April 22, 2005

Franklin To Poplar Bluff

When we rose on Friday morning it was raining and when we checked the radar it looked very unwise to hit the road.  Storms that were part of the massive spring storm system of April 21-24 or thereabouts were moving eastward very fast.  So we decided to have a nice long breakfast in a Shoney's next to the motel and wait for the storms to pass.  The storms swept through the area with a vengeance between 8:30 -10:00am proving our decision process on track.

About 10:30am we put on our rain gear and headed west along State Route 96 to US 70 to Dyersburg and onward to Poplar Bluff in Missouri.  About noon the winds began and reached full intensity by 1pm.  Crosswind gusts up to 40 MPH tried to dislodge us from our bikes and we were constantly fighting the forces. Another hour of this contest and we neared the long and high bridge that crosses the Mississippi.  Hunkering in for an exciting ride, we climbed the bridge approach and literally struggled to stay erect.  The winds were terrific and the bike would lean, I'd correct with a 10 degree list and the gust would stop and I'd have to counter correct only to have the next gust hit me hard. It was one of the most exciting rides I've had - not counting the flat tire episodes.  I had no fear of falling but the exercise was a challenging and good experience to have under my belt.

These winds kept up until we were literally exhausted. Yet, we were within range of our target and continued another hour to Poplar Bluff where we bedded down, had a nice steak dinner, and called it quits for the day.

The following pictures are about all I was able to take (Full Album HERE):