White Line Bicycle Adventures

1/29/2011 - Chief Ladiga Trail and the Silver Comet Trail

2011-01-29T20:52:00.001-06:00

Chief Ladiga and Silver Comet Trails
Day 3
Miles: 36.3
Max Speed: 18.8
Average Speed: 10.2

(1) Above left: One of the bridges on the Chief Ladiga Trail. (2) Above right: Riding along Terrapin Creek.

(3) Above left: The asphalt, sometimes a little worn and broken up by roots in Alabama, turned into a concrete trail when it becomes the Silver Comet Trail in Georgia. I figured concrete would be bumpy but the Trail was as smooth as glass, at least for the 10 or so miles I rode on it in Georgia. The Silver Comet trail runs to the western side of Atlanta. (4) Above right: Coming back into Alabama, I was greeted by an ATV hauling ass down the trail. There are signs all over the trails, "No Motorized Vehicles." Rednecks have no respect for the law.

(5) Above left: Typical signage on the Silver Comet Trail in Georgia. (6) Above right: Taking a snack break at the state line before returning back to Piedmont. Together, these two trails create a long bicycle trail at railroad grades, over a hundred miles long one way.

1/28/2011 - Chief Ladiga Trail

2011-01-28T21:32:00.000-06:00

Chief Ladiga Trail
Day 2
Miles: 37.1
Max Speed: 17.8
Average Speed: 11.7

(1) Above left: The Chief Ladiga Trail runs from Anniston to the Georgia/Alabama state line. Today I was riding from Piedmont to Anniston and back. (2) Above left: Much of the ride today was adjacent to US Highway 21.

(3) Above left: Unlike some trails I've ridden on, the Cars have the right of way at the intersections on the Chief Ladiga trail. In the northeast, like on some of the Boston trails, cars have to stop for bicycles. (4) Above right: The Piedmont trail head is on the left (yellow buildings).

1/27/2011 - Chief Ladiga Trail

2011-01-27T20:12:00.004-06:00

Chief Ladiga Trail
Day 1
Miles: 16.9
Max Speed: 18.7
Average Speed: 11.1

Note: Had not ridden the bicycle since RAGBRAI (about 7 months) so I'm way out of shape.

(1) Above left: The bridge across Nances Creek. (2) Above right: View from the side of the trail.

(3) Above left: Lucky number 7. I turned around near the Pinhoti hiking trail. (4) Above right: There are a few hills but they are rail road grade hills and easy to cycle.

(5) Above left: This is Terrapin Creek running along side of the trail. (6) Above right: Even though the temperatures were comfortable for riding, there was still snow on the ground from a snow storm the previous weekend.

7/31/2010 - RAGBRAI Manchester to Dubuque

2010-07-31T21:46:00.001-05:00

RAGBRAI #38
Day 7
Manchester to Dubuque, Iowa
Miles: 51.0
Max Speed: 45.6
Average Speed: 11.7

Total for 7 days: 477.4 miles.

(1) Above left: Last day of RAGBRAI, emotions run from happy to sad. Happy to give the butt a rest and sad that the bike trip is soon to be over. (2) Above right: The guy in the middle was wearing a helmet that had a battery operated bird on it that was flapping its wings.

(3) Above left: Got kids? That didn't stop this family. This bicycle setup had two adults in front, two kids pedaling behind, while towing a trailer with one too young to pedal. This is a feat considering it is the heat of summer in Iowa. (4) Above right: Again, food was pretty good. This piece of meat was twice the size of the buns.

(5) Above left: Signs frequently alerted riders to things waiting for them in the next town. (6) Above right: We went off route a little to visit the place where they made the movie called, Field of Dreams.

(7) Above left: There were rumors the whole week of a good hill on this route and today we met with "Potter's Hill." They said over two thirds of the RAGBRAI riders ended up walking part of the way up this hill. It was tough. (8) Above right: A unicyclist rode the entire way across Iowa. His rig was set up with pedal clips and a brake for hills like this. I just can't imagine being clipped into the pedals of a unicycle.

(9) Above left: Rolling into Dubuque and the end of RAGBRAI draws near. (10) Above right: Getting close to the Port of Dubuque.

(11) Above left: We made it! RAGBRAI #38 completed safely. Tough but memorable. (12) Above right: The ceremonial dipping of the tire into the Mississippi River which completes the trip. The lines moved slow but steady. There were volunteers taking photos for the bicyclists.

(13) Above left: Been there, Done it, Wrote about it, and got the T-Shirt. That is me, my brother and cousin (Left to Right). (14) Above right: Back to riding in traffic to get to where we parked the cars. Many groups in RAGBRAI had unique identities so people of the same group could find each other. It doesn't take long to get separated from a group, even a small group when you are riding in such a massive group like RAGBRAI. Hats or Jerseys that stand out help so when you are on your cell phone saying where you are, they can see you or you can see them.

7/30/2010 - RAGBRAI Waterloo to Manchester

2010-07-30T22:57:00.000-05:00

RAGBRAI #38
Day 6
Waterloo to Manchester, Iowa
Miles: 66.6
Max Speed: 33.4
Average Speed: 11.8

(1) Above left: Morning usually consisted of a 5-10 minute line to the huge coffee machine. (2) Above right: Today started out cloudy and then it rained pretty hard for a while. It was actually a cold rain and those unfortunate enough not to have rain gear were pretty miserable. Many punched holes in garbage bags and used that as a rain poncho.

(3) Above left: The rain ended and the skies parted to make way for blue skies. (4) Above right: Today's trip seemed to go fast and we were at the next camp site before we knew it.

(5) Above left: After a nice shower and a bit of relaxation, it was off to town we went. (6) Above right: Many towns used strong steel cable stretched out between trucks to serve as a parking rack.

(7) Above left: Manchester was gearing up for a live concert later that evening. (8) Above right: When the main street in town gets shut down and 20,000 people come rolling into it looking for food, refreshments, and entertainment - it is a news maker.

(9) Above left: Other cyclists were living like a pig too! (10) Above right: Due to some flooding, one of our over night town campsites had to be relocated. Here are tents near a corn field. Hard to believe that tomorrow will be the last day.

7/29/2010 - RAGBRAI Charles City to Waterloo

2010-07-29T23:02:00.001-05:00

RAGBRAI #38
Day 5
Charles City to Waterloo, Iowa
Miles: 84.6
Max Speed: Unknown
Average Speed: 12.6

(1) Above left: Heading down the wide open roads of Iowa. Iowa is noted for being pretty windy and with no trees, you can see why. (2) Above right: A wide variety of unique bicycles can be seen every day, such as this ElliptiGo bicycle with NO seat. There were plenty of recumbents and trikes.

(3) Above left: It was just not far from where I took that ElliptiGo photo where the bane of cyclists occurred to me. The back tire of my mountain bike had been wobbling most of the trip and today the tire blew out. No fixing this flat. After some discussion, my brother and cousin continued on to the next town. I waited about about 45 minutes for a sag vehicle which picked me and the bike up and carried us to the next town. There, my brother was holding a spot in the repair shop line for me. About the time I found them, it was my turn. I had the repair shop replace both tires and wow, that bicycle rode smoothly after that. I was really surprised how quickly the whole process took. RAGBRAI is well organized. (4) Above right: People will park their bicycles anywhere in a town. Actually, I think this was a sculpture.

(5) Above left: Today, the three of us went off the RAGBRAI route and rode into Waterloo to meet a cousin and visit a town our grandparents grew up in. Today was our first exposure to real car traffic since beginning this trip and the roads had a wide paved shoulder making travel safer. (6) Above right: In downtown Waterloo there were quite a few others who rode off route. It was nice to be away from the crowd of bicycles.

(7) Above left: Cousin Judy, cousin Dave and my brother rode around the bicycle trails in Waterloo for a while. We hadn't all been together in about about 40 years. (8) Above right: We eventually parted with Judy and headed south to get back to the campgrounds. Waterloo has some nice bike paths.

(9) Above left: Shot this as we were coasting down a hill. (10) Above right: Back on the RAGBRAI route, when getting to the overnight host town, signs like this directed people to the various service provider camp sites.

(11) Above left: Our group was camped out on some farm property and as usual in the evening, we were enjoying live music while replenishing spent calories. (12) Above right: I was living like a pig, high on the hog so to speak, while participating in the largest organized bicycle ride in America. Since this year's RAGBRAI was rated to be the third flattest ride in the 38 years it has been running, there was an above average number of riders this year with estimates over 20,000 riders.

7/28/2010 - RAGBRAI Clear Lake to Charles City

2010-07-28T21:26:00.005-05:00

RAGBRAI #38
Day 4
Clear Lake to Charles City, Iowa
Miles: 55.8
Max Speed: 27.6
Average Speed: 12.3

(1) Above left: Up and at'em by sunrise. (2) Above right: Breakfast in the first town.

(3) Above left: Some of the sights in the small towns were quite interesting, like the first horseless carriage and other old items you'll never see again. (4) Above right: Even some of the bicycles in the event were of the ancient design.

(5) Above left: Another slow down in the road. (6) Above right: This slow down was due to some options open to riders such as this swing rope where participants were being judged how daring their jump was by people holding up placards indicating the numbers 1 to a perfect 10.

(7)(8) Above left and right: Some of the bicycles in RAGBRAI were hand built experiments.

(9) Above left: One of the favorites along the route each day was homemade Beekman's ice cream. The noise of his machines are forever linked to their cold tasty ice cream. (10) Above right: Outside Rockford at the bottom of an old quarry-turned-park (Fossil and Prairie Center), a 350-million-year cross section of Iowa is visible. Some cyclists hiked down into the quarry and in less then 10 minutes came up with a handful of fossils. Cyclists can be seen on the route above the quarry.

(11) Above left: Heading into another town. (12) Above right: Sometimes nature calls before you have time to get in line and wait for a porta-potty. If you eat corn from Iowa, it may have been fertilized by RAGBRAI participants.

(13) Above left: In the small towns which make up most of Iowa, the level of hospitality is superb. Home owners, especially those with shade trees, had no privacy for the day as participants took over their yards. (14) Above right: After the ride and shower, our service provider frequently supplied meals. Us porkers sat under shade eating while listening to a live band.

(15) Above left: What can you do when 20,000 people go rolling into a town with a population of 10,000, when it comes time to charge your phone and camera batteries? Have a good service provider that provides an adequate number of outlets for charging items. (16) Above right: Alright, you've heard me talk much about a service provider or what they also call a charter service - the one I used is called "Pork Belly" and their web address is shown on the side of the truck. They are the biggest provider for RAGBRAI and you can chose various options. The shuttle to move you and your bicycle across state. The daily gear shuttle. The Tent Rental service. And much more. Mostly middle aged people use this service so if you are a youngster looking for the hottest after ride parties, they won't be found with Pork Belly. But if you want a service that will make your journey across Iowa a pleasant one, Pork Belly does provide pleasantry.

7/27/2010 - RAGBRAI Algona to Clear Lake

2010-07-27T22:14:00.000-05:00

RAGBRAI #38
Day 3
Algona to Clear Lake, Iowa
Miles: 64.7
Max Speed: 28.0
Average Speed: 12.2

(1) Above left: The first town on the route in the early morning was usually the most crowded and it usually required about a mile walk to get through it. (2) Above right: Beautiful Iowa farmland.

(3) Above left: Destination town of the day was Clear Lake, IA. (4) Above right: Some people bring their own tents and let a service carry their tent and gear each day to the next destination. They have to put up and take down their tent every day though. For some people that is a pretty quick task compared to finding a suitable site to put the tent down on. To consider the magnitude of this event, remember, this is only ONE camp site. There are many other camp sites located through the city, some providing services and others providing none.

(5) Above left: Our service provided several large tents and seating at each camp site which provided desired shade. These large tents have a small hose attached above that shoots out an almost invisible spray that provided additional cooling effect for those sitting under it. (6) Above right: These girls were dancing on the green grass after today's bicycle ride rather than chilling out in the shade.

(7) Above left: Our service provided several nights of musical entertainment which is what the women were dancing to. (8) Above right: There was usually a bigger concert somewhere in the host cities each night for those willing to stay up late into the night. Here is the stage for tonight's concert in Clear Lake.

(9) Above left: Literally, every town that RAGBRAI goes rolling through shuts down as the main road through their town is closed all day. Bigger cities like Clear Lake schedule all sorts of activities for their town during the RAGBRAI day and evening. This crowd of both locals and RAGBRAI riders were watching jet ski acrobatics going on in Clear Lake. (10) Above right: Many bicycle riders cooled off by taking a swim.

7/26/2010 - RAGBRAI Storm Lake to Algona

2010-07-26T22:25:00.001-05:00

RAGBRAI #38
Day 2
Storm Lake to Algona, Iowa
Miles: 85.3
Max Speed: 28.0
Average Speed: 12.7

(1) Above left: Pre-sunrise activity included getting up, getting dressed, emptying the kidneys, getting a cup of coffee and a snack, and storing the gear back into the bags. This is the lake that I went swimming in after yesterday's trip. (2) Above right: A few miles down the road, the line for breakfast food was long. It was a slow moving line and it took about an hour before we got our food. Bicycles kept going by the entire time.

(3) Above left: Despite what looks like horrendous crowding from photos, the distance between bicycles opens up once people get rolling down the road. It turns into a pretty relaxed ride with occasional busy areas caused by slower people not riding to the right. (4) Above right: Finding a parking place for the bike can be a challenge in the cities.

(5) Above left: It was about 94 degrees today. Ice cold fruit smoothies certainly were in demand. (6) Above right: When you gotta go, you gotta wait to go, at least in the towns.

(7) Above left: Another town scene. Many people park their bikes by leaning two bicycles together. Others just lay their bicycles down where there is open pavement. The key is remembering where you put it after you have walked around town for a while. (8) Above right: Some of the little towns like West Bend, Iowa had interesting places to visit, like "The Grotto of the Redemption" built by a grateful man over the period of over 40 years. You have to see it in person to believe it.

7/25/2010 - RAGBRAI Sioux City to Storm Lake

2010-07-25T23:16:00.003-05:00

RAGBRAI #38
Day 1
Sioux City to Storm Lake, Iowa
Miles: 69.4
Max Speed: 42.1
Average Speed: 11.9

I had been wanting to participate in RAGBRAI for about 30 years. There was always a reason not to do it. No vacation time. No money. Conflicts of interest. Not in shape. No time to train, etc.

I took the initiative this year to sign up and do it, because my brother died of cancer. My two brothers and I had talked about doing RAGBRAI together one day. My brother Bill had just retired and was riding the bicycle often to get in shape for such a ride. Unfortunately, he developed mesothelioma (lung cancer) and died within the year of retiring.

If you want to do something, find a way and do it, NOW. You may not have a tomorrow.

So here I am with my only brother, riding on the first day of seven days in RAGBRAI #38, riding in memory of my brother.

(1) Above left: This is a scene from our overnight accommodations. Most people were up before sunrise and by the time the sun rose, many were on their bicycles and rolling down the road. (2) Above right: On the first day, the ride immediately came to a walking speed due to a Railroad Crossing. Wow, we took over the whole rode as far as the eye could see. I never imagined being amongst so many other cyclists. Were we going to have to walk the entire route?

(3) Above left: The traffic jams don't last very long, but you can't ride in RAGBRAI like you would in a small group. Faster cyclists pass slower cyclists and you have to be patient in crowded areas, and as you can see, there is a lot of traffic. (4) Above right: Every town on the route caters to the cyclists with food, refreshments, and facilities. Bicycle traffic comes to a walking pace through towns as people stop to take breaks.

(5) Above left: Sometimes, in between towns at a farm, food concessions are set up to feed people. Here they are cooking pork chops. On a hot summer day, shade is valuable thing. (6) Above right: Check out the thickness of this pork chop. You will NOT go hungry in RAGBRAI. They feed you real well.

(7) Above left: At another farm, turkey legs along with other food and drink was being offered. The turkey legs were exceedingly good. (8) Above right: Iowa not only has corn farms, it also has an astonishingly high number of wind farms. One of these propellers had some damage.

(9) Above left: One of the nice things about participating in an organized group is the amount of benefits they provide, such as private showers with both hot and cold water, clean towels, and soap and shampoo. One trailer for the men, one trailer for the women. The waiting in line to get to a nice shower was usually less than 15 minutes. It sure felt good to clean up after riding 69 miles in the hot summer sun. (10) Above right: There is a reason why all the tents look the same. The group I hooked up with offered tent rental service. After I start riding the bicycle in the morning, the group takes down all the tents and carry them along with everyone's gear to the next destination. By the time I get to the next destination later that afternoon, my tent has already been set up and my bags are securely stored inside. Due to the proximity of each tent to one another, it is wise to sleep with ear plugs.

7/24/2010 - RAGBRAI shuttle from Dubuque to Sioux City

2010-07-24T22:29:00.005-05:00

What is RAGBRAI? It is an acronym of Registers Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa which started out as a small bicycle group ride across the state sponsored by a Newspaper back around 1972. It was a huge success and it has become an annual event.

It was once thought that the limiting factor for the number of participants would be the logistics and how to feed and provide sleeping quarters for all the riders. Superb planning has solved those problems. The actual limiting factor is the two lane roads which even though the bicycles use both lanes, they are not wide enough to accommodate the number of cyclists. So, the planners had to cap the number of riders wanting to register and they initiated a "Lottery" system. Even though the ride has a huge number of participants, it is a well planned event that provides everything that a group ride would need.

RAGBRAI is where bicycles rule the road across the entire state of Iowa for one week.

(1) Above left: Catching the shuttle bus from Dubuque, Iowa on the east side of Iowa which is the final destination to Sioux City, Iowa which is start of RAGBRAI on the western side of the state. (2) Above right: Driving into Sioux City, it became apparent that this was going to be a big event. There were tents throughout the city.

(3) Above left: Got our bags set aside, found our bicycles which were trucked over separately on an 18 wheeler, and now it was time to check into the service we were using to make life easier. This was our initiation into waiting in lines. (4) Above right: Wow, there are a lot of tents at this one location.

(5) Above left: After we got our gear into the tents and settled in, my cousin, my brother, and I (left to right) took a short bike ride to do the ceremonial tire dip into the Missouri River. (6) Above right: We also rode into town to the main expo area where bands were scheduled to play and walked around looking at all the goods.

4/22/2010 - Spanish Fort

2010-04-22T21:29:00.006-05:00

It is time to start putting in time on the bicycle seat to toughen up the butt to get it ready for RAGBRAI. Today's trip was from the Causeway to the Spanish Fort area and back at a leisurely pace.

(1) Above left: Mobile Bay was originally called, "Bay of the Holy Spirit." (2) Above right: A pair of kayakers out in Blakeley River on a beautiful day.

(3) Above left: There were some short but steep hills in the subdivisions north of Spanish Fort. (4) Above right: This crosswalk serves no purpose for pedestrians who are forced to walk in the street because this new shopping center lacks sidewalks.

(5) Above left: One of the alligators of D'Olive Creek waiting to be fed. Note the little fish also waiting to be fed. (6) Above right: There are several nice wooden bridges in the Daphne area for pedestrians and cyclists. Why do wooden bridges get built with nails? Nails always come loose. Someone is going to trip on these nails and hurt themselves. For bicyclists, these nails will eventually cause someone's tire to go flat.

