Southern Musings By Gary Lloyd: Trussville, before the sun rises

I am an unapologetic morning person, and I’m sure half of you reading that just cringed. 

I understand. Some folks can’t be bothered until every drop of that venti salted caramel mocha latte with two pumps of vanilla, two more of hazelnut, with whipped cream and caramel drizzle, is gone, but I’m not one of them. I also can’t keep up with what some of you folks order at Starbucks. It’s been fairly easy for me in the past to just say “bacon, Gouda and egg sandwich” at the drive-thru speaker. But I digress. 

I recently completed some errands that required me to leave the house before the sun came up, and I’d like to tell you what I noticed that morning. I passed Golden Rule Bar-B-Q on South Chalkville Road before the lights had been flicked on, and I’m not sure I’ve ever seen that. The few people I did see at gas stations wore boots to work, and they mostly filled up semis and Alabama Power trucks. 

I swear I made every green light between Main Street in Trussville and Grayson Valley. Chalkville Mountain Road did not back up with traffic from the fast food restaurants to the Stonegate subdivision. No one cut me off coming off Service Road. The Walmart parking lot wasn’t even half full. 

Aside from the roadways, it was just peaceful. Trussville, which continues to rapidly grow in population, was stunningly quiet. I saw more birds than cars. On the way home, the Chick-fil-A drive-thru line did not yet stretch all the way to Willie Adams Stadium in Pinson.

I caught almost all the greens again. The historic Cahaba Project neighborhood felt much more historic, somehow, in the early morning. I made it across the railroad tracks on South Chalkville Road twice in one day without being stopped by an idle train.

No, really. It’s a different world out there before 6 a.m. You can get from Point A to Point B faster, but somehow the world seems to move by slower. Maybe that makes sense. 

Try an early morning drive around town sometime. You’re likely to enjoy it, too, and I hope you let me know what stands out to you.

I promise that being a morning person isn’t that bad. Just make sure your venti salted caramel mocha latte with two pumps of vanilla, two more of hazelnut, with whipped cream and caramel drizzle, also includes a shot of espresso. 

Gary Lloyd is the author of six books and is a contributing writer for the Cahaba Sun.