July 7th Last Night in Mississippi
Oh these short state visits! We are riding through Mississippi on our way to Tennessee. So we are “skirting” the northeast corner of Mississippi. We will go through the middle of Tennessee.
Last night on our way home from dinner we got a flat tire. The good part was we were not “loaded” but the bad part is a flat. We found the small piece of glass that had worked its way into the tire and tube. Our rule is the 3rd puncture and the tube goes “bye-bye.”
We left Aberdeen, MS at 5:45 am. We decided to eat on the road in Armory, MS. The weather was cooperating as there were a few clouds in the sky, so we are counting on a cool start.
I was thinking how different technology changes our trip. When I started touring I had a phone card and a notebook. I would call once a week to check in. Now I am able to hear from you via email or on the blog! Thanks for all the good wishes and encouraging words. We are also able to Skype with Esther and Jessica. We did just that this afternoon. Esther gave “Mi Mi” and Bruce a fashion show of some of the new clothes she and her Mom bought.
We had hoped a bike part (derailer wheel) would be waiting for us as we arrived in Fulton, MS, but it appears that Fed Ex in Memphis has lost it? So it is being resent to Parsons, TN.
Bruce and are celebrating tonight! We have completed one map! There are 5 maps per trip with about 19 sections. Each section depicts about 30-40 miles of the trip. When we finish each one we celebrate our accomplishment. Bruce would love a beer, but we are in a dry county—so we toasted with Gatorade.
In our mornings we hear crickets as we leave; birds sing all day and cicadas at night. The sounds around us are very rich and calming.
We crossed the Tombigbee River for the 4th time today on our trip. This is the river that joins the Tennessee River that flows into the Tenn-Tom. Waterways are extremely important today as they were 100+ years ago for transportation of goods.
It was weird that we did not see a dog in Alabama, but today I had my pepper spray cocked and ready. I first yell in my “dog voice” STAY, STOP, and NO!!! while pointing the pepper spray at them. So far they have responded.
We had a sobering and shocking experience as we came into Smithville, MI. (A cotton exporting city in the early days) We began noticing downed forest, house foundations, debris and mailboxes without any houses around. Bruce and I had thought we were finished with the tornado area, but we were not. It was unbelievable to see the devastation left behind. We stopped at the gas station to talk with the employees and have a drink. There are 882 residents of Smithville-16 died in this tornado. They said this town may never recover. (Now I understand why we seeing so many constructions and electrical trucks driving around.)
Itawamba is a Native American name identifying a community outside of Fulton, MI. As we drove closer we came upon a huge educational complex that housed elementary, middle and high students. Very impressive.
Reflection: Today has been a day of mixed feelings. We sat in a Wendy’s thinking about how much we enjoy the small town cafes, stores and downtowns.(I know I am repeating myself) On this trip we are finding Wendy’s, Subway, gas stations-we ride by small towns with vacant stores, cafes etc. You walk into a plastic environment the wait staff behind the counter asks you to order-shoot I don’t know what I want…read what is up on the board. No one is greeting each other—no eye contact. Here is your food –are you eating here or take out? It just seems so sad. I told Bruce today I feel like my Mom and Charlie—how they used to reminisce about the changes that were occurring.
Stats for July 7
Arrival in Fulton, MS at 11:30 am
44 miles, 10.6 mph, 4 hrs 7”, 1100 feet elevation gain
Critter Count:
2 deer, 8 dogs, Several dead armadillos and 1White heron
July 8th Shiloh, Tennessee
We got up at 4:30 am because of the need to have breakfast before we get on the road. We ate at the Huddle House across the street. It is open for Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner 24/7. Waffles it was our choice. We did notice that we could have “deep friend Macaroni and Cheese.” That reminded me of the headlines on the newspaper I read “Mississippi leads the nation in Obesity.” Yikes! We leave the Huddle House and get on the road by 5:45 am.
Today is a long day. But one thing we get to do is ride the Natchez Trace. The Trace is totally wooded—no trucks allowed. Slaves used the trace as part of their route because of the heavy wooded terrain. We rode most of it 4 years ago when we did the Great River Ride. It is a designated national Scenic byway and All-American Road, the parkway stretches 444 miles from Natchez, MS to Nashville, TN. The city of Natchez is in the heart of the Deep South network on the map of the Underground Railroad. Natchez was during the pre-civil war second to New Orleans as a slave market. It was important to the UGRR because of the river system. Charles L. Blockson, scholar on the UGRR, sums it up “The UGRR is in the water ways and along the fields. It is being bitten by mosquitoes, hiding in caves…There were people who were captured, children who died on it, people who did not make it…it can’t be told in one setting. You have to travel into the hills, along the rivers and into the valleys.”
As we bike this am Bruce comments that there is an early warning system in Mississippi. No need for alarm systems between the barking dogs and crowing roosters no one would be able to approach a house without the “alarm” going off.
It was exciting for us today to see a huge barge going down the Tenn-Tom waterway. It was fully loaded as it pushed it way up the waterway. We also took a picture of a tugboat on the waterway later in the day.
So what do we talk about on these loooong rides? I read jeopardy questions which always spurs a conversation. We talk about the scenery, weather, bike trips we have taken, current events (capital punishment is one we have spent some time on), our childhoods, our grandparents, our parents, we check on each other how we are feeling, etc. Yes, you may not believe it but sometimes we just ride in quiet with our own thoughts.
Our day was overcast all day! Through out the day we got sprinkled on—yes rain. It felt so good to ride in the rain.
“A wing and a prayer” is phrase my Mom would use. Well on a bike it is when you have a part (our drailer) that is not performing correctly or in our case roughly and you are still riding the bike. We are using our “mental wings” and some prayers to get us to Parsons, TN where the bike part hopefully will be there!
For a snack today we stopped at a “real grocery” in Burnsville, MS. They actually had fresh fruits and vegetables. We had cheese, an apple and trail mix. Sooo good! I licked my fingers. Tonight we had pizza.
Stats for July 8 Shiloh, TN
Arrival time 2:05 pm, 74 miles, 11.1 mph, 6 hours 36 minutes, 3500 elevation gain
Critter count
9 dogs
6 Wild Turkeys
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