Wednesday, September 29, 2010

I've Been Every Where Man

Day 25 Hammond, La to Ocean Springs, Ms. 120 miles, 8hrs. 40min. Avg. Spd. 13.7 mph, Total miles 2196.

Hellooooooo Mississippi! Yes, we rolled out of Hammond La. this morning at 6:48 AM. The weather was cool but the winds were up and out of the NE, bummer.
However, once again, if you stay at anything long enough you can get traction and overcome. So, we just kept riding, 8 hours and 40 minutes in the saddle. Outcome? 120 miles. Hey, whatever you're doing, stay at it.
We also saw some country today. I mean some country, hence the title from Johnny Cash. I have been everywhere, man!
The sugarcane of Louisiana gave way to the bayous of Louisiana which gave way to the trees of Mississippi, to the coast of Mississippi. We rode hwy. 190 all the way until it ended into Hwy. 90. Hwy 90 takes you along the Mississippi coast. I mean right along the coast. Hwy. 90 is on the coast for about 40 miles. We came onto the coast in Waveland, Ms. which gave way to, Bay St. Louis, to Pass Christian, to Long Beach, to Gulfport, to Biloxi, to Ocean Springs. What a ride. Unfortunately your choices were beach sidewalk or get hit by a car. But after some of the no shoulder roads I've been on for the last two days, getting hit by a car is pretty regular stuff.

You know what? I have been everywhere, man.

I realize that there are no hills down here, but have you seen the bridges? Pretty steep.

Hey, and here's another thing. Carl Keenum, you need to get Morgan and Cutner, and we need to go back to Covington, La. for some unfinished business. I've got the license plate numbers, I just need a little muscle.

Mark Chastain really deserves the patience award. He's only been here two days and those two days were the longest of the entire trip. We're headed to "Martinique by the Bay" tomorrow. Do you know where "Martinique by Bay" is? Sweet home, Alabama, Man!

I'm a little concerned that I just said "sweet home, Alabama."

The "Steed" is not shifting to well. I may have to give the boys at "Bicycles, Etc." a call. I can't complain though, 2000 plus miles, NO! Mechanical issues, and one flat tire. Are you kidding? One flat tire? That's got to be some kind of record. Go Schwalbe!

I do need a favor. Can somebody please check the air pressure in Brad Bass' car tires. I'm concerned about the safety of his family. Brad and Emily are headed to the gulf Friday.

Thanks to Scott Northcutt for the additional statistics on the last blog. Somebody see if you can get Scott and Ed hooked up for some more enlightening mathematics. Maybe you could make them some "Southern Tier" pocket protectors and lanyards too.

Ok, how about some pictures?




Mark loading the car early this morning.



Mark also brings food, good Mark.






Sunrise over Hammond, La..




Trees, somewhere.




There's some traffic in Covington.



There's some traffic in Slidell.



There's lunch at Eddie D's. The next food was 30 miles so we thought we should eat.





Bayou's of Louisiana.





An actual drawbridge. I'm not sure if there's a troll.






The Steed wanted to do the tour.





Ya, the home thing might be a little of an exaggeration. But it did feel good to be there. Hey! I even match!






A much deserved rest for the steed at a hurricane blown picnic sight.




Yes! My own lane, I feel so special.



Don't I look good in yellow?






They have some nice beach in Mississippi. Thanks BP!



The steed wasn't the only one tired today.





Lighthouse in Biloxi.






Another bridge.







A dead snake. Mark was extremely interested. After all the road kill I've seen, (actually rode over and smelled), it's pretty hard to impress me.

Hey, tomorrow is another gift. What are you going to do with it? Start by thanking God, and take it from there.

Lincoln



Location:Ocean Springs, Ms.

13 comments:

  1. Thanks Lincoln! I now have "I've been everywhere man" stuck in my head! I am amazed by your journey. Thank you for the inspiration! I am now up to running 25 minutes without stopping. Now, I know that's not much for the 1/2 marathon running friends I have, but for me that's a lot!

