2009-04-24 After a few miles of biking I left the hills behind to cruise across some of the flattest land I've seen yet on this trip, and that's saying something. Back when the Mississippi was allowed to roam free, all of these miles of corn, cotton and catfish farms would have been fair game for a course change. I'm in deep Mississippi now, and it's almost like being in a different country. Houses here are built low and flat and are all constructed out of brick. And towns do not offer the same services that I'm used to. Nobody here eats out. When going through a town, you will likely not see a restaurant. It is actually kind of frustrating. In Belzoni I found the BB Restaurant and Lounge. It was cafeteria style with tables, but I was the only customer to sit down and eat. It was the best food I'd had in weeks. While I was there a couple of dozen people came through, not a one in a group. All of them would get their food and leave; usually with several "hot plates" to bring home. I was also the only white person, and though everybody was courteous, I received none of the questions I normally receive. I also had to stop at three stores before I found a bag of pretzels. I had read that pretzels were good for maintaining sodium balance. There was absolutely no shortage of pork rinds, though. Though folks in groups seem hesitant to talk to me, I bet I was asked "how far you goin'" a half-dozen times today. Though the land was flat, it was windy. So much so that my water bottle would whistle when I removed the cap. Another form of wind came with the semi trucks. The roads are straight and narrow. In the distance I would spot a gravel truck. Here it comes. Here it comes. WHAM! I'm almost knocked off the road when it passes. I quickly learned to hunker down and try to hold the bike steady. Besides crops, a big part of the local economy is based on catfish farming. The individual ponds themselves aren't too big, but together they stretch for miles. Late in the day I stopped at a gas station and filled my water bottles. The water tasted okay, but, as another person remarked, "our water's kind of dark." I wanted to cross the Mississippi River into Arkansas, but the tiny two-lane bridge was completely saturated by trucks. A Saturday morning crossing would be more prudent. So I biked down a levee a bit and found a camp site. Coyotes are calling all around me.

hills giving way to plains I guessed this was a store and i was right catfish ponds it is flat here