(7) Above left: The pier at Village Point. (8) Above right: Sunset over the Apalachee River.

(9) Above left: Sunset on the Causeway. (10) Above right: Mobile skyline.

2/7/2010 - DIP Bridges

2010-02-07T17:02:00.010-06:00

It has been a long time since I went on a bicycle adventure. This is the year for me to do the Register's Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa (RAGBRAI), the first and longest running cross state bicycle ride. Participant numbers range between 10,000 and 20,000 riders. So it is time to start training for the 450 mile 7 day event. Dusted off the bicycle, tuned it up, and took it out for a spin today.

(1) Above left: A new white line adventure today. Sundays are great to bicycle on - not much traffic. (2) Above right: It is early in February and the roadside flowers are starting to blossom, like this yellow clover.

(3) Above left: Yellow aster. (4) Above right: Henbit.

(5) Above left: Wood's Park is relatively new and no one was here today. (6) Above right: A wild cat waiting for a fishy handout.

(7) Above left: Since Iowa has rolling hills, it is essential to prepare for riding hills. Rode up two bridges today. This is the view from the bridge over the Theodore Industrial Canal. (8) Above right: This was taken on the bridge over Dog River, the darker water is the outflow from Dog River mixing with the murky waters of Mobile Bay.

(9) Above photo: Photomerge of the view from the top of Dog River Bridge.

Natchez Trace Parkway Elevation Profile

2008-07-10T22:57:00.010-05:00

Natchez Trace Parkway Elevation Profile.
South to North route, 7 Day trip.
Approximately 64 miles / day avg.
Mile Posts (mp) are approximate.
Profile spikes may look bad but
grades are very easy for cyclists.
(Elevation scale of the images vary)

(Above Left) Natchez (mp-0) to Rocky Springs (mp-55). Disregard the 1st 15 miles on this first map. Those were miles ridden in Natchez before I got on the NTP.
(Above right) Rocky Springs (mp-55) to Ridgeland (mp-102).

(Above left) Ridgeland (mp-102) to Jeff Busby (mp-193).
(Above right) Jeff Busby (mp-193) to Tupelo (mp-266).

(Above left) Tupelo (mp-266) to Colbert Ferry (mp-327).
(Above right) Colbert Ferry (mp-327) to Shady Grove (mp-408).

(Above left) Shady Grove (mp-408) to northern terminus/Nashville (mp-444).

I hope these profiles will help in your trip planning so you won't be worrying if there is a monster hill around the next corner.

4/27/08 - Shady Grove, TN to Nashville, TN

2008-04-27T18:23:00.008-05:00

Day 11 –Shady Grove, TN to Nashville, TN (Last day of the Natchez adventure.)

Less than 40 miles to go today. I was slightly depressed because the journey would be over in a few hours, yet there was happiness in the air for knocking something off my life’s list of things to do.

(Above left) Day 11 Track – (40.5 miles) (Above right) Day 11 profile. There were only a handfull of climbs today that had me huffing and puffing. There were no "mountainous" hills on the Natchez Trace and I was very happy that the climbs were so easy. The worst climb of the trip was yesterday near Fall Hollow around mile post 392.

(Above left) Getting back on the parkway for the last time. (Above right) Rain was forecast for today and the clouds were rolling in fast.

(Above left) Hadn't really mentioned wildlife yet. Throughout this trip, I saw plenty of deer and many many wild turkey. The deer always took off running when they saw my hunter's orange shirt. (Above right) Here is where the name of the blog comes from - the white line on the roads. Speaking of white, white wildflowers lined the shoulder of the road very densely.

(Above left) There was a line of clouds following me. (Above right) Off in the distance, it looked like rain. Would I make Nashville before the rains started? Today there was a slight headwind.

(Above left) The double arch bridge that spans Birdsong Hollow. You can barely see two bicyclers going across the bridge. This award-winning bridge is the first double-arch, precast, segmental bridge of its kind in the U.S. (Above right) Birdsong Hollow.

(Above left) Another view of Birdsong Hollow from the double arch bridge. (Above right) After the Natchez Trace Parkway ended, I used the eTrex GPS unit to find a nearby motel and told the GPS to route me to the motel. Here is one of the roads the GPS it had me follow. Within 30 minutes of checking in at the motel, the rains started. What an awesome trip!

Ironically, there was not a single bicycle lane on the 800 miles of national bicycle routes that I had just been on, and within two miles of getting off the national bicycle routes, a bicycle lane appears. Go figure... I like Nashville!

Here is a good map of the Natchez Trace Parkway so you can trace my route. Click on the overall map image to get a blow up view.

4/26/08 - Georgetown, AL to Shady Grove, TN

2008-04-26T20:08:00.008-05:00

Day 10 – Collins Ferry Campground at Georgetown, AL to Shady Grove, TN

According to the weather report, this was going to be a rainy day. The rain had just stopped when I woke up at sunrise. I quickly packed up and put rain covers on all the panniers. I had planned to stay at Meriwether Lewis campground this evening but due to weather predicitons of a strong cold front passing through tomorrow. I chose to push out some additional mileage so there would be less mileage tomorrow. Today’s goal was now the bicycle only campground at Shady Grove.

(Above left) Day 10 Track – (90.6 miles). (Above right) Day 10 profile. Today was a day of hills – the first 25-30 miles were climbing. Happily, the initial climb went well because the grades were tolerable. I hit the highest elevation of the trip on this day, 1103 feet at mile marker 358. There were other climbs that had me panting pretty hard.

(Above left) This is the big Tennessee River. The rains had stopped but the clouds lingered for a while. The roads were soaked but thanks to the fenders and mud guard, only the tires got wet. I kept waiting on the rain but the sky eventually cleared up. (Above right) Blooming Dogwood trees started showing up in abundance.

(Above left) A pink version of the wood betony wildflower (Pedicularis canadensis). (Above right) Fire Pink wildflower (Silene virginica).

(Above left) White asters lined the shoulders of the road and flowering dogwoods were mixed in the woods. (Above right) One of two detours on the Parkway. The detours were minor and were well marked.

(Above left) Yellow asters spotted the rich greens. (Above right) This scenic waterfall site (Fall Hollow) was located in the middle of the worst hill climb of the day and I didn't want to stop. Plus, it required a hike to get to and I didn't have time for that. Click here for a better photo by someone else who climbed down to the site.

(Above left) Today was unique because several times the route followed a stream. Along this stream were many wildflowers I’d never seen before. (Above right) Trillium.

(Above left and right) More unknown wildflowers.

(Above left) Another odd looking wildflower. (Above right) One of the things I had expected to see on this journey were lots of nice views of rolling hills. Unfortunately, views like these were rare because the roadside trees were so dense that you couldn’t see beyond them.

(Above left) The campground at Shady Grove was poorly maintained and overgrown but I managed to find a place to put down the tent. (Above right) Sunset at Shady Grove. Tomorrow a strong cold front is expected to pass through. Off to sleep so as to get an early start in the morning. There was a tinge of sadness in my mood - only about 40 more miles to go or four more hours on the bicycle and this adventure will be over.

4/25/08 - Tupelo, MS to Georgetown, AL

2008-04-25T19:59:00.005-05:00

Day 9 – North Tupelo, MS to Collins Ferry Campground at Georgetown, AL

The stay in North Tupelo was uneventful. I did laundry and ate at Appleby’s. It never did rain overnight. Before leaving today, I checked the Weather Channel and they were predicting a cold front to pass through tonight, stall, and then back up as a warm front. This means rain. I was finally going to have to ride in the rain. I might note that out of the past eight days, I’ve had tailwind every day except one. 8 days, no rain, and great tailwinds? You can’t ask for better weather!

(Above left) Day 9 track – (69.8 miles) Today I cross the Mississippi-Alabama state line and this is the day I expected to start really hitting some mountain grades. Near Cherokee there are town names like Sand Mountain, and Mount Haster. (Above right) The gradient on the elevation axis changed today – since I departed Theodore the stripes have indicated 20 foot elevation changes. Today the stripes reflect 50 foot elevation changes. I started out low in Tupelo and did a lot of climbing. For the most part, the climbing was at very nice grades. The 800 foot barrier was reached and the granny gears were only used a couple of times. Not bad at all.

(Above left) The petals on this flower were fringed – identity unknown. (Above right) Clover gave way to these little small white flowers and they started to dominate the roadside in masses.

(Above left and right) The patches of red clover still made brief appearances. Out of millions of red clover heads, wouldn’t you know it – I find the only single patch of white clover – it must be an albino.

(Above left) The dense woods on the sides of the roads opened up to pasture land and several of the fields were completely covered with yellow buttercups. (Above right) Only 166 more miles to go.

(Above left) When I thought I’d seen enough red, yellow and white shoulders, patches of Lyre-leafed mint started shading the roadside in a light blue. (Above right) I eventually ran into a rather challenging climb. You know the elevation has changed when you start seeing roads cut through rock layers.

Today I cycled out of the central plains of Mississippi, across the Flatwoods, catching a little of the Pontotoc Hills, went across the Black Prairie and across the Fall Line Hills, all distinct physiographic regions of Mississippi. In Alabama, I was nearing the Highland Rim of the Cumberland Plateau. Tomorrow I expect much pain in ways of hills.

(Above left) Since I was going to camp near a Tennessee River boat ramp, I expected to have a nice downhill run to the secluded bicycle only camp site. Wrong. Here is the Bay Springs Lake Dam on the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway. Wish I’d had time to bicycle over to the dam and explore it. It was after this dam where the bigger hills began. (Above right) Here I was battening down the hatches for the rain expected to happen during the night. As of midnight, the stars were out but at some point in the morning, winds picked up and the rains started. I stayed nice and dry and slept through most of it.

I really liked the change of scenery today – couldn’t have asked for a more beautiful day.

