Trade offs

So it wasn't as cold when I started today, but it never warmed up as much as the last few. days.  I'm thinking that taking a trip in November was pushing the limits, but you never know.  I got a text from a friend in Syracuse who said they got 12 inches of snow when it was seventy degrees the day before.  There are always trade offs.  This was a good last day.  I stayed off the interstate all day, and was able to ride some fun roads thru northern Georgia.  A little more sunshine would have been appreciated, but yesterday I was complaining about how brutal the sun was.  There are always trade offs. All in all, it was a good trip, and I am glad to say it was not an adventure. A few photos before I end.  The first photo is a bit distant, but the eclectic collection of blow up caricatures was pretty interesting.  I wasn't sure if they were celebrating Halloween or Christmas.  The second photo of the fish is just because they were there.  Unfortunately I cut off part of the gun shop sign.  I'm thinking that the sign being there was not a coincidence, and maybe its just a different way of fishing, in Alabama. The last photo is one of the bike in the garage.  The safe return of another fun trip.

Present location: Home

Today's mileage:  302

Total:  2874

Hopscotch

The plan for today was to parallel the interstate on state highways. In reality, the highways often merged with the interstate for a considerable distance. It wasn't a total waste, but by the afternoon I decided to scrap the plan and just ride the interstate. Tomorrow should be better.  There was definitely frost on the pumpkin when I started out today. As always, the key is to dress for the cold. I'm thinking I will have the same issue tomorrow. Actually, the biggest problem today was the sun. I was basically headed straight East today, and the sun in the early morning is brutal for an hour or so. I was glad I was not on the interstate then, because numerous times I had to slow down when I would become momentarily blinded by the sun. I've left myself in a better position for tomorrow's ride, it will be in more of a northerly direction initially, before I turn eastward.  If all goes well, I should be home tomorrow.

Current location:  Henceville, Alabama

Today's mileage:  475

Total:  2572

Good Enuff

The plan for today was to ride up to the Dallas area to meet another old college friend and his wife for lunch, and then to just head east.   Basically the plan worked, but there was a surprise when I walked out to my bike in the morning and found it covered in icy frost. So after getting most of the frost off, I headed out in 32 degree temps for Dallas. It was chilly , but heated handle grips and seat helped a lot. The ride wasn't bad and then I hit Dallas. Since it was Sunday morning, traffic wasn't terrible, but going through the heart of Dallas is still a challenge. I did survive though, and had a good visit and lunch with people I don't get to see much.  From there, the best way to get out of the city and headed east was to get on an interstate.  I hadn't really mapped out a route, but thought that I could probably figure something out once I got far enough away from Dallas.  As it turned out, once I got settled into the interstate, it was just easier to stay on it and keep going. It's really not that interesting, but you do get a lot of miles covered. In the end, it wasn't great, but it was good enough. I'm going to try and figure out something better for tomorrow.

Current location:  Minden, Louisiana
Today's mileage:  475
Total:  2098

Hill Country

Today was a relaxing day.  I started later and did not ride as far.  As I was riding around the back roads I came across a store that was pretty much in the middle of nowhere that was a German import store. I really thought that was odd, because I didn't think there would be a large demand for lederhosen or drindle in central Texas.  I later found out that there is a strong German background in the area and that the store was not out of place.  Still, I didn't see any Texans wearing a cowboy hat and lederhosen. Since I was in the area, I thought I should go see Luckenbach, Texas.  All I can really say, is that I can now say I've been there.  There is not much to see, but I guess it is still a hopping place in the evenings.  I was surprised to see just how small the dance hall is.  From there I headed to New Braunfels to see an old college roommate and his wife for lunch. Always good to catch up with people you haven't seen in a while.  I'm still trying to figure out when he got so old.  Start heading for home tomorrow. 

