Road Booty

It really is amazing how much stuff gets deposited on roadsides across America.   Just out of curiosity I wanted to see what we could collect on the southern tier trip.  We were quite selective in what we picked up, still it was quite the haul.  Here's a picture of the tools we found:

Included are:

63 sockets

3 screwdrivers

1 crowbar

1 cam-lock strap

3 pliers

6 box wrenches & 1 adjustable wrench

1 socket driver

3 3/8" socket extensions

1 pocket knife

1 allen wrench set

3 hooks

4 bunge straps- we only picked up 4, but we probably saw well over 100

1 ratchet driver

1 chisel

1 pry-bar

 

The other amazing thing was how much money we found, all coins.  And it wasn't all pennies!  $12.75 of the haul was quarters.

Here's the pile:

In all, there was $24.50 in US coins, plus 13 Mexican pesos, worth about 64¢.

We also found a fully functional LG smart phone, a worker's neon vest, several towels, a working USB charging cable, an iron skillet (minus handle), and a baseball cap.

I don't know if people leave stuff on their vehicles and it flies off, or if people chuck stuff out the windows.  In any event, it makes you wonder what future archeologists will think when they excavate our highways in another million years!

 

 

Nashville TN and on to the Arch in Saint Louis

I had the opportunity to stop at the Arch in Saint Louie, MO today.  It is such an amazing structure to see and to photograph.  Here are a few shots from my quick walk around the arch.

This shot was taken through one of the windows at the top of the arch. 

Day 43 We decide to hit the road - but in the truck going west!

Day 43  Yesterday was a great bike riding day and I went to bed tired, but happy with the miles.  I had seen that the next day was to be different, but how much could it change - right!?
Well, I woke up in the morning to not just rain, but POURING rain.  Again, looking at the weather predictions, they showed that more or less the next week was going to be days and days of constant rain.

In short, we declared victory and retreated!!  It took us all morning to get the tandem taken apart and re-packed for storing it in the truck. 

The rest of the stuff was placed in more efficiently than we had ever done, and at 10:12 am we hit the road home.
It was a great decision as we had rain all the way to Nashville - all the way - and at times very heavy.
So, I will soon get the totals added up, but what a great trip it was to the east on the bikes!  We crossed through California, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and into Florida.  Many great views, and many great people to remember.
Yes, we are disappointed that we did not make the "whole trip".  That said, there comes a time that you just have to make a sensible decision, and we did.  I recall that Churchill once said;  "Americans always do the right thing - after they have tried everything else"!  Well, that is what we did.  We spent over 20 days riding our bicycles in the rain, hoping/expecting that the weather would change.  Yes, it changed - it got worse! 
Now, who knows.  One of these days we might just drive back to Crestview, Florida, put the bikes back on the road (On a sunny day!), and finish this trip.  If/when we do, we will finish this blog.  Until then, just look at the days we did, laugh at the pictures, and on the "wet" days be happy you weren't there!
Paul C

Fairhope AL to Crestview FL

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Yesterday I made a decision to not deliver  yummy bakery goodies that I purchased in Fairport, AL for the hard pedaling cyclists and take a side trip to Gulf Shores.  The minute I saw the ocean, the white sand, seagulls, palm trees, and inhaled the fresh ocean air I almost, ALMOST, felt guilty about not delivering the baked goods!  The good news is that I did not eat the goodies, (except for the cold beignets), and enjoyed the sights and sounds of the Gulf Coast.  

Gulf Shores is a beautify city... clean, brightly painted buildings, wide streets and common to most beach cities, somewhat corny/cheesy.  As an example of cheesy, see my photo of the fake shark hanging from the palm tree at the miniature golf park.  Goofy.  

After visiting Gulf Shores, I crossed in to Florida.  We are staying in Crestview, FL and made the decision to head home instead waiting for the rain to clear up.  The forecast for the week in this region is rain, rain, and more rain.  Approximately 350 miles short of Saint Augustine, FL.  Jokingly, I told the cyclists if they added the number of miles they were lost to the total miles they expected to ride, then they probably exceeded the total miles they expected to ride to the Atlantic  Ocean.  Nonverbal body language is a powerful means of communication.😍😸😈

Day 42 Fairhope Alabama to Crestview Florida

Day 42  This was not the longest ride, but it seemed tough.  It was 91.8 miles long with 2,198 feet of climb.  The usual ups and downs.  When we started we had the "rumble-bump-road" in Alabama,  but as soon as we got into Florida we had a fairly nice bike lane!  Not perfect, but a real improvement.
This morning when we started it was a bit chilly,  but the views over the bay were very pretty.

