Geri along Glenrock Branch Creek



Dennis at the entrance to an old phosphate mine

 

Our campsite at Fall Hollow Campground

 Day 30 - We woke up to some frost this morning, so we were happy to be in the Ligon's warm home instead of camping in a city park with no bathrooms!  Since we arrived in the dark, we were unable to see the Ligon's beautiful property.  They own 150 acres and a spring fed stream flows through the entire length of their land.  Just behind their home are limestone bluffs, forests and several waterfalls.  Karen cooked my favorite breakfast, French Toast, and Mike hauled all our gear, bike and us back to where we left off on our ride yesterday.  I am afraid we really messed up the Ligon's morning schedule, but they did not seem to mind.  We said our goodbyes to this special family and we were pedaling north again.  We made a lot of stops again today and enjoyed several nature trails beside crystal clear streams.  One trail took us to an old abandoned phosphate mining area.  The most exciting roadside attraction for me was the death and burial site of Meriwether Lewis, the leader of the famous Corps of Discovery (Lewis and Clark Expedition).  Geri and I retraced the return route of the Corps of Discovery in 2004-2005 by backpacking and canoeing their entire route.  We feel a special connection with Meriwether Lewis and William Clark because we read their journals as we hiked and paddled in the same places they did.  We had a head wind again today which did slow us down a bit at times and the hills are getting longer and steeper.  We had to pedal up several hills today that were over one mile long.  The coast down these hills is great fun, but the ride only lasts a few minutes compared to the much longer effort required to pedal to the top of these many grades.  Our elevation varied between 800 and 1100 feet all day.  We reached Fall River Campground around 5:00 PM and immediately got dinner at an adjacent restaurant before selecting a campsite.  We were very hungry.  There are very few businesses located next to the Parkway on this part of the Natchez Trace, unlike the southern portion of this highway.  We need a grocery store to resupply our traveling snacking food.  We only traveled about 40 miles today, but despite the wind and hills we averaged over 11 mi/hr.  Thanks to the Ligon Family for helping to make everything so much more enjoyable for us today and especially last night.