Day 24 – July 21, 2003

The Bridge and the Storm

Ride from Oxford, Alabama to Tupelo, Mississippi

We started the day at around 8 am and rode about an hour before looking for a place to eat. Apparently we had crossed a time zone, because when we stopped it was after 10 am and the restaurant was no longer serving breakfast. I had my taste buds set on breakfast, so kept looking. We finally found a Denny’s about an hour after that. We had an expectedly normal meal, but the server was more friendly than most. She got distracted however when half a dozen young men her own age came in and we had a little trouble getting what we ordered and getting our coffee filled.

As we got close to the boarder with Mississippi, about 30 miles to go, and we came across the natural bridge and decided it would be a good time for a break. We stopped and checked it out and except for the humidity had a good time. If we hadn’t stopped, we likely would have missed the storm. But we didn’t. We were getting close to the Mississippi boarder with Alabama when I first topped a hill and saw the clouds. I pulled over and just stared at them for a few minutes. Once I realized the storm was not only coming directly at us, and from exactly where we were going, but also as I watched, the black parts of the clouds started circling. It looked like the gods were using a mixer from the top and I was watching from the bottom. I told Karen I thought we should cover the packs and she suggested putting on the rain gear. I hesitated for a few seconds, and then agreed. Before we could even complete the zippers and snaps, it started. I think someone upstairs opened a large door and the wind blew the rain so hard I thought the bikes were going to be tipped over. We were stopped and off the bikes, and we stayed that way till it died down a little. That was about 45 minutes. Then we pulled off the road and under a tree. I found a pile of bricks and started piling them up till they were about 6 feet high and made a little shelter for Karen to get out of the most of it. By the time it was done, it stopped raining. We got back on the bikes and started slow, but after about 30 miles or so, we were about dry. We took off the gear and rode the rest of the way into Tupelo and got a room. We could have ridden another 100 miles of so, but Karen's foot was starting to hurt, so we stopped.

We both need a replacement tire, and I tried to locate one today, but most of the dealers are not open on Mondays. I’ll have to try again tomorrow. The problem is trying to find a dealer far enough away that we can make an appointment and still close enough that we can make it on the rubber we have. Well, I guess if we don’t make it, I’ll see you on the byways…