Since I’ve moved here, I have always dreamed about riding from here to Birmingham. It wasn’t a real big or difficult dream, but just something I had to make time and find some willing partners to go with me. Well, I mentioned it to the CC cyclist and with a little coaxing from his wife, he was in.
We left on a Sunday morning at about 6:15 and headed straight South down highway 31. Traffic was very light and the temp was nice. After we crossed the Mulberry River and entered the Bangor area, the ride became very picturesque. The fog lifting off the swamps illuminated the tremendous green and dense forest giving Bangor a green fluorescent hue. I have always loved this valley early in the morning.
At some point you have to cross the mountain. CR 7 is awesome but puts you out on busy Hwy 160, Smoke Rise is a good climb but still just a dull subdivision. I chose Cannon Crossing on the West side of I-65 . It is a hidden path that actually goes through somebody’s yard at some point. I like to speculate that this path got its name from being the only practicle place to get the cannons across the mountain in the Civil War. On the other side of the crossing , we found our way back to Hwy 31 where we continued through Warrior to Birmingham.
After a couple of breakfast gut bombs in Gardendale, we made our final leg into the magic city. It is is exciting to see the city skyline as you top the last ridge in North Birmingham. We road a victory lap down the cobbles of old Morris Ave. and had a painful finish on the 23rd street climb that ends at Highland Ave, before coasting down to Rojo. The big let down, was that we arrived early at 11:00. Because it was Sunday, Rojo couldn’t serve a celebration brew until Noon.
