Can't believe we are already out of Louisiana! The day started off great with a delicious sponsored breakfast that included sausage, biscuits, and even cheese grits. The ride went great, as well; it was our first flat day in a while. We rolled through mainly farmland on our way into the Mississippi Delta. Lots of pepper farms and dense, overhanging vegetation. Although there was one terrifying moment on the bike today. A live armadillo decided to jump in front of our paceline...it was one of the worst sounds I've ever heard. Three of us pummeled him at about 25 mph. Fortunately, no one was injured, and even the armadillo made it across the road (slowly). At about mile 70, however, we experienced one of the cooler moments on the trip: crossing the mighty Mississippi river. Since we stay of interstates, we had to cross on one of the railroad bridges with a single wide car lane. We all had to sign liability waivers in case we fell off. It was incredible! The river is a mile wide, one of the more incredible things I've seen. On the other side on top of a hill, was Vicksburg. After a riverside lunch, several of us cleaned up and ventured around the Vicksburg National Military Park. The park mapped out the Siege of Vicksburg by General Ulysses S. Grant and it's defense by General Pembleton. It was very interesting. Vicksburg was surrendered to the Yankees on July 4, 1863, and apparently, Vicksburg refused to celebrate the Fourth of July for nearly a hundred years afterward. The park was very cool. Later, we had a pulled pork dinner at the YMCA, our lodging for the evening. Tomorrow, we ride to Jackson! Heres a few photos of (1) the beautiful, vacant green roads we took, (2) the state line, (3) the river, (4) the Illinois Monument at the Park (Illinois troops suffered severe casualties), and (5) the USS Cairo, an ironclad ship sunk in the Mississippi during the siege but recovered in 1964.
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