December 30, 2010

December 30, 2010

“Nothing compares to the simple pleasure of a bike ride”. – John F. Kennedy

Today was a leisurely day in Port Gibson. We did a 33-mile loop, partly on the Trace and partly in the Mississippi countryside.

The main point of interest was Windsor Ruins. The remaining 23 magnificent Corinthian columns are all that is left of what was once the grandest home in Mississippi. It was built in the 1850s, survived the Civil War, but burned in an accidental fire in 1890. 

The countryside around Windsor Ruins is very dramatic, with deep gullies and ravines and everything covered in kudzu. Miranda spotted a dead deer with its eyes picked out by crows.

Back in Port Gibson, we ate Chinese food and rode around looking at the historic buildings on Church Street. Miranda took a picture of the most famous building in town, a Presbyterian church whose steeple is topped by a finger pointing to the sky.

MB liked seeing the commemorative plaque for the Rabbit Foot Minstrels, a troupe of early twentieth century African-American singers headquartered at Port Gibson, whose members once included Ma Rainey.

While we did not ride every mile on the Natchez Trace Parkway, in five-and-a-half days we did ride a total of 455 miles, which is longer than the entire 440-mile distance of the Parkway. Now we’re taking a limousine (driven by Joey Richardson who runs our B&B) to Jackson Airport where we’ll pick up a minivan to drive our triplet bike back to Nashville. (Dad thinks that the limo ride is Miranda’s favorite part of the journey.) At Nashville we will collect our car, see a few friends, and take in the New Years Eve show at the Grand Ole Opry.

From this trip, we’ve learned the following things:

1.     How to pack light and live simply.

2.     How to find resourceful ways to stay warm in cold weather.

3.     How to find nutritious food in rural areas.

4.     How to keep our spirits up in the face of bad weather, strong winds, long distances, and steep hills

5.     That we really, really like home-cooked biscuits.

We want to thank everyone who supported our ride by donating money and cheering us on. Thanks too to Randy at Natchez Trace Travel for helping us before and during the journey, the staff of Bikes Not Bombs for sending us t-shirts, and everyone at all the B&Bs we stayed in for giving us such a warm welcome. Happy New Year to us all!