Friday, September 30, 2011
Indianola, Mississippi to Kosciusko, Mississippi
100 miles
2,040 ft. of climbing
Despite starting the day with the discovery that my rear tire had gone flat overnight, it was another glorious day on the bike. A quick change of the tire (which I changed myself, with helpful coaching from Art), and I was on my way. Today we would be heading to Kosciusko - a town named after the General Tadeusz Kosciuszko of the Revolutionary War. (There is bridge on the I-87 north of Albany which is named after Gen. Kosciuszko). For the first 23 miles of the ride, we had a strong tailwind as we headed mainly south from Indianola to Belzoni. (Flat terrain + a tailwind = 22 m.p.h. average speed. Some of the faster riders were averaging 26 m.p.h. for that 23-mile stretch.) From there, we headed east and it became more of a crosswind, but it wasn't bad at all. It was a gorgeous day - clear and sunny and about 76 degrees. In Belzoni, once we made the turn and crossed the Yazoo River, the terrain changed from flat to rolling hills with beautiful rural scenery the entire day. Rode by many cotton fields again today. A few of my fellow riders spotted an alligator off the side of the road. I did not see the alligator, but, in any event, I am glad the alligator was not into chasing people on bicycles, as are most of the dogs we've encountered on this trip. Southern dogs seem to have way too much free time on their paws. One dog chased me today for such a long time that another rider referred to the dog as my "escort." The local people, however, have been wonderful to us - waving and greeting us as we pass by.
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| The Yazoo River |
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| Me - out of the saddle |
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| Cotton fields |
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