In my mind, the ride through the South started when I got east of Houston, Texas. For the sake of this post the “South” will only include Alabama and Georgia. After a pleasant ride through the Gulf Coast, my first night in Alabama was spent camped behind a Pilot Travel Center and Truck Stop in Satsuma, Alabama. Because of some severe weather warnings I decided to stay in Satsuma for an extra day and wait it out. The fact that there was not much in the way of large towns between Satsuma and Jackson, 50 miles away, made me hesitant to leave, as I did not want to be hit by dangerous weather in the middle of nowhere. My day in Satsuma consisted of hanging out at the public library and then riding out the brunt of the storm in a gazebo of the local park. Although the storm was not as “severe” as it was supposed to be, it was still pretty intense and I was glad to be off the roads and somewhat dry. Riding from Satsuma I followed highway 43 north towards Jackson, AL. Highway 43 was a four lane truck route with a minimal shoulder for much of the length I rode, and in turn the riding was pretty tense. Thankfully, after a half days ride I caught highway 69 up into the mountains. The next couple days I would follow the ACA “Underground Railroad” route along 69 through the southern most tip of the Appalachians. The rolling hills of the Appalachians were exhausting after riding at roughly the same elevation since Texas, but my body slowly adapted to the climbing and after spending a couple nights camped at a truck stop it was a real treat to camp among pine trees again.
Although my original plan for Alabama was to ride through as quick as possible in the direction of the Blue Ridge Parkway, I was fortunate enough to have some family friends that lived in Northport, AL, not far out of the way from where I was heading. I decided to make Northport a couple day stop, and even with a last minute warning on my part, I was warmly welcomed by the whole Waddell Family. The Waddells were kind enough to lend me a warm bed in their beautiful lakefront home and provide me with some great company for the length of my stay. I felt right at home in Northport and even ended up staying a couple extra days. I spent my time; canoeing in the lake, swimming, watching baseball and relaxing to get my legs back. I got to spend a couple hours on the University of Alabama campus, listening to some real inspirational speeches and then getting a couple drinks with some extremely good people. At the end of the week, the family friends felt more like family and it was a rough couple days back on the road, going at it solo again.
The last leg through Alabama was in my opinion the best and most beautiful. From the greater Tuscaloosa area I caught highway 11 following the interstate northeast towards Chattanooga, Tennessee. I rode through Birmingham and the eastern side of Alabama where the hills slowly became more frequent and the scenery seemed to only get better. As I got closer to Georgia and Tennessee the people seemed more cyclist friendly and the riding was much more enjoyable. From the Alabama border I rode through the northwestern corner of Georgia into Tennessee. My ride through the South ended with a stop in the small town of Rossville, Georgia, just south of Chattanooga, TN. I spent a morning in Rossville riding around, finding my grandfathers childhood home and eating at the famous Roy’s Diner. After spending a couple of weeks in the southern states I can see why so many people call them home, that being said, I am happy to be moving on to a different part of the country. I had some great experiences and met some wonderful people. Thanks to everyone who helped me out and kept me going on the road.
Taking shelter from the storm in a local park. At some point, after sitting here for a good portion of the day and watching this storm, I made a move and went back to the truck stop to set up my tent for a second night.
Truck stop camping in Alabama.
Some genuine south Alabama farmland.
Camping among pine trees in the hills of southern Alabama.
Pine trees and really red dirt sum up southern Alabama pretty well.
It seems i’ve met almost as many dogs, as I have met people, on my trip. This guy ran up with three of his identical buddies howling at me, but soon afterwards he started warming up to me as I sat patching a tube and eating breakfast.
Spring color along the road in Alabama.
Hanging out in Greensboro, AL.
More pine trees in Greensboro. My eye for roadside campsites only seems to get better as the days go on.
Got to enjoy this wonderful view for almost a week staying in Northport.
Mrs. Waddell was a real sweetheart and waking up to notes like this in the morning was awesome, I felt like I was back home. I also had a big "Welcome Carter!" waiting for me when I arrived thanks to Grace! I can’t thank the Waddell Family enough for their generosity and kind-hearts.
Spent a couple hours almost everyday canoeing on Lake Tuscaloosa... so much fun.
Downtown Birmingham, AL.
A quick ride through Birmingham in an effort to find a place to camp before the sun went down.
Beautiful countryside along Highway 11.
Camping behind the volunteer fire department in Keener. Getting into a real pretty area of Alabama.
Caught Highway 11 from Tuscaloosa all the way to Chattanoga, TN. The roadway started getting more scenic as I neared Georgia. I could ride roads like this all day.
Being welcomed to Georgia by a faded peach.
Visiting Rossville, Georgia. Roy’s has been around for at least 65 years. My grandfather ate here as a boy growing up and now I have eaten here as well.
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