October 15, 2021
afternoon nap, head-on, and pull the tails off
Day Seven: Jackson to Kosciusko
I woke up a few minutes before 7:00, loaded the bike, and left shortly after 8:00. I backtracked a little ways to Another Broken Egg where I ate outside on the patio. The Smoked Salmon Scrambler (eggs + salmon) was meh. The service wasn’t very good, but they’re busy because it’s homecoming weekend.
When I left at 9:00, my phone battery, which had been fully charged a couple of hours ago, was now down to 77%. I’m not sure what’s been going on with it, but it hasn’t been able to keep a charge lately. Maybe it’s the RideWithGPS app I’ve been using, but it wasn’t burning through the power when I was training with it.
I got back on the Multi-Use Path, which was really nice except for the sections where there were huge fissures. Many of them were more than six inches wide and a couple of feet long. Since they ran in the direction of the path if your tire dropped into one of them you'll be stopping very abruptly, most likely face first.
The Parkway remained nice, especially with the reservoir on my right as I left Jackson.
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The weather was about as good as I could wish for this morning, in the mid-70s with a bit of a tailwind, although I expect it to be warming up later. I was really enjoying myself.
By the way, the goofy-looking things that look like bushy sideburns are called Wind-Blox, and help decrease the sound of the wind rushing past your ears as you ride. (Well, in my case, I'm so slow that "rushing" might not be such an accurate word)
I ate my midmorning protein bar, which was the worst one I’ve ever eaten, and wasn’t able to finish it. Because I’ve ingested so many of them over the past several months (and maybe also because I’m a bit of a nerd), I made a spreadsheet of various protein bars. Information includes the name, number of calories, how many grams of protein, flavor rating, whether it melts in the heat, and some comments. Like I said.... Nerd.
I passed a couple of touring cyclists, then five who weren’t touring, then three women on a tour who were in their 60s and 70s. The latter group was chattering among themselves and only managed a quick hello as they passed, and the others offered either nothing or a quick nod. It’s interesting how on this trip the bikers seem uninterested in talking to other cyclists. Maybe it’s because there are so many on this road? It’s definitely not typical.
Regarding talking to other cyclists, my modus operandi has become: instead of crossing the road and waiting for them to pass me, basically forcing them to stop, I pull over on my side and pretend I’m getting something out of my handlebar bag, making sure I make eye contact, smile, and say hello. That way they can stop if they’re so inclined.
For lunch (tuna wrap) I stopped at the Robinson Road Historical Marker and set up my chair in a large shaded area. Since I tend to eat my lunch within ten minutes then head back out, I decided to make myself stop for at least thirty minutes. However, with the breeze cooling me off and rustling the pines overhead this place was really pleasant. I was so perfectly comfortable in my lawn chair that I didn’t leave for almost an hour. In fact, I almost fell asleep (and maybe did?).
For the record, it’s truly ridiculous to bring a two-pound lawn chair on a bicycle trip. My cycling friends are most likely snickering, but I really love it. Regarding the weight, I’ll cut back in other areas… take a smaller tent, take fewer cycling shorts and do laundry more frequently, take a smaller bar of soap, take only two cameras instead of three, sweat more… whatever I need to do, because this chair is great.
I didn’t realize it until just now, but there are no billboards on the Natchez Trace. It’s like traveling on a road in the 1950s, and really refreshing.
By late afternoon it was starting to heat up, but even though the temperature was 88 degrees with a heat index of 95 it still didn't feel too warm because of the shade along the way. I have three water bottles on my bike frame and another three strapped to my rack. I’m still averaging about a liter an hour.
If you’re riding on a road with no shoulder, it’s usually safer to take up at least the right third of your lane. This seems counterintuitive, but otherwise cars may try to squeeze past you from behind, which is actually more dangerous because you can get forced off the road. If they’re unable to pass you without running into opposing traffic they will slow down. It’s the same for oncoming traffic - if you take up enough of the lane then they’ll have to slow down and get back in their lane or risk messing up their car with your entrails. They’re not always happy about it, but they do it anyway. So, this afternoon when an oncoming car pulled into my lane to pass a sluggish RV, I eased over towards the middle of my lane. For a full 15 seconds the driver looked straight at me as he continued his lethal course. I was fascinated by the fact that this person just didn’t seem to care if he hit a bicyclist. If you noticed, I said “it’s usually safer.” Although taking up your lane will force most people to drive safely, I do understand that “most” doesn’t mean “all.” I also understand the physics of what happens when a 35-lb bicycle toddling along at 12 mph meets a 3000-lb car spinning along at 60 mph. So, not wanting to damage his radiator, I pulled off the road a couple of seconds before the RV and the car, side by side, blew past me. By the time I rode into the grass on the side of the road, the driver had put himself in a position where he couldn’t have moved back over because the RV was in the way. In hindsight, I wished I had pretended to crash, laying my bike down and sprawling out, to see what would’ve happened.
