Yesterday we left off in La Place, LA and prepared for the final push into New Orleans. Our route was planned perfectly, as all our prior routes have been, and everything went according to plan. No, really it did. Perfect finish to the trip. You are going to read the "facts" below with respect to mileage, speed, etc. from our navigator, David. Our route into New Orleans took us on the levee bike way overlooking the "big" Mississippi River at its' majestic best. Lots of BIG ships, full of lots of industrial materials. Commerce does flow through the Mississippi, both in the 1800's, 1900's, and today. We came through Audubon Park, down St. Charles into the heart of New Orleans. After a quick shower we took in the sights of the City including David's favorite place, Cafe Du Monde, which is famous for???????????????????????? We had a great dinner at the The Bourbon, where we all sampled a little bit of what makes food great in New Orleans.
But, I know what you all have been waiting for, and if had not been for the detour that Rex made us take down Bourbon Street after dinner to take in the night life, the results of voting by the Academy would have been posted. So without further chit chat...........the results are as follows:
Iron Man - The voting was not even close in this category between the two (2) nominees. The Iron Man award for the MRT goes to David Spencer for his leadership throughout the trip. Each and every day for the 25 days of riding David was the "point man." Every morning he led the team out of the homestead and braving the headwinds, the potholes, the missed direction signs, and having to make the decisions on speed. He succeeded in bringing the group home safely every day. The true "iron man" of the MRT trip is much deserved by David.
Rookie of the Year - This year there was only one rookie bike and that was the newly built "Surly - Long Haul Trucker." This bike preformed without fail the entire trip. It took its' rider over 1,620 miles without fail. Not one problem. A perfect bike and it only has 1,625 miles on it in total. Wow, what a performance!
Best Hotel - Not even a close call in this category.............Hampton Inn in Vicksburg. The free beer and wine, along with the accommodating staff, made this the hands down winner. Great rooms with perfect maintenance made this spot a most perfect stay on our journey. A sub category was the "condo" we stayed in at Lake Chatord. The scenery at the lake after dinner as the sun was setting was absolutely perfect and was Mississippi at it's best.
Worst Hotel - Several entrants in this category, and after deep consideration by the Academy, the decision came down to the amount of mold found in the shower area, and general lack of upkeep at the facility. The Quality Inn in Red Wing, Iowa. Even though the bowling alley next door served good cold beer, even Rex was not to be persuaded that this hotel was one poor choice.
Best Beer Spot - This was a real close race. In fact, the Academy had to recount votes (or drink another beer to make the decision) several times to find this year's winner. The runner up was Walmart. It turns out Walmart was the only place Rex could find Sierra Nevada Pale Ale on the trip and so the competition was tough. But in the end, the ........in Memphis, TN was our winner. Any place that has over 100 beers on tab was a winner in Rex's mind (tells you where his mind is at) and with a sister location in Roseville, you can be sure the quality of the establishment is well tested.
Best Day of Riding - Several nominees in this category. From the miles upon miles of levee riding to the flat stretches in Mississippi. But in the end, the riding from Clarksville, Mississippi, with a 20 MPH wind behind our backs, was the winner. A really super day with great weather.
Fiddle Fart Award - And finally, the granddaddy of all the awards....................At first the clear run away winner of this prestigious award..........granted to the person who can take the most time taking care of the minor essentials of life...............looked like it was going to be David, but as the trip went one, it turned out the David began to quicken his pace in the morning, and Rex started to slow down a little and fiddle fart around so that it was David and Bill waiting for Rex to get ready to ride in the morning. The change in David may have been the result of him ridding himself into shape, after disposing of 10 pounds of high energy powder, the 4 pounds of tuna saved for that emergency he was certain was to come, or the last can of Vienna sausage left in the flooded out Lake Chatord general store, that he procured as he was certain that we might run out of provisions during the next leg of the trip. But in the end, David still won out due to his dogged determination that every aspect of his personal wardrobe was to be perfect. You can only change shirts so many times during the course of a daily bike ride, but David brought these daily wardrobe changes to a new high.
Congratulations to all the winners this year.
We are headed back to Sacramento on Monday AM and we are all looking forward to seeing our families. For this writer, the trip has been a life time experience, and I sincerely appreciate David and Rex for letting me be part of the journey. Have learned a lot, rode a lot, had certain parts of my body hurt a lot, but in the end, the journey has been worth it all. Many thanks.
And now to close out our trip, the facts, and just the facts.............here's David.
Todays distance: 46 miles
Avg. mph: 11.7
Trip Total miles: 1,622
Daily avg: 65 miles
Shortest day: 18
Longest day: 88
And now for a gotcha: These two guys kept on and on about my stash of tuna. So on day 8, in Muscatine, Iowa, I quietly left the tuna in our room. I kept my mouth shut for a thousand miles while these two carried on about that damn tuna. It provided a lot of entertainment for them. Finally after no comments from me they came to the conclusion I had dumped it. GOTCHA. The canned Vienna sausages are another story.
This has been an adventure.
See everyone down the road.
Sunday, September 11, 2011
Mission Accomplished!
