Cullman Cycling: BIGFOOT

One of the more interesting facts about the Tour de Cullman is the route and climb up Skyball Mountain which passes through Blount County, Alabama. There have been several Bigfoot sightings. Before the first climb of Skyball, The Tour de Cullman passes through a heavily wooded and hilly area called Chamblees Mill. There is a single lane wooden bridge and ruins of an old water powered mill. The road was originally a wagon trail and is on the Streights Raid route from the Civil War. The section of road was made famous during our bike tours for the comments by Jacques Emplaincourt. He said never take the section out because it reminded him of the Arenberg Forrest sector in the classic Paris Roubaix.

In the Tour de Cullman once you cross the wooden bridge the tempo begins to get a little uncomfortable. You know the climbs of Skyball await and on the first climb the selection is made.

Below is an article that describes a history of some Bigfoot sightings on Skyball mountain. The article was published on The Bigfoot Field Researchers Organization website.

Report # 1830 (Class C) Submitted by J. B. on Friday, September 17, 1999.

Two separate sighting reports of a creature YEAR: 1975

SEASON: Summer

STATE: Alabama

COUNTY: Blount County

LOCATION DETAILS: These both occurred in Blount county, Alabama. The first sighting was in 1975 about 2 miles from the Chamblee Mill bridge.

NEAREST TOWN: this area is located in a triangle between Blountsville, Hanceville & Holly Pond.

NEAREST ROAD: 2 miles from the Chamblee Mill bridge.

OBSERVED: I myself have never seen a bigfoot. But, I have two reports that were told to me. These both occurred in Blount county, Alabama. The first sighting was in 1975 about 2 miles from the Chamblee Mill bridge.
A friend of mine had just dropped me off after football practice. He was driving home on the road that crosses the bridge, this area is located in a triangle between Blountsville, Hanceville & Holly Pond. He saw a large black or brown hairy figure stepping out of the woods as he was coming around a curve. He was startled and almost wrecked his car. His story later appeared in the Cullman Times, a paper in Cullman, Alabama. He later told me that he never was more affraid in his life. He looked it right in the eye and it stepped back in the woods. The location he saw it at is about a mile from my childhood home.
The second sighting occurred on Skyball mountain some 2-3 miles from this sighting. My brother was driving alone on the road that crosses Skyball mountain. The area has very few homes on the mountain. There are streches of the road that are 2-3 miles before a house is located. The time was late evening around 11 pm or later in August 1991 or 1992. He had just topped a small rise on the road and began to smell a strong odor (he had his window down). He looked to the right of the road and saw a large dark figure walking through the tall weeds that were beside the road. He first thought it was a horse but it stepped out on the road. He described it as 8 feet tall, large, hairy, no neck, coal black eyes and covered in dark brown or black hair. He said it looked dead at him and he stopped his car. He thought about putting car in reverse but instead just sat there looking at it. He said it must of stood there a minute or longer. It smelled awful, it had long arms and large dark hair covered hands. It just walked off in to the woods on the other side of the road and he drove home.

OTHER WITNESSES: The early sighting: He had just finished dropping me off after football practice and was driving home.The later sighting: He was out driving around after taking his friend home.