There and Back Again

It’s official. We have biked across TWO of the United States of America. Today we closed the chapter on Alamaba and are now on our way through Mississippi!

This morning Dale and Amanda sent us off with a big breakfast of grits, biscuits, eggs, ham, sausage, fruit, nuts, a caffeinated beverage of our choice, and biscotti 😍

That big breakfast did the trick and although we pedaled over 70 miles to get to our destination, I barely had to eat the rest of the day! My knees also fared very well after a lot of ice last night. There is hope for them!!! I can see the light!!

We rode fast and hard (and fixed a flat tire) to get to Starkville and find a spot for our tent before the forecasted rain hit just after sunset. As we neared the city we met with Jerry and Libby Gill who spotted us in their car and pulled over to make sure we were alright on the busy road.

They offered to let us escape the rain in our tent in their backyard and we pedaled to their home through the Mississippi State University campus.

When we arrived at their house, Libby offered to show us to a guest bedroom which at first we turned down, but after some thinking… We are now sleeping in a beautiful home on a HUGE bed with dinner in our bellies and a shower. I’m amazed once again at how our humble plans turn into the most interesting of circumstances and by the generousity of complete strangers who soon feel like long time friends.

Libby and Jerry are retired school administrators who have lived and worked in Arkansas, Alaska, and Mississippi. They’ve also done a bike tour and have fantastic stories to share about their lives. We’ve particularly enjoyed hearing about their time in Alaska working in the Eskimo school districts. So cool! What a great ending to another great day ❤️

Route info for interested readers:

We left Gainesville on County Road 116 then took a right on Co Rd 17 and a quick left on Co Rd 16. Just before Scooba, we turned right on Highway 45 and rode a LOOONG ways (pretty busy road without much shoulder. Honestly wouldn’t recommend although it was very fast and flat to ride). I THINK from there we went left onto highway 82 and exited onto County Road 182 into Starkville.

Today was our first try at using warmshowers.com to find a resting place for the night. SUCCESS!!! Thank you SO much Dale and Amanda Chambliss for feeding us, washing us and our clothing, providing us with a place to sleep, and entertaining us well into the night with conversation. We have loved staying with you and are in awe of the way you live your life!

Dale and Amanda live in Gainesville, Alabama which in the very early 1800’s was the third biggest city in the state with a population of 4,000! We saw the historic site there where Nathaniel Bedford Forest (Civil war general and founder of the KKK 😱) surrendered his army to the Union.

Today the town has around 150 people and a few remaining historic houses, like Dale and Amanda’s, that we’re built in 1830 and are full of character and charisma.

Dale and Amanda welcomed us in so warmly and fed us mushroom and marscapone pizza, fruit, pretzels, and beer, then later deep bowls of either vegan or meat chili, salad, cast iron baked corn bread, and wine. What a feast! 😍

Their house is full of artwork, tasteful accents, and happy animals but more importantly, two thoughtful, kind, interesting, unique individuals who are living a slow paced life as organic gardeners and community builders. We have treasured being inspired by their stories, thoughts, and selfless care of the people in their town.

We were lucky enough to get a tour of the town and met a local couple, Lightning and Sarah who have a lively house and very big hearts. I particularly enjoyed playing peekaboo with their little great granddaughter.

It was amazing to meet such interesting people and to feel so at home in the middle of this wild journey we are on. What a great experience ❤️

Route info for interested readers:

We left Demopolis through their downtown on highway 43. It was busy but had a good shoulder after the first mile or two. Just before Forkland we turned onto county road 20 and then turned left on county road 39 with about 6 miles to go into Gainesville.

Bonus photos of some hilarious artwork on our route!!!

We awoke to a cool damp dawn on the forest floor. A quick breakfast of grits and whey and we were on our whey. It was 15 miles to the first town, Uniontown AL. We passed through towards Demopolis.

At the border of Demopolis stands a sign saying “City of the People, established 1817”. We made our way to the McDonald’s for coffee and electricity to charge ourselves and our phones.

After a long pit stop at Micky-D’s, which included an interesting conversation with a local family of catfish farmers that had spotted us on the road, we went on to find a place to camp. Our tent is pitched tonight behind a friendly gardening shop.

Demopolis is a very ornate town of around 7,000 people built on the Black Warrior River. Apparently the town is one of the oldest settlements in Alabama, originally founded by Bonapartists fleeing France after the fall of Napoleon. We were lucky enough to enjoy the 48th annual “Christmas on the River” boat parade. Their tag line being “the only parade where the floats actually float”. We will definitely have to return to this interesting town another time.

It occurs to me that Demopolis is the first white majority town we have seen since Luverne AL several days ago. The racial legacy of Alabama seems to persist. Every one of the lovely rural towns we have passed through since Luverne has been exclusively populated by black people. I only mention the racial clustering because it is incredibly noticeable and consistently true.

