[crownfire]

The month of October was supposed to be a month where I rode every chance. The weather finally starts to cool off and it normally is a month with little rain. We started out well with a small group ride to St. Francisville, Louisiana. On the way down we took the Natchez Trace Parkway to Natchez for lunch under the hill and a tour of Longwood. This home was started in 1860 and the workers were from Pennsylvania. When the war started they all left and only the first floor was finished. It has stayed that way to this day. That night we stayed at the Greenwood Plantation, a very nice Bed & Breakfast. Sunday we went to the Louisiana State Prison rodeo in Angola. Along with the rodeo they have crafts that the prisoners make which makes me happy we were on the motorcycle. Only so much stuff fits for the ride home. Not a great rodeo, but it certainly was entertaining. Nobody made the time on the bulls and only one rode the bronkos successfully, but the rest of the event was worth the time. I especially liked the event where they set up a table and seat four guys around it. Then they release the bull. The last guy to move wins. The first set didn’t move a muscle while the bull smashed through the table, knocking them all away. They declared that one a tie. The last event was with all the competition prisoners with a poker chip tied between the bulls horns. They all tried to grab and hold onto the chip. It took a while and a few of them got tossed but one guy finally grabbed it. I wish we had some pictures of the action but you couldn’t take a camera or cell phone onto the grounds.
The pictures are Longwood, Greenwood, and the group at Angola.

 

[crownfire]

The following Monday morning I had to go to Corinth, MS for a training class. Our agency vehicle was being replaced so I rode the motorcycle up there. This was a leadership class and studying the events at the battle of Shiloh. We spent two days walking the ground and relaying their decisions (or lack thereof) to what we do on wildfires. While it was a very good class, it was especially interesting to me as I have an ancestor who fought and was captured at this battle. He was in the 12th Michigan and they fought at the Hornet’s Nest. His regiment, along with many others, was surrounded and captured. He later died from disease as a prisoner in Georgia. The class got out Wednesday, but instead of going back home I took Thursday off and rode the bike up to the Ohio River. It was a very pretty day and I crossed the river at Paducah, KY and then over to Evansville, IN to go back across and then south to Corinth. Nice ride and somewhere on a back road in Kentucky I saw this Gremlin, which was the first car I owned. A fine example of an American made automobile from the mid-70’s. Friday morning I got up early and rode back home.
The pictures are Shiloh Church, Ohio River, and the Gremlin.

 

[crownfire]

Saturday I went along with the Gold Wing group to Emerald Indian Mound just north of Natchez. We started out on the Old Port Gibson road, an old twisty (for here) road which is where Grant took the troops from the Mississippi River inland to Raymond and then to Jackson before heading back west to Vicksburg. Then we got on the Natchez Trace and stopped at Mount Locust Inn and Plantation. This is the only original building along the Trace remaining where people stayed while they were walking back north. It was established in 1780 and is a days’ walk north of Natchez. After this we continued on to Emerald Mound. This is the second largest mound in the country. You could put a football field and stands on top with two small mounds on either end. We stopped to eat at the Old Country Store in Lorman on Hwy 61. If you are ever in the area I recommend it for their good country cooking and fried chicken.
The pictures are Mount Locust, Emerald Mound, and the Old Country Store.

 

[crownfire]

On October 10th my riding plans for the rest of the month changed. I was called to help on the fires down on the south end of the state on the DeSoto National Forest. We arrived early evening on Sunday and helped burn out to contain a 500 acre fire at Camp Shelby. Their training is starting a lot of fires, like the one in Utah in September, but they call us in to help before the fires get too big. There is another one there that is almost 6000 acres along with 25 other fires around the forest. The ones at Camp Shelby get big because they have areas with unexploded ordinance and we have to manage the fires around those areas. It makes for an interesting experience. We use helicopters a lot to monitor the fires and help with water drops from buckets. After two weeks they made us take two days off. I spent my days off riding my bike and catching up on chores. I had a doctor’s appointment down on the coast and went by the Biloxi Lighthouse. I was supposed to mow the grass today but darn if it didn’t rain. Right now I’m back on the fire duty and hoping it will rain so that I can ride some in November.
The pictures are a close up of the fire action, a helicopter recon, and the Biloxi lighthouse.

