Thunderstorms dominated the afternoon, but the morning was very nice. Temperatures were as high as 88.

Day’s distance: 231 miles
Total trip distance: 8,614 miles

I detoured to Tupelo, Mississippi today to ride part of the Natchez Trace Parkway into Vicksburg tomorrow. My route took me around Birmingham to the south on I-495 and then west to Tuscaloosa.

I ate lunch at a hole in the wall taqueria in Tuscaloosa. Sometimes you get lucky and find little family-run places that are super good. Well, this was not one of those times 😦 Anyway, back on the road, I was looking forward to the next section of the day’s trip.

Hwy 69 north from Tuscaloosa seemed popular with local riders. It’s a non-technical, two-lane highway with good surfaces that has some sweepers and small hills, with some nice scenery.

Oakman, Alabama was the last town I passed on Hwy 69.

I would likely not have remembered Oakman, which seemed to be typical of the small rural town but they had a huge, beautiful, and apparently very well maintained High School. I didn’t stop to take a photo with the good camera, but I did get a photo from the GoPro.

I finished high school is a small-ish town in Central Pennsylvania. Though this school building seemed more ornate, with columns built into the architecture, seeing it took me back to my high school days.

Back on a larger and busier highway, Hwy 78, the rain clouds began to gather for the predictable afternoon thunder showers. I did duck into a rest area to wait out the worst of it. This image on my RadarScope app …

corresponds to this type of rainfall …

I arrived at my motel in Tupelo and later, after another rain shower passed through, went to a local BBQ restaurant for ribs, and fried green tomatoes. I met two bikers from Louisiana who were on a week-long adventure and we talked until the sun set.

I am looking forward to riding the Natchez Trace Parkway tomorrow and stopping at my friends’ place in Vicksburg.