Day 9 - Cheaha to Chelsea, AL

70 miles, plus 20 in a car, which I promise to make up for (496 cumulative)

I spent a good majority of the morning going about 26 miles and hour (this is fast for a bike) coming off the mountain. After that I had some beautiful riding through the Talledega National Forest. Apparently, there's this car racing called NASCAR (don't know why anyone would want to watch racing vehicles of the motorized sort) and there is a big NASCAR race in Talledega, Alabama, and apparently, it's this weekend. Now this is a big deal. However, not being a car racing enthusiast, I was unaware of this race, and didn't even come close to thinking of reserving a campsite for tonight, because I didn't conceive that they'd be full and/ or price gouging like mad. I rode through Talledega, whose down town was all decked out in checkered flags and cardboard cut outs of guys in jumpsuits spangled with corporate sponsorship logos. This should have been my first clue that something was clearly happening nearby. When I got to the Logan Martin Lakeside Resort and asked for an unreserved tent site, they told me they wanted $45 dollars for one (even though I had seen a sign advertising RV sites for $22.50 a night). "$45 for a little patch of grass to set my tent up in?" "Talledega weekend." Which to me meant that they were going to milk this event for all the cash they could get. Even if I could talk them down a little, to say, $40 they would probably charge me every time I went to fill up my water bottle and for a shower, and possibly for a swim in the lake. Because it's Talledega weekend, and thus charging double is unquestionably fair. So I pushed, knowing that Birmingham and the welcome arms of D. White were only about 40 miles away. The next campground, near Vincent, though further from Talledega, was full, and I pushed forward. I got to the busy artery of US 280 that spills out of Birmingham into a town called Chelsea and off into the surrounding area at rush hour and decided to call for reinforcements. My roommate from college and good friend, Daniel White, came to pick me up in his station wagon about an hour and a half later (after traffic cleared). He drove back to his place in Hoover and he and his wife, Rachael, fed me and entertained me and gave me beer and made me feel right at home. Which is where I’ll be for the next couple of days.

Now, what did I learn from this experience. One: people love car racing. Two, people love all kinds of things that I don't particularly care for, like car racing, football, baseball, large trucks, meat on a stick, trying to ride large animals that don't want to be ridden. Three: I should be more aware of large events surrounding these things, and plan my camping accordingly. For example, on November 9th - 12th, the 11th World Championship Ranch Rodeo will be held in Amarillo, Texas. I plan to go through Amarillo, and hope to do so sometime during the week of the 19th of October. Problem solved. I am learning.

Wednesday October 1st, 2008
Day 8
John Tanner to Mount Cheaha State Park Alabama (2407 ft.)
50 miles (426)

Today was my biggest hardest climb so far, and probably will be the hardest until New Mexico. Having gained an extra hour* after helped quite a bit as I spent about 2 hours climbing Mt. Cheaha, the highest point in Alabama. This is the very south western tip of the Appalachian Mountains. I will proclaim my ignorance and say that until recently, I did not realize there were actual mountains in Alabama. They are small, but mountains none the less, and they just about kicked my ass today.

I got into a conversation with a guy in the shower house (might sound dirty, but it's not [oh wait, wait, at least after the shower it wasn't, ha!] no seriously just two guys talking after taking a shower, nothing funny, get your mind out of the gutter) and he said "I saw this guy out there today riding his bicycle, climbing up the road. I wish I had his energy."

And I said "That was me." Because it was.

* Please note that I am now in the Central Standard Time Zone.

September 30th*
Day 7 - East Atlanta to John Tanner State Park
59 miles (376 cumulative)

I woke up early, got of the couch and went out to conquer Atlanta. For all of the complaints and stories I've heard about terrible traffic, going through the city at 8 am on a Tuesday was no problem at all. I even found the Cyclorama (did not stop in). It felt like fall once I got out into the country and that always gives me a good feeling. Fall's my favorite time of year, and I felt lucky to be doing this now.


John Tanner was different than the other parks I stayed in, in that all the campsites were in plain view of one another. It felt like more of a community and people were chatty as hell. It seems the common response when I tell people about the trip is for them to deny it. One women just kept saying "oh no, oh no no no." as if I had just told her some very bad news. I don't know, maybe to her, it was.
End of the first week, end of the month, tomorrow, new time zone.

* Explanation of why this September entry will be archived in the October Section and the odd grouping of daily posts:

This is because of the format of this blog site and also due to my erratic computer access. First, the blog site automatically dates each entry. Second, I am basing this blog off a journal that I keep and that I usually write in each night before going to sleep. I do this because, a) I find it easier to remember and talk about events if they are compartmentalized into daily boxes (I'm pretty sure most people would agree with this), b) its a convenient time to do so. I want the blog to be pretty much the same, though less rambling and more readable, as the journal and c) all of the day’s events have taken place and I can recount them without missing them. Third, I take advantage of computer access when I can, which is hardly everyday, and rarely before I go to bed. So, each day’s entry is posted under the date that I enter it to the blog. This is why you will find that if you comment on say, the September 25th, day 2 entry, the comment appears under the entire Sept. 26th blog entry, way down under sept. 24, day one. It's also the reason the September 30th entry is grouped with October. You get the idea. I could probably change this, and it's not that I'm not computer savvy enough to do so; it's just that I rarely have the time to sit at the computer for long enough to figure such a thing out.