Sweet Home Alabama Day 1

September 23rd, 2005

Off to a family reunion in Alabama! This first day of my trip needed to take me from my home in Canton, Georgia to Huntsville, Alabama, while leaving enough time for a side-trip atop the Alabama section of Lookout Mountain.

I planned the trip while "resting" on the back porch at Rancho Deluxe, imbibing in a tad bit of distilled adult beverage. I gave myself several options owing to the fact I wasn't really sure how much free time I would have available. I used to travel part of the State quite frequently for rock climbing and camping trips twenty years ago so I had some idea of where I wanted to travel. The Little River Canyon has a nice road that follows near the canyon's edge and would provide good photo ops. However, since this would be my longest bike ride and I did have to make an evening party I thought I'd keep my plans flexible and see where the road and time allowed.

Despite my best attempts, the planned alpine start turned into a late morning departure. As I approached the Alabama line I saw a piece of folk art that I hoped was a good omen. On the side of the road was a homemade angel, poised to bid me farewell. I hoped it would ride with me for the day.

The last town in Georgia along my route was Cave Springs. Like many small towns I rode through that day, Cave Springs appeared to have a thriving economy.

I had forgotten that North Alabama was cotton country. Apparently my ride was timed just before harvest time. Field after field teemed with snow white cotton balls ready for the picking.

For you city folks the photo above shows a cotton blossom ready for harvest. It looks just like a woody flower bud with four cotton balls glued to it and feels like, well, cotton.

Continuing west I approached Lookout Mountain. The cliffs seen along the ridgeline in the photo below are a system of sandstone outcropings running about a mile in length and standing up to 175' tall. Many days of my misspent youth were spent climbing those crags. This was my first trip back to the area in about fifteen years but it all felt familiar. Unfortunately, due to the fact I was riding a bike and the approach road is gravel I wasn't able to make my way to the cliffs. I shall return, though.

Just before the road switchbacked up Lookout Mtn I turned right and followed the base of the mountain toward Little River Falls. On the west side of the road, just before crossing Lake Weiss stands a subsidiary canyon that empties into the lake. Standing in the background of the photo below are two stone and concrete spires. These once supported a rail road trestle than ran over the lake.

Before reaching the falls I turned West again and switch-backed my way atop Lookout Mtn. The roads atop this part of Lookout Mountain are comprised of short straight sections punctuated by gentle curves cutting through fertile farm land. This was fun riding!

And like the crags of my youth further south, this part of the mountain feature odd rock outcrops which litter the land. The "turtle" boulder below is literally as big as a house!

The highlight of today's ride was the Little River Canyon area. Here, Alabama State Road 176 undulates up and down,left and right.

But the real thrill occurs where the road follows the edge of the 500' deep canyon. If you enter the park from the north off Hwy 35 you'll first see Little River Falls. This time of year there isn't much water in the river so I wasn't able to find an interesting angle to photograph. You'll know you're about the ride the canyon when the road splits to surround this rock formation.

Since there were few other travelers on the road I took the opportunity to ride the bike over to the edge of the canyon for the photo above.

The scenery on this part of the ride is simply breathtaking. If you live within a day's ride I highly recommend the area.

Turning the bike west again I rode through Fort Payne, Alabama on my way towards the Tennessee River and Huntsville beyond.

The Tennessee River is slow and wide. Below is the east bound bridge I'd be crossing a few days later on my way home. It reminds me of family trips from many years back when we'd travel back home to see the "old folks over in Alabama".

If you've ever wondered where all that luggage the airlines loses winds up then welcome to Scottsboro, Alabama, home to Unclaimed Baggage. You know, if the airlines didn't lose the baggage in the first place it wouldn't be "unclaimed" baggage. Just a thought.

I made my way into Huntsville and found the hotel with minimal trouble. This trip was the first time I got to use my Saddlebags for something more than carrying papers for work or groceries. They were just barely large enough to carry everything I needed for a three day trip as long as I didn't buy so much as a stick of gum while on the road.

