The ride from Clarksdale, MS to Tunica Resorts, MS was supposed to be a relatively easy day. It is only 2/3 the length of what I had ridden the day before. However, a cold front had arrived and parked on my route, bringing strong headwinds. The ride was brutally hard, coming as it did immediately after another long day. It rounded out three hard days out of four.
| Ride | Elapsed Time | Pedaling Time |
|---|---|---|
| 21 – Clarksdale to Tunica Resorts | 8:24 | 5:49 |
| 20 – Greenville to Clarksdale | 8:02 | 5:48 |
| 18 – Vicksburg to Roy’s Cabins | 9:27 | 6:50 |
I did everything that I could to shorten the ride, though that was precious little. The roads that I intended to ride were already pretty straight. I switched to ride all but the last 10 miles on US-61. Riding on a 4-lane divided highway is not my idea of fun but it is lightly trafficked so I was not in anyone’s way and, when trucks passed me, they tore up the headwinds. If two or three went by in quick succession, I could get an extra 1 to 1.5 MPH for a little while, which is quite a boost when you are slogging along at 6-7 MPH.
Scenic views were scarce. This is as good as it got until the very end.
Honestly, though, what with being tired and the relentless wind, it looked more like this in the moment.
As you can imagine, I have ridden past many cemeteries on my Mississippi River Trail tour between St. Louis and New Orleans. When I think of tiny cemeteries, I think of family cemeteries from long ago, lovingly maintained by someone as urban sprawl surrounds what used to be a family homestead. On this day, I rode past a modern version. The Lofton Williams family cemetery sits right next to US-61.
The patriarch, Lubbie James Lofton Sr., died in 1981. “Educator, Farmer, Army Veteran.” May he live forever in the hearts of those who cherish his memory.
I rode past a wind farm. Yay! Windmills work by converting some of the kinetic energy in the air into electrical energy. In other words, they slow the wind. As I struggled past in gears 2 or 3, this gave me some cheer.
I saw the wind farm in the distance and could see that one windmill was close to the road. I decided to wait to take a picture until I got up next to that one. It only looked to be two or three miles ahead. I had not realized just how tall these things are. That windmill was a full seven miles away. It took me over an hour to reach it.
Looking ahead on the road, I was struck by the juxtaposition of old and new technology. The microwave tower on the left, probably dating from the 1950s or maybe the 1960s, used to carry long distance telephone. It has been largely supplanted by low earth orbit satellites and fiber optic lines. The windmills have popped up in the last decade or so and are now just doing their thing, making electricity.
About 40 miles into the ride, I got to a real restaurant so had a sit down in a chair, some food, and some rejuvenation time. While I was eating, the winds abated, too. The rest and the lighter winds made the last ten miles a whole lot quicker and more pleasant.
Both the waitress at the restaurant and the clerk at the hotel told me that Tunica had had terrible driving rain that day. I never got a drop. Maybe the high winds were a blessing in disguise, keeping me away from worse weather.
Just before reaching my hotel, the skies turned beautiful.
The page St. Louis to New Orleans has a map of this entire tour and links to all of the blog posts about it.
Sorry to hear about the difficult ride, but what fabulous pictures, especially the sunset and the windmills!
I was glad to see the windmills, we need more of them. I find them not only eco- friendly but beautiful as a sculpture in motion. I have designed wind activated sculptures for clients, just not as large.
I marvel at your stamina. The sunset was beautiful.
Linda
Loving all the details. You are intentionally present with Mother Nature. She sheltered you from some frightening weather. Especially liked the first sunset photo. Looks like a dove with outstretched wings. HaShem is protecting your journey. Stay strong.