Bill & David entering the final destination... Louisiana!
Where the Mississippi meets New Orleans, looking good Rex and David!
David on the "long bridge"
After a month on a bicycle, the boys finally find some time to relax and enjoy their accomplishments! In New Orleans at the Cafe Du Monde!
Saturday, September 10, 2011
THE BIG PUSH
A little trivia.............from what epic film if tonight's blog title taken from.............an "epic"
For our followers...........a little quiz.............name the 9 states we have visited as of this post...........and for extra credit, can you figure out the one state we skipped when our original plan was to touch10 states......
Natchez, Miss. - McComb, Miss. Friday, 9/9
We left Natchez bright and early on Friday as we knew we had tough ride ahead of us. Some of you may recall that David and Rex traveled in this area last year on a short journey so they knew what was ahead........although they did neglect to let Bill know. The ride on Friday consisted of two (2) parts.............first part.........tough riding on a busy 4 lane, with little interesting views............mostly trees.........the second part consisted of tough riding on a country road with traffic and lots of trees. This part of Mississippi does not have the same type of crops we have seen to date. Today, no cotton, corn, or soy beans. It appears that timber, mostly pine, is the prominent ag industry, with some cattle ranching. We did see signs indicating a nuclear power plant, which was interesting in a weird sort of way. We made good time and pulled into McComb, Miss to our favorite hotel.........ha.........and enjoyed a wonderful dinner Ruby Tuesday. Wonderful is of course relative to the experience and locale you are in. As we have gotten closer our pace has picked up and our conversations have been shorter. "Less Talk and More Rock" as the younger generation might say.
McComb, Miss - La Place, LA - Saturday, 9/10
We got off on a really early start, i.e. 6:50 AM as the excitement is building for The Big Push............on towards New Orleans. We had a good route today with a nice variety of scenery. You will see some of our spots today when the pictures are posted. We went through a couple of smaller towns and went through a larger community, Hammond, which is home to Southeastern Louisiana State, "home of the dragons..........." David and I wanted to see the football game tonight, but Rex was adamant about the big push and had us on a schedule to get to La Place this evening. We entered the bayou country and saw some interesting water areas..............not sure I would eat any fish caught in these areas, but sure a lot of people fishing. We also went over a really really long bridge that was elevated over Lake Pontchartrain via Highway 51. A cool experience.
We are scheduled to be in New Orleans early on Sunday and will be dinning downtown in the evening with a special breakfast treat I understand on Monday.
SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT: The Academy is in the final stages of voting on the annual end of the trip awards. You will recall the awards are as follows:
Iron Man
Rookie of the Year
Best Hotel
Worst Hotel
Best Beer Spot
Best Day of Riding
Fiddle Fart Award
The members of the academy are making their final selections and the results will be posted with the final blog on Sunday evening during prime time.
For the facts................we are of course are pleased to have David provide the details:
Friday, day 26, 23 days riding.
Distance 67 miles.
Avg mph: 11.4
Total miles: 1490
Daily avg.: 64.7
Saturday, day 27,24 days riding.
Distance: 86 miles.
Avg mph: 11.9
Total miles: 1576
Daily avg: 65.6
Some might ask what we eat during 7.8.9 hours riding:
Usually start at 0600 with a continental breakfast., that includes: fruit, cereal, biscuits, pastry, bacon or sausage, juice, coffee. We take from this some extras like pastries, apples, oranges, bananas to sustain us through the day. The banana get gooey in the heat. We stop at gas station stores for me: chocolate milk, Rex: coffee, Bill: health food and drinks. We usually stop again in p.m. for coke, ice tea, lemonade, etc. Dinner is usually welcome and depends on local delicacies such as Shonneys, Wendys, Ruby Tuesday, etc.
How much do we drink on hot, long, humid days? Today I drank 70 oz of cold then warm water I carried with me. Supplemented that with a McDonald's shake, very refreshing, a coke, sometimes chocolate milk, sweet tea, lemonade. etc. All I can carry and drink to keep from dehydration. And of course try to maintain a good attitude in the face of adversity.
For our followers...........a little quiz.............name the 9 states we have visited as of this post...........and for extra credit, can you figure out the one state we skipped when our original plan was to touch10 states......
Natchez, Miss. - McComb, Miss. Friday, 9/9
We left Natchez bright and early on Friday as we knew we had tough ride ahead of us. Some of you may recall that David and Rex traveled in this area last year on a short journey so they knew what was ahead........although they did neglect to let Bill know. The ride on Friday consisted of two (2) parts.............first part.........tough riding on a busy 4 lane, with little interesting views............mostly trees.........the second part consisted of tough riding on a country road with traffic and lots of trees. This part of Mississippi does not have the same type of crops we have seen to date. Today, no cotton, corn, or soy beans. It appears that timber, mostly pine, is the prominent ag industry, with some cattle ranching. We did see signs indicating a nuclear power plant, which was interesting in a weird sort of way. We made good time and pulled into McComb, Miss to our favorite hotel.........ha.........and enjoyed a wonderful dinner Ruby Tuesday. Wonderful is of course relative to the experience and locale you are in. As we have gotten closer our pace has picked up and our conversations have been shorter. "Less Talk and More Rock" as the younger generation might say.
