Welcome to Georgia, Y'all!

Day 25
Wednesday, October 7, 2015
Eufaula, AL to Perry, GA
120 miles
4,700 feet of climbing

Today, at mile four of our route, we crossed into Georgia - the ninth and last state of our transcontinental bicycle ride.  That means in just two more days, we'll actually run out of road and splash right into the Atlantic Ocean!  I've always wanted to speak with a southern accent, so now I can do it without feeling out-of-place (as long as there's no one around who knows I don't really have a southern accent).  It was yet another amazing day on the bike.  Our route provided mile after mile of beautiful scenery, great rolling hills (some big, some small), and quiet country roads.   We rode through Providence Canyon State Park this morning, which was absolutely breathtaking.  Our bike wheels rolled through the small towns of Richland, Preston, Friendship, and Ellaville.  We had lunch in Andersonville, where we were provided the opportunity to visit the Andersonville National Historic Site - a memorial to all American prisoners of war throughout the nation's history.  After lunch, we rode through many farm fields and pecan groves.  We changed to the eastern time zone when we crossed the state line into Georgia, so when we arrived in Perry, we moved our watches forward one hour.  Tonight, PAC Tour hosted an ice cream social for us, which is always a fun way to end the day.  I love getting together with the other riders from our group and hear about their experiences of the day.  Right now, it's time for some shut eye!

Elevation profile of today's ride (y'all)

Me crossing the state line into Georgia

Crossing the Chattahoochee River (a.k.a. Lake Eufaula)

Sights from the road

Art riding in Providence Canyon State Park

Brian of Terre Haute, Indiana

Beautiful tree-lined roads

        

Veronica displaying her wound from her crash today (thankfully, she is otherwise unscathed).  Dave is at left, smiling, as usual.

Me and Tommy D.

Only two more days - the Atlantic awaits!

It's All About the Legs

Day 24
Tuesday, October 6, 2015
Greenville, AL to Eufaula, AL
110 miles
4,900 feet of climbing

Today our route took us through some of the prettiest areas of Alabama we've seen so far.  We had some very big rolling hills at the beginning of today's route for which my legs were not quite ready.  On a typical day on this tour, I've found it takes a good 20 to 25 miles for my legs to "wake up" to the point they do not "complain" (i.e., hurt me) when I make them work hard.  This basically means I take it easy for those initial miles.  But with the big rolling hills right off the bat this morning, there was no time to let my legs wake up, and so they did a lot of complaining.  I had to have a talk with them:

Me:  "Legs, I need you to work . . . now.  We have some big hills we have to get over."
My Legs:  "No.  We're not awake yet.  Check back with us after about 20 miles."
Me:  "But the hills are coming up now. (Ouch!)"
My Legs:  "Too bad. You know the routine.  Be nice to us for 20 miles, and then we'll see about helping you."
Me:  "Um . . . any flexibility on that?
My Legs:  "None."
Me:  "This is going to hurt a lot, isn't it."
My Legs:  "Yes, for at least 20 miles."

And so that's how it went.  After some initial suffering, my legs did finally stop hurting and start working, and I enjoyed a beautiful ride through southern Alabama.  The weather was picture perfect - sunny and in the mid 70s.  When we finished the ride, my great husband (and traveling bike mechanic) worked on my bike, which has developed a strange clicking noise over the past few days.  Most of our group had dinner at a nice and conveniently-located Mexican Restaurant just a couple of steps from our hotel.  Our waitress did not speak any English, which made for an interesting dining experience.  Nevertheless, she did a great job (with the help of another waitress who translated for us), and the food was excellent.  In all, it was another great day on and off the bike!

Elevation profile of today's ride

Big rollers in the distance

Alabama cows saying, "Good morning."

The sign says, "With God, all things are possible."  Sometimes you get the perfect message at the perfect time.

. . . like when there are more big hills coming up!

