Just laying in my tent listening to the rain fall on Jackson, Mississippi. It's been a really great ride thus far. We have had great weather, good roads and have met some really great folks. We have gotten some very positive feedback on our mission and have met a great many Veterans including a couple from the Great War; all, like me, very proud of their service. In nearly every town, city and hole-in-the-wall there has been some evidence of American military presence there and some sort of memorial honoring the Veterans from that area and State. Still, our mission is to affect the lives of our Troops who are here and coming home with specific needs; to help them transition from the battlefield back to a productive civilian life. We cannot forget what these men and women have done serving our great Country as well as helping those Countries who are not yet in a position to help themselves. They put themselves in harm's way for each other and ourselves in an effort to secure Peace. Their efforts are yielding great results. Just this week Afghanistan held its second ever election. Wounded Warrior Project is an excellent provider for the means necessary to help our Troopers make that transition. Please help support our Troops by clicking on the DONATE button on the left of this screen.
I have seen a great many beautiful things on this mission so far. I have seen the sun set over a Louisiana swamp with the bald cypress looming eerily in the background. I have seen people's faces light up when they recognize some place or event that we may have shared. I have shaken hands with the working men and women of this great Country who support our Troops because they value our Freedoms and our Way of Life. I've learned a little more about myself and my friends Sharon and Chuck. I've also baked in the Texas sun and cooled myself beneath a grove of Mississippi trees with the fragrance of some kind of bloom in the air. It truly has been a great ride thus far.
I truly appreciate every one's kindness and generosity in helping me see this mission through to a successful completion. I am a bit tired today and crunched for time...again, so, for everyone that we have met, thank you so very much. You are helping to improve the quality of life for a great many of our Troops who have been grievously injured during their Service to our Country.
Let's see... unfortunately, the Verizon dude with the Buddy Holly glasses can't ride a bike very well. I seem to keep losing him along the route in the strangest places! That's pretty sad considering we're only averaging a 5:10/mile pace at roughly 10mph. Anyway, I've tried to call TC and fill her in so she can update the blog. Thanks, wife, you're doing a great job. There were a couple of days that I couldn't even call so the blog went without an update and for that I apologize. At other times I find myself pedaling into our daily destination totally wrung out and ready for some chow, a shower and some rest. The sun and the 5 to 7 hours of pedaling every day can really zap the go out of you. I can't imagine humping a 120lb pack and weapon around the Iraqi desert when it's 114 degrees or more, or, up and down an Afghani mountainside in the freezing cold yet our Troops are doing that and more on a daily basis all while being targeted by the enemy. When I consider that, it makes my day seem like a piece of cake so I say many thanks and press on.
We've stayed in some interesting places including the Baptist Church in Evadale, TX and the Historical Museum in Merryville, LA, which we also found out is a stop over for a tour for the Adventure Cycling Club. We've also eaten some really great chow, including Tarkington's, Chuck's, Stu's, Mr. D's Old Country Store and the Cock of the Walk. I will spend more time on each of these fine establishments when I have more time myself, but, thanks to all for the really great local cuisine.
We've ridden some great roads and some not-so-great roads. Highway 28 in Louisiana was great except for about 10-12 miles of some really brutal chip-seal. The Natchez Trace is absolutely gorgeous... except for the first 8 miles, which seem to be entirely up hill! The road into and out of Natchez State Park should be illegal and the engineer who designed it made to ride a bicycle back and forth for several days to get the point. The hills are so steep that I was passed by a roley poley who happened to be climbing the same hill! On the downhill on the way out I managed to hit 32mph without turning into a trainwreck! On the Trace we also met Ranger Eric "Rick" Chamberlain at Mt. Locust. This property has been in the Chamberlain family since 1784... that is some serious family history my friend! HOOAH! We saw some beautiful and interesting things along the Trace. We also met a fella who was prior-service Army as an electronics repairman and he suggested Indian Cycle & Fitness for a bike shop in the Jackson area. He was riding to train for the Vicksburg ms150 coming up soon.
As we were riding into Jackson, MS the traffic increased 100 fold as local folks use it as part of their daily commute instead of its intended "Recreational Use Only." Still, we managed to arrive at Timberlake Campground with just enough time to set camp before it started to rain. And it has been raining since. Ranger Jim Gaines of the Pearl River Valley Water Supply at "The Rez" was kind enough after hearing of our journey to let us camp free... Thanks Jim! Jim was an MP in Panama during Operation Just Cause. Thanks for your Service Jim! We celebrated our first week's success with a steak dinner at Logan's Roadhouse and I even enjoyed a bottle of Sam Adams with Chuck. Today we went by Indian Cycle and Fitness and met Tom Martin, the owner, Patti Harvey, the GM and Daniel Norris, one of the wrench spinners. Daniel set me up with some good patches and a couple of new tubes and installed a new 22 tooth chainring in place of the 30 tooth that was on the FSA SL-K Light crankset. That should drop me down about 13% for around a 15-16 inch gear for a much easier time of climbing steep hills. Patti showed off her new Trek Madone with Campy Super Record 11 and Campy Hyperon carbon wheelset. What a sweet ride! It weighs in just under 14lbs and I imagine it takes very little effort to get it zipping right along. I have always been a Cannondale fanatic but I like what I see in Trek's Madone, especially since C'Dale sold out to a foreign company. Patti also provide me with some clean laundry by giving me an Indian Cycle t-shirt! Thanks Patti! Enjoy the Ride! For lunch today we ate at "Cock of the Walk" and had a really, really great meal of catfish and chicken with all the southern-style trimmings, including mustard greens and black eyed peas (not the band). Turned out that Kevin, our waiter, was from very near where I was born in Illinois. We spoke of the area though I am quite certain it is nothing like I remember having not been there in nearly 20 years.
And so, I am still lying here in my tent trying not to forget anybody and trying to tell you of the wonderful things we have seen and done with some semblance of continuity. The rain has subsided and it is cool and quiet. Tomorrow we will load up and begin another week of pedalling for a great cause, Wounded Warrior Project. Keep us in your thoughts and at the end of your mouse. I am also updating my Twitter, TXPeddler, during the day and that may give you a more complete picture of our mission. Below is a thumbnail that will take you to Web Shots for some pictures of our journey thus far. They are not all the pics but, the Internet was incredibly slow here and I did not have time to upload all 188 from my camera. I've selected a few that will give you, hopefully, some understanding. Also, I promised Ghetto Fabulous that I would make him famous! Peace all! Let us see what tomorrow brings...
Enjoy the Ride!
by TXPeddler
.jpg)
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment