Day 14 - Ridgeland to Kosciusko, Mississippi

Woke up about 7 a.m. this morning after getting a good night's sleep. I broke camp and hit the road.

Today's ride was fairly flat. I rode several miles along the Barnett reservoir, which is a 33,000-acre lake that serves as Mississippi's largest drinking water resource. It has 105 miles of shoreline. Below is a photo of a portion of the reservoir. 

I then passed by Cypress Swamp, pictured below. 

Then the Pearl River, photos and information below. 

The information that follows makes me angry at the U.S. government for the way they treated the Indians. 

It seems to me the land that Doak was allowed to settle and purchase should have remained in the hands of the Choctaw. I wonder what the Choctaw Chief was given for signing the treaty agreeing to leave the land. 

I made it to my campsite for the night, the Natchez Trace Parkway Visitors Center and Museum at Kosciusko, Mississippi. There are several "bicycle only" campsites along the Natchez Trace Parkway, and this is one of those campsites. Below is a pic of me relaxing on the visitors center's front porch, and a pic of my campsite. 

I made spaghetti, and a lot of it, for supper, and ate it all, along with a couple of pieces of bread. What I like to call a spaghetti sandwich.  Definitely a high-carb meal to get me ready for tomorrow, I hope. 

And for dessert, a peanut log pictured below. 

Totals for the day - 65.1 miles; 5 hours 24 minutes saddle time

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

Day 12 - Geddie, Louisiana, to Natchez State Park, Mississippi

Last night was the best night's sleep I have had this trip. I fell asleep about 8:30 p.m., and slept through until 4:45 a.m. I broke camp and headed to Bastrop, Louisiana, for breakfast.  Below is a pic of a good ole Louisiana plantation home. 

The title of this post could appropriately be "My Day With U.S. Highway 425".  I was primarily on Highway 425 for 121 miles from the Louisiana border to the Mississippi border. It was not a very interesting road to travel on a bicycle. The traffic was fast, and most of the time the shoulder was rough. It also had the continuous rumble strips beside the road most of the way, which made it a pain to switch from the rough shoulder to smooth road, and vice versa. There was a lot of scenery like the photo below. Please note there are no trees near the road for shade, and it was hot and sunny today. 

I did pass by this pretty bayou. It was the highlight of the Highway 425 segment today. 

I was not too impressed with riding in Louisiana, but I know I only got to experience just a small part of the state.  As I was riding through Ferriday, Louisiana, which is close to the Mississippi border, a car load of what appeared to be teenagers pulled up beside me, and a young punk in the back passenger seat rolled down his window and yelled "What the h%##s wrong with you, fool!!!".  I just smiled and waved, but that incident was kind of the cherry on the top of my poor impression of biking in Louisiana.

I am back on the correct side of the Mississippi River and made it to the Natchez Trace Parkway.

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I was riding around Natchez State Park looking for a campsite, and stopped and talked to Bruce from Wisconsin. He rode the Natchez Trace Parkway with his wife, Candy, providing support in their van. They are camping in their van, so he invited me to pitch my tent on their tent spot, which I did. I also got to take a much needed shower at the park's bathhouse. 

Totals for the day - 136.8 miles; 10 hours 34 minutes saddle time

Day 11 - Highway 167 Saline River Access to Geddie, Louisiana

Last night was fairly eventful. I mentioned that my campsite was near a busy U.S. Highway. In spite of that, and the noise, I was able to nod off to sleep about 8 p.m.  At about 9:30 p.m., a truck with its headlights AND fog lights on that sounded as though it didn't have a muffler came pulling down the ramp to the river access where I WAS sleeping. Was being the key word because, of course, that monster truck from outer space woke me up. The river access area is small, so the truck parked about 10 yards from me and all the lights on the truck were left on for about 30 minutes. Additionally, the male and female occupants of the truck had flashlights in their hands and headlights on their heads, all of which were also turned on. They piddled in and around the truck for about 30 minutes, then turned the lights of the truck off and locked the truck's doors using the key fob.

They then headed toward the river with about 4 rod and reels with glow sticks tied in a circle on the fishing line of each. At that point, my curiosity got the best of me, and I got out of my tent to talk to them. I asked them what kind of fishing they were going to do, and they said they were going to try to catch some catfish. The female told me that they put the glow sticks on the fishing lines to hopefully help them see when a fish hits on the line. She then proceeded to tell me they are traveling to Little Rock for her to have surgery tomorrow, and stopped by the river to do a little fishing.  The male then chimed in that they decided to have a little fun on their was to Little Rock.  They did not say where they traveled from.  I asked if they were going to camp there, and the female said that they were only going to be there a couple of hours. 

