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.