10-6-2012 Natchez, MS to St Francisville, LA

Miles biked today – 62
Ride time – 4 hrs. 56 minutes
Average speed - 12.5 MPH (Nice tailwind today)

We have pedaled 1,942 miles from home since August 28th, 2012 and between our trip this summer from International Falls to Wisconsin and then from Wisconsin to Baton Rouge we have bicycled 2,402 miles and only have 26 miles to go to get to the Baton Rouge airport and complete this journey.

This is "Kudzu" which is a plant that was imported from Japan!

Kudzu was introduced to the U.S. in 1976 at the Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia, PA.  Countries were invited to build exhibits to celebrate the 100th birthday of the U.S. The Japanese government constructed a beautiful garden filled with plants from their country.  The large leaves and sweet-smelling blooms of kudzu captured the imagination of American gardeners who used the plant for ornamental purposes.                                                                                                             

We left the Comfort Suites in Vidalia, LA at 7:20 this morning and  bicycled back over the Mississippi River to the state of Mississippi to get on Hwy 61 where we bicycled approx. 46 miles before we crossed back into Louisiana.  On our way to St. Francisville we stopped at a Sonic Restaurant for a sandwich before we finished our 62 mile ride today.  We had a beautiful tailwind the entire way, cooler temperatures, and gradual rolling hills which made for a very enjoyable ride.




We bicycled passed a cotton field today that had large round bales of cotton in the fields.  They are baled just like hay is baled back home.

Bales of cotton in the cotton field along Hwy 61!

We arrived at our hotel around 1:30 and got cleaned up and then went for a walk. We were told that there was a BBQ cook off and live music at the park so we walked down there and spent a couple of hours there.

It’s been a long, long ride and it’s good to be able to see light at the end of the tunnel. We are both in the “gitter done” mode and are looking forward to heading home to see family and friends again.

Our plan is to get up tomorrow morning and bicycle the last 26 miles to the Baton Rouge airport where we will pick up our rental car. From there on we will be on four wheels and will spend a little time checking out Baton Rouge and Lafayette before heading for home.

 

It won’t be long now!