Fun times, old and new friends

We biked up the Natchez Trace Parkway from MilePost zero to 407, along the entire length (diagonal!) of Mississippi, through the NW corner of Alabama, and into Tennessee. It was not the entire 444 mile length, but our route took us West before Nashville ("the Trace goes close to, but not into, Nashville) - so we left "the wormhole" of "the Trace" to stay on the Great Rivers route from the ACA (Adventure Cycling Assoc).
We missed the Trace, pretty much as soon as we were off it. We went from low traffic, Speed Limit of 50 MPH (adhered to, enforced [somewhat, with the Parkway losing 9 Park Rangers due to Congress's ineptitude and their "sequester"]), smooth pavement with next to no trash where our bike tires touch the road - to busy roads with 55 MPH+ traffic, lots of debris in "our" lane, AND rumble strips pinching us into traffic or off the road surface and onto the gravel shoulder - MUCH more stressful riding conditions, no doubt.

Lucky for us we found a cheap motel just before the rain and thunder/lightning began. The only businesses surviving there in the "de-regulation frenzy" economy we have been bequeathed by recent American Administrations (Reagan, Bush, Clinton, Bush v2) are a gas station and a porn shop.
Luckily for us the gas station has put in a small grill since the restaurant went out of business; and we took advantage of their "food options" the next morning.

PLUS our "old" friends Eric and Anca "from" Madison drove down from Nashville and took us out to a fun dinner and beers up the road a stretch - in their car! Ah, so easy!
It was great to see them and catch up a bit, after 3 1/2 years was it? Look forward to our next beer, maybe in Madison some time?

Then, the next morning, a little, uh, tired from the late night and the beers...Heidi exclaims "Hey! There go some touring cyclists!" So I threw on my shirt and ran out the door after them, catching them just as they threw their legs over their top tubes. Now usually when I yell at people and run towards them they skeedaddle. But these nice folks actually waited till I waddled up to them with my tired cyclist legs and we chatted about our respective bike tours. They're heading South, we're heading North. And they're Canadians, eh?
We exchanged good restaurant options in the recent past of our respective directions; and I know for us it worked out great! Hope Jane and Rob have as nice a ride down the Trace as we had up it...