Dateline: Meridian, MS

Quiet parking @ bike shop turned  noisey w/ cement trucks about 6:00AM. Plan was to get up @ 7:00, dash over to Lake Lurleen for ride & back into Tuscalosa for Zag game @ 2:30.

Drove to TH, beautiful AM & getting warm. Paid $3.00 entry & parked @ S. TH. Pushed off just after 11:00. Ran into a guy about my age shortly after starting who fed me w/ trail info. Trail system works its way around fingered lake w/ several wanderings. Nice trails. Tread was rooty & lots of sand from lots of sandstone. Good place to ride after rain as it drains well. 14.34 miles & 1488’vert. Little climbs over & over again.

Van temp outside was 86. Checked out showers on ride. Bath house is usual cold h2o. One in XG was better but restricted to campers. I parked just outside gate & walked purposefully to shower and returned unscathed.

Drove back into Tuscaloosa looking for a place to watch game. Saw a Hooters sign that said all games would be on. Burst in the front door just after 2:30 and the Zags weren’t on. I asked the manager to check the schedule. He said they play @ 6:30. I subtracted instead of added time zones. I only would have googled the girls during commercials.

Drove rt 11 SW into MS. Hit big box stores, parked in building shade, & walked over to Chilles to learn if they would have games on. Miss & UW were playing w/ UW ahead. The bartender was pulling for local team. We parted on speaking terms. Went back @ 6:30 but Zags were not televised. Shit. Poor beer choice & food was iceberg lettuce & fired stuff. Zag score was text score update. TV coverage was not going to be. After start of second half I walked across the parking lot to Best Buy hoping they might have game on. They turned it on for me. Zags struggled early but picked it up & squashed Akron. Zags make 2nd round. I suspected the bar tender was pissed @ me for rooting for UW but Best Buy guy said they had all the super channels.

Going to find a parking lot in this big box mecca. Tomorrow is a local ride.

Elevation is less than 400′.

Driving out of Tuscaloosa I pulled over to fire up the gps. A toy truck pulled up alongside and the driver, Lee, struck up a conversation. he asked if I needed directions. I said no I was driving back roads. He said he is active in trail work @ Oak Mtn. We chatted about rides elsewhere.

Dateline: Birmingham, AL

Woke up in Huntsville, weather getting better.

Drove to Gracie’s house for departure, Tsali still standoffish in spite of previous visit.

Drove interstates down to Birmingham and Oak Mtn. Big state park.

Great ride, great trail system: hand built, goodies on the tread, nice play on elevations. Gracie said she was sore from yesterday and was thinking an easy ride. 4 riders caught us lead by a woman. Gracie jumped on last rider’s wheel and we were off. This hard push lasted until the leader asked if anyone wanted by, meaning us. Gracie said yes and dropped the hammer. I tried, I really pedaled to stay with her but finally dropped and allowed the 4 riders to pass. Gracie kept it up for awhile longer and at a road xing she leat go. She had fire in her eyes: her first “race”. We later learned from the last woman who couldn’t keep up that the leader is the weather woman on local TV and is an ultra endurance racer.

15.82 miles & 1707’vert.

Drove further into park for XG shower, cost $3.00 way nice than free beach shower.

Spring break. Families etc @ beach w/ young kids splashing in h2o.

Thinking about riding lake Lurleen and then driving into MS.

Zags play tomorrow @ 2:30 central.

Getting creak in bike, thinking it is drive train related. I grease the bushings & hardly any if any grease goes in. Now have all parts for complete drive train replacement. Was going to do it in Cahaba bike shop parking lot but found out a beer & Bball spot but passed Publix chain grocery so i stopped for food & hung in parking lot doing this.

Picasa is not working for me to edit my pictures.

70 degrees & sunny today. Bid goodbye to wonderful southern host Gracie. Word is everybody knows Gracie and it is mostly true. I enjoyed her friendship and she waited for me to catch up. May she live long & strong. Leadville 100. Go Girl!

Gracie picked me up @ “my Place”: out in front of Jamie & Morgan’s house. She drove & I looked out windows ignoring any navigation. We ended up on campus of University of the South. All the buildings were made of local sandstone. Exquisite style.

Met her friend Doug from beyond up further N. Gracie & Doug both were riding single speeds hardtails. Doug’s was a 29er. Neat hiking trails wandering around the woods some on the edge of a bluff and other places on ridge that thru the leafless trees we could see down & out to farm land w/ bright green fields. Elevation was almost 2,000′ which meant spring was still to arrive as it had in Huntsville. Riding in the woods under leafless trees. Bit tired after ride.

Warm 70 deg in sun. Getting biker shirt tan line already.

Broke ratchet buckle strap on my shoe, there was enough meat to tighten down for tight fit. Called Trailhead in Huntsville & made arrangements to obtain a replacement. Cell phones are so cool. We were in the parking lot @ Sewannee and without finding a phone booth called out of state.

Gracie split for work and let me shower @ her house. Tsali was reclusive.

Back into 5 points for van dinner.

Garmin having fits after charging.

Tomorrow is Oak Mtn.