As I was talking to them, I noticed the male was not only carrying 4 rod and reels, but he was also carrying a rifle. (This is rural Arkansas, what do you expect?). They went on their way into a wooded area several yards away from my tent. I went back inside my tent, and fell back to sleep. I figured they were not going to mess with me or they would have already done so. At about 12:30, I was awakened by a loud truck on the highway. Then I started smelling smoke, and heard someone breaking sticks where they were fishing. Turns out they had started a campfire. I have seen signs in every county I have been through in Arkansas that indicated that there was a burn ban. I assume that includes banning any type of outdoor fire, including campfires. 

That got me to thinking that the river access area is the last place I need to be if law enforcement showed up to address the outdoor fire, and then confronting a guy with a rifle. So I broke camp about 1 a.m. and continued to ride south on Highway 167. After riding about 9 miles, I saw a church pavilion with large picnic tables under it. I pulled out my sleeping bag and slept on top of one of the picnic tables until about 5 a.m.

What a wacky night. It's all part of the "adventure".  

I have always believed night riding is actually safer than riding in the day if you have a lot of reflectors and front and rear lights. Also, while I was riding between 1 a.m. and 2 a.m., the traffic was very light. The sky was clear and the half moon and stars were really showing out. 

Made it to Fordyce, Arkansas pretty early because of my early start this morning. Below is the Dallas County Courthouse in Fordyce, and some information about the town's name. 

Train depot pic below. 

Then went through Camden, where a Civil War battle occurred. Below is some information about the battle for all you Civil war buffs. 

This a small volunteer fire department between New Edinburg and Warren. I wonder if they lock their door at night. 

Below, I'm showing my bike chain a little TLC in Warren with a sock I have hauled around since Newport. I found the sock, which is clean, at the laundromat in Newport. 

I'm such a sucker. I pulled up Google Maps and asked for directions from Warren, Arkansas, to Bastrop, Louisiana. It gave me a 75 mile route to drive and a 72 mile route to bike. Well, to save 3 miles I chose the biking route. Approximately the first 20 miles were perfect, low traffic roads. Then I came to a road like the one pictured below. The gravel on it was like riding on loose sand in a lot of places. I was on this type gravel road for about 5 miles. There was no traffic, but there was constant danger of loosing control and crashing, which I fortunately did not do.   If you ever plan a bicycle tour in Arkansas, stick to the State Highways. Most of the County Roads are gravel. 

I finally made it to Louisiana, and it was getting late so I set up camp in some woods behind a church right at the Louisiana state sign. This is the first time I have ever toured on bicycle in Louisiana. 

Totals for the day - 111.9 miles; 9 hours 4 minutes saddle time

Day 10 - Houston to Highway 167 Saline River Access

I had a great night sleep last night at my abandoned little campsite. The temp got down into the low 50's last night. It was my first fairly cool night of the trip, but my sleeping bag and liner kept me nice and toasty.

I rode about 10 miles for breakfast at Perryville, population about 1,400. It is the largest town in Perry County. A local county employee proudly told me that there are no stop lights in Perry County. I ate at the Mainstreet Donut Shop. Every customer that came in there knew each other's name. It was a typical small town environment. I've experienced a lot of that on this trip. 

Below are pictures of Perry County Courthouse and information about it.  From the information on the plaque, you would think they had an arsonist on the loose. 

The best place to eat breakfast in town. Sausage, eggs, and gravy biscuit. 

Then, breakfast dessert, a "pine cone".

I traveled through the Ouachita National Forest after I left Perryville. 

To me, this area was as pretty as the Ozark National Forest. 

I made it to Benton, which is one of the largest, if not the largest, city I have been through in Arkansas. It's population is about 30,000.  Below are some photos around Benton. 

Pic below is a mural painted on a building in Benton. 

I stopped in Sheridan for supper, and ate a high octane meal to get me on down the road. 

I am going to be camping tonight at the Highway 167 Saline River Access. It is located right beside Highway 167, so it is going to be pretty noisy. 

Totals for the day - 92.7 miles; 7 hours 46 minutes

Day 9 - Marshall to Houston, Arkansas

I was in my tent packing about 5:45 this morning when a cat fight broke out near it. I'm glad that didn't happen in the middle of the night, it would have scared me to death.

