L A
(Lower Alabama)
It's been raining for a solid week. Seems like a month. Today was the only weather window for what is shaping up to be another week of rain. Had to escape!
The idea was to head up to Old St. Stevens (the first Territorial Capital) near Jackson, AL, then make a loop up north to cross the Tombigbee River and drop down the east side to visit the Ft. Mims Massacre Site. About 350 miles total. It didn't happen. Got sidetracked. Maybe next time. Here's the story.
Tried to leave at 7:00 am, but the air was so wet it felt like a thick fog that you couldn't see. Finally headed North around 9:30 amid intermittent showers. First stop was the old Shipman Methodist Church. Not a lot of history involved, I just like the location. It's tucked away in the woods all by itself.
After all the rain, I told myself that there were to be no Alabama dirt roads this day. Unfortunately, the bike doesn't understand the "Turn Around" command. (Hey, it looked like a paved road on the map)
After several miles of seat pinching, slippery, Alabama red clay this thing appeared. Thought about stopping in the middle for a picture, but cowardice won out over photography. The guys building the new bridge had stopped working to watch me cross. Got a big wave from them when I rolled off the bridge on the other side. Never seen the water in the Escatawpa River running so fast. Lots of rain up here, too.
After another five miles of slimy red clay, the road turned into this. For once in my life I wanted to kiss the ass fault.
You know you're a Redneck if.... you race riding lawn mowers. Here's the track. The little sign in the upper right corner says, "Mow 'Em Down!"
The "West Citronelle Farm Women's Club" had a problem with over cooking. Cooked their building.
Citronelle, AL is still a thriving little town. Hwy 45 bypassed downtown, so the businesses were forced to move, too. Here's the old downtown.
Lots of big old houses. This was once a resort town for Yankee snowbirds. They built their winter homes just like the ones up north with steep roof pitches to shed snow. The town is full of this type building.
Here's what I stopped here to find. And on May 4, 1865, the last contingent of the Confederate Army east of the Mississippi River laid down its guns under the shade of Surrender Oak, a large white-oak tree on the outskirts of Citronelle. The surrender of the armies of Alabama, Mississippi and East Louisiana was negotiated in this same area, at Magee Farm in Kushla. The Surrender Oak was destroyed in a hurricane
And you thought the War ended at Appomattox Court House like the school books (written by Yankees) taught us.
<Please sing a couple of bars of "Dixie" now>
Decided there would be no more of these until things dry up a bit.
Ignore that Max Speed thingy. It lies.
There is an museum in Citronelle that I plan to visit in the future (closed on Wednesday, darn it). Interesting place. I'll be back.
Also met an elderly lady from Kushla who promised to show me around the actual Surrender Site as well as some antebellum locations on my next trip up that way. I can't wait.
http://www.citronellechamber.com/chamber_of_commerce/history.htm