Tom had looked at riding parts of the Longleaf Trace Rail Trail and the Natchez Trace while Jeannie was at the quilting conference. When Jeannie postponed the Gees Bend Quilting Conference, we looked at those rides and decided that the Longleaf Trace looked like the better plan .
We booked an Airbnb in Hattiesburg which is at one end of the trail. Another great choice. Looked a bit rough on the outside but its really big and the interior renovation is 95% done. The best feature is the location; 1/2 mile from the rail trail.
Thursday, March 5th: We gave it some time to dry out before biking over to the Trace. Wow! It’s 20 years old, but in way better condition than the roads and sidewalks that we have been on here and in Alabama. Every few miles we found trail heads with bathrooms, running water, and bike repair stations. Also saw little rest areas to pull off in and sit down. Trash cans readily available. Everything immaculate. Even picnic tables! Haven’t seen anything like this in Massachusetts.
There are also a lot of measured distance markers near the trailheads with corresponding turn-around signs so that you can do out-and-back runs of varying distances.
We rode as far as the Beaver Pond. They have a multi-level viewing platform there, but no beaver sightings for us. 22 miles total; 11 out and back. Gradually building up our butts and legs.
Friday: we drove to the other end of the trail in Prentiss and set out for our first ride of the season on the tandem. We had the trail to ourselves except for 3 small dogs that put on a good show of coming after us only to stop right at the edge of their yard.
We only rode 12 miles (6 out and back) as the tandem takes a bit of extra butt break in, but even on that short ride we encountered another station with the usual facilities.
Southern hospitality came to pay us a visit again as we packed up in the parking lot. A woman asked about our ride and ended up sharing all of her contact info in case we had any issues with car or otherwise and needed help. What a nice thing to do! She’s lived in Carson, MS her whole life but has visited all states except Alaska travelling with her husband who worked on pipelines.