Three days summary

Could not provide info on Thursday as the computer would not connect in the hotel. The day off in Memphis was filled with sightseeing. On Tuesday night, we wandered into the Rum Boogie Cafe on Beale street. This establishment is the oldest restaurant and bar in Memphis. Some excellent blues sounds drew us in. Unfortunately, we only heard two songs, though very good, until the band took a break. The cigarette smoke drove us out after one beer.

On Wednesday, we went to the National Civil Rights Museum. It was excellent. The location was at the Lorraine Motel where Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated in 1968. I was a senior in high school when it happened. The weekly assignment in English class was to write about a famous person. The work was due on Friday and Dr. King was killed on Thursday night as I recall. I chose Dr. King as my subject. The grader gave me an A grade. However, the teacher used a poor tone of voice when he told me that Dr. King was not an appropriate subject. I hope that his attitude has changed over the years. I toured Mud Island, a historical review of points of interest along the Mississippi River.

It started to rain as we left Memphis. It was not a good omen as 1 to 3 inches of rain was forecast. It stopped in 1/4 mile and we had only one brief shower the rest of the day. We were warned of a dangerous downhill. As I went down the hill, I saw one of our riders down on the pavement and two others running back uphill. For me, it happened in the blink of an eye. Rollie had serious facial lacerations and went to the hospital for care. His ride is over and his wife drove from Iowa to get him today. My speed down this hill was 35 mph and I was fortunate to maneuver around the crash. I stopped to call 911 at the bottom, but cell phone service was nonexistent. I spoke with a man coming out of a driveway and warned him of the accident. He told me that 4 motorcyclists have crashed and died on the hill. It brings home the dangers of cycling. We were extra careful the rest of the day and today on any downhill that we could not see the bottom for.

John Hicks is a big dog! Big dog refers to a top notch cyclist. This area is filled with many, many porch dogs and they defend their territory. Several of us were riding together when a pack of dogs took off after the lead riders. John let out a big scary sound after a spirited chase. This sound sent the dogs off the scent. We employed the technique today after my dog whispering technique failed. Between miles 7 and 12 today, we had over 20 dogs giving chase, including a German shepherd that had designs on my calf. Later in the ride, we had several more. The dog chases are supposed to stop after St. Louis, 3 days hence.

Friday's scenery was spectacular. We were riding along Oak Ridge Rd. amidst oaks and big towering pine trees. The scent was wonderful. We thought that it might rain, but it held off and the clouds disappeared. I missed a turn finally. My mirror on the glasses was coming loose and I fiddled with it before stopping to put it on securely. I saw the street sign we were supposed to be on and it seemed to be pointing in the direction we were heading. However, many signs in these parts are turned askew. I stopped for directions and the local resident told me that we were only 3 miles from the hotel. We cut off nearly 4 miles following his directions instead of following the cue sheet.

Observations on the south: People are huge. Mississippi is the most obese state in the country. Tennessee is fourth, Louisiana is 8th. My state of Colorado is the least obese. So to see all these really huge people is disappointing. I am a fan of the Biggest Loser TV program, solely to watch people succeed at becoming healthier. There are millions of candidates in the South. People are friendly here. I love listening to the southern drawl. Most of the people along the road do wave back. I try to wave to all or say hello.

Statistics:

Thursday: 79.7 miles, 15.6 mph, 2345 feet climbing.

Friday: 66.7 miles, 17.0 mph, 1950 feet climbing.

Saturday forecast: 90 degrees, less wind, 86 miles, flooded river so no ferry crossing, but a six mile shuttle over a Mississippi River bridge. It will be our first time on the west side of the river.