We rode 65 miles today along Highway 45 into Columbus, Miss. It was not a difficult ride today despite a 15 mph headwind. I believe we are getting used to the winds, although we remain hopeful that they will blow in our direction before our trip is completed.

In strong winds, we take turns “pulling” one another. This is a very common method for cyclists and it is nothing special. On days like today, it is a great advantage to have two of us to share the workload. Riding solo today would have been a huge disadvantage.

With that commentary, it is obvious that we did not spend much time gazing at the towns and scenery. Riding on a highway with a minimal shoulder (such as we had today) doesn’t allow for much of anything other than focusing on the lead rider’s back tire. There were only a few times during our ride where our bikes were more that 3 feet apart.

We did travel through one interesting town, Aberdeen. Aberdeen had a main street with just about everything one would need. It looked like we stepped back in time, complete with a courthouse, mainstreet businesses, and a church section where it appeared every Christian religion was represented. Aberdeen was really the only interesting area we passed through (at least that we noticed).

Tomorrow, we travel into Alabama and will likely stay in Tuscaloosa (Tuscaloser for LSU fans). I hope to stop by the newly erected, life-size statute of Nick Saban to pay proper homage. Pictures will be made available should that event materialize.