The Big Big Trip Journal! If you want to make the man (or woman) upstairs laugh, just tell him your plans!

[HobbesOnTour]

Day 55 Wednesday, November 05, Fall Creek Falls State Park to McMinnville 58km


Due to accommodation options, today wasn't going to be the hardest day ever. However, I had no idea just how good it was going to be!!!


I was up early enough, despite the cold morning temperature of 2C.

It was so cold I needed the winter add-on for my trangia and the honey was very thick & gloopy, refusing to come out if its bottle.

I know I've said it before, but mornings in these parks are wonderful, especially in my secluded spot. There is such a feeling of calm, of harmony, of peace that I find it hard to break away. Mind you, the cold this morning helped me break that habit!

I was all packed up & ready to go, but before I left I stopped at the check in office to pass on my compliments. The WiFi that was out of range last night was good and strong, so I pulled up at a picnic table and did some stuff online while I could. I think it was well after 10 when I was heading off, but the advantage was that it was now warmer.

A note about Fall Creek Falls State Park. It is simply magnificent! - and I only saw a tiny fraction of it. The roads in and around the park are unbelievably perfect. There's not many places that are the perfect place to start your day, but this is definitely one of them!

There were no big climbs today, just a constant series of ups and downs. Reasonable gradients, good roads, minimal traffic, add in blue skies, a warming sun and the Fall colours in full intensity it was a pretty perfect day.

With no real pressure I could sit back and enjoy. So I did!

The roads were pretty much main roads, so that meant no dog encounters. The only two dog situations they were behind fences. I needed that.

Two drivers pulled in to talk to me today - both called John. The first John, a former engineer, was obsessed with my Extra wheel trailer. His mother was from Ireland (nearly everybody I've met here claims Irish ancestry) but he's never been. The second John pulled into the shoulder in front of me. He took his time getting out of his pick-up and I genuinely didn't know if he was friend or foe. Turns out he's a recumbent trike rider. He'd seen me earlier and told me I was on the wrong road? I told him I'd had a great day! On a trike he needs a wide shoulder so apparently my choice to ride a road without the maximum shoulder possible was alien to him.

Near the day's end I pulled in at a filling station for some food. They had a diner style setup with Bibles on every table! Religion is everywhere here. Christian religion. Few town(land)s marked on a map will have a store or a filling station, but every group of houses will have at least one church, if not several, often at different ends of the community. Sometimes at a crossroads in the middle of nowhere there will be a church.

Also, there are a few "camps" at some of these churches, or their lands, that will show up as Campgrounds on Google Maps. They're campgrounds, alright, but not as I know them! They are for camping retreats, mainly for young people.

Regularly along the side of the road there are homemade signs simply saying "Jesus" or "Jesus Saves". People also place signs on their lawns.

God is everywhere, it seems, except behind the wheel!

The last few Kms were all on a big highway but with a healthy wide shoulder as seems to be the norm in these parts.

The motel isn't particularly cheap and certainly not cheerful, but it'll do as my temporary home for tonight.

Tomorrow will be more interesting! The forecast tonight is for rain that will last until well into tomorrow. Then tomorrow night temperatures are due to drop to well below zero - and I'll be camping again!

Then, all going well, Friday I'll make it to Nashville and phase one will be complete! I'm definitely excited to be meeting a couple of friends. I think they're a bit amazed that I'll be rolling up on a bike! Honestly, I'm a little amazed too!

Went out for dinner, thinking I'd try Applebee's instead of the Mickey D's, KFC, Taco Bell & multiple pizza places in the area.

Again, my starter had barely been delivered when my main course came out! This time I wasn't accepting it. I have no problem eating on my own. I enjoy the people watching, doing a little eavesdropping and watching the operation. God knows I've worked in the industry long enough! But getting dumped on just because I'm alone is not acceptable!

I got apologies and a fresh main course when it was due and then was presented with my bill before I'd finished eating. I'm beginning to think it's not just motorists that have it in for people on bikes - chain restaurants do too! 😀



If you have any questions or comments please fire ahead. For the sake of continuity I've had permission from the mod team to use https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/chat-one-for-the-big-big-trip-journal.254098/

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[HobbesOnTour]

Day 56 Thursday, November 06, McMinnville to Murfreesboro 68km

I slept poorly. The motel wasn't the best and there were more than a few odd guests.

I was awake at 7, looked outside, saw the rain and went back to bed!

When I did drag my ass out to the "Continental Breakfast" I wished I hadn't bothered. Watery coffee and teenytiny muffins are not the best way to begin a cycling day.

I packed up & rolled out into the rain. To say it was pouring would be exaggerating, to say it was drizzling would be an understatement. It was going to be a wet day!

I set off on a big highway out of town, but quickly turned off and into the countryside. Despite the gloom, the Fall colours were everywhere, a welcome warmth in the nippy air.

All was going well, crossing Highway 70S. I ignored the dead end sign, thinking there must be a way I could bike. But the road just stopped dead. Nowhere to go except back. Thanks, Komoot! Now, it was fair to say it was pouring, too.

Taking out my phone I fired up Google Maps and had a look. I'd be able to turn off further down and link up with Komoot's route, but looking at the four lanes of 70S and it's wide shoulder, I decided I was going to do something different - stick on the highway. I figured there'd be more places to stop, less chance of another Komoot cock-up and I could take advantage of the wide shoulder & listen to some music.

I fired up my i-pod, and set it to play an entire Springsteen concert from Adelaide a few years ago, inspired by last night's movie - There's a great version of the "Ghost of Tom Joad" with Tom Morello in there somewhere.

I rarely listen to music on the bike. It takes away an important sense and I think it makes me less approachable to people with headphones in my ears. But I like it in the rain.

So, back in the shoulder of the Highway, I plugged in and pulled off. The first song was "Summertime Blues" - someone was having a laugh!

It makes no sense - it was pouring rain, it was cold, there was a nasty wind, but it was fabulous! I was belting out the songs at full volume, occasionally even playing the imaginary drums in front of the bike!

Rolling slowly up the hills singing along, flying down the other side with a cover of "Highway to Hell" blasting! A different kind of cycling, but just perfect for the conditions!

At a certain point while climbing one of the gentle hills I became aware that something was bouncing around just outside my consciousness. I relaxed, tried to empty my mind of everything and eventually it revealed itself - on a windy hill somewhere in Tennessee, with the rain pouring down, with cars and trucks roaring by at 65 mph there was absolutely nowhere else I'd rather be. As feelings go, it's a pretty good one.

About 11 I came across a filling station just off the highway so pulled in for some coffee & food. To say the welcome was warm would be like describing an iceberg as warm. The woman behind the counter was complaining that I was leaking water on the floor. I took my coffee and food outside. After a while she came outside all friendly. She needed something. I got a ladder, climbed up & changed the price for gas on the big board at the road. And got a free Coke!

After the stop, I was a bit cold, but warmed up once I had a bit of rhythm. The four lanes were reduced to two through a town, then back up to four again for the run to Murfreesboro.

The rain never let up and I was getting progressively wetter, although, not much colder. Even the nasty wind was manageable. Thinking ahead, I wasn't looking forward to camping in the rain, especially with the temperatures to drop well below zero.

On the edge of Murfreesboro I pulled into another filling station for more coffee and had a quick look online. I found a bargain motel, booked it and cycled over.

The ladies behind the desk were the most animated I've come across. I requested a ground floor room (for the bike) and an old cloth to clean the bike. They couldn't have been nicer. No problem to take the bike in, no problem for a cloth - here's a pile of old towels. A hot shower, hang up all the wet gear and I was ready for an afternoon of leisure!

It's strange - a cold, wet day, riding a road I'd normally avoid like the plague turned out to be the day I couldn't wipe the smile off my face!



If you have any questions or comments please fire ahead. For the sake of continuity I've had permission from the mod team to use https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/chat-one-for-the-big-big-trip-journal.254098/

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[HobbesOnTour]

Day 57 Friday, November 07, Murfreesboro to Nashville 72km

After the rain of yesterday it was great to wake up to bright sunshine! It was cold, though. I had a decent breakfast at the motel, packed up my gear in a leisurely manner and got ready to hit the road.

Rick and George, my friends and hosts had warned me about Nashville traffic and offered to meet me close to Nashville & drive me to their place. I'm sure that really they were trying to organise a parade for my grand arrival and being a modest chap I didn't like the sound of that! In any case, they wouldn't be home until after 5pm (probably preparing all that ticker tape for the parade) so I was in no real rush. Ideally, I'd be there before dark.

