Day 47 - Thursday, April 24

Poplarville, MS to Vancleave, MS - 81 miles - 2514 total.

Disaster averted!

The ride today was originally scheduled to end at the White Sands RV Park in Vancleave. However, when we arrived, the site manager told us there was a slight problem; although the showers were up and running, the toilets would not flush. Period. We could use both of them, all 14 of us, but we could not flush! And she really couldn't understand why we weren't impressed!

Luckily, today Paul was driving, and with the help of his smartphone and negotiating skills, he managed to find another RV park that had room for us. The down side was that we had to ride an additional 6 miles, at the end of a 75-mile day, but working facilities made the extra distance worth it. 

As a bonus, adjacent to this park is a barbecue restaurant where we're having dinner, so everything has come together nicely. 

On these long days, stopping for a rest and a snack after the first 20 miles, and every 10 miles thereafter, helps break the distance into manageable segments. One of the down sides to that system is when I get back on the bike after even the shortest of breaks, my knee ache painfully, and continue to do so for the first few minutes. And then I get back into the rhythm, and churn out the next set of miles. The neat thing is that JB and I are averaging 14-15 mph over 70+ miles, while climbing 1500-2000 total feet each day,  and we still feel rested at the end. 

Unleashed dogs coming out at us are beginning to be a big problem. No one has been bitten yet, but there have been some close calls. Different riders have different ways of dealing with dogs; some squirt water from their bottles, some try to sprint away, some take the other way and actually stop and get off their bikes in hopes the dogs will also stop. I shout "No!" in my best 'teacher voice', which sometimes works, and other times elicits even more ferocious attacks. No system is perfect, but all enjoy a modicum of success. 

Tomorrow will be another 70+ mile day as we cross into Alabama. Interesting note; we're about 25 miles from the gulf, and 10 feet below sea level. 

Sun rise in the mist this morning. 

Pond and gazebo as mentioned yesterday. Not the best example, but the only one I saw today.