    Enjoy your ride into "Sweet Home Alabama" tomorrow. Thanks for sharing this journey with all of us!

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  2. Brad's driving my car!! Tires just rotated and balanced 2 weeks ago, so they should be good to go. (But his air pressure still probably needs to be checked!!) See you Friday!

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  3. You are flying now brother! Alabama (state #7!!) is so close!! I am amazed that you said Sweet Home Alabama but it truly has become that! Tomorrow will be a wonderful gift - to all of us.
    You and Mark have fun - more friends ahead!!

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  4. Man. Welcome back to the arctic tundra. I hope you brought warm clothes. Stay south my brother.

    You are truly remarkable. You should be able to sit through a middle school choir concert now without shifting uncomfortably even once. Buns of steel!

    I was thinking about how many people I know named Lincoln and how long you've been riding that bike and it brought to mind those commercials for insurance. Can gecko save you ninety nine percent on your car insurance? Is Lincoln Smith still riding a bike across America?

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  5. A bicycle does get you there and more.... And there is always the thin edge of danger to keep you alert and comfortably apprehensive. Dogs become dogs again and snap at your raincoat; potholes become personal. And getting there is all the fun. ~ Bill Emerson, "On Bicycling," Saturday Evening Post, 29 July 1967

    Sounds like you are having fun. Keep pedaling!

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  6. You’ve really got the trusty steed at a gallop the last few days. Seems like after such steadfast service over a couple of thousand miles, “the steed” needs a name. I mean, Roy Rogers or General Lee didn’t call their faithful mounts “the steed”. You didn’t ever hear the Lone Ranger say “Hi Ho Horse! Away!”… What do you mean you don’t know who the Lone Ranger is?!?

    Mobile is where I discovered America. I lived there all of 6 months. Looks like at your present speed of 0.02 mach that you won’t be there much more than 6 minutes. Give ‘em a shout out for me anyway.

    Here’s hoping that some classic Lynyrd Skynyrd get’s stuck in your head as you enter Sweet Home Alabama.

    Blessings on your gear changer

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  7. All these songs stuck in my head first thing in the morning...it's too much!! Well, Lincoln, you may not have inspired me to move yesterday, but you did inspire me to blog. Does that count?
    I pray that someone or something inspires you today as much as you are inspiring us. Still praying :)

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  8. Linc,

    Congratulations on the terrain and miles you've conquered! I'm so impressed and thankful for your safety thus far! God is good...all the time!! Miss you!

    Hugs,
    Bun

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  9. I have a question. Why isn't Mark Chastain allowed to post on your blog? Your other pace car people have been able to share their insights with us. Yet we haven't heard one word from Mark. Just wondering.......

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  10. Thank you Lincoln...it's so easy to get wrapped up in your day and get frustrated with the "small things". Then I read your post and thought...he's right...I didn't thank God for today. I am doing that now...thanking him for today and for having your post to quietly tell me to always remember...it's up to me to make something good out of it. Thanks for allowing us to be a part of your journey~ Jackie Kelly

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  11. Keep it up Lincoln! I am very inspired by your adventure.

    A replacement bike chain MAY solve those shifting they typically wear out after 1500 to 2000 miles.

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  12. I mean, a replacement bike chain MAY solve those shifting problems. They typically wear out after 1500 to 2000 miles.

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  13. Since all of your support personnel have enjoyed your iPad so well, I thought it would be useful to have some statistics based on it.

    To date you have ridden 18,626,313 iPads in a portrait orientation and 16,254,505 iPads in a landscape orientation.

    However, in Huntsvillian terms it would be 1.86E+07 in portrait and 1.63E+07 in landscape.

    BTW - Check out Casey's blog (http://mycrazylifeinwriting.blogspot.com/). She has been updating it with progress on the house.

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