3rd August, 2016.
Day 12.
I slept for an extra hour longer than I intended to.
I did not realize that I was that tired. But what the heck. I was on vacation.
So what if I get where I want to later or earlier? As long as I arrive safely, I’m fine with that.
So at 8:00 a.m. local time, I promptly set off into the lovely warm and muggy morning, continuing my journey eastwards towards my next target, Florida.
Feeling more rested after all the activity and hustle and bustle of the wedding and its socializing, I began to feel slightly more relaxed.
I had put several miles between myself and the Texas state line, let alone the miles within Texas itself in just getting to and across into Louisiana - a journey in itself!
I pulled over at each state line to capture my obligatory crossing photos in the heat of the day.
It was getting hotter by the hour, very hot.
I made sure to rehydrate myself at each of the state lines.
My bike was running well. Very well.
Why was I surprised?
After all it’s a Honda, and this particular model and its predecessor, the ST1100 are legendary for their reliability and duty.
At the Florida state line, the heat was almost unbearable.
I would have to seek shelter and get out of the sun for a while.
I was literally beginning to overheat.
I could feel that my skin temperature had increased, now that I was not moving in the wind.
Shortly after leaving the state line, I saw the sign offering an exit off the highway towards the visitor/welcome center. I took the opportunity and got off the highway.
The visitor center had a great outdoor area with several gazebos provided for shelter from the sun. (Thank you, planning committee).
I found one and ducked underneath it as quickly as I could and immediately reached for some water.
In an effort to cool down as rapidly as I could, off came my boots and socks.
It was hot. Almost no breeze.
I could not take my mind off the heat.
I mused at the mounted U.S. Navy jet on display and sauntered over to take a few photos when I felt I had cooled off sufficiently.
It was just past 3:30 p.m. local time and I still had a little over 200 mi. (320 km) to go in order to arrive at my final destination for the day - Prattville, AL. so I could not afford to linger too long here. My plan was to make this a straight shot. I had not selected anything of particular interest to see between here and there.
Whatever I would come across, time permitting, would be icing on the cake.
I gathered myself together, put socks and shoes back on, loaded my “chuck bag” (food bag) back on the bike, put my trash into the respective containers/trash cans provided and proceeded to turn and head north towards and into Alabama.
although uneventful, this leg of the journey took me through some very lovely countryside.
Beautiful rolling hills and great asphalt, which are always welcome and such a delight to a traveler such as myself.
With the sun shining high in the sky and to my left, I felt secure and comfortable in the knowledge that I was indeed heading due north.
As the miles rolled by, I was putting more distance between myself and the south. It was a bittersweet situation because my ride along the southernmost portion of the country on this trip had come to an end, I was leaving behind the hot, humid conditions of the gulf area and was looking forward to the drier/less humid weather away from the coast.
I was sweating profusely and had been for the last couple of days.
I don’t recall sweating like this since my days growing up halfway across the world and in Texas.
I began to muse at how acclimatized I had become to the weather way up north in north east Ohio where I now call home.
The human body is truly an amazing machine!
I was moving.
The breeze passing through my mesh riding jacket (read about it in my upcoming section dedicated to my choice of riding gear and related tips) accelerated my body-cooling process.
For the time being, as long as I was moving, I felt comfortable.
I made sure to stop and drink lots of water each hour and a half.
I felt okay.
I was enjoying the scenery.
I was enjoying the ride.
My shadow, to the right of me, kept me excellent company, mimicking each and every movement I made.
It waved back to me and gave me a “thumbs up”.
Like the good life long companion it was, it never left my side!
All in life on the road at this time was good.
I felt blessed.
I said a quiet prayer of thanks.
The miles rolled on and at 6:30 p.m. local time with the sun still high in the sky, I arrived in Prattville after having “laid down” 467 mi. (747 km) miles.
The GPS unit guided me to my hotel of choice where after all formalities had taken place, I made a call to “The Bamarider” to announce my safe arrival.
Meeting a couple of hours later he fetched me and kindly invited me into his home to spend part of the evening with he and his wife.
We sat up late into the night sharing stories of our individual backgrounds and experiences of “life on the road as long-riders”.
I have no doubt that we could have sat up and kept going like this all night long.
With an invitation to breakfast we cut the night short in lieu of a good rest for all of us.