4/24/08 - Jeff Busby to North Tupelo, MS

2008-04-24T20:28:00.005-05:00

Day 8 – Jeff Busby Campground near Eupora, MS to North Tupelo, MS

The typical alarm clock when camping is the birds. Here, listen to this: (you might need to turn up your volume).

The recording however, does not do a very good job capturing the overall sound and intensity. Another perfect evening last night. Jeff Busby campground had a store with sandwiches that could be warmed in a microwave and there was plenty of Poweraid. Today’s goal is to make it to north Tupelo on the advice of the campground store operator.

(Above left) Day 8 track – (77.2 miles) (Above right) Day 8 profile. Compared to yesterday, you can see the hill spikes are larger. What is hard to detect is that even though the spikes are bigger, they go down at an angle instead of almost straight down. These hills were again like railroad grades - very tolerable. Note that the elevation drops down to about elevation 240 in Tupelo.

(Above left) Today was cloudy with chatter on the weather radio about the potential for some strong afternoon thunderstorms, so I chose to stay in a motel at Tupelo. These yellow flowers were prominent along the banks of creeks and are in the Parsley Family. (Above right) In some of the low areas were blankets of Butterweed (Packera glabella).

(Above left) A Modiola caroliniana wildflower. (Above right) Patches of red clover (Trifolium incarnatum) can be impressive up close and provide an eye full of crimson along many parts of the Trace.

(Above left) Within 30 miles of Tupelo, traffic started picking up. I stopped and chatted with the only other bicycle tourists I saw the entire time on the Natchez Trace Parkway. Carol and her husband were retired and pushing out 20-30 miles per day. Both of them also had Novara Safari bicycles and were pleased with them. (Above right) Another new wildflower I’d never seen before - Spring Beauties (Claytonia virginica).

(Above left) Only 245 more miles to go. Where are the big mountainous hills? (Above right) 25 miles south of Tupelo, I ran into the worst conditions on the NTP. My lane had been shaved of about 2-3 inches of asphalt. Cars were afraid to pass and came dangerously close to me. It was as bumpy as a cobblestone road. The last 20-30 miles to North Tupelo were so busy with traffic that I never had a chance to relax. Between the construction, and the road bumps and the convoy of cars, it was miserable.

According to the National Park Service (the agency responsible for the Natchez Trace Parkway), they are re-paving much of the road. That is fine with me, but if this is a national bicycle route, where is the extra two or three foot of paved shoulder that a bicycle can ride on to get out of the lane of traffic? Naaa, they are repaving it narrow to let both bicyclers and motorists suffer. It is a 50 mph road that commuters have found to be useful. Trouble is, the one or two motorists who do the speed limit create a tailgating party of irate motorists who can’t wait to pass the slow poke. This tailgating business was the unsafe factor. It causes a string of cars to swerve into the other lane to pass me and it usually results in forcing an opposing lane motorist off the road because the tailgaters didn’t see the oncoming traffic due to the curves. It happened several times. Natchez Trace is a very curvy road. When someone dies on this bicycle route due to lack of bicycle lanes in a busy city, I hope they sue the National Park Service because of their poor planning. They’re repaving it now and what they should really be doing is widening the lane and adding a paved cycling shoulder. A Park Ranger said that going through Jackson wasn’t so bad because the commuters haven’t quite caught on to the NTP there yet – the Natchez Trace going around Jackson is only a few years old.

It just irks me to be forced to ride through the heart of a city where people are driving their business vehicles and hauling their mowers on wide trailers and commuting on a national designated recreational bicycle route that the National Park Service encourages bicyclists to go on that commercial traffic isn’t allowed on. Hmm, did you understand that last sentence?

I did not ride through Tupelo during the commuter hour -went through at around noon just like I did in Jackson. You can only imagine how the conditions would deteroriate the closer you are to commuter hours. Shame on the National Park Service! Put in a 3’ wide paved shoulder and save a life!

4/23/08 - Ridgeland, MS to Jeff Busy Campground near Eupora, MS

2008-04-23T20:15:00.004-05:00

Day 7 – Ridgeland, MS to Jeff Busy Campground near Eupora, MS

Had a great night’s sleep at Ridgeland. Woke up feeling no pains and was ready for the morning commuter traffic and for whatever big hills the road had in store for today. Jeff Busby campground (the only place on the Trace that has a gas station and a store), was halfway between Ridgeland and Tupelo and it hosted the only official campground, so that is today’s destination, but it requires an almost 100 mile ride today.

(Above left) Day 7 track (97.6 miles) (Above right) Day 7 profile. Yowzers! Today was the flattest day yet! I had expected some tough hills only to find the route following Pearl River and Yockanookany River most of the day! Four days on the NTP and no hills. Based on the last four days, original apprehensions are turning into hopes that NTP will continue as a mostly flat road with few reasonable climbs. What’s around the next corner?

(Above left) Today NTP started out following Ross Barnett Reservoir which does have an alligator in it. Much to my delight, traffic was light on my side of the road and the commuter traffic quickly abated. Jackson proved very easy (safe) to get past. (Above right) The pine trees along the right of way have been impressive all along the parkway – some massive in size. Photos do no justice.

(Above left) White pea wildflowers growing along the reservoir which beetles and ladybugs were thoroughly enjoying. (Above right) Flower of the Tulip Tree also known as Yellow-Popular (Liriodendron tulipifera).

(Above left) Tupelo, tomorrow’s destination, is named after a tree that usually grows in low wet areas, not on mountain sides. (Above right) Beaver help to create swamps. The journey from Natchez to Nashville was tough for early day travelers because it goes through much river bottom land - mosquitoes and snakes plagued the travelers. Monster hills? Duh, what was I thinking. The Natchez Trace is more like, flat as a pancake!

(Above left) One of the many types of Trifolium (Clover) seen along the shoulders. This one is Trifolium pretense. (Above right) Here is an unusual wildflower I’d never seen before – Common Lousewort or Wood Betony (Pedicularis Canadensis).

(Above left) Country gas stations like this one in Thomastown, are alive and well. They provided much nourishment for my hungry body. (Above right) This was a scene near French Camp – another historical site along the NTP. The unique fences lined by fields of buttercup wildflowers were very pleasing to the eye.

Out of the last seven days, I’ve cycled on dry roads for seven days. What more can you ask for? For those considering riding the Natchez Trace Parkway, the wise choice in riding direction is South to North because the prevailing winds are out of the South. Of the last seven days, six of them have produced nice tailwinds. This has been a wonderful day and is turning into a really memorable trip, but…

(Above left) Despite this being a relatively perfect day – no hills, nice tail winds, there was one thorn in my butt most of the day. At some point in the morning, it started - every hundred feet were construction stations (like 29+00) marked in white along the road. Seeing these mile after mile after mile got old. To make matters worse, the markings made me think about work all day (we do road design). Ha! Here I am on vacation and can’t stop thinking about work all day…

The markings were there for a reason – the road is going to be repaved. Sadly, every 20 to 50 feet was a crack going across the road that jarred my butt bones and arms when rolling across it. (Above right) See the tape on the tent? A byproduct of all the road bumps today was nice holes in the tent. Good thing I had tape in the repair kit.

What you don’t see in the photos at these campgrounds is the clean restroom facilities stationed near the tent. The restrooms provided a place to take towel baths, wash lycra shirts and shorts, and clean/fill the water bottles.

4/22/08 - Rocky Springs, MS to Ridgeland, MS

2008-04-22T20:17:00.002-05:00

Day 6 – Rocky Springs, MS to Ridgeland, MS

I slept very well during the night. There was no dew on the tent so breaking camp went quickly. Today would be an easy day with short mileage, but I had serious apprehensions about the traffic near Jackson and had no idea whether the route would be through city streets or what. I wanted to end today on the far side of the Jackson so commuter traffic the following day would be limited and mostly on the other side of the road. Today’s destination was to find a motel in Ridgeland and then find a place to chow down like a Sumo wrestler does.

(Above left) Day 6 track (51.9 miles). (Above right) Day 6 profile. Yesterday was great with the nice flat grades and today was even better. Compare this profile to say the profile on Day 4 and you can see the difference. Today’s hills were minor – mostly hills associated with going over a road. This trip is getting better and better every day!

(Above left) Dense woods on the road side usually meant riding in the shade until high noon. (Above right) I’ve seen graffiti before, but never on a road at this scale. None of the words appeared to be filth either.

(Above left) Only 345 more miles to go. (Above right) The road shoulders and nearby fields varied in color – from yellow buttercups to white and red clovers.

(Above left and right) Among the buttercups and clovers were patches of white asters and various wildflowers like this venus looking-glass making the roadside a virtual botanical garden hundreds of miles long that I was enjoying mile after mile on a almost traffic free parkway.

(Above left and right) Red clover patches were abundant along the roadside. I kept looking at the maps expecting the worse as I went around the outskirts of Jackson. While the traffic did pick up, there was rarely more than one car visible on the road at any time.

Jackson area traffic was manageable, but then again, I went around it during noon hours. I kept expecting heavy traffic and never saw it. Soon I was at Ridgeland, MS (north of Jackson) at US-51 where I got off to find a motel. Motels were about a mile and a half down the road. Simply unbelievable - rather than being honked at, cussed at, and birded, people in cars passing were giving a thumbs up sign or waving. Wow, nice smooth roads, friendly people, light traffic – what more can you ask for?

Two good days after four tough ones really picked up my spirits. I had expected the worst and today turned out to be really great – the best one yet. But what about the big hills that are further up the road?

4/21/08 - Natchez, MS to Rocky Springs, MS

2008-04-21T21:07:00.003-05:00

Day 5 – Natchez, MS to Rocky Springs, MS

(Click on any photo to get a larger view.)

