Day 6 - French Camp, MS to Houston, MS - Two Far 2020 - NTF (Not Two Far)

June 5, 2020

Day 6 - French Camp, MS to Houston, MS

We almost stayed dry

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Because we had a long ride yesterday and only 55 miles to go today, we decided to have a leisurely morning and leave at 10 AM. Unlike previous days, today there were C-stores about every 15 miles or so, it was going to be a little cooler and the chance of rain was only 40% instead of 80%. Given all of that, leaving late sounded like a great idea.

We have a very nice breakfast at French Camp (I highly recommend their homemade blackberry preserves) and then hung around reading the paper and playing on our respective computers. Just before 10AM, John walked across campus to the gift shop to pay for his room. We finally got rolling around 10:15, a little later than planned, but no big deal.

The ride started out nicely - a little hillier than previous days but nothing too hard. At about mile 13 we entered Jeff Busby Park. We rode to the top of Little Mountain - John zipped and I plodded - to check out the view.

That was the first time I got wet today, but in this case it was because I was sweating like a pig by the time I got to the top. (It was irritating to see John so cool, calm and breathing easily, but maybe that was because he had plenty of time to relax before I finally reached the top). Regardless, it was very satisfying to see our kind and beautiful SAG driver waiting there with ice cold drinks and snacks. Thank you honey!

The view from atop Little Mountain in Jeff Busby Park. Even though there were only scattered clouds, the 9% grade to the top triggered a a personal rainstorm

Sign of the times. This was in Jeff Busby Park, but so far all facilities and Visitor Centers have been closed. Luckily, there are plenty of Green Rooms along the way :-)

Shortly after leaving the park, we had our first C-Store break at the By-Wy Country Store. Because of a few things the proprietor said and some of the store's signage, I doubt if any of the staff were AOC or Bernie fans. However, it was cool inside so we enjoyed the break.

The sign sets the tone for the By Wy Country Store

An owl that was not quick enough. We have seen very little roadkill but that is probably because there is almost no traffic on the Trace due to the pandemic.

Is our ride on the Trace half over, or do we have half to go?

We stopped for lunch shortly before the days halfway point and then took another C-Store break with about 15 miles left to ride.

After leaving the last rest stop everything was looking good. With with about 10 miles left to ride we saw some clouds starting to build, but they looked pretty far off and we thought we'd be OK. About 5 miles out the wind really picked up and the temperature dropped by at least 10 degrees. They trees started swaying and they were losing a lot of leaves. It was then that I started to think about all the storm damage we rode through yesterday.

We were less than 2 miles from the hotel when the skies opened up and we got drenched. It turns out that all of this was John's fault. If he had paid for his room last night we would have left on time and stayed dry!!

Here are the KerryNotes for the day...

Milepost 213. The sign gives you the impression that Chickasaw and Choctaw tribes woke up one morning and said "Hey, let's move to Oklahoma!". Somehow I don't think it happened that way :-(

Finally, even though we got wet, any day you can ride is a good day :-)

Today's ride: 57 miles (92 km)
Total: 257 miles (414 km)

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Alain AbbateStaying dry is going to be a challenge for the next few days as Chrisobal works its way up the Mississippi valley, but it looks like you will be spared the worst of it. If you had left one week later Natchez might have been flooded.
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