Skip to main content

Day 44-Poplarville MS

 Today was a relatively short day, just 50 miles. The day was gorgeous – 85° and bright sunshine, just the way I like it


We took a little time to dry our tents after last nights 100% humidity. While we waited we chatted with Officer Homer who told us about the first instance of a biker staying. Apparently someone rolled in as a solo writer and came to the police station looking for a safe place to camp. The park in town was not in the best neighborhood and the officer in charge told him he could camp in the backyard of the police station. The police officers enjoyed the experience and it became a regular thing. They host quite a few riders each year. We found it very comfortable. They let us use their rec room and their kitchen and we were even able to watch some Monday night football. It was quite a treat.


Ann and I encountered some unique Haybale art right off the bat. The roads were good and we were cranking right along when Bam — there was a tandem on the side of the road again. This time it was self sabotage. They forgot to tighten their pedals after yesterday‘s repair, and we’re happy to see that it was an easy fix. We are all a little traumatized by their bad luck.






More back roads and farms made for an easy rolling ride all the way to Bogalusa. Bogalusa may be my new favorite town name. Sorry Mamou Louisiana, you’re now in second place. 


We stopped at the brewing beans coffee shop for caffeine and a snack. It’s owned by a young woman named Tomiko from New Orleans. She moved there to find peace after living in the city for so long. The store has a faith based flavor which I found a nice addition without being heavy handed. And the chocolate chip cookie was Heavenly indeed!


We didn’t have far to ride before we crossed the Mississippi state line. We’re in this state for just two days which is too bad because it’s a beautiful place so far. We were on back roads through farmland, passed cows and some cranky dogs, and by early afternoon we arrived here at the house see Ende RV park in Poplarville.



We set up tents and then Jack and I took off to get groceries as it’s our turn to cook. Our desired destination was the Poplarville Grocery and Salvage because we were so curious about the name. It was a bit of a disappointment. It didn’t actually have any salvage, well maybe around back, and precious little groceries. We headed to the Save-aLot from there. Slightly better groceries and no hint of salvage.



We got dinner done shortly before the deluge arrived. When it rains here, it doesn’t do it halfway! My tent remained bone dry. I am able to put full faith in it.



Things I learned today:

  • Little kids can detect accents and will call you out, telling you you talk funny. One kid asked us if we were speaking English in the grocery store.

Comments

  1. 50 miles is a short ride and you make dinner after that...I am so lazy. Debbie

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Day 1- Ocean Beach to Alpine

 Day 1 is in the books! Great day that started at Dog  Beach and a back wheel dip in the Pacific. Tad, Kathy, and Charlotte met me down there. It was great to see them as we headed out. The ride was flat for the first 25 miles or so, but hot! Temps were in the 90s with blazing sun and clear blue skies. We separated out early into smaller groups. I found good peddling with Sue and Ann. We also crossed paths with Adam and Kelly, the tandem riders. Our route took us to through Mission Gorge regional park which was absolutely gorgeous. A nice pass that cut through the mountains and made it possible for us to miss an incredible climb. No worries; there are plenty more ahead of us. At 30 miles we made sure we were fully loaded with water and electrolytes. I’m not sure if I’ve ever consumed this much fluid in a single day. Then the climb began. On the map it looked evil, almost straight up. In reality it was less steep than it was long. It was 6 miles at about three or 4% grade. It d...

Day 45- Poplarville MS- Rest Day

 Today was our first day of rest after 12 days of riding, so of course I woke up at 1:30 AM. I was absolutely sure it was 6:30 AM and I was ready for the day. I love all these perks of getting older. As luck would have it, there was a lunar eclipse starting right around this time.  I was, of course, wide awake for it. I peeked out of the tent, took a look at the moon,  read for a while, peeked at the moon again, and decided I was hungry. I snuck out to my bike to grab a bar, there being no milk and cookies readily available like there are when this happens at home. I finally called it a night again around three. 630 finally came around for real and I was ready. The Snowflake Donut and Taco store. Beckoned and a bunch of us that off for coffee. The tacos looked pretty good but I held out for brunch back at the campground. After brunch, most of us loaded into the van and headed into New Orleans. We parked in the French quarter and headed right to café Dumond, will became im...

Day 46- Gautier MS

It was a perfect day for an 80 mile ride. We got up really early, planning to get on the road quickly since it was going to be dark by five and we had so far to go. This was no mean feet for me as sleep was hard to come by last night. My bladder woke me at one and four, at which time I was treated to Matt singing the song of his people. And I didn’t need my alarm because the water dripping from the condensation On my tent onto my face was hard to sleep through. Kelly and Adam were on the road by 615. We followed far behind, rolling out an hour later. The roads were awesome right from the beginning. Great pavement and low traffic throughout. Mississippi offered up some treats and some oddities. The first was as we headed into McHenry. On a one and a half mile stretch of road, I counted eight old fire hydrants. And hardly any houses. This roused my curiosity. I passed a man walking a dog and asked him about it. He looked exactly like I expected a rural Mississippian to look, except the d...