My wife and son drove me to the northern terminus of the trace last Saturday.
It's about 20 miles south of Nashville. We didn't get going till late so it was
4:30 before I started pedaling south. They had planned to spend the first night
camping with me at the Meriwhether Lewis park.
Let me tell you...the first 60 miles of the trace are all hills. I also had a
head wind the whole way. It was hard going with the fully loaded bike, hills and
head wind but beautiful. The Tennessee portion of the Trace turned out to be my
favorite as far as scenery and places of historical interest were concerned. I
pedaled 65 miles and arrived at the campground just as darkness was falling. I
was very tired after the hills but felt ok. My wife had the tent set up and was
starting supper so I went foraging for wood. Just as I was attempting to start
the fire with my meager findings the ranger showed up. I guess he felt sorry for
me because he left and came back with a truckload of firewood :) Nice guy. So
after a good supper and the obligatory roastings we got in the tent. The 3-man
Coleman tent that my wife had bought was barely big enough for 2 kids. I pitched
my tent beside it and got in. We had a storm that night so nobody got any sleep.
I had some cinnamon/maple poptarts for breakfast, said my good-byes and set
off at about 7:00 am. I visited the Lewis gravesite and the cabin where he shot
himself before I left the park. It was cool and so peaceful at that hour. None
of the other campers were stirring.
As soon as I got on the trace, the head winds began. They were to remain with
me for the entire day. At least the terrain got flatter. The bike hummed along
at about 12-15 mph on the new Primo Comet tires I installed. Everything was
working as it should. I stopped at 10:00 for a snack at an old trace site. It
was nice to see the remnants of the old trace and imagine the wagons, horsemen
and foot travelers that used to use it. Reminded me of a Robert Frost poem,
"Stopping by woods". I imagined old highway robbers and the numerous
inns and taverns that lined the trace.
After getting back on the road some clouds blew up and a shower dumped on me
for 15 minutes. Took out the rain jacket and took a rest under a graceful oak. I
got a little bit damp but not too bad. For lunch I decided to get off the trace
and head for a little town. There was a pizza restaurant in a gas station so I
ordered a personal pan and large coke. It was good going down. I was beginning
to get amazed at my appetite.
The
next few hours were very pleasant. The scenery was beautiful and there were wild
turkeys and deer everywhere. Just after entering Alabama, I met Jim, a college
professor from Florence, Alabama. He rode with me until the Tennessee River. The
road surface in Alabama was the best I encountered. It was as smooth as glass
and mostly flat. There were all sorts of wildflowers lining the roadsides too.
This changed however, after crossing the Tennessee River. The road surface
reverted back to roughness and the hills made a come back. I had to mount two
really bad hills before I crossed into Mississippi.
One thing that I noticed on the trace was the lack of water. You have to
carry a lot to avoid running out, which I did on day two. In Tennessee it wasn’t
a problem as there were restrooms with cold water every 5-10 miles. This was not
the case in Alabama and Mississippi. After about 80 miles on day two I ran out
of water in Alabama with none in sight. The campground was 10 miles away and it
was a real struggle to make it. It was hot and I was very thirsty. I made it
about 6:00pm. The park office was closed but there was a sign stating that
camping was $5.50. I couldn’t find anywhere to leave some money so I decided
to go on down to the campsite and see the ranger in the morning with the fee.
After a short downhill freewheel J I arrived at a
lake that had RV-type campsites all around it. I filled my water bottles at a
spigot and drank until they were empty. Then refilled them again. A sign
suggested that the primitive camping was up a dirt road into the woods. I
followed it and soon found a little spot on a hill with a log to sit on. I
really didn’t feel like cooking a meal as I was hot and tired, so I had some
cereal with powered milk which I added water to. It was really good.