I slept well during the night in Natchez and woke up with almost no pain except for in the left knuckles, but I knew that would quickly go away. The goal today was a campground right on the Parkway called Rocky Springs. I made a trip to Walmart to stock up on wheat rolls and visited the nearby Western Auto bike shop where Terry added a bit of air to the tires and oiled the chain. Terry also showed me the Natchez Trace Parkway profile elevations between Natchez and Jackson which started my day off with a positive note. The profile showed there was a climb out of Natchez but only to an elevation of 420 feet – today could be no worse than yesterday. Went back to the motel, packed up the bicycle and headed off to ride the Natchez Trace Parkway not knowing what is around the next curve. I took the GPS and put it inside the handlebar bag because it would no longer be easy to get lost – no more turns until Nashville.

(Above left) Day 5 Track (71.2 Miles) (Above right) Day 5 profile.

(Above left) Taken from the ramp that leads up to the beginning of the Natchez Trace Parkway. (Above right) The mileage to Nashville seemed big, but hey, one day at a time.

(Above left) History of the NTP (Natchez Trace Parkway). All along the 445 miles of the Natchez Trace are historical sites usually every 5 to 10 miles apart. On the Natchez Trace there are 16 hiking trails, 16 History exhibits, 12 Indian history sites, 11 Information sites, 9 Nature Exhibits, 15 Self-Guided trails, 22 Old Trace exhibits, 34 Picnic areas, 18 Restroom sites, 8 Sanitary stations, 6 Water recreation areas, and 11 campgrounds. There are too many things to take photos of and post. The Natchez Trace is off limits to commercial vehicles (trucks) and there is only one gas station along the entire route. To get gas or food, you have to leave the Parkway and go to a nearby town. (Above right) The first thing I noticed about the trace is the expected climb up to 420 feet is very gentle – like a railroad grade – exactly what I needed after yesterday’s long 100+ mile ride. In this photo, the shoulder of the road was coated with white clover. Majestic trees lined the sides of the road on both sides.

(Above left) There were other bicyclists on the road. There was almost no traffic which was a real delight. What does almost no traffic mean? It means seeing a single car every ten minutes to three hours and when they pass you, they move all the way over into the other lane and usually wave to you as they go by. Truly there is a bicycle heaven. (Above right) This is one of the many original “Sunken Trace” trails.

(Above left) I took time to visit most of the historical sites. This tool shed looks like a scene from our old Barn at 2302. Some of you reading this will understand. (Above right) Many of the original travelers between Natchez and Nashville never made it – it was a long and dangerous journey for those on foot or on horseback through swamps and indian country, all filled with wild animals. The mountain bike allowed me to go on some trails to see historical sites.

(Above left) One of the many wildflowers seen today. (Above right) Upon camping that evening, I noticed a new bruise – it must have happened when I took the fall with the bicycle a few days ago.

To find food, I got off the NTP at Port Gibson only to find myself going down a steep hill into the town. The road (US-61) was narrow and most vehicles were huge tractor-trailer trucks and traffic was very heavy in both directions. I turned around before going all the way down into Port Gibson – US-61 was too dangerous for me. I picked up some gatoraid and microwaved some packaged burgers at a service station. That would be my dinner 15 miles down the road at the campground.

Today’s weather was great. There was nothing but tailwind all day and the hills that I had feared turned out to be so low grade that I never used the granny gear except when I got off at Port Gibson. Today was the first day of the trip that I really enjoyed.

4/20/08 - Easleyville, LA to Natchez, MS

2008-04-20T21:38:00.006-05:00

Day 4 – Easleyville, LA to Natchez, MS

I looked over the route yesterday and didn’t see much in way of campgrounds between Easleyville and Natchez so I got up early in anticipation of a long day in the saddle – another 80 mile day. The goal was to reach Natchez and get a motel for the night. Had a nice hot breakfast at the Corner Grocery store in Easleyville - a real nice place it was.

(Above left) Day 4 track – 101.8 miles. (Above right) Day 3 elevation profile. Some of the dips in elevation today represented crossing the Comite River (near Norwood), the Amite River (near Felixville), and the Homochitto River that runs through the Homochitto National Forest. Today the hills were brutal and some of them had me questioning whether or not I want to go any further. If I was barely handling these little coastal hills, what would I do when they got bigger in the mountains toward Nashville?

(Above left) The shoulders of the road were covered with yellow clover and other wildflowers. (Above right) The twin flowers of the Partridge Berry.

(Above left) The Amite River holds some significance as one of my sisters live on the bank of the Amite River near Denham Springs, LA. (Above right) The Amite River splits into the East and West branches at the LA/MS state line and both continue to run north another 30 miles until about US Hwy 98.

(Above left) Some roads offered little in way of shade such as this State Route 19/33 going into Misssissippi. (Above right) Some roads offered much cooler travel due to the dense tree coverage as was the case in this photo taken around noon. What happens to the earth when there aren't enough trees to absorb the sun's heat?

It was in Norwood, LA (about 2.5 miles south of the state line) where I changed directions from westerly to northerly. I had been following the Adventure Cycling route (Southern Tier - which goes from California to Florida) in a westbound direction. In Norwood, I started following Adventure Cycling’s Great Rivers Route which goes from Baton Rouge, LA and follows the Natchez Trace Parkway up to Tupelo, then goes all the way to Cape Girardeau, MO.

(Above left) Another river - this one with an eroded bank on one side. Where is the red dirt? (Above right) I was tired from all the hills and had just been on the worst road I’d ever bicycled on (like cobblestones) near Rosetta, MS and instead of going right, I went left down the road shown in this photo. Had it not been for the GPS route points (available for free from Adventure Cycling) disappearing from my eTrex, there is no telling when I would have figured out I made the wrong turn. I was on the wrong side of the Homochitto River and there was only two ways to cross it, US-61 or SR-33. According to some people I talked to at a Perrytown church, the best way to get to Natchez was to turn around and get back on route SR-33. Getting lost on a day when I was expecting to do a long 80 mile ride really dampened my mood – but hey, what is an adventure without some tough tests of the spirit? So, I turned around and got back on route. The last 20 miles had 3 tough climbs. Luckily, the last few miles into Natchez were all downhill. I made it to the motel just before dark and proceeded to gorge myself at a nearby Ryan’s buffet restaurant. To ride a century – over 100 miles in one day and on a fully loaded bicycle is a feat.

4/19/08 - Bogalusa, LA to Easleyville, LA

2008-04-19T21:33:00.002-05:00

Day 3 – Bogalusa, LA to Easleyville, LA (Hyde Park Campground)

Still had some lingering pain in the left knuckles when I woke up this morning and some new pain in the right knee. I pushed the pace a little too much yesterday. Walked over to Hardee’s in Bogalusa and had a nice big warm breakfast before getting on the road again. Also took some vitamins and Tylenol. I looked forward to riding in new territory today. Started out pretty slow though...

(Above left) Day 3 track – 61.3 miles. (Above right) Day 3 elevation profile. There were a few tough climbs today but it was all the little steep grades that took its toll. The low spot in the beginning was the Pearl River basin in Bogalusa, then the second dip was the Bogue Chitto River area near Franklinton, the last major dip represented Tangipahoa River basin.

(Above left) Saw a lot of farms today. After taking the photo of the cows, I put the camera up and proceeded to get back on the bicycle. Unfortunately, the load on the bicycle coupled with the steep driveway and improper starting gear brought the bicycle to a abrupt halt. The bicycle quickly fell over slinging me to the ground with it because my feet were still clipped into the pedals. It happened fast and the only options I had were to twist my torso and jam my hands onto the pavement hoping break the fall (or my arms) or do a face plant into the pavement. Luckily, I had gloves on the hands and nothing got broken. The panniers cushioned the blow to the bicycle so the bicycle was not damaged. Wow, that was a rude awakening. Note - starting off on a 120 pound bicycle on a hill requires extra power and also, don’t clip into the pedals until fully underway. (Above right) Here is a typical view from one of several bridges that I crossed today. This one was the Bogue Chitto River.

(Above left) Saw a lot of hunting country with deer stands, plus a few oddly named camps. (Above right) Wild onion flowers.

(Above left) The Hyde Park Campground greeter was happy to see bike. (Above right) Shot of the sparkling mossy bank of the nearby Tickfaw River that ran through the campground. I had time today to explore the trails along the creek. If you look closely, you can see on top of the handlebar bag an eTrex GPS - it really helped on this trip.

(Above left) Here are three bicycle tourists who rode up from Baton Rouge. The St. Francisville Ferry was not operating due to flooding conditions on the Mississippi river causing them to detour through Baton Rouge. They were headed in the opposite direction and going to Florida. (Above right) The Hyde Park campground was poorly maintained but it did have a hot shower. The other cyclists and I stayed up and talked until well after it was dark. Mosquitoes were not out in force yet. I put in earplugs and slept pretty well for once.

4/18/08 - Mount Airy, MS to Bogalusa, LA

2008-04-18T21:22:00.003-05:00

(Above left) Day 2 track - Mount Airy, MS to Bogalusa, LA. (Above right) Day 2 elevation profile. Some of the hills were only a hundred feet in climb, but they were steep, so I found myself in the lowest granny gear many times today, huffing and puffing away. Whew! How can a vacation be so much work?

Day 2 –
The pain was still present in the left knuckles but after about an hour on the bicycle, the endorphins kicked in and the pain went away. There were no photos on this day. Weather forecast called for a severe line of thunderstorms to move through the area in the morning hours. The only goal today was to get to Bogalusa before the storms, so I started out at sunrise, pedaled hard, stood up on the pedals on the hills, and was panting like an out of shape senior citizen attempting an activity that he or she had no business doing. Luckily, the storm front slowed down which gave me just enough time to get to a motel before the rains came. The winds were terrible today – mostly cross winds and very gusty. Once in Bogalusa, I made a quick trip to Walmart for food, vitamins, Tylenol, and a pair of cheap sandals. Hopefully the vitamins and Tylenol would put an end to the muscle Charlie horses and the knuckle pain.