As the day went on we got warmer and removed layers.  Here is a group of pictures taken along the way.

Then, we made it into Florida!  This is the last state we bike through!!

By the way, we did see that Idaho Potatoes make it to Florida!  Bob, are these some of yours??

At this restaurant they are sort of natural, but still keep the fare for the folks.

On the road going around Pensacola, the traffic got a bit busy, as you can see here.

So, tomorrow we are at an important decision point.  With the damage from the hurricane, the prediction for heavy rain all day for 6 days, and other things, we have to decide if we either keep going in the showers, or declare victory and retreat.  Let me tell you, having now spent almost half of our biking time in the rain, we don't need more.  We will let you know when we find out!
Paul C

Sweet Home Alabammer

As Paul C's blog celebrates, we finally had a sunny day.  It didn't matter that it was "bitter" cold (well for Mississippi & Alabama), it was just nice to have the option of getting sunburned.  I haven't posted for a couple of days, so here's some catching up.

Two turtles sun themselves on logs laying in the Tangipahoa River

Paul C, busted, sneaks out of the smoke shop with a couple of packs.

A spider web glistens in the fog along highway 26 in Mississippi.

A peaceful pond along Shipman Fire-tower Road in Mississippi

Just before the "Highway of Death", Mississippi border

There aren't many of us Poorman's around

Paul C. crossing the Mobile River, north of Mobile, Alabama

USS Alabama Historical Site, Mobile, AL

 

 

Sunny! Blue Skies! Cold! Flags

Across the street from the motel where we stayed the night was a car dealership. The front lot was empty this morning and to my delight the lot was soon filed with vintage cars. Can you believe that cars from the 70's are in the "vintage" category??   Prior to hitting the road, I took a few photos of the cars.

Not too long after getting on the highway, I crossed into Alabama and found the wandering cyclists.  I fed them a few PayDay bars and told them that I would see them in Fairport because I was headed to do some sightseeing in Mobile, AL.  Wrong!  I stopped at a local fruit/vegetable stand soon after arriving in Alabama to buy sweet potatoes.  The sign advertised 20 pounds for $5.99.  I wondered how I could sneak/hide 20 pounds of fresh, local, sweet potatoes into the Tacoma without anyone noticing.  I settled on 4 small sweet potatoes and as soon as I walked out of the store, guess who I ran into?  The cyclists?  I had to convince that guys that I exercised a lot of restraint buy only buying 4 sweet potatoes instead of 20 pounds.  

Boiled peanuts! 

When I arrived in Mobile I had the opportunity to tour the USS Alabama.  Great photo opportunity and I really missed not having my dad with me to share the experience.  I have many fond memories of he and I packing up our camera equipment and visiting the local air shows in Idaho.  He would have loved the WWII Museum in New Orleans and also the tour that I took today.

The motel where I am staying is within walking distance of the beach and also an Italian restaurant by the name of Gambino's.  The food was exceptional!

Day 41 Lucedale, Mississippi to Fairport, Alabama

Day 41.  We started the day a bit COLD!  It was 33 degrees - burrrrr.  The whole day was 75.6 miles and 2,339 feet of climb.  If you check the ride, we went to the north, and then to the south, and then to the east around Mobile bay, through Mobile, Alabama.  Quite a ride indeed.
We started the day with a car show at the auto dealer across the street.  Neat rigs and proud owners.

The, we rode into Lucedale - (I figured Lucydale!).

I also stopped at a local produce shop where they sold boiled peanuts!  Never had those before that I remember, and they were good.  But then, I was cold and hungry.

As the day was clear, cold but clear, there were some great views of the road we went on.  Here are a bunch of nice views.

Also today we went from Mississippi to Alabama.

 As usual, we met some great folks who helped us all along the way.  Here are a few.

Therefore, we went by the USS Alabama museum.  We did not have enough time to go check it out, but Dana did and look at here blog.  Here are some pictures on the way.  It is BIG.

Crossing the bay was impressive as well.  We had to go the truck route, but that gave us great views on the way to and over the bridge.

Tomorrow we have a pretty big day, about 90 miles if we can make it.  Hopefully there will not be a headwind!  We know it will be a bit chilly - even here in southern Alabama.
Paul C