Second to last day in Mississippi, and it was definitely a memorable one. We picked up right where we left off, just outside Belzoni. We got moving at a real good pace. I know we've been saying this a lot, but I'd say today was the best we've all felt on the same day. The last three days or so have been a real struggle for me. I've been having trouble catching my breathe and have had no energy. Today, however, I felt just about 100% for the first time in a while.
We pushed on for about 11 miles until we got to a crossroad just outside Hollandale. The GPS suggested we take Tribbett Road, a small dirt road with an old gate at the end of it. We had a quick team meeting and decided we'd go for the dirt road. We were all pretty unsure, but our thirst for adventure helped us push on. The further we got down the road, the less of a road it became. It started as a well maintained dirt road, and eventually became a path mostly covered in grass. After about 5 miles, we ran into the most interesting part of the day. It seems Tribbett Road has been a road less traveled for a few years now. We found ourselves surrounded by thick brush and turning around was not an option. We had to make it through pricker bushes and deep mud, down a steep incline, and forge a creek all while carrying the jogger. It was an interesting and unforgettable challenge. We eventually made it across with a few losses. Our front tire was flat, and we're pretty sure Ken's water-proof pants are no longer water-proof and now resemble Swiss cheese. We had a few more miles on Tribbett, which went by pretty quick since it was much more of a road than it had been the first few miles. We made it to the end and headed down route 438 where we met back up with my parents. Papa D had such a great time yesterday he decided he'd join us again. The 4 of us headed down the road with about 5 miles to go. The forecast had called for scattered thunderstorms all day, but we hadn't seen a drop. We asked Papa D if he thought it would rain and he assured us it wouldn't. Sure enough a few minutes later a cold rain started to drop on us. We all scurried around for our raincoats and by the time we were all prepared for the rain it had stopped.
We finished up in Arcola, a bit ahead of our original stopping point we had planned. The last few days we've been running a bit extra in an effort to gain an extra day off. If all goes to planned we'll make it to Crossett on Monday, and take our third day off on Tuesday. This way we'll have a day to play around with and still be on schedule for our May 26th date with The Pacific. With an extra day we'll be able to rest up if we're sore/sick, enjoy more time if we happen to meet some great people, or split one of our 40+ days into two days.
Tomorrow we plan on crossing The Mighty Mississippi River (a day ahead of schedule). We'll have 3 states down, and be 1/4 of the way done with our total mileage for the trip. I personally don't like thinking about things this way, but I know Ken loves it.
Keep moving,
-Durkin
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