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!

Day 25...It's Hot Down Here

It was a hot one today! 90+ degrees and nothin’ but blue skies.  I had read the weather forecast wrong yesterday. Today was indeed supposed to be sunny. And it was! Boiling hot! On the phone tonight my mother asked if there was any way I could ride with an umbrella to protect my skin from the sun. That's what happens after 40+ years of marriage to my father, a dermatologist. Laughing, I said I’d work on finding one to put on my helmet. I do have spf sun sleeves and a sun proof cap (with an attached neck guard) some where around here. I didn’t think I’d be needing that stuff until Texas! I guess not.  

We set off a tad late this morning (9:30) back onto the Natchez Trace Parkway. Were in no rush as Jim had to wait a few hours to go to the airport to pick up our newest team member, Jeff Gregor.  Knowing we probably wouldn’t see the fellows until the early afternoon, Kevin and I packed some extra snacks and planned to make our first real stop 50 miles in at Port Gibson, MS. I couldn’t get comfortable on the bike today. Every little thing was nagging me. My wrists. My seat. My quads. Frustrating! 

We stopped to stretch at mile 25 and made it to Fort Gibson for a decent lunch and a very needed liquid replenishment.  We were back on the road in about 30 minutes and received a text from Jim saying he and Jeff were about 40 miles behind us on the Natchez Trace Parkway. Sure enough, about 45 minutes later, the RV made its way up the road behind us. They pulled over, we said hello to Jeff, grabbed a few cookies and pedaled our way through the hottest part of the day, 25 more miles.

82 miles total today. The heat sapped us but we made it! 250 miles in 3 days. Not bad for a few amateurs ;-). Tomorrow will be an easy day I hope cause I need it.