Diving At The Blue Lagoon In Huntsville

I took a road trip down to the Blue Lagoon in Huntsville this weekend for DFW SCUBA’s Diver’s Day Out. In this case it was a weekend’s worth of diving, with a little extra trip down to Houston to see family beforehand. The drive down was eventful, with a full on monsoon just about closing I-45 around Buffalo. But I got there intact, set up my tent, and got ready to make some bubbles.

The water wasn’t cold, but it wasn’t too warm either, and there was a nice thermocline at around twenty feet. The visibility was pretty good, for the most part, with some algae clouds to make things interesting. I got to explore some sunken boats, play a little catch with a bowling ball, and work on my buoyancy a little more. I actually dropped a little weight, but am still having to add air to my BCD, so I’m thinking I need to drop a little more.

I also got some great adviceĀ on how to set up and configure my gear, as well as some updates to my “stuff to buy” list. I logged four dives this weekend, added a few feet to my maximum depth, and got a lot more comfortable with doing this stuff without an instructor looking over my shoulder.

The drive back up was uneventful, with no rain storms or accidents messing with me. After getting unpacked, I spent an hour or so washing all the gear and getting it hung up to dry out, then went out to dinner with Heather.

Taking A Road Glide Special Out For A Test Ride

I’ve been thinking about picking up a new bike for a while now. I really enjoy riding the RT, but the maintenance costs, both in terms of time and money, have soured the relationship. I had been looking at the Dyna Switchbacks, because they’ve got bags but still have some performance. So I went up to American Eagle Harley Davidson to talk to the sales people and throw my leg over a bike or two.

When I got there, James and I started talking about bikes, and I tried the Dyna on for size. It just wasn’t my thing. I’ve gotten really spoiled with the RT’s fairing, a lot more than I thought I had. So we went over to the Road Glides. These are full sized FL touring bikes, which are a lot heavier than what I’ve been riding. But the fit and feel of them! I had to take this one out for a test ride. James got me set up, and I went over to the Rider’s Edge lot to do some figure eights to get comfortable with it before heading out on the road. Despite my misgivings, it handled well and didn’t feel nearly as heavy as it is.

Feeling a little more confident, I went and explored the neighborhood behind the dealership for a while, getting used to the handling, braking, and acceleration. It was comfortable and easy to ride around on surface streets, including taking some U-turns. Eventually, I got on to I-35E and headed south. This is not a good road right now, what with the ongoing construction, but the Road Glide’s suspension handled it well. Handling was good, throttle response was great. Any time I needed a little oomph to pass a truck, it was there. I actually messed up and missed my exit, which forced me to go a lot further south before I could get turned around to get back to the dealership. That gave me the space to test the cruise control, which sealed the deal for me.

I got back to the dealership, checked back in with James, and started talking numbers. We got to a figure that was good for both of us, including a very reasonable trade-in amount for the RT, without any real hassle. At that point I called Heather, talked it over with her, and headed home. Once she got home from work, we headed back up so that she could try it on for size. It got two thumbs up, so I’m heading back up tomorrow to sign the papers, hand over some cash, and bring a new bike home.