I was only 56 when I rode this tour. I am 74 now and not cycling as much after hip replacement surgery. I found this account in my archives these 18 years post ride, and added it to my adventure blogs. I will search for the few pix that go with it--film cameras back then you know--and scan and add them if I can find them.
Susan’s Great
Mississippi River Ride Journal
1998 Tour with
America by Bicycle out of NH
DAY
0 -- minneapolis, mn
I'm
rooming with Liz Ford (44) from Winnipeg, Manitoba (she arrived Amtrak not
having slept the night) and April Marshall from Colorado (a colorful character
in her 30's with a 2 ton suitcase plus 3 others, buckwheat pillow, case of
tonics and "power" powders, and a lively self esteem). She reported a
couple of days ago that a couple of angry drivers honked at her but "then
they drove past and saw how cute I looked on the bike. . .HA, HA, HA!" She
has a soft voice yet a very loud
laugh. She must have the TV on constantly, even when she is sleeping, and her
things expand at each stop to just fill the room. She's a true character, but
we enjoy her spirit. We three are the only threesome. We rotate sleeping on the
cot. Arrggh!
There are 22 of us; 7 women and 15 men. All the
people on the tour but me and Liz and one other have done long rides
before—several know each other from other rides, and three of them are coming
off Fast America where they crossed the states in a couple of weeks. A
couple of the guys are "bike-a-holics" and bike 10 to 20 thousand
miles each year—more miles than I put on my car! We have 3 from a bike club in
Bend, Oregon, 3 from FL, 2 from Colorado, 1 from Las Vegas (he's on a Bike
Friday), 2 from TX, 1 from RV-land (he's on a recumbent and his wife follows in
the RV), 1 from Long Island, NY, 1 from Queens, etc. etc. Mike Munk (from
Alabama) is the tour leader and Harold "Smitty" and Kay Smith from Arizona are volunteers who drive the van and set up sag stops. Smitty and Mike alternate riding days.
DAY
1 -- MINNEAPOLIS TO RED WING, MN 52.8
miles
Rode
with Liz. Climbed 2200 feet; big, long climbs up the bluffs. A tough 52.8 miles
with the big 3H (headwinds, heat, and hills); gave everyone a chance to test
themselves and shake off their pre-tour doubts and jitters. I was not the only
one with such thoughts.
Pretty flower-filled towns all along the river. Arrived
in the middle of the pack. Wore my clip-on shoes, but by the end of the ride my
feet were killing me. Determined to change out my pedals and shoes for the big
ride tomorrow. Every night when we get in there is much to do: wash out the
day's cycling clothes, attend Route Rap for the next day's ride, take bicycle
to Mechanic's Hour if necessary, clean and check bicycle, shower, make it to
dinner on time, fall into bed between 8:30 and 9:30.
DAY
2 -- RED WING TO LA CROSSE, WI 105.8 miles
Rode
with Liz. Foggy, rainy day with HIGH humidity. My first century! Only 2000 feet
of elevation gain over the 100+-mile course and a tailwind—yes! Big, hard 2-mile
climb out of Bay City, though. Passed through many pretty flower-bedecked towns
with little antique and craft shops, but did not stop at any of them as we were
bent on getting to the motel at a decent hour. We were not the last in—hooray!
We are in a Super-8 Motel with a train track outside window. Five trains rumbled by that night,
shaking our beds each time. Swampy on either side of the road; many dead frogs
and snakes along the shoulder, the frogs on their backs looking like tiny sprawled humans..
DAY
3 -- LA CROSSE TO PRAIRIE DU CHIEN, WI 72.3
miles
A
strong, fun day. Since this was a short non-hilly day, Liz and I mosied along
the river and stopped frequently for Kodak moments and exploration. Saw 2 bald
eagles winging their way down the river. Also stopped at Goose Island State
Park where we saw a black-crowned night heron, several moor hens, and egrets.
More dead frogs and snakes along the shoulder, plus speed demon woolybears.
Stopped in Ferryville and bought Wisconsin cheese curd and apples for lunch.
Delicious! Another Super-8; another train track; more trains roaring through
during the night!
DAY
4 -- PRAIRIE DU CHIEN TO DUBUQUE, IA 78.9
miles
I
had just remarked that we had been free of mechanical problems when Liz'
derailleur broke at about 25 miles out, so I rode to the sag stop and sent the
mechanic van back to her. Lovely beautiful country to ride through. Stopped in
Dickeyville to walk through a shrine that was put together from all sorts of
collected bits of rock, glass, and found things. Oddly interesting.
