April 28, 2021
Day Ten: Magee, Mississippi to Hazlehurst, Mississippi
As expected, I was tired after yesterday's 120 miles, but habit apparently compelled me to get up early anyway, although I moved more slowly than usual getting ready to ride.
I took the bike down to the lobby, then wheeled it outside, but then walked back in. I wasn't quite ready to leave.
The breakfast area was empty except for the two friendly ladies working there, so I had an enjoyable conversation with them while I ate some muffins and a bowl of cereal.
One of the ladies mentioned, apropos of nothing, that "You look like you have about 2% body fat", which was an extreme exaggeration, but then I probably have lost 10 or 12 pounds in the last ten days. I suppose I look gaunt by Mississippi standards (and by the standards of my home state of Kentucky, too, of course.)
They asked most of the Usual Questions about what I was doing. One of them offered, sort of randomly, that "we drive everywhere here", and told me a story about her cousin from New York City who came to visit, and insisted in walking to the store, "which was about three miles down the road - dust flyin' and everything!"
I had to laugh at the image of this city woman walking down a country road for miles, like she was traveling a few blocks to her favorite neighborhood bodega back in NYC.
"You're packing, right?" the more gregarious of the two women suddenly asked me, narrowing her eyes. I admitted that I was not. Unlike the man in Georgia who clearly thought me a fool for not carrying a shotgun, she grudgingly admitted that she respected by belief that carrying a gun was just asking for trouble.
The two ladies wished me well as I finally rode away.
Unlike yesterday's terrible ride up the highway, this morning I quickly made my way onto country roads, using a route mostly created by John Egan, AKA The Route Master, for me last night after I mentioned in an email to him that I'd gone off-route.
It was pleasant riding. Almost no traffic. Birds chirping, more cattle than I'd seen on the trip so far, grazing in the lush green fields.
And of course the periodic dog encounters to keep things slightly exciting.
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Once as I coasted down to a creek crossing, I saw a young guy fishing from the bridge. I stopped and talked to him for a while. He was very friendly (like virtually everyone I've met on this trip), and I should have asked to take his picture, since he was dressed in fancy, colorful attire that did not strike me as something you would usually wear while fishing from a bridge on an empty road in deepest rural Mississippi.
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I stopped and talked to an old man on an old tractor for a while. I mentioned all the dog chases, and he told me I'd missed the meanest one in the area a few houses back. "They keep that mean dog because the woman is afraid of living out here in the country. It's bitten many people."
Whoa!
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Not much else happened, except that it got hot, the hottest it's been on this trip, and that, combined with my not getting enough sleep last night, made me want to lie down somewhere in the shade and sleep, instead of riding a bicycle.
I pulled over at a church a few miles from Hazlehurst. I sat on a bench in the shade and tried to figure out where I could stop for the day. I'd barely done fifty miles, but there seemed absolutely no alternative to stopping in Hazlehurst. Everything else was just too far away.
So I rode through a pretty poor part of town, then through an industrial area where I took exactly one photo, and then finally the ugly shopping strip and motel zone.
All of the motels were in various states of decay. The first one had lost their water supply, so they couldn't rent me a room.
I rode over to the one next door, and very aggressively negotiated a lower rate. I don't know what got into me - I hadn't done it for years, but this time I really pushed hard. It was kind of enjoyable.
I cleaned up and walked around. In a depressingly familiar scene, trash was lying, and flying, around everywhere. I went into a Wendy's, which was one of the few places allowing indoor dining, and ordered a medium size of french fries. They were so delicious, and I was so hungry, that after I finished them I walked up to the counter and sheepishly ordered a second, large order. The lady who took my order, who had observed me wolfing down the first bunch of fries, laughed: "Hahahaha! They good, ain't they!"
I walked to a Dollar Tree and bought a few snacks, then walked back to the terrible America's Best Value Inn. There was one car in the large parking lot. How does this place stay in business? The lobby, which might have been nice years ago, was hot and had an overpowering unpleasant funky odor. Ugh. My room, fortunately, was not quite as bad
Tomorrow I'm aiming for Natchez, on the Mississippi River.
Today's ride: 52 miles (84 km)
Total: 721 miles (1,160 km)
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| Comment on this entry | Comment | 2 |
I've been reading all along, but I figured I'd have plenty of time to post a comment about how much I've enjoyed your journey. Next thing I knew, you were only a day away from the Mississippi River. Heck, you're almost half-way across the country already.
On my bike trip from New Orleans to Lake Superior I spent a couple of hours relaxing at the Natchez National Historic Site. It was weirdly cool, disturbingly anti-bellum, and relaxing all at the same time. Maybe you stopped there by this time, maybe you've already gone by, but I just thought I'd mention it.
Keep up the good work.
-Greg
2 years ago
Well, I ignored your suggestion to Keep up the good work, and came home yesterday after reaching the Mississippi.
The route was great and low-traffic, and people were friendly, but I had too many distractions, mostly work-related. Also, I think I get too homesick nowadays on tours longer than a couple of weeks.
I'm still glad I did this, and might try some of the western route in the future.
Jeff
2 years ago
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tradescantia
2 years ago