Last day - gotta get to New Orleans to fly home. Used the rental car to get a uhaul, packed up the bikes and drove south through Louisiana, across the edge of lake Pontchartrain and dumped uhaul near the airport. One last grocery store lunch, a quick, flat ride along Mississippi River, then left our bikes (except jason) at Dashing bikes shop. Dinner at hirsh's seafood spot and some music at fancy columns hotel, mandatory trip to Cafe du monde for beignets and a walk down bourbon street.  Unfortunately learned what twerking looks like.   18 miles, 1 flat (100' after uhaul dropoff) and 1 broken shifter cable. 

Any day that starts at the waffle house is a good day. From there, 2 guys headed to pick up a rental at the airport, Jason headed back to the trace departure point from yesterday, and 3 guys headed south on the trace. Typical weather- 2 hours of mist/fog, 2 hours in cool sunshine and then getting hot/humid. Faster speeds today as our panniers went with the car and even less traffic today than usual - we're thinking cause it's shabbos. Swapped drivers at lunch at sunken trace nature spot, then another hot afternoon with thunderstorms threatening around 5pm. Last roadside nap - where else is there so little traffic that you can do this? We met back up near the bottom of the trace to ride into town, and tried to go over the Mississippi into Louisiana, but no bike lane. Hotel vue with a view, fancy Mediterranean dinner in circa 1840 house. 45, 60, 96 or 103 miles. Still no flats.

6.30 departure, 61 degrees and early morning mist 14 easy miles to redonna's rosella restaurant in Thomaston. Pancakes, grits and eggs to power us at least 40 totally flat miles as there's nothing else on the road. Almost zero traffic today as heat built to high 80s with higher humidity. Very dated roadside signs detailing the 'agreements' with the Indians in the early 1800s. Stopped at pearl river bend park, ideal looking for a swim. Until we saw the gator. Peter, saying it was just a baby, went in but the rest of us stayed out to nap. Checked out a cypress swamp, hot ride by a beautiful 10 mile long lake and then late picnic at the Kroger. Waited out the thunderstorms that never really came, rode a nice bike trail alongside the trace, then go into the Hilton Garden Inn before the next round of storms, lots of lightning in the sky. Fun jaoanese hibachi dinner - $200 all in for 6 hungry guys.  77 flat miles.  ...

Quick exit from houston (past a still smoldering house fire) with pitstop for pb sandwiches and corn at Walmart, and 30 miles on the trace before real breakfast at the Trace Way restaurant. Beautiful riding under cloudy skies, cool temps and empty flat roads. Love the trace. Cranked out another 15 miles before roadside nap time under sunny but still cool skies. There's so much undeveloped land here, and so few towns - without big rivers, we surmise there was not much reason to settle this far away from the Mississippi/coasts. Cruised by Mississippi highest point (610 feet),no real swimming spots today as all the water looked swampy/snakey/gatory/catfishy. Got hotter so stopped for great milkshake/smoothie/root beer floats in French camp, and then a HUGE storm blew in very quickly. Hung out at lost gringos Cafe, talking to the owner, waited out the severe stuff then departed in lighter rain for last 20 miles. Aint so bad and overall good timing on our part as there's not ...

Lazy morning at the tru - eating, lazing, not working - then off to explore tupelo. Some of us snagged the Senior discount at the Elvis museum (a bike trip first). Saw where he was born, in a $180 2 room house (and his dad went to prison for writing a bum mortgage payment check), took a nap during the church service, and checked out the museum and learned of his jewish ancestor. Really well put together! Lunch and a powernap then back on the trace. Jason Merriweather Glasgow navigated us back to the exact exit point, a quick visit (2 miles backwards, hows that mark leiter!) to the visitor center, and them south to Houston and the trailhead bike and bed, which was really nice with good bike decor and outdoor seating area. We've finally learned to overlook the overlooks. And that riding from 4pm-6pm is ideal weather wise. Except when you have to do 40+ miles, with another Merriweather breakthrough. And it finally rained about 2 miles from destination of houston, MS. W...

More rain overnight and a foggy morning start, cruised west back to the trace on straight,bone flat county rode 2. About 20 miles to the bridge over the Tennessee River surprisingly wide (about a mile), learned about Chickasaw running the ferry across. Broke through the first road closed sign where conditions were fine for our private road ride, but then we found out about the $5000 fine (each) for construction violations so we detoured off the trace. First road was fine - quiet, farms - but after we crossed into Mississippi we had trucks, sun and rumble strips, and at least 8 extra miles. Harsh. Temps climbed above 90 and we had a slow/long lunch at the shack in Tishomingo for which we now owe at least $1000 for the Styrofoam carbon offset. Then 3pm departure with 45 to go; not good. Said shehiyanu getting back on trace, the sun faded and we cruised. Jason found us a shortcut so we pulled in just before dark, breaking the 'you always arrive at 5.30, regardless of mileage/...

HUGE thunderstorms last night then left Hohenwald after decent home cooked breakfast, back on trace. Stop at Merriweather Lewis burial/memorial site for a little history. Smaller rollers than yesterday with streams in the woods today mixing with bird singing. Very bucolic. Lunch at piggly wiggly, very friendly heavily accented locals. As good as froghair as they say in collinwood. Three turtle rescues, one almost dead armadillo and some buck naked swimming at cypress creek (no photos) just north of Alabama state line. Off the trace to check out a huge rock wall someone built to honor his great great great grandmother who walked the trail of tears. Then into Florence to find the uffuzi and see how Jean's pose of yesterday compares. Upgraded hotel - jacuzzi, hot breakfast and 4 pillows on the beds. 73 miles.

Skipped the RR PLUS breakfast (something they said was coffee and granola bars) and rode by the waffle house to find good breakfast. Rode by the Covenant school where three adults and three 9 year olds were killed 5 weeks ago by some former student with an AR15. We talked to the security guard out front - turns out it wasnt a gun issue, but a sign of apocalyptic times. Seriously. Onto the loveless Cafe for an amazing breakfast: biscuits, fried eggs, cheese grits, fried chicken and brisket both a la carte and in an omelet. Delish. Then onto The Trace. Totally beautiful road with some rolling hills but mostly just perfect surface along the ridgeline. Almost no exits/crossroads so there was maybe 1 car every 5-10 minutes. Couple stops to see the old trace and a monument from the war of 1812, and a nap under an overpass. Stopped at dollar general for lunch where we inhaled pretty much everything we deemed moderately heallthy (cottage, yogurts, cheese/crackers, pop-tarts, choc milk...

After our packing party earlier in the week at J's bike shop, we had an early wakeup to make our 6.55am flight. No problems putting together the bikes, or on the flight, other than that Chod did NOT share his 1st class breakfast with the rest of us in steerage. Left the airport by 10am, quick ride to drop bags at the red roof PLUS, then cycled into a party. After parking the bikes, we were given shots of some sort (it was around kiddush time, so couldn't say no), then lunch up on the roof deck with live music going on everywhere. Taylor swift is in town so there are sequin clad people strolling around. Walked over the bridge over the Cumberland River, then checked out the Johnny  Cash museum - tons of gold records (he was prolific says Jean). Do they still do these in the streaming era? Biked past music row to Vanderbilt, where a nap on the grass was required. Checked out the Parthenon (the only full sized replica in the world), a crafts fair, got the scoop on the trace...