Every Day Should Be So Wonderful

Columbus to Fulton, MS

Miles ~ 85

Total Miles to Date ~ 380 

Flora and Fauna Update ...

Red-bellied woodpecker

Blue Heron

Snake in the water (we think)

Lots of dogs - most of them behind fences. We saved Frankie and Sue's lives when four dogs charged out at them. We were behind them but blew our WONDERFUL whistles which stopped those dogs, and a few others throughout the day, dead in their tracks. 

We left Holiday Inn at 7:30, arriving at our new "home" at 3:00. What an incredible day. The breeze on our skin was cool throughout the day, the baby blue sky was streaked with high white cirrus clouds. We rode on two lane country roads with very little traffic. When there was traffic, we found the drivers to be kind and courteous for the most part. During a great part of the ride we were in an area where there were no public restrooms. Holly and I  stopped at the National Guard Armory in West Point, MS and asked to use their "facilities". We were greeted by Amanda Williams, a member of the Guard. In conversation, we found out that their unit had been in Iraq a number of years ago. The photo below is not Amanda - she was out on maneuvers by the time we finished up. Our thanks go out to Amanda and all of her fellow Guard members for their generosity - and for serving our Nation without question.

West Point, Mississippi

When we rode the Southern Tier, Holly and I often spoke of getting tattoos - just a little something to remind us of our ride. Well, on our off day in Columbus we finally did it. What do you think? 

Dinner was incredible. Patty outdid herself. There are ten women on this ride who did the Mississippi River Ride last year. We took a photo, with Laurie, our guide, to commemorate our reunion. I will post it tomorrow - which, by the way, will be shorter by 8 or so miles, but a lot hillier. Bed time.

Thanks for stopping by. TheWanderingJu and Company

A Rest Day and A Visit From An Old Friend

Columbus, MS

Clark Taylor rode the Meandering Mississippi with us last year. This afternoon,  just as we were about to relax, the phone in our room rang - . "Do you know who this is?" crooned the soft southern voice on the other end of the phone. "Of course I do. This is Sondra." I was wrong. "It's Clark, and I'm in the lobby. Can I come down to your room?" This began a rolling reunion as we called to the other women who were with us last year and are with us again on this year's ride. For two hours we chatted and laughed - a lot - and reminisced and took photos. Two weeks ago Clark finished the Southern Tier. She is still on the high that comes with touching the Pacific Ocean on day and the Atlantic Ocean 7 weeks later - while riding your bicycle from town to town. She has gotten stronger, leaner, more confident, and, if possible, more beautiful. Columbus is Clark's home town. Her father was Mayor when she was a small child. Her brother lives nearby, just across the Alabama state line, and she had come for a couple of days to visit. While here, she was headed to check out her girlhood home, make a stop at the cemetery, and all of the other things we do when we return to our roots. When she spotted a group of cyclists she had to stop and find out if there was a new bike club in town. That was when she was Marni and Chris, sisters who rode with us last year, and that is how she found us at the Holiday Inn. I will add photos later. 

Other than the wonderful reunion, we spent a leisurely day. Massages, a walk into town with Mary, lunch at a wonderful little restaurant, and back to our home for the day. After Mary finishes her massage we will answer that old age question, "Why do the cyclists cross the road? when we head to Chili's for dinner. 

Tomorrow is an 80-mile day. We need to lube our chains. Until tomorrow. Holly & Judi 

A stroll In the Countryside

Wednesday, May 14

Demopolis to Eutaw, AL

59 Miles ~ Total Miles 295

The TennTom Waterway

The Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway was opened on December 12, 1984, after 12 years of consruction. It is a navigation link between the eastern Gulf of Mexico and mid-America - running from Florence, AL to Demopolis, AL. To learn more you may go to www.tenntom.org.

Additional Flora and Fauna:

Pigs in a pen with ...

Donkeys

Purple straw flowers

Honeysuckle

Short day today - only 59 miles. It was as if we were given the option of riding to lunch and no further,  except that at that point we were actually done fo

r the day rather than eating lunch along the road. Eutaw, Alabama! The town was cute. A step back in time as so many of the small towns we have visited during many of our rides. A large group of women stopped at a restaurant for bar-b-que. Holly, Mary (Mary Callesen was one of the 19 who rode the Southern Tier with us in 1998) and I went to a less glamorous place - Piggly Wiggly - and bought ice cream for a snack. We stopped at one of the many old buildings in Eutaw thinking it was the visitor's center. Here is a photo of the inside - original books from when it was the Property Assessor's Office. Fun to touch the past - always fun. 

Our hotel, America's Best, was not. Mary and Sandra changed rooms four times before they finally stayed put. These changes were not because they were asking for anything special - hot water, air conditioning that blew cool, etc. Laurie had told us at the map meeting to lower our expectations in order to not be disappointed. It worked. We were happy with fresh paint - even if it was only on one or two of the walls in our room, and new carpeting. Our a/c blew warm - but was soon replaced with one that blew cold, along with the faint scent of cigarette smoke. 

