Day 26...Goodbye Mississippi, Hello Louisiana!

I didn’t sleep well last night and I knew today was going to be a grind. We rode 250 miles in the past 3 days and my body was screaming for a rest day…please! Jim agreed. We should keep the mileage low. 50 miles or less. BUT, after looking at the maps again this morning, we realized that we would be biking about 70 miles before we hit civilization/a campground. Argh. The sky was ominous and, although it felt warm this morning, the forecast called for rain, wind and cool temperatures. We packed the rain coats and agreed a cooler day might be nice.

Leaving Natchez Trace Parkway

About 15 miles into the ride we left The Natchez Trace, crossed the grand ‘ol Mississippi River and entered Louisiana. Jim and Jeff met us over the bridge and we agreed on a route to take us about 50 miles through Louisiana and, ultimately to the start of The Southern Tier trail (which is the Adventure Cycling bike route that takes us due west until we reach San Diego!).

Crossing the Mississippi River

Entering Louisiana

After lunch the rain came and, oh did the winds pick up! We were heading south mostly and the winds were whipping wildly from the west at 30-35 mph. The cross winds sent me flying across the road. I gripped the handle bars tight and purposefully listed to the right into the wind in order to keep my balance for the next 30 miles.

The wind pushing over Kevin's flags

It was windy and cool day. It felt like fall and a perfect Halloween night! The wind definitely took a toll on me. I was ready to call it quits when, like an oasis, we saw Jim standing on the side of the road waving us down and pointing us to our campsite for the night. Old River Lock Recreational area adjacent to a bridge that is, indeed just a spit away from The Southern Tier trail! A deep exhale for finally reaching this point in the trip!

68 miles in the saddle today. I need a good nights sleep tonight as tomorrow the winds are supposed to be wild!

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Tonight my mom, her best friend Patricia and my Aunty Sylvia head to Italy for a 2 week vacation. Safe flight and have fun! Lots of love to you all!