I felt strong and on top of the world until I was
exiting to an off-ramp at about the 70 mile mark. When I tried to move from
shoulder to ramp, I took a very hard fall. The pavement differential was masked
by grass and threw me right across the ramp. Hit my shoulder, hip, and elbow
hard—split open my elbow and got a little road rash on my arm and shoulder.
Rode on, bleeding and battered, toward Dubuque to be confronted with a
perfectly horrendous 1.1 mile bridge across the Mississippi—very steep, crumbly
bridge with roaring traffic, but a sidewalk hanging off one side that could be
walked but not ridden.
Well, y'all know my fear of heights. I asked Liz to
walk ahead of me so that I could look at the center of her back (this meant looking
down as she is only 5'1"). She gamely did as asked. It was not until
we were nearly at the other side of the bridge that she admitted that she, too, was scared
silly!
We had to bike up a steep steep hill in rush hour traffic to get to the motel. We were the last riders in and had little time to prepare for Route Rap and dinner. Looked at my split elbow in the mirror and decided that all it needed was a bandaid, but I could not apply it correctly one-handed, so went to dinner with it unbandaged. At dinner, my shoulder was killing me, but I found no sympathy. Those at my table pushed away from me and talked of AIDS. I was exhausted to the point of tears, so got up and left the table after the unkind jeers of the other riders. Mike Munk came to my room, and I asked him to put a bandaid on my elbow. He was not afraid of catching AIDS from me (a ridiculous thought) so dutifully complied. I slept fitfully.
We had to bike up a steep steep hill in rush hour traffic to get to the motel. We were the last riders in and had little time to prepare for Route Rap and dinner. Looked at my split elbow in the mirror and decided that all it needed was a bandaid, but I could not apply it correctly one-handed, so went to dinner with it unbandaged. At dinner, my shoulder was killing me, but I found no sympathy. Those at my table pushed away from me and talked of AIDS. I was exhausted to the point of tears, so got up and left the table after the unkind jeers of the other riders. Mike Munk came to my room, and I asked him to put a bandaid on my elbow. He was not afraid of catching AIDS from me (a ridiculous thought) so dutifully complied. I slept fitfully.
DAY
5 -- DUBUQUE TO CLINTON, IA 68.8 miles (36.8 miles ridden)
Sagged
the first 32 miles to the Sag Stop to baby my shoulder. Rode the last 36.8
miles with Liz and Gene Wengert. Gene is my age, a big guy from Wisconsin, just about to retire from a life in the wood business. He sang,
told corny jokes, and generally entertained us along the way. Gene knows much about
trees and wood and is also a birder, so we "birded" too.
Very poor roads today—narrow, no shoulder, lottsa
trucks. Liz and I were literally run off the road by an oncoming semi that was
trying to pass a wide load! Liz was behind me. She yelled, I looked up to see
the monster coming, and did not hesitate a second to take to the ditch!
Fortunately the ditch we took to was grassy and not too steep. Two of the guys
were also run off the road, but they from behind. Everyone complained to the
tour people about this choice of route and it will be changed before the next
Great Mississippi River Ride. Basically it was (is) a truck route. Some very
tough 15% climbs today that I saw (thank heavens) from the sag wagon as my
shoulder would not yet tolerate the pull of a uphill climb.
I did ride from Hanover to Clinton, though. When I got to
Clinton, my elbow was still bleeding a lot, so I had the hotel
receptionist take me to the hospital where I spent 3 hours getting x-rays and
stitches. Nothing broken. Shoulder joint and tissue bruised. Doctor lectured me
about infection, said I should have come in the day of the accident, prescribed some painkillers and antibiotics. Finally got to
dinner at 9-something, and to bed late. Another tiring day. My hip, thigh,
rear, and shoulder very badly bruised. Looks as though I've been in a car wreck
rather than a simple bike crash!
Mike Munk picked me up at the hospital and took me
to dinner. We learned that we are both in the same fields. He writes curriculum
for the Air Force and I for the Fire Service.
DAY
6 -- CLINTON TO GALESBURG, IL 78.6
miles
Another
bridge to cross in the a.m. Hate dem bridges! The bridges over the Mississippi
are pretty bad. Some are being renovated and they’re building another bridge
nearby so that each bridge will carry traffic only one way. Unfortunately, none
of these new spans is completed yet. A hot windy day on Route 84 S, a poor,
narrow, shoulderless road for most of the day. Not much to see along the way.
