acquaintances on the roadway.  I know riding a motorcycle is dangerous. Many things that we do for fun and pleasure have risks associated with them. In choosing to ride I accept those risks. But what I do not accept is how some motorists behave when they get behind the wheel of a car or truck and get out on the highway.

Some drivers present risks that none of us should have to endure. I see it on the road nearly every time I ride.

First there are the distracted drivers. Drivers who are texting or carrying on animated conversations on their cell phones; people putting on makeup, eating, or steering with their knees; parents disciplining their children in the back seat. I have even seen people reading books and magazines while attempting to drive.

Next are the aggressive drivers, constantly changing lanes, tailgating, bullying and driving way too fast.

Finally, there are the criminal drivers who think there is nothing wrong with downing a six pack and jumping behind the wheel or self-medicating with pills or pot and attempting to make their way home after a night out on the town.

The first thing you will hear after a distracted, aggressive or drunken driver runs over one of us is “I never saw the motorcycle,” or “they came out of nowhere.”

The truth is, you cannot see what you are not looking for and you especially cannot be looking for anything very well if you are not paying attention, or worse yet, are under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

May is Motorcycle Awareness Month. A time when we encourage drivers to be on the lookout for motorcycles. But really, every day of the year everyone behind the wheel should be on the alert for motorcycles.

Recently a friend told me of a game she and her husband play with their children when they are out riding. She says to keep the kids occupied she asks them to count motorcycles. I remember doing the same thing with cows on family trips when I was a little girl. Counting motorcycles however has an added benefit, it teaches young people to be looking for them when they are on the highway. Remember, you cannot see what you aren’t looking for.

To the drivers out there who do not ride, please pay more attention when you get behind the wheel of your car, truck or SUV. Slogans like “look twice and save a life” and “watch out for motorcycles,” should be second-nature to all who drive. Both are really good advice. Now I have a new one, “count motorcycles.”

And to my fellow riders, let’s do our part too and ride safely and responsibly. Make yourself visible, wear protective gear and by all means never ride while impaired, distracted or angry. We spend a lot of time asking the motoring public to watch for us so let’s make sure that when they see us we are acting responsibly. Finally, support organizations that promote and encourage motorcycle awareness and safety. Since 2005 I have been a member of MAC, the Motorcycle Awareness Campaign. MAC is a non-profit organization made up of fellow riders who are determined to make our highways and byways safer for motorcyclists. MAC is perhaps best known for the familiar yellow and black “Watch for Motorcycles” signs you see in yards, businesses and along roadways all over the south. Over the years they have printed and distributed hundreds of thousands of the signs. They also do much more, like organizing safety and awareness events and rallies and work with governmental agencies like the Legislature and the Louisiana Highway Safety Commission to protect and preserve our rights and safety. During this special month, consider joining MAC or one of the other such organizations out there. If we all join hands and work together, maybe, just maybe we will stop hearing the phrase, “I never saw the motorcycle.”

T.W. Robinson

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I first met Jean Lemay nearly six years ago. At the time the Royal Canadian Mounted Police Officer had shipped his Harley from his home outside Montreal to New Orleans. He was touring Louisiana before riding it all the way back home on a three-week journey which included 11 states.

Jean had contacted me on Facebook and asked for some riding recommendations but I did him one better and took him on one of our favorite rides up LA Highway 22 to Madisonville, Louisiana for lunch at Friends on the Tchefuncte River.

Apparently, Jean enjoyed the ride and the good food. He promised that when he retired from his job as a Mountie he would be coming back to Louisiana.

A few weeks ago, Jean made good on that promise and this time he brought along his wife Jocelyne whom he calls Jo Jo. Last year Jean and Jo Jo retired from their jobs in Quebec, sold their house, cars and most of their belongings. They then bought a 41-foot motor-home they nicknamed “Monster” and a trailer to haul their Harleys behind it. In October, they headed south.

Now Lemay is picking up where he left off six years ago, and showing Jo Jo many of the sites he saw on his previous trip down south.

We met up with Jean and Jo Jo in Baton Rouge a few weeks ago for another ride and lunch. This time we headed north to the Felicianas.

Our ride took us through the countryside outside Jackson, Louisiana and up highway 421, which makes a nice 20-mile loop through the region.

The highway is a favorite of backwoods riders, motorized or not. It is lightly travelled and provides a great scenic view, just perfect for our Canadian friends to sample the south Louisiana countryside.

At US 61 we turned south and headed back toward Saint Francisville, for lunch at one of my favorite places in the area.

