Day 21. Magee MS to Foxworth MS. 67 miles

     Another hot and hilly day. I was glad to be off the road at 1 o'clock .  Logging seems to be a major industry. Loaded trucks pass me all day long. Cattle farms are also prevalent in this area. On to Louisiana tomorrow.

Day 20 Kosiuscko MS to Magee MS. 79 miles

     It was a hot and hilly day today. The roads varied greatly, from alittle more scenic roadway to gravel on top of pavement and Larry's favorite, an old logging trail. After narrowly avoiding a crash due to thick mud on the trail, I found a lucky horseshoe. I'm positive that's why the rest of the trail was a piece of cake - just look at Larry's car.  Chill-action Jackson is enjoying the 90 degree heat.

Day 19. Houston MS to Kosciusko MS. 87 miles

     I'm back on the road to New Orleans after a short side trip, 301 miles, across Michigan with my grandson, Alex. We survived the 6 day camping and biking adventure unscathed. It was a beautiful route from Lake Michigan to Lake Huron.
     I left Houston, Mississipi early this morning and traveled about 6 miles through town and out to the Natchez Trace Parkway which I was on for the rest of the day. It is a beautiful scenic roadway. The original trail, a series of Indian trails, was made into a road in the 1800's to help with mail and to help solidify the area within the country.
     A great day for biking. Looking forward to tomorrow.
     I took a side trip today to Starkville, home of Mississippi State University.  This was a bucket item list, which the photos do not do justice for.  The baseball stadium has been notorious for its unique outfield seating and fan club which uses cowbells extensively.....you can see why I am attracted...it has all the redneck characteristics I treasure.  I also found an honorary bulldog member in front of the football stadium.

Day 19. Delay for a while

  Beth will resume her NTS (North to South) bike ride in a week and a half.  Five more days of biking remain until she arrives in New Orleans sometime near July 1.
   A mini vacation is in store, with PALM (Pedal Across Lower Michigan) a bike ride beginning on Father's Day with Grandson Alex and Cousin Kelly and his daughter Samantha.  Biking and six days of camping out sound like a vaca, right?

Day 18. Ripley MS to Houston MS. 65 miles

    After a short time in the dark, I was back on the highway for awhile. I felt much better when my route meandered to less busy roads, until the road turned to gravel, or should I say mud from an overnight rain. I had to walk some sections and keep knocking mud clumps off my bike. That led to an absolutely beautiful bike path though. I was on it for the remainder of the ride. The trees provided a lot of shade and it was a pleasant way to end Flag Day.  I got to the end before Larry. Lucky for me, there was a port-a-pot there since a heavy rain storm caught me about 2 miles out of town. It was a sight for wet eyes!

Day 17. Jackson TN to Ripley MS. 70 miles

   Believe it or not we are in Ripley.


   Hot, hilly, and very busy roads. Semis and cars flew by most of the day.
   My question for the day is: Is John the most or one of the most popular names for baby boys in Tennessee and Mississippi?
   For those of you with an interest in music, can you explain Mississippi's slogan? - Birthplace of America's Music.
   That's about it for today. Early to bed, early to rise.  Keeps Beth going, and Larry barely alive.

Day 16. Union City TN. To Jackon TN. 62 miles

        Not too much to say about today. I started early to try and avoid some of the heat. It did help since it was in the 90's again today. About the only thing to see today was a replica of Davy Crockett's last home. I saw a lot of homes flying the American flag with the Confederate flag flying right below. I also came to the conclusion that at least 80% of the people must be Baptist. Several cities, some very small, had more than one Baptist church. Headed to Mississippi tomorrow.

Day 15. Cairo ILL to Union City TN. 58 miles

     The day got off to an interesting start. I made it to the Ohio River bridge about 5 a.m. The sun was just starting to peek out as I made my way across. It's about a mile long and rather narrow so I had decided to walk my bike. About a quarter of the way, there were cars coming from both directions, so I totally stopped to let them by. The car behind me stopped to give way also. After the other car passed, he still stayed put with a couple of cars now behind him. A car in the distance, so I figured he was going to wait for him too. The second car gets by and still no movement from behind, so I try moving over a little more holding on to the edge of the railing. Nothing - and then the car's door opens and out comes a policeman. He very nicely told me that it was illegal to ride a bike on the bridge. I told him I was sorry and didn't know that. He asked a few questions and then told me to go ahead. I started walking and they followed. He got out again and asked if maybe I could ride my bike. I said it was a little scary on the side, could I ride down the middle of the lane. His answer was that it would be fine because they were going to follow right behind me so I would be safe and they did just that all all the way across the bridge and a ways down the road. We stopped and had a short conversation along the road about what I was doing. He said he was 25 and would probably have a hard time doing it. He gave some advice in case I had to cross another bridge.  He said call 911 and say it wasn't an emergency, but could someone escort me across. Two fantastic policemen - a credit to their profession!
     The day became one of my favorite with smooth roads and a variety of pretty scenery as I rode through Kentucky. The crops looked really good. The corn was as tall as me and several farmers were starting to harvest wheat. One I talked to farmed 15,000 acres with his brother. It was a little hot when I ended - 94 - but a great day overall. The hardest part was finding our hotel. It took three passes even after calling for directions. :)