By the time dinner was ready it was pouring down rain - which continued into the morning (see my earlier post on the next day's ride). We sidled along the edge of the motel to avoid the rain as we went for our food. Some of us ate outside, others (including Holly and myself) ate in our rooms. This is one of the wonders of these rides. We just go with the flow and do what we need to do in order to get done what needs to be accomplished. After dinner, we set Willie for 4:45, put our gear out for the next day's ride (the one that never happened) and headed to bed. 

Riding In The Van

Thursday, May 15

Eutaw, AL to Columbus, MS

Zero Miles ~ Total Miles to Date 295

8:00 AM ~ The first five head out in the rain

Today's route took us down two lane country roads with very little traffic, mostly, with easy climbs. Unfortunately, for most of us, we rode the route in the van and/or Bo-Peep, the Subaru that serves as our SAG. We awoke to a downpour which continued until we reached Mississippi, when it slowed to a drizzle. There was thunder and lightening off and on. This was not a day for being on the road. A dozen hardy souls donned their rain gear and rode the distance. Lois and Marilyn got in the van after Marilyn's THIRD flat. We stopped in Aliceville to regroup with some of the riders who were out on the road, and with Bo-Peep, and found a The Plantation House Restaurant. It was built 1903 to 1905 and housed a family of 10. One of the rooms was left untouched. The wood was incredible. I do not know all of the details, and there is nothing on the Net to help, but this home was apparently moved in the 60s or 80s to its present location, and had to be cut in half in order to make the move. Places such as Plantation House are the prizes we win while peddling our bikes.

Entering Mississippi

Our hotel is an incredibly beautiful Holiday Inn, located only one mile from the historic downtown. Holly and I were the first to get rooms - we arrived just around noon - did our laundry and are ready to ramble - but are relaxing instead. Tomorrow is a rest day - massages and a walk into town. 

Thanks for stopping by. TheWanderingJu & Company (that would be Holly)

Jackson to Demopolis, AL

98 Miles

Total Miles to Date ~ 235

Breakfast at the trailer at 6:15, with a short map meeting ~ then we were off at 6:30. The day was filled with climbing, not as high or difficult as our 102 mile day, but challenging nonetheless. We had the weather on our side. It was cool as we pulled out of our hotel and temps never got higher than into the 70s. Most of the day was overcast. That element saved us from the exhaustion that comes with riding in a hot and sunny day. Our roads were rural with very little traffic. We did not have a lot of traffic to deal with until late in the ride, and then it was constant. There were logging trucks coming in both directions. Those that were behind us were surprisingly kind, waiting behind has we pulled ourselves up a hill at 4 or 5 MPH. When it was clear ahead, Holly would signal to them that they could pass. 

Lunch was at 60 miles, with loads of sag breaks with Bo Peep and Jennifer. Toward the end, Holly and I would touch down at five-mile intervals in order to give our bodies a short rest (especially the part of our body that meets the saddle). 

We are at a Holiday Inn Express ~ a very nice hotel ~ in Demopolis. Pizza and salad for dinner with home made brownies, ice cream and chocolate sauce for dessert. Tomorrow is a short day, 57 miles, so we are able to sleep in. Our usual wake-up time is 4:45 (4:15 on these long/early days)

We are beat. Even with a rest day, we have ridden back-to-back Centuries in the rolling hills of Alabama. It's wonderful to be on the road with Holly - and especially wonderful now that I am lying in bed and off the bike for the day.

Thanks for stopping day. No pix. This was not that sort of day. Judi and Holly

Flora and Fauna

Bamboo growing along the road. (Somebody must have tossed out a single plant. That's all it takes with bamboo)

The fragrance of jasmine as we ride along.

Buzzards - nature's street cleaners - dining on road kill.

Dogs, dogs, dogs - some behind fences, some inside of homes, some running at us and barking - until we blow those great whistles that stops them in their tracks. Today, there was one dog who got too close for comfort. He was growling, and near enough to dine on my ankle. Once again, saved by the whistle!

Dainty lavender and white flowers growing among the grasses.

Something that looks like cotton - probably white thistle.

Singing birds.

Cardinals flying across the road.

The distant sound of woodpeckers.

Horses, some with foals.

Cattle.

Goats.

3 Dead Snakes, Dozens of Dead Armadillos & Raccoons, and 102 Hot & Hilly Miles

102 Miles

Bay Minette to Jackson, AL

We were on the road for 11 hours (actual riding time 9 hours plus). At 85 miles I wanted to throw in the proverbial towel - but a good rest at a gas station/convenience store, a huge bottle of water, a bag of salty chips, a package of Access (some sort of goo that helps muscles to recover), and on-going nagging from Holly got me back on the bike. 

Our first 60 miles were a mix of great and good. The last 40 were hell - head winds until those last 15 miles. Long steep hills were a constant. However, we are here and this is a rest day. Tomorrow is a 98-mile day. We are in search of a good massage therapist for our aching bodies.

Thanks for visiting. Judi and Holly