The Francis Southern Table and Bar has only been open a few years, but already it is one of the most popular places to eat in the region. Jean and Jo Jo both ordered shrimp poboys and were delighted to find a poboy is not just another sandwich.

After chowing down on poboys and salad we took a tour of Grace Episcopal Church, where we talked about the history of the region and I showed them the grave of Captain John Hart.

During the Civil War, Federal and Confederate forces stopped fighting long enough to give Hart a Masonic burial. Masons from both sides participated. After the funeral the fighting resumed. It is known as the day the war stopped.

We then headed over to Rosedown Plantation for a walk through the gardens and a view of the old home.

Following their Baton Rouge visit Jean and Jo Jo headed to New Orleans to take in as many Mardi Gras parades as possible. Once they get their fill of beads and doubloons they are off to Daytona Beach, Florida for Bike Week.

After that they will turn Monster north for the long journey home. But they plan to head south again as soon as the weather in Quebec starts turning cold again.

“Laissez le bon temps rouler,” Jean and Jo Jo Lemay. Two French Canadians who not only know what that phrase means but are also living it each day.

See you on the highway.

T.W. Robinson

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I have travelled a lot of miles on two wheels and I have been to a lot of places … but there are two things I never pass up … a trip to Nashville and a ride on the Natchez Trace. First, I am a big country music fan …  second there are few roads better suited for motorcycle riding than the Trace and when I can combine the two, it is a no-brainer – I’m in! When Tammi Arender called, and said she was covering a big music city awards ceremony that featured Garth Brooks, Ricky Skaggs and Eagle’s guitarist and writer Don Felder, I was packed and heading up the Trace on Red Rider before I could hit “end call” on my cellphone….

The Natchez Trace is special to me for a lot of reasons … It is one of the most beautiful roads in the south and often makes the top ten of all motorcycle rides in the country. Since it is a Federal Parkway, there is no commercial traffic, that means no big rigs and much less traffic. The Trace doesn’t go through any cities or town, well it does but you would never know it … no stops signs, no traffic lights and NO BILLBOARDS…

Just before reaching Nashville is perhaps one of the most beautiful sites on the Trace… the Bird Song Hollow Bridge, which carries Trace Traffic 155 feet above the valley and Tennessee Highway 96. I always make it a point to stop here and admire the beauty of Birdsong Hollow and the double arched bridge from both above and below…

The Birdsong Hollow Bridge It is the perfect place to stop and reflect on just how wonderful the trace is and how great it is that it has been preserved and protected….

Upon arriving in Music City Tammi and I immediately hit the streets of downtown Nashville. I already had a fancy dress for the big awards ceremony at the Musicians’ Hall of Fame, but I needed some fancy boots to complete my wardrobe.

Nothing like shopping for boots in downtown Nashville, especially in all the shops up and down Broadway. It didn’t take long to find the perfect Pair at French’s Shoes and Boots just one block off Broadway on Second Avenue.

In fact, Tammi and I had enough time left over for a tour of the Ryman Auditorium, the old church that served as the home of the Grand Old Opry from 1943 to 1974. There is a lot of history in this old building. We even had enough time for a quick “coke” at the Famous Tootsie’s Orchid Lounge. I just love looking at all the old pictures on the wall and listening to all the future Nashville stars who perform there.

Back at the hotel we quickly changed into our fancy dresses. Yes those are lipstick kisses all over my dress, just like the ones on the lipstick bike, and of course my new boots are red. What else, right?

At the Awards ceremony, I felt like a star when Tammi and I walked the red carpet. Actually, we got to walk it several times since we were filming a segment for LA Rider.

Inside I got to meet all the stars and watch Tammi interview Garth and Ricky and Don. What an incredible evening. Later we enjoyed a meal on the rooftop of one of the restaurants on Broadway and watched the sunset. I had only been in Music City for less than a day and I quickly understood why Tammi has made it her second home.

Nashville is a beautiful city, filled with an abundance of wonderful, interesting and talented people and most of them are just like you and me. Except they can sing and play instruments. The only place I sing is in the shower, and its soundproofed!

If you want to spend some time in a great southern city check out Nashville and don’t forget to take the Trace…

See you on the road…

TW Robinson

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There is a hamburger joint on every corner but when you want a hotdog you have to go searching. I am not sure why that is true. After all, the hotdog is listed right up there with apple pie as one of America’s favorite foods.