The motel bed was much more comfortable than a pad on the ground. The thigh muscle cramps came back with a vengeance though during the night and sleep was again interrupted by someone’s loud car stereo that thumped for what seemed like hours. Ear plugs lessened the noise. It was another rough night.

4/17/08 - Theodore, AL to Mount Airy, MS

2008-04-17T21:18:00.002-05:00

(Above left) Day 1 track. (Above right) Day 1 elevation profile. The low spot near the middle was the Pascagoula River Basin area. The small 20-60 foot hills, though small, were a shock to me as it requires much more effort to pedal a 120 pound bicycle uphill.

(Above left) Got a late start due to packing headaches. Here is an Alabama high-rise condo. The sign under the Tin Man says, “A YELLOW COWARD SHOT THIS TIN MAN THE S.O.B.” (Above right) Typical of this day were long straight slightly rolling roads along low pinelands and miles of pitcher plant bogs.

(Above left) Rob headed down the road. A fully loaded bicycle does not respond like a normal bicycle. I had serious doubts at first whether this bicycle would hold up under the weight. (Above right) A closer look at the Novara Safari bicycle set up for touring with some pitcher plants in the background. Incidentally, the white thing sticking out of the back of the bicycle is a thick CB Antenna which served as a dog training device. I had it placed behind my right leg wedged between a pannier and a yellow bag for quick access. Any dogs out for blood would soon find this antenna slapping against the side of their head. I had no problem whipping it faster than they could move and it usually took only one stunning blow to their head to stop them dead in their tracks. Bigger pit bull type dogs sometimes required two or maybe even a third painful incentive to their head to finally get them to leave me alone. I know, it is a cruel thing but when 800,000 people a year are sent to emergency rooms from dog bites, I'm either going to carry a gun or a CB antenna equalizer. Shooting a gun will cause trouble. Defending yourself with a stick against a charging dog is justified.

(Above left) Heal-All (Prunella vulgaris) of the mint family was plentiful along the roads today. (Above right) This photo was taken at the campground and shows a bird sillouetted in front of a nearly full moon.

(Above left) There is a small pond at the campground and the reflections of the clouds on it were beautiful. (Above right) My tent site at the Mount Airy Campground in the De Soto National Forest, MS.

Had some severe leg cramps in the upper thigh muscles during the night. Also, the left knuckles started hurting - arthritis type pain affiliated with bad diet... The pain wasn’t as irritating as the loud drunken camping neighbors who decided to go swimming in the pond at 2:00 in the morning. Not exactly a good start for a trip.

4/17/08 to 4/27/08 - Natchez Trace Parkway Ride

2008-04-17T20:25:00.017-05:00

Theodore, AL to Nashville, TN via the Natchez Trace Parkway

Trip Summary - Click on any Day to link to that day's web page.

Day 1 – 84.7 miles – Theodore, AL to Mount Airy, MS
Day 2 – 66.5 miles – Mount Airy, MS to Bogalusa, LA
Day 3 – 61.3 miles – Bogalusa, LA to Easleyville, LA
Day 4 –101.8 miles – Easleyville, LA to Natchez, MS
Day 5 – 71.2 miles – Natchez, MS to Rocky Springs, MS
Day 6 – 51.9 miles – Rocky Springs, MS to Ridgeland, MS
Day 7 – 97.6 miles – Ridgeland, MS to Eupora, MS
Day 8 – 77.2 miles – Eupora, MS to Tupelo, MS
Day 9 – 69.8 miles – Tupelo, MS to Cherokee, AL
Day 10 –90.6 miles – Cherokee, AL to Shady Grove, TN
Day 11 –40.5 miles – Shady Grove, TN to Nashville, TN

Total Miles – 813.2
Total Hours Pedaling – 73
Average Hours per day pedaling bicycle – 6.6 hrs/day
Average Speed – 11.1 mph
Average Miles/Day – 73.9
Hottest day - 88 degrees.
Coolest night - 46 degrees.
Maximum Speed – 34.3 mph.
Number of flats – 0 (praise the thorn resistant tubes!)
Number of mechanical problems – 0
Number of accidents - 1
Number of days riding in rain – 0
Number of nights sleeping in tent during rain – 1
Most Dangerous Traffic Area on Parkway – Tupelo, MS
Most Dangerous Traffic Area off Parkway – Port Gibson, MS
Number of Detours – 2
Worst Slum City – Tangipahoa, LA
Best Cycling City – Nashville, TN
Number of drivers flipping the bird – 1
Number of drivers waving – hundreds.
Approximate number of pedal revolutions per mile -378.
Approximate number of pedal revolutions for the entire trip - 307,000.

4/13/08 - Dauphin Island

2008-04-13T20:03:00.000-05:00

(Above left) A cloverized cow field. (Above right) Bill might be interested to know this is the old Driftwood Golf Course where my father and I played golf several times.

(Above left) The Bayou La Batre lift bridge. (Above right) I took the scenic route to Dauphin Island today going through Bayou La Batre and Coden. While the photo here may portray a beautiful site, what you can’t see is all the trash in the water. Bayou La Batre is the most polluted and trashy waterway I’ve ever seen.

(Above left) You can still see some pine trees that were snapped off during Hurricane Katrina. This is an old house abandoned after the storm. (Above right) “Rider on the road….” Sung to a tune by the Doors.

(Above left) This is one of four kayakers that were out fishing near Dauphin Island on a day when there was suppose to be a small craft advisory. As you can tell by the waters, the winds hadn’t started to pick up yet. I had enjoyed mostly tailwinds all morning. (Above right) A patch of Lantana near the Dauphin Island Esturarium.

(Above left) On the way home, Rob and Doggie take a break and give thanks for being blessed with such a beautiful day. Note the highly visible shirt. (Above right) A patch of Buttercup Primroses with the Dauphin Island bridge in the background.

4/12/08 - March Road

2008-04-12T20:23:00.002-05:00

(Above) Northwest of the Pilot Truckstop at exit 13 on I-10 is another fine example of clear cutting. Yeah, let's cover more of the land with buildings making the land more impervious to absorbing water. Let's pave over more of the land to make another huge heat absorbing parking lot. If we don’t stop this madness of rapidly destroying Earth on a global scale, you can look forward to the Chaos Theory coming sooner or later to your home theater.

(Above left) On the right-of-way of March Road sits a grave site. You can see grave sites on the sides of many roads. If the police would start enforcing the traffic laws more strictly, less people would die from car accidents. If the FAA won’t allow unsafe pilots operating planes, why should we allow unsafe drivers (speeders and red-light runners) on the road? (Above right) A cloverized cow pasture.

(Above left) Old time farm wagons are abundant at Driskell’s in St. Elmo. (Above right) A wild geranium seed.

(Above left and right) A wildflower you might actually want in your flower garden – Lupine (Lupinus nuttallii).

(Above left) White phlox. (Above right) Beard-Tongue (Penstemon).

(Above left) Peek-a-boo…a spy-ter was watching me take photos. (Above right) About all you can see in this photo is the white line on the road. As I was off the bicycle taking photos of wildflowers, the front tire went flat. Of course, it had to go flat just before dark…so this trip was finished after sunset. Got light? Got reflectors? You bet! You just never know what might delay you on the return trip during a bicycle adventure…

4/6/08 - Pascagoula

2008-04-06T21:08:00.007-05:00

I explored the towns of Pascagoula and Gautier (in Mississippi) today. (Above left) Many of the houses leveled by Hurricane Katrina years ago have yet to be rebuilt. (Above right) The Old Place in Gautier. Ever wonder where the town of Gautier got its name from? (Read the sign in the photo.) Gautier is pronounced, (Go-Shay’). Gautier is also known for the big alien abduction story years ago.

(Above left) Old Spanish Trail parallels US Hwy 90 and had significantly less traffic than I expected. Along the roadside, yellow wildflowers contrast with pink azaleas making it look like a botanical garden. (Above right) I got the first flat on this bicycle today as I was taking a photo of this weird looking hen. Had problems getting the bicycle tire to seat properly on the rim but luckily, two blocks away was a gas station with a air compressor.

(Above left) In both the Pascagoula and Gautier area, there were plenty of impressive old oak trees, some with gnarled trunks indicating they have weathered many a storm. (Above right) Highway 90 Bridge going over the Pascagoula River. The memorial stone in the photo was honoring Martin Luther King who was assassinated on April 4, 1968, 40 years ago.

(Above left) Yellow Blue-Eyed Grass (Sisyrinchium rosulatum). (Above right) In the middle of a big patch of Blue-Blue-Eyed grass was this sole spike of White Blue-Eyed Grass (Sisyrinchium albidum) Kind of makes me wonder why they call it blue-eyed grass…

(Above left) Doggie and Rob sit on the Spanish Fort (Pascagoula) boat ramp dock looking north over the waters of Krebs Lake, towards Boston - both taking a moment to send Bill a prayer. (Above right) If you think it a bit odd that I bicycle around with a stuffed Doggie, check out what another person bicycles around with – a real Doggie.

(Above left) How much is that doggie in the window? (Above right) Even though it has been riding in a cushioned seat since it was born, don’t let this doggie fool you – it is a tough breed.

Too many photos to share here which means today was a great adventure. I explored several boat landings, Shepard State Park, and the Shell Landing Golf Club. To make things even better, I had a tail wind in both directions. Yahoo!

4/5/08 - Bayou Sara

2008-04-05T19:33:00.001-05:00

(Above left) I started out at Cadence 120 this morning after Nathan fixed a loose bottom bracket and tightened a few other components. About 5 inches of rain Friday night to Saturday morning had the lake water at Municipal Park flowing over the spillway like it was Niagara Falls. (Above right) The usual low lying areas were flooded.

