4/26/08

Down The Road I Go...

As i finished packing last night, thunder and lightning rolled into Houston and rain soaked the area. I was sure the wet weather would be gone by morning, but that was wishful thinking. By the time I rolled out onto the road it was don to a drizzle, and the weather map showed it was dry north of I10. That made the decision between slabbing east on 10 and heading northeast an easy one.



I skirted the rain for a while, but it caught up with me as I passed into Louisiana. I almost dropped the bike for the picture - the ground was soft and the kickstand started sinking fast. Luckily, I was close enough to the bike that I caught it and got the kickstand plate down under it in time.



I was reluctant to add a layer of rain gear, since it makes it feel like I'm riding in a sauna. I pulled into a gas station for a snack and decided it was the safest place to do the "rain gear dance", and not three miles down the road the sky opened up and dime-sized raindrops were pelting me.

I opted for an easy lunch at Arby's and recalculated a route that might get me closer to Chattanooga than I'd originally routed.



The roads got straighter and more boring, although I was making good time. I decided to stop for some ice cream to load up on sugar.



Before I knew it, I was crossing a huge bridge and sure enough, it was the mighty Mississippi. Because of the wet weather, the camera was tucked away in the tank bag and I missed the opportunity to get pics from the bridge itself. I pulled over for my sign shot:



And turned around for a quick shot of the bridge:



I was in Natchez, MS and I'd been advised that the Natchez Trace was slow and boring, so I headed for US 61. As it crossed over the trace, I couldn't help but notice how green and lush it was. I turned around and hopped on it for a few miles, telling myself Id get back on 61 after a few miles and a couple of pictures.



I was amazed at the beauty that was before me. Mile after mile of greenery hung over and around me, and despite the lack of sun it was exactly what I needed to get some thinking time in.



The speed limit was only 50mph, but this seemingly-isolated road had me so calm that I found myself going as slow as 40 at times. There were very few cars on the road, so my speed (or lack of) wasn't bothering anyone.



I could stop in the roadway and snap pictures at will. I passed multiple chances to get back onto the highway, but found myself compelled to just continue on at the sedate pace I was keeping on the Trace.











I decided to push on past dark, so I stopped in a hotel just east of Jackson, MS. I've got my camping gear loaded on the bike but I'm not intent on pushing safety just for the sake of camping, After this, I would have veered off the main lanes and onto side roads that aren't lit.

Here's a link that will (hopefully) let you know where I end up riding tomorrow:
http://share.findmespot.com/shared/gogl.jsp?glId=0prkGaxNu7TZxuGCWefXtUfZjWkosk1cY

Hopefully the sun will peek out and I'll be able to get some more pictures to share with you.

444 miles
Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

SEE YOU SOON BECCA
LOVE
NOAH

Anonymous said...

Go Becca Jo!!!! I see you are headed for the Smokey Mountains today. It should be awesome!!!
Love
KY

Anonymous said...

Just checkin up on ya. Hope all is well and be careful. You want I should have a heart attack not hearing from you? Oye...
Eddie