Day 45 - Poplarville to Vancleve, MS

After dinner last night, Paul, a nephew of the campsite owner, came by with a guitar, banjo and mandolin. He, Flynn and Julianne played for several hours, trading leads and vocals on folk and rock songs. Rhodri also did vocals, including (appropriately) "House of the Rising Sun", a song set in New Orleans. Thanks to Bob Pedersen for the photo (he lay on the ground for the best angle). It was very pleasant to drift off to sleep with the music in the background.
We awoke to heavy dew again - definitely the norm down here. So we roll up sopping wet rain flies each morning, and dry them when setting up camp.
Today it was back in the saddle. We rolled between 7:30 and 8:00 am, and rode 73 miles. Road surfaces were good to great (new asphalt, smooth as velvet). No bumpy pavement all day! Traffic was light too, mostly pickups. Gentle hills and some easy rollers. I had expected Mississippi to be flatter and more open.
Most riding was through pine forest for logging, so quite pretty. Occasionally we passed an upscale ranch (see photo). Rhodri spotted a large cluster of yellow pitcher plants by the side of the road.
When we awoke, it felt like you could wring water from the sky bare-handed. Low gray clouds everywhere. At 10:15 the skies opened, and we rode in a steady rain until we made camp around 2 pm. Fortunately temps were moderate so no hypothermia issues. Also, the roads drained well. A photo shows a soggy Bruce, Bob Plant and Carol taking shelter temporarily from the storm.
We are staying at the White Sands Campground outside Vancleve, in several gazebo-shaped pavilions. We put up our tents under the pavilion roofs. Why bother with tents, you ask? Because we are definitely in mosquito country. Photos show Terry and Jerry hanging their rain flies to dry; Bob Pedersen, Julianne and Rhodri chilling; a concrete castle in the children's swimming pool; and a bridge after the storm.
The selection of local beers on this ride continues to amaze me, given the small towns we are in and dry counties (like last night). Tonight I enjoyed Southern Pecan from Lazy Magnolia Brewing Company in Kiln, MS. Good stuff!
Because the rain made the ground very soggy, Mitch and Julianne took pity on the cooks (Flynn and Bob Pedersen). So we had dinner at the Barbecue Shed and Blues Joint outside town. Fans of the restaurant are "ShedHeds". Joining us was Joyce, a family friend of mine who lives 15 miles away in Ocean Springs. We had ribs, beans and sweet potato casserole, with pecan cobbler for dessert. Enjoying their meals in the photo are (left to right) Joyce, Julianne, Flynn, Rhodri, Terry, Mitch, Bob Plant, Linda, Carol, Bob G, Jerry and Bob Pedersen. Ken and Andre had stepped away.
Tomorrow we finish Mississippi and are into Alabama. Another state down, and Alabama is a one-nighter. We are rolling!
Bruce