Setting off from Murfreesboro wasn't exactly easy. Big, busy roads, no shoulder and heavy traffic. I took to the pavement. Despite the Sandy roads in North Carolina and the forest roads in South Carolina & Tennessee I can honestly say these pavements were the toughest, bumpiest, trickiest surface I rode on.

One out of the city I pulled in for a coffee. Sitting down in the sun I had the chance to ponder on the relatively swift change in the weather. It was about 10C, with a chilling wind blowing from the North. A couple of weeks ago it was twice that! The cold weather seems to be here to stay.

Back on the road, I was on my friend from yesterday - Highway 70S. This time I left the music off. The shoulder was narrower, the surface worse, the traffic was heavier and today there was no rumble strip. Yesterday, if a car moved into the shoulder behind me the rumble strip noise would wake the dead.

There were at least two intersections with an Interstate highway and several towns spread out along the highway so there was always something to be paying attention to. The shoulder often disappeared in a town, resuming again on the outskirts. After about 25 km the shoulder narrowed but a bike lane appeared. Then disappeared for a few hundred meters, then reappeared again. I'd pay good money to see the planner for these bike paths ride a bike on one!

The intersections with the Interstates were tricky, having to move from the shoulder (right) across the filter lane into no-man's-land then back across the entry filter lane into the shoulder again. It can be tricky, especially since it seems American automobiles have a plague of defective indicators. I reckon only about 5-10% of indicators appear to be in working order!

Also, on one of the intersections I got another open window yelling experience, although this time it was a high pitched scream. It was a little more effective than the YAH of a few days ago, but a mild irritant in the big scheme of things. Giving them the finger though, did make me feel surprisingly better!

When the bike lane disappeared for good I turned off into suburbia for a little while before passing a lake (behind trees) on a busy road with a decent bike path.

I stopped for a pee, leaving the bike leaning against a crash barrier. I stepped well away from the road and facing into the woods relieved the pressure on my bladder. Until something started moving and cracking branches in front of me. The trees were so dense I could see nothing, but the noise continued. I quickly zipped up & hightailed it out of there!

I came to a dam and turned off for a few kms of dedicated cycling trail along a river. There was a definite drop in temperature. After the trail it was back into the early evening traffic, although I had a bike path which made for easy enough progress.

I wasn't too far away now and turned onto the road where the lads lived. Four lanes, full of traffic in both directions, no shoulder at all. And I had 7km to cycle down. No way! That was going to be a suicide mission. Instead, I pulled off the road, fired up cycle.travel and plotted a new (longer) route avoiding the crazy road.

This route was far nicer, along a two lane road with a low speed limit. It was certainly busy, but I had no problems with the traffic. Occasionally I'd pull in to let traffic by but that was really more for my benefit than theirs. Each time I stopped, even for just a minute I could feel the cold. Gizmo was now telling me it was 1C.

Then I hit a lake and ride through residential areas before making my way over a river then back on to the crazy road for a few hundred meters.

I had arrived!! Stage one complete!

I'm going to be taking some time off here and enjoy being treated like a king! There's a few upgrades the bike should have had before I left that I'll take care of here. I also need to properly repair the cat damage on my tent fly. I also need to figure out a route for the next stage of my trip. The next intermediate destination will be Austin, Texas. I have half an idea to visit New Orleans on the way. I'll need to check out the logistics of that as well as taking a bit of time to check out the Mexican leg that comes after.

Oh, I'll also need to visit a few honky tonks and enjoy some of my favourite music. Of course, there's lots of food I need to try too!


To be continued…….

Edited to add:
I also saw my first (live) raccoon!
After wild camping in a National Forest, several campsites where lockers were provided to store food, where practically every other campsite had poles to hang food from, being marooned for 36 hours in a primitive forest site, hearing strange animal sounds outside my tent, my first glimpse of one of these beasts was from the shoulder of a busy 4 lane highway!! He was scurrying across the large lawn in front of a church.


If you have any questions or comments please fire ahead. For the sake of continuity I've had permission from the mod team to use https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/chat-one-for-the-big-big-trip-journal.254098/

for comments/questions/discussion

 

[HobbesOnTour]

Days 58 - 68 Nashville 0km

I'm not going to go into all the details of what I did in Nashville, but I had a lot of fun, indulged in a lot of food and generally had a great time.

I was very lucky and privileged to have friends who made me so welcome. They even had Kerrygold butter for me!

Nashville, or Music City USA, has a booming tourist trade. A lot of that tourist trade might be convention guests or bachelorette parties, but there's a lot to see and do. Broadway is party central and even at 4:30 pm on a Monday was jammed. A weekend night and it would be my idea of Hell! (I must be getting old and grumpy….ier!)

Of course, having locals to guide me around meant it was a different experience than if I had landed up on my own.

I got to do all the touristy things.

I visited the Ryman, home of the original Grand Ol' Opry, now restored to it's former glory, but still showing signs of its religious past - concert goers sit in pews. The night I visited Ryan Bingham was playing - I'd seen it months before but it was already sold out then.

The Johnny Cash museum was very interesting, if a little small and very busy. Other than the place where you can remix his songs (sacrilege!) it's a place I'd definitely recommend. There's an area playing the video to "Hurt" on a loop and I'd challenge anyone to spend some time watching and listening and not leave with a lump in their throat, at least.

Maybe I'm just weird but I find Cash's version to be defiant and a song sung by someone who's ready for whatever is next.

I got to visit a genuine Honky Tonk on Broadway, not one of the multifloored party central places jammed with party goers at 4 pm on a workday. The solo singer would have been paying for the privilege of playing, his source of income tips from the customers. The Nashville music industry is alive, well and tough!

I did get to see one of my musical heros - Bob Schneider. He's prolific, performs many different genres and was one of the reasons I was going to Austin - he has a weekly residency there. On the European side of the Atlantic he's unknown, but in these parts he's admired for his live shows. When I saw tickets for his Nashville show I wasted no time (the fact that karaoke was provisionally penned in for that night was no influence!). The two lads who were more than a bit sceptical even enjoyed it.

What was also interesting to see was how respectful the crowd were. This is definitely a music town.

Another interesting place was the Opryland hotel, formerly the largest hotel in the world. It has three giant garden areas inside the hotel, a canal (with boats!) and is just spectacular! They do a massive light display for Christmas too. I was sure it was going to be tacky in a way only the U.S. can do, but I was genuinely blown away. In one massive lobby there are murals of "Old Nashville". In one tiny corner of one mural I was shown the surname of one of my friends representing his great grandfather's business. To be honest, I found this attention to detail to be charming.

I think like most places in the States there are many, many food options but the Nashville signature dish is hot chicken. I won't disgust you with the details but I will warn you that it.is.HOT!

I also took a side trip to Cincinnati which I found to be charming and their signature food - Cincinnati Chilli (not chilli at all) served with spaghetti was delicious!

On this side trip I got to visit a throwback to the "Old America", a couple of roadside attractions that used to be dotted all over the country, a place for travellers to visit and locals to make some money. When the Interstates were built most that were on the old roads died off, but a few still exist - a throwback to simpler times.

Dinosaur World. Old school, definitely, but a lot of fun!

Nashville is a car town. Places are far apart and traffic is heavy. There are some parkways but getting around on a bike is challenging! For instance, when I needed to get to a Mall under my own steam a 6km trip in a car turned into a 35km trip on a bike! Since some of that was on a mixed use trail that closed at dusk it would have been much worse after dark!

I got work done on the bike - a new Bottom Bracket, chainset, cassette & chain. I got the wheels trued and the hubs serviced too.

I got one of my tent poles restrung ( the elastic got frayed the time the tip got stuck) and I got patches for the cat claw holes in the tent. Ironically, as I was repairing the tent there were two particularly malevolent, evil, sinister cats from the neighbours watching me intently. I was sure that if I had left the tent alone they would have continued their feline friend's destruction.

I also got my hands on some "Gorilla Tape" supposedly Superior to normal gaffer tape. I used it to repatch and reinforce the panniers that got ripped. I have to say these panniers are only a couple of years old, have had minimal use and do not seem to be anywhere as robust as the traditional material Ortlieb use.

Oh! I also bought a can opener! I don't have one and have never needed one camping before - every can had a ringpull. Not here, though! I got caught out in my first few days and had to ask a woman in an RV if I could borrow one. She took the can off me and opened it with her counter mounted electric opener - nothing like roughing it!