Now I don’t eat hotdogs all the time, but every once in a while I get a real craving for an old-fashioned Coney or a Chicago Dog and when that happens I really don’t have a lot of choices; make them myself or go to Sonic. Now everyone knows I don’t cook and while there is nothing wrong with Sonic, their dogs really lack bite or bark. Recently however I found an incredible place that serves up some pretty incredible dogs not far from where I live right here in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. What’s more, these aren’t just your “garden-variety” hotdogs. These are gourmet dogs with a south Louisiana kick.

The place is called Frankie’s Dawg House. It has been around for a few years, but recently came under new ownership and the new owner has added a number of Cajun and south Louisiana specialties to the menu including alligator and deer sausage.

Bob Courtney and I checked them out a couple of Saturdays ago and we were both completely blown away. Check out my report and pay them a visit. I don’t think you will be disappointed.

Bikers love road food and when it comes to hotdogs Frankie’s Dawg House is definitely Top Dawg! It is only a short ride for me and believe me I will be making it again. Real Soon! I might even bring my dogs, well in the truck, not on the Harley.

By the way you couldn’t meet a nicer bunch of people either and no, I didn’t eat four hotdogs. Bob ate part of one.

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This Saturday morning I woke up with an incredible craving. I must have been dreaming about food. Well, I do dream about food sometimes. Anyway I wanted pie. Yes pie. You know, fresh baked, homemade pie. Now since I don’t cook that meant I had to go and get myself some pie and since the weather forecast called for highs in the 70’s and no chance of rain that meant taking a spin on Red Ryder, my 2013 Street Glide. “Ride to eat – eat to ride” — that is my motto you know.

Within a few moments I was on the bike and headed north. Now there are several really good places to get top-notch homemade pie around here and one of my favorites is Mammy’s Cupboard just outside Natchez, Mississippi. Mammy’s is one of those quirky, roadside attractions you find off the beaten path. Built around 1940, the building is basically a big, uh, southern mammy, as in Gone With the Wind Mammy. Actually the place wouldn’t be very politically correct these days, except over the years, with every new coat of paint, Mammy’s complexion has gotten a lot lighter.

Mammy’s has been a lot of things since 1940 and today she hides an incredible roadside cafe underneath her skirt. If you like good southern style home cooking with menu items like chicken pot pie, red beans and rice, roasted chicken and vegetable soup this place fits the bill. But the deserts are what I come for. If you want lemon pie with five inches of creamy meringue piled on top or banana and caramel pie topped with crunchy toffee this is a must-stop kind of place.

Now if it weren’t for the fact that Mammy’s is more than 100 miles from my driveway I would come here at least once a week. I would also have to install heavy duty shocks on Red Ryder and the Lipstick Bike. Thank goodness I don’t normally dream about pie. But when I do I head straight to Mammy’s Cupboard on U.S. 61, just south of Natchez. It makes for a great motorcycle ride and more than that, like me, it is just a little bit quirky.
See you on the road.

Tee

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I love living and riding in South Louisiana. Oh, I know we don’t have beautiful mountain vistas. After all, Driskill Mountain, the state’s highest point is only 535 feet above sea level and covered with trees. But some of the roads and highways that hug our rivers and bayous are just as twisty as many mountain byways.
The fact is, Louisiana is filled with incredible beauty from the swamps and bayous in the south to the rolling hills and hardwood forests in the northern part of the state. I have been riding this state from one corner to the other for nearly fifteen years and I have yet to see it all. As some of you know, I like to use Susan Sontag’s great quote, “I haven’t been everywhere, but it is on my list,” to describe my quest to see as much of this state as I can.
Perhaps the greatest thing about living and riding in Louisiana is that I can do it every month of the year. Many of you who live elsewhere have to store your bikes for the winter. Not here in the Bayou State. Now we do get rain, and if you are a fair weather rider you might want to sit out the occasional thunderstorms. Of course we also are occasionally visited by tropical storms and hurricanes and during those times we pretty much have other things on our mind.
Now I don’t normally ride when the temperature dips below fifty, but when that does happen it is usually only for a few days in a row and then it is warm again. This weekend high temperatures reached into the upper sixties and I donned my leathers, put on the heated grips (my hands get cold in the summer sometimes) and headed out on the highway.
I like riding when there is no particular place to go. I have written about it before. I call it helmet time — just me, the bike and the highway stretching out before me. Usually I just pick a general direction like north, south, east or west. Sometimes, I choose a particular highway or road. Each time it is different. Saturday I chose to ride west. My route took me primarily along Louisiana highways 16 and 22 through Livingston Parish into Tangipahoa and back again.

