Day 2 - June 21 from the Coastal Plain to the Piney Woods - Gulfport MS to Hattiesburg MS

 Weather - hot and humid, from 84degF (29C) at 10am to over 94degF i(34C) n mid afternoon  but the heat index reached 100F (38C).   One short thunderstorm and wind generally from the west, so mostly a cross-wind for me going North.

Distance: 79.2 miles (127kms) and elevation gain 3420feet (1042 m)

Calories 4838

Time 5hours 52minutes

Average moving speed 13.5mph (21.7kms) per hour

I got a late start since I'm not yet into the rhythm of bike touring in terms of being organized to get going early since there is a lot to check and prepare for the day ahead.   My sun glasses fogged up as soon as I left the air conditioned hotel room so I knew it was going be  a long day.  I did not anticipate the amount of climbing of lots of short hills with usual grades of 3-5%.  And a couple of wrong turns added to the length of the journey.





I should have looked at a topographic map to anticipate the day ahead and as the elevation profile shows, there were lots of little climbs.

On the outskirts of Gulfport, there was quite a bit of traffic, maybe because of a lot of church-goers coming from the many small churches in the area.  It seemed like all but a few were Baptist of various stripes.   But the road that I mostly followed - Old Highway 49 - was very empty for much of the journey, and for about 40 miles, I saw more turtles on the road than vehicles.

Most of the scenery was pine forests but the empty road allowed relaxed riding.  


                                        This photo summarizes the scenery for most of the day,

I made numerous stops to hydrate as the heat was intense and altogether, I drank about 64 fl.oz. of Gatorade (almost 2 litres) and about the same amount of water with added electrolytes.  A break in Wiggins added another 32 oz of Dr Pepper and another stop, a large container of fresh watermelon and a large cold fizzy Perrier.   My clothes were soaked with sweat all day, which is a good sign as I kept sweating profusely to the day's end.

Close to Hattiesburg, this sign made me pause.  I dunno, but I think that I went to Hell and back today.


Tomorrow promises to be another long day and I need to get on the road earlier.  If all goes well, I'll make it to Newton and the day after, Tuesday, I hope to spend time in the Philadelphia area.  Heaven would be a cooler day.



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