Lake Eufaula

 

Outpacing the Dogs of Alabama

Day 23
Monday, October 5, 2015
Livingston, AL to Greenville, AL
127 miles
4,203 feet of climbing

Today was another fun-filled, fantabulous day of riding in Alabama.  The day started out cool (about 60 degrees) and cloudy, but definitely warmer than yesterday.  I was able to shed my arm warmers and vest by our first rest stop at mile 28, and the temp never got too hot or too cold.  At one point, after lunch, we got spritzed on by a few dark clouds, but it didn't last long.  Our route consisted of more of that fun southern rolling terrain.  The winds were favorable, so we were really able to cruise over the rollers at a decent pace, which I appreciated greatly, as this was one of our longer-mileage days.  Just before lunch, at mile 68, we crossed over the Alabama River, and then had lunch at a beautiful state part right on the river.  The crew prepared spaghetti and meatballs for us, which was a real favorite of our group.  We encountered progressively bigger climbs after lunch, as well as more dogs that bark and chase.  Alabama dogs, I've noticed, are a little slower on the attack meter - while they bark just as loudly as dogs from other states we've been in, they just don't put a whole lot of effort into the running part of the chase.  The whole encounter is over in an instant.  I guess it's just a slower pace here in Alabama.  Speaking of a slower pace, it's only 7 p.m., and I am ready to fall asleep.  A good nights rest is critical to feeling strong for the next day's ride.  A chocolate milkshake after dinner doesn't hurt either!

Elevation profile of today's ride

The roads of Alabama - the ones we rode today were quiet country roads, like this one.

Looking awesome at the second rest stop today - Robert K, Brian, Art, Alan and Tim

The Alabama River

The bridge over the Alabama River (taken from our lunch stop in the park)

Only four more days to go!

 

A Cold Day in . . . Hello, Alabama!

Day 22
Sunday, October 4, 2015
Kosciusko, MS to Livingston, AL
115 miles
5,262 feet of climbing

Autumn has definitely arrived in the south!  When we rode out of Kosciusko this morning, the temperature was a chilly 52 degrees, and didn't rise much higher than 60 degrees for our entire ride.  There was a slight breeze, but the fact that the cloud cover kept the sun from warming things up was the main reason for the all-day chill.  Most everybody wore jackets, arm warmers and leg warmers to stay warm.  Fortunately, we had a good amount of climbing on our route, which helped me stay warm while I was riding.  But as soon as I stopped - for a rest stop or lunch - it wasn't long before I was chilled again.  So, I kept my stops as brief as possible today - just long enough to grab a couple of Oreos and get back on the road.  It was another fun-filled day of rollers mainly through quiet country back roads.  Passed numerous churches and, it being Sunday, numerous church-goers.  At mile 102, we crossed into the eighth state (of nine) of this tour - Alabama!  There was no "Welcome to Alabama" sign (probably because we were on a small country back road), but there was a demarcation in the pavement that we decided must be the state line.  In spite of the cold, it was a pleasant ride.  The dogs were super cute again today, and provided a delightful distraction on the ride.  The absolute best dog story of the day, however, goes to Robert K., who, during a conversation about foods we like to eat at rest stops, explained that he sometimes grabs a handful of beef jerky as he leaves a rest stop and sticks it in the leg of his shorts to hold so he can eat it while he rides.  His closing comment was, "Maybe that's why all the dogs are chasing me."  Yep, that would explain it, Robert!

Elevation profile of today's ride - a series of ups and downs

Dennis & Carol bundled up in matching gear this morning (Pat is at right, looking chic in her power yellow jacket)

First rest stop of the day!  Still not warm enough to shed gear.

Art and his Moots crossing the state line into Alabama.

Another day closer to our destination!

Great Day for a Tailwind!

Day 21
Saturday, October 3, 2015
Indianola, MS to Kosciusko, MS
100 miles
2,119 feet of climbing

Chalk today up as one of the best rides of this tour so far.  The main explainable reason is that we enjoyed a cross-tailwind right out of the box and for most of the day, which gave all of us a much-needed physical (and mental) boost after contending with yesterday's cross-headwind.  The somewhat unexplainable reason is the plain old fun that today's route provided.  The clouds kept the temperature cool (even chilly) all day, but that  didn't at all detract from the enjoyment of the ride.  The first 47 miles of our route today was pancake flat, but the rest of the terrain consisted of fun rollers on quiet country (smooth-surfaced) roads.  Then there were the dogs.  They were so dang cute!  I must have seen at least a dozen dogs today, and each one provided me a reason to laugh.  Even the ones that chased me seemed merely playful and not at all vicious.  Despite the lack of sunshine and chilly temperature (it never rose much above 60 degrees today), it was a very pleasant day on the bike.  I arrived in Kosciusko around 2:00 p.m., a relatively quick 100 miles for me.  For dinner, almost everyone from our group gathered at the local Italian restaurant just a short walk from our hotel.  As per usual, we pretty much took over the entire restaurant.  The food was great, and the company was even better.  What a great way to spend a Saturday!

