Oh, the weather outside is frightful

The calendar says October 24. The weather feels more like December 24th. It's been breezy, drizzling, overcast, and breezy all day. I'm not complaining, it makes great soup weather, hot chocolate weather, wear my wool/leather bottomed slippers. I don't think it got above 50 here today (and if it did, not by much). It reminds me that it is indeed Autumn, and that my favorite month is just a week away. (And it's not my favorite just because it has my birthday...though that doesn't hurt).

I had the first training course for my Certified Planning and Zoning Official in Alabama (hereafter CAPZO). This an admittedly dry portion of the training dealing with the legal basis and background for planning law in Alabama. As boring as the material was, my attention was kept all the class period. Allegedly the rest are more intresting, we'll see. I did manage to convince Mike to go ahead and let me finish the training off here in one fell swoop. He was initially hesitant, but realized how quickly I could get it done, then jumped on board. I may have to go to Birmingham then come back immediately after the class (about three hours) rather than staying a night then coming back and getting into Oxford at around 10am each time, but we'll play that by ear. I'm trying to convince him to let me stay in Birmingham from the 8th through the 10th (a Thursday through Saturday) because one class is offered on Thursday night, and the other on Saturday morning through afternoon. I think he wants me to come back, but I have time to convince him otherwise. I think he also wants me to do this so he can take a "homegrown" and Alabamian with an Alabama education and CAPZO certification for marketing purposes (at the Alabama League of Municipalities) in May. We'll see how this all works out.

The trip to Birmingham was interesting. Highlights (or lowlights, as the case may be):

1. It was either raining hard, or drizzling the whole way back.

2. I made a wrong turn coming out of a gas station in Cordova, AL--I was supposed to stay on AL-269--and ended up on Amory Ave (don't ask) in Cordova and coming to a bride that was out. (Well, I came within a couple of miles, I really didn't "come upon" it).

3. Continuing down AL-269, I ran through what I will dub, "Coal Country Alabama". This is in southern Walker and northern Jefferson county, between Jasper and Birmingham--Birmingport, AL to be specific (or the Port of Birmingham along the Mulberry Fork of the river system). There is a lot of coal being loaded in that area of the state, and now my car has part of Alabama on it (in the form of black coal dust). It was drizzling just enough around this point that wasn't running my wipers, but had to do it once every thirty seconds or so. When I did, my windshield went into "gray-out" from the dust...meaning whenever I used the wipers, it would spread coal dust all over my windshield. I had to use my fluid EVERY TIME I had to clear my windshield off so I could see the road.

4. I got into Hueytown, AL. The directions said "Stay on 19th St."...ok..."Slight Right onto 18th St." I see a sign that indicates 19th Street bearing left...and the local transit authority didn't spend a whole lot on signage...so I assume 18th Street is heading right. WRONG! I end up on 26th Ave., or 27th. Ave, or something. I continue because there's no good place to turn around, and besides, the interchange I got mixed up in is an ungodly fork. I end up by the Water Treatment facility in Bessemer, along Bessemer-Johns Rd. (Fortunately, my motel is in Bessemer...but I have no clue where I am in now). I remember seeing a sign for Alabama Adventure park (not the parkway), and knowing that Alabama Adventure Pkwy. goes to the interstate I go towards the park. I start driving down that road, then see a sign for "Academy somethingoranother", and knowing my motel is off Academy Drive in Bessemer, I go towards that. I got there shortly after 3:30 (right at 3hrs 30m after leaving Oxford). I would have made better time had I not gotten turned around in Cordova (my fault totally), or in Hueytown (Hueytown's fault). I did get to see Bessemer-Johns Road, which I've heard about on crime reports in Birmingham news reports.

5. I drove through Ensley today (now part of Birmingham)--it was allegedly the quickest way back to Hwy. 78. From a city planner's perspective, it was interesting. It was once a huge industrial town and suburb of Birmingham. It was a planned city, looked like it had a once thriving downtown, but now is very dilapidated and annexed by Birmingham. It was actually kind of surreal...almost a ghost town. It's not exactly the area one wants to drive through after dark.


6. Driving back today, my car hit 70,000 miles. Not significant necessarily (that comes in 30,000 more miles...which given the rate I'll be driving in the not too distant future, might not be too long). Here is a picture I snatched on my cell phone camera. I happened to look down at 69,999mi. I tried to get a picture of where I was on the road, but it wasn't good. I seem to remember it was around milepost 24 or something in Alabama along Hwy. 78/Future I-22. (Incidentally, the speed limit where I was at the time is 70mph and I can get the phone into camera mode without taking my eyes off the road, I did have to look at the phone to frame it, then to approve it after taking it, and the road was straight at that point, and there was virtually no traffic in either direction...I really need to dust my dashboard).