Long Live Motorcycle Travel

With all the attention being directed towards MichCanSka and the Alaska snowmobile trip, I want to assure everyone that the intent of this blog site is still very much centered on motorcycle travel.

However, as I stated from the very beginning, "This is a work in progress;" and, as such, will from time to time will call for a change in protocol - the Alaska snowmobile trip being a clear case in point.

Following this excursion, my intent is to return to New Orleans and continue on route to Panama, but not before visiting Vicksburg, Mississippi for belated return to further exploration of the civil war.

There were many battles of the civil war that were fought in the western frontier - far more than most of us realize. How many (if any) of these battle sites will fit in the travel plans is unknown at this time, but a concerted effort will be made wherever possible.

The attempt, herein, has been to assure readers that neither motorcycles nor the civil war are to be totally ignored in the future. There is a time and place for everything, and now is the time for Alaska!

Tupelo to Newnan, Georgia

Upon departing Tupelo at about 1:00 PM, a decision had to be made as whether to head south and over to New Orleans or go east to Atlanta. My brother, Don and his wife Mickie (Michelle), live just south of Atlanta in Newnan, Georgia, (which, by the way, is a historical city well worth visiting) and I hadn't seen them in a few months. If I missed this opportunity, it would be months more. And so, it was off to Newnan.

My initial plan had been to travel down to Key West, Florida, up to New Orleans to visit friends, park the Harley (thanks' Bernie and Carrie), fly back to Michigan for Christmas on the 16th of December.

After Christmas, I would return to New Orleans (on the 29th of December) and depart for Panama by way of Mexico's Baha California Peninsula. That is still the plan, but everything needs to go just right between now and the 29th of December.

People are always asking if I like traveling alone. Of course not, but it sure beats sitting home - alone! Even so, if anyone out there has the "yen" to join me, I would certainly entertain the thought.

Over the course of the this trip, I have been forced to become a rather avid McDonald's fan. The reason - all of the McDonald's (so far) have had WiFi available. Although, they charge a rather hefty fee for this service, with the use of Boingo.com ($9.95 per month) one can connect for no additional charge. In my case, it's well worth paying for Boingo. If your wondering, this a totally unsolicited plug (just offering it as an assist to other bloggers out there!).

The road from Tupelo to Birmingham, Alabama is a four lane divided highway with forests lining both sides of the highway. Surprisingly, however, it seems to be almost a no man's land. In the entire 150 miles from Tupelo to Birmingham, despite the beautiful countryside, you travel for miles with little traffic and few signs of visible life - how strange! Once past Birmingham, everything seems to come to life. The traffic picks up considerably and you never travel far without passing by rural communities and retail developments.

It was getting dark by the time I arrived in Atlanta, the air had noticeably cooled and I was still about an hour from Don and Mickie's house in Newnan. After a couple of missed turns, I telephoned Don and he guided me via the back roads to his house where I arrived about 9:00 PM - Thanks for Keeping the Lights on for Me!