Temp at departure: 70 degrees

Howdy all! Another day has passed on the Trans-America Trail!

We left Selma, TN around 8:15 A.M., heading for the Shiloh National Military Park. With the Tennessee River to the

east, the park encompasses several hundred acres where, in 1862, the Union and Confederate armies fought for two days. When the smoke cleared, the Union army beat back the Confederates and pushed them back South.

The park now is includes a Union cemetery, along with thousands of monuments commemorating different aspects of the battle.

We spent the better part of an hour in the Visitors Center and on the driving tour, looking at the various sites that make the battlefield famous.

By 10:30 we were heading out of the park, back southwest to meet up with the Trail.

After a quick lunch at a very good diner(plate lunch, plus drink, plus tax was $4.95!), we wer back on the Trail several miles south of where we left it the previous day. Returning to the trail through Selmer would've been alot of backtracking, so we met the Trail a few miles south of where we left it.

Back on the Trail, we were soon leaving Tennessee. After riding the State of Tennessee from fairly much east to west, there are several interesting impressions we were left with.

First, almost all of the state is in love with religion, if their signs are a good measure of their religion. It seemed that no matter where you looked, there was a sign saying something like, "satan likes to eat babies! repent! repent!", or something to that affect. At one point we were on a road that was as backwoodsy as you can get in eastern Tennessee, when we rounded a corner and I was informed that my soul was in trouble and that Jesus cried when he thought about me. Well... maybe that wasn't exactly what it said, but the general idea is there.

Second, the brands of churches we have at home are very bland compared to the Tennessee. At home 99% of our churches are United Methodist, First Baptist, or some derivitive. In Tennessee, they have great names like Holy Risen Saviour Church of Catholic Christ in Heaven, wating for the Rapture, while also being Scared Shitless Baptists.

Third, Tennessee's primaries must be sometime soon. Political signs abound. The signs never have a party affiliation. I wonder if everybody here is just a Republican and there's no need for a party on the sign.

Fourth, and lastly, the state is completely settled. There was never a time when we weren't within a mile or two from a house. Almost all roads are paved with ashpalt, a fair amount with painted stripes. I would guess that 90% if the Trail in Tennessee is paved.

Overall, I enjoyed the state. It looks like home should look, but never does.

 

At 1 P.M. today the pavement ended. You guessed it, that's when we entered Mississippi. Gravel(and lots of it) dominates.

Immediately the land changed character. Red clay became common, with pine trees being the dominant species. They call the part we rode through today the Mississippi hill country. There are hills, but in between the hills are swampy areas.

Twenty to thirty miles into Mississippi, the gravel/red clay road we were following ended at the edge of a swamp. I originally thought we had taken a wrong turn, until I looked across the swamp, maybe 75 yards away, and noticed a road rising out of the water in the general area where our road would be, if there wasn't a swamp there! Oh, boy!

We had just met a jeep going the other direction, so we knew the swamp must have a solid bottom. But how? The only way to know was to walk out in it and find out. So we got to go wading.

As soon as we started into the water, we realized there was rocks scattered along the bottom. The county had obviously put the rock in the bottom in order to make the road passable.

After deciding that we could get the bikes across, we learned from the previous day that we had better not try to ride the bikes across.

The water was probably knee deep, but the rocks on the bottom were farily large, so if we hit one right, it might send us down. Walking them through, while in gear was the only way to go.

My bike was first, and like yesterday, Meredith would walk along and try to help if anything went wrong.

A few minutes later my bike was on the other side. Then Meredith's bike was on the other side.

It was definitely a unique experience! I'm glad this time I didn't take spill. I would've needed a snorkel for this water.

For the rest of the day we rode on endless miles of gravel roads covered by kudzu.

We believe kudzu is taking over this part of the world. At least its pretty!

Well, tomorrow we should be at the Mississippi River.

See you down the trail!

Money spent: $108.60

Mileage today: 160

Total Mileage: 731.16

 June 8