Got a little confused in Colona because it was listed on our maps as Greenrock.
It had had a name change since the last tour. Galesburg a little tricky to get
into because of traffic. Galesburg has a Carl Sandburg State historic Site.
Ken took a fall getting out of town.
Same type of accident as mine as he was trying to move from shoulder to road
and the pavement differential threw him. A lot of bicyclists behind him had to
scramble to avoid hitting him, some even moving into the traffic lane. Close
call. It was darkish, foggy, and visibility was poor when we left Clinton.
DAY
7 -- GALESBURG TO KEOKUK, IA 92.1
miles
Today I rode
with Gene, Liz, Ken (recumbent guy) and Paul (a strong cyclist from FL who
wanted to mosey for a day). We faced strong headwinds, and pedaled a hot, boring ride through endless
cornfields. There were lots of woolybears crossing the road. We stopped in Lomax at The
Pink—the only place to eat in town—a shocking pink building that housed
(surprisingly) a hunter's type hangout. One of the clientele, well into his
beer before noon, pulled up a chair to our table and entertained us with
off-color jokes. The waitress was a deadpan, humorless type who did not
appreciate our humor.
We stopped again in town of Nauvoo to tour the site of the
Mormon departure for SLC. Here we briefly toured the restored village and big pavilion with history of the
religion. Finally we were back on the River again. The last 12 miles or so right along
its edge and very pretty and park-like. I forgot to mention that there are tons
of motorcyclists along this route. Interesting diversions.
DAY
8 -- KEOKUK TO LOUISIANA, MO 89.4 miles
Hot,
steeply hilly, vicious ride with a 3800 foot elevation gain, but beautiful
bluffs with long, long downhills and great views. Hannibal was to be our
original stopping place, but the tour leaders had to add another 30 miles to
Louisiana because there were no accommodations in Hannibal—all the motorcycle riders
had taken them.
Smitty shuttled us over the bridge into Hannibal. It
was steep and crumbly with rebar hanging out and no shoulders at all.. Most of
the cyclists gathered for lunch at a restaurant just the other side of the
bridge. Storage caves outside of Quincy chiseled right into the bluff walls.
When riding past, the cool air from them was wonderful relief.
Our motel is right on the river's edge. Our room has three
double beds in it lined up like the three bears' beds. The motel owned by an east
Indian couple. When I asked them where the laundromat was, he husband handed me his
truck keys and gave me directions. I ran shuttle for several who wanted to go
to the laundry. My hands are so nerve numb from gripping the handlebars,
however, that Liz had to turn the key in the ignition. I can barely hold my
utensils at mealtime. We brought our things back from the laundry and hung them in
the bushes to dry. the place looks like a gypsy encampment.
Swapped t-shirts after dinner. Everyone liked the
Eskimo Joe's shirt I had brought. Liz got the coveted shirt April brought which
says: "Bike naked. It adds color to your cheeks. Colorado."
DAY
9 -- LOUISIANA TO ST CHARLES, MO 61.41 miles
I started
out early while others were eating breakfast. I wanted to ride at my own pace and
also wanted to beat the sun as it was getting very hot. Couple of big hills and
long grades, but mostly flat to rolling terrain. A kingfisher followed me for a
mile or so, flying from electrical pole to electrical pole. Also saw a flock of
10 or 12 great blue herons. I waited for Liz just beyond the sag stop in a small pool
of shade.
A lot of uphill/downhill city bicycling to get to
hotel. Arrived in St Charles with the majority of the other riders at 1:00 and
could not find my green suitcase. Called the motel in Louisiana but they had
not seen it. Mystery until late Monday night when one of the group (Mike Munk)
reported it in his room! Thank goodness as it had some expensive equipment in
it. A lot of traffic in St. Charles. Our motel is in small shopping mall. We ate dinner
at a buffet in the mall.
Lisa, Gene, and Ken left the group. We picked up one
new rider, a Afro-American guy named John Pitt from Queens. Fifty miles is the longest
ride John has done, and most of his riding has been flat. We worry for him because
Tuesday we are supposed to climb 4400 feet on the way to Festus.
