In Memory of Warmer Summers

Shiloh, TN to Perryville, TN

Friendly horn taps: 3

Miles: 58

Total so far: 1,268

A significant period of time has been spent in Tennessee and I had yet to post a photo of the area we are passing through, so I captured this pasture for effect

It was in the 40’s this morning when we awoke.  It had rained periodically through the night, and was extremely cloudy.  Prior to leaving our camp, we had to take refuge in our tents for one last rain shower before folding up and leaving.

Wild climbing roses in the forest

We rode well through the day in particularly hilly country on small county roads that wind their way along the ridges and hill crests paralleling the Tennessee River.  We had a few bouts of light rain, but our worst challenge was the cold.  Temperatures remained in the low 50’s with a bit of a north wind and we were geared up with all the clothes we had.

Our maps indicate the loose dogs in Tennessee are a problem for cyclists, and

Crossing the Tennessee River looking north in Perry County

we are pursued regularly by Fido and all his friends.  Maybe they are just keeping warm.  The horses are friendlier — they were probably cold too, so whenever we came peddling by, they would inevitably come over to the fence line and check us out.

Holly Bobo

There are pink ribbons on most of the mailboxes and fence gates we’ve seen since entering Tennessee — we’ve seen hundreds of them.  On April 23, 20 year old Holly Bobo was abducted from her home in rural Decatur County.  She is still missing.

I cannot imagine the trauma her parents are living right now.

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Tomorrow”s ride is dedicated to Marco A. Salazar

"Caco" Salazar

Marco “Caco” Salazar was killed on December 20, 2008 10 days shy of his 55th birthday.

Marco was a family man with a heart of gold.  He was a big fan of car racing and the Green Bay Packers.  He also loved riding his Harley Davidson.  He is truly missed and loved by many.
Our lives have change forever, and his grandchilden, and children were robbed of his time with them.

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Grove Hill, AL to Coffeeville, AL

Friendly horn taps: 5

Miles: 41

Total so far: 831

We remain struggling with campgrounds that we can get to in order to allow for obtainable mileage.  At present, we are doing a shorter day to fit in between two longer days.  I’d prefer to keep going rather than stop at 41 miles, but there just aren’t any services to match that need.

Sallie rides off in the morning mist

It’s all good though.  Here in Alabama when the weather gets on the hot side, doing a lot of riding after 2:00pm will drain the best of us.  Folks in the area say we are crazy.  We hear that a lot though.  Mostly, just after finding out that we are going to Oregon, they say, “bless you”, or “be blessed”, which may mean the same thing — you’re crazy.

The hills here are training us well.  Our front derailleurs are getting a workout and mechanically everything is running fine.  Today my minimum speed in climbing some of the steeper hills was about 3.4 miles per hour, and my maximum speed hit 38.2 going down some of the beasts.   The heavy load of 50 pounds of gear become involved in both ends of that spectrum.

Did I mention the gnats?  They are out strong and thick.  We slow to climb the hills and they have their way with us, ears and noses are  favorite dive bombing spots.  I’ll have to include my intake of gnats in my calorie count.

Gravel road option

We took a gravel road option today for a couple of miles for a change of pace and hoping to have a surface that would not cause too many difficulties.  It worked out, but the loaded bikes make it a challenge.  Any amount of loose sand at all becomes quite tricky with 700-32 tires.

If you lived here, you'd be home. Sweet home Alabama

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Tomorrow’s ride is dedicated to David Scott Mueller

On July 19th, 2009, My 19 year old son was killed at the hands of a drunk driver. David Scott Mueller was an outstanding young man and track and field star athlete. As a senior in 2008, he broke a record in the 200M which stood for 30 years. As a freshman at his college UCCS, he broke 9 college records in Track and Field.

Carl and Sallie – thank you so very much and if you need anything at all, please let me know and BLESS you for doing this!

Sandy from Colorado

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Gulf Shores, AL to Spanish Fort, AL

Friendly horn taps: 1

Hollering passengers: 1

Miles: 54

Total so far: 692

We begin our portion of the trek that follows the Underground Railroad Route north from Mobile, Alabama.  The land here immediately changes as we move away from the Gulf of Mexico into rolling hills and farm land.  The forests are more diverse with an abundance of hardwoods mixed in with the pines.  We will follow this route until Kentucky where we will turn left on the traditional Trans America Bicycle Route.

The hills become significant to our efforts to propel our gear-loaded 75 pound bicycles as we skirt the eastern shore of Mobile Bay.  This close to the water, I am surprised to see the rolling terrain.  The roads are narrow in the fairly exclusive communities of Point Clear, Fairhope, Montrose, and Daphne, yet the drivers were patient with our progress.

The flowers of Fairhope

Sallie's pink and purple Trek 520 (touring model) fits right in

Ok...that's a bit much - those bikes aren't gonna be here long are they?

We stop for lunch in Daphne and are treated to one of those much appreciated and desired meals for hungry cyclists.  They serve up a mean meal at Guido’s and we remain pleased with our habit of seeking out a big lunch on our rides.

Back by popular demand -- food pictures! That's Sallie's jumbo shrimp scampi in the background and my shrimp and grits in the foreground. Gotta fuel the engine!

We camp at the historic Blakeley State Park, site of the last major land battle of the American Civil War.  The battle of Blakeley saw nine black regiments of the United States Colored Troops fight here on the Blakeley Battlefield.

Our camp at Blakeley State Park

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Tomorrow’s ride is dedicated to Christopher Rubin

Christopher was a father, a son, a brother, and a good friend to many.  His life was cut tragically short by the irresponsible actions of a drunk driver.

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