I also took a bit of time to plan the next stage. To get to Austin, I had two basic choices. I could take the Natchez Trace south to Natchez, join the Mississippi River Trail as far as the Southern Tier route then follow that to Austin or I could cut across directly to the Mississippi River Trail and follow that south, visiting Memphis along the way.

My understanding is that the MRT is not the greatest of routes and often is far from the river. I figured the Natchez Trace would be quieter at this time of year, although there can be big gaps in campsites and provisions.

I've postponed making a decision on New Orleans until I'm closer. It seems like unless I want to cycle back from New Orleans the way I went down I'll have to go along the coast and that looks busier. Since I'm neither a fan of doubling back nor busy roads I may skip my visit to Lake Pontchartrain.

This means that the MRT and Southern Tier parts will put me back on ACA routes. I've learned my lesson so I've a backup option if I don't like them. However, the ACA give contact details for a museum, a fire station and a church who host campers so I would like to try those!

Since Nashville was always "Phase One" I took a few minutes and compiled some stats, based on starting in Norfolk, VA.

I cycled 2287 km.

I climbed 21,111 meters.

I was on the road for 34 days (incl rest days), giving a daily average of 67 km per day every day.

When I "plan" a trip I reckon on averaging 80km per day. The distance normally suits me and my frequent stopping style. For this trip I reduced that down to 60km to allow for rest days/touristy things or whatever the road throws up. I'm quite chuffed that it seems to be reasonably accurate.

If you have any questions or comments please fire ahead. For the sake of continuity I've had permission from the mod team to use https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/chat-one-for-the-big-big-trip-journal.254098/

for comments/questions/discussion

 

[HobbesOnTour]

Day 69, Wednesday November 20, Nashville to Tennessee Highway 50 Bicycle-only Campground, at milepost 408 100km

Before I go any further I should explain that I haven't actually been in Nashville the past week and a half. I've actually been in Madison, a little North of Nashville. That's relevant only because to leave Nashville I first had to enter Nashville.

I was up early, but not as early as I wanted and even though most of the packing was already done, it still took a while to get everything ready. At least I didn't forget anything!

I said my goodbyes and headed off with mixed feelings. On the one hand it was great to be back on the road, resuming my little adventure. On the other hand I was leaving friends behind. If I had a third hand there was also the fact that Nashville had been a great target to aim for because I wanted to go there and I had friends there. From now on, it's places I want to go, but without the friends. Nashville was always going to be my "safety net". After Nashville there's just the fall below me.

I'd gone about a kilometre (uphill of course) when I realised I had forgotten the flag for my trailer, so I turned around and bugged George one last time.

The country around here is all hills. Constant hills. I was quickly learning that 10 days of decadent living is not conducive to cycling up hills!

The route kept me off the main roads bringing me mostly through the suburbs. Other than the hills, it was very pretty country.

I stopped for a quick breakfast in Mickey D's and availed of the pedestrian crossing lights to walk my bike across four lanes of traffic. One car didn't stop. I pulled the bike back and he barely missed me. Had I been riding the bike I was a goner.

I continued on through the poorer part of Nashville's edges, then the city proper, my route stymied by roadworks and preparations for a Christmas festival.

Getting out the other side proved more difficult, the bike lane disappearing regularly to reappear only to disappoint me once more. And some pretty steep hills. My legs were protesting and doing their impressions of rubber stumps.

Getting off the last main four lane road took about 25 minutes as I had to turn left. Wary of the traffic I cycled on to a junction to avail of the pedestrian crossing, having to cross three times because the one crossing I wanted was broken.

Ummmm maybe Nashville was trying to tell me something!

I was expecting to start the Natchez Trace Parkway after about 35-40 km so stopped for my last Nashville meal at the Loveless Cafe. They're famous for their biscuits. To anyone not from the South, biscuits are bread!

There was no grand fanfare at the start of the Trace, just a good quality two lane road. Since commercial traffic is prohibited I was hoping it would be quiet at this time of the year and I wasn't wrong. I've attended livelier funerals!

For a cyclist it's great! Interesting scenery, especially at this time of the year - the Fall colours are everywhere. There's so little traffic (and they must use the other lane to overtake) that a shoulder is not missed. But the hills!!! They're constant! I climbed to about 300meters then there was a rolling down to 280, up to 320, back to 290, up to 330 and so on. Steep buggers too!

But it was so quiet! Cars went by at the rate of one every twenty minutes. Sometimes there was the sound of traffic on another road, somewhere, but mainly it was still and quiet, except for the sounds of squirrels in the trees and the grunting, groaning and ocassional swearing of a cyclist.

A highway passing underneath

My target for the night was one of four bike only campsites that I reckoned was about 55 km along the Trace. I had expected to be making better time once out of the city but the hills were not cooperating. I was starting to think I'd be under pressure to make it by dark.

As the sun was setting I pulled into an area where people can access the many hiking trails in the park. There was a carpark, empty, and a toilet block. Hmmm. Handy place to camp I thought. There was grass behind the building so I'd be shielded from view on the road. However, I knew there were specific places where camping is allowed (this wasn't one), I expected someone official along to lock up the bathrooms and I was afraid I'd be kicked out after setting up camp. So I set off again into the failing light.

Dumbass! I should have stayed!

When the night finally fell, the whole world became dark. Only dark. The stars that has been visible in the last light were hidden by cloud. There's not a reflector, a light, a cat's eye in the middle of the road. Just black.

Except when a car went by, of course, and the many bridges along the way had a flashing orange light. But the rest of the time? Totally dark.

And with the darkness were the sounds coming from the trees on my left and right. The nocturnals were coming out to play.

It was such a special experience that I pulled in and savoured the experience for about ten minutes. No cars passed but I could hear noise all around me, seeing nothing.

There's a song about this very thing.

View: https://youtu.be/cferMD6R4Ew


When I set off again I realised that the biggest risk was a small animal wandering into the road in front of me. It sure makes a pleasant change from bears, snakes and alligators!

When I eventually came to the junction with Highway 50 where the campsite was supposed to be, I had a terrible job finding it in the dark. Like the previous place it's a location where people can access the trails. I have a bin, a picnic table but no bathrooms or water. I should have stayed in the other place.

I got the tent set up, changed my clothes and decided against cooking. It's very cold out there. Instead dinner was some jerky and wraps of peanut butter and honey. Sigh. I'm back to road food!

I've climbed into my sleeping bag and in for a long night. Tomorrow will either be quite long or quite short. Campsites are well spaced on the NTP. I've a sneaky suspicion it'll be a shorter day.

It's clear that one of my greatest challenges will be the short days. It was dark at 4pm. Pitch dark by 4:30. I'm not a fan of riding in the dark. On any other road I'd have stayed at my first option, but given the excellent quality of the surface and the low, low volume of traffic I was happy to continue. But thinking further along, cycling and finding camping spots will not be pleasant. At the same time, I like to take time to stop and enjoy where I am. I don't like rushing. I'll just have to see how it goes.

The good news is that I have a new song swirling around in my head - Willie Nelson's "On the road again".


If you have any questions or comments please fire ahead. For the sake of continuity I've had permission from the mod team to use https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/chat-one-for-the-big-big-trip-journal.254098/

for comments/questions/discussion

 

[HobbesOnTour]

Day 70 Thursday, November 21 Highway 50 Bicycle-only Campground Meriwether Lewis Camp ground 40 km

Well, one thing is for certain - I've lost my ooomph! Not that I had much to begin with but today was tough and for the last 10 kms I was all out of puff.

Last night I was asleep before 8:30 and slept soundly until after midnight. Thereafter it was less settled until it was time to get up. Then I slept soundly again!

Truth be told, I was pretty sure today was going to be a short day. The next bike campground was about 140 km away, the next regular campground was about 40km. Tough call!

Just to explain about the campgrounds; there are four campgrounds specific for cyclists and several more general campgrounds all run by the State, all free, but with basic facilities. For example my spot last night had no water (at this time of the year) and no toilets. In fairness, both these were available about two kms down the road.

Tonight is a bigger specific campground for RVs as well as tents with a toilet block (no showers) and running water.

As well as these there are also private campgrounds, almost all are off the route, but not too far away.

Other than the average 100 mile gaps between the bike campgrounds it's a pretty good setup for cycle tourers. Also, some of the bigger attractions along the way will have a toilet block (with water) and normally electrical sockets if you have a good look around.

So I had a lazy morning in no real rush to get moving. When I did I promptly stopped to use the bathrooms, fill my water bottles and have some breakfast.

The first thing I noticed was a wind coming from the wrong direction. As the route wound it's way around it was always there, either as a cross wind or as a headwind. The only kind thing I can say about it is that it wasn't cold, coming from the south, but it fairly bugged me on the descents having to work hard.

