Miles to Go Before I Sleep

My earliest start on the road was this third and final Friday of the trip. In a true act of hospitality, Brad got up early enough to have scrambled up some home raised eggs for all of us to have breakfast before I got on the road by 7:04 a.m. (waaaay before he or Tammy would normally get up). I didn't see the gallon sized salsa container here, but did notice a couple of glass Tabasco jugs on the counter that were probably pretty close to a gallon apiece :)

Loading the bike went really quickly, the tires had kept their air nicely, a couple of squirts on the chain and it was ready to go. I was only a few blocks from I-635 and got back on that shortly, full of fuel from the night before (what a great idea...getting gas, and all). This time I hopped off on Highway 80 toward Terrell, TX and rode that until signs led me to I-20. It was so humid that morning, and the temps weren't warmed up excessively (yet), so it was almost like riding with a swamp cooler blowing on me. I almost got chilly, and decided to enjoy the rare sensation, knowing if I put on a layer to block the wind I would spontaneously melt.

This was a day to get miles behind me. My destination was Bay Minette, Alabama, which was a shade over 600 miles to go. Traffic was moving well, but there were quite a few cops out and about, so nobody got too crazy. I maximized my fuel stops and pretty much ran the bike until it got thirsty, with the first stop in Shreveport, LA, a full 185 miles down the road.

The sign at the top of the exit for the Shell station was evil, because it said to go left one mile for the station. A couple of miles that way was a little independent gas station across from a grocery store, and I just made do with that since I was so low. Didn't stop in, since it looked sketchy, and on my way back to the interstate, saw where the real Shell station was...on the right about two blocks down (should have looked outside the box, I know). I decided to stop in there and make a quick pit stop and get some water, both of which were good decisions. It was around 10:30 a.m. when I got back on the road, ready for the next leg.

Next stop: Vicksburg, MS, 175 miles down the road. The trees were starting to look more like home, growing in close and thick to the highway. Some of the bayous I passed along the interstate looked really cool...dark green and full of secrets. Just past the state line, over a hug bridge spanning the Mississippi river, is Vicksburg, and I stopped at exit 10, filling up the bike and then pulling up to the convenience store for a break.

The bathroom had lots of posted information about how the employees had to wash their hands, blah, blah, blah, and someone had written on the sheet, "What about someone cleaning the sink?", and that was a very well expressed thought. The sink was lined with a slimy brown layer of dirt that just screamed for some Comet or Mr. Clean or just hot water and elbow grease! Ugh. On a happier note, I bought an extra large ice cream sandwich and sat out on the curb by the bike to enjoy it, as well as enjoy the break from riding. I debugged my face shield for the umpteenth time and got back on the bike for one more big push, and the heat and humidity were starting to make things not as fun as they'd been.

About 45 miles down the road, I got off Interstate 20 in Jackson, MS, and started a tortuous 85 miles of four lane state highway 49 that seemed to go through every little burg with stop lights sprinkled at regular intervals. At least I got to ride through a couple of rain showers, which helped cool the ride off a little bit.

Finally, at Hattiesburg, I got onto Highway 98 E, which took me over towards Mobile. About 35 miles north of Mobile, I stopped for one last fueling for the day and to make some calls and find out what my plans were for the night. The original plan was for me to meet with some branch folks for supper, since I couldn't possibly make it to town before they closed for the day.

Weeeell, when it came down to brass tacks, the manager had plans for his wife's birthday, another guy 'lived too far away' to have to come back in town, one of my drivers had gotten left off the 'notification' list, and my buddy Shannon had to go home and feed some animals and water the garden before doing anything. Rer. It was 4:30 when I finally got ahold of Shannon to find out there really weren't any plans for that night, but she still wanted to be able to meet, so I told her I'd call her once I got settled in to a hotel and we'd figure it out from there. Bummer, but at least part of it was being salvaged.

I rode on down into Mobile and picked up Interstate 65 north, glad I was heading that way and not south, where all kinds of cars were backed up, waiting to turn. Going across 65, you cross over this area of water and swamp land that has the interstate running along on stilts for nearly 12 miles, crossing the Mobile River, Little Lizard Creek, Middle River, Miflin Lake and Tensaw River. Pretty dang cool.


Not long after getting back onto solid ground, I saw the turnoff for Bay Minette, and started down my last county road for the day. Once in town, I circled around the back of the courthouse, following Highway 31 through downtown (all 1.5 blocks) and around to a hotel that Shannon had mentioned: The Bay Inn & Suites. It appears the Bay Inn & Suites has seen better days. However, it was 6 p.m., I was ready to be done for the night, and there weren't many other options. The other two places I passed didn't even look like mom and pop motels...they were more crazy uncle eddie motels. Best to just keep on moving away from them.

While checking in, the girl at the front desk apologized for how long it took, because their system was down, since it had been hit by lightning. I was curious, and asked how long ago it had been hit, and she had to think for a minute. A week ago. Apparently they don't have enough visitors for management to try to get things back up and running efficiently any time soon.

I walked into my non smoking room, only to promptly walk back out and down to the front desk, past the closed lounge and out of order snack machine to ask for another room, since the one I'd just entered had reeked of smoke. Apparently they don't have Henry policing their non-smoking rooms.

She switched my card for a room two doors down, and upon entry, that one didn't smell like smoke. Just mildew. Figuring that was inevitable in a place with 76% humidity, I went ahead and got my luggage off the bike. Something in the bathroom floor creaked when you sat on the toilet, and there was a visiting hair in the shower, but again, my options elsewhere in town were slim to none. After a quick shower, and cranking the poor a/c up as high as it would wobble, I called Shannon back around 7 p.m. The upshot of it was, she and her husband came back into town to say hey at the hotel, and brought some Taco Bell with them :) They stayed and visited for almost two hours, and it was nice to have the company.

Before they left, Caleb helped me roll my bike into the room for the night. When I got there, the bike was the only thing in the parking lot, and by the time Shannon and Caleb got there, there were a total of three things in the parking lot. After they left, there were only two, and I had Mr. Crunchy as company by the foot of the bed.

Before hitting the hay, I went ahead and plotted my route for the next day, adding a quick little dip into Florida since I was that close, and could check that off my 'states ridden in' map. Total miles for the following day were going to be close to 500, and I was wondering if my trip total would end up being 5,000 miles or not. While I was in Louisiana, earlier, I'd passed 4,000 miles, and shortly before starting the bridges past Mobile, I'd passed 4,500 miles. I really wanted to hit 5,000, but wasn't sure if I'd quite have enough miles. I figured I could live with 4,981 miles, but really wanted the 5. Time would tell.