| Page 17 Day 76 - sat 3-30-02 - mileage today 49.1 – climbed today 0 WHERE'S FOREST We got up to pack and noticed Myron had another flat. He fixed it and we were on our way. Just about 10 miles we crossed into Mississippi. We stopped at a small market just over the border. We met Dwayne Mendez a very intelligent individual whom we really enjoyed talking with. Dwayne was explaining all about the intricate drainage systems of New Orleans, as well as several other topics. New Orleans is 6 to 12 foot below sea level. We continued on to Bay St. Louis, this is a clean mid sized community the kind you would like to raise your kids in. Myron had his 2nd and third flats for the day here. We discovered the problem was the tire. It had a small rip on the side that was causing the tube to fail. We crossed St. Louis Bay in paradise. How is it that the world or at least me had not yet heard of the Mississippi Gulf Coast? We entered a coast with a blend of old and new worlds. We cycled east on the coast road past old plantation homes with large front lawns lovingly manicured. Shaded by live oak, cypress, and magnolia trees, decorated by vibrant pink azaleas in full bloom. One can only guess at the history of these large white homes with columns supporting the massive second story. If you close your eyes you can imagine yourself sitting on the porch on a hot summers day, sipping fresh lemonade, looking past the flower garden lacing the front walk to a white sandy beach, as it gives way to the warm gulf waters that are so inviting on a day like this. Now there is a road with cars, where there once was a dirt path for horse and buggy. The Mississippi gulf coast has blended the old world charm of these magnificent homes of a by gone era, with the new conveniences of our modern world today. I halfway expect to see Forest Gump sitting on the park bench in his blue and white-checkered shirt and bowtie, white coat and pants. (Where's Forest). The coast road is a divided 4 lane with manicured lawn and live oak tree. That quietly moves traffic from one town to the next. These homes are on the outskirts of towns that carry all the necessities of life in the 21st century. They have modern department stores as well as quick marts. They have hotels and blockbusters. These two world have blended to make one of the nicest communities I have ever been in. I can only hope the rest of Mississippi is this nice! Day 77 - sun 3-31-02 - mileage today 39.9 - climbed today 0 HAPPY EASTER It is Easter Sunday. I really miss my family at times like this. We always get together on holidays. We spent the night last night at the Baywood RV Park in Gulf Port, Ms. I love the whole gulf coast of Mississippi. We met a lot of nice people there. We especially enjoyed talking with Chanel and Bradly a couple of teens that were interested in our trip. I really enjoy talking with young people about travel. We planned a long day today. We wanted to make it to Dauphin Island, Alabama to meet Jim K. and Claudia, but the weather had other plans for us. We were cycling along in nice weather listening to our radios when the emergency broadcast network cut in with a severe thunderstorm warning. It had 55mph winds large hailstones and deadly lightning the warning said. We stopped and looked behind us and the sky was black. We were across the street from a Wal-Mart so; we went to shelter in there. We were in for about ten minutes and the storm hit with a furry. We have been here for about 2 hours now and it is still pouring however the lightning has stopped as far as I know. I would have thought it would have passed over by now. Back to Jim and Claudia, they are two friends that we road across the United States with in the summer of 2000. They are cycling from Florida to California this year. We have been looking forward to seeing them for quite some time but it will have to wait one more day. The storm cut our day short. They are about 80 miles away, but we will meet and have lunch with them tomorrow in Grand Bay, Alabama. The rain let up a little so, we went out to eat lunch and start cycling again we came across Gautier. Ms. Gautier had gone all out for Easter. For the length of the city they decorated the median with Easter bunnies, Easter eggs, Easter all kinds of wooden decorations and stuffed animals. I've never seen anything like it. It was very nice to see such community spirit. We are camped at a Methodist Church in a small town named Pecan, MS. Thanks to Pastor McCormick we have a safe comfortable place to sleep. Pastor McCormick was a likeable guy instantly, one of those few people you connect with right away. He will be 80 years old this June 15th. We are about 5 miles from the Stateline of Alabama. I'm in my tent warm and comfortable now but, earlier today as I was wet and riding in the rain thru cities with almost nobody around I felt like I was in the world after some kind of tragedy where no one survived. It was lonely and eerie. I knew that there were many people but not around me they were with their families gathered around the table dry, warm and full. They were secure in their place in this big ol world with their families around them. I really miss that. Family and friends are very important. Day 78 - Mon. 4-1-02 - mileage today 17.8 - climbed today 0 HAPPY 40th BIRTHDAY KIM Today is my sister Kim's 40th birthday. That is no April fools joke. She was born 40 years ago on April 1st 1962. Kim, I hope your day is special, and full of love, joy and happiness. I would also like to say HAPPY 40th BIRTHDAY to Chris (Big Red) Waters. Chris is a friend of mine in California. What are the odds that I would know two people who have their 40th birthdays on April fools day. Myron and I would like to take a moment to thank all of you who read our website. We just received notice that 9,023 people visited the site in March. I don't know 9,000 people, but I would like to. If we are riding in your area please contact us, we would like to meet you. We hope you are enjoying the journey as much as we are. SIMPLY MAGIC Today was simply magic. I have two special people in my life who celebrate their birthdays today, and I meet up with two special people. Today Myron and I are to meet up with Jim K. from Ohio and Claudia F from Switzerland. Myron, Jim K, Claudia and myself road over 4,500 miles together in the summer of 2000. It has been two long years since I have seen Jim and Claudia and now as fate would have it we are together again. Jim and Claudia are cycle touring the southern States this year. They started in Florida and will finish in California. Once again as fate would have it we are meeting in the one area that our two routes would intersect, and at a time when neither group would have to wait for the other. We had no idea where Jim and Claudia were so we called them to see how far they had gotten. As it turns out they were only 80 miles away. We made plans to try to meet them yesterday on Dolphin Island, but a thunderstorm delayed us by a day. So, we arranged to meet for breakfast in Bayou La Batre, Alabama. We were so happy to be together again that breakfast turned into lunch. And as our reunion continued we lost track of time and The High Tide Restaurant was closing. They were so good to us, and understanding of our special circumstance they were willing to stick around, but we couldn’t keep them any longer. We were having such a good time reminiscing and it was getting late, we decided to get motel rooms and thus dinner. Continuned on page 18 ............. |
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