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hppants

Well-known member
Joined
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Location
Lafayette, LA
Many of my family and friends still struggle with my decision to ride. Why, they ask, would I not just take the car on the adventure instead of the motorcycle? There are many answers to this question. But one important explanation, at least for me, is quite simple:

Because the cage obstructs the view.

The glass clouds things. The metal and plastic destroy any depth of field. Even the other senses are blanketed. The cage stinks with the majority of the air just recirculated farts and fumes. Sounds are muffled. It is a completely uneventful experience.

A drive in the cage is virtual reality. A ride on the motorcycle is reality.

My first adventure for 2016 was very enjoyable. As a Louisiana State employees, MikeP1300 and I are given the third Monday of every January off to celebrate Martin Luther King Day. As we always close at 12:30 on Fridays, that gave us a three and a half day weekend, plenty of time for a ride.

We lucked out with the weather. Our El Nino winter is challenging me, but we managed to ride the entire weekend on dry pavement. Temperatures ranged from around 30 in the early morning to the mid-50s in the afternoon. Good mid-winter weather for the deep south.

We camped on the Natchez Trace Friday night. On Saturday, we struggled to find a campground to our liking, so we opted for a cheap motel instead. That turned out to be a blessing. A cold front passed through us on Saturday night, but it didn’t start raining until we were off the road. We camped again on Sunday night in the Homochitto National Forest.

There was no plan, no agenda, no schedule, and absolutely no worries. It ended up right at 1,000 miles of unobstructed views.

I hope you enjoy the pics.

Day One: Lafayette, LA to Rocky Springs Campground, Approximately 225 miles.

I packed up the bike on Thursday evening. I’m getting more efficient at packing. Years ago, it would take me many hours sometimes over several days to pack for a bike trip. I think it was mostly worrying that I would forget something, and not really knowing what I need to bring. Last week, I threw everything together in about an hour.

On Friday, I rode my horse to the office. She was buttoned up and rearing to go.

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Excited to get going, I snuck out the office about 11:00 and soon thereafter, Mike and I are heading north. We pulled into Simmsport, Louisiana for a late lunch.

Looks like I caught Mike in deep thoughts.

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Good shrimp salads for lunch. I got grilled, Mike chose his fried.

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I wanted to see how bad the Mississippi River was flooding, so after lunch, Mike and I head further north to the Old River Control Structure. Geologist and Engineers think that the Mississippi River is trying to take over the Atchafalaya River and change course. If that were to happen, dozens of smaller communities in the south central portion of our State would be lost immediately through a massive and permanent flood. But perhaps equally troublesome would be that both Baton Rouge and New Orleans would be left high and dry. All of the shipping from the ports would cease to exist. The huge petrochemical industry that uses the river for transportation and heat exchange water would be devastated.

So the control structure was put in place to divert up to 30% of the Mississippi River flow to the Atchafalaya River. You can read more about it here:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_River_Control_Structure

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Today, the water is flowing wide open. This is what 500,000 cubic feet per second looks like. I’ve never seen it this strong.

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That structure in the background is a lock that vessels can use to move from one river to the other.

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Thankfully, the river has since crested and we were spared from horrific flooding. Now we need the water to recede quickly before the Yankee snow starts to melt.

We continue north, cross Old Man River, and enter Natchez, Mississippi. This is a wonderful town full of history, culture, and plenty to see and do. If you are ever in this part of the country, I highly recommend an overnight at one of the beautiful Bed and Breakfast homes.

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We poke around in the woods along the river north of Natchez, ride through Port Gibson (another great MS town), and then hop on the Natchez Trace to our first stop. This is Rocky Springs campground and someone unknown hero has left us a ton of firewood.

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First things first……

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The campground is virtually empty and there is plenty of room to spread out.

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Once the camp was set up, it was time to get down to some serious business.

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After eating that huge salad relatively late in the afternoon, we decided just to pick up a subway sandwich and call it dinner instead of cooking. After dinner, I grabbed another beer, sat down to the fire, and thought about how damm lucky I am. Life is good.

Day Two – Rocky Springs Campground to Forest, Mississippi. Approximately 250

During the winter, the nights here are dead quiet. Without a little white noise, it is sometimes harder for me to fall asleep. Not last night. My head hit the pillow and the next thing I know, daylight has returned and I am fresh as a daisy.