At first, the landscape opened up into farmland but later closed in again with trees on either side. Again, traffic was almost negligible. This, coupled with the lack of noise (except the wind) had me feeling very alone. I could stop and rest on one of the many viaducts and see no trace of human life. I did see a young deer, a tortoise crossing the road, many, many squirrels and one, fairly large unidentified animal.

Like yesterday it was either uphill or down. The climbs look gentle, but I'm starting to think there's something magnetic in the ground that is pulling at me!

About half way along I pulled out my iPod more for company than anything else and continued on listening to my favourite country boys.

Maybe it was the i-pod, but not long after big wet drops started hitting me. Looking at the sky it didn't look serious, but when they came back in a little while I stopped and donned my full rain gear. The temperatures can drop quickly here and I don't want to be cold and wet. As it turned out the rain spattered on and off, but I never really got wet.

As I said, the last 10kms were a killer. I just had nothing to give. The batteries were empty. Eventually, I saw the sign for my turn off for the campground - only 1 mile (uphill of course!). When I turned off there were three separate areas signposted - a car park with bathrooms (I pulled in for water, just in case), the official Merriwether Lewis site and finally the campground another 3-4 km up the road.

I arrived and had a look around. The RV sites are located around the toilet block, while the tent friendly sites are further away. I think they have that backwards! In any case, I was able to get the tent set up in daylight and boiled the kettle while doing so, rewarding myself with a cup of coffee for a job well done.

By 4pm it was dark.

I've climbed into the tent, changed into my night clothes - all lovely warm wool and into my sleeping bag to write this. I'll wrap up later and cook my dinner before settling down properly for the night.

I've had zero phone signal since I started on the NTP but the last weather forecast I saw was for rain tomorrow. It had five raindrops so that means serious rain! Also, temperatures were forecast to drop at the same time. I have a few options for tomorrow based on the weather. The next bike campground is 100kms away. The next (private) campground is about 40 km away. There is also a State Park, but that's a good 25 km off the route, back on a highway. And, if the rain is really bad I have enough food and access to water to stay put.

I'll see what it's like in the morning.

If you have any questions or comments please fire ahead. For the sake of continuity I've had permission from the mod team to use https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/chat-one-for-the-big-big-trip-journal.254098/

for comments/questions/discussion

 

[HobbesOnTour]

Day 71 Friday, November 22

Rainy day at Merriwether Lewis Campground. 0km

When I woke up it was raining pretty heavily, so I rolled over for another nap. When I awoke from that it was still raining so I lay there listening to the sound of falling rain. It's pretty nice so long as you don't have to go out in it.

Leaving Nashville

When it lightened off, I got up and wandered around looking for a faint internet signal. Eventually I had one for long enough to suggest the rain was down for the day. I made some breakfast, a pot of coffee and retired to my tent.

This rain day was nowhere near as exciting as the last one. I had ample food and water. I finished my book, moved on to another, got my postings ready for here (whenever I can get a decent internet connection) then decided to treat myself to an indulgence; I signed up for Netflix last year & have kept the sun running for the moment. It's possible to download programmes for offline use. However, they are time stamped & expire. I had updated them in Nashville so was able to watch Godless & Money Heist on my tablet.

Peanut butter & chocolate - sounds gross, actually delicious!

I had tuna and crackers for dinner and except for a trip to the bathroom was in the tent all day.

As the rain continued all day I congratulated myself on my decision.

Christmas decorations or a sign of madness?? (Outside Nashville)

If you have any questions or comments please fire ahead. For the sake of continuity I've had permission from the mod team to use https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/chat-one-for-the-big-big-trip-journal.254098/

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[HobbesOnTour]

Day 72 Saturday, November 23, Merriwether Lewis Campground to Colbert Ferry Park 103 km

Today can be filed under Feckin' eejit day!

I was in no rush to get up today, either. There was still a light drizzle falling and my destination was not too far away.

I got up and made a leisurely breakfast of porridge & coffee, taking my time. Then I set about packing everything up, slowly & carefully since the tent was so wet.

Eventually, I was all packed up & ready to head into the misty drizzle. I was glad I had a short day. I was glad too that the brief forecast I'd been able to snatch with a dodgy internet connection told me the rain would stop any minute now. The tent was soaking and would benefit from an early pitch without rain, to dry it out. I may even have been feeling a little smug!

I was pleased to find that a bit of my oomph was coming back. Despite the drizzle and wind, again head or cross, I was steadily motoring along. The traffic seemed slightly busier, but then again it was a Saturday.

Early on I saw my first bunch of Wild Turkeys. I was already passed them on a descent when I copped them.

The scenery varied from forests almost to the edge of the road, to more open farmland. On the more open stretches I could really feel the wind, and combined with the rain it could be cold.

Other than the rain lasting longer and sometimes being heavier than I expected, I was flying along, happy out with my iPod playing in my ears.

After about 35km I pulled in to check my bearings. The campground I was heading for should be about 5km down the road. This would leave me a gentle 65km or so for Sunday.

I found the campsite, alright - about 20 km behind me!! Dumbass screwed up the distance and sailed past, obliviously! (In fairness to my good self, it was a private RV park, off the route.)

The only other option was to double back a few km and take a highway 25 km to a state Park. That would mean the same 25km to get back on route tomorrow. There aren't a lot of roads in this part of the world. Of course, I could just continue on to Colbert Creek (Sunday's destination), but that was another 65 km down the road and I had been wasting precious daylight faffing all morning!

I set off again, refusing to go backwards, my annoyance at myself providing decent energy to my legs.

I pulled off the route into the town of Collinwood for some hot food. Once away from the protection of the trees, the wind blasted me ferociously.I was starting to cool down now. It was a little after 1 pm and the temperature was dropping from a high of 12C down to 8C. The restaurant itself was cool and I started shivering from the cold.

Across the road I could see the town's motel and was really, really tempted.

Since I was in town I had a weak internet signal so had a look at what elevation I had to face for the next 55 odd km. Thankfully, it was trending down, so I decided to go for it.

This is another bike only campsite, so no showers or other luxuries. I layered up against the cold & set off again.

Surprisingly, once moving I started to warm up again and moved steadily along, although at times the wind was tricky.

I passed into a new State, Alabama, with a sign that showed no evidence of being shot at.

The rain actually stopped and the sky in front of me was brightening up. Things were looking up!

In all seriousness there hasn't been a great variety of scenery the past few days. Mainly trees on both sides of the road, sometimes opening up to farmland, the occasional creek and that's about it. But I don't find it boring at all. The road has a way of weaving, up, down, left or right that I find mysterious. I want to see what's over the brow of the hill, or around the bend.

Then, as it started to get dark the rain started again. Finally, I was approaching the Tennessee river (again) and my campsite was on the far side

I'd hoped for a spectacular sunset picture from the bridge - the river is a mile wide - but it was already too dark.

After the bridge, I turned off for the recreation area & bike campground. In the dark I couldn't find where I was supposed to camp, so I'm beside the river, close to bathrooms in a picnic area. Nobody's around and if tomorrow is bright & dry I'll have a fantastic view with my breakfast.

Dark & raining was not how I had planned my camping tonight. The slight wind did a fair job of drying out the floor and the hand drier in the bathroom removed any dampness from my sleeping pad and dried my cycling clothes.

By 18:30 all tucked up warm & cosy.

If you have any questions or comments please fire ahead. For the sake of continuity I've had permission from the mod team to use https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/chat-one-for-the-big-big-trip-journal.254098/
for comments/questions/discussion

 

[HobbesOnTour]

Day 73 Sunday, November 24 Colbert Ferry Park to Tishomingo State Park 43km

Ok, so this wasn't the longest day in touring history, but it ranks up there among the best!

I'm fairly sure the weather imposed rain day followed by a trying day in cold, damp weather played their parts, but it was just a spectacular day. The thing is, I don't think the pictures will do the day justice - you just had to be there!

The hour is early
The whole world is quiet
A beautiful morning's about to ignite
I'm ready for danger
I'm ready for fire
I'm ready for something to lift me up higher
Rodney Crowell - Still learning how to fly.

If ever a song described a morning this is the one. It was glorious on the banks of the Tennessee river - bright sun, blue skies (although it was darn cold!).

I got up and started to get ready for my day. I put the kettle on for coffee and got my sleeping gear out to dry off in the sun. I moved the tent into some sun to dry it off (the rain started again during the night). Then I had breakfast and leisurely broke camp.

