Day/Date: Saturday, June 7th, 2008
Time Started: 4:30 AM EDST
Time Ended: 2:30 PM CDST
Starting Location: Madison, FL
Ending Location: Sulphur, LA
Total Miles Today: 686
Cumulative Miles: 2553
Low Temp: 72F - Madison, FL
High Temp: 95F - Sulphur, LA
Highest Gas Price: $3.99 Baton Rouge, LA
Lowest Gas Price: $3.89 Loxley, AL
States: AL, MS, LA (7)
I decided to leave early (4:30 am eastern) to get a head start on the heat I knew would be coming later in the day. After riding a bit over a hundred miles, at daybreak, I stopped for a hot breakfast at a Waffle House near the Fl/Al border.
From there it was nothing but interstate, through Alabama, Mississippi and on into New Orleans. I wanted to see the traditional view of downtown New Orleans so I stayed on I-10 rather than take I-12. That proved to be a mistake as Ten was shut down to one lane for several miles right through the heart of town.
I did eventually clear the construction and continued on to Baton Rouge where I had lunch. After riding 686 miles, I called it a day as the thermometer hit 95 degrees just west of Lake Charles in a small burg called Sulphur, LA. Tonight I have really good Internet access and I have added the pictures to the previous posts.
No pictures today. Not a lot to photograph while at interstate speeds.
To view my entire trip map page "Click Here"
To view the 24 hour SPOT map "Click Here"
"If you're not learning, you're dying. If you're not laughing, you might already be dead" ~Oliver Leveritt~
I did find a couple of tropical showers along the way that served only to cool things off a bit.
I listened to my common sense and heeded the advice of my Floridian friends and stayed on The Florida Turnpike as I rode north. I could not justify the chance I might get snarled up in a traffic jam on I-75 due to the bridge accident. Normally I have an aversion to riding the same road both ways.
Both of these pictures were taken as I left Marathon Key, headed south.
The traditional shot taken at "The Southernmost Spot" in the USA. Notice, I am not the one in shorts. LOL
I visited the Southern Most Point and took the picture, ate lunch at "Denny's" and logged the secret phone number needed. (Denny's is actually a local restaurant, not the national chain)
The view out my hotel room. It was tough assignment, but somebody had to do it!
Downtown Atlanta, 
Anyone who knows me, knows I normally do not camp, and have not since my service days. However, I had updated my camping gear for the Alaska trip, and never had the opportunity to put it to use. This seemed like the perfect opportunity to reacquaint myself with camping, and also to evaluate whether I would include camping gear in my upcoming 
It did not take us long to locate the campground, and to set up. Canned soup, beef stew, and trail mix were on the dinner menu. It rained off and on, lightly. The evening was futher punctuated by the call of the owls, and the whippoorwills. All in all, not a bad night.
Saturday morning, after quickly breaking camp, we continued up the Cherohala Skyway. The rainy weather front from the day before had long since cleared and left a beautiful, bright blue sky with infinite visibility. In all of my Smokey Mountain trips, I have never seen it any prettier, or the visibility any farther.
It did not take us long to find the Big Santeetlah Creek Road (Forest Service Road 81), which runs from the top of the Cherohala almost to Robbinsville, NC. This is a beautiful gravel road that winds up and down the mountains, through deep woods, alongside mountain streams and beautiful waterfalls.
For some unexplained reason, large groups of butterflies were congregating on the damp ground. We saw several different varieties almost everywhere we rode.
We arrived at The Iron Horse in Stecoah, NC around noon Saturday, registered, and quickly set up our camp alongside the many tents already there.