Route info for interested readers:

Dallas County Road 1 took us up through Uniontown and from there it was the big Highway 80 into Demopolis. Very roomy shoulders but loud traffic… Thank goodness for earplugs!

RAIN! We got rained on. But it was fun and honestly, my mood was lifted after! Nothing like being cold and wet to make you appreciate not being cold and wet 😉

We decided to hit the road in the morning instead of staying another night at Chilatchee Creek in search of a free place to hide out from the rain coming later in the day (our campsite was $14 per night). We ended up taking refuge on some kind stranger’s field for a couple hours as it ran its course, how could they say no when we were soaking wet and freezing! Setting up a tent in the rain is challenging but kind of fun, there’s definitely no time for dillying or dallying.

The rest of our afternoon was spent on more beautiful rural Alabama roads and ended with hiking into a forest to pitch our tent for the night.

Route info for interested readers:

We left Chilatchee Creek Campground by turning right onto highway 29 which took us through the little town of Alberta. From there we went north on the 5 and left onto the 66 then right onto Dallas County Road 1. It was a decent place to hike into the woods for the night, although there were a lot of thorny vines in there.

During our slumber in the woods behind the cemetery last night, Ryan and I were visited three time by a deer.

It’s hard to explain how it felt to be next to a wild animal, but I liked it. It’s scary and exciting and it opens up this portal of mystery. My dreams instantly became very vivid and FULL of animals: monkeys, donkeys, and deer. Weird! One of my favorite nights for dreaming that I can remember.

We woke up before sunrise and started getting read for the day. Our goal was to make it into Camden, a sub 3,000 person town (the biggest we have seen in a couple days) before 2:30pm to catch a ferry that could take us across the Alabama River to Chilatchee Creek Campground.

Easy peasy. We rode into town around 11am and spent a few hours talking to locals and buying groceries for dinner and tomorrow. It was weird being somewhere so slow paced, like the things were running at half speed compared to what we are used to in San Diego.

The ferry ride was beautiful and the boat was very nice! We also had a surprise encounter with the Gee’s Bend Quilting Society, a hidden gym of Alabama folk art that wove itself into the landscape and architecture.

Tonight we feasted on chili, spinach, mashed potatoes, and chocolate covered pretzels around our fire. DELICIOUS!! Another night of showers and laundry before hiding away in our tent tomorrow with rain on the forecast.

Route info for interested readers:

Highway 10 all the way bébé. If you’re planning to enter Chilatchee creek from the ferry like us, veer left after crossing the river. The right (google maps suggested route) takes you to dirt roads that don’t go through. We found out the hard way! However that was also the most beautiful part of the day in my opinion so… Worth it!

We’ve officially logged over a week’s work of pedaling and camping 😊 is it still fun? Yes! Is it still challenging? Yes, but I think less so! Are we still finding new things each day? Yes!

Today we met a fellow traveller who has been at it many years longer than us. 20 years to be exact! Chris has been carrying his life on his back for most of those years, but a little time was also spent on a bike and in a van.

He doesn’t work and finds enough money on the side of the road or as gifts from people who meet him. He’s not lonely, but has spent up to 6 months not saying a word to another human being. It had me thinking for a while after about what life would be like living so simply.

“People who work 9-5s say they can’t wrap their head around what I’m doing, but to me this is what it’s like to be alive. Knowing what you’re going to do day in and day out is not really living.”

Chris (as remembered by Morgan)

We had another on the road repair, this time on Ryan’s front wheel which had been a little loose since leaving Enterprise. After some careful surgery on the bearings, we discovered the doctor had installed 11 balls on one side and 9 on the other! The bike healed at a record speed and is good as new. 👍🏼

The sunset tonight at 4:21 and we found ourselves on a very quiet road. We selected our camp tonight in some quiet woods behind a small cemetery. Very cozy and SPOOOOKYYY 👻

Route info for interested readers:

We left Luverne on the 10 and haven’t left it since 😊 it’s a quiet road without much of a shoulder and beautiful rolling hills. Very nice. We stopped just outside of Awin to rest behind a small cemetery.

What have we been doing this past week of rest you ask?

Let’s see. We had a tasty, restful, and fun Thanksgiving with Ryan’s family and friends in Fort Walton Beach! Shout outs to Susan and Jon Wagner, Marion Carollo (AKA Memaw 😘), Paige, Haedyn, and Hunter King, Mike Avett, and George and Ruta Bilafer. Thank you for having us and for the great company 🙂

We also did plenty of relaxing, stretching and yoga, football and The Hobbit watching, fire pit sitting, and went for some lovely walks and runs in the crisp fall Alabama and Florida weather.

