Day 10

Howdy, All!

We started the day off just fine. Our day off had been most enjoyable and relaxing even with the rain. The weather in Jackson, MS was cool & breezy with a few low rain clouds still lingering around. We were packed up and under way at 0915hrs heading North to Kosciusko, MS and a bicycle camp near the Ranger Station there. Chuck and I have been riding mornings and Sharon & I the afternoons as Chuck doesn't fare too well in the heat of the day. So, Chuck & I head out over the Spillway at the reservoir and on to Harbour Drive. We are about 100 yards from the light at Old Canton Rd when this little old lady (literally) goes jetting passed us in the ditch! No kidding! It was a 2 lane with a double yellow and she pulls off the side of the road and punches it! I thought for sure she would lose it on the embankment with the wet grass but she shot passed us and, low-n-behold, beat us to the red light by at least 15 seconds! Good show lady! A couple of fellas in the pickup that was behind her pulled next to us and said that we must have scared her... :o) Funny, fellas. Chuck and I were absolutely beside ourselves to see such an exemplary display of discourteous and dangerous driving.

We shook that one off, made a right onto Old Canton Rd. and headed for the Natchez Trace and Kosciusko. Just before the turn a guy in a small grey car pulls beside me and, with his window down takes my pic with his cell phone. I gave him a smile and through him the deuce then we made our turn and continued along the Trace. After about 2 miles here comes the little grey car again. He tells Chuck that he wants to talk and will wait at the next rest stop about 1/2 mile up the road. We arrive to find Darrel (sorry if I misspelled your name) waiting outside his car. Here I see a man in his late 30's to early 40's in black running shorts and built like a Spartan Soldier... pecs, abs, arms, tan, cut... the works. As we introduce ourselves I begin to see the stickers on his car are triathlete and iron man and then I notice the iron man tattoo on his ankle. We spoke for a bit and it turns out that Darrel is a competitor and big into bicycle advocacy and has a bunch of info on what we will find on up the road. He also confirms what Patti at Indian Cycles told me about the number of auto-cyclist accidents increasing dramatically in the Jackson area. I told him about the little old lady not 30 minutes earlier and we discuss some of the craziness that drivers do when encountering cyclists just to save an apparent few seconds in their day. Darrel seemed like a really cool dude and I wish him the best of luck in competition and in life.

From there Chuck & I headed up the Trace without incident enjoying the beautiful vistas along the reservoir. We passed several other cyclists and exchanged greetings as we passed. We stopped at the cypress-tupelo swamp for a break and a few pics. Poor Chuck took a spill on the slick wooden stairs but managed to land without hurting himself, thank goodness. You had me worried for a second there, Chuck. Sharon caught up to us at the swamp and, to my great delight emerged from the truck with an ice cold bottle of Mountain Dew! It did not last long... I guarantee! We decided to meet at the Choctaw Boundary for lunch and for Chuck & Sharon to switch out then Chuck & I were on our way again.

At the Choctaw Boundary (boundary set under Doaks Treaty taking 1/3 of the Choctaw lands... within 3 years the U.S. Government would take the rest under Manifest Destiny) we had a light lunch and Sharon & I proceeded down the Trace under the not-too-distant rumble of thunder. We didn't get but a couple of miles down the road when it began to rain so we pulled under some trees and hailed Chuck to come get Sharon. Sharon and Chuck swapped again and poor Chuck got to ride in the rain with the TXPeddler. We ended up riding the rest of the 32 miles to Kosciusko in the rain and, much to our dissatisfaction, found the last 25 miles to be our favorite type of road... you guessed it, chip seal! So we had pouring rain, chip seal and no fenders. We ended up totally drenched and somewhere around 8 to 10 miles out I noticed the bolts securing my right brake caliper had vibrated nearly all the way out. We stopped to rectify that situation when a Park Ranger stopped to see if we were OK or if we needed assistance. Turns out he was prior service Army from Ft. Hood and had served 2 tours in Iraq. Thank you for your service, Brother! I told him I had been an Army Engineer and later a Park Ranger at Belton-Stillhouse Hollow Lakes and was familiar with BLORA at Ft. Hood. Satisfied that we were Brothers, he offered information on the bicycle campsite and advised that if we needed anything to not hesitate to call. Thanks, Brother!