McComb, Miss - La Place, LA - Saturday, 9/10
We got off on a really early start, i.e. 6:50 AM as the excitement is building for The Big Push............on towards New Orleans. We had a good route today with a nice variety of scenery. You will see some of our spots today when the pictures are posted. We went through a couple of smaller towns and went through a larger community, Hammond, which is home to Southeastern Louisiana State, "home of the dragons..........." David and I wanted to see the football game tonight, but Rex was adamant about the big push and had us on a schedule to get to La Place this evening. We entered the bayou country and saw some interesting water areas..............not sure I would eat any fish caught in these areas, but sure a lot of people fishing. We also went over a really really long bridge that was elevated over Lake Pontchartrain via Highway 51. A cool experience.
We are scheduled to be in New Orleans early on Sunday and will be dinning downtown in the evening with a special breakfast treat I understand on Monday.
SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT: The Academy is in the final stages of voting on the annual end of the trip awards. You will recall the awards are as follows:
Iron Man
Rookie of the Year
Best Hotel
Worst Hotel
Best Beer Spot
Best Day of Riding
Fiddle Fart Award
The members of the academy are making their final selections and the results will be posted with the final blog on Sunday evening during prime time.
For the facts................we are of course are pleased to have David provide the details:
Friday, day 26, 23 days riding.
Distance 67 miles.
Avg mph: 11.4
Total miles: 1490
Daily avg.: 64.7
Saturday, day 27,24 days riding.
Distance: 86 miles.
Avg mph: 11.9
Total miles: 1576
Daily avg: 65.6
Some might ask what we eat during 7.8.9 hours riding:
Usually start at 0600 with a continental breakfast., that includes: fruit, cereal, biscuits, pastry, bacon or sausage, juice, coffee. We take from this some extras like pastries, apples, oranges, bananas to sustain us through the day. The banana get gooey in the heat. We stop at gas station stores for me: chocolate milk, Rex: coffee, Bill: health food and drinks. We usually stop again in p.m. for coke, ice tea, lemonade, etc. Dinner is usually welcome and depends on local delicacies such as Shonneys, Wendys, Ruby Tuesday, etc.
How much do we drink on hot, long, humid days? Today I drank 70 oz of cold then warm water I carried with me. Supplemented that with a McDonald's shake, very refreshing, a coke, sometimes chocolate milk, sweet tea, lemonade. etc. All I can carry and drink to keep from dehydration. And of course try to maintain a good attitude in the face of adversity.
Thursday, September 8, 2011
Natchez Trace Parkway
Vicksburg, Miss. - Natchez, Miss
Yesterday, we finished up a great day in Vicksburg with a wonderful stay at a Hampton Inn. We enjoyed "happy hour" which meant Rex found some beer that he liked....and it was on the house, along with some wonderful chips and dip. We had such a nice time we decided to order in and had a Domino pizza. Yippee. We had a great route all planned out for getting onto the Natchez Trace, which has been from the start one of the primary goals of the trip, i.e. to ride the Natchez Trace. You should do a little searching to understand the significance of this trail. Anyway, we got off with a 7:00 AM sharp departure and made good time heading out of town, although the traffic was a little heavy with lots of cars/people heading to work. As we made our way out of town we came upon our first obstacle of the day, which was similar to several other obstacles we have encountered to date............."Detour - local traffic only"........but would we learn from our past mistakes.......................no, of course not..............we all agreed to proceed down the road and figured we could find a way around the problem. As luck would have it after about 2 miles down the road we came upon a gas station lady, who in her best southern charm......Ha........told us the bridge was out.....no way around except to go back and follow the detour signs........"dumb guys from California." Anyway we went back and it was not as bad a return trip as we thought it was going to be and we were back on schedule in no time. We followed State Highway 61 down to Port Gibson without any problem. For some reason when we got to Port Gibson, David went into "let's stop and take a picture every 50 yards......first a motel,.........then a Sonic............he said he was nostalgic from his prior trip to Port Gibson.........It was early in the day and he was not delirious.....must be a story someplace that needs to be explained. Anyway, we got on the Natchez Trace and for the next 40+ miles we had thoroughly enjoyable journey. The Trace is a National Park and as such no commercial vehicles are allowed and it was basically 40 miles of smooth riding. Lots of moss on the trees, with a good portion of the road covered with a tree canopy. Truly amazing and the highlight from a riding standpoint of our trip. Can't figure out why we had to ride 1,400 miles to get to this point. Next time I figure we fly into Nashville, TN and start there and take the Trace down. We are in Natchez, Miss staying at a another Hampton Inn. Just finished dinner at an exclusive little restaurant withing walking distance of the hotel.....called Jugheads. Advertising Fish and More. Including alligator. Got to luv these southern upscale restaurants.
And now without further ado, here's David with the facts......and just the facts...
Fact nr 1. This is the fourth time we have encountered washed out bridges in Miss. The floods did them in this spring.
Miles today: 82.
