Resting in Tuscaloosa, AL

Nov 22

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Phil, Bailey, Joe, Cooper and me

Joe had an exam on Monday morning and then was driving to be with his family in Memphis for Thanksgiving, but his roommate, Kenny,who was initially skeptical of couchsurfing, kindly agreed to let us stay another night after Joe was gone.  Joe also let us use his bed, which was a great improvement over the couches in the living room.

We spent most of the day relaxing and recovering from the 4 hard days of riding we had done since Atlanta.  It was just over a mile walk to Bama Jama’s, where we ate breakfast by the football stadium.  After walking back, Phil played video games while I napped with Kenny’s dog, Bailey.  I brought Bailey out for a walk and then went running myself through the University of Alabama campus and to the Tuscaloosa River Walk, just over 7 miles total.

View of the river during my run

While I was running, Kenny came back from work and went on his own 6-mile run, and afterwards, we all went grocery shopping.  Kenny made three pizzas for dinner, which were all delicious (especially the BBQ chicken pizza).  Kenny’s neighbor, Chris, and friend, Kari, joined us for dinner.

My good friend from RI, Ashley, has family in Tuscaloosa, and she had put me in touch with her cousin, Jon, who I was hoping to meet later that evening.  Unfortunately, he ended up not being able to meet that night.  Phil and I weren’t sure if we would leave the next day because of severe thunderstorms that were predicted for Tuesday, so we decided to wake up early the next morning to get a better idea of the weather.

About Sarah

Sarah grew up in Cranston - just south of Providence, Rhode Island - and developed a love for travel, music, and outdoor sports at an early age. She had started bicycling long distances at age 12, as a participant of the MS150 bike tours to raise money for the MS Society. She didn't use her bike regularly until she built her own while studying in Montreal and found it an excellent way to get around the city. After graduating from McGill and moving back to Providence, Sarah started working at Brown University's office of Environmental Health & Safety as the Biological Safety Specialist. She was living 4 miles away at the time, and for the first few weeks was driving to work. She made the switch from driving to bicycling when she realized that she could get to work faster, avoid parking tickets, and integrate a few miles of training into her day. Bicycling was better for the environment and better for her own health and mood. She found that she had more energy and felt much happier once she started biking to work. When her car broke down several months later, she never bothered replacing it. After 4 years of working in Biosafety (and on her master's in Environmental Studies), Sarah left her job to pursue her passion. She has been working various jobs in the bicycle industry since June of 2011, including pedicab driver, bicycle tour guide, bike mechanic and traveling bicycle advocate. In between seasonal jobs, she has done a few long-distance bike tours, which is the main reason for this blog. Her dream is to eventually ride around the world and sail across the oceans.

Posted on 22 November 2011, in Bicycle Touring, Providence to New Orleans. Bookmark the permalink. Leave a comment.

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