Memphis, TN to Fulton, MS
May 11, 2023
Meeting Day - 0 miles

Today was a day of transitions...from traveling with just one other companion to traveling with a few more and then merging into the full group.

Chanda and I had a leisurely morning. We started with testing ourselves for Covid-19…not because we thought we had it, but just to assure ourselves that we didn't before we got into the Woman Tours van.

Complimentary breakfast in the lobby included a waffle iron, so both of us just had to "play" the make-your-own waffle game, which took ready-made waffle batter and created the most wonderful and perfect waffles. Too much fun!

The Woman Tours van arrived as scheduled. Within minutes our luggage and bikes were loaded. Off we went with our new travel mates, Elizabeth and Sue and Kelli and Emily. Lots of friendly chatter as we made our way from Memphis to Fulton, MS. A quick little nap in the van towards the end of the ride was just what I needed to recharge my energy batteries for the afternoon. As we arrived at the hotel, Chanda saw her "peeps", Barb and Betsy and Linda and Linda's husband Tim. Our rooms at the hotel weren't ready yet, so we stashed our luggage and bikes in the conference room Woman Tours had reserved for the day. It was lunchtime, so 8 of us ambled over to the Mexican restaurant next door. We were amused by the fact that enrolled on the ride is someone named Linda, someone named Sue, someone named Linda Sue and someone named Suzanne and we were all sitting next to each other at lunch!

With our bellies full from a yummy meal, we ambled back to the hotel and checked into our rooms, which were now ready. Back downstairs to the Woman Tours meeting room for introductions. Round robin we went, introducing ourselves to the group. Then our tour guides Cindi, Kristie and Emily took turns explaining everything we needed to know for the beginning of the tour and beyond. What an amazing group of women! We learned that of the 25 participants only 3 have never been on a Woman Tours bike tour before now. Doesn't that speak volumes for the Woman Tours company and the kind of quality experience that they offer their guests! This is my 3rd tour, having participated in the Niagara Falls tour in 2021 and the Acadia National Park tour last summer.

After the meeting I had a bit of free time and one more cat nap before dinner and the opportunity to get to know some of my new "tour sisters". Then back to the room with my roommate for tonight, Leigh Anne. She and I are among a few of the tour sisters who are neither rooming alone each night nor permanently sharing a room with another participant each night. Those of us, like Leigh Anne and me, will get to room with each other during the course of the tour in a pre-determined scheduled by Woman Tours. It's a way to get to know each other over the course of the trip.

Tomorrow is the first day of biking and it'll be a good test of my training. We're due to go 76 miles! Yow!

Time for sleep now.

Fulton, MS to Counce, TN
May 12, 2023
76 miles

The WomanTours website publishes the approximate mileage of each day's ride before one signs up for a tour, so a guest will know how far the hotel stays are spaced. When I signed up for the Underground Railroad tour, I already knew that the first day's ride would be 76 miles! On our first evening together as a group, we were given our cue sheets, the printed instructions detailing the route in rough form on a map with turn-by-turn instructions. And we were introduced to two phrases to keep in mind as we ride.

The first phrase was "You do you!" Everyone was reminded that this is a fully supported bike ride. There is a van that is available each day to pick up any guest, who has reached their limit for bike riding that day. There can be all kinds of reasons, such mechanical issues with their bike or physical issues with themselves or fatigue or just not wanting to pedal anymore or whatever.

In explaining this the WomanTours leaders introduced the second important phrase to keep in mind and was presented as an acronym, EBI. It means Every Blessed Inch. Well actually, the middle letter was something else, but I changed it because I'd like my journal to be readable for all ages and sensibilities. Anyway, the phrase is meant to convey the intention of riding every part of a day's ride. We were cautioned to take stock of our own personal abilities and how we feel each day to determine how far to ride. It's not a race or competition of any kind. We are to remember that the best thing we can do for ourselves and for the group is to arrive safely and in one piece, both physically and mentally, at the end of each day.

