Day 13 - Natchez State Park to Ridgeland, Mississippi

Below is a photo of my hosts at the campgroundlast night, Bruce and Candy.  I could not get a picture of them last night because I got in after dark. Candy is originally from Sweden, and they have a child that currently lives there. 

The first touring cyclists I met on the Natchez Trace (the Trace) were Wayne and Toni. They live in South Carolina and drove to Franklin, Tennessee, to start riding the Trace. They are riding southbound on the Trace to Natchez, Mississippi, then to New Orleans, Louisiana, and then ride their bikes back to their home in South Carolina.  They are quite the adventurous couple. In addition to various bicycle trips, Wayne has hiked the entire Appalachian Trail (AT), and Toni has hiked over 1000 miles of the AT. 

I stopped at Port Gibson, Mississippi, to go to McDonalds for 3 cheeseburgers and a small decaf coffee. Traffic was terrible on Highway 61 going into town, and when I got into town I learned why. Alcorn State college is near the town, and it was their homecoming weekend. The town was abuzz with all things Alcorn State. There was a lot of school spirit in this small Mississippi town. I was glad when I got out of town, and back on the peace and tranquility of the Trace. 

The little guy below (butterfly) was trying to bum a ride, but the extra weight was killing me so I had to kick him off the bike.

Below is a photo of Big Bayou Pierre from the Trace. 

My second southbound touring cyclist I met on the Trace was Tom. He is from New Jersey, and is riding with a friend, Jeff, who is from Atlanta, Georgia. Jeff was riding a little behind Tom when Tom and I stopped to talk. As Tom and I were talking, Jeff rode by, but since he was on a slight downhill grade, and did not want to break his momentum, he did not stop. They started their trip in Chattanooga, Tennessee, rode their bikes to Franklin to get on the Trace, and are riding to Natchez and then to New Orleans, Louisiana, where their trip will end. If you recall on the post for day one, I talked about running across James in Chattanooga, and he told there were a couple of folks staying with him that were going to bike the Natchez Trace.  Well, Tom and Jeff are those folks.  It's a small world. Below is a pic of Tom. 

I made it to Ridgeland, Mississippi, and will be camping at Lisa's cousin and her family's house. Their names are Donald and Deanna, and their son, Tanner (all pictured below). They offered me a bedroom in the house, but I like staying outdoors during my bike tours. For the second night in a row, I got to take a good hot shower. I also was treated to a delicious chicken pot pie. 

Totals for the day - 100 miles; 7 hours 45 minutes saddle time