Merle’s Miles for MS

Photographs from the shakedown trip taken by my son, Michael, and I during the August heat wave of 2006. We planned to ride through the Land Between the Lakes, but my monumental stupidity parted us from our spare inner tubes and tools, causing us to discontinue the trip at Columbia, Tennessee. Almost any of these photos that do not have him in them were taken by him, the rest by me. Click on any photograph for a larger image.

	Starting out in Georgia.
	Construction sites abound. Any port in a storm.
	Vehicles of all sizes. 18-wheeler and motorcycle in the same photo. All the motorcyclists that we passed seemed very friendly. They must share our spirit of adventure.
	Downtown Ft. Payne, Alabama.
	No telling what will chase you in Alabama.
	This driver was watching us, not the road. Checkout his trajectory. I was doing about 40 MPH down this steep hill. He was doing about the same or faster. A split second after this photo was taken he swerved wildly into my lane, then back again, almost losing control of his car. But he didn't hit the bridge (or me).
	Resting on a 95 degree day in the only shade near the road for miles.
	My son, Mike, with my granddaughter Willow's purple bear that she sent to keep him company.
	I see this a lot but seldom get a picture of it. Thanks Mike.
	About to cross the Tennessee River in Alabama.
	I didn't much like the route into Scottsboro.
	This is where the tubes and tools ended up. We were able to retrieve them on the way home.
	Flag farm in northeastern Alabama.
	Resting on a long uphill climb.
	The trusty Garmin GPS got us to the Tennessee state line. So much sunscreen makes my legs look like they are plastic coated.
	Another shady place to call home. So much sunscreen and sweat on my hands that I could hardly twist the grip shifters. I couldn't find cycling gloves along the route (yet), so I bought some gardening gloves and cut off the fingers. It worked.
	A nice ride through the Tennessee countryside.
	Rain just before the flat tires. At least it cooled off.
	Loaded to come home after our sheepish rescue. I can really get both trikes inside the Explorer, but not with luggage and four people.