Most people respect this sign, but not everyone:
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My plan for today is to ride to Kosciusko, about 65 miles, and camp at the Ranger Station, a designated bicycle campground on the outskirts of town. When I pulled in at 3:45 the gate was locked, but since I’m on a bike I just walked around it and continued up the road. I found a large, pastoral clearing to pitch a tent, then pulled out my chair, ate some fig newtons, and drank some Gatorade. After taking all my gear off the bike and hiding it behind some fallen logs in the surrounding trees I rode the quarter mile to the Bel Piatto Italian Restaurant where I ate some really good shrimp ravioli and drank a margarita.
Since there’s no water at my campsite I took my water bottles in, including the empty Gatorade bottles, and surreptitiously filled them from the small pitcher of water I was given. I kept asking for refills of the pitcher, and my waiter must’ve thought I was the thirstiest person who ever came through their doors.
While I waited for my meal, and after I was done, I thought about what to do for the next few days: It’s a hundred miles to Tupelo, and there are two campsites between here and there. I can either ride 30 miles tomorrow and 70 the day after, or 70 miles tomorrow and 30 the day after. My other option is to stealth camp, which I haven’t yet done on this trip. There’s a cold front coming through tonight. The low will be 53, the high will be 68, and I’ll have a 10-12 mph headwind all day. After some consideration I decided to try to make it 50 miles, then stealth camp, but will play it by ear like I always do. It’s always better to make tentative, flexible plans since they frequently need to be altered. Like the boxer Mike Tyson said, “Everybody has a plan until they get punched in the face.” We’ll see if tomorrow’s weather punches me in the face.
When I get to Tupelo I plan to take a rest day. That’ll be on Day Ten. It’s a good idea to take one day a week off just to let your body recuperate, and to take care of things like laundry, bike maintenance, etc. Today is Day Seven, but I’m feeling pretty good and would rather hang out in an actual town instead of at a stealth campsite or a small community with no services other than a convenience store.
Just before I left the restaurant I overheard a conversation between my waiter and a guy in the seat behind me. “The last time I was here I got the shrimp ravioli. It was pretty good, but would you pull the tails off the shrimp this time? I don’t like them tails on there.” I rolled my eyes and thought, "And maybe fan me with a giant palm frond?" Then I left a little bit more of a tip.
As I rode back to my campsite I noticed the ACTUAL Ranger’s Station/bicycle campsite, not the place where I was staying. There was a giant green Marmot tent pitched there, and some bicycling shorts hanging on a line to dry. I pulled in to see if the other cyclists were anywhere nearby but didn’t see anyone so I continued on to the field where I left my gear. Of the two locations, I prefer mine. Theirs has a road and traffic on three sides, with the accompanying noise, and they’re visible to everyone. There's also a lot of light from street lamps and car headlights. Mine has forest on two sides and a large field on the other two. Since I’m 1000 feet from the nearest road (the Natchez Trace, which isn't busy) it’s secluded, quiet, and dark. Just lucky I pulled into the wrong place, I guess.
This was taken the next morning. The Natchez Trace Parkway is in the background, but you can’t see it because it's so far away.
Once back at the camp I pitched my tent, journaled, “bathed,” and finished my book. I put “bathe” in quotes because obviously I can’t shower or take a bath (although there are some campers who use sun-heated bags of water which hang from a limb for showering). When no shower is available, I use large biodegradable HandiWipes which are about the size of a dish towel to clean myself. I can use a couple of them and get surprisingly clean, although there may be people with a functional olfactory sense who might disagree.
It started raining about 10:00, which is one of my favorite things when I’m in the middle of nowhere, tucked away in my tent. Something about the rain hitting the tent is just soporific, and I slept great.
63.7 miles
1063 feet climbed
8.5% grade
10:03:12 total time
5:16:08 moving time
20.4 mph max speed
12.0 mph average moving speed
2812 calories
407.1 total miles
Today's ride: 64 miles (103 km)
Total: 408 miles (657 km)
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