April 22, 2015
Armadillos Win Mississippi State Roadkill Championship
T.O. Fuller State Park, Tennessee
From the Journal-Picayune Sports Desk
On the south-to-north highway arena this week, the state's Armadillos edged out the #1-seeded Opossums in the Mississippi Roadkill Finals. It was the hard-fought match up everybody expected after the Armadillos beat the Turtles and the Opossums trounced the Snakes in the semi-finals. After all the blood had settled, the Opossums simply could not match the sheer numbers, the poor judgement, and the stupidity of the Armadillos.
Las Vegas odds-makers had the Opossums as heavy favorites for the tournament because they lacked the protective armor plating of the armadillos, making them more vulnerable to the brutal force of speeding automobiles. Indeed, the Opossums held a slim lead at the state's mid-point. However, they could not withstand the onslaught of Armadillo deaths in the northern sector of the state. Between Clarksdale and Tunica, the Armadillos went on a 6-0 run that sealed the victory.
In the third-place match-up, the Turtles crushed the Snakes by a large margin. The Snakes put up a gallant effort at the end, but it was impossible for them to overcome the huge lead the Turtles built up in the southern counties.
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Other than the roadkill tournament, it was mostly an uneventful day. I did get to watch a couple of crop duster planes swooping back and forth over the cotton fields of the Mississippi Delta. No big deal. But soon thereafter came an exciting development. Two miles from the Tennessee border I saw a hill. It was a small hill, but a hill nevertheless. And it was followed by another one. And there were more trees. And some more hills. I was finally emerging from the Mississippi Delta.
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At the Tennessee border, the chaos of Memphis began. I made my way through heavy traffic to the T.O. Fuller State Park where I am camping for the night.
At this point, I just have to add that I have never been anywhere where people have been so friendly to a stranger as they have been in Louisiana and Mississippi. I got waves from cars, from people mowing their lawns, from road workers, etc. Folks asked about my ride, offered encouragement and praise, and called me "sir." I am the furthest thing from a "sir" but it's a term of respect I rarely hear in the north.
Today's ride: 67 miles (108 km)
Total: 544 miles (875 km)
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