There was no-one around the whole time. As I was leaving a pick-up arrived, an older gentlemen walking his dog. Unusually for this part of the world he didn't return my greeting. I hit the road.

I didn't have too far to go. I was heading for a State Park so I was already looking forward to a shower!

I started off sans music, just to enjoy the silence. Although it wasn't really silent - there was a wind whipping against me.

Then I plugged in the iPod and away I went.

I was listening to all my boys - the aforementioned Rodney Crowell, Larry McMurtry, Ryan Bingham, Jason Isbell, John Prime, Lyle Lovett and loads more. After years of listening to songs written about places, I was riding through these places! And more to come!

I was humming along, then singing along, then roaring along. I wasn't bothering anyone and nobody was bothering me!

There were lots of little bridges today, over roads or tracks and over creeks. I think I stopped at almost all of them. There's a small shoulder, a place to lean the bike and a place to sit. They're wonderful places to sit and wait for the world to roll past. A wonderful advantage of travelling by bike - there's no place for cars to stop.

There was one, in particular, that stood head and shoulders above the rest. I have no idea why. I think it was that the landscape in front of me was opening out after the tunnel of trees previously. In any case, I sat there for quite a while, savouring and reminding myself just how damn lucky I was to be here doing this.

Before we'd ever had a chance to get properly acquainted I left Alabama and entered Mississippi. There's one for the record books - I rode across Alabama in a day!!

It wasn't all plain sailing - the wind was cool and tossed me around on descents above 30kmh. The climbing & descending of previous days were back again. It was cold too, barely into double digits. Sitting in the sun was warm, but moving in the wind was chilling.

It's a wonder I got any charging done I was stopping so often. It was great to have a short day, great weather and the confidence that I'd be pitching my tent in daylight.

I finally turned off the Trace and followed a delightful road through the woods to the campground. The ranger was helpful and friendly and I was soon on my way another couple of miles to pitch beside a lake. I've sprung for a site with an electrical connection since the last few days have been power heavy. $23. Go Mississippi!

I set my tent up - it's on concrete, although I've positioned the tent in such a way that I could use two pegs in a crack in the concrete. I'm on the shady side of the lake, but the morning should be spectacular!

Then I had a shave and a long, hot, rejuvenating shower! There's a dryer, so I washed my clothes too and had them toasty warm and dry an hour later!

There's no wifi here and I was told no cellphone coverage. Turns out TMobile has a signal, so I was able to check in online and add a couple of posts to this thread. This is the first consistent signal since I got on the Trace.

I was chatting to a guy camping with his kids. He's a biker too, but prefers off-road so he doesn't have to deal with traffic.

After dark I cooked (heated up, actually) some chilli for dinner. While cooking I happened to look up and the sky was amazing! The stars look so close! The cold night air is so pure they are dazzling! I was planning on eating inside the tent, but the view was just so special I had to sit outside and soak it all up.

I got cold, but it was worth it!

Now I'm tucked up in my sleeping bag, thawing out. When I'm done with this I'll make a visit to the bathrooms, do some jumping jacks and turn in for the night, proper.

All going well I'll be hitting Tupelo tomorrow - the birthplace of Elvis! The forecast is cloudy, but dry. More rain is forecast after that. This week is Thanksgiving over here - Thursday. Looking a bit further down the road, the NTP at Jackson gets quite busy. I may try to do that stretch on Thursday to miss the traffic. I'll have a look in the morning and see what works best.


If you have any questions or comments please fire ahead. For the sake of continuity I've had permission from the mod team to use https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/chat-one-for-the-big-big-trip-journal.254098/
for comments/questions/discussion

 

[HobbesOnTour]

Day 74, Monday, November 25 Tishomingo State Park to Natchez Trace Parkway Visitor Center 70km

Disaster! When I stopped for my first snack break my packet of trail mix was open and as I pulled it out of my bar bag all the trail mix fell into the barbag!

When that's the worst part of my day, it's a sign that it was a pretty good day!

I was right - this morning was another spectacular morning over water! The sun wasn't shining on me, but it was making a good job of burning off the mist from the lake.

It was cold, but it was heavenly. I was up with an early morning enthusiasm that is a little alien to me and set about making coffee & porridge. This was an extra coffee morning, just walking, sipping and savouring.

Mississippi! Feckin' Mississippi! What in God's name was I doing in Mississippi?? And how in all that's holy did I get here on a bike??

You might laugh, but this morning (and throughout the day) was the point where the conceptual met the reality!

Maybe because Nashville was the preliminary destination, I had friends there, safety, security was there. It was my focus.

But now? Now I'm out in the big bad world! And I'm in feckin' Mississippi! I knew I'd be in Mississippi one way or another, but today, the reality hit me!

Chatting to a friend on WhatsApp I told him I'd rarely felt more alive!

My musing done I headed off, stopping to tell the girl in the office that the spigot/tap at my spot was leaking and to compliment them in their shower design. Two sections, one for dressing/undressing and one for the actual shower. Their design masterpiece? The shower was lower than the dressing area meaning no water could get at shoes, socks or anything on the ground!

Then it was a little wander through the woods to get back on the Trace - next stop Tupelo!

I hope I'm not tempting fate but I could feel a bit of oomph coming back. The climbs and descents were still ever present, but I was handling them ok. The wind was still nasty, though, especially on descents and worse in open country.

If you're getting bored of the road pictures I apologise, but in my defence, there really aren't too many alternative shots.

I have to say I'm loving the riding. The traffic was a little heavier today, but still not a problem at all, the road surface is great and I'm captivated by the colours of the trees as well as what's around the next bend. I could see some people getting bored - not me!

There were fewer bridges today to stop, so that helped my focus a bit. I wanted to get to the bike campground at the official NTP offices on the edge of Tupelo, then pop into town to a supermarket to stock up.

I was going at a nice steady pace, then an hour from Tupelo I pulled in for a lunch of Jerky and peanut butter wraps. Sitting in the sun, on a bridge, it was delicious.

When I did arrive at the office, the campground was over the road and down a trail. With the kind lady's permission I dropped my gear outside her door and sped off to do my shopping.

Well! Talk about culture shock!! 2 km on normal city roads, heavy traffic, no shoulder. Hell!! I got to Aldi and went inside, barbag in hand. They don't do baskets here, only massive trolleys (outside, a quarter needed) so I loaded up my arms and hit the cash register. Of course the guy in front of me was difficult so my arms were killing me.

When it was my turn, the cashier was all chat (I was wearing my helmet) and the woman behind became involved too! In Aldi!! Nobody ever talks in an Aldi!

Then it was back into the madness, back to the center to pick up my gear, then across the road and down a trail in the woods. Not sure how long it's been since someone was here - there's a tree blocking the path - but I think I've landed on my feet. No water (i filled up at the center) a portapotty (still uninvestigated) and a pavilion all to myself with a picnic table. The sunset through the trees went from pale orange to deep red. Fantastic!

I can hear some animals moving about and unfortunately I'm close to the city so there's quite a bit of traffic noise.

I'd like to visit Elvis's birthplace, but frankly, the traffic this evening has put a big question mark over that. I'll see if I can figure out a safe route. I also have to think about my plan to get through Jackson on Thursday. A signpost tells me that's 170 miles away. That's three 100km days in a row. Hmmm….maybe not.

If you have any questions or comments please fire ahead. For the sake of continuity I've had permission from the mod team to use https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/chat-one-for-the-big-big-trip-journal.254098/
for comments/questions/discussion

 

[HobbesOnTour]

Day 75, Tuesday, November 26, Natchez Trace Parkway Visitor Center to Tombigbee State Park 25km

Ah, I woke up this morning and I just wasn't feeling it.

I'd slept poorly, first of all finding it difficult to fall asleep, then waking up regularly. I think it was because I was watching Netflix on my tablet again. They say it's not a good idea to watch a screen before sleep.

(I was watching Sunderland til I die. I thought it was gripping and really drew me in. Many years ago a good friend of mine & flatmate picked two recently promoted teams so we'd have an excuse to go to the pub regularly - his girlfriend was moving in and we were afraid we'd lose our quality time together! I chose Sunderland so have kept an interested eye on them since.)

Given that I was camped under a roof and with tall trees around I had set my phone to wake me rather than the sun. Ha! That worked well!

When I did finally drag myself up I made some coffee and used the portapotty - surprisingly clean and comfortable - and with toilet paper too!

The next campsite was about 55km down the road so I thought I'd hit the Elvis birthplace and head for that. But first, back to the NTP center for some water and to let them know about the fallen tree.