DAY
10 -- ST CHARLES REST DAY
I stopped at a bike store Monday and bought some new gel gloves, a jacket, new biking
shorts, and handlebar tape. (I've been riding with pipe insulation that I found
in a hardware store taped to the handlebars to cushion my very sore hands.) All
the clothes were on sale so I don't feel too guilty.
I also went to Old Main Street and the Lewis and Clark
Museum with Liz and Paul. We're feeling the effects of the bad weather (Hurricane
Georges) to the south. It has rained and gusted for the past two days. I hope
tomorrow is better. We head for Festus, MO, 78 miles away.
Liz and I got dinner at one of the
nearby restaurants and brought it back to the room so that we could lounge on our
beds and relax. April has moved to room with Jane (an oncologist) now that
Lisa has left the group. Mike Munk does not approve as April did not pay extra
for a double room. He and April have not hit it off well for the entire
journey, partly because she thinks rules were meant to be broken. We were
supposed to bring only one suitcase and April has three plus pillows and a lot
of other “stuff.” Anyhow, Liz and I are keeping mum on the room change issue
because it is much more pleasant without a third person and a cot stuffed into
the room.
Liz and I got up and at `em as soon
as we heard the wake-up call this a.m. We were congratulating ourselves on the
little time it took to get dressed and ready when Liz remarked that her watch
was broken. I checked mine. It was 1:10 AM! The call had been a wrong number.
We got back into bed half dressed and then could not get to sleep because we were
laughing so hard.
DAY
11 -- ST CHARLES TO FESTUS, MO 79.2 miles
Much
traffic and freeways and horrible shoulders getting out of St Charles. Very
scary. Then we were on routes that were nothing but never ending hills and more
hills and more hills—shortish steep climbs that saw us gain 4400 feet in
elevation over the course. Rained hard; very humid. Washed bikes, washed
clothes, went to Ponderosa for dinner, and now to fall into bed.
DAY
12 -- FESTUS TO ST GENEVIEVE, MO 47.2 miles
Climbed
2200 feet; the hills were steep and trying. Everyone was glad for the short day, though.
The route was pretty but there was nothing along the way to stop at. Many dogs
to look out for on this route. The roads were crumbled and shoulders rare. In
several places when I got going fast on the downhills, the road was so rough
that it rattled my teeth, blurred my vision, and shook off my tire pump and
water bottles. Traffic has been fast and not very courteous through this entire
state. A bah humbug day.
DAY
13 -- ST GENEVIEVE TO CAPE GIRARDEAU, MO 67.49 miles
Climbed
a mere 2400 feet over pretty, rolling countryside. Rained hard all day but
still very hot and humid. Liz and I had a strong day, getting in early and
averaging 15.7 mph, not bad for all the hills. A mere16.4 miles into this day, we
hit our halfway point for miles (820 miles). Took a picture of the bunch of us
strung across the road. Stopped in Fruitland for lunch and ate in a very rough
café—three meager potato skins with unmelted cheese on them. Mike Munk joined us.
He is not feeling well--has a sore throat, etc.
Long steep grades to get to motel—a Pear Tree Inn.
Having ridden in wet shorts all day, I've got saddle sores and "diaper
rash" pretty bad. Hope I can cure it before it gets too out of hand. Ate
in Chinese Buffet. Very good, but as always, when there is a buffet, I overeat.
Tomorrow they will load us all on the vans and
deposit us across the Ohio River as the bridge is too narrow to ride without
holding up all traffic—steep with no shoulders and very narrow lanes. Will also
load us up and shuttle us along a narrow dangerous section used by logging
trucks. Of course the four EFI (Every F---ing Inch) guys will refuse to be
transported.
DAY
14 -- CAPE GIRADEAU TO UNION CITY, TN 87.6 miles
Loaded
up in dense fog. After got bikes loaded on vans, went across the street to a
Cracker Barrel for breakfast. All sat in the rocking chairs out front and I got
a panoramic pic.
Pretty hairy going for the first 12 miles or so with
a lot of traffic and little visibility in the fog. Couldn't even judge whether
or not a hill was coming up. Then we turned off onto smaller country roads and
enjoyed a rolling scenic ride, though when the fog dissipated, the sun was hot
and the humidity high!
Three abandoned yellow and white kittens at the first
sag stop. One of the staff called the Humane Society. Second sag stop under a
great pine tree that Mike Munk climbed (with his bike) and posed in as though
riding his bike along a limb. He and several others have sore throats and are
not feeling top notch, but this man's energy level and sense of humor never
flag.