Day 14. Herrin ILL to Cairo ILL 70 miles

        I started today on a busy highway with little to no shoulder. Thankfully the drivers were very courteous. From there I went on less traveled roads. I ran into a baby goat along the way.  He was so cute, but scared of me. There were also a lot of wildlife sanctuaries again today. One of the first towns I came to was Vienna. To make sure I was on the right track, I rolled up to a gas pump where a man was just getting out of his truck. He asked if I was there to refuel and from there we continued on for about 15 minutes and I even got new directions for a shorter route. It seems only grey cars honk. That is always a good sign though - lunch time! Larry seems to show up at the perfect moment. I made one more stop before the end - more conversation with two guys wondering what I was doing. I felt fortunate today that I was able to see which way to America and also take a quick trip to Urbandale. Thought I'd gone farther than that.

Day 13. Vandalia ILL to Herrin ILL. 75 miles

     The day started off with good roads and weather as I watched the sun rise. My route turned into a bumpy ride over gravel and broken blacktop dotted with potholes. I got the attention of several dogs today. They ran along with me and definitely won the races. All were friendly which was nice. I was worried when I saw a big ball of fur in the middle of the road. I was sure he was hurt until he jumped up, startled awake. There were a lot of farmers out in the fields. My favorite was the one who caught up to me on his ATV and struck up a conversation as we rolled down the road. The roads improved and the ride ended.

Day 12. Lincoln IL to Vandalia IL. 91 miles

   A little side trip today to Springfield to view the Capital and the boyhood home of Abe Lincoln.  Then a mad dash to catch Beth for lunch.  As I am driving through beautiful farmland, I pass two correctional facilities in Taylorville and Vandalia with more people in them than the town has residents!  What a true dichotomy!  The land of Lincoln....honest Abe...the Greatest of all our Presidents....and now....this State is bankrupt...the prison(s) are overflowing with people who have lost their way....3 past governors, 1 House Speaker (Denis Hastert) , 1 fictional governor Peter Florek from the Good Wife, are in jail, and many other politicians throughout this State have lost their moral compass.  The State budget is shot, the state pension funds and the future commitments make this place stinkin Lincoln.  Chicago politics are a joke....Mayor Richard Daley, Jayne Byrne, Harold Washington, Richie Daley,  Rahm Emmanuel....Crime in Chicagoland is worse than the Prohibition Era!  Mrs. O'Leary where is that cow now?  Good news....we will be in Tennesee soon.
                                                                                                                                                                               
      No side trips for me. I got to ride on a great bike trail for several miles and then spent most of the remainder of the day on a busy highway. It was a day for my music box. It certainly helps pass the time. I did have someone follow me for most of the morning. They stayed to my side and were very quiet. I finally got a little ahead of them about noon. Still not a word, but I did get a picture of them :) The day went fast even though the miles were long.

Day 11. East Peoria IL to Lincoln IL. 61 miles

     A perfect day for biking - temperature nice, road signs visible, a little bit of wind, and pavement great. I spent the day traveling through farm country. You could see corn and soybeans everywhere. The corn was looking really good, about a foot taller than what I saw just a couple of days ago.  I finished before noon today and got to eat lunch in a restaurant. Fantastic!

Day 10. Geneseo IL to East Peoria IL. 85 miles

     Another beautiful day. I started the day off on the Hennepin Canal Trail. It was very scenic and provided me with some interesting challenges - biking through narrow paths with foliage up to my head and going through a flooded area with minnows jumping all around. From there I biked through more farmland. At one point, not quite sure where I was, I flagged down the first car I saw. Would you believe it was a mail carrier? She even passed me a second time and stopped to make sure everything was all right. After that I spent a good share of my day on the Rock Island Scenic Trail. It was a nice way to get through the area. The trees helped cut down on the wind resistance - Very windy day. This trail also had some issues. There were a couple of areas that were closed, but I kept going since it was the only route I knew. I survived! I enjoyed spending some time riding with Peoria "Payton". He had some interesting stories having biked the perimeter of the U.S. He was really helpful getting through much of the city. It was a long day. I was glad to find the hotel.

Day 9. Galena IL to Geneseo IL. 84 miles

     I left Galena under dark clouds, but they never proved a problem by either getting ahead of me or circling around me. I spent the first 20 miles climbing hills. Then I rode along the Mississippi amid beautiful scenery and less hills. It was fun seeing a barge up close. There also was a lot of land dedicated to wildlife throughout today's route. About halfway through my ride I stopped for a drink. Beautiful white clouds filled the blue sky. As I watched, one on the clounds turned into the shape of my grandpuppy, Tucker. Then, Jackson showed up next to him. It was amazing!
     It was another great day, with a variety of roadbeds, from gravel to bike path to pavement, to add to the fun.