I set up the tent and went down to the water spigot to wash my clothes. I
also gave myself a very refreshing, cold sponge bath. I had covered 91 miles and
was really looking forward to a good night’s rest. I was the only person
camping in the primitive sites. As soon as I fell asleep however, something
started screeching in the woods. I imagined it was a fox barking or some other
animal but it was hard to sleep through. Eventually I fell asleep only to be
awakened by a hoot owl in a tree right over my tent. I eased the zipper down and
pointed my flashlight at him. His eyes got really big before he flew off. After
that I slept well without any more disturbances.
I
awoke at around 5:30am, dressed and wheeled my bike down to the lake to eat
breakfast. The sun was just rising over the lake and I was the only soul up. It
was truly wonderful. I said to myself "This is what it’s about".
Breakfast was coffee and the sausage balls that my wife had made for me J
Got on the road and started heading south through Mississippi. It was hot but
lo and behold, the head wind was gone. After several miles the road and terrain
got monotonous. I stopped at the Pharr Native American mounds and had a snack.
At that point the northern Mississippi part of the trace was not impressing
me. The traffic was also very heavy, with the drivers doing 70+mph and not as
courteous as the Tennessee and Alabama drivers. It got worse and worse as I
neared Tupelo. It was unfortunate but the residents of Tupelo use the trace as a
commuting highway, which really makes it hard for bicyclists. It needs to have
more restricted access here. The residents also need to be informed that it is
indeed a designated bicycle route and that motorists are to yield to bicyclists.
I didn’t see a single policeman or ranger anywhere on the Mississippi part. I
guess that’s why everyone was speeding.
Well, anyway, I made the decision to get off the trace in Tupelo and ride
back roads home to Alabama. Biking through Tupelo, I did take a little side trip
to see where Elvis was born. After stopping for a sandwich and a bottle of milk
I headed for Amory Mississippi. I was much happier with this decision. Now every
10-15 miles there was a little town and numerous gas stations or grocery stores
in between. Water or food was not a problem anymore. This kind of touring is
more fun for me I guess. I love traveling through the countryside and rural
towns. You can meet all sorts of people and I did. Everyone smiled and waved to
me. Cows and horses rushed to the fence line to get a closer look and everywhere
I stopped I was questioned about my bike and my trip. I had trees over my head
again and the resulting shade.
I made it into Amory, Mississippi around 6:00 and 82 miles. The temperature
on a bank said 91 degrees. I really didn’t feel like camping so I looked for a
motel. I needed a full body bath too J . I asked a
road workman where there were motels. He called all of his buddies over and the
resurfacing of the road ground to a halt. After about 10 minutes of answering
questions, they told me about 2 motels in town. A new one and an old one. I set
off for the new one first but they wanted $57 for a night. The old motel, run by
a sweet Indian lady(from India) was $33 so I checked in. She gave me a ground
floor room so I could take my bike in with me. Boy, that shower felt good.
Sponge baths can get one clean but they just don’t have the mental effect that
a shower can have after being hot, sweaty, and tired. I ordered Dominos pizza
and sat on the bed watching TV. It wasn’t long before I was asleep.
I
woke early again. Today I was going to make the push for home. I made one stop
for a photo of a huge old steam locomotive display in the town. The drive wheels
on it were 6 feet high and the top of the cab stood at 15.5 feet. It was
enormous. I made one more stop at a McDonalds for hot cakes and sausage. There,
I was surrounded by locals who had questions about my bike and trip. One old
gentleman asked me how many miles per gallon my bike got. I told him about two
cheeseburgers per day. He looked at me funny for a while before it dawned on him
that I was it’s engine.
So off I went for Sulligent Alabama. Mostly rolling farmland here. I arrived
in sulligent and decided I better buy an Alabama road map to be sure where I was
going. While in the gas station I thought a cappuccino might be nice. I follow
the directions on the machine and start the process. Well, it doesn’t stop
when the cup is full and proceeds to dump cappuccino all over the counter and
onto the floor. The clerk glares at me and tries to shut it off. It won’t
stop, and is now pouring cappuccino onto her shoes. I unplug the machine and the
pump stops. She stomps off into the bathroom, muttering something I couldn’t
quite make out. I get a coke instead and sit down to study the map.
