I arrived Dallas Friday afternoon and stayed Friday and Saturday nights with my CouchSurfing host, Marty.  (For those who are clueless about CouchSurfing check out yesterday's report: HERE).  I had originally planned to only stay one night in Dallas, but when I found out that Marty was planning to ride his motorcycle to Alaska I offered to stay over an extra night if he'd like help planning his ride.  Needless to say, he was very grateful to have the chance to rapid fire questions and dissect his plans in person with someone who has done what he wants to do.    Marty and I spent the better part of Saturday morning at a coffee shop with his partner Jeff and riding partner Kevin (left to right – Kevin, Marty, Jeff): After discussing all things Alaska, Marty asked me if I wanted to run by a motorcycle gear store called “Moto Liberty”.  I said that I bought my trusty Olympia AST riding jacket on-line about a year and a half ago from a company called Moto Liberty and I thought I remembered they were located in Texas.  Oddly enough, I recently noticed that the webbing connectors (I'm not sure what else to call them) on both elbows were wearing very thin – so thin that while at the campground in Van Horn, TX last night I started thinking about what I was going to do when (not if) they failed.  It's difficult to explain the problem but the connector allows the elbow strap to be cinched tight thus keeping the elbow armor in place (which would be critical during a fall).  Anyway, we drove back to Marty's house and picked up my jacket so I could take it to Moto-Liberty and see if they had any ideas for a fix.   When we arrived the store I was directed to “Audrey”, to whom I presented my beloved jacket's issue and asked if she had any thoughts about a fix.  She seemed quite surprised to hear that the jacket she was holding had over 70,000 miles on it since it was in such great shape sans the small webbing connectors.  The jacket really has held up impressively to every imaginable weather condition and has seen temps ranging from 20 degrees to over 110 degrees while on my back.    Heck, I've even used it at sea while Halibut fishing in Alaska!    (That report is: HERE).  Over the 15 years I've been riding motorcycles, I have owned a plethora of riding jackets from various manufacturers, but my all-time favorite is the Olympia AST.  Audrey told me she had never seen or even heard of an Olympia AST jacket having the exact issue that was before her.  Guess what her idea of a fix was?  Handing me a brand new replacement!  .  Heck yeah that's worth a photo (me on left, Audrey on right): That's some serious customer service right there!  I walked into the store just hoping to leave with an idea on how to fix the webbing, so needless to say I was completely STUNNED to be walking out with a brand new jacket.  I remember when I researched where to purchase my jacket that Moto Liberty had nothing but glowing reviews on the web... and now I can see why!    As a credit to the Olympia folks, the new jacket that I walked out with looks and feels exactly like the one I had taken in with 70k miles (sans a bit of superficial dirt), which is pretty unbelievable.  That's right, no break-in period needed ...just wear and ride!    Thank you, Audrey!!  Moto Liberty definitely has made it to my “Five Star” list of motorcycle gear companies.  (Interestingly, the most commonly asked email question I receive is “What jacket do you wear?”). After leaving the Moto Liberty store, Marty and I drove back towards downtown Dallas.  Since I was on my bike and unable to take photos when I first arrived Dallas, I took these photos while heading back towards downtown Dallas: (yo, TJ, these bring back any memories?!):   So, after spending Friday night through Sunday morning with my new friends in Dallas, I had to say good-bye so I could continue “East Coast 2009”.  There really are no words to describe the time I spent and the connection I made with Marty and Jeff.  This would have never been possible if it wasn't for CouchSurfing.  It may sound trite, but I'm serious when I say that CouchSurfing has been life-changing for me.  As I rode out of Dallas, I reflected on the impact; how the people I have met have renewed my sense of kindness and authenticity of the human spirit.   I rolled out of the Dallas metro area early this morning on Interstate-20 East in nonexistent traffic and under an overcast sky's simply heavenly 70 degree temps (compared to the triple digits I hit for 2 days coming here!).  