MACH 15: Day 7 - Funky Places and Family

Saturday Day 7
May 2, 2015
Copyright(c) 2015, Jim Beachy

Today is a complicated morning.  We've got a lot of repacking and rearranging to do.  Kitty and I wear what, in motorcycle parlance, is called "ATGATT" - All the Gear, All the Time.  That means boots, long jeans or equivalent, jacket, helmet, and gloves.  To manage the temperature extremes of this trip (expected to be from upper 30's to low 80's) we packed two sets of jackets: Leather jackets with liners for cool weather, mesh jackets for warmer weather.  We wore the leather jackets for the first three days, then switched out; in either case, the unworn set of jackets can fit into the left saddlebag.  But we'd unhooked the trailer for the last two days and emptied the saddlebag to give us a little packing room while roaming around the countryside.

We try to carefully stick to an exact routine when packing and unpacking so we always know where everything is, and everything is accounted for.  But this morning everything is out of place and out of the routine.  I reattach the trailer, check the lights and electrical system; we carefully replace the picnic chairs, repack the leather jackets, make sure all our stuff is accounted for.

We'd talked last night and this morning about what to do in terms of our riding today.  The scheduled group ride will be to the north, when our destination is to the south.  This puts our ability to make it to Gulfport and our family in time.  At 8:22 a text message arrives from our daughter-in-law:  "Just wondering about an eta 4 u today.  We've got some super excited kiddos!"

We decide to forego the group ride and make our way southward to Gulfport.  Jack and Tezz are talking about doing some kind of back-road ride to end up at the Old Country Store for fried chicken.  They invite us to ride along.

As I'm making my good-byes to friends, I find myself looking for Roger, in whose memory this year's event has been held.  I am caught up short with the realization that he's not here, and Marlene and I have a little chat and a long hug before we separate.

At 10:00 AM most of the group leave for their ride northward, while Jack and Tezz, Kitty and I wander off southward.  We encounter some extreme back-country roads, and at one point, after traveling for some miles, find a "Road Closed" sign.  To the left is a road with a "Dead End" sign.  As we are debating what to do, a pickup truck arrives; Tezz flags him down and we find out the road really is open so we continue.

Looking for a comfort break, we wander into a tiny village hoping to find a rest room, but find only a few staring people and a US Post Office.  So on to Port Gibson, where Jack and Tezz decide to ride some more before lunch, whereas Kitty and I decide it's time to head southward in earnest.  It's about 11:30 AM.

We shake hands and exchange hugs, and we leave them in the parking lot and ride toward the Natchez Trace.  We find the entrance ramps and every bridge is undergoing resurfacing.  I'd never noticed how many bridges there are on the Trace!  After a few miles we abandon the Trace and ride US 61 straight to Lorman, MS and The Old Country Store for lunch.

Just as we alight from the bike, I see two Gold Wings riding slowly into the parking lot.  It's Gibby and his friend Will!  By happenstance, we'd both decided to have lunch here.  The very funky Old Country Store has been described elsewhere in my blogs, and we visit it every year when we ride to Vicksburg.  I'm not much of a fried chicken fan, but this chicken is truly exceptional:  Moist, crispy, hot, and not at all greasy.  There's a review of the place on Roadfood.com, http://www.roadfood.com/Restaurant/Reviews/1320/old-country-store.

Just as the four of us finish lunch, in walk Jack and Jezz, so we say goodbye again.  At about 1:45 PM, Kitty and I head south, Gibby and Will head back north to parts unknown.

I've pre-routed a mostly two-lane trip to our son's home and follow US 82  faithfully through the Mississippi forests until we reach the town of Tylerton.  At this point, Slow-down Guy has between replaced by someone who is sensing urgency to see his family, so I pull over at a convenient place, abandon the route I've created, and tell the GPS to take me to "Kev House New" the fastest way possible.  This shaves about 25 minutes from the route time, and we follow US 82 to Hattiesburg where we catch US 49 south to Gulfport.

When we make the last turn to the house, our granddaughter Danica is out on her bicycle.  When she sees us she jumps up and down and challenges us to a race to the house.  Carter and Brenham come running up and wrestle each other for the first hug, even before we are off the bike.  "Careful, the motorcycle is very hot!" I caution.  "Let Nona and Papa get off the bike first, then we do hugs."

Soon the whole family is at one of my favorite eating places here in Gulfport, The Shed BBQ and Blues Joint (http://theshedbbq.com/gulfport).  The barbecue in this funky place is always good, and tonight there's a live blues/rock band on the stage outside.

It's good to ride all over the country and see its wonderful sights, but tonight we're more content being with our Mississippi family.