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Sunday, November 25, 2001 - Sliding Out of Slidell
65 miles. Slidell, LA to Rogers Lake Campground, 15 miles east of Poplarville,
MS
We were among the first customers at the Shoney's
across the street from the motel. After loading up at the breakfast buffet we
headed out of Dodge, I mean Slidell by 7:30. On a Sunday morning the traffic was
very light and with a clear blue sky adorning the roads that had been so
formidable yesterday in the rain were a breeze today.
Riding north on U.S. 11 we turned east and spent
several fruitless miles searching for a road and bridge that were shown on our
old road map to cross the Pearl River, but apparently no longer exist. Lesson:
Make sure you have reasonably up to date maps before embarking on an adventure
like this.
This ascertained we graduated to I-59 and crossed the
Pearl into Mississippi after a run on the Interstate of about six miles. The
rumble strips that looked so ferocious from afar turned out to be pussy cats to
ride over and petered out in a couple of miles. We exited I-59 at Richardson and
started the 28 mile run up U.S. 11 to our route in Poplarville.
The road was still shoulder-less but traffic was much
less and after passing thru Picayune (pop. 10,000) it gradually tapered down to
acceptable levels, proving once again the time honored cyclotouring adage which
states that an old rural U.S. Highway that is paralleled by an Interstate is
usually a good road for cycling. All the thru traffic is blasting on the
Interstate leaving light local traffic and happy cyclists on the bypassed U.S.
Highway. This adage proved true today.
We passed by Ozona, Carriere, McNeill, Millard and
Derby before regaining the Official route in Poplarville (pop. 2661). Our foray
into Slidell makes us appreciate even more the chosen route that we have been
following. We stocked up with food and then started the final 19 miles to our
campsite over wonderfully remote country roads far from fast traffic of state
highways.
It was small hills flanked by a regenerating young
forest of Longleaf Pine. This tree has the curious habit, when a seedling, of
growing a long tap root and remaining in its "grass stage" where it is
only a grassy looking bunch of pine needles in a low growing clump close to the
ground. After 5-8 years in this state it springs to life and may shoot up to
three feet in one year. Hereafter it grows as any normal pine does. With its
upright growth habit, distinctively long needles, large cone, (the largest of
any Eastern pine) and personal shade of green needles make this pine stand out
from its Southern brethren.
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