My diaper rash discomfort level rose to intolerable
about 15 miles before Union City, so I sagged in these last miles. Tomorrow is
the shortest day of the whole tour, so with a little coddling, I should be back
in the saddle and strong again tomorrow.
DAY
15 -- UNION CITY TO DYERSBURG, TN 46 miles
Though
a short, non-hilly ride, a very hot day that sapped everyone’s energy. We are
all beginning to feel the cumulative effects of the days now. I tried to sleep
in, but my body says get up at 5 a.m., so Liz and I and Mike were at Shoney’s
for breakfast at our usual times. The van did not load up luggage until 9 a.m.,
however, so we had a considerable wait until we could get on the road;
therefore, the heat caught us at high noon. Stopped along the way at
Campgrounds Cemetery an old revolutionary cemetery somehow connected to Davy
Crockett.
The sag stop was at a tiny general
store in Nowhere, TN. A group of gap-toothed men and boys lounged on the
rickety front porch, stirring a great kettle of squirrel stew. Liz and I popped
inside to use the bathroom (yurg!) and found the dimly lit room crowded with
women and children—spoons in hand— waiting for the stew to be finished. This
had to be the social event of the year. They all shifted their eyes in our
direction but couldn’t focus too long on our alien-looking, skin tight, very
bright bicycling clothes.
When we went back out, one of the men on the
porch asked Liz if she would like to try the squirrel stew (big toothless
grin). Trapped by a lifetime of politeness, Liz said yes and in no time was
sampling the stew from the communal tasting ladle that had been hanging from
the side of the kettle. About this time, I am frantically wondering whether
hookworm or any other southern scourge can be transmitted via saliva, and,
barring that, whether or not the stew is hot enough to sterilize the ladle.
Well, Liz didn’t get sick and we continued on our adventure laughing like idiots
about this experience and wondering each night if squirrel would be on the
menu. I took a picture of Liz sampling the stew, which she reported tasted like
onions, tomatoes, and black pepper. Tried to get the men and boys into the
picture, too, but they all backed off.
Ate dinner at the Dixie Barn to
round off the “country” feel of the place.
DAY
16 -- DYERSBURG TO MEMPHIS, TN 80.4
miles
Liz
and I nearly the first out of the parking lot at first light in order to try to
beat the heat. It was a very HOT day with very high humidity.
We got mildly lost in Covington, but eventually
found our way out via a “roundabout” in the center of town. Midway through the
morning it rained very hard for 15 minutes and then turned to sweltering again.
One of the food stops marked on our route map was closed, so we stopped at the
local fire station instead. Lo and behold, but they were using IFSTA training
manuals. They had the 3rd rather than the newest 4th
edition Essentials, however. They let us refill our water bottles and
use the facilities, which was very nice of them as there was very little but
rural scenery on our route.
We were exhausted when we got in. We
both fell asleep after our showers, Liz with her head still wrapped in a towel.
My diaper rash now so bad that I am bleeding. This next day off the saddle is
MUCH needed!
We have picked up three new riders,
a married couple (Bart & Diane Kinlein) from Maryland and a 27-year-old
(Alyssa Kelly) from Sacramento. Dinner at Perkins Restaurant, about two blocks
away.
DAY
17 -- REST DAY IN MEMPHIS
Watched
The Horse Whisperer on pay per view
last night. It is fun to stay up late for a change. Most nights we are in bed
between 8:30 and 9:00 p.m. Nonetheless, we were both up at 5:30 this a.m.
Turned out in the a.m. that we did not have to pay for the video as they could
not find that it had been rented to us. Lucky us.
Took the local bus into Memphis. Cost only $1.50 as
opposed to $30 each for a shuttle, but took close to 2 hours to get into town.
Went to the Peabody and saw the ducks that come down
from the penthouse each morning and afternoon to frolic in the lobby fountain.
This has been a Peabody tradition since the 1930’s when, as the story goes,
Frank Schutt, general manager of the Peabody and his friend, Chip Barwick
returned from a weekend hunting trip in Arkansas. The men had a little too much
Tennessee sippin’ whiskey and thought it funny to place some of their live duck
decoys (it was legal then for hunters to use live decoys) in the lobby
fountain.
Toured Sun City studios where Elvis, B B King, Jerry
Lee Lewis, and others got a start. The walk to this studio was enough to melt
us both. It is oppressively hot. Walked down Beale Street, got our film developed
in a Walgreens, ate in a grungy fast-food mart, and stopped at a bike shop on
the way home. It was closed, so we were glad that we had transfers.