Present location: Marble Falls, Texas
Today's mileage:  208
Total:  1623

Made it

I got rained on today. I suppose it's my own fault for bragging yesterday. It didn't last for more than about an hour, and I could see it coming so I had time to get all my rain gear on.  Actually the wind in East Texas was more of an issue than the rain. Part of Louisiana that I went through this morning grows a lot of sugar cane. I'm not sure I had ever seen it before, and I definitely don't know the logistics. Some fields stood at over six feet tall, looked like some fields had recently been harvested, some had recently been burned off, and some fields were full of shoots less than a foot tall.  I thought it was an interesting cycle, I just don't know when it begins, and when it ends. I also went by Ft. Polk in Louisiana today. I don't know if they had a unit that had just returned from Afghanistan or if it was a hold over from veterans day, but there were 100's of flags flying in all of the surrounding towns. The line of flags going into and out of the towns stretched for almost a mile, and there was a flag flying on every light and electrical pole. It was pretty neat. Only other thing I have to show you is some local art that you can purchase for your yard.  I'm not sure what is happening tomorrow, but I'm hoping for a little better weather.

Current location:Marble Falls, Texas
Today's mileage: 489
Total:  1415

If Only

If only every travel day could be like today weather wise.  Admittedly, it started off a little cold, but I can layer up my clothing and it's not bad.  Then after a couple of hours it's warm enough to take off the extra layers.  I had sunny blue skies, and temps that never exceeded 80 degrees.  It would be nice if I could depend on that being the case all of the time.  Aside from the weather, everything went pretty well today.  I had to do a little bit of backtracking in Mississippi, but it wasn't a problem. Some of the back roads I take aren't marked very well on the map, so I am sometimes guessing at what their numbers are, or I just head for the next likely town.  Unfortunately that doesn't always work, but it usually doesn't take long to figure out when something is not right.  I decided I wanted to enter Louisiana at Bogalusa for a couple of reasons. One is that I just think it's fun to say Bogalusa, and two is because it led me to a scenic byway through most of the state.  I like taking the scenic byways because first they are scenic and are usually the most fun roads to ride, and because they normally are not the most direct route from point a to point b, so there is less traffic on them.  This doesn't always hold true, but they are always worth a try.  Just a couple of photos for today.  The first is what a modern day cotton bale looks like. I don't think there's much "lifting and toting" going on with these things.  The second picture is of a grave yard in Louisiana with the raised burial sites.  Even the small country church cemeteries are like this.  That's it for now.  Hope to be in Marble Falls by tomorrow afternoon .

Current location:  Simmesport, Louisiana
Today's mileage:  513
Total:  927

Why Not

So I'm off on another trip.  There is no good reason for this one other than I wanted try to get in one more ride before it gets too cold.  I'm going to a BMW rally in Marble Falls, TX.  I'm really not into the rally so much, as it gave me a reason and a destination.  This is the first time I have done a trip this late in the year, and I have become aware of a few things already.  One is that even though the days are still pleasant for the most part, it is a bit brisk when the temps are in the low forties to start with.  Secondly, when the sun goes down, it gets dark really fast.  I don't think I will be riding as late on this trip as what I normally do.  It definitely gets darker earlier and quicker .  as far as today's ride went, everything went fine for the most part.  I was surprised that the smoke from the fires up in the mountains extended all the way south of the Atlanta area.  I'm not sure how much national coverage they are getting, but the southeast has quite a few wild fires going on right now.  The one picture I am posting shows the smoke haze South of Atlanta.  Moving on, as I came through South Georgia, I was passing by the Andersonville National Historic Site.  This was the site of the infamous POW camp during the civil war.  I stopped in and spent about an hour going through the museum and the grounds.  Lots of history here, and as always going through a national cemetery is a sobering experience.  Further down the road, l noticed this huge bird house that had a sign saying bird house farm. I thought maybe they raised Canaries or some type of exotic birds for commercial sales, so I went back to take a look.  It turned out to be a chicken farm.  That's it for today.

Location:  Luverne, Alabama
Today's Mileage:  412 miles
Total:  412