The lady behind the desk was very lively, asking all kinds of questions about my trip.
She'd had an enquiry from someone asking about powerpoints for an e-bike at the different stops. I was able to tell her where I had found them. (They've disappeared the further south I've gone).
That led to a discussion about e-bikes. She thought it was cheating. I think if they give people the confidence to get out and about then they're ok.
She loved the idea of travelling on a cargo ship so I had to tell her all about that too.

When I eventually went to set off I was hailed by a South African couple who wanted to video my bike. The lady sure liked to talk! Non-stop on every topic under the sun! He was talking too, just not as much, so I was trying to hold two conversations simultaneously. Tiring work!

Finally, I was on the road again. Cycle.travel had given me a safe route to Elvis's birthplace, avoiding much of Tupelo, so all in all, it was a pleasant ride.

I stopped for breakfast at an independent coffee place and used their WiFi to update this thread.

Time was getting away from me and I was tempted to skip the touristy stuff and just head south. The sky was ominous and rain was expected at any minute. But how many times am I going to be in Tupelo?

Heading through the suburbs of Tupelo one thing was very clear - there are a lot of churches! I mean A LOT! There were at least two junctions that three of the four buildings on the corners were churches. And big ones too! Often with all kinds of ancillary buildings attached.

For years, Mississippi has been ranked last of all the States on every important index (I believe) - income, education etc. Oftentimes churches step up when government fails. I believe things are improving slowly (or maybe other states are just doing worse).

I arrived at Elvis's Birthplace, expecting little, but was charmed by the whole experience. You can visit parts for free, or pay to see up to three exhibits - a museum, his home in Tupelo and his church ( the one he attended as a boy - not the Church of Elvis!). It is the actual church building - moved to the site!

At first I just wandered around outside but was drawn in and purchased tickets to visit the museum and his home.

The first thing in the museum I learned was that Elvis was a twin. His brother was stillborn. There was a well presented video on his early life in Tupelo (he left at 13 with his parents to Memphis).Times really were hard then, especially in the South.

There was ancestry information and a large display of memorabilia collected by a family friend. What I found most moving were items donated by fans, often with a letter accompanying them. One was of a battered toy truck that Elvis had given a school friend at about 6 years old. The letter was simple, but powerful.
Outside, there are several seats with plaques from donors.

Then I visited his actual two room house. It's the house built by his father, no running water or electricity, it still has the stove his mother cooked on but the furniture and fixtures are all donated, but era appropriate.

The house was interesting, but the elderly lady acting as ticket inspector and immobile guide was simply a wonder! Full of Southern charm and wit she was a pleasure to talk to. Her family were friends of the Presley's and she knew Elvis. Just chatting to her was worth the admission price alone. She travels the one hundred miles to Memphis several times a year to visit Graceland to make sure she's up to date with any new developments! The man died in 1977 what new developments could there possibly be??
She happily admitted to speeding on the way there too! As well as going motorbiking with her son - she must be in her eighties at least!
She told me to be careful on my bike. A previous visitor, a female cyclist had been killed the same day she visited. I told her that if she'd jinxed me I'd come back as a ghost and sit beside her every day as revenge!

I was very surprised at how tasteful and respectful the whole experience was. There was certainly an air of pride of a local boy done good, but this was no blatant attempt to cash in, at least until the gift shop where you could buy literally anything with Elvis on it. Steering wheel cover anyone?

In the shop there are two cutouts of Elvis for photos. A man was taking a photo of his two daughters do I offered to take one of the three of them. Offer gratefully accepted, then he fecked off without reciprocating! I was bemused, even though that's the very reason Hobbes travels with me, until an older man offered to take my photo with Elvis. When I thanked him and explained that I had a tiger he was bewildered!

Outside again, a couple had seen my bike and were all questions. We had a long chat - they had just come from Memphis and were on their way to Nashville. There I was in Tupelo, Mississippi giving hints on where to visit in Nashville, Tennessee - it's a crazy old world!

I've had more interesting conversations today since I don't know when. There was no way in Hell I was going to make it 60 odd Kms down the road to a campsite, so I headed for a nearby State Park, about 15 Kms away, stopping to buy some food as well.

Cycle.travel had me on quiet roads through a poor area, then a wealthy one, then poor again. And brutally hilly too! One dog chase to remind me of old times.
There were constant drops of rain, without it actually raining, so I was glad to land in the park before the skies burst.
The lady checking me in was great. One look at my foreign ID and she decided it was too much work! She asked me if it was my pickup outside and I pointed to the bike helmet on my head and teased her about having a bad day. Then she was all questions about my trip. When two colleagues came in she told them all about it too.

The bad news is that the rain expected today is now coming tonight, along with some hefty winds! They told me there'd be no issues if I slept in the bathhouse which worried me a little!

I got the tent set up, cooked dinner (proper food!) and just as I sat down to eat the heavens opened. I grabbed my food and ran for the bathouse to eat on top of a tumble drier.

After dinner it was into the tent, lightning flashing not too far away! Another longish night! Oh how I miss the warm, dry weather!

By tomorrow it should be clear so I hope to get at least as far as the next biker site. If I'm making good time I might go further. I just need to remember that Thursday is a big holiday so I'll need to have supplies and I don't want to be on the road late on Wednesday.

Yes indeed! How I miss the warm dry weather!
In the tent I listened to the Now Show podcast then rolled over for a deep sleep. The wind blowing didn't bother me, I'd the tent well pegged out and not under any branches. The rain pinging off the fly was like a soothing lullaby.

It was a warm night so my sleeping bag wasn't zipped up and my arms could roam free. At some stage some idea entered my head that the ground felt weird. When that thought became more persistent I finally woke up and realised that I appeared to be sleeping on a water bed!

It appears this ground can't soak any (more?) water and the water level was rising.

All of a sudden those words about using the bathhouse came back and bit me on the ass!

Inside the tent was remarkably dry so I packed my sleeping bag & clothes into a pannier & ran with that to shelter.
By now there was lightning to go with the rain.

I did a quick assessment and figured better to get everything out of the tent and under a roof.

Once that was done I was soaking, so I dried off, managed to make change from a late user of the laundry and get my clothes into a drier.

My sleeping mat, rainjacket and other assorted items are hanging in the bathroom waiting for the heating to kick in. I'm in fresh clothes so that's ok. I ate some peanut butter cups and wanted a can out of the vending machine to wash them down. My coins got stuck and my dollar bill was too wet! I stuck it in the drier for a minute and all is good!

If I look out now I can see the tent sitting in what is to all intents and purposes, a stream.
I didn't pitch tonight on concrete because I had no place to peg it out and strong winds were forecast. I placed the tent specifically to avoid any branches that may fall in the wind. I never thought for a second that I needed to worry about flooding! Also, two of the staff came by as I was setting up & we chatted. No mention of any risks.
Oh well, I wanted an adventure!

The morning after!

There's one dry spot on the floor that I'll settle down on when I think there's no chance of late visitors.
It's 23:30 - gonna be a long night!

Oh yes. I came across this too tonight - things get better and better!
Pack of feral hogs attack and kill woman outside Texas home https://jrnl.ie/4907638

 

[HobbesOnTour]

Day 76, wednesday, November 27, Tombigbee State Park to Witch Dance 55 km

How well can someone sleep on the floor of a toilet block? Surprisingly well, as it turns out!

I was awoken just after 6am by someone bursting in, but stayed warm & cosy for another half hour until it was brighter.

The first thing that struck me when I went outside was that the creek I was expecting my tent to be in was gone! Lots of big muddy puddles, though.

First job was to move the tent out of the swamp & onto some tarmac.
Second job was to mop out the inner floor with a micro fibre cloth.
Third step was to angle the tent for optimum drying.
Fourth step was coffee!

There was no wind and the sun wasn't penetrating the trees until it got higher. This was going to take a while!

I emptied out all my food bags to let them dry.
I checked every stitch of clothing for dampness.
I cleaned & oiled the chain on Roccado.
And I waited.

Given that my next campground was beside the road I had no idea what the conditions would be like so I was not leaving until all was dry.

Slowly everything started to come together. The tent was drying, the bags were getting packed. By 11:30 I was ready to rock & roll.

I set off initially going back the way I had arrived yesterday. Same route different vibe - dogs were out. One particularly nasty brute was very persistent. Not helping was a strong wobble from the trailer. I wanted to stop and sort it, but there was no place for a while. When I got the chance I pulled in, pumped up the wheel & set off again.

