Mom's Birthday, Armadillo's and Flat Tires

First, I’d like to wish my mom a happy birthday; her 39^th to be exact. That make’s her 8 years younger than me, which I can’t quite figure out, but she sure looks it so who am I to argue.

Next, I would like to answer a question that Jeff Kalember posed me: Have I seen any interesting wildlife on my trip, such as wild boars, zebra or giraffe? Although I did see a hummingbird and some wild turkey (not the liquid kind), the one thing I have found fascinating is the number of dead armadillo at the side of the road. Evidently, they are quite the pests in the south and their habitat is slowly moving northward. Mr. Brown, the Cochrane Camp host said there were so many last year they spent the summer exterminating them. He said that Armadillos are so stupid you could just clunk them over the head. I was going to hang one on my flag, but thought better of that idea.

I crossed over into Mississippi today, as evidenced by the photo from the state line, and am resting in a campground in Aberdeen. I stepped into a mud puddle and got a “soaker” setting up the time elapse for the picture. The things you do for your blog.

The day started out with a flat tire before I started. I was due, since my last one was a week ago. Unfortunately as I was riding through Columbus, MS I heard an ominous “POP…FFSSSSS” as I blew a second one. Good thing I had another spare (even though it’s a patched one from earlier.) I guess it’s time to find a bike shop.

As I was taking a break and drinking a Gatorade, Betty Holliman of Columbus stopped by to talk. Now I don’t know if it was my charming personality or the fact that I’m beginning to look pretty grungy, but she slipped me a $5 bill before she left. I told her I would put it toward Kyle’s scholarship fund. That’s the first time something like that has happened on my trip. Do I look homeless and destitute in my pictures? Maybe I have a career in panhandling.

I’m spending the night at a campground right off the Tenn-Tombigbee Waterway, a series of Dams and locks that I have been riding past for the past couple of days. They connect the Tennessee River with the Mississippi River, making it a kind of inland waterway superhighway. The locks raise boats higher than the Panama Canal. Pretty cool. If you look at the picture you can see my campsite on the left. If you look really close you can see me waving.

Your comments are greatly appreciated – they serve as extra motivation so please keep them coming. Also don’t forget that if you would like to show your support of “living your dreams”, make a contribution to the Kyle Casey Memorial Scholarship Fund. As Sue and Pat Casey would surely tell you, the amount is not important, but the thought is precious.