All that said, it WAS my intention to ride all 76 miles, but I have to admit that I was a bit intimidated by that number. I've never ridden that far in one day. My longest one-day distance so far had been 66 miles on the Erie Canal bike tour in 2014 and 2017. Questions that ran through my mind as we headed out on yesterday's ride were: Had I trained enough? My longest training ride a few weeks ago was 45 miles. Was I mentally ready to do this? Was I physically ready for all the hills? Where I live in Holliston, MA, the terrain is mostly flat. Yes, there are a few hills here and there, but they are relatively short climbs. Did I equip my bicycle with all the gear I needed?

If my bike mechanic, Roy, of Grace Bicycles in Holliston, MA, is reading this, he is no doubt smiling because he already told me that I was more than prepared. He designed my custom gravel bike built on a Guerciotti Greto frame and components that took into account what I would face on this specific bike tour. Once built, he helped me decide what personal add-ons would work for me, including the computer on the handlebars and the rear-facing radar that alerts the bike computer both audibly and visually when cars are coming up from behind. I'll talk more about my bike and all its gear in another journal entry.

My point is…until I've actually done a thing, whatever that is, I often question myself as to my readiness. It's a self-confidence thing and I'm working on it.

So, how did the day go? It was amazing! All the participants rode the first 3 miles and gathered at the Underground Railroad Historical Marker in Fulton for a group picture. We learned that Emily Quinn, the mayor of Fulton, would be there to welcome us and wish us well as we began our 1500-mile journey to Canada. With our PR moment achieved, we all set off for the rest of the ride in little bunches.

The terrain was fairly flat and easy going for me. I felt strong on the little hills. I tend to carry more than most when I ride because I like to be prepared for simple challenges that might come up, rain gear, chain lube supplies, snacks, arm covers (both thermal and sun protection), charging brick to feed my electronic gadgets if necessary…you get the idea. As a result, all this extra gear makes the bike heavier…another factor that made me wonder if it would make a difference with my stamina for that long a ride. I had certainly trained with the extra weight, so I thought I would be okay.

My bike and I rolled along beautifully. The first 18 miles flew by and I still felt fresh when I arrived at the first rest stop. By that time I was riding at my own pace, so it was nice to see my tour sisters again and catch up with how they were doing. Personal needs attended to, both physical and emotional, so I set out again. Chanda and I rode for a while, and then I found myself ready to move on a bit more quickly on my own. I knew we'd see each other later.

The next 20 miles were easy going and the weather, which had been expected to be rain never materialized. Temperature was in the 70s, a bit muggy (we're in the South after all), but all in all very pleasant riding conditions.

I knew I was hydrating enough because when I got to the town of Tishomingo, I was ready for another pit stop. I noticed the library was open, and I could see through the front window a woman sitting at a table working on a craft project. I locked my bike and walked in, introduced myself and asked if I could possibly use the restroom. She asked where I was headed, and her eyes widened when she learned what our group was doing. I asked about her craft project, and learned that it was the template for a community art project that folks of all ages could come to the library to participate in. Meet Beverly, who was so fascinated by my journey and that of the group, that she wanted to take my picture to post on Facebook. Just as we went outside, my friend Chanda rode up and so we stood together for our "photo op".

Just before the next WomanTours rest stop a bunch of us stopped on a bridge overlooking a small river. I ate the PB&J I had packed that morning. It felt good to refuel, even though I knew we were close to the next WomanTours rest stop. And what a rest stop it was!...complete with fresh grapes, mandarin oranges, cheese sticks, applesauce pouches, dill pickles (for those craving salt)…to name just a few of the snacks they had ready for us... and more conversation with tour sisters.

I was still feeling okay, but I was coming up on the mileage of my longest training ride, so this is when my personal challenge was really beginning. I really wanted to do EBI (every blessed inch)…was I ready? The skies were starting to get gray and it felt and looked like rain was coming. Around the 60-mile mark, I spotted a grocery store / drug store mini-mall. The owner of the drug store was kind enough to let me use his restroom.

