Day 5 - April 16 - Big Biloxi Campground, MS to Hattiesburg, MS - Crossing the T.....Part One

April 16, 2024

Day 5 - April 16 - Big Biloxi Campground, MS to Hattiesburg, MS

Farther Than Planned

Ed’s Story

Another early to bed last night… lights out were a little after 8 pm. It was dark, the ‘skeeters’ were biting, and I already read quite a bit.

This just meant I was up at 5:30 though. We knew from yesterday that the campground scheduled for tonight was unavailable so we sent a request to a WarmShowers (WS) host in Hattiesburg hoping to get a reply; if not a hotel was planned.

Either way we headed to Hattiesburg (home of the University of Southern Mississippi - our little brother’s alma mater.) Although we started on old US 49 we transitioned to new US49 fairly early. The large shoulders and tail wind allowed us to move at a good pace.

Although we were “off route” and could not use our logistics information, there were enough convenience stores and trees for needed pit stops.

Future telephone poles are laying down on the job.

We either passed through or bypassed several small towns on this route.

The town of Wiggins must really want you to visit as there are three of these U-turn signs directing you back there on US49.

Overall the shoulder was fairly smooth however there was a lot of debris on it.

It’s a good thing I brought a spare tire because mine blew out on the ride.

The US49 shoulder finally went away so we worked our way back to the route getting closer and closer.

We’ve arrived, or so we thought. Hotel alley was still 10 miles away.

We found the Mahogany Bar to cool down and relax while we looked for a hotel. Needless to say our prospective WS host never responded.

Today’s ride was 62 miles with 40-45 anticipated for tomorrow.

Until tomorrow. happy biking.

John’s Story

Last night’s campground was okay. Quiet. There was a bit of road traffic noise from just behind our campsite. The water in the shower was so soft it never felt like the soap washed off. Slick. There’s one really good thing I can say about Big Biloxi Campground, though. The highest quality TP of any place I’ve ever camped. Five stars.

We found this notice on the website of Paul B. Johnson State Park, where we planned to camp tonight.

NOTICE: All RV campsites 1-25 (except 87-108 pull thru sites), primitive campsites, & bathhouses will be closed for renovations until further notice. Your camper must be self-contained. We apologize for the inconvenience but appreciate your patience during this time.

We are NOT self-contained with respect to water, restrooms, showers and the like, and we ARE primitive, so PBJ was out of the question for us.

I tried contacting a WarmShowers host near Hattiesburg, but all I heard were crickets. Radio silence. I don’t mind being declined by a WS host, but I hate being ignored. I know he’s actively hosting, because someone left a glowing review after a stay there just a few days ago. He also ignored my query back in January when I was looking for general info about biking in the Hattiesburg area. I will leave a less than glowing review, even though we didn’t stay there.

Not long after leaving the campground this morning we were on Old US49, which was to be our route all day today. Narrow. No shoulders. Some traffic. Rideable with due caution. After a few miles we crossed the current US49. Four-lane divided highway. Wide smooth shoulders. Quite a bit of traffic with a speed limit of 65. We decided to take advantage of the shoulder, and diverted our route to the modern highway. It was nice to have some space between us and the logging trucks when they whizzed by. Not only that, without the shelter of a tree line near the highway, we took full advantage of a nice tailwind

All good things must come to an end. At 45 miles into the day the shoulder pooped out at the road to the South Gate of Camp Shelby. We stopped for lunch at a little cafe that catered to GI’s. Lots of camo. After lunch we headed west a couple of miles to go back to Old US49. Very little traffic. Smooth road. We zigged and zagged from road to road to get to Hattiesburg. Because we had to bypass PBJ State Park we ended up riding 62 miles today instead of the planned 47. It will make for a shorter day tomorrow.

Why don’t we ever see giant tanks of Lager, Porter and IPA?

I can’t tell you how much more I enjoy riding up and down hills instead of the relentless flat of the coastal plain. Depending on who you ask (Strava, Ride With GPS, Wahoo) we had 1,500’-2,200’ of climbing today.

Some blooms.

I’ll call these black-eyed Susans until Bill corrects me.

I saw my first honeysuckle this morning. I smelled it before I saw it. Some think it is a delicate aroma. I don’t necessarily like it, but it sure beats the smell of ligustrum. Ligustrum is a “fragrant” ornamental shrub that was everywhere in Houston when we lived there. I detest the smell, and I’ve been smelling it ever since we got to Mississippi. I think it smells like what zombie poop would smell like if zombies ate honeysuckle. As Forrest Gump might say, that’s all I have to say about that.

This sign intrigued me, so I did a little digging.

Region 8 of the Forest Service encompasses 13 states and Puerto Rico, and consists of 14 National Forest units and two special units.

Johnny, would you rather have this old tractor or your Dad’s?

Let’s talk about the comparative merits of a couple ways of shedding excess water during exercise. Take Ed for instance. He claims to have an 8-10 mile bladder, so we stop about that often for the shedding. I, on the other hand, am a championship perspirer. The benefit is that I don’t have to stop, jump off the bike and run into the woods so often. I can do my shedding while on the move. As a matter of fact, I think I sweat more this morning by 10:00 a.m. than I did in the whole first week of our tour last year. Thanks to the warm temps and high humidities.

One last thing. In planning this tour I read the blog of a biker who was planning a trip from New Orleans to Natchez, MS, up the Natchez Trace to Tennessee and beyond. He seemed earnestly afraid of getting into trouble in the redneck South. Like if someone found out he had liberal leanings there would be a lynching or at least a severe beating. The thing is, people are people everywhere. Treat them the way you want to be treated, and they will do the same. He talked about being afraid of the dangerous roads in Mississippi. There are no more bad or mean drivers down here than there are anywhere else, and the roads here are like roads everywhere. Get into an argument about politics or religion at 2:00 a.m. in a smoky bar anywhere, and you might find the beating you fear. Otherwise just be a decent human being, and you’ll find out that almost everyone else is one too.

Stepping off the soapbox.

Today's ride: 62 miles (100 km)
Total: 247 miles (398 km)

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Bill ShaneyfeltGood soapbox!
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