The ride began on a high note. We cleared the six miles of urban Columbus traffic with ease and with a favorable wind to our back we made great time down Hwy 82 for the first 20 miles. But three miles west of Reform, Alabama the quality of the highway deteriorated. For the next 30 miles Hwy 82 was a mix of non-rideable shoulder to something approaching an interstate. But Hwy 82 became very ugly as we neared Tuscaloosa. The last 12 miles of the day were particularly grueling with bad or no shoulder and very heavy urban traffic. We had many opportunities to utilize our technical riding skills. Some examples:
- riding ten inch strips of asphalt bordered on the left by a continuous rumble strip and on the right by a 4-6 inch drop-off ( enough to tumble you if fell off!)
- dodging major obstacles on the shoulder, such as traffic control barrels, construction signs, and parked vehicles
- timing bridge crossings to avoid traffic without losing momentum for the inevitable uphill after the bridge
Alabama surprisingly has given us the first really cold ride of the trip with great NW but frigid winds. Numerous times we have started out in the cool of the morning, but it always warmed up within the first hour. Today, it just did not warm up. Forecasters report, however, that tomorrow will be warmer and Friday, warmer still. And the wind will be with us again tomorrow. So we plan to hit the road early to avoid Tuscaloosa traffic and keep flying south.
Hitting the road in Columbus, MS at 47 degrees Fahrenheit
.
Hwy 82 when it is sublime. 
Some evil county road engineer's idea of a joke - double rumble strips..... just plain silly. 
More sillinesss. a narrow shoulder with a harsh rumble strip down the middle. 
Riding the yellow line in Tuscaloosa - simply stupid scary!
Riding by the aftermath of this year's torando. 
Now for something on the lighter side. What is the mascot for the University of Alabama? It is the elephant.
And the AGO team points out why this is significant to someone from Washington state.
(Reminds Rob why the Crimson Tide has no warm spot in his heart) Good Night All. Tomorrow we make a 90 mile run with the wind. Fingers Crossed. Diane and Rob
No comments:
Post a Comment