By now the skies had opened up and a bunch of women were done riding for the day. The WomanTours van showed up in the parking lot to collect them. I considered joining them, but the downpour didn't last long and settled into a light rain. There were a few of us who wanted to don our rain gear and keep going. We decided to ride as a group for safety. The rain moved on for the most part, so after a few miles we stopped to put the rain gear away. These last 20 miles were pretty hilly, so we worked our way through them, stopping to catch our breath and to give our backsides a rest after some of the longer and more challenging climbs.

Chanda and Jacquie (another tour sister) and I did indeed make it all the way to the hotel. EBI achieved on the first and very long day!!

Counce, TN to Savannah, TN
May 13, 2023
38 miles
Tour total: 115 miles; Personal miles achieved: 115 miles

Having ridden 76 miles on our first day, I was looking forward to a shorter ride on Day 2 ... only 38 miles. We were asked not to start until at least 9 am, so that we would arrive at our next hotel late enough for our rooms to be ready. Fortunately, we were headed to Shiloh National Military Park, which memorializes the Battle of Shiloh, also known as the Battle of Pittsburg Landing, located in southwestern Tennessee.

As one makes their way to the Visitor Center, one passes monuments marked with the names of the regiments that fought in that region of the park. It is a massively huge park and gives the visitor a sense of the scale of the battle that took place over the course of April 6th and 7th, 1862. A bunch of my tour sisters and I watched the movie "Shiloh - Fiery Trial", a 45-minute historical film that had been shot on location at the park and was narrated by Peter Coyote, the familiar voice of many of the Ken Burns documentaries. The movie is well worth a viewing to learn more about the strategic significance of this battle.

There was a book store at the park, and one of my tour sisters showed me a book she bought, Bound for Canaan, the Epic Story of the Underground Railroad, America's First Civil Rights Movement. She had started reading a library copy before she left home for our bike tour and was looking forward to reading it at night on the tour.

For me, seeing that title was today's trail magic. The morning's ride took us through some fairly high rolling hills on a wide highway followed by less challenging terrain, but challenged with something that's not in the general description of the tour on the WomanTours website, dogs that like to chase bicycles. That said, the suggested packing list included a whistle to use to ward off dogs. It seems there are no leash laws down here. Some dogs are leashed by their owners, but many are not and come after us as we ride by. So far, I've been able to ride faster than the most aggressive ones who usually back off once I've reached the limits of their perceived territory. As annoying as the dogs are, it is not lost on me that those seeking freedom before the Civil War were often hunted down by tracking dogs, who could be every bit as vicious at their master's behest.

In this week's Torah portion of B'har-B'hukkotai Leviticus 35:38 states: "I am Adonai your God, who brought you out of Egypt to give you the land of Canaan and to be your God." Usually the Torah finishes a set of rules with a similarly worded verse, but without the phrase "to give you the land of Canaan". Yet here it is, that word Canaan, which American slaves used as their euphemism for freedom. Indeed, Harriet Tubman, one of the country's most famous "conductors" on the Underground Railroad, was known as Moses because of her skill in helping others find their way from slavery to freedom, just as the biblical Moses did.

Every time I am chased by one of the dogs on the tour, I must remind myself that I am traveling in the lap of luxury with healthy meals and snacks and a warm shower and comfortable bed to sleep in at the end of day…something that the individuals who sought their freedom in the 19th century didn't have as they made their way north…often at night and often without safe shelter from the elements and often with dogs barking in the distance pushing them onward into more swampy terrain to evade their hunters.

Savannah, TN to Parsons, TN
May 14, 2023
45 miles
Tour total: 160 miles; Personal miles achieved: 160 miles

Eat ... Sleep ... Ride ... repeat!

That is becoming our routine. Today's ride was 45 miles and again, I rode EBI (every blessed inch). We started out around 7:45 or so. My friend Chanda and I teamed up once more and we ended up spending the whole day's ride together.

The morning weather was pleasant enough. The planned route took us through some beautiful roads and rolling hills. We had a rest stop around 18 miles, where the support van had set up in the parking lot of a small convenience store in Saltillo, Tennessee. I'm always happy to see the support van because it means I can take a productive break to grab some extra snacks and water and electrolyte powder.