Avg. mph today: 11
Total miles: 1423
Daily Avg. miles: 65
But we got to the Natchez Trace: 300 yrs of history up and down this road from Natchez to Nashville. The Mississippian Indian Tribes, the more modern Choctaw, the Spanish, American settlers and travelers, Gen. Jacksons Army and others. It is a very close place and the history is still there.
Tomorrow over to McComb, Miss. Will be lots of long hills like this a.m. Once there we can turn South and find New Orleans in a couple of days. McComb is West of here. We go up Hwy 84 about 30miles, turn onto Hwy 98 then 570 at Smithdale and into Summit then McComb for those who like to follow step by step. We load up on lots of water and snacks in the a.m. because there are often no stores when we need them. Wish us luck...........
Yesterday, we finished up a great day in Vicksburg with a wonderful stay at a Hampton Inn. We enjoyed "happy hour" which meant Rex found some beer that he liked....and it was on the house, along with some wonderful chips and dip. We had such a nice time we decided to order in and had a Domino pizza. Yippee. We had a great route all planned out for getting onto the Natchez Trace, which has been from the start one of the primary goals of the trip, i.e. to ride the Natchez Trace. You should do a little searching to understand the significance of this trail. Anyway, we got off with a 7:00 AM sharp departure and made good time heading out of town, although the traffic was a little heavy with lots of cars/people heading to work. As we made our way out of town we came upon our first obstacle of the day, which was similar to several other obstacles we have encountered to date............."Detour - local traffic only"........but would we learn from our past mistakes.......................no, of course not..............we all agreed to proceed down the road and figured we could find a way around the problem. As luck would have it after about 2 miles down the road we came upon a gas station lady, who in her best southern charm......Ha........told us the bridge was out.....no way around except to go back and follow the detour signs........"dumb guys from California." Anyway we went back and it was not as bad a return trip as we thought it was going to be and we were back on schedule in no time. We followed State Highway 61 down to Port Gibson without any problem. For some reason when we got to Port Gibson, David went into "let's stop and take a picture every 50 yards......first a motel,.........then a Sonic............he said he was nostalgic from his prior trip to Port Gibson.........It was early in the day and he was not delirious.....must be a story someplace that needs to be explained. Anyway, we got on the Natchez Trace and for the next 40+ miles we had thoroughly enjoyable journey. The Trace is a National Park and as such no commercial vehicles are allowed and it was basically 40 miles of smooth riding. Lots of moss on the trees, with a good portion of the road covered with a tree canopy. Truly amazing and the highlight from a riding standpoint of our trip. Can't figure out why we had to ride 1,400 miles to get to this point. Next time I figure we fly into Nashville, TN and start there and take the Trace down. We are in Natchez, Miss staying at a another Hampton Inn. Just finished dinner at an exclusive little restaurant withing walking distance of the hotel.....called Jugheads. Advertising Fish and More. Including alligator. Got to luv these southern upscale restaurants.
And now without further ado, here's David with the facts......and just the facts...
Fact nr 1. This is the fourth time we have encountered washed out bridges in Miss. The floods did them in this spring.
Miles today: 82.
Avg. mph today: 11
Total miles: 1423
Daily Avg. miles: 65
But we got to the Natchez Trace: 300 yrs of history up and down this road from Natchez to Nashville. The Mississippian Indian Tribes, the more modern Choctaw, the Spanish, American settlers and travelers, Gen. Jacksons Army and others. It is a very close place and the history is still there.
Tomorrow over to McComb, Miss. Will be lots of long hills like this a.m. Once there we can turn South and find New Orleans in a couple of days. McComb is West of here. We go up Hwy 84 about 30miles, turn onto Hwy 98 then 570 at Smithdale and into Summit then McComb for those who like to follow step by step. We load up on lots of water and snacks in the a.m. because there are often no stores when we need them. Wish us luck...........
A Glimpse of History
Dad- Mom said don't come home until you shave that beard!
Checking for mail in Mississippi
Civil War house in Vicksburg (perhaps David's retirement home?)
David taking a break
Grant at Vicksburg
Lake Chotard
The Lodge at Lake Chotard (it's no Holiday Inn Express)
The Mississippi from Vicksburg
Mount Locust Inn
Rex and David riding the Natchez Trace Pkwy
Is that snow in Mississippi?
Union Ship found in the Mississippi
Vicksburg
The Vicksburg Memorial
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
The weather is great and the riding is easy
2 days of updates.
You will recall we left off in Greenville, Miss. and where headed towards Vicksburg, Miss. We knew it was going to be a long ride and had a couple of options for our layover before we headed into Vicksburg, Miss.
Greensville, Miss. - Lake Chotard Lake Resort, Miss.
