Houston, MS to Kosciusko, MS:

October 30, 2014

Perfect weather on a perfect cycling route.

Breakfast at Bridges-Hall Manor B&B. In addition to the sausage patties there was a vegetarian version for Rhona. I don't really want to know what it was made of, but she seemed to like it.

It was a brisk start to a sunny day. On our way from the city back to the parkway we were attacked again by one of the two dogs that came after us yesterday. This time we were ready and since the owners were not available as targets Rhona sprayed it causing it to veer off sneezing and rubbing it's snout. Perhaps the next cyclist coming down the road will have an easier time.

We cycled miles through a section which was devastated by tornadoes on 2011. Many trees snapped 20 feet up.

Randy Fought, owner of NatchezTraceTravel.com, the guy that set up our itinerary and has been watching after us has a fall foliage photo contest going on. We learned about the contest after we had gone far enough south to miss the best colors but Rhona snapped two today that we may submit.

We stopped for a picnic lunch at Jeff Busby site, named for the congressman who originally pushed the idea of building the Natchez Trace Parkway as a public works job program during the depression.

Pictures which include Rhona, trees and the tandem are my favorites.

We climbed an actual hill for about a mile to get to an exhibit. The disk brakes got a nice test on the way down. Too hot to touch!

The Parkway surface varies from fine grain new macadam to sections with what feel like small frost heaves. The Speedster does a good job absorbing the jarring and Rhona's suspension seat post resulted in no complaints from her. When the pavement is smooth, there is no headwind, and no hills it is nice to crank along in top gear. At such times it would be nice to have a working speedometer. On the otherhand, when grinding along up a hill it's good not to know. And, there is a new problem. Late in the day when coasting into historical sites Rhona said the upper part of the rear chain was sagging down hitting the chainstay. When pulling into the hotel the upper part of the chain sagged down below the rear chain and was hitting the spokes on the rear wheel. As soon as we came to a stop and unclipped from the pedals, the chain returned to it's usual position. While riding, it was not possible for me to see that far back and Rhona's leg obstructed the view. Rhona even pointed to the evidence of black oil on the chainstay. What could be causing this?

Kosciusko has a welcome center/ museum staffed by volunteers. Our guide was great and obviously proud of his town, home of Oprah, James Meredith and pitcher Roy Oswalt. A local guy makes some neat carvings. This particular piece started off as a forked stick. The tail feathers are shaved parts of the stick.

Dinner tonight at a restaurant next to our motel featured waitresses dressed in Halloween costumes. This face paint took only 15 minutes (and that's looking backwards in the mirror).

Today's ride: 77 miles (124 km)
Total: 314 miles (505 km)

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