Tonight we are going to get dinner,
bring it back to the room, and watch Steel
Magnolias on HBO.
Liz is writing in her journal and
reports 15,000 feet of elevation gain so far. This is a guestimate, as we have
not recorded elevation gain consistently. Mike says it was twice that on the
Fast America ride but the gain was more gradual than it has been on this ride.
Right now it is pretty flat with only slight roll.
DAY
18 -- MEMPHIS TO HERNANDO, MS 50.1
miles
Rode
with Liz. First 12 miles spent getting out of the city with much traffic. Do
not like the city riding. Rode like mad-women to keep up with the pack. Could
finally breathe evenly again when we hit a country road. Absolutely nothing along the route today—no
convenience stores, no gas stations, etc. Got here in record time, mainly
because we did not stop once and really hit it with an average speed of 14.1,
which is not bad considering all the city miles. Arrived in Hernando at 11:30
but why we were in such a big hurry to get here where there is NOTHING for miles we can’t figure.
There was not a single bathroom en
route, nor any sheltered place to find a bush! I was ready to burst by the time
we pulled in! Shared half a Philly steak & cheese sandwich with Liz in the Hernando
Inn dining room when we got in. We have learned that we have to “feed
our muscles” within a half to an hour of arrival or we don’t have the oomph we
need for the next day. Then we washed our clothes, cleaned our bikes, took a nap,
took a short walk. There is a group of guinea hens cackling about on the lawn
near the motel. Young Mike took a spill today. He is enamored of the new girl,
Alyssa, and must have taken his mind off the route for a minute.
I had a blast after dinner playing
darts with Liz and Mike Munk. Really love the man. He’s such a cut-up and so
much fun. He has the energy of a 3-year old. The beer and darts “broke training”
‘cause we didn’t get to bed until 11. Shame on us.
DAY
19 -- Hernando to Clarksdale, MS 81.41 miles
Rode
with Liz and Alyssa. Only 800 feet of gain; average speed 15.2 on mostly flat
roads between rice, cotton, and soybean fields. We are beginning to see fire
ant nests and armadillos. The Arkabutla Dam area very pretty. Four deer leapt
across the road in front of us
We stopped in Coahoma at a
downtrodden country store just this side of the tracks about a mile off the
route for a drink and a break. The Bend Bunch (three riders from Oregon) caught
up with us and stopped too. A HUGE Black guy the size of a sumo wrestler with
gold rings on each finger and gold bracelets on each wrist “waited” on us. I had
the usual YooHoo and a popsicicle. We talked to a couple on the front steps.
Their sons were in a red car and departed to cash their pay checks in
Clarksdale, about 12 or 15 miles away.
When we got to the Hopson Street T,
just before Clarksdale, the sons in the red car pulled up, their mouths hanging
open, and accused me of “riding too fas;
‘caus you wuz jus back to Coahoma! How you beat us to town? Huh?”
Stayed at a lovely new Hampton Inn.
Breakfast in the morning was fantastic with a very lively lady making waffles
as fast as we could eat them.
Day 20 -- Clarksdale to Greenville MS 82.36 miles
Rode
with Liz and Alyssa. Verra, verra flat with only 300 ft of elevation gain, and
we averaged just 15 mph. The further south we got into the Mississippi River
Delta region, the worse the roads were, There were very rough roads coming into Greenville
and no shoulders. The road was flat, straight, poor, and bordered on both sides
by rice, soybeans, and cotton fields as far as the eye could see. To make
matters worse, it was terribly hot and crop dusters were spraying the cotton to
exfoliate it with a terrible, ketoney smelling exfoliant. In fact one of the
roads through some cotton fields could hardly be called such. It looked like a
route mistake that was about to dead end at any moment. We played “I spy” and
sang songs to relieve the monotony.
The second sag stop at 56 miles out was in front of
a little country church, which had been opened up by the caretaker woman who
lived across the street. She (like many other Mississippians) thought us the
best diversion around and even picked some of many red naked lady flowers
growing in her yard to decorate the van. (Red naked ladies were growing
everywhere, even in the woods.) We were big excitement in a small town. She let
us use the church facilities and showed us an antique sampler made by some
important person or other in her family history.
