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| Approaching a climb |
The day started off cloudy and dreary. There wasn't rain in the forecast but we packed our rain coats just in case. The route was easy: go West on Route 258 until we reach Hamilton, Alabama, about 75 miles away. No turns. One road. One direction. I guess riding West means riding into a wall of wind. Add a few thousand feet of climbing to that, and you've got yourself a tough 75 miles. And that's exactly what it was.
It was just us and the road for the first 20 miles. Finally, we found a gas station. Closed. OK, keep pedaling. Next gas station....open! Great. Time to use the toilet and refuel. We stopped for a quick lunch at the half-way point (40 miles) in Double Springs, Alabama and were off again 20 minutes later pushing our pedals against 15-20 mph wind gusts. Ugh!
On some of these tougher days we tend to just put our heads down and push through the miles and not deviate from the course (for sight seeing etc). But when we saw a sign for The Natural Bridge of Alabama, the longest natural bridge East of the Rockies, we had to check it out.
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| The Natural Bridge Natural Bridge, AL |
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| Close up of The Natural Bridge |
This Natural Bridge is situated in a forest in the town called, coincidentally, Natural Bridge, AL. Natural Bridge (the town) is the smallest populated town in Alabama (only about 30 people live there). The Natural Bridge (the bridge) was formed by an underwater river some 200 million years ago. It is a sandstone arch that spans 148 feet long and 60 feet high over the forest. Within the forest are 27 varieties of fern and Hemlocks dating to the Ice Age. Adjacent to the bridge was whats called The Indian Stone Head which is the profile of an Indian etched into the rock. I was an amazing sight.
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| Indian Stone Head |
The sun FINALLY came out for us in the last 30 miles of the ride. Jim found a nice community parking lot in Hamilton to park the RV in. This afternoon the sun is warm and the winds are slowly dying down. We are cleaning our bikes, repacking the RV and watching pee-wee football practice. Then dinner + bed! Off to Tupelo, Mississippi tomorrow!
