Two Wheel Journal

NT04: Ridgeland MS

Posted on September 19, 2014March 26, 2015 by Rich

Natchez Trace Tour Day #4 Rocky Springs Campground MP54.8 on the Natchez Trace in MS to Ridgeland MS Today: 55.5 miles Cumulative this tour: 240.0 miles Wow last night I heard some of the coolest owl calls I’ve ever heard. Low booming hoots that resonated through the woods. First a call from one side of my tent, then from the other side more distant. It made me feel calm and relaxed, and, you know, a part of the earth. A reason to love tent camping. It was a warm night, but by 3 or 4 in the morning it finally got

NT03: Start of The Natchez Trace

Posted on September 18, 2014March 4, 2015 by Rich

Natchez Trace Tour Day #3 Natchez MS to Rocky Springs Campground MP54.8 on the Natchez Trace in MS Today: 63.7 miles Cumulative this tour: 184.5 miles Well, the bad news and the good news. The bad: The Red Carpet Inn in Natchez MS has bug problems. Several types I’m pretty sure. In the bathroom, there are little baby sewer roaches crawling around the floor. It was lovely to go in there in the middle of the night and see them crawling around. The other bugs I suspect were bed bugs, although I did not directly see them (they are quite

NT02: Homochitto Heat

Posted on September 17, 2014October 13, 2016 by Rich

Natchez Trace Tour Day #2 Perry’s Bicycle Hostel near Jackson LA to Natchez MS Today: 75.5 miles Cumulative this tour: 120.8 miles We arose early and were packed by 7AM. Perry’s system is to open her kitchen door blinds when the coffee is ready, and we soon joined her in the kitchen. She made gluten-free biscuits that Jack likened to hardtack, plus yogurt and fruit, and sweet potato cakes with cane syrup. We loved it – what generosity. The table was soon joined by Peter, Neal, and Bob with plenty of friendly talk. Despite our intention to cover plenty

NT01: A Return to Touring in Louisiana

Posted on September 16, 2014March 27, 2015 by Rich

Natchez Trace Tour Day #1 Baton Rouge, LA to Perry’s Bicycle Hostel near Jackson, LA Today: 45.3 miles Cumulative this tour: 45.3 miles Wow starting a new tour. How did we get here? Last night, Linda, Jack and I canvassed the roads around our motel in Baton rouge, and eventually determined that there is no reasonable way for a bicyclist to get downtown from the eastern area. As a result, early this morning, Linda took us and our gear down to the waterfront and found an empty parking area to use as a departure point. Jack and I both commented

Florida Lounging

Posted on September 10, 2014December 17, 2014 by Rich

Linda and I are finishing up the golf-centric portion of our Florida road trip. For me, the focus will very soon turn to our Natchez Trace Tour. It would have been preferable to experience the bike tour up front. As it is, we’ve been golfing and eating and lounging at Waldorf Astorias and Four Seasons. I have a feeling that tent camping will be quite the contrast. I’ve managed 2 meager rides here in Florida: one as part of an SUV tire replacement process in Palm Beach Gardens, and the other a 25 mile unloaded spin from PGA National resort

Last Minute Training

Posted on August 17, 2014December 17, 2014 by Rich

Our Natchez Trace tour is looming in front of us, and I’ve been busy wandering around Alaska and Canada and Europe eating decadent foods. Time to jerk into training mode. We got home from London last Friday night. On impulse, I woke up Sunday morning and jumped on the Surly for a crank up Bush Highway and out by Saguaro Lake. It’s 31 miles and 2000 feet of ascent, all before breakfast, where I met Jesse at Phil’s Filling Station. Here in Arizona in August, it is the monsoon season. Morning temps hit the usual 95F but the humidity is significantly

Tour Plan: Deep South and Tennessee Valley

Posted on July 15, 2014March 16, 2015 by Rich

It looked like there would be no tour for 2014, but in the end, almost predictably, lunacy has prevailed. Jack and I plan to explore the Deep South and Tennessee Valley this fall, following a combination of Adventure Cycling’s Great Rivers South route and their Underground Railroad route. We’ll call it our Natchez Trace tour. The plan, rough as it is at the moment, looks something like this: Aside from touring the historic deep south, we hope to enjoy riding along the Natchez Trace. It appears there are lots of camping options, including some “bicycle-only” campgrounds. From some of

Galaxy Restored

Posted on February 22, 2014July 31, 2023 by Rich

This is a followup to our Florida Coast tour from last September. This story took almost 4 months to unfold. When I got back home in October, I remembered the banged up cell phone I’d picked up on that rainy day riding on US1 from Florida City to Key Largo. [Recap: The phone had been soaking wet with its back cover off and battery missing, and I had found the battery 100 yards further down the road.] The phone was a Samsung Galaxy Duos model. Nice size screen and apparently in good condition. No screen cracks or scratches and

January 2014 Riding

Posted on January 19, 2014January 20, 2014 by Rich

Haven’t done much riding so far this year. Jesse and I are meeting regularly for breakfast on Sundays. Lately it’s been cold enough in the morning, maybe high 40s, that I’ve even driven the first 10 miles, then parked and bicycled the last 12 or so to breakfast. Yeah, I know, that must crack up you Canadians. Got stuck this morning riding west into Tempe. I came across an hourlong river of runners heading north on Hayden Road and finally figured out it was the P. F. Chang Marathon. I asked an organizer where I should cross the flow and

2013 Riding Year in Review

Posted on January 19, 2014February 25, 2015 by Rich

2013 was another good cycling year. Despite almost not doing it, Jack and I really enjoyed our excursion down the Florida coastline to Key West. At 2,827 miles, 2013 was my 5th most prolific riding year – pretty ho-hum. The average length of my rides continues to shorten. A bunch of things contributing…age, fitness, energy, distractions, and those ongoing knee problems. Ah well. A whopping 95% of 2013 miles were ridden on my Surly LHT, while only 5% on my Trek 1800c. I took the Trek out in early January and couldn’t believe how harsh it felt.