Thursday, April 09, 2009

The Natchez Trace

Kristin, Tuck, and Elizabeth are on a journey... The Natchez Trace... 400 miles... on a bicycle! I will be posting periodic updates on their trek right here!

Day Ten: A lazy day in Natchez (courtesy of the early finish)... here are a couple of photos from the journey:



Day Nine: 90 miles and an early FINISH!!! Instead of breaking up the last two legs with an overnight, Elizabeth and Kristin busted a move and made it all the way from Ridgeland to Natchez. (Part of the motivation was the less-than-stellar hotel in Port Gibson!) Tuck opted to ride with Liz in support due to the aching wrist. After the finish the whole gang, including Mr. Barnes, Jack and Neil Rejman, sipped scotch and then crossed the state line into Louisiana for a feast of frog legs, catfish and shrimp. Everyone was in great spirits for the end of the Natchez Trace!

Day Eight: Our crew spent the day relaxing and seeing the sights in Jackson, including a visit to the 'old' state capitol. Good weather, good food, and Kristin's talking like she going to move there! Tuck nursed his wrist after the slow-motion tip over at the end of yesterday's ride. (All you riders out there with clip-ins know what happened.) Elizabeth's family made plans to fly in a day early (tomorrow) after picking up Mr. Barnes in Indiana.

Day Seven: 68 miles! First had to drive to "Country Cookin" for breakfast - and apparently decaf isn't a common order... Tuck and Liz hit the outskirts Jackson to fix his shoe, while Kristin and Elizabeth braved the poor roads in the first two hours. Gorgeous sunny day ride, with a scenic lunch spot (i.e., not just trees)! Tuck and Liz also hit a craft fair and added to their eclectic metal animal collection. Had an excellent dinner at "Katherine's" for a bit of local flair and live music! Tomorrow: day off!

Day Six: 45 miles! A cold one for the crew - Kristin said she had to sprint to shake the bone chill. Everyone finished the distance in grand fashion, but we've had our first equipment failure: Tuck's shoe apparently caught on his pedal and he tore off a cleat. Thankfully, it happened at the end of the day. Plans are for Tuck and Liz to skip into town to find a repair while Elizabeth and Kristin hit the first leg in the morning...

Day Five: 59 Miles! Our intrepid crew experienced beautiful weather (surprisingly) on their way to Starksville, MS! Kristin says that they are all in fine shape and settling into a groove. The group had to out-run a swarm of black flies at one point, but spent most of the day admiring the flowers on either side of the road. The traffic, with one blaring exception, has been very accomodating (whew!). As an interesting side note, apparently the most popular way to ride "The Trace" is in the opposite direction, from Natchez to Nashvillle. Perhaps that explains why the majority of other riders they've seen are going in the other direction! All three are looking forward to a relatively short ride tomorrow...

Day Four: Day off riding. The group spent the day in Oxford and Tupelo, MS, the birthplace of Elvis Presley. The also visited the campus of Ole Miss, and took in the final round of the Masters warm and dry in the lobby of the hotel. But just to capture the mood, here's a photo from the road! Enjoy!


Day Three: 70 miles!! Kristin reports very cold weather for the first half of the day, but then after a PB&J lunch, the weather was beautiful. In fact, so good that she finished the entire length of their longest day of riding. They had a great time at dinner with a 'local,' Mark Yacovone. Go see his picture at dinner on Facebook! Everyone is in good spirits, and they are all excited to spend tomorrow in Tupelo, AL, the birthplace of one Elvis Presley.

Day Two: 50 miles! Narrowly escaping a HAIL storm, and documenting Armadillo road kill, our intrepid trekkers are sleeping soundly in Florence, AL. Kristin was in great spirits as she reported that both Elizabeth and Tuck are enjoying the ride as well... even though today was much chillier. They dined at O'Charlie's tonight and plan on a big pancake breakfast before doing the BIGGEST day of travel tomorrow: 70 miles!!! Wish them luck!

Day One: 59 miles! From Nashville to Hohenwald - and the report coming in is one of soreness, tiredness, and complaints about a certain 7 miles at the end which seemed "straight uphill." Great weather to kick off the trip. Wish our adventurers well!!! Tomorrow: another 60 miles, with rain showers in the forecast!