Easy, suburban riding on quiet roads until I hit the farmland. There was a lot of water everywhere! And now a wind from the south west. Cold! I was making a beeline to the NTP, passing through Verona.

This Verona is nowhere near as busy (or as pretty) as the original Verona. If it had a campground I doubt it's as attractive as the campground at Verona, high up a hill with great views of the city and tent pitches under vines - glorious!

However, it did have a mangy Labrador who followed me for about 2km to s busy junction. He was just friendly and seemed to want to join this little trip. Trying to get him to stop following me was impossible until a car positioned themselves between us and motioned me to go.

When I rejoined the NTP I promptly turned the wrong way, heading north rather than south! When I realised the cycling was too easy I checked my bearings and turned around into the wind.

Traffic was heavier now, not sure if it's Tupelo or the day before Thanksgiving. I saw a filling station and pulled in for some warm chicken.

Thereafter it was my usual NTP experience - rolling hills, lots of trees, more open farmland, regular stops at the little bridges. The sun now was shining and having a wonderful effect on the trees. It was really beautiful.

I had a couple of impatient drivers but most were very respectful. Near the end one asswipe slowed down behind me due to an oncoming car but then went for it, his mirror missing me by inches. I rode off the road in shock.

Litter is prevalent along here which I find to be such a shame. Earlier, I'd passed a sign advising of a $50 fine for littering. When I started in Virginia it was $2000, then moved up to $3000! C'mon Mississippi!

This stretch has less bathrooms at points compared to Tennessee. A small layby and an info sign is all you get. The road is definitely poorer too. There have been a few nasty sunken sections and potholes. Possibly it's due to the soft ground - it does look very wet

At one of these stops, the Black Belt, it explains how this area was under the sea "ages ago". I couldn't help but think that this vague, unscientific measurement was used not to cause offence to those believing the earth is less than 6000 years old.

I got to my camping spot well within daylight, set up the tent and was gathering wood to cook over (there's a couple of grills I can use) when I was approached by a fellow cycle tourist (although he was in a car today). We had a good old chat until darkness fell. When he headed off, I skipped the fire, lit the trangia and cooked dinner - pasta with a homemade tomato sauce with tuna. I also hardboiled 3 eggs for breakfast or lunch tomorrow

My campspot is in an area beside the road that has bathrooms. I reckon I'm about 200 meters from the road. Earlier there were some other folks on the other side of the bushes listening to dire music on a radio. They're gone now!

The sky is crystal clear and the stars are out, although the trees are in the way of an impressive scene.

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving so I'm hoping the traffic will disappear. There's a campground about 60 km down the road and the next bike one is about 120km. If it's a nice day, not too windy, I may go for the far one.

Just before I turned in for the night I took advantage of the toilet block to wash my dinner dishes & to change into my night clothes - it's warm in there!
I took the time to read the info board on this place - Witch Dance. Apparently, folklore has it that witches gathered here….to dance! Lovely thing to read just before I turn in! Now strange noises in the night might be critters after my food….or harridans on broomsticks!


If you have any questions or comments please fire ahead. For the sake of continuity I've had permission from the mod team to use https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/chat-one-for-the-big-big-trip-journal.254098/
for comments/questions/discussion

 

[HobbesOnTour]

Day 77, Thursday, November 28, Witch Dance to Jeff Busby Campground 65 km

Yesterday, I wrote that I might make a 120km run for the next bike campground. Well, I slept on it and decided that would be foolish!

When I woke up the sun was already up, although it was still cold. Mind you, I'd had a great sleep.

I made a leisurely breakfast of oranges, coffee & porridge and checked my dynamo charger. It didn't give any charge yesterday, although the light was working. It could be the unit itself, the connection at the hub, a dodgy cable or a dodgy mini usb port. In the end it was none of these things because it worked fine today! User error, most likely!

I was just ready to leave when a car pulled up full of young people (I hate writing that - makes me sound old!!). I reckon college kids. The boys were loud shouting about beer so I decided to wait until they left. With great public bathrooms one of them still peed in a bush.

They left and I hit the road. It was neither busy nor quiet. Cars seemed to arrive in packs. Perhaps travelling together for the holiday or perhaps the fast drivers all got stuck behind slower drivers.

It appears this blog is getting read in Redneck country because a pickup passed me rather close with a dog barking out the window! One minute the sound of a pickup, the next a hunting dog in my left ear! That shook me alright. I'm finding it hard to think that it wasn't deliberate. The pass was too close and the window too far down to be comfortable at that speed. I get that some people don't like cyclists. Hell, I don't even like some cyclists. I just don't get these kinds of actions.

In any case I was going fairly well. The sky was blue, the sun shining making every tree and bush shimmer. There seemed to be more flat and downhill sections, although gizmo says otherwise. The wind could still be nasty, though and was nippy. I got to thinking that at some point I'm going to be turning into that wind!

About noon the clouds took over the sky and I definitely missed its warmth.

About half way through the day I stopped on a bridge for lunch - boiled egg & jerky wraps. Delicious! Then onwards again.

The stopping points here are much less developed than back further. Here it's a small layby and a sign. No picnic table, no bathrooms. Zilch.
There were a lot of creeks today, running under the road and weaving through the forest on either side. There was something really mysterious about some of them. One, in particular, really gave me an urge to get a canoe and go exploring.

The landscape today was generally forest, some swampy forest and open, agricultural land. I'm still not bored, which I think is interesting. I like the idea of cycling along a similar (albeit much easier!) path to people from long ago. It gives a route a bit of depth, character and soul, I think.

I passed mile marker 223 and kept an eye out for 222 because that would be the half-way point. When I saw mile marker 208 I realised I'd been so engrossed in looking into the forests on both sides I'd completely missed it. I'll take that as a good sign!

It's great when you are under no pressure. The only teensy concern was that since it's Thanksgiving and this campground is first come first served that I may have an issue getting a pitch. In any case I'd be there well before the end of daylight so I was free to stop whenever and wherever I like.

After about 2pm the traffic really dropped off. Everyone sitting down for dinner, I suppose. That was the real reason for not going for a long day today. The chances of me being caught in the dark were too high and I figured the chances of meeting a drunk driver today were high too. Combine those factors and I'm perfectly happy to have a shorter day.

At the turnoff for the campground there's a bathroom so I stopped for a pee and a chat. I may have been a little brief, but in fairness, stopping a man on his way to the bathroom is a risky business! In any case, I was officially welcomed to Mississippi.

Then onto the campground proper. No issues with space - I have my choice of pitches. There's a toilet block that is also my source of water. I'm low on meths for my stove so will have to cook sparingly to make sure I have my coffee tomorrow!

Tomorrow is another 55/60 km day to the next bike campground. It's close to a small town so I hope to restock and refuel as well.


If you have any questions or comments please fire ahead. For the sake of continuity I've had permission from the mod team to use https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/chat-one-for-the-big-big-trip-journal.254098/
for comments/questions/discussion

 

[HobbesOnTour]

Day 78, Friday, November 29, Jeff Busby Campground to Kosciusko Information Center 56km

I was up at the crack of dawn, or at least a little after - 6:30 am to be precise. I'd slept well, the morning was fresh, but not too cold and I was the only one stirring in the campground.

I wanted to make my destination early to give time to resupply, but as tends to be common for my mornings, breakfast was "leisurely". This was the first morning in a while that it was warm enough to sit and eat.

I finally got on the road and the warmth disappeared. Once I was moving the cold air had a chilling effect. There was no sun either, to warm me up.

Until the first hill, that is! After that I was warm and toasty!

Traffic was light and all seemed to be heading in the opposite direction.

The scenery was a mix of forest, swampy forest and some more open farmland. As is the case here, the open land was windy!

I've really been enjoying the riding the past few days. Certainly the shorter distances help remove the stress of racing the sun to my destination. The regular bridges give me a comfortable place to stop as often as I like. But the main attraction is following a weaving road through some glorious country!

I stopped at an info board at a place called French Camp and was followed in by a car

It was an octogenarian intrigued by my Extra wheel trailer. I was happy to chat away with him and he told me he'd built his own trailer for his bike back when he was about 10.

Then he asked me if I was carrying a gun, all the while scrabbling around under his seat and door pocket looking for his.

Apparently, I needed to have a gun in this country. From the way he was talking, it was almost a legal requirement. He told me how he'd pulled out his gun to show some other "European cyclists" and they'd reacted badly, thinking he might shoot them.

All the while, still hunting for his gun.

When I tried to explain that us Europeans weren't used to seeing guns in everyday life so it could be quite a shock he dismissed me out of hand.