Chuck & I continued on up the Trace at a miserable pace with the bikes chattering away on the chip seal and the rain spotting our glasses and, for me, running down my back and butt. We were soaked to the bone though not cold thankfully. We arrived at the bike camp safe and sound to find it quite different than the bike camp at Rocky Springs. Here it was strictly a primitive group site with a few tent pads, common fire ring, trash can, water spigot and a vault restroom (outhouse). Within a few steps into the campsite I was neck deep in mosquitoes. It was not looking to be a very promising evening. About that time Sharon showed up and advised that she found a Days Inn Hotel within 1/2 mile of where we stood... Yup! You guessed it! It didn't take a bunch of arm twisting to get me to ride another 2700 feet for a hot shower, clean sheets and AC. Sharon did an awesome job reconnoitering the area for this hotel! Thanks, Sharon! You're the best!

The rooms are very clean and well appointed. I tremendously enjoyed the massage shower head and spent the most of 30 minutes washing off road grit. I unpacked all of my wet gear and hung my soaked clothing. I then dried my shoes with the hair dryer! Hey, it worked pretty well actually... Then we all went to dinner together.

Chuck has been asking for Mexican food ever since we left Houston. We tried to tell him the ole "when in Rome" thing but he just wouldn't buy it. Well, as it turns out there's a Mexican restaurant just 3 doors down (not the band) from the hotel so we headed over there. The place was loud and bright and we were seated next to a birthday party with a gaggle of teenage girls. This did not bode well for our tummies or Chuck's need for Mexican food. As it turns out, it was really, really good food. I had my favorite enchiladas verdes and they were actually pork instead of chicken and the house verde (green) sauce was very tasty. Surprisingly, the beans and rice were each extra. So, Chuck finally got his Mexican food and we won't be able to bust his chops about how to never order Mexican food in Mississippi!

Now I'm chillin' and thinking about tomorrow. I have been looking at my route plan and schedule with a very critical and, now, very experienced eye. I can tell you earnestly that we will not be riding any 70+ mile days and just today was supposed to be 88 miles to Louisville, MS. I rerouted at 0600hrs this morning to a more reasonable 62 miles and will have to look very critically at the rest of the ride. I know there are some longer days in there, especially a 98 mile one, and that just will not work. So, I'm going to have to get onto "Map My Ride" for Garmin and do some rerouting to make this mission work. Problem is, will cutting mileage cause a late arrival in New York. I figured the days based upon 62.5 miles (100km or a "metric century") per day. The only reason I had plotted longer days was to be able to reach accommodations, especially cheap accommodations like National and State Parks. So, if I cut back the mileage I believe we'll still be on schedule but, we'll have more days in the field requiring me to seek other accommodations and, there just aren't that many campgrounds out there, especially in Alabama where we will be day after tomorrow. Hmmm, that, my friends, is a mouthful! So, if anybody has an extra room or an empty couch in the den we would genuinely appreciate your hospitality. Tomorrow we are headed for Columbus, MS and then on into Alabama. From there we will ride up through the NW corner of Georgia and into Chattanooga, Tennessee. From Tennessee we will head across Virginia to DC and then up the Eastern Seaboard. Chuck and Sharon will head back to Texas from DC and I will be going on to Ground Zero from there by myself. If you are on the Eastern Seaboard and would like to join me just drop me a note and let me know. Wounded Warrior Project will be providing me with accommodations in urban areas from DC on to NY. In rural areas I will still be seeking campgrounds.

OK, so even with the rain and the chip seal we are safe and in a really nice hotel; nobody is shooting at us or trying to blow us up using various Improvised Explosive Devices. I am grateful for that. I am thinking that right now some of our Troops are trying to get some rest on a concrete floor in a place that may as well be a million miles from home and their loved ones. Right now there are Troops in Germany and the U.S. recovering from wounds sustained in combat. They won't ask for it, but they sure could use somebody to show them that everything is gonna be alright and to provide them with the support they will need to make that transition. Wounded Warrior Project is the organization that can do that and if we all pitch in we can all make it happen together. Let us never forget the men and women who put themselves in harm's way for us. ESSAYONS!

Now, I'm tired so, good night and let us see what tomorrow brings.

Enjoy the Ride!