THE MEANDERING MISSISSIPPI

Segment I: New Orleans to Memphis

Long before the Mississippi River empties into the Gulf of Mexico, it travels 2,500 miles through the heartland of America. Join us as we follow this river across the country. This segment of the tour will meander through the blues-singing, jazz playing, rock ‘n’ roll strutting south from New Orleans to Memphis, Tennessee.

Day 1: We meet in the wonderful city of New Orleans. Since Hurricane Katrina, it is working hard to rebuild itself and become more than the city it once was. Be sure to come a day early if you’d like to explore the historic French Quarter. Take the time to walk Bourbon Street and listen to the zydeco music coming through the open windows. Or sit with a cup of coffee and a beignet, listening to live jazz at the CafŽ du Monde.

We will start our tour at 2:00pm with an orientation, followed by a fix-a-flat workshop. Then we’ll enjoy an opening banquet together at 6:30pm. 0 miles.

Day 2: We start our trek along the Mississippi in the most fitting way – by riverboat. The morning trip takes us seven miles upriver where we’ll begin our cycling along the top of a levee. The bike path offers a great view of the river with its intense shipping traffic. We’re reminded that the Mississippi has always been a “working river” – its seasonal flooding now controlled by a series of locks, dams and levees. 34 miles.

Day 3: Our ride out of La Place begins with our first of several crossings of the Mississippi River. We’ll begin to see the remnants of plantations from yesteryear. Some of the large, proud homes have been well-preserved and offer tours, giving us a glimpse of the lifestyle of the past. 37 miles.

Day 4: Our longer ride today is flat and takes us to New Roads, a community with a number of homes on the National Register of Historic Places. We’ll pass rice and crawfish ponds, soybean and sugar cane fields. 85 miles.

Day 5: We make our first state crossing today as we bike to beautiful Natchez, Mississippi. It was the state’s first capital and is home to more antebellum houses than anywhere else in the country. Most of them have been preserved and are open for tours. 85 miles.

Day 6: We’ll enjoy a layover day in Natchez and be able to explore this historic town. First developed by the French in the 1690s, it is the oldest settlement on the river. 0 miles.

Day 7: We leave town on the recently completed, historic Natchez Trace Parkway. A National Scenic Byway, it allows no commercial traffic. The modern road commemorates an ancient trail that connected the river to salt licks in Tennessee. The “Kaintuck” boatmen used the route the most during the early 1800s, floating down the river from Ohio, selling everything they had in the markets of Natchez and New Orleans, and then hiking back north to start the trip again.

We’ll end our day in Vicksburg, a town under siege by the Union forces for two months during the Civil War. We stay across the street from the National Military Park. 82 miles.

Day 8: take the day to enjoy the National Military Park. It is eerie to bike on the hills of Confederate and Union Roads, past the monuments marking the fall of more than 20,000 American soldiers. 23 miles.

Day 9: We’ll bike through the heart of the “Delta,” the region of the state known for its rich soil and flat lands. We’ll pass miles and miles of soybean, rice, corn and cotton fields. We’ll ride through Belzoni, “catfish capital of the world” and home to the Catfish Museum before our overnight stop in Indianola. Home to B.B. King, Indianola played a strong role in the founding of the blues. 99 miles.

Day 10: It’s another day of flat riding as we make our way across the Mississippi Delta to Clarksdale, home of Morgan Freeman. Occasionally, the rural landscape is interrupted by groves of pecan trees. 62 miles.

Day 11: A longer day of the tour takes us into Memphis, birthplace of rock ‘n’ roll. Enjoy a stroll on Beale Street to unwind from the day’s ride. 91 miles.

Day 12: Say good-bye to the others who will be continuing on to follow the river for the rest of the tour. Take a shuttle to the the airport at your leisure or stay on your own to see this wonderful town. Visit Graceland, Sun Studio or the Peabody Hotel to watch the ducks strut across the lobby. 0 miles.

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