The hills are alive and continually rise and fall between 300 and 800 feet. The elevation is not really the problem, but the distance to it, makes for a challenging ride. I had a good night sleep, even though the tumultuous sounds of nocturnal creatures never ceased throughout the night. From the hooter sounds of barn owls, to the high pitch chirping audibles of the crickets, and a whole lot of other shrieks, thrills and whistles. Then there were slithery sound bites, and the noises of tree branches breaking off and crashing on the forest floor. An organic symphony without regards for rhythm. At morning break the birds and wild turkeys announced the new day. It is almost light again when I crawl out of my little abode and by 6:45 in the morning, I am back in the saddle.
Mississippi was an amazingly good time, Alabama was short and sweet, and now I am within 100 miles from Nashville, Tennessee. Rain and thunderstorms were in the forecast for the day, and barely inside the Collinwood visitor center the skies opened up and let it all out. Lucky me! To kill some time, I headed over to the library where all the computers were down, struck by a power outage, but shortly thereafter restored. That evening the ride terminated at the Meriwether Lewis State Park. A national landmark and burial place dedicated to this famous explorer, well known for the Lewis and Clark exploration and other political contributions. His tragic and mysterious dead at age 35 occurred here at this location, while he was traveling the Natchez Trace Parkway on a government assignment.
That night I set up camp nearby, with not a soul around. It took a little longer to start a fire since most of the wood on the ground was soaking wet from today's rainfall. But at long last it caught on, and the fire and smoke kept the mosquitoes at bay and made for an enjoyable evening!
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