The Great Bike Ride – Day 26

Friday, September 21, 2007

New Mexico gets my vote as having the smoothest roads. Louisiana has the worst. It was a constant thumping and jumping as we ran the 50 miles north on I-55 from Hammond, LA. It was a welcome relief to cross over into Mississippi and hit smooth pavement.

We jumped on the Natchez Trace Parkway at Mile 0 in Natchez. The first big chunk of the ride was very cool, with our three bikes running pretty much alone. The speed limit is 50mph, and the curves are all so gentle that John said he never had to kick off his cruise control (yes, you can get cruise control on a motorcycle). As we came close to larger towns, such as Jackson MS, you could tell that the locals used the Trace as their own freeway, and they pretty much ignored the speed limit. It sure broke the mood.

The hotel was a little hard to find in Tupelo, but we made it about 8pm after running half the Trace. We ordered pizza and had a nice planning session for our last couple of days. It looks like we'll ride with Pat & Buss until Lexington KY, then they'll head toward Charleston while John and I close out the trip in Columbus.

Enjoy the movies from the Trace!

DAY 27