Elevation profile of today's ride

Crossing the Yazoo River

Cynthia - bent rider extraordinaire

Cloudy and overcast, but still a fun day

Quiet country roads with oddly shaped trees here and there

PAC Tour restaurant takeover

Across the Mighty Mississippi

Day 20
Friday, October 2, 2015
Monticello, AK to Indianola, MS
108 miles
955 feet of climbing

Today we crossed into the seventh state of our tour - Mississippi.  We crossed the state line from Arkansas to Mississippi at mile 64, directly after we crossed over the Mississippi River via the Greenville Bridge.  That was probably the most exciting event of the day.  The most contentious event of the day - which lasted the entire day - was the strong cross headwind coming out of the north we faced the entire ride.  It was quite the bear, let me tell you.  On paper, this was to be one of the easiest and flattest days of the tour.  But with that cross headwind (which, by the way, gained strength as the day wore on), it was a fairly tough day in the saddle.  I've found the best way to handle a headwind is to just resolve to yourself that the ride is going to take you longer than it normally would, and then just pedal through it and enjoy the ride.  After all, even a headwindy day on the bike beats sitting at a desk, right?  Can I get an "amen"?  Tune in tomorrow for the next episode of As the Pedals Turn. 

Elevation profile of today's ride (looks easy, but does not reflect headwind)

We bundled up for the start of today's ride - the temp was 50 degrees, and with the wind, it felt very chilly.

Cotton fields

Eddie from Belgium crossing the causeway over Lake Chicot in Arkanses

Lake Chicot (those are cypress trees that grow right out of the lake)

Art crossing the Mighty Mississippi

Peter and Art crossing the Greenville Bridge over the Mississippi

View of the Mississippi from the bridge

Art looking debonair posing with his Moots

Art getting into position to toss me and my bike into the Mississippi (he did not succeed)

The road leading to Indianola was closed due to construction - but not to us.  They allowed us to carry our bikes over the construction.

Me & Gerry - still standing (we kicked the headwind's a**!)

Today's Ride Sponsored by Triple Chocolate Fritters

Day 19
Thursday, October 1, 2015
Arkadelphia, AK to Monticello, AK
99 miles
2,900 feet of climbing

The PAC Tour crew added a special treat to today's breakfast fare - triple chocolate fritters.  That is, glazed chocolate fritters, with chocolate filling and chocolate frosting.  They were so sinfully delicious, I felt it warranted a title mention in this post.  They super-fueled me for today's ride.  It was an absolutely stellar day on the bike as we rode just under 100 miles southeast to Monticello, Arkansas.  It was one of the easier and flatter days we've had so far - only 2,900 feet of climbing over moderately rolling terrain.  But it was also one of the most pleasant rides of the tour; cool temperatures and plenty of sunshine.  We enjoyed a perfectly beautiful autumn day as we rolled up and over the rollers.  Kudos to the state of Arkansas for the fine road surface on the roads we traveled yesterday and today.  (The quality of the road surfaces is one of the main topics of daily conversation for our group.)  The area we traveled is a logging community, so we shared the road with many logging trucks, who kindly afforded us plenty of room in the bike lane as they passed us. We arrived in Monticello just before 2:00.  I'm glad to say that my bike (and I) are running well considering age, parts that are wearing out, and lack of expensive upgrades.  As always, every day on the bike is good day!

Elevation profile of today's ride - mercifully mellow

Nice roads to travel on all day

   

Huge logging trucks like this passed us (with care) in both directions all day.

Tim, Carl and Jonathan - enjoying homemade cookies (compliments of fellow rider Mark's girlfriend) at rest stop 3.

More than two-thirds of the way there!