Sure enjoyed the ride up to Guin yesterday, where I spoke to residents of the Sunset Manor retirement community. It was quite a festive event, the gang there had a big cook-out and I think everyone had a great time.
Getting to Guin is sure easy now with so much of the future I-22 corridor open. But, you know me, I still like the roads less traveled. I didn’t have much time yesterday, so it was straight up the Interstate to Guin. On the way back, however, I did come back to Birmingham via Alabama 269, a winding road from Jasper to Ensley that takes you through communities like Parrish, Copeland Ferry, Pumpkin Center, and Sylvan Springs. You cross over both the Mulberry and Locust Forks of the Black Warrior River, and get a pretty good look at the big operation at Birmingport, where a large volume of coal and other raw material is loaded on barges and sent down river to destinations all over the country and the world. If you try Alabama 269, be aware that large coal trucks are the rule rather than the exception, and you won’t be able to go anywhere in a hurry. But, I still love the drive and the view.
It was been 32 years since Guin was almost wiped out by one of the most violent tornadoes on record in the U.S. But, even to this date, every time I go to the Marion County town my mind drifts back to that big event on April 3, 1974. I was a senior in high school, but did many hours of volunteer work in communities like Guin and Jasper, and the images are still fresh on my mind to this date. A total of 23 people died in Guin that night, and dozens more were injured. The damage was catastrophic. But, the community grieved over the loss of life, and regrouped and rebuilt. In fact, a big revitalization project is underway now in the middle of town that will make Guin look better than ever!
See a great video on the Guin tornado of 1974, produced by Bill Castle and featuring our own J.B. Elliott, here:
http://beta.abc3340.com/static/weather/video/superoutbreak.wmv
Getting to Guin is sure easy now with so much of the future I-22 corridor open. But, you know me, I still like the roads less traveled. I didn’t have much time yesterday, so it was straight up the Interstate to Guin. On the way back, however, I did come back to Birmingham via Alabama 269, a winding road from Jasper to Ensley that takes you through communities like Parrish, Copeland Ferry, Pumpkin Center, and Sylvan Springs. You cross over both the Mulberry and Locust Forks of the Black Warrior River, and get a pretty good look at the big operation at Birmingport, where a large volume of coal and other raw material is loaded on barges and sent down river to destinations all over the country and the world. If you try Alabama 269, be aware that large coal trucks are the rule rather than the exception, and you won’t be able to go anywhere in a hurry. But, I still love the drive and the view.
It was been 32 years since Guin was almost wiped out by one of the most violent tornadoes on record in the U.S. But, even to this date, every time I go to the Marion County town my mind drifts back to that big event on April 3, 1974. I was a senior in high school, but did many hours of volunteer work in communities like Guin and Jasper, and the images are still fresh on my mind to this date. A total of 23 people died in Guin that night, and dozens more were injured. The damage was catastrophic. But, the community grieved over the loss of life, and regrouped and rebuilt. In fact, a big revitalization project is underway now in the middle of town that will make Guin look better than ever!
See a great video on the Guin tornado of 1974, produced by Bill Castle and featuring our own J.B. Elliott, here:
http://beta.abc3340.com/static/weather/video/superoutbreak.wmv
on May 17, 2006, 5:03 pm
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