Day 1: 6/19/24: Home to Colbert Ferry

I headed out today enroute to Manhattan KS.  Lisa and I are going to Kansas to welcome our 3rd grandchild into the world.  Alyssa, our youngest daughter, is expecting a son around 7/2/24.  We're very excited.

Pic below of me ready to hit the road.

Due to the forecasted severe heat over the next few days, I decided to wear my 3-liter Camelback hydration pack to help ensure I stay hydrated.  It was nice to have.  By the end of the day, all 3 liters of water was gone along with a couple of water bottles.

This trip, I am deviating from my regular route to Kansas just to change up the scenery a little bit.  I plan on going through AL, MS, TN, AR, OK, then KS.  I usually start out going north and then heading west to get there, but this time I started out going west before eventually heading north.

My first river crossing today was the Elk River (pic below).  

The route today took me on a lot of back roads in Limestone and Lauderdale Counties in AL.  I was on 1 road just outside of Florence for about 6 miles that had a good bit of vehicular traffic on it, but otherwise had a low traffic day.  The wind was my friend as it stayed at my back most of the day.

My second river crossing was the Tennessee River, pictured below from the bridge crossing it on the Natchez Trace Parkway.  Crossing the river on the Natchez Trace sure beats crossing it on the U.S. Highway 31 bridge going into Decatur.

Tonight I'm camping at the Bike Only Campsite at Colbert Ferry on the Natchez Trace.  (Pic below)

Total miles today:  71.1