Alabama

The Bessemer High School alum has made it back to see the old stomping grounds! Finally I am seeing all of the places behind the stories I have heard for years; and at the same time Bill can see how much the place has changed. We arrived Friday at Oak Mountain State Park in Pelham, Alabama just south of Birmingham. This is very convenient for quick access to Bessemer and other areas in the region we want to explore. Bill and I drove around a bit on Saturday to explore his past and to visit the gravesites of his mother and step-father. Bill could not exactly remember where it was but we found the cemetery on Hwy 150 (the road into Bessemer). As Bill recalled there was nothing out there in 1962--now it is near a major mall and directly across the street from a couple of auto dealers. We found that to be a bit ironic as Bill's grandfather owned a car dealership for years.

I finally have a place to ride my bike for miles on end without worry of any encounters with dogs! This state park has almost 10,000 acres of land many of which are mountain bike/hiking trails as well as bike lanes on all of the roadways. I rode for 35 miles today and still did not access the part of the park to the left of the camping area. I am getting a lot of hill work in so I should be prepared for most hills I encounter in Iowa.

This park also has an 18 hole golf course (is this the perfect place or what!)--which we played yesterday with Jerry Dailey (Bessemer HS class of 61). It is a nice golf course with very reasonable rates--so reasonable the three of us will be back at it tomorrow. Hopefully, with a little more course knowledge we can knock a few shots off of our scores.

We will be here for nearly one more week before moving back north into Tennessee. Less than a month until RAGBRAI so my job is to continue piling the miles on the road and conditioning my legs. It has been very hot and humid here so I feel I am preparing myself for some of the weather we are likely to encounter.

More Later...Susan

Tennessee

Hello all--here it is the last day of spring and Bill and I are in Hohenwald, Tennessee (one of the 1000 Trails preserves). Off the Natchez Trace parkway, our campsite is lakeside amid the green forest trees (thankfully not blocking the satellite TV feed). We arrived here yesterday from Harrison Bay State Park north of Chattanooga--where we played golf, explored the revitalized downtown area, and visited the Chickamauga/Chattanooga National Battlefield Park (humbling to see the number of men who died or were wounded in such a short amount of time). I had no idea that my Dad's father had been born in Chickamauga, Georgia until a recent phone call with Mom. It seemed appropriate that our visit was on Father's Day. My miles on the bike are increasing; I was riding every other day through Hamilton and Meigs counties between 45 and 60 miles each time out. Truthfully, I had not planned to ride 60 miles on Monday but three dogs were spotted down the road I wanted to take...and I choose the path of least resistance--retreat! It added another ten or so miles to my day.

The weather has been hot and sticky, and we haven't officially hit summer yet! Rain finally arrived yesterday to a drought strickened region. As we were travelling from one location to the next it did not bother us too much.

Bill and I are both a little road weary today--all of this green forest is beginning to look alike. Friday we are heading south down to Birmingham, Alabama to revisit more of Bill's past from his high school years at nearby Bessemer. The state park has another golf course we intend to play; hopefully my tee shot won't find the rear end of a deer as it did at Bear Trace. Visions of Randy Johnson's pitch hitting (and killing) the bird were in my mind as the deer scampered away.

I understand from Bob that you are unable to respond to the blog--just know we can be reached via email as well at libby@dogsnbilly.com.

More later...Susan

Closer to Alabama

Well --- Suzer is "Out on the Bike" and I'm gettin' packed for the trip

tomorrow through Knoxville to a state park with a Golf Course :-)

Here's the link for some of the photos that were taken over the past

few days.

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http://billnsusan.com/loading.htm

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Later --- derLibbys :-)

North Carolina

Greetings from the western portion of the state of North Carolina, that little inset on your atlas which shows the corner of the state. We are staying in an RV park west of Asheville near Waynesville, NC along the Jonathan Creek. Haywood County is situated between the Blue Ridge and Smokey Mountains so most drives and bike rides involve going up and over hills to the next valley.

