Monroeville, Alabama

Day 12 - 423 miles

After breaking camp, I rode into Winnfield and promply took the wrong turn and headed toward Alexandria. Now the US-84 was supposed to turn south too, so I can be forgiven considering the way the roads were being worked on v. the somewhat convoluted signage. They're working on US-167 so of course there were no signs remaining along the road, so I was closer to the L-28 than I was to Winnfield, so I took that route back to the 84. I hope all you faithful readers waiting on the 84 between Winnfield and Walters, I hope you weren't too disappointed.

Louisisanna is pretty along this corridor, yet despite the slow speed limit, I was surprised how fast I transitted the rest of the state. Crossing the Mississippi River into Mississippi is always spectacular, I had never done it here at Vidalia and Natchez. They're building a whole new span here, high enough to not need a drawbridge like the old span.

Natchez is a nicely laid out city and I enjoyed my brief visit... thereafter, I highly a more rural crossing of Mississippi. The 84 is virtually an Interstate save it is not limited access. None-the-less, it takes you through Mississippi in uninteresting terrain. Those places not completed are being worked on aggressively.

I skipped New Orleans this time around, having visited it when I was still working several times. But considering my trip through Mississippi, if I were to do it again, I'd head south to Orleans and drive along the Gulf Coast next time.

The 84 through western Alabama is pretty nice, but watch out for the log-trucks. Oh, they drive safely enough, but this is the first place I've encountered substantial debris coming off them. You really can't follow too closely, and have to duck your head against the oncoming trucks... but don't look away. I saw tree tops and bark on and along the road... and one place, a whole trunk.



Total miles: 3334