1 Mississippi 2... (10/22/23 Sun)

Awoke in MS and payed the $15 for my campsite. Since I had no picnic table I walked out to the "survive a flood" riverside tower, then made coffee at a park picnic table near it's base. Drank my coffee on the move, walking downstream along the MS River. The sounds I heard last night must have been tug boats moving around their collections of barges. They seem parked all along the river, some pushing 24 barges.

Last night I threw the tent fly over my bike for a couple hours after dark. I typed in my screen tent then dozed off a few times until I really wanted to go to sleep. It was dripping wet when hung around 2000 and dry by 2230. Not too bad for no sun or wind.

Before leaving the campsite I took a shower, then packed up and hit road with a dry tent.

On the road I immediately headed back into AR and then south into LA. My intention was to stop for breakfast just into LA and report to you about a brief 3 state ride before breakfast. Only there isn't anything on Rt65 on the northern LA boarder. I didn't fund much all the way down Rt65, and I looked. Eventually I found a donut shop that did have breakfast sandwiches, but by then it was more of a lunch.

Leaving that stop I had also secured fuel and water. Cold water was needed for my bandana to drop the temps down from 95F. But soon after I crossed back into MS and temps dropped on there own to 85F. Although it still felt hot. Looking at the map there was an older non-highway just south and parallel to my route so I decided to get off and take the "slow road". No need to hurry as I was only an hour from my Monday target, and it wasn't even noontime. The old road was fine, although bumpy on most expansion joints. Just out of town the car infront of me had their trunk pop open, and it them bounced around for the next 10 miles. I suspect they didn't want to stop with a 1%er following them so closely in the middle of nowhere.

When I decided to return to the highway my road decided that was not an option. While it looked like an on-ramp it just cozied up tight to the highway but offered no way to jump ship. Turns out that was fine because I rode in the shade, just a bit slower, but cooler. Once I found the highway I was lured off a few exits later by the Nachez Trace Parkway. I should really have riden that from it's start in Nachez. It was and even better road parallel to the highway on it's north side. But it was too hot to go back 70 miles, so I just continued east. It was nicer than the highway and I'm likely to continue that path when heading out of MS tomorrow. It's going my way, and is my type.

After locating tomorrow's stop I finally arrived at a non-coin-op laundry. Sounds far better than it is. First you download an app. Then type in the location identifier number and a machine number. It then tells you that machine can't be used. Spoiler: it says that for all of them, with or without clothes moved into each test washer. Eventually you look for more signs, in two languages, but none exists. Then search the application's help for something usefull, but only get the same simple instructions that don't work. Taking a corner off my man card, I asked a non-english speaker. He didn't use an app, and points to a kiosk on the wall that dispenses cards. Just request a new card, put in a credit card, select an amount and out comes a card that lets you do your laundry. $10 on the card +$4 fee, for $5 spent on laundry. Conveniently leaving the extra ,$5 on a card I'll never use again... Easy money, not easy laundry. But you get a keepsake. Won't Tucker be surprised at xmas.

On route from Natchez Trace byway I passed what looked like a food strip mall. On my return that maybe where dinner comes from. Seemed like a lot of decent options. What could possibly go wrong. Hopefully Tucker sucked up all the bad luck by having his flight home from Aruba canceled. Honestly I'm not sure that's actually "bad luck", bonus day in paradise? Given his reported 105F in the early morning I'm willing to call it "bad luck". Bad even flying down into those temps. I just can't find paradise at oven temperatures. It's bordering on too hot for me here. At least it will be when I leave the AC of the laundry facility. However the locals are sitting outside on the curb with hoodies. Glad I don't have style. Last time I said that phrase was at Antique Archeology, where the woman actually liked my style. I said present company is not quite mainstream, so at best I had just found my people.

Next I discovered a variety of luck and solved a mystery. I was the idiot! After packing up my laundry I lubed and tightened my chain. Then set off for the food area with my "new pants" drapped over my rear seat. At one point I reached back to check on them, and found them lifting up slightly on the edges. So I tucked them back in and thought maybe my old pants actually did blow off. As I approached the food area I re-checked and I had no pants. Pulled over, double checked then u-turned and quickly retraced my steps the couple miles. No pants. At laundry I turned around and went all the way back. Well almost all the way. I rescued my new pants from oncoming traffic just short of where I pulled over. I may have been dragging them back to look for them? Or perhaps I missed them somehow, thinking they blew off much further back. So I must take back any bad thoughts I had about the homeless guy in New Mexico. What about the new pants? They still look perfect, and I got them back! And I didn't even take the Jesus pamplet offered to me at the laundry stop.

After all that only my step mother Marge would think my Subway dinner was a great choice.

Only I could start and end the day camping an hour away in the same state, but travel all day through two other states.

Tonight's MS campsite is Goshen Springs Campground. It is just across the Ross R Barnett Reservoir from the Natchez Trace Parkway. Easy for me to get to tonight and then backtrack to Coffee Bean Corral in the morning. I arrived with about 20 minutes of daylight, so early for me. It's not a cheap stop at $42, but it has showers and of course laundry.