Motorcycle riders flocking to area

The rumble of motorcycles has already begun to echo though the streets of Colbert and Lauderdale counties.

It's a familiar sound heard once a year as thousands arrive in northwest Alabama in time for the annual Trail of Tears commemoration.

"Hotel rooms in the Shoals have been sold out for several months," said Alison Stanfield, assistant director of the Florence/Lauderdale Tourism office and a member of the Alabama/Tennessee Trail of Tears board of directors. "We've seen lots of motorcycles; the parking lots are already starting to fill up."

Eric Hankinson rode from Tuscaloosa to participate in the weekend of activity.

It's a trek he and his friends make each year.

"It's a good ride," he said before leaving Fort Toulouse, heading north. "When we get to Tuscumbia, we'll ride across to Waterloo."

The newest events in the observance include activities at Spring Park in Tuscumbia that highlight the culture of American Indians who once lived in the area.

Several riders, including Paul Harland, said they would add the Tuscumbia activities to their itinerary.

"The ride is great," he said.

Harland said riders quickly forge friendships based on their common love of motorcycles and riding the trails.

"You don't see them for 12 months and then they pop up again," he said. "You just kind of fit in."

Nearby, Warner Hyde, of Doraville, Ga., said he planned on riding through Tuscumbia and Waterloo then join the longer ride all the way to Oklahoma. He agreed the instant camaraderie adds to the excitement of the ride. Out here, it doesn't matter what type of motorcycle you have or how fancy it is, Hyde said.

"You just talk to somebody, it doesn't matter who you talk to," he said. "You can go anywhere and there'll be 50 bikers, and you can talk to anybody."

Along with activities and the visitors to the area, tourism promoters said the weekend also offers things for locals to enjoy.

The variety of activities would be enough to satisfy educational, cultural and pure recreational interests, said Susann Hamlin, director of the Colbert County Tourism and Convention Bureau.

"It's just fantastic, it's really an enrichment for all of us and the children who will see it," she said. "It's a real inspiring program."

Joseph D. Bryant can be reached at 740-5745 or joseph.bryant@timesdaily.com.