After a pit stop inside the convenience store, Chanda and I set out for the last 27 miles of the day's ride. And then the heat and humidity arrived. Fortunately, we were smart enough to take our time and found nice shady rest spots on the side of the road to step off our bikes when we needed a break.

The beauty of riding with WomanTours is that the leaders keep an eye out for the road and weather conditions each day. For instance, today's support van driver, Cindi, started checking in on the few of us who were still on the road in the early afternoon. She had restocked the water cooler and was finding spots to pull over on the side of the road, so we could refill our water bottles or hydration packs.

Note to self ... remember to refill my Camelbak hydration pack at every rest stop. I always have two spare bottles of water on my bike, so I'm unlikely to run out of water between rest stops. Nevertheless, topping off my water reserves needs to become more of a reflex rather than an afterthought. A friend of mine once told me an adage that her mother always said: "Never pass up a bathroom or a breath mint." Although it sounds a bit humorous on the surface, it's alliteration makes it catchy and easy to remember when away from home. Maybe I can add to it ... Never waver at a water stop. What do you think?

Eat ... Sleep ... Ride ... repeat! Our hotel rooms have been wonderful so far. They are not all five star accommodations, but there is a warm shower and a comfy bed every night. What else do we need?

And at the end of the day, there's Emily, our tour chef…and I do mean "chef". Each evening Emily prepares a meal for almost 30 women with a variety of dietary needs and wishes. And the meals are not only nutritious, but they are delicious and colorful. It's only the 3rd day of the ride, but my tour sisters and I are already blown away by how good the food is.

Eat ... Sleep ... Ride ... repeat! Tomorrow's weather is shaping up to be a bit like today's mixed with a possibility of some afternoon thunderstorms, so the plan is to be out on our bikes around 6:30 AM.

Eat ... Sleep ... Ride ... repeat! It's very Jewish in a way. Why's that, you might ask? In Judaism our "days" really begin at night ... or rather as night falls. Each evening begins with our home-cooked meal, followed by everyone retiring to their respective hotel rooms to catch as much sleep as possible, and then followed by the next morning's ride. Can't wait for tomorrow's adventure!

Parsons, TN to Hurricane Mills, TN
May 15, 2023
55 miles
Tour total: 214 miles; Personal miles achieved: 214 miles

Today's ride was a challenging 55 miles. As you can see by the map and elevation profile chart, there were four significantly long, steep hills. They were made a bit more challenging because of the weather. We needed to get on the road around 6:30 AM to beat most of the heat and humidity and to try to outrun the afternoon thunderstorms that were predicted. Mission accomplished on all counts.

I rode by myself most of day, either getting passed by a few of my tour sisters or passing them. When the hills came I was ready, except for the one that I just didn't start with the necessary momentum, so I got off and walked the rest. As the saying goes ... "Walking is a gear." But I made it all the way to the hotel on my own ... another day having ridden EBI (every blessed inch).

Today's post is a bit shorter, partly because I am tired after today's ride and partly because we have another 60 miles to go tomorrow with another early start and a similar weather forecast.

Some of my tour sisters are amazing photographers. At the end of each day, many of them share their photos in the Cluster app folder that Woman Tours set up for this purpose. I urge you to linger on these photos to get a taste of some of the beauty of this area of the country.

Hurricane Mills, TN to Buchanan, TN
May 16, 2023
60 miles
Tour total: 275 miles; Personal miles achieved: 275 miles

One of the WomanTours leaders conducts a "map meeting" either the night before or the morning of a day's ride. The map meeting for our 5th ride was an evening meeting right after dinner. The 4th ride was over and we were tired from having covered 55 miles and four HUGE climbs, so we were all hoping for easier terrain on the next day. When we learned that there would be 11, yes ELEVEN, big climbs, it started to sink in that the challenging rides were just beginning.