First, let's all find Lake Chotard on our maps..............Anyway we had a nice ride out of Greenville, supported by a fine dinner at Shoneys the night before. Rex said it was his favorite place to date.........Ha. The ride was very quiet. No traffic and just the Mississippi River Delta farming lands. No real towns, and about the only activity was the county prison we passed, which was a tough looking place, with prisoners in uniforms our of a different time period. Don't want to get in trouble in this part of the county. A couple of pictures will follow to give you a flavor of the the ride. The night before took off we had made contact with Lake Chotard Resort and made an acquaintance with a Ms. Vicky, who handled the reservations, and other stuff at the resort. We did not know what to expect other than it was going to be ok as we most likely would not make Vicksburg in one day. We rode into Lake Chotard Resort after toooooooooooo many miles on a levee road that was only partially paved. It turned out to be a "Shangri-la". We had a "condo" at a fishing and hunting camp, and were treated to dinner by the owner, "Mr. Jerry" of the "resort" who was a retired developer from Jackson, Miss. The resort had been completely underwater this past June from the high waters and they were still in the process of cleaning up. To date, may have been the best dinner (we had stew and corn bread) to date, and were subject to some real "southern hospitality". The scene was out of the book so to speak.
Lake Chotard, Miss. - Vicksburg, Miss.
May have had our most beautiful ride of the trip today. We were in the Mississippi River Delta at its best. Lots of backwater channels, with abundant wildlife. Check out Eagle Lake as a cool place. We made it into Vicksburg, Miss by noon and were able to secure a room at the Hampton Inn across the street from entrance to the Vicksburg National Park. We rented a car as we decided we could cover more ground with this method vs. our normal 12 MPH. We went through the Vicksburg National Park which does a great job of depicting the siege of Vicksburg during the civil war. We learned a lot from David, and our tour today.
All in all all a great couple of days exploring Mississippi. Headed towards Natches, Miss. in the AM.
And now for the facts................here is David......
Just the facts maam:
Nr of total days: 24. Nr of days on bike: 21 including minimal riding days.
Miles today: 38
Avg. Speed: 11 mph.
Total miles to date: 1,341.
Daily avg: 63.8 miles.
Today as Bill says started as one of the prettiest days. Up early, no breakfast, though I had squirreled away a blueberry muffin from last night and a latte cafe powdered drink I have carried for 1300 miles. It was good. The other guys did without till we got to a road side store a few miles away. We were on the levee before sunrise and watched the light change in the forest and over the bayou. It was very cool, 53 degrees to start. We were into Vicksburg before noon. We crossed a formidable bridge on Hwy. 61 over the Yazoo River where Grant ran into trouble and was forced to go around the City to take it. Bet he would have given his left foot for a bridge. The battlefield tour was all I could expect. I enjoyed all the Civil War History. Bill is good at getting things done and got us into the rental car that made the day so worthwhile. Off to Natchez in a.m. About 80 miles. Most on the Natchez Trace which is a great ride.
To tired to walk to a restaurant. Thin crust Canadian bacon and pineapple pizza for dinner. Plus beer for Rex, a little wine for Bill, and coke of course for David.
More to follow from Natchez.....
You will recall we left off in Greenville, Miss. and where headed towards Vicksburg, Miss. We knew it was going to be a long ride and had a couple of options for our layover before we headed into Vicksburg, Miss.
Greensville, Miss. - Lake Chotard Lake Resort, Miss.
First, let's all find Lake Chotard on our maps..............Anyway we had a nice ride out of Greenville, supported by a fine dinner at Shoneys the night before. Rex said it was his favorite place to date.........Ha. The ride was very quiet. No traffic and just the Mississippi River Delta farming lands. No real towns, and about the only activity was the county prison we passed, which was a tough looking place, with prisoners in uniforms our of a different time period. Don't want to get in trouble in this part of the county. A couple of pictures will follow to give you a flavor of the the ride. The night before took off we had made contact with Lake Chotard Resort and made an acquaintance with a Ms. Vicky, who handled the reservations, and other stuff at the resort. We did not know what to expect other than it was going to be ok as we most likely would not make Vicksburg in one day. We rode into Lake Chotard Resort after toooooooooooo many miles on a levee road that was only partially paved. It turned out to be a "Shangri-la". We had a "condo" at a fishing and hunting camp, and were treated to dinner by the owner, "Mr. Jerry" of the "resort" who was a retired developer from Jackson, Miss. The resort had been completely underwater this past June from the high waters and they were still in the process of cleaning up. To date, may have been the best dinner (we had stew and corn bread) to date, and were subject to some real "southern hospitality". The scene was out of the book so to speak.
Lake Chotard, Miss. - Vicksburg, Miss.
May have had our most beautiful ride of the trip today. We were in the Mississippi River Delta at its best. Lots of backwater channels, with abundant wildlife. Check out Eagle Lake as a cool place. We made it into Vicksburg, Miss by noon and were able to secure a room at the Hampton Inn across the street from entrance to the Vicksburg National Park. We rented a car as we decided we could cover more ground with this method vs. our normal 12 MPH. We went through the Vicksburg National Park which does a great job of depicting the siege of Vicksburg during the civil war. We learned a lot from David, and our tour today.
All in all all a great couple of days exploring Mississippi. Headed towards Natches, Miss. in the AM.
And now for the facts................here is David......
Just the facts maam:
Nr of total days: 24. Nr of days on bike: 21 including minimal riding days.
Miles today: 38
Avg. Speed: 11 mph.
