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!

[Tuckervill]

You sound exactly like me, with the downtime! I can party for a day or two, but then I have to SLEEP, or else no one wants to be around me.

By the way, I found those foam ear plugs to be life savers for light sleeping!

Karen

[SouthernBelle]

I just happened to get this link in an email:

http://www.scenictrace.com/

[Bad JuJu]

Kathi, thanks SO MUCH for posting your report and that gorgeous slide show! Great job of documenting your trip.

I'm so glad you enjoyed your WT trip so much, and that they lived up to my recommendation. Their tours are not cheap, but at least in my experience, it was worth every dime. One of your guides, Laurie, was also a guide on my tour. Those women were so capable in every way, including providing as much or as little attention as riders indicated they needed. They were very adept at being accommodating without hovering too much. And we, too, were enormously impressed at their abilities in the loading-bikes-on-top-of-a-van department.

They also did an excellent job of encouraging us to ride to the best of our abilities without being judgmental when someone had had enough and just had to hop into the van for a ride. They are really special folks.

And the Trace looks absolutely gorgeous. I've always wanted to ride it, and your slide show has got me thinking about it again. Maybe next year....

And again, happy (belated) 50th--glad you enjoyed your celebration!

[AnnieBikes]

I have been on two WomanTour trips and did not pay the "single supplement" on either trip. There were several on each trip who did. The roommates rotated every night so you got to know all the people on the trip. Take ear plugs in case someone snores. People did not party much at night, I assure you. We were exhausted after the days' rides!!! Many people updated their blogs, uploaded pictures, or read a book before turning in around 9 pm.

I found everyone to be very nice and if you wanted quiet time, your roommate was very accommodating. It was quite a bit more expensive to do the single thing and no, you do not share a bed if you have a roommate! All rooms had two doubles or two queens, and on the cross country trip, everyone got a single at some point on the trip and I got one twice by the luck of the draw. If you really wanted a single but not all the time, you could rent a room on your own. A few people did that on the rest days. If you are a solo person, by all means, get a single. It is fun either way! Some motels did not have enough room and even the "singles" people shared but WT always lets you know when that is happening and it was not often.