October 1, 2022
Day 10 - Mathiston, MS (Mathiston Motel) to Tupelo, MS (Quality Inn)
Tupelo Traffic Ruins A Great Day, Attacked With A Diet Sprite
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Statistics, Useful & Otherwise;
Elevation Gained Today; 1,923 ft Cumulative; 14,954 ft
Roadkill Seen Today; Squirrel (1), Armadillo (1) Cumulative; Hawk (2), Raccoon(2), Possum (6), mouse (1), Squirrel (1), Armadillo (1), unknown (2)
Found Money Today; $0 Cumulative; $0.29
Lodging Cost Today; $98.33 Cumulative; $825.83
Bad Drivers Today; 5! Cumulative; 8
Dog Chases Today; 0 Cumulative; 2
Confederate Flags Today; 0 Cumulative; 1
Average Speed Today; 10.2 mph Cumulative: 10.44 mph
Summary of Today's Ride; Great until the Tupelo traffic.
I was up at 05:30 and arrived at the Trace-Way diner at 05:59. Even though they supposedly don't open until 06:00, there were a half-dozen locals already inside having coffee. I had a great breakfast, then had them make me a BLT for the road to be used as my picnic lunch later. I was on the Trace and rolling shortly before 07:00. I wanted to have a fairly relaxed day of riding today and tomorrow, so I would be better prepared for the following 2 days that I expect will be very challenging. Today's ride takes me into Tupelo, and the park service warns cyclists that the rush-hour traffic can be heavy. Today was a Saturday, and even so I would be there well ahead of rush-hour traffic, so I thought I would be fine.
It was cool enough this morning that my fingertips got cold in my finger-less riding gloves! Tomorrow morning I will be wearing leather work gloves for the first few hours. My wish for Fall weather has been granted.
I didn't see any coyotes today and that was a disappointment. This deer is the only wildlife I saw today.
It's hard to imagine how tough it was to keep the Trace open so that a wagon could navigate through. It was just man and axe against nature.
A couple of days back, I saw a vehicle approaching me from behind with several bicycles loaded on the back, and they slowed and chatted with me a bit. They told me that a relay race would be coming through and I would see a lot of cyclists in the next couple of days, as they raced from Nashville to Natchez. I think the bulk of the racers must have passed through yesterday afternoon when I was off the Trace in Mathiston, because I missed them. But I did see 2 riders this morning who were at the rear of the pack - as they passed I asked and they confirmed that they were part of the race. Later I talked with Doc and he had encountered the fast group of riders who were already in Natchez. I ain't racing anyone, I'm just poking along about 10 mph and happy to be doing so.
So this guy named Tom and his friend were hiking in the woods when a huge insect came buzzing at them. The friend yelled "Tom, Big Bee!" and that's how the forest came to be named. Yeah, that's pretty lame but it's all I have at the moment.
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As usual, I stopped at every exhibit and historical display on the Trace. Here's a note about that rascal de Soto;
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It would be impossible to convince someone of that era that we can receive mail (email) from anywhere in the world in a matter of a few seconds.
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Our earth is dynamic, constantly changing. It's only because human lifetimes are so short that we think of the land as being eternal.
I noticed today that some of the leaves are beginning to turn. Just a few, but soon we will be in fall plumage. Maybe before I reach Iowa.
It was a great ride today, except for 2 spoilers. The wind continues to play a cruel joke on me, and once again I had afternoon headwinds. The Tupelo traffic started picking up about 15 miles out. I was surprised by that, but I think it was from folks who were out enjoying the Fall and returning back to the city. Whatever the reason, it got heavy. The Trace is great for cycling everywhere except for 2 places; as you approach the Jackson metroplex area, and as you approach Tupelo. The Trace is just a 2-lane roadway and has no shoulder, so cars must wait till there is no oncoming traffic to pass a cyclist. That works fine when there is little traffic, but when there is oncoming traffic then cars get backed up behind a cyclist. The Trace is a federal parkway and has signage telling motorists that cyclists have a right to the full lane and that they must change lanes to pass, so drivers know what is expected of them and follow the rules. That is, they do so everywhere except in the heavy traffic areas of Jackson and Tupelo. I added 5 drivers to the "bad drivers" statistic today. Most of these were from motorists who passed me safely in the other lane but did so with traffic oncoming! The oncoming traffic had to slow and would honk and road rage was likely. One driver tried to squeeze over into my lane too quickly - I was not in danger but again he was being a nuisance and danger to the oncoming traffic. A Chevy Suburban passed me and someone in the rear seat dowsed me with a cold drink, so I got hit with a little ice and soft drink - it tasted a bit like Diet Sprite but I never had it analyzed by a lab. I started to go into Beast Mode and chase them down, but then I reminded myself that I was trying to save energy today in preparation for some upcoming hard days. $%#!@& Missisippi Redneck drivers! I was happy to reach my exit from the Trace and make my way to the Quality Inn.
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Enough already, I need to shower and get ready for tomorrow. I'll be up at 05:30 so I can have the motel breakfast at 06:00 and roll on out of Tupelo before the crazies awake. If that's possible. Hey, I knew I was going on tour in America's underbelly, so a diet sprite attack in a backwards southern state shouldn't be a surprise. How very brave they are.
Something good did come from Tupelo, Mississippi, at least once though, as this is the home of Elvis Presley. Although it isn't my favorite of his songs, "Hound Dog" is the song that catapulted him to fame. "Hound Dog" was released in 1956 and was very controversial in its day, probably more because of Elvis's hip gyrations than for the lyrics. “Hound Dog” is now considered one of his biggest influences on the rock 'n' roll genre, and was Presley's biggest selling single, spending a recording-setting 11 weeks at number one in 1956 – a record which stood for 36 years. So here we go;
Good night folks. You are my friends even though you never caught a rabbit.
Today's ride: 62 miles (100 km)
Total: 542 miles (872 km)
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