We have coffee and breakfast first. There were plenty of hot coals left on the fire, and stoking up some flames was a piece of cake. After breakfast, we pack up the camp and by 8:30 am, we are taxing out of the park at about 42 degrees. I plugged in the heated jacket, but didn’t turn it on. My heated grips are making my hands very toasty.

Our first stop was this unnamed waterfall on the Big Sand Creek about 20 minutes from the campground. Mike and I stopped here last year on our way home, but we wanted to go back and explore more.

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While I walked down to the fall for a closer look, Mike is still busy taking pictures from the bridge.

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The view closer up is just as nice. I believe this is some kind of soft sandstone.

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Mike strikes his signature pose!

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Back on the bridge, the horses are being patient.

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We ride for a while and at our next gas stop, I took a peek at the map. An attraction caught my eye and I asked Mike if he was interested in something unusual. So we took off for this place.

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Near the town of Flora, Mississippi, this is the only known Petrified Forest in the country east of the Mississippi River.

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Over a hundred years ago, loggers clear cut this area. Wind and rain did their thing and washed away the top soil, revealing these specimens.

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There is a nice 0.5 mile walking trail that provides a self guided tour.

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Even though they are now rock, these things look just like the log they replaced.

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I thought this one was very comfortable.

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At the end of the trail, we walked through the rock and fossil museum.

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I thought some of the stuff was very beautiful.

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It was a nice place to stop and walk around.

We asked the gift shop clerk for a lunch suggestion and she suggested we ride into Flora and eat here.

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The catfish was absolutely fantastic!

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I’ve been to hundreds of these little towns on the motorcycle. Although they are similar, each has its own character. There is always a Main Street.

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And if you dig a little, you learn that the town roots usually have something to do with the arrival of the railroad. Recently, I learned that the tracks were always placed on the edge of town in the prevailing windward direction. Coal burning steam locomotives made a lot of smoke, and it was helpful to use the wind for pushing the smoke out of town. As the community expanded, people with less money were forced to purchase or rent property on “The Other Side of the Tracks.”

This old train depot restored for a retail shop looked very nice in the high sun.

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We ride out of town with no particular destination in mind. This is the essence of motorcycle touring to me. There is no plan. You cannot be lost because you have no idea where you are going. Since you do not have to concentrate on a destination, your mind is very free to live in the now. I know this is not for everyone, but I do recommend it highly.

We crossed the Ross Barrnet reservoir. Looking very well, my friend!!!

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This is supposed to be a trophy bass lake. I wish the locals would take better care of the shoreline. I hate seeing trash anywhere on the ground.

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Getting further into the afternoon, we have to think about a place to camp. I consulted the map and found a couple of State parks to look at. The ride there is very nice. The roads are in good shape. They are pretty curvy and very desolate. We are having a good time running in and out of the farm land and forest.

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We stopped at two state parks and the camping accommodations were not very good. The primitive sites had no services. No picnic table, shower, or anything. And there were rolling barges and RVs at the other sites. Still wandering, Mike spooked up a HUGE white tail buck that ran across the road about 5 pm. So we gave up and rode to Forest, Mississippi to get a hotel room.

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I really was not paying much attention to the weather all day. A quick check of the radar reveals some rain showers heading our way. That cold front expected to be well south of us has crept over our heads. We considered ourselves lucky to NOT find a camp site. Camping in the cold rain is not too much fun. I would much rather sleep in a room while the front passes through.

This one is brewed in Memphis and I gotta tell ya, it is delicious.

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With the rain, we decided just to walk next door to Wendys and get something to eat. Then we retreated back to the room to catch the exciting ending of the Green Bay verses Arizona playoff game.

Day Three: Forest, MS to Clear Creek Campground, Homochitto National Forest, Approximately 325 miles

Overnight, the rain passed, the skies cleared, and the temperature dropped into the 30s. We walked over to the Waffle House for a hearty breakfast and coffee. Then we packed the bikes and taxied out of town with the heated gear on at a brisk 38 degrees.

Wherever we saw a camping sign, I pulled in just to check it out. It seems like all of the State parks in Mississippi are centered on a man made lake.

Mike is checking the GPS to see what is next.

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We decided to head toward Meridian to have a look at Dunn Falls. It is supposed to be a 65 foot waterfall of the Chunky River. We stopped along the way to see whatever interest us.

I believe this is the Chunky River well upstream of our destination.

