You've reminded me of something I've regretted, bamabikeguy.
A couple of years ago I spent a weekend in Gadsden. On Saturday morning I pulled my bike down off the rack and started riding into town. Thought I'd get to know the place.
What I could see was almost shabby. It wasn't so bad that I felt threatened, but it wasn't inviting. So I spent the rest of the weekend sitting in my motel room watching TV.
Monday morning came and I started out to my first customer of the week and within just a few miles I came across an absolutely beautiful waterway. The road followed it, if I remember right, nearly to Huntsville. It seemed like a series of lakes. Semi-mountainous. I'd drive along around the shoulder of a hill and come across a whole new valley, filled with water. There were bike paths and boats on the water. Little shops, resort towns (probably good party spots) and stuff like that for miles and miles and miles. Weather was nice. One of the most gorgeous bicycling spots I've ever seen.
And I had sat in a cheap, bleak motel the whole weekend.
Made a mental note to come back and ride that spot, but I haven't managed it yet. I will one day.
I don't know anything about that waterway. but do you suppose that that's the way they barged those Saturn rockets from Huntsville down to the Gulf?