Total miles to date: 1,341.
Daily avg: 63.8 miles.
Today as Bill says started as one of the prettiest days. Up early, no breakfast, though I had squirreled away a blueberry muffin from last night and a latte cafe powdered drink I have carried for 1300 miles. It was good. The other guys did without till we got to a road side store a few miles away. We were on the levee before sunrise and watched the light change in the forest and over the bayou. It was very cool, 53 degrees to start. We were into Vicksburg before noon. We crossed a formidable bridge on Hwy. 61 over the Yazoo River where Grant ran into trouble and was forced to go around the City to take it. Bet he would have given his left foot for a bridge. The battlefield tour was all I could expect. I enjoyed all the Civil War History. Bill is good at getting things done and got us into the rental car that made the day so worthwhile. Off to Natchez in a.m. About 80 miles. Most on the Natchez Trace which is a great ride.
To tired to walk to a restaurant. Thin crust Canadian bacon and pineapple pizza for dinner. Plus beer for Rex, a little wine for Bill, and coke of course for David.
More to follow from Natchez.....
Tropical Storm Lee blew in some pictures.....
Now entering....Tennessee
Harvest time in TN (Dad are those soybeans?)
On the way to Greenville, MS
A teachable moment presented by David "Tire Change 101"
Three Friends - Hickman Ferry
A message from David to Kate
Rex and David at the Indian Mounds
Welcome to Kentucky
Memphis
Looking good guys!
Monday, September 5, 2011
MISSISSIPPI
Sorry we missed posting for a couple of days, but we had a little weather, and we were without Internet access at our layover in Clarksdale, Mississippi.
So, when we last provided an update we had pulled into Memphis on Friday of Labor Day weekend. Boy was that interesting. We stayed at a Holiday Inn in downtown Memphis, across from The Peabody and next to a Starbucks. David and I watched the famous "ducks walk" at The Peabody. Rex did the grand tour of downtown Memphis in the heat of the afternoon, while David and I caught up on some quiet time. We had an interesting evening out on the down and visited the famous Peabody Street. Had some ribs and beer for dinner and planned to turn in for an early get away. Did I mention it was a Friday night in Memphis........... and on top of that it was the start of the Labor Day weekend. Well the Holiday Inn was the happening place. Not sure if it was party central on our floor, but it sure seemed like it. Anyway, we did depart early on Saturday and were headed to Clarksdale, Mississippi.
We left Memphis and made good time heading out of town, but ran into a problem when the shoulder area disappeared a few miles out of town. We found an alternative route which was basically the "old" road which went through several very old towns, which as we have mentioned before time has passed them by. In the case of several of these small towns in Mississippi, the difference is that people of all ages continue to live in them. Not sure how they can survive, but clear to see poverty level is high. Main crops appear to be soy beans and cotton, with a little rice and corn. We made it to Clarksdale in the late afternoon and were able to secure a room at a Comfort Inn. Rough town, but we had our Walmart, and a couple of other establishments to chose from, which was to become important the next day. You may have heard some reports about Tropical Storm Lee hitting New Orleans and heading inland. It made it up to Clarksdale by early Sunday morning and we made a decision to hang around and ride out the storm in the lap of luxury at the Comfort Inn. (Ha) We had a lazy and luxurious breakfast that morning, and went for a little walk down to the Wallmart and purchased a few items for the storm....books....We also visited the Dollar General store for provisions..........necessities.......candy and cookies..........So we settled in for the storm...........David and I read from our new novels, and Rex got up to speed on the upcoming football season with Sports Illustrated............and we enjoyed an all day marathon of Two and One-Half Men............We must have seen at least 15 different episodes, including several that none of us had ever seen. All in all a restful day, filled with snacks, TV, and dinner at the best Mexican restaurant we have run across in a while. Go Figure. The weather forecast called for clearing on Monday and we planned a good ride to Greenville, Mississippi.
Clarksdale, Miss - Greenville, Miss
The wind was a blowing out of the north at about 20 MPH. Wow. Looked like it was going to rain, but we had a bail out plan in case of the rain so we took off with the wind at our backs. We took Highway 1, "the old road" again, heading south. A quiet road with little traffic. All big farms, with soy beans and cotton being the main crops. Loni, you will be glad to know I have found your souvenir...........I know how you like cotton, and at one of our rest stops I was able to pick some fresh cotton for you. Karen, I think David may have also done a little shoppin for you also.
We made absolutely great time today. The wind was at our back most of the day and both David and Rex said they had never had such an easy and fast ride. No hills and basically all flat highway with little cracks/joints. In a couple of spots we were in the 24 MPH rate for 20 minutes +/-. We were hauling! Temperature was great and the sun was basically behind the clouds the entire day. We pulled into the town of Greenville late this afternoon and we are at a nice place in the main part of town. We are working on logistics to get to Vicksburg, and also watching the weather.
And now for the facts, and some extra tidbits of tantalizing information.............here's David...........
Miles today: 82
Avg mph: 13.7 a record.
Total miles to date: 1228
Daily avg: 64.63 does not include down day in Clarksdale.
