The Ponies Are Out of the Gate!

It was around 61 degrees out when we started to ride the Trace. There were even a few raindrops to keep us humble. (But they cleared up before we even hit the first mile marker.) Wynn's had the first shift of SAG driving but he rode with us to mile three before heading back to get the Van.
It took a little time to release the ponies out of the van, get the tires pumped and get everyone on the bikes, but we were riding by 8:15am

Dan and Evelyn

Greg and Colleen

Wynn and Brenda

Of course we had to take our pictures by the starting sign.

The ride on the Trace was quiet and serene. We met two other groups of riders; one set of four riders were all dressed in blue riding shirts and were from St Louis. The other set of three riders, dressed in red shirts were from Chicago. And we met some motorcyclists too. I tried to talk one into trading his bike for mine (laughter)

Our group of six riders were dressed in all bright colors and we made a sharp looking group.
I tried to get some pictures of the riders and ponies from a stop or two along the way.

The speed limit on the Trace is 50 miles an hour. We really didn't see much traffic and what we did see, were polite to the ponies. It will be interesting to see if the traffic and patience of the drivers change when we ride tomorrow on a work day.
Some of the sights along the way today, included the first school for women in Mississippi, the original Sunken Trace, a small graveyard from the 1800's and a house that was used to accommodate those walking the Trace.

Of course we have to have at least one silly shot each day. After lunch at noon and getting everything ready for the last leg of today's ride, the girls all decided to SAG and the guys raced off to finish the day. (13 additional miles.)

After finishing the ride, we all wanted to head back about 30 miles to see the Windsor Ruins. This house survived the Civil War but it was burned to the ground several years after the war ended. All that was left were these massive pillars and a couple of balconies. I can not imagine what this mansion looked like in its glory days. Wow!

Then we drove into Vicksburg for the night. We are staying at the Comfort Inn and Suites. After showers and clean clothes, we made our daily Walmart run and got Jack Daniel pulled pork, coleslaw and baked beans for dinner. Dessert was an apple caramel pie. Yummy! Now we are all settled in catching up on FB and emails and watching football. Tomorrow is a little shorter ride which will give us time to explore the city before hitting the trail.

So goodnight from the ponies and riders...
I will leave you with a couple of live videos of today.