I leave Sulligent and travel on a very pleasant, very quiet 4-lane highway to
Vernon. Vernon is a cute little town with a distinguished courthouse with a
clock tower that chimed noon as I rode past. After Vernon it was on to Fayette,
where a thundershower caught me just outside of the town. I took refuge in an
old school house and changed my clothes. The rain passed and I headed on to
Fayette. I passed through the town but noticed that birds were flying really
fast in the opposite direction. Sure enough, up ahead was a black sky. I turn
around and make for town again. I pull into a car wash just as the first drops
begin to fall. The rain lasts about 20 minutes so I have some lunch of banana
chips, raisins and granola bars while I wait.
I’m on the home stretch now. About 40 miles to home. Unfortunately about 20
miles down the road, a really, really bad thunderstorm catches me. I have no
shelter and nothing to do but keep riding. Finally I spot a church up ahead that
has an awning. I wait out the storm under the awning and change my clothes
again. This is my last dry set. My wife calls on the cell phone and says that
there are terrible thunderstorms in the area and she is coming to get me with
the car. I am close to home so I say ok. I was tired and in my only remaining
dry clothes. The rain stops so I start off again to meet her. Well 10 minutes
later another black cloud envelops the sky. This one is the blackest of all. To
make matters worse the batteries died in my front light. I install the spares.
It starts to sprinkle and I have no shelter again. I ride as fast as I can and
just as the rain starts to get heavy, I spot a little abandoned gas station at
the side of the road. It had a canopy. I sheltered there until my wife drove up
and we loaded the bike and bags and drove home.
I had a wonderful trip and really learned a lot. This was my first multi-day
trip on my BikeE and I was very impressed with its comfort, handling while
loaded, and reliability. The bikeE had no malfunctions whatsoever. Not even a
flat tire.
What I learned on the road:
- The BikeE actually handles very well when fully loaded.
- Wear man-made fabrics. They really do dry out very quickly.
- Bring more than 2 t-shirts. In a long tour, you will get wet.
- Always bring spare batteries.
- Carry an emergency supply of water.
- Don’t carry so much food if you will be traveling town to town
- Gas station cappuccino machines are not for the faint hearted
What I brought:
Bike
BikeE CT 2.0
Primo Comet tires. (Kevlar rear)
BikeE fender set
BikeE top loading stem with wider ATB handle bars
Upgraded rear drailleur to Shimano Deore XT and shifters to SRAM 5.0
Removed chain tube and chainring guards.
Upgraded pedals to WTB greaseguards
Incridbell
Cateye mirror
Trek front and rear lights/w spare batteries
BikeE bag
BikeE rack
Nashbar ATB panniers
ToolE storage tray (slides into the BikeE frame)
Spare 20" tube
Patch kit
Mini Pump
Park multi-tool
Tire levers
Spare gear and brake cable
Two water bottles and one 1-liter platypus bottle
Gyro helmet
Combination lock
Gear
Sierra designs 2-person tent
Thermarest pad
Campmor sleeping bag
2 T-shirts (polyester)
3 pairs shorts (nylon)
1 set lightweight long johns
4 pair boxers
4 pair socks
1 pair training shoes
Sunglasses
Bug spray
Toiletries
Esbit stove and fuel
Nikon 35mm camera and 4 rolls film
Food
1 pound organic brown rice
2 packs whole wheat spaghetti
1 jar spaghetti sauce
10 granola bars
1 instant ramen noodles
½ pound banana chips
1 pound raisins
2 snickers bars
Powdered milk
2 pounds whole wheat/millet/kamut cereal
6 sausage balls
I found that when the days were hot I didn’t want to sit and cook a meal.
Next time I may not bring so much food and instead eat in the towns. If I stayed
in campgrounds I may want to cook. I have also now made most of my own gear. It
is much more lightweight and suitable for my needs. The next trip from
Tuscaloosa, Alabama to Savanna, Georgia in the spring should be much lighter.