Day 18 - Athens, Alabama, to Hixson, Tennessee (home)

I woke up this morning at 4:30, and started packing my gear to get ready for my long day today. I had breakfast with my brother Ricky, and headed out about 6:00 a.m.  Below is a photo of Ricky and Pam. They have provided me a place to stay and fed me twice during this trip. I told them I was like a stray cat, if they feed me I might not leave.

A great perk about bicycling before the sun comes up is that you get to see the sunrise.

Below is a pic of some Canadian geese enjoying a cool morning in a pond with mist in the air above it. 

The route I took today was a little different from the routes I took on Days 1 and 2 to get to Athens on this trip. Today's ride is a route I regularly took to get to North Alabama while I was still working. It is shorter than the route I took on Days 1 and 2, and I would always ride it in 1 day. After I retired, I started making the trip to North Alabama a 2-day trip with a stop at the Walls of Jericho since time was no longer a factor. The route today took me through Main Street, small town America, cities of ....

Huntland, Tennessee (below);

Cowan, Tennessee (below);

Sewanee, Tennessee (below);

Monteagle, Tennessee (below);

Tracy City, Tennessee (below - sorry about the finger shot);

And, Jasper, Tennessee (below).

When I plan a bicycle tour, I try to travel through small towns and communities and avoid large cities.  Since I have been biking in mainly rural areas the past 2 1/2 weeks, it was quite an adjustment when I got back to Chattanooga last night. It took some time to get used to the increased traffic, and the fact that all the motorists seemed to be in a hurry to get somewhere. 

Below are some views of mountains during my ride today. 

The picture below is Sewanee Mountain, and it is the only mountain I had to climb to get home.  I took U.S. Highway 41A up the mountain. To me, that road seems to be one of the easier roads to climb. 

The photo below is a view of the valley at the foot of Sewanee Mountain taken from near the top. 

The plaques below provide some information about the Sewanee area.

From Sewanee to Monteagle, I hopped on the Mountain Goat Trail (pics below), which is a bicycle/pedestrian path that connects the cities. 

Below is a view of the Tennessee River off the Highway 41 bridge near Jasper. The Tennessee River and I have crossed paths several times this trip, and I'm always glad to see it. 

I made it to my home county in Tennessee just before dark and snapped the photo below. 

I finally made it home about 9:30 p.m., and am certainly glad to be home.

Totals for the day - 137.9 miles; 12 hours 6 minutes saddle time

Totals for the entire trip - 1636.35 miles; 137.5 hours saddle time

TIRE UPDATE:  Below is a pic of the rear tire I cut on I-55.  In the photo, you can see part of the $1 bill I used to put over the hole in the tire. The damaged tire took me over 1,000 miles on all types of road surfaces, including gravel and rough roads. I am very pleased that I got at least 1 tour out of the tire; however, I am going to keep using the tire and hope to get many more miles out of it.

 This is the first time I have ever done a blog on a bicycle tour.  Lisa encouraged me to do it, but I was initially concerned that it would "suck the fun" out of the trip.  To my surprise, I actually enjoyed doing the blog.  It slowed me down and made me take the time to stop, photograph, and read some about the areas through which I was traveling.  I hope you all enjoyed the blog and the trip.

Day 17 - Cherokee, Alabama, to Athens, Alabama

Last night, a touring cyclist named Brandon pulled into the campsite after dark. He commented he thought he would get there one hour earlier. We both agreed that accurately represents the life of a touring cyclist, it is always going to take longer than you thought to get somewhere. He is from Kansas City and is cycling the Trace southbound with the possibility of going on to New Orleans.

I rolled out of my campsite about 6:30 a.m. today. Below is a pic of the sunrise over the Tennessee River. 

I made it to Tennessee and was glad to see my home state. 

My original plan was to go to Highway 50 in Tennessee, about 32 miles from the northern terminus of the Trace. Well, as I was passing Cypress Inn, Tennessee, I had a change of plans. I decided I have seen enough of the Trace, and it is time to head home. So using the map on my phone, I charted a route to my brother and sister-in-law's house in Athens, Alabama. I camped at their house on day 2 of this trip, and the route I took today was very similar to day 3's route. As before, they fed me and let me take a good hot shower, which was in Ridgeland, MS, on Day 13. They also offered me a place to stay inside, but I opted to camp my last night on the road.

