We left the hotel in Linden, TN around 8:15am and headed back to the spot on the trail that we ended on Day 1. The temperature was 70 degrees and the wind was out of the south at 5 mph. That meant riding into the wind, as this ride goes from north to south. The first 2.5 miles was all downhill. It was glorious, yet cool to me. I made short video below shortly after this 2.5 miles and it is in the photos below. Julia on the other hand, shuttled ahead and I met her at mile 21.6. Around 31 miles into the ride we were able to go into the small town of Collinwood. This was the first time we were able to actually ride into town without going more than 1/4 of a mile off the trail. Several riders went into town for lunch. We met up with the support driver, Donna, and went to a local gas station, Hasti-mart, and had freshly made personal pan pizzas. It was a nice change of pace from the SAG stop snack food. We also stopped at the Dragonfly Café to check out their desserts. I have more story on my dessert selection below in the photos.
The wind continued to be out of the south the entire day. I know I have a headwind when I pedal downhill and can’t go over 17 mph. We did cross from Tennessee into Alabama today. The hills were less frequent; I always say I prefer the wind to hills. Today, I had both at the start of the ride. However, at the end of the day, more than an hour was all downhill. There was still the wind, so I did my best to pace Julia. At one point after we climbed a small hill, she asks “can we go slower than 18 mph down hill? I still had to pedal downhill with the headwind. Luck would have it that the downhill grade was pretty good and we both started going about 20 mph. She yells out “I asked about not going 18mph, so you go 20mph?!” I look in my rearview mirror and can see she isn’t pedaling as she is drafting behind me. I reply “you’re not even pedaling.” To which she had to concede that I had a point. It made for a very funny, light-hearted moment on the ride. It reminded me how much laughter we can have on an adventure. We crossed the Tennessee River and ended the day at Colbert Ferry. It was now 86 degrees and the wind was still out of the south at 6 mph. I rode a total of 60 miles today. We stayed at the Hampton Inn in the town of Florence. Dinner was walking distance away at the Pie Factory of Florence where we had pizza. Had I known this, I would have opted for a burger in Collinwood. My right knee is still sore, but nearly as bad as yesterday because there were a lot less hills to climb.
There was a slight delay this morning for the shuttle back to the starting point, so I went for a short walk to find the Linden Post Office.
While walking in Linden, I also came across this mural - appropriate for a bike ride.
When a local road merges onto the Natchez Trace Parkway there are distance signs. This one was from the near the start of my ride on Day 2.
I wanted to share a video because a friend, and new rider, may join me on rides in the future. Hopefully this gives an idea of a typical ride.
Julia mentioned to her husband that there was no fall color here, so I made it a point to capture of photo of this sumac in glorious red, fall color.
Julia had moved ahead, via van, on the route to the first SAG stop so she could shorten her miles for the day. She caught me totally off guard when she said I was the first rider arriving there. I had not realized I was the first rider to start today, so I’m laughing and saying “you must be kidding.”
During our stop in Collinwood for lunch today, we went past a few murals; this was one of the murals.
This was the second mural.
Once again, I found the local post office with help from Julia.
Our last stop in Collinwood was the Dragonfly Café. I bought a giant slice of homemade cheesecake. The owner was nice enough to give me an ice pack to keep it chilled inside the car of a support driver. Unfortunately, that support driver, Donna, went home to Mississippi with my cheesecake still in her car. So, I still haven’t tasted that delicious looking cheesecake.
The support driver I mentioned in the photo caption above, Donna, was responsible for the placement of these signs. The signs were all donated through the Gary Holdiness Cycling Fund established in the memory of Dr. Gary Holdiness, an avid bicyclist. He was riding his bike on the Natchez Trace Parkway and was killed by a motorist. Donna shared with us the heart wrenching story during her talk on cycling safely on the Trace. She said it took five years of petitioning to get the placement finally approved.
The second SAG stop of the day at Cypress Creek.
Julia and I as we crossed from Tennessee into Alabama. Unfortunately, the sun created a glare that I didn’t realize was there until I was at the end of the ride.
The Water Route Overlook. We crossed the bridge that is in this photo.
Julia as she started crossing the bridge.
The Tennessee River as seen from the middle of the bridge (seen in a photos above).