Trail of Tears

Word on the street is that tens of thousands of bikers ride in the Trail of Tears commemorative bike ride held the third weekend of September each year.

I drove to a nearby parking lot after realizing I could hear the thunder.

I almost missed them.  I was there about three minutes before the Alabama State Trooper came along which I believe signaled the end of the masses.

They go through en masse for 30 to 45 minutes around noon, however, there are stragglers both before and after all day long.

When you aren't a biker, they kinda start to look the same.

See more at my Waterloo post.

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Weekly Top Shot with Madge Bloom

Waterloo

This is honestly a coincidence, but since I have posted about Cairo and Shanghai, Belfast, The Parthenon, and London Bridge, I thought this post fit in nicely in my unintentional "world travel" series.  ;)
Probably, every state has numerous towns, cities and corners which share the names of famous places.

The "Trail of Tears" commemorative bike ride takes place on the third weekend in September each year, which is this next Saturday, September 15.  The bike ride commemorates the forced removal of American Indians from their territories in the 1830s.

"(May 28, 1830) First major legislation that reversed the U.S. policy of respecting the rights of American Indians. The act granted tribes unsettled western prairie land in exchange for their territories within state borders, mainly in the Southeast. Some tribes refused to trade their land, and U.S. troops forced tribes such as the Cherokee to march westward in what became known as the Trail of Tears (183839)." Source: http://www.answers.com/topic/indian-removal-act-1830#ixzz24wTdtGc4

 

Tens of thousands of riders make the journey.
According to http://www.al-tn-trailoftears.net , one route begins in Bridgeport, Alabama and ends in Waterloo, Alabama.  Bridgeport is a small town in northeast Alabama.  Waterloo is a tiny, tiny town in extreme northwest Alabama.

According to Wikipedia, the total land area of Waterloo is 0.8 sq miles and the population is just over 200.
I have always tried to imagine that many bikers in the tiny town at one time.
It's probably another battle of Waterloo if only for breathing room and food.

This route takes the bikers through my tiny town and the thunder of bikes can be heard all day and for miles.  Maybe this year I'll go sit with everyone else in town and get some biker photos.

On Pickwick Lake on the Tennessee River, it feels like you have gone to the end of the world when you go to Waterloo.

Another route, according to http://www.trailoftears-remembrance.org, begins at Ross's Landing, Chattanooga, Tennessee and travels through Tennessee to Florence, Alabama which is about 20 miles from Waterloo.

According to http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/01/0126896.html
Florence, Alabama has a population of about 40,000 and the land area is 26 sq. miles.
Nevertheless, we try to avoid Florence on this particular weekend.

Yes, Florence.  The Renaissance City.  Another nearby town with a famous name.  Later.

(Those who were curious about my teepee post, I discovered that they can be rented for a small fee.  True primitive camping.  Well, almost.  It is an organized public park with camper hookup facilities also.)

Learn more about the Trail of Tears at these links:

http://al-tn-trailoftears.net/index.php

http://www.waterlooalabama.com/trailoftears.php
 http://www.trailoftears-remembrance.org

three tee pees

McFarland Park, Florence, Alabama, U. S. A.

These teepees are near the "regular" camping facilities in the park and can be rented for primitive camping.


http://www.visitflorenceal.com/



Ft. Payne, Alabama

In May 2012, I went to one of those yard sales that runs all along a highway.

It was the first time I had been in this area for other than just driving through.

I started in Attalla, Alabama and traveled north on US 11

These shots are from Ft. Payne, Alabama which is known for several things.

Ft. Payne was one of the locations where forced evacuation of Cherokee Indians took place in 1838 as part of the Indian Removal Act of 1830.

Each year on a Saturday, tens of thousands of motorcyclists travel a designated route in remembrance of the original "Trail of Tears".  It runs through my town and the sound of thundering cycles can be heard much of that day.

Links:

pbs.org

Trail of Tears Wikipedia 

(I don't always like Wikipedia since the info is not always complete/accurate/validated)

Ft. Payne is home of the country band, "Alabama".

Above is one of the tributes to them in the town.  I saw a museum also.

This area of Alabama is also known as the sock capital of the world due to

hosiery manufacturing in earlier years.

Above is an old hosiery manufacturing mill.

And I always notice the old theaters.

Not sure what's going on with the shampoo special.  Maybe the salon is inside the theater.

Other attractions in this area include Desoto State Park, Little River Canyon, and Buck's Pocket State Park

If you are in the area check out what Ft. Payne has to offer.

Links:

Ft. Payne Attractions

Little River Canyon National Preserve