July 4 in Natchez

While the Tour de France was getting underway, I spent the long Independence Day weekend in Natchez, Mississippi, indulging two of my favorite hobbies, biking and bridge. The real purpose of the trip to the home of my friend Buzz Harper, Ravennaside, was a three-day bridge marathon; however, I was able to take my bike out for two nice rides on the Natchez Trace without missing out on any of the serious action at the card table. Originally the home of one of the moving forces behind the creation of the Natchez Trace Parkway, Ravennaside was used as a B&B until a few years ago, but is now just a great big house that makes a perfect setting for an old-fashioned weekend house party.

Here is the map and ride data, as recorded on my GPS during the ride. The Trace is a beautiful parkway, and although it has no shoulders to ride on, there is so little traffic that it is a nearly perfect place for biking. On the way to the Trace, which I connected to north of Natchez, I rode through some beautiful, quiet countryside. Mostly quiet, I should say - except for one house where four big Labrador retrievers came barreling out of the driveway in full chase as I rode by. Surprisingly fast for such big dogs, but I outdistanced them without too much trouble and got a nice adrenaline rush! This morning, before coming back to New Orleans, I took another ride on the Trace. There are a couple of long descents where I could get get up to about 35 mph, and some long, gentle inclines as well. Not the Pyrenees by any means, but enough to get a bit of climbing into my legs.

By far, the harder climbs are in Natchez itself, which is on a bluff high above the Mississippi River. There are several places where you can ride/drive down to the riverbank. These are short, but the climbs back up, at a 15% grade or more in places, are enough to wake up the legs.

Eight days until France!