| TRAVELOGUE, PT.3: MONDAY (Jackson, Mississippi to West Point, Mississippi): Beginning from the northern end of the Ross Barnett Reservoir, I cycled up the Trace to Starkville, Mississippi and met my pal Bo Fingers there, who drove in from Birmingham with a bike in his van. It was a 70-mile ride or so and the pavement was so rugged and jagged that my hands were numb 15 minutes into the ride, a sensation that didn't relent until I hit Highway 82 near Starksville. Traffic was minimal and wildlife was plentiful, a combination I would've enjoyed more if the brutal pavement wasn't shaking my fillings out of my teeth... Also in abundance was damage to the forests from Katrina... For the entire trip, I noticed massive oaks, pines and magnolias tipped over and ripped out of the ground like a film noir shamus tearing pages out of a phone book... |