Natchez Trace 50th birthday bike tour - report and pics

[KathiCville]

Thanks, everybody, for the birthday wishes!

Karen, I solved the roommate 'dilemma' by ante-ing up the extra $ for single supplement. Worth every penny. I'm an incredibly light sleeper, for starters, plus I absolutely treasure my solo downtime. The other cyclists were great people---I thoroughly enjoyed them---but the trip would not have been nearly as much fun (for me, mind you) if I hadn't been able to 'disappear' to my own room and be alone at the end of the day. Each day's ride left me so tired, mentally and physically, that I really needed the solo time to recover and be up and ready to enjoy the next day's jaunt. But that's me. Plenty of other folks probably find the companionship just fine, even welcome. On this trip, I was the only one who opted to pay the extra bucks for solitude.

So, if you're thinking of a trip for a special birthday down the line, and want to have a room of your own, start saving up a little extra now and treat yourself to the single supplement.

As for Patty and Laurie, no, I don't think they're related. They do have the same general tall, lanky athletic build and strength, however! It turns out that Laurie actually lives just a few miles from me here in Virginia; Patty's home is in Utah. Both lead several tours for WTours, including the six- and eight-week 'cross country' tours. Talk about seeing the country inch by inch, mile by mile, whew! I think those trips run in the 3000-mile range. Some days they log 100+ miles. And do it again the following day!