McBRAAM Stage 22: Kosciusko, MS to Meridian, MS..."Opportunities to improvise."

2,250.8 miles ridden.
82,078 feet climbed.

We are in the process of improvising our route due to SEC football games and the weather forecast.

Our original route (by ABB as mentioned in a previous post) had us going through Tuscaloosa, Alabama, home of the University of Alabama, today. Their football team hosted the Tennessee Volunteers this afternoon, and all hotels anywhere near Tuscaloosa have inflated their prices 4 to 5 times the normal rates. Also, in Mississippi, both Mississippi State in Starkville and the University of Mississippi in Oxford had home football games, so the same lodging situation was around those towns.

And then there's the weather. A front is predicted to hit tomorrow afternoon that is supposed to bring 1+ inches of rain. So, we've adjusted our route to shorten it up tomorrow in order to make progress eastward but not ride in the rain. Up is a 50 mile jaunt to Demopolis, AL. After the storm blows through, it is supposed to be clear all the way to the Atlantic, and we will be on our original timetable, and working our way back to our original route.

It's been a pretty amazing ride, weather-wise. We've had 21 days of sunshine, and 1 day of threatening rain that we were able to outrun. Week 1 we had tailwinds. Weeks 2 and 3 we had headwinds. The final week is shaping up as a tailwind week. So it's all good, the end is near, and we getting closer by the day.

https://www.strava.com/activities/1240847686
https://www.relive.cc/view/1240847686

1 wire in my tire that the tire liners prevented from causing a flat.
1 peach cobbler eaten.
1 nap taken, a rare and much needed luxury.

After having ridden now through 7 states, cycling friendly state rankings are:

1. Arizona
2. New Mexico
3. California
4. Arkansas
5. Texas
6. Oklahoma
7. Mississippi

Rankings consider quality and safety of roads, scenery, and vehicle driver courtesy.

Hotel: Super 8, 3 of 5 (decent considering this is Meridian, MS).
Restaurant: Cracker Barrel, 2 of 5 stars (no kale salad! again!)