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