Since there was a chill in the air I decided I would take a lunch break for a little hot gumbo. One of the great things about riding in Louisiana, especially along Highway 16 and 22 is there are dozens of great places to pull off and enjoy a locally cooked meal featuring fresh caught Louisiana seafood. I found great gumbo and shrimp salad at Charlie’s Steak and Seafood House in Springfield, Louisiana.Charlie’s is one of my favorites and I have enjoyed many meals there.
In all I racked up about 200 miles and enjoyed a wonderful meal – making for another great riding day in Louisiana, thanks to our year-round riding season. I even made it home in time to put Red Ryder away and take the Lip Stick Bike for a spin around the neighborhood.
Life is good. Yes?

Tee

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It is one of my favorite southern riding destinations. It is also a place where many a great motorcycle journey has begun. Perched on a high bluff on the Mississippi River, Natchez is one of those stately Mississippi cities that defines just what “southern hospitality” is all about.

When I started riding motorcycles again more than a decade ago, it was one of my first road trip destinations and I have gone back again and again since then, so many times that I cannot count them, yet I just can’t seem to get enough of this southern jewel on the Mississippi river.
In addition, many a great motorcycle journey has begun for me in Natchez since it is where one of my favorite roads begins – the Natchez Trace Parkway.
There are lots of great motorcycle destinations throughout the south, but Natchez, Mississippi is one of those rare places that seems to be perfectly suited for rides and riders.

First let’s talk about the roads and highways. US Highways 61 and 84 intersect at Natchez. Both are incredibly well maintained and marked. They provide beautiful vistas for riding into and out of Natchez. They feature great attractions and sites to visit along the way and in most areas are four lane divided highways.
They are the kind of roads that invite you to put your feet up on the highway pegs and cruise along enjoying the scenery.

The secondary state highways and county roads surrounding Natchez are also well maintained and marked and of course there is no better motorcycle road than the Natchez Trace Parkway, which travels 440 miles from Natchez to Nashville.

The Trace is not just a great ride; it has hundreds of historic sites along the way. Just outside Natchez is one of the most unusual of them all – Emerald Mound. Located just north of Natchez at mile post 10.3 Emerald Mound is one of the largest ceremonial mounds created by Native Americans. Constructed by ancestors of the Natchez Indians in the early 13th century the mound is 770 feet long, 435 feet wide and 35 feet high. At the west end there is a 30 foot secondary mound which was once topped by a ceremonial structure.

After a long day’s ride there is no better place to hang out than under the hill. Natchez Under the Hill, is just what the name implies. It features a number of saloons, restaurants and even a couple of residential properties located under the bluff on which the city sits. It is very popular with bikers and is a great place to meet fellow riders, have a good meal and a drink and watch the sun set across the mighty Mississippi. Oh and if you like a little game of chance, the Isle of Capri Casino is permanently docked right here.

Speaking of food – uh I was speaking of food, wasn’t I? Well you know how much I like to sample local cuisine and Natchez has some of the best southern dining anywhere. Plus it also has great road food. There are dozens of great restaurants to choose from. A couple of favorites are the Magnolia Grill which is located under the hill just up from the Casino and Fat Mama’s on Canal Street on top of the bluff. Fat Mamas makes some pretty incredible tamales and their “Knock you Naked” Margaritas are world famous – at least in my world they are.
Hey, don’t worry; you won’t lose your clothes drinking them, unless you really want to.

If you want to truly experience the history and culture of Natchez you will want to visit some of the beautiful old homes and plantations in the area. Many of them are open for tours and some feature bed and breakfast options so you can live a little bit of the “southern life” while in Natchez.

You won’t want to leave Natchez before spending some time downtown. There are dozens of great shops and boutiques to poke around in, a number of superb restaurants and coffee shops to hang out in and if you like antiquing this is the place to do it.
But perhaps the best things you will find in Natchez are wonderful people. You may arrive in town as a stranger, but you will leave as an old friend. We just spent a long weekend in Natchez filming a segment for America on 2 Wheels. Once again I left with new friends. That is the great thing about this little city on the Mississippi. After a short visit, you will almost feel like you live there.
Come to Natchez. Ride some great roads, enjoy good food and drink and make some new friends. Come see what southern hospitality is all about.
By the way, if you are a Harley rider, you may want to come to the Mississippi State HOG rally in Natchez this September. HOG rallies are always a lot of fun, but when they are held in Natchez, they just seem to be more fun.

See you on the road.

Tee

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