Day 7

Now we are back on tour and the Alabama countryside does not disappoint! Beautiful rolling hills and quiet roads have been our muse today and once again the southern hospitality has done us well.

We road into Luverne, AL right around sunset today and asked to pitch our tent behind ReImagined “Unique Finds Along 331.” It caught our eye and Kathy didn’t miss a beat showing us to a quiet grassy corner for our tent, offering us snacks and water, and even leaving her business’s bathroom open for us tonight! SCORE!!! Thank you so much Kathy Smith! You have made us a couple of happy campers 😉.

We were directed to The Chicken Shack for dinner which is famous in town and has been voted best fried chicken in Alabama. It didn’t disappoint. We got full for $5 each on delicious southern fried goodness. 🍗 🥬 🍟 🍞 🥤 🌶

Today was a shorter day at 42 miles since my knees are still feeling it, but we are on schedule to get to Starkville Mississippi around December 11th just after Ryan’s friend Trevor finishes his finals. Woohoo!

P. S. If anyone has tips for biking with sore knees, I am currently accepting advice!

Route info for interested readers:

We left Enterprise, Alabama on the 84 West into Elba. From there we got onto the 50 which turned to the 364. This was a beautiful secluded part of the ride. Lots of country homes but very few cars. We turned right into the 141 then 331 through Brantley* and ended in Luverne, Alabama.

*Originally we planned to turn left from Brantley onto the 106 but we’re warned against it for the night due to “sketchy people.” Luverne is great! I’m glad we switched course.

WE DID IT!!! We crossed the entire state of Georgia in about 280 miles and went another 53 into Alabama to end up at The Wagner’s house for rest before Thanksgiving 😊

Today was hilly with lots of traffic but the call of the couch and TV to rest in front of was so strong! We pedaled hard and made it to Susan and Jon Wagner’s house (Ryan’s awesome parents who have given us a home while we have none) right around sunset.

Route info for interested readers:*

We left Blakely on the 62 S and crossed the border into Alabama. The route then became the 52 until Dothan and after crossing through the city, we got on the 84 into Enterprise!

*I wouldn’t recommend this route for someone passing through. We took it to stay with family but the highway was very busy and a little too dangerous for my liking.

It’s feeling like a groove is starting to form here. Five days in and I know a little bit more what to expect and how to plan a day for maximum comfort (well, as much as you can have sitting on a bike saddle all day, hello weird callouses!)

Today Ryan and I got a late start after enjoying the tear down process at our campsite. By 10:30am we were pedaling away with 57 miles to put in before sunset.

I felt a little bit more robust today after the Chinese buffet the night before and enjoyed listening to the podcast “Ologies” for a few hours getting to learn about brain chemistry and bats. Highly recommended as a podcast for anyone interested in interesting scientific fields from their experts!

Another night without a plan for a bed was looking grim, but a kind stranger, Marty, took us under her wing and found us a place to pitch our tent at an older couple’s house.

Betty and Wayne took us into their sitting room to show off the insane arrowhead collection they had put together after years of walking in fields. AMAZING!!! They gathered so many arrowheads and other cool remnants from the Native Americans who used to live here.

We were entertained for a couple hours by stories and lots of bible verses then pitched our tent in their homey back yard. Tomorrow we have a big ride at 66 miles into Enterprise and then….. Rest. My knees are ready.

Route info for interested readers:

We left Chehaw Park and got onto the 91 S in Albany. We worked our way over to the 234 and then took 8 mile road to the 62 all the way into Blakely.

We got an early start today waking up at 6:20am and hitting the road around 7:30am full of dried fruit, nuts, and oatmeal. Thanks again Rex and Pam for your generosity and hospitality! We are so grateful.

Our goal of 50 miles was achieved by 2pm and both Ryan and I were SO ready to be at our campsite in Chehaw Park near Albany, GA.

My knees are pretty angry with me right now, but in around 120 more miles we will be back with Ryan’s family for rest time and Thanksgiving feasting!

After setting up our tent, we road five miles to “Rice Bowl,” a Chinese buffet recommended to us by the campground attendants. I made five trips to the buffet and loved every gruelingly earned bite! It’s weird to feel the little bit of fat on my tummy already shrinking down after just a few days of work.

We were there for over around three hours waiting out some heavy rain that struck during our meal and were thankful for the time to let our food settle before the five mile ride back to camp.

Tonight was another shower and grape stomp style washing of our clothes. Right now I’m sitting Indian style on the dryer they’ve got here reflecting on the day and getting a nice massage on my sore body.

Route info for interested readers:

We picked up our route towards Ashburn on Highway 107 and rode from there to Highway 32 E. This was a long 30ish mile stretch without any gas stations. We turned onto the 91 S towards Albany and road about 8 miles into Chehaw Park to camp for $15 in a tent spot with showers and laundry machines available.