Alice & Annette's Big Adventure

By Dublinannette
December 7 2002

As previously reported, Annette cycled the Natchez Trail to raise much needed funds for the Kids2Care4 Charity. This is supported by Zurich. Here, Annette reports on the trip

Alice & Annette’s Big Adventure

I will firstly apologise for not posting sooner and to cut a long story short the day after I got back I went to Scotland for two days, we are grossly under staffed in the office (someone suddenly left while I was away) so I'm very busy, I've spent a lot of time talking with Sandra (my friend whose son died) and last but not least I now sit outside my manager's office so I can't spend time on the MB without him seeing me.

Anyway, Alice and I had a rough ride but a superb adventure. She wasn’t too keen on being put in the hold on the Journey to Nashville but with all the attention she got when she eventually saw the light of day she soon recovered.

Us travellers on US Air were none too happy with our plight either, every drink had to be paid for, £3.00 or $4.00 and they were not very happy with us because we wanted to party so every time we ordered drinks they had a reason not to serve us or took their time. But we survived.

We arrive in Nashville about 6.30pm local time, and the first job after checking into our hotel was organising, unpacking and fitting out the bikes for the journey. A quick shower, dinner and bed by 10.30pm, it was now 4.30am in the UK and most of us had been up for almost 24 hours and completely exhausted. Alice and I had a room-mate called Rosie and all three of us were over tired and far too excited to sleep so we sort of chatted through the night, in between fitful sleeping, which really was not a very good idea.

We were up before the dawn, showered, packed and ready go. The routine of every morning was more or less the same, bags loaded on the truck, breakfast, stretch workout and on our way.

The first morning we cycled 16 miles through the outskirts of Nashville which was residential and quite pretty, before reaching the Trace. All in all the Trace was a very boring cycle, very much like an A Road but without much to see. It’s all very ordered in an American way, grassy banks with lots of trees. As we got further south there was the occasional cotton field and open space but all in all very dull with no spectacular scenery. But we made up for it with wise cracks, jokes and singing. By the end of the trip everyone knew the LI version of Swing Low and joined in the chorus with great gusto. It was a good way to relieve the boredom and tiredness.

Back to day 1, we cycled a total of 66 miles (not 55 miles as we were led to believe) and arrived at our hotel late afternoon, mercifully there was a swimming pool, unheated, but with 30 very hot bums it soon heated up. Picture this, 30 people in the water, elbows on the side of the pool drinking Bud and as luck would have it, it was happy hour!!!!!! It was the one and only day we got to a hotel, in complete brightness, with time to spare before dinner. It was also our most leisurely, every other day we cycled between 50 and 60 miles before lunch.

Alice made her first appearance after dinner, I gave a brief outline of her purpose and she was very well received and made a great fuss of which kept her happy and got her out of her grumpy mood. After that she travelled in the support van for photographic opportunities.

After that the days, I’m afraid, have merged and I’m not sure if I was on my head or my heels but my bum certainly didn’t want to know anything about it.

The weather went from sunny and warm with a pleasant breeze to humid and still with the occasional downpour. The mossies loved it, and us. I think most of us got to a point where a trip for light relief was a nightmare. No sooner had the ladies assumed a squat position in the undergrowth,, when an army of the buggers could be heard and no amount of rear fanning would deter them. (Not even bums sprayed with Autan). Unfortunately, I’m very allergic to mossie bites so very quickly my bottom and legs swelled out of all proportion but onwards and forwards.

For those of you who have been to the States you will know there are dry towns (no alcohol served in hotels or restaurants) these evenings were our saving grace because we got to our hotel, showered, ate and went to bed, unfortunately, there were only two. The other evenings we partied, danced to sounds from Juke boxes, numbed the aches and pains, sat down, fell down then lay down, so the trip was not all hardship.

Tupelo, the birthplace of Elvis Presley was one of those towns. Alice was in her element because she promised TPL, come hell or high water she would get to his house and have her photograph taken and who was I to argue. It was late and dark when we got there but luckily the photographs are OK and hopefully they will soon appear on the Eastiebeastie Site with the help of Bisach and SubTel.

As I said earlier the days merged into one, our longest day was 108 miles, our shortest 66, we had 6 females taking part, 2 in their 20’s, one in her 30’s, on in her 40’s (late) and 2 in their 50’s and it was the four oldest who finished the longest day. I was there!!!!!!

We had one exceptional person with us, his name is Richard. He is now 22 and was born without arms but has achieved so much in his life. I met him on the last trip (two years ago) and was completely overawed by him and this time was no different. He has a qualification in carpentry, drives himself around, buys cars repairs them and sells them on. He knows no bounds and there are no obstacles in his life so if there is anyone out there who needs a motivational speaker he’s your man. Hopefully, he will very soon come to and LI game with me so people can meet him. You will be inspired.

Eventually the cycling came to an end and I suppose, in truth, I miss it. If any of you ever do something like this you will find it’s not a bad way to spend your days. The only things you have to think about every day is showering, packing your bag and getting it on the truck. Accommodation and food is all sorted. All you have to do is get on your bike and get to the next hotel .

New Orleans was a blast, it’s tacky and vulgar but one on the most fun places I’ve ever been. We danced up and down Bourbon Street, wore row upon row of beads and flashy boas, listened to all sorts of music, visited all manner of hostelry, stayed out very late, drank grenades and hurricanes and did it two evenings in a row, can’t be bad. So the longsuffering is probably more longsuffering than ever!!!!!

I’m already planning my next trip, think it might be London to Amsterdam next year and if there is anyone out there who would like to join in, let me know, you’d be very welcome.

VERY MANY THANKS TO ALL OF YOU FOR HELPING TO MAKE IT POSSIBLE.