On the Road, Finally

Thursday April 26

The first day started a little late due to the exceedingly long time to pack all the "stuff" that I had put on my finely planned touring list. I'll definitely have to revise that list as I already want to jettison about half of what I brought. Instead of leaving at 10:00 AM, I finally departed at 1:00 PM which put my first day's goal of New Orleans in doubt.

I'm Really Going!

The first leg of the day's journey was from Lawrenceville Ga to Auburn Al where I stopped for a couple of hours to have a late lunch with my daughter Audrey who is in graduate school at the University. I wish I could have stayed longer (I also wish I had remembered to get a picture of us together), but it just wouldn't have seemed right to stay the night in Montgomery with such lofty goals I have for this trip so, I hit the road again about 4:00PM. New Orleans will have to wait for the next day, but making as many miles as possible while there's still day light is a good goal. Riding on the interstate at night on a bike is not one of my favorite activities. My night vision is not what it used to be.

Audrey -- Undergraduate No More

Just south of Montgomery on I-65, I stopped at a very nice rest stop and had refreshments and a bit of a rest. While sitting at one of the very pleasant picnic tables, a bat fluttered over and landed on the ground very close to my spot. I had never seen a bat up close "in the wild" so I walked over and had a look. It was a very colorful creature with an orangish brown furry body. I wasn't sure if it was completely healthy, but eventually, it "crawled" up the pine tree it had landed next to. How about that.

Alabama Rest Stop

Back on the road again, I sped along trying to at least make Mobile before it got too late. The rest stop took more time than anticipated so I was riding in the dark. The weather was nice and clear so it wasn't that bad. When I did finally get to Mobile, I stopped just on the west side off I-10 at a very nice "cheap" motel. At America's Best Value, the staff was very nice and the room was clean and quiet. Great! After a quick shower, I rushed out to get a bite to eat before every thing closed. I made it and turned in. Day one complete.