Day 1 In The Books

It was a very long and hot day. We started at the site of the Slave Market in Mobile. We rode 9 miles to avoid going through a tunnel 2 blocks from our hotel. They said we needed to! It was frustrating figuring out the GPS so we were glad we drove that part yesterday. We rode along the bay and out into very, very rural Alabama. It was extremely hot and humid. A month ago we made ourselves do a training ride and it was 32*! Today was 95+! The tough part was the lack of places to get drinks. We hit a construction zone and that fresh asphalt just radiated the heat. And who wrote that it was a fairly flat route? Compared to what I would like to know!

So, after riding up yet another 6 % incline hill we pulled over to rest in the shade and hydrate. The two men in the gator came by and asked how we were and I said we sure could use some water. "And ice?" They asked! So Kris and Marlene hopped on the back and they took us down to the hunting cabin (with quartz counter tops) and filled us up! They were angels from heaven!

We finally made it to our pick up point and our amazing Conductor, Brian, brought us to the hotel! We were whipped!

So many places are closed. After googling it I think Hurricane Katrina displaced a lot of people and the economy has taken a hit.

It was sobering thinking about mothers with their babies trying to navigate their way north at night, barefoot, no extra clothes, shoes, cold weather gear, food with bounty hunters and dogs chasing you. I also thought about the slaves, young and old, forced to work long hours in this brutal heat with little water or sustenance. It is humbling to say the least.Read more