 

[rigginray6]

Awesome pics. It looks like oct. Was a good month for you!!

 

[fossil92]

Thanks for sharing Mark. Makes me want go on another trip now.
Great pictures.

 

[budoka]

Thanks for another gut-ache...drool...sniffle

 

[Two Wheel Wing]

Looks like some great riding with good friends. Thanks for sharing. We all are hoping for some last rides before old man winter sets in. Ride safe..

 

[Chopin]

You sure packed a lot of diversity in this one post. Each one is a story in itself. The " Greenwood Plantation " looks ideal. Absolutely the paragon of Southern plantation architecture as I imagine it. October was good to you. May all your future fires be only those in the hearth.

 

[Stratman]

Riding will be limited today. This is what I woke up to
Strat

 

[crownfire]

Snow in the Great White North already! Sorry to hear that. Not to dig it in but we will be 80 degrees today down here in south Mississippi, that would be 27 C.

 

[Eric]

I have never had to think about putting my bike away for winter. Where you live dictates when and what you may wish to do. Over the coming months I will take you to some great locations here Down Under and try to give the history. It will not make up for your riding being put on ice so as to speek.

 

[Stratman]

Thanks Eric, looking forward to it. (The pics and history, not the snow.) Next weekend is supposed to be a few deg above freezing, so I may sneak one more in before hybernation.
Strat

 

[oldtimer]

Took a short ride to Dunkin Donuts today,,,,,barely hit 40 degrees but I had just washed the bike and I had to dry it off somehow...

 

[crownfire]

Yeah, I've used that "dry it off" excuse before also.......

 

[rigginray6]

I have been riding except for snow days and have been called nuts ! I guess snow mobilers are nuts too!! hehehehe!!

 

[budoka]

Riding will be limited today. This is what I woke up to
Strat

Hey Strat, shouldn't there be a Bullwinkle in that picture?

 

[Stratman]

Will post a pic of the bullwinkle and Mrs. Bullwinkle taken a few days before. It's rutting season (for moose, not me)
Strat

 

[earthpig]

Great story and pics. I agree on October being a good time to ride as well and would trade riding areas with in a minute. We have some nice desert scenes but I miss all the trees and old history of the south. I plan on making our way down there someday as I have my dads side of the family living in New Orleans and Morgan City.
Just a note- and I will probably regret this but I to had a 74 red Gremlin with a 304 V8. Fun car but I got punished for it when I was stationed at camp Pendleton. Thanks for the pics. earthpig....

 

[crownfire]

Great story and pics. I agree on October being a good time to ride as well and would trade riding areas with in a minute. We have some nice desert scenes but I miss all the trees and old history of the south. I plan on making our way down there someday as I have my dads side of the family living in New Orleans and Morgan City.
Just a note- and I will probably regret this but I to had a 74 red Gremlin with a 304 V8. Fun car but I got punished for it when I was stationed at camp Pendleton. Thanks for the pics. earthpig....

Earthpig,
Thanks. Into November is still good around here but the cold weather gear starts coming out. This is a great area and if you are ever around New Orleans I can recommend some good roads. Until two years ago we lived on the coast and it is a great place. I like to visit historical areas and it is hard to run out of them around here.

I got most people beat on the Gremlins. I had a 72 and a 76 both bought used. I took a lot of grief also but once my buddies saw how they could be packed to the gills with stuff and go, and then how easy they were to work on.... well, they never quit giving me a hard time but when it came up which car to take mine was the first choice. When I saw that car I had to turn around and take a picture. It's the first one I've seen in 15 years.