I don't think I was more than 30 minutes outside of Dallas when I looked off into a grassy field and saw, what seemed from afar, rather odd looking animals.  As I got closer it was obvious I was looking at camels, but what wasn't obvious was what was laying beside one of the camels.  The unknown critter was gray-white in color and very small.  I thought it might be a farmer's dog or something, but it just seemed strange.  I decided to see of I could take a side road from I-20 (ha, a detour, imagine that?!) to go investigate.  Well, looked what I discovered!: Geez, is that cool or what?!  I've never seen a baby camel in person and I have a feeling I know a pair of 4 year olds that are really going to like these photos!  As part of the same farm, I also saw this bad boy (a bona fide Texas Longhorn steer!):   As I sat on the Strom watching these exotic animals, I looked back over to the interstate and thought about all the people passing by who had no idea what was just a field away; they were caught up in their own world and were missing, at least in my opinion, a really cool sight.  I concluded this wasn't much different than anything else in life though – most people are living within the frame of a box (be it a car window, a bed, a TV screen, etc) and are oblivious to the happenings outside the box. After spending time off the beaten path of I-20 with the cool creatures, I decided to seek a place to eat breakfast.  I found one alright... feed myself on one side of the street and the Strom on the other:    The ride from Dallas through the rest of Texas and then Louisiana, while in green trees and lovely temps, was still straight, flat, and rather unexciting.  The most eventful part of the entire stretch came at a rest area where I saw a lady walking a ferret on a leash (yeah, I know, riveting stuff indeed!): As I neared the Alabama line, a waypoint popped up on my GPS unit.    I didn't recognize the name but I did see that it was showing an icon that I have typically reserved for noting covered bridges.  During the “FJR Fall Foliage Frolic” in the Northeast (full report: HERE), I went on a massive covered bridge “hunting” campaign (I think I saw over 40).  I seemed to recall while planning for the journey that I had come across a few GPS coordinates for bridges that were located in places outside of the Northeast.  I didn't specifically recall Alabama being one of those places, but I figured there was a good chance the waypoint wasn't a mistake since I make it to almost every state about once a year and so probably just entered the information regardless.  After spending the last 1600 miles on the slab of the interstate, I was more than freakin' ready to hit a side road anyway!    So, off I went to see what I might find at the mystery waypoint.  It was quite refreshing to be using the gearbox on the motorcycle during my hunt, which took me through a small town with residents who were sitting on their front porches and who looked at me passing by as if they were seeing an alien from outer space.    My GPS finally directed me to turn onto a road marked with a sign stating “Livingston University”.  I was sure that I was on a wild goose chase when the next turn sent me into the parking lot of college dorm!  However, as I was turning the bike around and thinking I must have been crazy to do this, I saw something behind the dorm.  Um, SCORE!:    Yeah, those are dorms in the background!: I've seen a lot of covered bridges that have become pedestrian only, but I've not seen one that appears to be modified for handicap access like this one: A nearby sign with bridge info: The specifics on this bridge is this: Called the “Alamuchee Covered Bridge”.  A single span, Town truss that is 88' long and 17' wide and was built in 1861.   A quick check of my Blackberry before preparing for take-off again on the Strom revealed a very intense thunderstorm was developing along my intended route on I-20.  I had planned to camp on National Forest land but by the looks of the radar that was going to be a less than optimal decision: I rode at a rather spirited pace to Tuscaloosa, AL, where I decided the most prudent thing to do was to find a hotel and call it a day.  I arrived in time to unload and get the bike cover on the Strom before it started to rain like someone turned on a fire hose.   End of day GPS.... ... as well as a map reflecting today's route of camels and covered bridges!:  Thanks again for all the support out there! AGirl   If you wish to receive a direct email from me whenever a new Journey Report has been posted than simply click: THIS LINK Copyright © 2006-2012, All Rights Reserved.