Total KM = 479

We again managed to stick to the back roads and saw lots of great countryside. Doug has decided he will retire in Mississippi and sell riding lawn mowers! Everyone seems to have at least three acres of lawn around their houses. We have now been on the road for over 10,000 KMs.

We didn't have a map for Mississippi from the AAA so bought one at a gas station which proved to not be too accurate. That was OK though as we did our usual passing through many little towns like Causeyville, Energy, Enterprise, Bay Springs, Magee (recent tornado) and Braxton!

Our first stop was at the Causeyville Country Store. This is an old, still operating country store/museum. The owner gave us a great tour and explained how it used to have a movie theatre in the back and a physicians office in one of the side rooms. The front of the store had been badly damaged from Hurricaine Katrina along with many homes in the area. We were surprised the affects of the hurricane had been felt that far inland. There is a corn grist mill attached to the store but it unfortunatly was not functioning ("cause two cats had kittens in there and I haven't cleaned it out yet"). She had an old fashioned peanut roaster so we bought some - still warm - for our snack this evening.

Thanks to the funny map we had we spotted a small town named Braxton (Norma's grandson's name) . We just had to go see if we could pick up something with the name on it. Norma went into the only little general store to ask and the two ladies in there laughed at her explaining "we are just a itty bitty town that most people don't even know is here" and wanted to know how we even found them.

The morning ride was nice and dry but after lunch we had the usual treat of how the rain comes down in this country (quickly and violently- but today without menacing winds). Rain gear on and off twice . At one point there was lightning around us with one strike where we saw and heard it simultaneously - thought we were both going to jump out of our skin!!!

Our afternoon ended with a great ride through the Natchez Trace Parkway which extends from Natchez, Tennessee to Natchez, Mississippi. It is a wonderful piece of road more suitable for relaxed cruising than the Blue Ridge Parkway. It is advertised as a great spring and fall road for cyclists though they are cautioned re: the limited service on the road. There are many trees down along the parkway due to a tornado in January of 2008 and another storm about two weeks ago. We wonder if this is another sign of global warming. . .

We have ended our day in Natchez, MS and will head through Louisiana to Houston, TX tomorrow.