Cycling the Underground Railroad

DAY 12:  ALICEVILLE, ALABAMA TO COLUMBUS, MISSISSIPPI  I figured sometime on this trip I'd have to pedal in the rain.   Today was one of those days.  Moderate to heavy downpours, with one incidence of lightning and thunder a bit too close for comfort.   When did it stop?  As soon as I pulled up to the motel.   Go figure.  Today I crossed into The Magnolia State.  (Yes, that's rain in the picture.) Entering Mississippi, after 11 days cycling in Alabama. After four hours of cycling in the slosh, I arrived at Columbus, home of Columbus Airforce Base, one of four which train pilots. My friend and fellow coach, Dr. Colonel Scott Frickenstein, was formerly a Base Commander here, so he used his charming influence to set up a short tour of the base and meet a special friend of his. John Almond met us and took us to a local eatery, Zachary's, for lunch.  We learned we had so much in common--a love of cycling, urban ministry, and co...

  DAY 11: LIVINGSTON TO ALICEVILLE, AL A bit warmer, still sunny, with light and variable winds, 75% of today's ride was on more secluded backroads, very few cars and decent pavement.  That made it easier and more enjoyable to take in the sights and sounds of my last full day in Alabama. Out from the forest, a rare vista of the western Alabama countryside. Because this route has taken me mostly through forested, hilly country, "vistas," the places where you can see a long distance and really get a feel for the landscape, have been pretty rare.  Today, cresting a hill, there was such a view (above).  Alabama looks nothing like this when one is riding tucked into the valleys and hollows.  It was good to get another perspective.  Today I would parallel the Tombigbee River and the Tenn-Tom Waterway (more on that a bit later).  Evidence of western Alabama's extensive forestry industry was again evident.  The timber industry is prolific in this part of ...