Northwood Estates

Today started just outside of West Point, MS. It actually felt cool when we started and we had a nice cloud cover for a majority of the day.

We got stopped by a train leaving town. We had to stop and get a picture of the large, black cow grazing outside of a house. When I went back to snap a picture he wandered across the road so we could get a picture of his good side! We decided we had better get moving on.

In our grant we wrote that our favorite question is "Where you all going?" Not only have we been asked this question frequently but people stop us on the road to ask. We have learned that the locals of AL and MS are not used to seeing bikers this time of year because of the heat.

Our first challenge was Old 25. I am grateful that Kris had the foresight to get wider tires put on the bikes because it was a couple of miles of gravel. I do think it is time for a new STOP sign.

I thought of Terri Wyatt when we started seeing lots of Sweet Gum trees. Lots of grits and sweet tea, too.

We stopped to refill on Aberdeen and saw a gentleman smoking meat. I wished at that moment I could eat a helping of that delicious meat but had to pass. I did think about how much Jim Savage enjoyed the art of smoked meats thanks to his Lilly Teacher Creativity Grant. I had a delightful conversation with this gentleman about racism in the south. We agreed that it would be wonderful to get to a place where we don't see color. There are answers where everyone is a winner. We just have to find them.

The terrain was mostly flat with a few hills. Lots of water showed up on the GPS but most of the time you can't see it. We traveled on to Amory which is a very cute town. We rolled in to town to find our Conductor video taping us! You never know where Brian is going to pop up but it is always just when you need him.

The next little berg of Smithville had a unique combination of a gas station and post office. Just a bit different than Taco Bell or Subway sharing the space. The ladies asked about our trip and wished us well.

We made it to Fulton, MS with over 60 miles today. We were on some desolate roads and some heavily traveled ones with no shoulder. They have started putting in rumble strips when there is a small shoulder so it makes it difficult to get over. Most drivers are very considerate but for those who aren't it can make it very scary. They are always bigger than us.
So PLEASE always be considerate of bikers and SHARE THE ROAD!Read more