Tuesday, August 05, 2003
Greetings from Vicksburg, Mississippi – around 1700 miles from the start, and only a week and 300 miles from the end of the cycling journey in New Orleans.
Much adventure since I returned from an enforced week’s break in Dublin. Worst bit was when one of the panniers took a header off my bike while I was on a mad busy dual carriageway in the rain on the way into Memphis. With the roaring traffic and huge potholes and stuff, I didn’t notice until about a mile down the road, and attempts to find it proved hopeless – even a cab ride to scour the area.
So I’m a bag down, but fortunately it by chance contained the less crucial half of the kit, so I’m still plugging away. Graceland was more modest than you might expect for the King, and standing on the spot where MLK was assassinated was bizarre.
Further back up the road, St Louis was a kip (as I’d been warned) – although the Arch is beautiful.
Southern hospitality is beginning to show itself – a guy on a Harley rode alongside me yesterday to shoot the breeze, and I’ve been getting supportive honks and waves all over the place. Didn’t get any of those in uptight Iowa. Interviewed by the Banner Democrat paper in Lake Providence, Louisiana yesterday.
Louisiana and Mississippi all the way down now, and I’ll be returning to Dublin with half as much kit, but plenty of stories.
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