On the road…
What a great time of the year for a road trip. Yesterday I hit the road to West Alabama to speak to the second graders at Fayette Elementary School. From Birmingham, I got off I-59/20 and turned north on 20th Street Ensley, which is also known as Alabama 269. No, most people don’t go to Fayette this way, but as you know, I like the roads less traveled.
When I passed Minor Parkway and drove by the Open Door Church, my mind drifted back to April 8, 1998 and the horrible F5 tornado that crossed Alabama 269 at that spot. That storm killed 32 people, and while we still grieve for those who died, we celebrate those who lived. Everyone attending church at Open Door that Wednesday night survived, nothing short of a miracle since the building was wiped out (only one wall was standing; some in the church reporting seeing angels holding that one wall up). I will never drive by that spot without thinking about that night. You cross another section of the 1998 tornado path a few miles down the road in Sylvan Springs. The memory of that night is still remarkably clear in my mind even though it has been over 8 years now.
Alabama 269 winds by Port Birmingham, where barges are loaded with coal, preparing for the journey south down the Black Warrior River. We like to watch these barges from our SKYCAM in Demopolis, which is on the roof of the Civic Center on the banks of the Tombigee River, about halfway between Port Birmingham and Mobile Bay. Up Highway 269 I drove through places like Copeland Ferry, Gorgas, Good Springs, and Pumpkin Center (appropriate for a Halloween drive!). At Parrish, it was a left turn on over to Oakman, another nice small Walker County town. From Oakman it was on to Alabama 18 for a beautiful drive through places like Corona, Berry, and Bankston before getting to Fayette. I often write about great places in the East Alabama mountains to view fall colors, but there are some scenic paths over on the western side of the state as well, and the colors were spectacular in spots.
After the weather program it was a quick drive down Alabama 171 to Tuscaloosa, where I hopped onto I-20/50 for the drive back to our Riverchase studio. I snapped a few shots along the drive:
I took this picture holding the camera out my window while I was driving. Not the best technique but you get the idea that the colors are looking good between Oakman and Berry.
Nice colors on a ridge just west of Oakman.
Looks like it is time to start picking cotton! Lots of cotton fields between Fayette and Moore’s Bridge.
You really don’t have to go far to find good color; this is a tree in front of our studio really looking good!
