Day 18 - Athens, Alabama, to Hixson, Tennessee (home)

I woke up this morning at 4:30, and started packing my gear to get ready for my long day today. I had breakfast with my brother Ricky, and headed out about 6:00 a.m.  Below is a photo of Ricky and Pam. They have provided me a place to stay and fed me twice during this trip. I told them I was like a stray cat, if they feed me I might not leave.

A great perk about bicycling before the sun comes up is that you get to see the sunrise.

Below is a pic of some Canadian geese enjoying a cool morning in a pond with mist in the air above it. 

The route I took today was a little different from the routes I took on Days 1 and 2 to get to Athens on this trip. Today's ride is a route I regularly took to get to North Alabama while I was still working. It is shorter than the route I took on Days 1 and 2, and I would always ride it in 1 day. After I retired, I started making the trip to North Alabama a 2-day trip with a stop at the Walls of Jericho since time was no longer a factor. The route today took me through Main Street, small town America, cities of ....

Huntland, Tennessee (below);

Cowan, Tennessee (below);

Sewanee, Tennessee (below);

Monteagle, Tennessee (below);

Tracy City, Tennessee (below - sorry about the finger shot);

And, Jasper, Tennessee (below).

When I plan a bicycle tour, I try to travel through small towns and communities and avoid large cities.  Since I have been biking in mainly rural areas the past 2 1/2 weeks, it was quite an adjustment when I got back to Chattanooga last night. It took some time to get used to the increased traffic, and the fact that all the motorists seemed to be in a hurry to get somewhere. 

Below are some views of mountains during my ride today. 

The picture below is Sewanee Mountain, and it is the only mountain I had to climb to get home.  I took U.S. Highway 41A up the mountain. To me, that road seems to be one of the easier roads to climb. 

The photo below is a view of the valley at the foot of Sewanee Mountain taken from near the top. 

The plaques below provide some information about the Sewanee area.

From Sewanee to Monteagle, I hopped on the Mountain Goat Trail (pics below), which is a bicycle/pedestrian path that connects the cities. 

Below is a view of the Tennessee River off the Highway 41 bridge near Jasper. The Tennessee River and I have crossed paths several times this trip, and I'm always glad to see it. 

I made it to my home county in Tennessee just before dark and snapped the photo below. 

I finally made it home about 9:30 p.m., and am certainly glad to be home.

Totals for the day - 137.9 miles; 12 hours 6 minutes saddle time

Totals for the entire trip - 1636.35 miles; 137.5 hours saddle time

TIRE UPDATE:  Below is a pic of the rear tire I cut on I-55.  In the photo, you can see part of the $1 bill I used to put over the hole in the tire. The damaged tire took me over 1,000 miles on all types of road surfaces, including gravel and rough roads. I am very pleased that I got at least 1 tour out of the tire; however, I am going to keep using the tire and hope to get many more miles out of it.

 This is the first time I have ever done a blog on a bicycle tour.  Lisa encouraged me to do it, but I was initially concerned that it would "suck the fun" out of the trip.  To my surprise, I actually enjoyed doing the blog.  It slowed me down and made me take the time to stop, photograph, and read some about the areas through which I was traveling.  I hope you all enjoyed the blog and the trip.