And we're off!! The first day of our adventure had an inauspicious start though. We spent the night at a Hampton Inn in Natchez. Due to the current pandemic, we knew that the hotel was not serving their usual hot breakfast. Jeanna had called ahead and they assured her that they would have fresh fruit, cartons of juice & milk, as well as packaged cereal and pastries. It wasn't so - no fruit, no milk or cereal, and they ran out of juice. The GO Bag contained only a bottle of water and a bite size pastry. We should have stayed at an Econo-Lodge!! (No, we should not have stayed at Econo-Lodge!!!! - Jeanna)
However, the rest of the day turned out great. After riding thru town for a couple of miles, we got on the Trace and basically had it to ourselves for the whole day. While John & I didn't count, we're sure that we saw less than one car per mile - it was cycling bliss!
Looking back to the on-ramp of the Natchez Trace Parkway in Natchez. As our friend Alain would say, we plan to ride EFI (Every Fabulous Inch) and exit in Nashville, TN
Our first stop for the day - about 200 feet onto the Trace. Prior to leaving the hotel, John stated that he didn't need sunscreen. As soon as we got on the Trace and in the sun, he changed his mind.
This is all that remains of the Elizabeth Female Academy. Contrary to what the previous sign said, we didn't learn anything more as there was no information at the site
About 20 miles into our ride, we stopped at Coles Creek Rest Area where Jeanna was waiting for us. After a quick lunch, we were back on the road.
There were no points of interest for the last 25 miles or so, but it still a very pleasant ride, temps in the low 80's with scattered clouds, gently rolling hills and no traffic.
We rolled into Isabella's B&B shortly after 3 PM, where the Bobbye, the owner, had a wonderful treat waiting for us, warm berry cobbler and ice cream. It was a perfect ending to a great ride.
Kerry
Today's ride: 48 miles (77 km) Total: 48 miles (77 km)
