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