I thought to myself that maybe I should just ride the first 40 miles and then take the luxurious choice of hitching a ride in a van to our next hotel. But that was the "tired" me thinking those thoughts, and by morning I felt strong, so I started out with the mindset of just taking each hill as it comes. I knew our next day would be a day of rest, our tour "Shabbat" if you will, which would be a Wednesday on the calendar. That idea perked me up because I could push a little harder knowing I had an extra day to recover.

As I started out, my mind wandered to the distance of the day's ride ... 60 miles. At first, it was a daunting number. After all, we had already covered 76 miles, 40 miles, 45 miles and 55 miles. Could I really cover that much ground and a bit more than the previous few days? With more challenging hills? Negative thoughts are energy sapping, so I left those behind and focused on the number 60.

I love numbers and playing around with them and finding their connection with other things. 60 is a really cool number. It can be divided evenly by lots of other numbers ... one reason why our time-keeping system uses it for keeping track of both the number of seconds in a minute and the number of minutes in an hour.

After 3 miles, I knew I was 1/20th through the ride. I could do 19 more of these ... easy! Then after 4 miles, that was 1/15th of the ride ... 5 miles was 1/12 of the ride ... 6 miles was 1/10 of the ride ... you get the idea. The first rest stop was at around 17 miles ... more than a quarter of the ride! I still felt fresh ... the weather was cooperating. I had decided to ride by myself.

I'm discovering that I'm a fair climber on the hills and can make pretty good time when the road is fairly flat. I'm still pretty cautious when it comes to going downhill, though. I just wanted to set my own personal pace to see what would happen. All went well until about mile 37. I was almost at the top of a hill when I noticed that my seat had come a bit loose and was rocking forwards and backwards ... not at all what it's supposed to do. Fortunately, a bit of trail magic appeared in the form of a small dirt road at the top of the hill, so I could comfortably get off the road in case there were any cars or trucks wanting to get by. It was a quiet road anyway, but it felt like the right thing to do. I took out my bike tool and tightened the screw under the seat, but when I got back on the bike, the front of the seat was too high. I got back off, fiddled around a few more times, trying to remember how to tip the seat back to the comfortable level it had been before. I was tired and knew I was only 3 miles away from the next rest stop, so I gave up trying to figure it out and put up with the maladjusted seat for just that long and knowing I would have better lighting ... it was very shady on that little dirt road pull-off. I arrived at the rest stop, explained my problem to Kristie, our rest-stop leader of the day, and she immediately said, "No problem! I can help you with that!" What a relief! In a few minutes, she was able to show me the other part of the seat adjustment, and then I was able to figure out how to set the seat at the angle I wanted. Problem solved and lesson learned! Thank you, Kristie!!! I refilled my CamelBak and my Gatorade water bottle. Two-thirds of the ride done ... one third to go! I knew I could do it!

My tour sisters, Jacquie and Mo were just leaving and there were still more hills waiting for us, so I asked if I could tag along. "Sure! Join us!" It was a good idea, for sure. It was nice to have the company for the last 20 miles as we leapfrogged past each other up and down the hills. The Governor Ned R McWherter Bridge awaited our arrival for the last mile or two with a hefty cross wind to make sure we were still paying attention. Fortunately, there was a nice large shoulder, but it was more than enough of a challenge for me (and I learned later when I checked in with some of my tour sisters) to deal with not only the cross wind, but with the windy backwash from the passing cars and semi-trailer trucks. I was certainly grateful to be with Jacquie and Mo over that bridge ... not only for their company, but for the safety factor of being with others ... just in case. More trail magic.

This was our fifth day of riding, and we were all looking forward to our first layover day. I remember when I was in cantorial school, my classmates and I were asked if one is on an island and loses track of what day of the week it is, how can one determine which day is Shabbat? The answer was simple ... start counting the days and on the evening after the sixth day, that will be the beginning of Shabbat. Traditional Shabbat begins on Friday night, but while I'm on this bike adventure, the layover days will be when I celebrate my own personal Shabbat.

Shabbat Shalom! I'm looking forward to a peaceful (and restful) "Shabbat".