What a day!  This route should be in the "Best Places To Ride In The US" manual.  We rode on some of the best roads we've been on since we left Minnesota.  The road surfaces were smooth, the terrain was gently rolling, the scenery varied (pastoral, farmland, beautiful yards, state park scenery, and shady in many areas), and the roads were quiet...plus, it was well marked with Mississippi River Trail "MRT" signs.  It just couldn't be better...unless it were a little cooler.  The only minus for today was that the mileage was 30 miles longer than it should have been because our motel in Ripley we usually stay at couldn't take us this year.  Leaving from Dyersburg added some early extra miles but the riders took it all in stride and settled in for a long day in the saddle.

We departed at 6:30 this morning when the sun was just beginning to clear the horizon and the morning mist was still visible on the horizon.  We turned out of the motel to highway 51 to head south to pick up the MRT.  The temperature was mild but the air was a bit thick with humidity...it would prove to be a warm day overall, but in many places we had tree lined roads that provided shade that kept the temperatures barely in the tolerable range.  The fact that this was over 100 miles made it a bit more strenuous than we'd like, but the shade and gentle tailwinds in the late afternoon made it a bit easier.

In spite of the longish day in mileage and all the excitement on the road, everyone got in by 6:00.  It's amazing what they can do if they don't get lost and there is nothing to do out on the road!  We only passed 2 stores over the last 80 miles of the ride today and one of them wasn't open.  It was nice having the trail marked (MRT) for us which made navigation pretty easy today even with lots of turns.  Several people went sightseeing on Mud Island when they arrived, but I'm sure they are planning a big day of Elvis hunting tomorrow. 

Just before rap, some of the gang went over to the Peabody Hotel to watch the famous "Peabody Ducks."  Everyday, they waddle from their penthouse suite to the elevator...then exit the elevator on a red carpet to the fountain where they swim all day.  At 5:00 P.M. they march back to the elevator on the red carpet to return to their suite to the amusement of a full house of spectators...quite a show.  In the '30s, the manager of the Peabody Hotel and a friend returned from a hunting trip in Arkansas (or it may have been a drinking trip interrupted by a bit of hunting) and decided it would be funny if they put some of their "live" decoys in the hotel fountain when they returned.  For some reason, it was legal to use live decoys then and after the 3 "guinea pig" ducks turned out to be a hit, the tradition started that has become internationally famous.  The guys didn't do any better trying to lure real ducks to shoot in the lobby of the hotel than they did in the Arkansas swamp, but by the time they figured that out, the ducks were pretty comfortable in their new surroundings.  All those guys are long ago dead, but the ducks are still there (right).  They are now pretty old ducks and they have their own suite!  Can you believe that?  It must have been the settlement in a civil suit for using them as decoys in their youth.  I understand there is a long line of ducks waiting in the wings for auditions to be an official Peabody Duck...just picture that in your mind.  Must be a lot of back stabbing and ruffling of feathers before the final selections are made.  Only the strong that don't "quack under pwessure" are selected.  What a life.  If these ducks were in Alabama, they would be considered "sitting ducks" by even the most casual hunter...they would think it a sport to be able to shoot them in the comfort of air conditioning with an admiring audience only 20 steps from their rooms and have them served up as Duck L'Orange in the evening.     

The thing I want to know is, how do you get the job of Duck Master (left)?  This fella has the full time job of herding these ducks everyday to their suite and back to the fountain the next day.  Did he have to go to school and get a degree for that position?  Or did he just waddle into it?  

The riders are all looking forward to a day off tomorrow.  It will also be nice to have a change of pace for the staff even if it's not a "day off."  The big change of pace will be to cover for Barbara who has gone to Kentucky to help plan my youngest daughter's wedding 10 days from now.  We also have 3 new riders coming in tomorrow so we'll be busy getting them all set up for the last week into New Orleans.  Hopefully this weather will hold out for us...but we'll take what ever comes at us.  See you on Wednesday.