Greenville is home of Doc’s Good Eats Restaurant
which is purported to have the 2nd best french fries in the U.S. Never got to
taste any though as no one wanted to get back on their bikes in the heat to
find the place.
That evening Mike Munk told us that one of the
riders had said, “If you wake up in the
morning and nothing hurts, you must be dead.” We all decided that we were
very much alive.
Day
21 -- Greenville to vicksburg, MS 36 miles
Rode with Liz and Alyssa. Very flat between cotton
fields all the way with a very strong headwind because of Hurricane Georges to
the south. We sagged at the first rest stop with a handful of others. All but
the four strongest riders sagged at the second sag stop. The wind and heat made
the ride very exhausting.
Because everyone sagged, we had more evening time,
so a bunch of us toured old Vicksburg. Liz and I toured the store where coke
was first bottled. The owner was not very interested in giving us the tour.
Because of a new Walmart Supercenter and because of the river gambling casinos,
the downtown area was nearly deserted. Liz and I sat down on a bench to wait
for a ride back to the motel. A well dressed woman pulled up and stopped
traffic to observe: “Wah ladies, A’m so
pleased to see y’all sittin’ on that bay-ench. It was put there in 1941 and I
don’ believe A’ve everah seen anyone sittin’ on it befora!” Cracked us up.
Stayed in the Rainbow Hotel right on the river and
part of a Mississippi River casino complex. Had to drop down off the bluffs to
get to it and, of course, had to climb out of it early the next a.m. Ate dinner
at the casino. I had frog legs, among other good things.
Day
22 -- Vicksburg to Natchez, MS 87
miles
Rode
with Liz and Alyssa. The most beautiful day of our tour. 2000 feet of elevation
gain; 14.6 average mph. Rode the Natchez Trace. Though it was a very hot day
(94°F with high humidity) we were shaded by the trees along the trace for the
first half of our ride. The second half of the day was out in the open and
straight along a very rolling route 61 south. Somewhat tougher and much hotter
and more uncomfortable! I was so hot and uncomfortable (diaper rash still with
me) that I had a desperate crying jag alongside the road at one point.
We stopped and asked several LSU
students who were at their deer camp for water. They not only gave us water
from their spigot, but also ice from their beer chests. Invited us to have a
beer with them, but we declined as we still had 25 or so miles to go.
Got to Natchez and Mike Munk called
us all together to tell us that he had been in touch with Doug (the America by
Bicycle tour owner back in N.H.) and the weather service and that we had to end
the tour right there, three days short of the planned trek into New Orleans. We
were riding right into Hurricane Georges.
What a shock. We were not prepared for this. Many
people from N.O and further south in Mississippi had been evacuated to Natchez.
The hotel was packed and many slept in the parking lot that night. We all went
to the Natchez Landing to eat, and then about 6 people made arrangements to fly
home out of Jackson the next day (Sunday).
Total
miles I rode: 1442.86.
Day 23 -- Natchez
Neither
Liz nor I could get a flight out until Monday, so Smitty took us and Alyssa to
Wal Mart where we got packing stuff. Then those who remained went back to
Natchez Landing to another restaurant for lunch. Returned to box our bikes and
pack our stuff up. I was going to UPS mine, but that was inconvenient (we had
sent most of the bike boxes to N.O.) so I checked it along on the plane for an
additional $50.
Mike Munk took all of us across the river to
Louisiana to a seafood restaurant called the Sandbar for dinner. The name/location of the restaurant was somehow
connected with a sandbar fight in which the Bowie knife got its name. I had catfish etouffe. A lot of laughter and fun on our last night together. Mike
gave us all our EOT (end-of-tour) packages and “awards.” I got the purple heart
for bravery and bruises. Told me not to lie down in the road again when I
wanted to rest, etc. etc.
Day 24 -- Natchez to jackson Airport
Loaded
the bikes and left for the Jackson airport at 6 a.m. in very strong winds and
rain. The two vans unstable with so many people and bikes in/on them. Liz and
Alyssa flying out on Northwest. I’m flying out on American. Others renting cars
and scattering in their various directions.
Got there to find that all American flights had been
cancelled, so I had to catch a 12:30 Delta flight to Dallas. There was some
question as to whether or not it would land and if it landed whether or not it
would be able to take off again. But, all worked out and I caught the last flight out
of Jackson before they closed the airport. Mike Munk and Smitty and Kay stayed
with me until it was clear that I was going to be able to get out. Then they
headed off for Alabama and NH. I will miss them!
