By John Springfield

Why bike on the back roads of Alabama? Well, mainly because I wanted to explore a new area. I expected to see a lot of farms.  But instead, I biked through lots of forests!
 
To avoid extreme heat (and hurricanes) I started in early May. I left Pensacola, Florida, and biked north. The plan was to stop at motels every 45 miles, giving me time to explore small towns.
 
I used my phone's map app to guide me, but would go off route at times.
It soon became clear that the "car" directions took me on highways with rumble strips. The rumble strips were often located to the right of the right line, just where I usually bike. This forced me out into the travel lane, to the left of the right line.
 
So, I quickly changed my map app to "bicycle" directions. This put me on a lot of back roads with hardly any cars! My 28mm touring tires were able to navigate the paved country roads. But sometimes the route abruptly changed to a dirt/gravel mixture that posed a challenge. More on that later.
 
My biggest surprise was how quiet it was. I rode for miles, usually through forests, with no cars, dogs, or houses. The chirping birds were my companions.

Periodically I would some across a country store. When I entered, I'm sure the local folks were taken aback with my bright yellow vest. But I was always welcomed in.  Some folks asked about my funny Michigan accent. We smiled a lot, especially when we couldn't understand the other's dialect.
 
Several of the small towns had interesting histories. De Soto, the Spanish explorer, came through the region and claimed it for Spain. Later the French and English claimed the area.  Of course, the Choctaws were the original inhabitants.
 
Now, back to the roads. As long as the roads were paved, I was okay.
There were more hills than I expected, but I had a very low gear that came in handy. Even on the unpaved roads, I was usually able to stay upright. But after a nightly rain, many of the unpaved roads became soupy. Especially on the uphills, I was forced to push my bike through the slurry. But hey, I wanted an adventure, right?
 
Once, I coasted down a paved road, came around a curve, and the pavement turned to dirt. I had no idea how long the dirt section would go.  But the road ahead looked pretty bad. So I turned around, climbed up the paved road, and found an intersection with another paved road.  I took the turnoff, hoping it would stay paved.  Luckily, it did!  But I then had to join the main highway, complete with the annoying rumble strips.  Ugh.
 
After 6 days of riding I made it to Tuscaloosa. I was going to take a day off.
But the weather forecast showed severe storms approaching from the west.
Previously the same area had been ravaged by tornadoes. Now if this were 60 years ago, my 16-year-old mind would have continued the trip. But my 76-year-old body said not to risk it.
 
It was time to go home, satisfied, with a smile on my face.
 
For a daily journal and more photos:
www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/North2025