May 4, 2015
Copyright(c) 2015, Jim Beachy
The two older kids and Kevin are up and out the door by 7:05 (why do they start school so early, anyway?). We say our good-byes and I notice when Kitty puts her helmet that I'd forgotten to wax it after the kids had plastered it with fingerprints. I start to get out the waxing cloths and wax.
"Stop! I want those fingerprints on my helmet!" says Kitty emphatically. So she dons the helmet, fingerprints and all, including those all over the face shield! This definitely wouldn't work for me, but if she wants the grandkids fingerprints on the helmet as a reminder, well, it's her helmet.
It's almost 9:30 as we ease onto US 49 northbound, and we stop immediately to fuel.
"What do you have in mind for a stopping time this evening?" asks Kitty.
"Whenever we feel like stopping," I respond. We have a little over 1,000 miles to travel and there's no particular rush. "How about 5:30-ish?" she says. That sounds like a plan.
We ride at the speed limit on the four-lane US 49 to Hattiesburg, MS, where we catch I-59 north and then run into I-20 at Meridian, MS.
This is an uneventful Interstate day, followed most of the day by the pleasant sweet, heavy scent of a flowering shrub that we identify as the source, but don't know what it is. We don't necessarily ride tank-to-tank, and when we do stop I top off the fuel whether it's necessary or not. Much of the Interstate between Hattiesburg and Meridian has been newly resurfaced, and this is as nice a road surface as I recall being on. Kitty even comments about it.
Eventually we make our way northward on the Birmingham Bypass, I-459, contemplate stopping at Gadsen, AL but Kitty suggests riding until we need fuel; so for this leg, we do ride tank-to-tank without stopping. I've commented before about my LD Comfort riding shorts (http://www.ldcomfort.com). These riding shorts have made the most amazing difference in my ability to ride long distances with absolutely no "tired-butt syndrome" or pain on the underside of the legs where the seat applies a pressure point. Kitty has a pair as well, and on a former trip she was not greatly impressed. This trip, though, has made a believer out of her as well.
Neither of us have any sign of butt-fatigue when we stop for fuel and for the night in Ft. Payne, AL after our easy 412-mile ride. We find fuel, a nice motel, and a great steak and fajita place all within walking distance. The weather has been brilliant for this whole trip, and today was no exception, starting out at 64 F and ending at 80 F, a very pleasant sunny ride.
It's a nice way to end the day. But I'm a little sad as I wax Little B's handprints off the trailer.
GPS Track
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