December 28, 2010

December 28, 2010

“It is by riding a bicycle that you learn the contours of a country best”. – Ernest Hemingway

We woke up this morning at French Camp (where we had a big breakfast including homemade biscuits and sorghum molasses that was made at French Camp in the autumn).

The highlights today were five short hikes.

1.     Cole Creek, a Tupelo cypress swamp that is evolving to a hardwood grove.

2.     Hurricane Creek, an area that identifies different plants in different elevations and soil conditions.

3.     Myrick Creek. Beavers moved out, no forwarding address.

4.     Red Dog Road, where we learned about the pine forest, including the fact that fires are good for rejuvenating the forest.

5.     Cypress Swamp, a beautiful place that has loads of cypress trees and the occasional alligator. We took a picture of the reflection in the water.

Suddenly, Miranda screamed “Armadillo!” (She saw two in the space of three minutes.) Other animals seen today: a pair of white-tail fawns bounding across the Parkway; an adult deer racing over the road; a red-tail hawk; white egrets on the Pearl River; two woodpeckers (heard, not seen – another visitor identified the call as that of a pileated woodpecker).

Other wonderful moments include: an elaborate story, invented by Miranda, starring characters from the Trace (Jeff Busby, Louis LeFleur, Ethyl Kosciusko, Hernando de Soto, and Elvis); lunch at the Station Café in Thomaston, MS, where MB enjoyed the sweet ice tea and where the waitress had just had two teeth pulled.

All in all, we rode 70+ miles, the longest MB or Miranda have ever ridden in a single day. This included three miles on the Old Trace to get to our B&B. Tonight we’re staying at a horse farm near Canton MS. The horses are right under us, and Miranda got to feed them apples.