Friday July 10.
Woke up at 5am to drops of water hitting my tent. I panicked, thinking I should break down camp before it rains hard. All the daily rains had me run out of the tent like a Pavlov dog. The dimly brightening sky was completely clear, but the outside of the tent was somewhat wet. Then I thought about starting off riding that early would make the day way too long, and no place would serve breakfast for hours. As I took down camp, I was eaten alive by mosquitoes, as I imagine since they couldn’t get in the tent, they knew eventually I would have to come out. 2 hours after waking up, I was off, but not before coming to the conclusion that my helmet bluetooth was no longer functioning. So after breakfast, at a fantastic little shop, I started calling the place I bought it and the manufacturer only to realize, it’s a Cali company that won’t be open for hours. So I rode from Tennessee to the portion of the TAT 48 miles away. As I approached the gas station near the trail on the GPS, a couple was filling up their dirtbikes. I started making some adjustments to my bike for off-road riding. I stopped to talk to them, a British couple, younger than I, from British Columbia. They mentioned the Tenn. portion had been mostly tarmac so far. So I set off, and rode along paved roads with a few gravel and even fewer dirt farm roads. Some of it was scenic but I lost my enthusiasm for it after 100 miles and decided to make up some time after reading some internet reports that almost all of Tennessee’s trails were paved. Some parts of it were fun and i got to do a few small water crossings, another first on this bike. I stopped at some state park on the Tennessee river and wanted to take a little rest (nap). The only area with picnic tables near the boat ramp smelled faintly of sewage, but I was so hot after more 102° riding, I decided to just accept it. As I checked my voicemail, the Cali company called. They decided they will replace it so I raced to a UPS store to ship it back as soon as I could. I got there 3 minutes after closing. So no nap and a mad rush to not ship. So I rode on some more and ended up in Mississippi. I was still staying along the TAT so I could jump back on anytime. Got a hotel with a pool. It was worth that alone. I went to dinner and as I left, holding the door open for the couple behind me, I realized it was the two from the gas station that morning. We discussed the day’s ride briefly and I told them I got off of it for a while. They said I didn’t miss much. Stayed at a Holiday Inn in Corinth, Mississippi.
day travel=187 miles