We made the most of our time in Mississippi while riding out Hurricane Irma. We had a couple of cool days that were overcast with a spit of rain, but for the most part, the weather was ideal -- cooler and less humid than Florida -- and we were able to relax in the knowledge that we didn't have to worry about anything happening to Pearl. We enjoyed quite a few excellent bike rides on the Longleaf Trace, just a couple of miles from our campground. On our last day we accomplished our longest ride this year at over 50 miles. We'd done the same ride in May 2016 (our blog post with more information on the Longleaf Trace) down to the town of Sumrall. Here's some of what we saw along the way. First up, this lovely garden spot with brightly painted bikes and whimsical garden art that someone had set up along the trail. I had to take photos from all angles to capture its charm! The Little Free Library at the trailhead in Sumrall looked a lot healthier than the one in Bassfield. In our post from our visit the previous year, I'd noted that the one in Sumrall had very few books, so that was a change for the better. But I wished I'd had a pile of books I was finished with to donate to Bassfield as this is the first time I've ever seen a completely empty Little Free Library. I'm hoping it is just new and hasn't gotten any donations yet. Despite the lack of ice cream, we did enjoy checking out some pretty murals we had missed on our ride to town last year. From the coincidence department: I noticed when posting this photo and looking back on older photos that I wore the same orange bike jersey on last year's ride to Sumrall! Another day, while Barry took a solo ride, I decided to check out the nature trail at the campground. Unfortunately, it was poorly maintained, with high grass and lots of spiderwebs. But it was still a pretty and peaceful walk in the woods. Just me, butterflies, and lots of large spiders I had to watch out for. They grow 'em big in Mississippi! Back at our site, I couldn't resist taking one more shot of Pearl from an angle I hadn't captured before. This was such a nice campsite right at the end of the lakeside row, and the folks in the next site left after the weekend, giving us even more of a buffer for our last few days. Such a lovely view we had; you could feel your blood pressure going down here.... I enjoyed seeing this Egret (or perhaps a juvenile Little Blue Heron?), who was frequently busy working the lakeshore. We hated to leave our idyllic spot in Mississippi, but once the hurricane passed and it appeared that most services were back in place, we needed to get back to our Florida campground before my next orthodontia appointment on the 18th. In our next post we'll tell you about our trip back to post-Irma Florida.
2 Comments
Emily
9/20/2017 10:16:52 am
I know! We were surprised too, when we first visited last year. At that time we also enjoyed riding on the road on the Natchez Trace and another very nice paved trail, the Tanglefoot. It's well worth a visit for cyclists!
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Emily & BarryWe're a long-married, early-retired couple who are currently traveling as nomads with no fixed home base. After years of living in North Carolina (Emily's home state), we spent 18 months living oceanfront on Ambergris Caye, Belize, a year road-tripping the US in a Honda CR-V, a year in Playa del Carmen, Mexico, and are now roaming North America in our 32' motorhome, Pearl, following warm weather whenever possible. Archives
July 2019
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