(Above left and right) Bayou Sara near Saraland was definitely not kayaker friendly today and was probably making this home owner a little bit nervous. The waters were 4-6 feet above normal.

(Above left) These are signs you don’t want to see when riding a bicycle. (Above right) Some minor flooding near Telegraph Road. A couple more inches of rain and these rooms might have been gone.

(Above left) This is your bicycle adventurer and blog photo journalist taking a quick break. The bicycle is a Novara Safari from REI. I added front and rear racks for touring. Even though the rain had stopped, there was still a lot of water in the roads, and the added fenders and mud flap kept me and my feet dry. The antenna like protrusion to the rear of the bicycle is an old fiberglass CB antenna that is occasionally used as a dog obedience device – oops, sorry doggie… (Above right) Doggie was tickled pink to pose in the azaleas for his photo.

3/30/08 - Monster Flamingo & Ladybird

2008-03-30T20:04:00.002-05:00

(Above left) Dock (Rumex hastatulus) is turning this field into a rust color. (Above right) An unknown wildflower along the interstate. Most of the vibrant wildflowers that color the landscape along some places on the interstates are a result of Ladybird Johnson whose love for the beauty of the land brought her many awards.

(Above left) Doggie had no idea that some of its stuffed relatives were so monstrous in size. (Above right) Wildflower in the Bean Family. (Click on the image for a bigger view, right-click on the larger image and then "set as background." You can do that on any of the photos here.)

(Above left) Spring is here – everything is turning green. (Above right) Wildflowers blanket the sides of roadways.

(Above left) Buttercup Primrose (Oenothera speciosa) with its two colors (white being the rarer) usually forms a dense carpet patch of color along roadsides. (Above right) Yellow Sweet Clover (Melilotus officinalis) is one of those wildflowers that is almost invisible to a speeding motorist.

(Above left) Stopping along roadside ditches to take photos is not without risk because of poisonous snakes. (Above right) Taking photos along the creeks in not without risk because of big water lizards. Riding a bicycle down the white line of a road is even riskier, but in all three cases, risks can be minimized for the reward of seeing nature up close and personal.

3/23/08 - Mobile Museum of Art

2008-03-23T19:52:00.000-05:00

(Above left) Rob wishing Happy Easter to everyone from a bridge over Halls Mill Creek. (Above right) I went through a lot of neighborhoods to get to the Art Museum and there were a lot of azaleas in bloom.

(Above left) The architecture of this house was unique considering all the other houses in the area were standard brick houses. (Above right) Passed by the University of South Alabama and snapped a photo of a fisherman.

(Above left) The Mobile Museum of Art as seen from across the lake. (Above right) A closer view of the Art Museum.

(Above left) Easter Sunday – a day when many paws to give thanks.

3/22/08 - Mason Ferry Road

2008-03-22T21:15:00.004-05:00

(Above left) The town of Wilmer, AL, where I was riding the bicycle from on this trip, consists of about six streets and the only thing worth taking a photo of was the church being over grown by Azaleas. (Above right) Heading north on Wilmer-Georgetown Road to Mason Ferry Road, there was a patch of Lady Lupine (Lupinus villosus) growing.

(Above left) The speed on Mason Ferry Road is a little different than most roads which is why I chose it for a destination today. (Above right) After a few miles, Mason Ferry Road became a dirt road with a speed limit more in line for bicycles. This road would not be fun for narrow tire bicycles.

(Above left) The drawback of bicycling on a dirt road is when a car does pass, you can’t hold your breath long enough, so you end up breathing in dust. (Above right) Passing by this spot of winter grass reminded me of one of those Microsoft screen savers.

(Above left) Horse riders kept talking about “the bridge” so I kept pedaling until I reached the bridge which turned out to be Charlie Williams Senior Bridge. (Above right) It is the bridge that goes over the Escatawpa River.

(Above left) A side view of a violet wildflower. (Above right) Odd stuff with an interesting texture growing on the ground.

3/22/08 - The Mobile Zoo

2008-03-22T20:45:00.005-05:00

(Above Left) This was my first trip to The Mobile Zoo located on Ward Road off U.S. Hwy 98 about 20 miles northwest of Mobile (1.5 miles northwest of Wilmer). You do not want to ride your bicycle to the zoo because U.S. Highway 98 is not bicycle friendly and Ward Road becomes a dirt road before you get to the zoo. (Above right) A white swan was swimming in some rather nasty looking water. It didn’t appear some animals were living in the best of conditions -probably due to budget issues - hey, go visit The Mobile Zoo and help out the animals!

(Above left) A few critters roamed the zoo freely. These peacocks made some very loud noises. (Above right) Joeville is the home of Joe, a retired movie star chimp. Joe and Doggie were thrilled with each other.

(Above left) The legendary and endangered Gopher Tortoise that the environmentalists speak so much of – I finally saw one. (Above right) Some animals provided much amusement – can you tell which one had me in stitches?

(Above left) I had been feeding animals like this monkey the hard way – by hand. (Above right) Joe, the big chimp, taught me what the PVC pipe was for. It is a safe peanut delivery system to the occupants on the other side of the cage, such as this bear.

(Above left) There were common animals such as deer and then there were some unusual looking animals, too many to show the photos of. (Above right) Also noted were several varieties pretty kitties.

I was really impressed with the zoo that I didn’t even know Mobile had. It is well worth the 7 dollar entry fee. On this Easter Weekend, being next to some of these majestic animals was for me a good religious experience. I really marvel at the Creator’s handiwork and you can see a lot of variety of that handiwork at this zoo.

3/21/08 - Environmental Center

2008-03-21T19:12:00.003-05:00

(Above left) I finally got a weekday off and went to the Mobile County Public Schools Environmental Studies Center. Look above the letter “L” in the “Environmental” sign – yes, Doggie enjoyed the trip! (Above right) Kids are given an intense dose of educational environmental science from enthusiastic educators. The environmental center is also serves as refuge to injured animals. The on-site lake (Pine Lake) attracts birds and geese.

(Above left) Many of the shrubs at the Environmental Center have title plates that note the common and botanical name, like this Native Azalea aka Rhododendron canescens. (Above right) This photo was taken looking across the lake toward the facility’s buildings.

(Above left) There are several nature trails. (Above right) What appeared to be a dark spot on the bark of a tree from a distance, upon closer inspection, was an odd living trail of something growing upward while clinging onto the bark.

(Above left) There was a small sphagnum bog on the lake edge trail. (Above right) What you are looking at here is not a pretzel, but a photo of hypertrophied lenticels which are pores on the roots of a shrub. These pores are a morphological adaptation of a plant trying to grow in an area (bog) saturated with water (oxygen deficient situation). Such is life – we all have to adapt to our own situations.

(Above left) Lyre-leaved Sage aka Salvia lyrata was abundant near the entrance. (Above right) Another wildflower out in abundance along the edges of fresh water is called Never Wet because the leaves, even after being in the water, don’t appear to be wet. It is also called Golden Club or Bog Torch aka Orontium aquaticum.

3/16/08 - Grand Bay National Wildlife Refuge

2008-03-16T19:04:00.007-05:00

Above left: The entrance to Grand Bay National Wildlife Refuge. Above right: Blue-Eyed Grasses were abundant along the ditches.

Above left: Colors, shades, and textures of plant life always fascinate me.

Above left: Savannah Sneeze Weed (Helenium vernale). Above right: A Woolly Sunbonnet (Chaptalia tomentosa).

Above right: Venus Looking Glass wildflower (Triodanis biflora) in the Bluebell family. Above left: A newly emerged dragon fly takes a rest after its first flight.

Above left: At the end of the Grand Bay National Wildlife Refuge road is Heron Bay.
Above left: On every bicycling adventure, I usually find something tossed on the side of the road which I pick up and take home adding it to the souvenir box. Recently, I’ve picked up money, a rubber snake, and today, an abandoned doggie which had been hit by a car. Hey Bill, I know you’re not able to get out on the bicycle right now but whatever you do, don't give up hope. Doggie thought it was ditched for good and now look at it, out enjoying the outdoors more than it ever did before. Doggie will ride with me until you are out bicycling again. It may be Ruff now, but the skies always clear up after the Ruffest of storms.

3/15/08 - Spanish Fort

2008-03-15T20:45:00.002-05:00

Above left: The entrance road into the 5-Rivers facility on the Causeway. Add a bicyclist to this picture and a car will be stuck behind the bicycle. The car can’t pass on the narrow road and a bicycle has no paved shoulder to ride on. Duh…Why are tourist facilities still being designed without consideration of bicycle traffic? Kayak rentals and lessons are available at 5-Rivers. Someone lost their balance in the kayak, fell into the water, and got soaked. In the above right photo, they are bailing water out of the kayak.

Above left: You would think a highly developed country like USA would no longer allow clear-cutting of land. As you can tell in this photo, clear-cutting isn’t confined to the rain forests of the Amazon – it is the norm here. Above right: A geranium leaf is home for something strange.

Above left: A deep purple wildflower. Above right: Yellow clover and Plantain.

Above left: Our roadsides are full of plant life that is foreign to most of us. Above right: Though we can’t name most of what grows, we can appreciate nature’s beauty – at least until it is all clear-cut and burried beneath buildings and asphalt or dead due to global warming.

Above left: I visited with my sister and could not believe what was next to her driveway. It was a big bear hug for my brother Bill who is currently going through Chemotherapy and for Betty who recently had major leg/hip surgery due to a fall. Yo Bill & Betty, we pray for your quick recovery! Above right: High winds pushing Gulf waters up into Mobile Bay, in conjunction with astronomical high tides, had the Bay waters lapping at the edge of the Causeway as I rode into the sunset.