Today, I stopped by a small park in the Grassy community in Alabama to fill up my water bottle. A man was working at the park and approached me and said, "I'll bet you are from Chattanooga".  He said he met my comrade a couple of weeks ago. Bob, who toured with me the first 3 days of this trip, stopped by the park to get water on his return trip back home, and they struck up a conversation. They are both retired from TVA.  Bob told him about our trip, and that I was going further west. The worker figured when he saw my loaded bike, that I must be the other half of the Chattanooga gang.  He was right. 

My intent tomorrow is to make it home, about 135 miles. It's going to be a long day, but I'm looking forward to getting home. 

Totals for the day- 91.1 miles; 8 hours 6 minutes saddle time

Day 16 - Houston, Mississippi, to Cherokee, Alabama

I went to sleep last night about 8 p.m. with the intention of getting up early because today was going to be a long riding day. I woke up about 3:40 a.m.  That was really early, and it was cold, temp in mid-40's. The warm sleeping bag was feeling so good that I decided to hit the "natural snooze" button (no alarms allowed on tours).  I nodded off and woke up again at a little before 5 a.m.  Even though it was still cold and the sleeping bag was still warm, I crawled out of it and got going. Last night's sleep was again very deep and restful. The cooler weather really opens my sinuses and helps me breathe easier.

The Trace was clear of traffic for about 9 miles. There was no artificial light, and the stars were shining bright. The moon was in the shape of a smile, so I smiled back at it. About 20 miles from Tupelo, I could tell someone opened the "traffic flood gates".  I guess everyone was headed to work in Tupelo. Even though the traffic was not bumper to bumper, my nice, clean, fresh air quickly became "exhausty" from all the vehicle emissions. By the time I made it to Tupelo, the traffic had eased some. I guess everyone was at work by then. 

Below is a lame attempt on my part to take a shadow photo of myself riding on the Trace. This task is harder than I thought it would be. 

Pic below provides some information about the area. 

Below is the overlook of Twentymile Bottom. 

I met Bruce and Mary at the Pharr Indian mounds. We ate lunch together at the pull off. They are from Nashville, and Bruce is bicycling the Trace southbound while Mary is serving as his vehicle support. Their picture is below. 

Below is some information about the Pharr Mounds, and a photo of them. 

I then passed over the Tennessee Tombigbee Waterway (pic below), which is a 234-mile man-made waterway that extends from the Tennessee River to the junction of the Black Warrior-Tombigbee River system. 

I stopped off at Cave Spring (see below). 

And then the Bear Creek Mound  information and photo below. 

I finally left Mississippi, and entered Alabama. 

I am staying at the bicycle only campground at Colbert Ferry on the Trace, near Cherokee, Alabama. I stayed here once before several years ago. On that occasion, I was joined by an older couple who were riding the Trace northbound. I had seen them earlier that day while riding. They stopped in a nearby town prior to getting to the campsite, and were approached by a younger couple inquiring about their travels. That evening, the younger couple brought them a store-bought cake to the campsite. They shared their cake with me, and we ate some huge pieces of cake that evening because no one wanted to haul the cake the next day. It was good, and we were able to eat those large pieces of cake without guilt. Below is a photo of my campsite tonight. 

Totals for the day - 99.6 miles; 8 hours, 11 minutes saddle time

Day 15 - Kosciusko to Houston, Mississippi

I woke up this morning quite a bit chillier than when I went to bed. After the rain last night, the temp dropped significantly. I went through a brisk ride through Kosciusko before heading back to the Natchez Trace Parkway. The visitors center at Kosciusko was a great place to camp. The bathroom there even had hot water, which felt great this cool morning.

The ride on the Trace today was uneventful. The scenery remains pretty much the same, with signs ever so often telling about the area. For the entire day, I pedaled against stiff headwinds and crosswinds. I could also tell I was getting more into the North Mississippi hills. 

Below are a couple of signs that provide information about the Natchez Trace and some of the early inhabitants of the area. 

Below are Jim and Dave from Detroit, Michigan, and Ontario, Canada. They are biking the Trace southbound from Nashville, Tennessee, to Natchez, Mississippi. 

The pic below is of a couple of Indian mounds on the Trace called the Bynum Mounds. The Bynum Mounds are believed to be among the oldest Indian mounds on the Trace, built between 100 B.C. and 100 A.D.

I made it to the Tombigbee National Forest on the Trace. 

And finally, I made it to Witch Dance where I will be camping tonight. Witch Dance is another bicycle only campsite along the Trace. Below is some information about Witch Dance, and a pic of my campsite. 

Since I am not camping near a town tonight, my supper was instant oatmeal and a peanut butter and raisin sandwich. 

Totals for the day - 78.1 miles; 6 hours 51 minutes saddle time