The two bikes needed some attention after weeks of exposure to the elements; I could not even get the road bike to shift into gear. Ron at Waynesville Bicycle Company seemed to identify immediately that the shifter had locked up as we had not penetrated the cable with lubrication as was needed. We left the bikes in his hands for an hour as we walked through the historic (lots of bricks Mom) downtown Waynesville in search of a haircut and something to drink. We found a barber who shortened our locks (a bit too much for Bill...but it will grow back) and a tavern on Main street who had a couple of cold cervezas waiting for us. One of the bikes was able to go home (and be ridden) while the other was left behind with some more extensive cable replacement needed.

Did I mention that their were hills in this neck of the woods? Oh my--the ride I took into the Pisgah National Forest kicked my butt! First, let me point out that the scenery is stunning. I was riding alongside a river for a third of my ride--past dairy farms on mountain roads with hardly a car in sight. The bike shop had directed me over here for roads with not much traffic. However, the ride was not without a few encounters with dogs who seemed intent to bite at my ankle on the downstroke. When I mentioned this at the bike shop today I was handed a can of pepper spray for use on rural roads; his own wife he explained, carries a gun when riding as the dogs can be menacing. Welcome to Appalachia!

Tomorrow we are heading to the Great Smokey National Park for a moment of hiking along the Appalachian Trail and lots of pictures we hope to post for all to enjoy. We are going to a nearby town of Hot Springs, NC on Saturday for a Bluegrass music festival. I hope to get into Asheville on Sunday or Monday to enjoy the city and see the Thomas Wolfe Memorial as well as get in a few more miles on the bike. I'll let you know in a few days how the weather cooperates for all of these plans as there is a chance of thunderstorms on the horizon.

Life's Little Surprises

Jack was my "Best Friend" in high school --- only to be separated by the fact that he was smart enuff to graduate from Georgia Tech and

I was smart enuff to go into the Submarine Service :-)

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This is Jack and Deedi --- married for about 40 years. We spent the day catching up on the past 45 years. They were really the highlight of our trip for me.

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We promised that it won't be another 45 years til

the next meeting.

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http://billnsusan.com/loading.htm

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South Carolina Lowcountry and Upcountry

The beach area outside of Beaufort is known as the lowcountry--our destination after Jacksonville. I had been able to book two nights at Hunting Island State Park south of Beaufort, one of the most popular state parks in South Carolina. Getting there was a chore as one of the bridges from Beaufort to our destination had been hit by a barge and unavailable for us to use. The cars were backed up for miles through the downtown area--not for the lack of a bridge but due to an accident miles down the road. The slow pace allowed us to get a good glimpse of the streets of Beaufort, a nice coastal city where much of the movie the Prince of Tides was filmed. This is author Pat Conroy country--the miles and miles of coastal marshes and wetlands; and the barrier islands which protect the mainland of South Carolina.

Hunting Island State Park was filled to the rafters with families who wanted to sunbathe at the beach all day. It seemed to be the primary activity of most of the guests--and the sunny weather was there to provide ample opportunity. As we drove into the park the road had tons of traffic and no shoulder--which meant no serious bike riding. I did a little exploring down to the end of Highway 21 and over the bridge to Fripp Island--a private island. I circled back and rode through the paths and roads of the state park--a blend of palm trees beside oaks with Spanish moss. There is a lighthouse on the island which has been relocated inland due to erosion of the beach--they lose ground each year to the storms.

Speaking of which we left that area just in time! The remnants of Tropical Storm Barry hit the coast with strong winds and 5 inches of rain Saturday while we were dry most of the day in the Upcountry town of Fair Play (four miles from the Georgia border). I explored the roads of Oconee county (they don't believe too much in building shoulders on any of their roads) to the historic town of Seneca. The county is primarily rolling dairy land like you find up in the Petaluma area of Sonoma county--though much greener. It was a simply beautiful ride. I feel I connect and remember the area much better when I am able to explore on my bike; the motorists were very friendly and I actually saw other cyclists on the road!

A few more days here and then we head north to the mountains of North Carolina. More later...