Sweet Home Alabama Day 2

September 24th, 2005

Today was family time but I wanted to start the morning with a trip down memory lane. My Great-Grandmother lived in Madison, Alabama, a small hamlet just west of Huntsville. I road out to Madison in the morning to look around. Considering this was the first time I'd returned to Madison in nearly thirty years I was impressed by the fact I was able to find my way around town.

"Downtown" Madison, what there is of it, is comprised of a simple L arrangement of buildings. The Hughes boys were friends of my dad when he was a kid and their father ran the local drug store.

My great-aunt Lolly ran a flower shop downtown. My sister and I visited her one summer when I was about 10 years old and that's where I got my memories of Madison. Her store was located in one of the red brick buildings to the left side of the following photo. Today it is either a Burrito restaurant or clothing store.

Her home shared a worse fate. As you can see below, the Baptist church purchased her land and replaced it with a parking lot. So much for progress!

My great-grandmother's home, above, faired better. Built in 1897, it is now known as the Gillespie McDermott home. I don't know when great-grandmother purchased the house but she was living there in the late 30's as dad mentioned he recuperated from hernia surgery in her home when he was a kid. The surgeon who operated on dad was his own grand-father who lived in this next house.

Dad was a small kid. It's family lore that when dad's grand-father operated he opened dad up a little further just to have a look around and see if there was a physical reason dad wasn't growing faster. Gee, they were a much hardier lot back then!

Early in the afternoon I made my way over to cousin Sonny's farm. Sonny, actually my dad's cousin, lives on the same farm that's been in the family for over a hundred years.

It's truly beautiful land and I was happy to visit. Sonny sets up tables down by the creek and his bbq shack. This year he smoked over a half dozen chickens and countless racks of pork ribs, not that there's any other type of real ribs.

The creek in the background of the above photo is spring fed and crystal clear. Dad swam in that creek along with his sisters and cousins when he was a kid and it was nice to see all the young kids today doing the same. I've gotta return to next year's reunion!

The house and barn were around long before dad. His cousin Betty Jo told me a few stories about she and dad playing in the barn as kids. The white crosses in the foreground are monuments to family pets.

Later in the afternoon I returned to the hotel for a nap and to pack for Sunday's ride home. Although a 50% chance of rain had been forecasted the skies remained clear all afternoon. However, the same 50% chance stood for Sunday so I relented and purchased rain gear at Walmart just in case I found myself caught in a rainstorm on the way home. The problem is that I barely had enough space to get all my gear to Huntsville in the first place. How was I to carry this extra gear home? I wasn't sure myself as I faded off to sleep but I was certain I'd have to figure something out the next day.

Sweet Home Alabama Day 3

September 25th, 2005

After standing on my saddlebags to close them I was ready to leave the hotel.

North Alabama has no large mountains and no twisties that compare to the roads of the Appalachians. What you do have, though, is mile after mile of gently rolling mountains and hills peppered with fun roads. The scenery on my trip was really quite nice and unexpected. Since I needed to make good time on Sunday and the weather was threatening rain I decided to ride straight through but it was nice.

On my way east from Huntsville the morning started with more cotton fields. As the day progressed the threat of rain decreased with each curve of the road. But, interrupting my ride were treacherous northernly winds which threatened to blow my rear wheel out from under me. Fortunately, as I began to enter the mountains again I was able to beat the wind on the forested mountain roads. Stopping for a rest break I saw the following sign.

Fans of the South Park television series will be surprised to see Mr. Hanky is alive and well in North Alabama!

Located on top of a mountain overlooking the Tennessee River, the town of Menlo,Alabama was my highlight of the day's ride. Menlo began to prosper at the end of the 19th century when it became a resort town thanks to a Northern doctor who had moved South due to health issues.

After recovering he built this Inn which continues to operate as a resort. There are shops for the ladies, curvey roads for the riders, and great restaurants for everyone in your group.

Confident I had beaten the rain I took a half hour to ride some side roads outside Menlo. I will have to return with a county map in the future. This area holds some great roads I want to discover!

Stopping to rest before the final push back home I realized that the Northern third of Alabama is a riding destination that's never gotten the praise it deserves. Menlo is maybe a one and a half hour ride from home for me and provides a great jumping off point for moto-adventures in the area. I can't wait to return.