Good ride today. 77 miles with lots of hills. Reminded me of riding in the Ozark Mountains. Rode by some amazing ranches and pastures as pictured above. Got to view some "clear cut" lodging areas and walked across the first concrete re-enforced bridge ever constructed in Alabama during 1921. I am currently in Ozark Alabama located in Southeastern Alabama. You might wonder how it got it's name. It is said to be named Ozark after an earlier traveler came through the area and said it reminded the traveler of the Ozark Mountains. After riding today, I would not dispute the origin of the name....lots of climbing and hills!!!
The first people to inhabit the the area were the Muscogee, a group of indigenous peoples of the Southeastern Woodlands. There original homelands are in what now comprises Southern Tennessee, all of Alabama and part of Northern Florida. The ancestors of the Muscogee people, between AD 800 and AD 1600, built complex cities and surrounding networks of satellite towns (suburbs) centered around massive earthwork mounds, some of which had physical footprints larger than the Egyptian pyramids. Many of the Muscogee were relocated from their original lands in the 1830's during the Trail of Tears to Indian Territory (now Oklahoma).
I love the histories!