Most interesting stop: The Winterville Indian Mounds just north of Greenville. These mounds are found all down the Mississippi River Valley. They represent a pre European native culture that thrived a thousand years before being discovered by DeSoto and devastated by European disease. The remnants then became the more recent tribes we know.
To reiterate Bills description of the ride. This was the best days ride of any of our trips. Overcast, cool in the 70's, the wind at our back, flat or downhill all day, minimal traffic. We got up to 24-25 miles per hour at times. A good day.
So, when we last provided an update we had pulled into Memphis on Friday of Labor Day weekend. Boy was that interesting. We stayed at a Holiday Inn in downtown Memphis, across from The Peabody and next to a Starbucks. David and I watched the famous "ducks walk" at The Peabody. Rex did the grand tour of downtown Memphis in the heat of the afternoon, while David and I caught up on some quiet time. We had an interesting evening out on the down and visited the famous Peabody Street. Had some ribs and beer for dinner and planned to turn in for an early get away. Did I mention it was a Friday night in Memphis........... and on top of that it was the start of the Labor Day weekend. Well the Holiday Inn was the happening place. Not sure if it was party central on our floor, but it sure seemed like it. Anyway, we did depart early on Saturday and were headed to Clarksdale, Mississippi.
We left Memphis and made good time heading out of town, but ran into a problem when the shoulder area disappeared a few miles out of town. We found an alternative route which was basically the "old" road which went through several very old towns, which as we have mentioned before time has passed them by. In the case of several of these small towns in Mississippi, the difference is that people of all ages continue to live in them. Not sure how they can survive, but clear to see poverty level is high. Main crops appear to be soy beans and cotton, with a little rice and corn. We made it to Clarksdale in the late afternoon and were able to secure a room at a Comfort Inn. Rough town, but we had our Walmart, and a couple of other establishments to chose from, which was to become important the next day. You may have heard some reports about Tropical Storm Lee hitting New Orleans and heading inland. It made it up to Clarksdale by early Sunday morning and we made a decision to hang around and ride out the storm in the lap of luxury at the Comfort Inn. (Ha) We had a lazy and luxurious breakfast that morning, and went for a little walk down to the Wallmart and purchased a few items for the storm....books....We also visited the Dollar General store for provisions..........necessities.......candy and cookies..........So we settled in for the storm...........David and I read from our new novels, and Rex got up to speed on the upcoming football season with Sports Illustrated............and we enjoyed an all day marathon of Two and One-Half Men............We must have seen at least 15 different episodes, including several that none of us had ever seen. All in all a restful day, filled with snacks, TV, and dinner at the best Mexican restaurant we have run across in a while. Go Figure. The weather forecast called for clearing on Monday and we planned a good ride to Greenville, Mississippi.
Clarksdale, Miss - Greenville, Miss
The wind was a blowing out of the north at about 20 MPH. Wow. Looked like it was going to rain, but we had a bail out plan in case of the rain so we took off with the wind at our backs. We took Highway 1, "the old road" again, heading south. A quiet road with little traffic. All big farms, with soy beans and cotton being the main crops. Loni, you will be glad to know I have found your souvenir...........I know how you like cotton, and at one of our rest stops I was able to pick some fresh cotton for you. Karen, I think David may have also done a little shoppin for you also.
We made absolutely great time today. The wind was at our back most of the day and both David and Rex said they had never had such an easy and fast ride. No hills and basically all flat highway with little cracks/joints. In a couple of spots we were in the 24 MPH rate for 20 minutes +/-. We were hauling! Temperature was great and the sun was basically behind the clouds the entire day. We pulled into the town of Greenville late this afternoon and we are at a nice place in the main part of town. We are working on logistics to get to Vicksburg, and also watching the weather.
And now for the facts, and some extra tidbits of tantalizing information.............here's David...........
Miles today: 82
Avg mph: 13.7 a record.
Total miles to date: 1228
Daily avg: 64.63 does not include down day in Clarksdale.
Most interesting stop: The Winterville Indian Mounds just north of Greenville. These mounds are found all down the Mississippi River Valley. They represent a pre European native culture that thrived a thousand years before being discovered by DeSoto and devastated by European disease. The remnants then became the more recent tribes we know.
To reiterate Bills description of the ride. This was the best days ride of any of our trips. Overcast, cool in the 70's, the wind at our back, flat or downhill all day, minimal traffic. We got up to 24-25 miles per hour at times. A good day.
Friday, September 2, 2011
He started out as a rebel and ended up the King.................