3/9/08 - Causeway

2008-03-09T21:30:00.002-05:00

As I was cruising along on the bicycle headed for the Causeway, listening to music, some song lyrics said, “Back in the saddle again.” Oddly, I’ve been away from the bicycle for almost 8 years and just started getting in the saddle again. It was surely a good sign. Getting out and getting some exercise sure felt good. The world is full of color out there and for those of you stuck indoors, may these photos brighten your day.

Above left: Today was one of those days that I wish could go on forever. The weather was great and the wildflowers were abundant. Here are some Buttercups (RSA tower in the background). Above right: Some White Asters.

Above left: Baptisia. Above right. An unusual wildflower called Fineleaf Fumitory (Fumaria capreolata or parviflora)

Above left: The Yellow Submarine at the corner of Telegraph Road and Cut-off Road. Above right: Yellow Jessamine (Gelsemium rankinii).

Above left: Spiderwort. Above right: A Vetchling (Lathyrus).

Above left: Three species of Clover in one shot – these are my best guesses - the pink on the left is Trifolium reflexum , the white is Trifolium repens, and the smaller yellow clover is Trifolium dubium. Above right: It is me down at the rail yards.

3/8/08 - Preserve Detention Pond

2008-03-08T21:13:00.001-06:00

Today’s destination was Girby Road Environmental Center, but it was closed. So I went across the street and explored a new subdivision called, “The Preserve,” which was under construction. The subdivision had four detention ponds which I walked around and took a few photos. (Click on photos to see a larger image.)

Above left: The entrance to “The Preserve,” subdivision with a detention pond shown in the lower right corner. Above right: Another small detention pond.

Above left: Where there is pond water, there are frogs. Above right: A surreal landscape of miniature proportion.

Above left: This wildflower is called Candy Root or Bachelor’s Button (Polygala nana). Above right: A Bluet that is colored white (Houstonia procumbens).

Above left: You never know what you’ll see during a bicycling adventure – like a spider carrying around a blue egg sac. Above right: The insect eating Dwarf Sundew (Drosera brevifolia).

Above left: Clover (Trifolium hybridum). Above right: A wildflower I'd never seen before called Drug Fumitory or Earthsmoke (Fumaria offinalis).

3/2/08 - Longleaf Trace Wildflowers

2008-03-02T22:40:00.001-06:00

Above left: Wildflowers provided colorful landscape canvases along the trail like this mass of Purple Henbit. Above right: Chickweed (Stellaria media).

Above left: White Phlox. Above right: Dandelion seeds.

Above left: False Garlic (Nothoscordum bivalve). Above right: Chokeberry (Aronia arbutifolia) or some other similar shrub.

Violets are hard to identify, so I’m guessing here. Above left: Common Blue Violet (Viola papilionacea). Above right: Wild Pansy (Viola rafinesquii).

Above left: Henbit (Lamium purpureum). Above right: Henbit (Lamium amplexicaule).

Above left. Star Violets or Bluets (Hustonia pusilla). Above right: Purple Phlox (Phlox nivalis).

Above left: Cow Vetch (Vicia cracca). Above right: Tiny Corn Speedwell (Veronica arvensis).

Above left: Unknown tiny green thangs. Above right: Buttercup (Ranunculus bulbosus).

Above left: Sorrel (Oxalis rubra). Above right: Escaped Narcissus.

3/2/08 - Longleaf Trace Back

2008-03-02T21:26:00.002-06:00

Above left: On the trail again after breaking camp, still going west to check out the end of the trail at Prentiss. Above right: If there was a bumper sticker on my bicycle, it would read, “Stops at all Bridge Crossings.”

Above left: All of the major trail stations, like this one at Prentiss, had very clean facilities, water fountains, and a drink machine. Above right: Smiling momma cow was quietly soaking up the sun while baby was noisely siphoning off some nutrients.

Above left: Several farming roads crossed the paved trail. Above right: Families that horse around together probably have to deal with a lot more you know what than most families. There were a few horse deposits on the trail that you would want to avoid running over…

Above left: Beaver pond was a nice lookout. One log in the pond had about four dozen turtles on it. Above right: The number of trees lying on the ground in the woods all along the trail was stunning. Many of the trees that did live through Hurricane Katrina still have a significant lean to their stature.

Above left and right: After getting back to Hattiesburg, I crossed the street to explore the campus of the University of Southern Mississippi and took a few photos.

It took me two days to go out and back on the trail, taking about 7 hours to travel each way, 5 of which were cycling at an average speed of 9 miles per hour (never broke a sweat). This was a wonderful weekend on a very nice, very clean, and very flat bicycling trail.

3/1/08 - Longleaf Trace Out

2008-03-01T22:06:00.003-06:00

There were no white lines on the Longleaf Trace which is a Rails-To-Trails path extending over 40 miles from Hattiesburg to Prentiss, Mississippi. Thanks for the tip Nannie – it was well worth the two day car free bicycling adventure.

Above left: The trail beginning in Hattiesburg is located right next to the University of Southern Mississippi water tower and was easy to find from web page directions. Above right: The trip started off with some discouraging signs.

Above left: Speaking of signs, tree identification was a really nice feature along two stretches of the trail. Identified trees or shrubs had a small patch of blue spray paint on them. Above right: Despite the 11:00 time for this photo, there was a lot of shade even though the deciduous trees still had no leaves on them.

Above left: Whoa! A horse trail runs along the side of the paved trail from Epley to Carson. The riders waving from their nice cushy car seats on the modified wagon were traveling very slow, but in comfort. Above right: A rather ingenious design of seats was seen at many of the trail rest stops. The seat back can be tilted into a table – note the two different seat positions.

Above left: As noted by the calm waters on Lake Jeff Davis, this was a perfect cycling day. Above right: A house may fall apart after the owner has left it but their flower garden will continue to bloom on for years for others to enjoy.

Above left: Standing next to the camp site for the evening, looking westerly down the trail as long tree shadows were about to be extinguished by the setting sun. Above right: Having ruled out Lake Jeff Davis as a camp site (it had a bunch of boy scouts camping there, plus it was expensive), and the primitive camp site in Carson (it was right next to a busy road), I went back to the camp site next to the trail at mile post 39, put up the tent, and proceeded to have a nice meal of trail mix and a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. He who forgot to bring a flashlight went to bed early and was lulled to sleep by the pitchy peeping language of frogs in the nearby swampy ditches.

2/24/08 – Mobile Botanical Gardens/Municipal Park

2008-02-24T19:00:00.004-06:00

I saved money today by bicycling to the Botanical Gardens and Municipal Park area instead of using a car. Weather was superb for doing outdoor activity. Below are some of the highlights of the trip.

Above left: While passing through a neighborhood on the way to the Park, I saw this unique sculpture at a church. Above right: The train at Municipal Park looked like it had a brand new paint job.

Above left: Some folks were playing medieval war games on the east side of the Park. They were swinging those fiberglass swords hard. Above right: Wildflowers were abundant today, including these wild Geraniums (Geranium carolinianum). I'm not a plant expert, so please, if you see errors in plant identification, leave a comment so it can be corrected. Thanks.

Above left: Field Pansy aka Viola bicolor or Wild Pansy aka Viola rafinesquii was just one of several species of violet in bloom today. Spring is here! Above right: The Mazus wildflower (Mazus japonicus), is often overlooked because of its small size, and was found along the moist edges of thes lake.

Above left: Looks like Indian Strawberry (Duchesnea indica). Above right: Common Dandelion. People make wine and tea from Dandelions, and add dandelions to their salads. Some bees spend their day rolling around in the bright yellow flowers.

Above left: Corydalis micrantha ssp. australis with its banana shaped flowers is easy to distinguish. The newer flowers at the top are more erect than the older flowers toward the bottom. Above right. Several of the trees in the Mobile Botanical Gardens were in full bloom and the honey bees were out in force.

Objective of Blog

2008-02-16T17:28:00.002-06:00

According to my older sister Ruth, before I was old enough to ride a tricycle, I spent many contented hours keenly watching the sights go by while sitting on the front handle bar of her bicycle as she pedaled around the neighborhood.

Since those early years, bicycling has played a major role throughout my life except for the past ten years as college, work, and kayaking took priority. Bicycling for me has been a source of transportation, friendships, healing, health, adventure, and pleasure.

When on a bicycle, I feel like a kid and age is meaningless. The solid white lines of the roads beckon for me again. It is time to dust off the bicycles.

This blog serves as a photo journal of my bicycle trips.

2/16/08 – Downtown Mobile

2008-02-16T16:34:00.005-06:00

Second bicycle trip of the year - from home, took the back roads to downtown Mobile, then to the new Container facility under construction, and back to Theodore via western shore roads. Below are photos of this bike adventure. As always, click on any photo for a larger view.

Above left: See the bicycle? This is one giant oak tree, known as the Duffee Oak named after a former Mobile Mayor, is estimated to be 300 years old. Above right: The skyline changed again. The old Adam’s Mark (bldg on the right) has a new dome.

The wildflowers lining the sides of the road are always pleasing to the eye. Above left: Low Hop Clover of the Pea family. Above right: Henbit of the Mint family.

Above left: The container facility is still under construction. The excavator-like machine to the right is installing vertical wick drains. Huh? http://www.nilex.com/concept.htm Above right: Unique landscaping north of the Airbus facility at Brookley.

Above left: There are more dogs on this sailboat than people. Above right: If you look at the photo taken on the Dog River Bridge carefully, you might figure out why this Blog is called, White Line Bicycling Adventures.

Though not kayaking now, but I still cherish the waters. Above left: A pelican flies along the Western Shore of Mobile Bay south of Brookley. Above right: Flowing water smoothes the drapes of algae in the side ditch of Middle Road.