Muttering that his gun must be in his pick up he elaborated on why I needed to carry a gun;

"They made a mistake when they started this country. They let all those f*****g African Americans (not the actual term used) in. Now they all have guns so we need 'em too".

Now, I don't consider myself a bleeding hearted snowflake but I was stunned at the casual way the "n" word was thrown out to a stranger. I was also more than confused that the people he spoke of were described as being "let in". That kind of flies in the face of some things I thought I knew.

Unsure of exactly how to handle this and now a little nervous as he was searching for his gun again, I ventured the idea that they were hardly here of their own free will?

Oh dear!

"Let me tell you something. If the slave owners treated 'em as bad as was let on, they'd have risen up & killed every last one".

Now I really wanted out of the conversation, but he was back to guns and the need for me to have one.

When I told him that I was pretty sure it was illegal for me to have a gun, I was informed not in Mississippi!

I made the mistake of trying to lighten the mood with a joke saying if I had a gun I'd probably only shoot myself.

That did not go down well, launching a stirring invective against men these days not being men.

I really wanted to get out of there, yet at the same time I was wondering what else would be forthcoming. It's not often you meet someone who speaks so candidly and with such apparent conviction.

Cyclists were next - as I stood astride a bike. Apparently, we've too many rights and have lost our fear of cars! To emphasise his point he regaled me with the tale of his attempt to overtake a cyclist at (only) 50mph on a blind bend. When the inevitable happened and a car appeared he blasted his horn, but the damn cyclist did not pull off the road. Instead, my new friend had to brake really hard.

When he asked where I was heading I lied and said my goodbyes. He was still looking for his damn gun!

The whole incident left me quite shaken. The transformation from interested old soul to someone quite sinister was sudden and totally unexpected. I was shocked at his use of the n word - to a stranger - and the casual way he used it like the last 60 odd years never occurred.

When he spoke of the cyclists I started to get very uneasy. I felt that he may be about to work himself up into a fit of righteous indignation and then take it out on the nearest cyclist - me!

The sun came out to shine and I looked up to see a bright blue sky, but that didn't help much. All of a sudden every car seemed a bit more sinister. It really wasn't a nice way to be riding.

After a bit of a climb to work out some frustration and a pleasant descent I was starting to feel a bit better. Two cars were approaching me when suddenly the second car pulled into my lane in an overtaking move. I had no choice but to pull off the road and down a (thankfully) gentle slope. The car stayed in my lane but never overtook the first car. Did they really not see me or was it just another bike hater?

Now I was really not in a good mood. I came to another info board so pulled in and parked the bike. It was the start of a nature trail through a swamp so I took a wander then ate an orange and some trail mix. Then back on the road.

As I got close to Kosciusko I started to feel a little better. It was warm, I had hours of daylight and a big Walmart on my way to the campground.

Sometime yesterday the route I had plotted on cycle.travel diverged away from the NTP. It's the second place it has done so. I noticed it at the planning stage but left it as it was so I'd have a handy alternative if the NTP was not as I was expecting. At some stage today I had the unusual opportunity to cycle over this alternative route! Two lane highway, rumble strip, no shoulder - I was happy where I was!

The road not taken

I pulled into the Walmart and was a bit uneasy about leaving the bike and gear outside. Inside, I was a man on a mission grabbing what I needed. I'd throw my eye outside every now and then, the bike was fine.

I made it to the Information Centre where cyclists can camp. It's close to the road, but a nice setup. The toilets are left open for me!

Last night I had a terrible craving for cheese, so once the tent was set up, I melted some cheddar and ate that with the best bread I could find in Walmart. The bread's crap - dry and flakey, but the melted cheese is delicious! OK, it'll take an hour to clean the pot, but who cares? 😀

The host at the centre is a volunteer, a very nice, welcoming man. He's given me his number in case I need anything tonight. We had a nice chat about my trip and my gear. He declined my offerings of fondue, coffee or peanut butter cups.

Tomorrow I'll be heading for Jackson. The traffic on the Trace at Jackson can be murderous. 25% of car wrecks on the whole NTP occur in one short section I'm due to be cycling! Lovely!

Since the next campground is the far side of Jackson I may be motelling it tomorrow night. I'm pretty sure I could do with a shower and my clothes could do with a rinse!

As I was relaxing at my picnic table another (lightly) loaded cyclist rolled in! I was very excited!! After all these kms in the US this is the first I have seen!!

Emma is British, but working over here and has taken a few days to do the NTP. It was great to have a chat and compare experiences. She arrived when all the goodies I had bought in Walmart were strewn over the table - God knows what she thought of me! She's travelling lighter than me (who isn't??) and has been doing longer days.

The weather tomorrow is turning stormy, so my plan is to be up early and knock off the 100km or so to Jackson.

If you have any questions or comments please fire ahead. For the sake of continuity I've had permission from the mod team to use https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/chat-one-for-the-big-big-trip-journal.254098/
for comments/questions/discussion

 

[HobbesOnTour]

Day 79, Saturday, November 30, Kosciusko Information Center to Ridgeland (Jackson suburb) 99km


I was up just after sunrise at about 6:30 am. Emma was already up and packing, ready to head off. She's working to a deadline so has two long days ahead of her. We compared notes on the weather, a storm was definitely heading in.

I breakfasted & packed up & by my standards was on the road early enough. The first thing I noticed was the wind! It was strong! Coming from the south west it was going to be fighting me all day.

Truth be told, I was already feeling apprehensive about today. Jackson traffic is well flagged and reinforced by my host last night. The 100km odd felt far away. Too slow and I'd be riding into the storm. To help me along I plugged in my iPod for the first time in days as I left. Springsteen at Madison Square Garden - the gig where he plays "The River" (double) album in the middle of the gig!

Setting off the sky was overcast and would stay that way for most of the day. Traffic was light and I was soon rolling along at a reasonable pace.

When the trees lined the road I had some shelter from the wind, but when the land opened up the wind was trying to bully me. The road seemed unusually flat which I was grateful for.

By 11 am I had covered 40km, by noon I was more than half way. If I could stay above 15 kmh I'd be arriving between 3 and 4 pm. I'd picked out a couple of motels close to the NTP but hadn't booked anything.

The first indication that maybe the locals weren't treated so well

o

The pendulum swung from gun-toting racist yesterday to John, today.

Riding along, a covered pick up pulled in and the driver busied himself at the rear of the truck. I slowed down to time my passing with an oncoming car.

John flagged me down and quickly eased my paranoia. Did I need anything? Food? Water? He thought my "rig" was cool! He'd cycled himself from Florida to Washington State, a life changing 8 months. His excitement and enthusiasm was infectious! He warned me of the incoming storm and conscious I was under pressure pumped my hand several times, checked once more I had everything I needed and drove off leaving me recharged.

On I went, stopping to snack and drink every hour or so. I was happy to see that I was making good time. The sun even came out for a little while, but mainly it was behind clouds. When it did shine the fast moving clouds made it seem like it was a searchlight panning down or across the road.

About 25km from the end I was passing a large reservoir and had a decent data signal so I booked a motel. By the reservoir the wind was brutal so immediately my speed slowed. Then it started to rain so I pulled in to don my rain gear. It looked like the last bit was going to be the hard bit!

The rain never really got going and petered out. I hopped off the NTP proper and onto a mixed use trail. The traffic wasn't particularly busy, but the cars were passing closer than before so this option made sense to me.

The trail was surprisingly tough, lots of short steep climbs.

Then I had to leave the trail and onto regular roads for the last couple of kms to the motel. Waiting at traffic lights to turn left onto a 4 lane highway a guy from the pickup behind me ran up to me and thrust a red bike light into my hand and ran back to his truck! I've a light on the trailer and one on the rack of the bike - both on! I called out to him asking why he did this. He roared something back about more lights weren't a problem!

Such kindness!

I was only on the main road for about 300 meters, then back to smaller ones.

I pulled into the motel, checked in and hit the room. Wifi took a while to get organised. I checked in with some folks at home, did my laundry, had a shower and tried to order a pizza. When that failed, I went out for food. There were a few options within walking distance, but the lack of footpaths, a 4 lane highway to cross and foul weather left me choosing the closest - Wendy's. Surprisingly good burgers!

Lightning is flashing all around, winds are expected to gust up to 60 mph! Glad I'm not in the tent tonight!

As Birthdays go, it certainly wasn't the worst! 😀


If you have any questions or comments please fire ahead. For the sake of continuity I've had permission from the mod team to use https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/chat-one-for-the-big-big-trip-journal.254098/

for comments/questions/discussion