I got up this morning to a grey sky and wet roads. The trucks were already moving and I wasn't looking forward to the beginning of the ride through Memphis. I suited up in my raingear and headed southeast. I had purposely chosen to make this a short mileage day so even if riding conditions weren't optimal I knew I didn't have far to go.

I got on I-40 just long enough to get to I-240 which I then took to 78. Luckily this is only a couple of miles. Hwy 78 took me immediately into Mississippi for the second time this trip. Passing under the Natchez Trace Parkway reminded me of a pleasant little trip last fall I took with a friend of mine on that scenic road.

I was hoping Hwy 78 would be relatively free of traffic but it seemed to be the route of choice for most of the trucks and other drivers heading southeast. There was also a fair amount of construction and they are planning to turn part of it into another interstate. Just what we need.

Hwy 78 continued through Tupelo and then headed straight across the state line and I was back home in Alabama after almost three weeks away.

The plan was to head to Birmingham and stay with a friend tonight and tomorrow before riding the rest of the way home. Hwy 78 is a mess right now and there are lots of sections under construction. It dead ends at one point and joins with 118 and then resumes again 20 miles or so further on. It is ruined for recreational travel but unfortunately it is still the only straight shot from Tupelo to Birmingham that I know about. Time to take out the maps and find an alternative route.

The weather kept playing tricks on me and I changed into and out of rain gear probably 3 or 4 times. I would take the stuff off and within 20 minutes would be in rain again. By the time I put the gear back on and rode 10 miles it would stop again. If it hadn't been for the heat I would have left everything on the entire time but the temperature was approaching 90 degrees so the more air flow the better.

My friend wasn't going to be home until almost 16:00 so I stopped a few times for refreshments and stalled a bit. I got to her place right at 16:00 and for the most part my trip was over. I was still 120 miles from home but I have ridden the remaining route so many times I could practically do it with my eyes closed.Tomorrow will be a rest day and I will be spending it relaxing and socializing. I realized that my friend was the first person I had seen in a couple of weeks that I actually knew.

Birmingham is the location of the only BMW dealer in the state so tomorrow I will stop by the dealership and pick up some odds and ends so I can service the bike after I get home.