We are really in a nice weather pattern right now even though it 's a bit on the warm side, at least it's dry.  I hope it stays with us through New Orleans but with the active gulf, it may be asking a bit much.  I am watching the gulf and the tropics closely for any signs of activity that may affect our ride...the "I" storm is right on track to affect our ride so stay tuned.  All that aside, for now we are in good weather so we'll enjoy our time out in the country.

The route today was a beautiful, rural route out in the Tennessee countryside.  There were just enough hills to add variety and add to the scenic countryside...the road surfaces were smooth for most of the day.  At one point we were riding along a ridgeline that had several stark changes in scenery from rolling pastureland to tree lined roadways (right), to open crop land in the midst of harvest.  This is really a beautiful portion of our ride and many are seeing things they haven't seen before.  One thing most have never seen, unless they are from the south, is Kudzu.  Kudzu is a voracious plant that covers everything in its path.  It was brought here by the Japanese (I think) to help stop erosion.  Well, it's done that, but it's become more of a pest than something we should feel good about.  Some say you can actually see it growing and if you stop to take a picture and you stand in one place too long, you will become a prop for some of its beautiful artwork as it will cover you in no time.  Everywhere you look, Kudzu has grown over entire wooded areas, fence rows, and even telephone poles with wires...it's eerie, but you'll see shapes that resemble giraffes, elephants, dogs, human faces, and just about anything else you can imagine.  The plant has taken over, but it's beautiful to view (left).  Another phenomenon common in the south that I warned everyone about is fire ants...I warned everyone to be careful not to lay their bikes in a fire ant mound along the side of the road...fire ants are very aggressive and their bites are very painful.  People have died after being swarmed by angry ants. 

Even though we didn't depart until after 9:30 this morning, most everyone was in before 1:30 in the afternoon which gave most a nice afternoon to sit around and rest for our longest day tomorrow...107 into Memphis...hopefully, we will have an Elvis sighting.  If he's there, someone in this group will see him I'm sure.