Day 78 / August 17, 2010 [Warfield Point Campground, MS - Lake Providence, LA]
Our campsite at Warfield Point campground shows how close we were to the Mississippi River......we could hear the barges all night.
We found this tree next to us, that had this weird seed or fruit on it.....anybody know what it is?
We decided to have.....okay, do we really have a choice?....graham crackers, peanut butter and honey (hey, if John the Baptist could live on locusts and honey, well, we have got it going on! Thank you, God, for your continued provision.)
Lovingly prepared, of course, by MY Honey:
Hot, yet again today, but we decided to take the umbrellas down before heading over the bridge. Good thing....the winds were a little gusty on the bridge. We understand that this bridge now is the longest cable-stayed bridge on the Mississippi River (similar to the Cape Girardeau bridge). It WAS long, and here it is, Bridge #41!
At least the new bridge DID have a nice, wide shoulder. Oh, oh.....texting while triking.....do you think she is starting to get comfortable on these bridges??!! (You can see the old bridge in the background).
Oh, by the way......to experience what some of the older bridges feel like when going over them, I have just posted a video back onDay 70 of the I-55 Memphis bridge pedestrian walkway. Check it out.
Some of you might have noticed that our proposed route stayed on the east side, the state of Mississippi side of the River, but after realizing that the Arkansas route had an 8-FOOT SHOULDER the entire length of Highway 65, as well as being about 15 miles shorter, we both agreed that we'd try the Arkansas side of the river.
As we left the bridge we saw some beautiful homes on our right, on the banks of Chicot Lake.....I understand this is the largest oxbow lake in North America.
At the corner of 82 and 65, off of Chicot Lake, we met this road construction crew that not only gave us water, but guided us through the busy intersection. Thanks, guys!
65 turned out to be a very busy road as we suspected, and the shoulder sometimes was closer to 5 foot than 8, but we still were VERY glad for that shoulder the entire way.
Saw this....well....what is it? (Looks like the Martians from War of the Worlds!) A free WiFi Pedaler T-Shirt (if we ever get them made!) to the first person who can tell me WHAT THESE ARE??
Saw this gorgeous skyscape north of Eudora. (The heavens declare/announce/proclaim/tell of the glory of God. The skies display His marvelous craftsmanship......Psalm 19:1)
In Eudora.....interesting.....an officer stopped us, and said that somebody had reported to him about some bicycles coming through town. He seemed to kinda laugh it off, and he offered to escort us through town. We said "sure", and he followed us for over 3 miles. Earline was a little suspicious of the offer.....she thought that maybe they were making sure that we went through their town and didn't stop! HA!.......well.....maybe.....hmmmm.
Thanks for the escort, officer....we DID appreciate it!
Meanwhile, we kept trying to reach the 2 contacts in Vicksburg that attorney Willie Griffin had given us in Greenville. Our phone service was very intermittent in this area, and when I did get through to Alvin Taylor, it said his voice mail service was not set up. Hmmm.
We finally did get ahold of the lady, but she said that she was going into the hospital the next day, and couldn't help us with a place to stay, but that she knew an evangelist friend who could provide a safe place. We finally then did talk to Miss Gertrude, and she said she'd get back to us. But, we didn't hear from her.....hmmm.....maybe she tried, but couldn't get through....well....
We saw this weird mailbox, and I guess I took a picture of it because, well, it's weird!
By now it is getting dark, and we came to the Louisiana state line (State #10!!). Here's a picture of the sign and Earline:
Okay, so you can't really see Earline.....after several attempts, I could not get both the sign and her to show up. Here she is!!
Then we soon had a Louisiana officer stop us.....he was curious.....wondered what we were doing. I gave him our flyer, and explained the Mission Tour. He told us our flashing blue lights on our wheels were illegal in Louisiana, but when I asked him if he wanted me to turn them off, he said no, that they helped make us more visible. He said the slow moving vehicle signs showed up real well. He asked who was in the other trike (he couldn't see from the back), and I told him that it was my wife.
He then warned me that there was a rough area in the town coming up that had a lot of Blacks in it, and that we should be careful. I thanked him for his concern, and then made sure that Earline waved at him as he went by, with a surprised look on his face.
HA! Oh, well.....
We had decided to keep riding because it WAS a wide shoulder, much cooler than riding in the daytime, a straight shot to Vicksburg, and we figured we could make up some time......and we wanted to make Vicksburg before it got too late the next day to make sure that we could get a ride across the river.
I had called ahead, as Bob had suggested in his book, and talked to Herman Smith. The interstate bridge there has been open for 30 years or so, but the old bridge was closed down to traffic around 15 years ago. Large bike groups can apply for permits to go across with the appropriate liability insurance, but individuals or small groups like us can actually get rides across the bridge in a pick-up if you call ahead.
We went through the "bad" section of Lake Providence, and continued to a truck stop that the officer had mentioned would be on thesouth side of town.
When we got to the truck stop, Janie and her son stopped to talk to us....apparently they had been following us, and hoping to catch up with us at the truck stop.
They were excited to hear about our Mission Tour and Janie even called another son and daughter to come "check us out."
There was another couple there that tried out the trikes, and donated some money to GHA.....
It turns out that the couple had recently lost a young child, and were struggling to deal with the grief of that. We had the opportunity to share some words of encouragement, as well as some Scripture that tells of a God who blesses those who mourn, and who fulfills promises to those who cry out for help.
We continued another mile or two down the road, but we were both getting pretty sleepy, so we took a nap in the shadows of a roadside church, that turned into setting up our tent on the backside for a few more hours of sleep.
Lord, protect us, and give us some refreshing rest. In Jesus name.
TGG,
jon
Posted by Jon at 8/22/2010 1:00 PM 
Categories: Blogging from the Ride, Challenges, WiFi Note, Photos
Tags: rain mailbox triking police bridge T-shirt peanut butter road construction Bible verse barges church pictures bugs clouds umbrella
Categories: Blogging from the Ride, Challenges, WiFi Note, Photos
Tags: rain mailbox triking police bridge T-shirt peanut butter road construction Bible verse barges church pictures bugs clouds umbrella
Good luck on the rest of your trip. I caught your story in the Burlington Hawkeye (Iowa) and have been watching your blog ever since, and read some earlier entries. The "martian" looking things are like what some deer hunters use if there aren't trees to see up stands in, to hunt deer. The green vegetation balls, at least in Illinois, are called "hedgeballs" and are on bushes/trees, used to be all along railroad track right-of-ways. Some were also between cornfields and beanfields, separating the different farmers' fields. I think squirrels eat the insides of the hedgeballs. Stay safe!
Kim U., Monmouth, IL
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Congratulations, Kim! The martian-looking things are indeed deer-blinds that hunters use to sit in and wait while hunting deer (or other critters). You win a free-Wifi Pedaler T-Shirt (if we ever get them made!) Actually, I do believe that we will soon be getting some made, so stay tuned, and thanks for playing!
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It seems to be a hedge apple, the fruit of the Osage Orange tree. About the size of a grapefruit, the hedge apple is a well-known home remedy for insect repellent.
It is believed that placing the fruit around a home foundation or basement provides relief from common household pests such as crickets, spiders and snakes. We recommend placing a hedge apple in your closet for insect relief.
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Love yal that is just too funny about the town I need that laugh, you all be save and God Speed...
Be Light
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