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It has been a wet winter. Plenty of flow everywhere in these parts.

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Beats he heck out of me, Mike. I don’t care where we go. It’s all fun to me.

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We finally found the Dunn Falls only to be disappointed. It is only open between Memorial Day and Labor Day. So we scooted over to Enterprise, Louisiana and found lunch.

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The Sunday buffet was pretty good.

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After lunch, we took a closer look at the map and decided where we would like to camp. Then we realized that it was well over 150 miles away, so we had better get moving.

We did a lot more riding, a lot less stopping, and no picture taking. By this time, we have got the Mississippi map figured out. The black roads are OK but they are generally straight and you can use them to make time getting across the State without hitting the dreaded slab. The blue roads are all great. Some are curvier than others, but they are all in great shape, hardly traveled, and offer great views of farm and forest land in the State. The grey roads are a crap shoot. Some are wonderfully tight and twisty, but others are rough wagon trails that really should not be endorsed for travel. Rider beware.

The GPS re-routed us a couple times and we ended up pulling into the campground at dark. With the campground picked pretty clean of firewood, we rolled up the hill a ways and there was plenty there.

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We setup our camp in the dark and lit the fire.

Come on over boys, the bar is open!!

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We made a simple meal with our emergency stash (I had a can of Mac and Cheese), and kept warm by burning wood on the outside, and burning fire water on the inside. The stars were out in full force, and it was a very good ending to a very good day.

Day Four: Clear Creek Campground to Lafayette, LA Approximately 200 miles

The Rye Whiskey went far last night. I do not think we hit the sack until well past midnight. I rolled into my zero degree sleeping bag, zipped it up tight, and slept like a new born baby until the crows started their ruckus about 7:30 am.

Checking my bike display, the temperature is 30 and a bit chilly. So we will take out time getting moving.

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Mike, a scientist at heart, it showing his latest experiment of efficiency, which is using the heat from a camp stove to accomplish 3 things. Boil the coffee water, steam the morning bagel, and warm up the hung over appendages. Well done, sir!!

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Today we will go home. But we are in no hurry, so we decided to take a walk in the woods adjacent to the campground.

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Mike has found the trail and off we go into the trees. I love walking in the forest.

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Uh Pants…. If you would stop that ride report shit for just a minute, maybe we could get somewhere!

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The trail winds back and forth through the hills and Richards Creek.

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It is amazingly quiet. There are very few birds, no bugs, no frogs, and little wind. I find it extremely peaceful and I am having a ball.

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We stumbled across this stagnant water hole. I am glad I brought my own water.

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The forest is mixed with pine trees and a variety of hard woods, most of which are oak. The trail is very well maintained. I shall like to come back here with my mountain bicycle.

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At times we find patches of cut pine trees, with the trunk just left there. We think this is a result of isolated infestations of pine bark beetles. We are told this is the only way to control them.

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Mike brought his hand held GPS and it came in handy. Already 5 miles in, the GPS is telling us to stay on the trail, we must walk at least another 3 miles to get to the campground. Instead we broke off the trail, and headed straight for the creek. Finding a place to cross was a challenge, but I located a fallen tree and used it as a bridge.

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Mike is having his own challenges.

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But we got across just fine.

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From here, it was just a short walk back to the campground. On the way, we found the park pond and stopped a minute to look.

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The hike was the highlight of my trip. It ended up being about 6 miles and I enjoyed every step of the way.

It also ended my photos for the trip. Back at the campsite, we packed our tents and headed home. The ride home was on very familiar roads and we ate them up in pretty big chunks. I rolled up the driveway about 4 in the afternoon. Not inspired to get busy, I threw my tent and rain fly over the dining room chairs to start drying, and just left the rest of the stuff in the shop. Then I took my wife and son out to eat to learn about their weekend. Cleaning the bike and other crap can wait until another day.

So it was another adventure done proper. We found a use for heated jacket liners and heated grips. We found some curves, and the chicken strips on our tires. We found a few 100 mph passing opportunities, along with some chance for engine compression braking.

But equally important, we found fresh air. We found a few small towns and their culture that the big world has forgotten. We found peaceful camping. We found geology and some history. We found some good food. We found great conversation, and a better understanding of the true meaning of life.

And we found some unobstructed views.

Stay thirsty, my friends.

 
Thank you for taking the time to share your ride reports. Yesterday marked six weeks since my last ride, so being able to share an adventure with someone through their ride report is therapeutic.

