A little water never hurt anyone

Tell that to the Wicked Witch of the West.

I, however, am not a witch and so survived a wet but pleasant end of Tuesday’s bike ride. Addie, my host in Tupelo, gave me a lift from Tupelo to mile marker 269. From there, I finished off the rest of Mississippi, cut the corner of Alabama, and entered Tennessee. In one day, I was in three different states. Wahoo.

The rain began to come down a little bit after crossing the Tennessee River bridge. My body had whined pretty much the whole day. I’m not sure if it knew I couldn’t handle both a downpour and an achy body or if the Tylenol just kicked in, but I didn’t notice any pain once the rain really started coming down. I tried to embrace the rain and have a bit of fun with it. I sang “Bikin’ in the Rain” or watched my reflection in the slick roads. The only negative was that cars were being a bit reckless. One car crossed into my lane to pass a slower RV and came frighteningly close to hitting me. I wonder if the ten seconds he saved by not waiting for me to pass first was really worth it. I hope he used them well.

After about 20 miles, I had my fill of biking in the rain. I was only 8 miles out from Collinwood, when a truck coming from the opposite direction motioned me to stop. The owner of the bed and breakfast that I am staying at saw how hard the rain was coming down and decided to make sure I was okay. What a thoughtful person! Part of this trip is learning when to ask and accept help. I gladly threw my bike in his truck and drove into Collinwood.

The town of Collinwood is about 110 miles south of Nashville and is home to around 1300 people, according to Reba, a volunteer at the Welcome Center. 1300 people! My graduating class was about that size. The main tourist attraction that Reba could recommend is the library, which was once the depot and only train station in town. Luckily, it is right next to my B&B, as is Chad’s Family Restaurant, one of two restaurants in the community. The other restaurant is next to the Piggly Wiggly. (Yes, I too was surprised that they actually exist.) I went in the store, partly for kitsch and partly to find fruit to snack on. I, and the first thing you is the processed food (pork rinds, anyone?) and candy. Finding produce was a bit difficult because it’s tucked away in a corner, but the aisles and aisles of soft drinks and processed foods are conveniently located.

The B&B owners invited me to go to church with them today. I was a bit hesitant, but I thought I might have a new experience. And going to church in the south is supposed to be quite the show. I’m excited.

I’m less than excited for the cold front that is moving north and bringing rain and high-50s temperatures. Biking Thursday and Friday is going to be tough, but that’s what this trip is about, right? I’m just getting what I asked for. Just two more days and a handful of hours left. What overused statements of encouragement can you think of? So far I’ve got, “Git it done!” and “Pain is temporary, pride is permanent.” Any more ideas?

P.S. The church service was a Pentecostal or Church of God service. My host asked if I wanted to step forward and let Jesus Christ enter my heart. I awkwardly said that I was okay. I think I broke the poor lady’s heart. Oh well.

Biked through three states in one day!

Collinwood, home to 1300 people, two restaurants, and a Piggly Wiggly.

The Piggly Wiggly chain is real!

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~ by jay on 14 October 2009.