I had breakfast at McDonalds in Marshall this morning.  As I was sitting there, I noticed at the table next to me an elderly man who kept looking at me. You know the look.  It's the same one you get when you visit a church and notice a family continuing to look at you, and you later learn you were sitting in "their" seat. A little later, 2 other elderly men and a man that was probably in his mid-40s joined the elderly man who was already there. We got to talking, and it turns out I was sitting at "their" table. I now understand why he was giving me the "look".  They met there every morning and just talk. I mentioned that almost every restaurant has such a table in the morning. I told them it is called the "liars table" in Stevenson, Alabama. The younger guy laughed and told me that he has learned not to start a story around those guys.  By the time the last person adds his experience to the story, your original story is insignificant because the story has grown with each man.  

I got the impression that the younger guy was trying to get the elderly men to use their brains. He got the crossword puzzle out of the newspaper, read the clues to the others, and filled in the puzzles. He sometimes provided clues to help the others come up with the answer. I think he knew the others would never do the crossword puzzle on their own, but would participate if he read the clues. 

When I was asking around about the restaurants in Marshall, everyone kept naming one called Daisy Queen. I kept thinking to myself, "Do they not know that it is Dairy Queen and not Daisy Queen?"  Well, glad I didn't say anything because it really is.

A few views as I'm leaving the Ozarks. 

Look at this little jewel I found (pic below).  Can never have enough of these. I found this as I was climbing going about 4 mph so it was easy to stop and pick it up. It is a much harder decision when I am cruising downhill and see a little treasure on the road. 

I'm out of the Ozarks now, and headed to Natchez, Mississippi. I'm no longer on the route I had planned to take when I left home. I am using the map on my cell phone to develop a new route to Natchez. 

About 35 miles today were ridden in a very stiff headwind and crosswind. This slowed me down quite a bit, and gave me an excellent workout. 

I'm camping tonight at Cypress Creek Park, which is a Corps of Engineers campground.  It is near the Arkansas River. It is listed on the freecampsites.net website.  I have been pleased with the campsites I have found using this website. The campground I am currently at is no longer maintained, and is grown up with weeds and has trash around it, but it serves my purpose (a night's sleep).

Totals for today - 83.7 miles; 7 hours 30 minutes saddle time

Day 8 - Sage to Marshall, Arkansas

This morning was the first time I had to pack a wet tent this trip. It did not rain last night, but there was a heavy, dense fog. I rode into Melbourne for breakfast, and ate at Scott Bailey's Country Cookin'.  Two large pancakes and an egg cooked over easy.  It was fantastic. I knew when I saw the indoor decorations that I went to the right place. Two old bicycles and an old tricycle that was missing a pedal were hanging from the ceiling. They brought back childhood memories. I had a tricycle similar to the one hanging from the ceiling, missing pedal and all.  We lived across the road from Piney Chapel Junior High School, and I rode that trike many miles around the school. Even after my legs got too long to pedal the tricycle, I continued to ride it by holding onto the handlebar, putting one foot on the tricycle's back platform, and pushing it with the other foot.  I know most of you more aged readers know exactly what I'm talking about. Simple fun at its best.

I'm now in the Ozarks and was hoping to see some Fall colors in the mountains. Unfortunately, the foliage has not yet changed. There is a tint of change in some of the trees, but nothing significant.  In others, the leaves are brown, like the tree is dead. Locals have told me I am a bit early to see Fall foliage because it has been so warm. Some have told me that last year the leaves went from green to brown because it was so dry. Temps have been in the 80s during the day almost every day of this trip. The nights have been very pleasant. 

Right after I took the pic above, I had a minor mishap. I was going about 6 mph up a hill without my cleats on my shoes attached to the pedals. The grade was starting to get a little steeper so I decided to clip into the pedals while continuing to pedal. My left shoe did not catch the pedal and it went forward and somehow hit the front wheel. That started a chain reaction that ended up with me and the bike on the road. The bike is fine and I only have a small abrasions on my left knee and elbow. On we (me and the bike) go. 

More pics of mountains/hills I was up and down all day today, but it's still better than flat land riding. 

Here's a little civil war information for you history buffs. Sylamore is on the White River.  I have crossed that river more than once during this trip. 

After Sylamore, I went through the towns of Fifty-Six, Big Flat, Harriet, Lone Pine, and Morning Star before making it to Marshall.  This stretch of road is known as the Sylamore Scenic Byway. 

When I made it to Marshall, I approached James, who was working in his garage, about needing a spot to pitch my tent for the night. Without any hesitation, he offered to let me pitch it in his backyard, which I did. He also offered to allow me to take a shower, which I quickly accepted. I have not showered since Big Hill Pond State Park in Tennessee, so this was a huge treat.  James (pic below) is a retired trucker and was mayor of Marshall for 10 years after he stopped trucking. 

Totals for the day - 73.6 miles; 7 hours 7 minutes saddle time