Florida - Stamp Hunting / Fishing (3)

Sept. 13th, 2007 - Columbus, GA.

For some unknown reason I woke up earlier than usual this morning. I have always been an early riser so that was not a problem. It didn't take long to shower, pack up and head out. My first stop was for a biscuit and coffee, considering it was still 45 minutes before the first sign of daylight. I had no desire to ride the foggy, deer infested backroads of southern Alabama in the predawn darkness.

The Chattahoochee River, which forms the border between Georgia and Alabama, was shrouded in a light mist as I passed over just after daybreak. It was a short 55 miles to Tuskegee, Alabama, the home of the Tuskegee Institute and University.

Unfortunately, I had forgotten about the time zone change and quickly found I was now back on Central Time. That meant I was more than an hour early before anything opened. I took that opportunity to gas up, grab a second cup of coffee and explore the University and town.

Tuskegee, Alabama is one of the most desperately poor towns I have ever visited. I was saddened to see the deterioration of the secondary roads within the city and almost all of the private buildings. The University itself seemed well taken care of and in reasonable repair.

One other thing that caught my attention was the visible police presence. There were easily more police in that one town than I had seen on the entire trip, times ten. I even wondered at the time if something special was happening.

The George Washington Carver Museum, located in the center of the Tuskegee University campus, houses the Tuskegee Institute National Historic Site, as well as the park stamp.

After touring the Museum, I crossed town and stopped at the Tuskegee Airman NHS, on the way out of town. This is the airfield where the Tuskegee Airmen were trained, and is a seperate location with it's own stamp.

After leaving Tuskegee, I was treated to a scenic 40 mile ride over to Horseshoe Bend National Military Park near Daviston, AL. This is yet another beautiful southern park, situated along a river in a large forest.

"Go Home" was the next command to Miss Garmin. She promptly informed me it was 422 miles to Paducah and about 95 miles of two lane roads, or so, to Birmingham. I arrived home around 6 pm after riding 520 miles today. The entire round trip total was 2,163 miles.

All in all, a really fun trip. I especially enjoyed the fishing and riding the piny hill back roads of southern Georgia and Alabama.

"Democracy is two wolves and a sheep voting on what to have for lunch. Freedom is a well-armed sheep contesting the vote." ~Unknown~