Well, we made it to Memphis..........this will be a 2 day update
Dyersburg, TN - Millington, TN
You will recall from our most recent post that we were headed to Memphis. We started out with great intentions, but due to the weather.........it was hot.......and hotter..........and really hot and humid..........cooler heads prevailed in the name of David and we stopped in Millington, TN to recharge our batteries and then head into Memphis the next day. We have been making good time over the last 2 days. Mostly flat land with only some minor hills. I had been complaining to David and Rex that I was tired of seeing all the farm land and wanted to see some city/industrial areas. Well after our last 1 and 1/2 days, I am cured and am ready to get back into the farm lands. We have been on a nice state highway that has been a straight shot down the state. Saw lots of down and dirty industrial areas. Tough area to make a living. I did catch a nice picture of some harvesting of corn and it should be posted. Looks like the fall is coming as harvest season seems to have started in this part of the country. We had a nice stay in Millington at our favorite place, i.e. Holiday Inn Express, and of course Rex found the beer again............at Walmart.........tells you something about the region. Rex did get carded and was asked to take his CA drivers license out..........made him very happy as he thought they were asking him because he did not look 21.........turns out they ask everyone....We also met up with a friend of Rex's and David's, Mike Brooks, who worked with them in Sacramento and who recently took a job as a community college instructor at Dyersburg CC. We had a great chat and learned a lot about the history of the area from Mike. He gave us some tips on Memphis, and we may meet him tonight for some Blues, ribs, and beer. We took a little walk around Memphis and dodged the rain and heat. Had nice lunch at a little dive bar across the street from our hotel. Memphis has a lot of old history. Rain is forecast for the next couple of days so we are in the process of figuring out our options, and nearest spots to stay dry. We are looking for routes that will get us to Vicksburg, which will be our next way station and where we will take a day off to look at the battlefields. We are working on the logistics for the next leg of the trip, which will be from Memphis to Clarksdale, Miss.
Now for the stats and an editorial comment or two........here is David:
Thursday, day 16.
Today: 60 miles.
Avg: 10.8 mph
Total miles: 1040
Daily avg: 65 miles
We stopped 18 miles short of Memphis due to 100+heat and high humidity. A good choice. Mike caught up with us here. He only lived 6 miles away. We went right by his house earlier. His wife passed us toiling down the road.
Friday, day 17, Memphis.
Today: 18 miles
Avg: 11.2 mph
Total miles: 1058
Daily avg: 62.
Got a late start. Not quite as hot. A few uphills but mostly long down hills all the way into Memphis. Had an exciting crossing of a two lane bridge with traffic, past the St. Judes Childrens Hospital into town and Union St.
Our prior experience tells us that Mississippi from now on will be flat. It will be hot of course. Off to Clarksdale, Greenville, Vicksburg and Natchez.
Dyersburg, TN - Millington, TN
You will recall from our most recent post that we were headed to Memphis. We started out with great intentions, but due to the weather.........it was hot.......and hotter..........and really hot and humid..........cooler heads prevailed in the name of David and we stopped in Millington, TN to recharge our batteries and then head into Memphis the next day. We have been making good time over the last 2 days. Mostly flat land with only some minor hills. I had been complaining to David and Rex that I was tired of seeing all the farm land and wanted to see some city/industrial areas. Well after our last 1 and 1/2 days, I am cured and am ready to get back into the farm lands. We have been on a nice state highway that has been a straight shot down the state. Saw lots of down and dirty industrial areas. Tough area to make a living. I did catch a nice picture of some harvesting of corn and it should be posted. Looks like the fall is coming as harvest season seems to have started in this part of the country. We had a nice stay in Millington at our favorite place, i.e. Holiday Inn Express, and of course Rex found the beer again............at Walmart.........tells you something about the region. Rex did get carded and was asked to take his CA drivers license out..........made him very happy as he thought they were asking him because he did not look 21.........turns out they ask everyone....We also met up with a friend of Rex's and David's, Mike Brooks, who worked with them in Sacramento and who recently took a job as a community college instructor at Dyersburg CC. We had a great chat and learned a lot about the history of the area from Mike. He gave us some tips on Memphis, and we may meet him tonight for some Blues, ribs, and beer. We took a little walk around Memphis and dodged the rain and heat. Had nice lunch at a little dive bar across the street from our hotel. Memphis has a lot of old history. Rain is forecast for the next couple of days so we are in the process of figuring out our options, and nearest spots to stay dry. We are looking for routes that will get us to Vicksburg, which will be our next way station and where we will take a day off to look at the battlefields. We are working on the logistics for the next leg of the trip, which will be from Memphis to Clarksdale, Miss.
Now for the stats and an editorial comment or two........here is David:
Thursday, day 16.
Today: 60 miles.
Avg: 10.8 mph
Total miles: 1040
Daily avg: 65 miles
We stopped 18 miles short of Memphis due to 100+heat and high humidity. A good choice. Mike caught up with us here. He only lived 6 miles away. We went right by his house earlier. His wife passed us toiling down the road.
Friday, day 17, Memphis.
Today: 18 miles
Avg: 11.2 mph
Total miles: 1058
Daily avg: 62.
Got a late start. Not quite as hot. A few uphills but mostly long down hills all the way into Memphis. Had an exciting crossing of a two lane bridge with traffic, past the St. Judes Childrens Hospital into town and Union St.
Our prior experience tells us that Mississippi from now on will be flat. It will be hot of course. Off to Clarksdale, Greenville, Vicksburg and Natchez.
So Who Started out as a Rebel and ended up as the King
A report on our last two (2) days:
Dyersburg, TN - Millington, TN
Dyersburg, TN - Millington, TN
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