 
Well, you taught me something on this one. Thank you. I had no idea there was a petrified forest in Mississippi. I showed this to Mrs. Redfish and she was also surprised. Unfortunately, her attention was immediately focused on the food pics just below. Once she saw the fried catfish...

I was immensely pleased to note that MikeP is making good use of the Cee Bailey. I had hoped it would make him happy.

I have never seen that much flow through the Old River Control Structure either. I suppose that with the decision to not open the Morganza floodgates, they had to let that water go somewhere.

I sure hope you find some extra cash somewhere to get another candy red cover for that Givi V46. It looked so nice on the other bike before you went and scratched it up.

I cannot help but get irritated about "family and friends questioning my decision to ride". If my support group did not support something that was such a vital part of me... I would find another support group. Let the old support group support themselves while I go have my fun. Sorry. Rant over.

 
Nice that you can still get out and ride -- and provide enjoyable ride reports too.

Support: My parents were positive that if you ride motorcycles you were essentially a dead man walking. They didn't find out that I had been riding motorcycles until I was almost 50. Funny that almost all my friends are motorcyclists :) and they know why a dog sticks his head out the window ;) My wife plans more motorcycle trips for us than I have time to fulfill. Sister-in-law rides, nieces ride. Life is good!

In a cage you right through the countryside, on a motorcycle you ride IN the countryside, sights, sound, feel and smells.

 
Most excellent, as usual. I am also a fan of the "let's go somewhere over there" routing method!

I will have to live through reports such as yours for a while, as the world is still white where I live.
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Enjoyed the report, thanks. Really well written as usual.

...In a cage you right through the countryside, on a motorcycle you ride IN the countryside, sights, sound, feel and smells.
Not too sure about the "sound", all I can hear when riding is my bike and the airflow, attenuated as far as possible by ear plugs. Curiously (or perhaps not), I do seem to hear emergency vehicles long before other drivers around me.
 
So it was another adventure done proper. We found a use for heated jacket liners and heated grips. We found some curves, and the chicken strips on our tires. We found a few 100 mph passing opportunities, along with some chance for engine compression braking.
But equally important, we found fresh air. We found a few small towns and their culture that the big world has forgotten. We found peaceful camping. We found geology and some history. We found some good food. We found great conversation, and a better understanding of the true meaning of life.

And we found some unobstructed views.

Stay thirsty, my friends.
And above all you found a place called Homochitto
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. I had to look it up to be sure you weren't bs'ing me.

Thanks for the RR, always enjoy them as the ice, sleet and snow are trickling down up my way.

 
It's a vacation in the car, it's an adventure on the motorcycle.

The sights, the sounds, the smells, the wind, the required focus, the weather, the risks........

 
Thanks for reading my R/R - and your usual warm replies.

RFH - until I glanced at the MS map, I had no idea about the Petrified Forest either. I guess one just never knows.... My top box red cover has been on back order from Revzilla for weeks. Think I will give up on them and order it somewhere else. Their price was by far the best, but I they ain't got it in stock, guess price doesn't matter.

As for my non-riding associates. I get that you don't get it. That would be your loss.....

 
Wonderful write-up!! You've got a way with words, sir. And pictures. Yeah- the whole thing is great.

Thanks for bringing us along on these trips. Helps with the cabin fever....

 
Great ride report as always! While there are good road trips to be had in a car or truck (pulling a travel trailer) nothing beats touring or a trip on a bike! There is just something better about it no doubt! Like anything, I believe they each have their place.

 
Reports such as this inspire me to ride more and perhaps discover places I didn't know I was missing.

Well done 'pants!

 
Reports such as this inspire me to ride more and perhaps discover places I didn't know I was missing.

Well done 'pants!
I highly recommend doing what I've been working on for a yrs: visit all the state parks in your state. Really! You don't need to be a country-wide traveler to see and do. Plus, believe me, having a place to go beats the crap out of riding aimlessly in circles on the same ol', same ol'. An overnight here and there with a friend or two, regardless of what they ride, is an invaluable experience for learning your limits, what to pack, camping vs. motel, etc.- all those those you'll learn about yourself.

I started out with the goal of 27 NC State Parks. Along the way I found more and more stuff- forests, recreation areas, etc. I'm up to 43 places visited with only 3 known to go.

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Sorry for the hijack, 'pants.

 
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