It is with great sadness that I tell you Pa's stats for the last time. But not too sad because we are returning to civilization. Today Pa rode 88.4 miles. It took him 5:57:19. His average speed was 14.8 mph and his max speed was 27.3 mph. His total ascent was 3,579 feet and his total descent was 3,789 feet. Also, here are his stats from the whole week. This week Pa rode 432 miles and it took him a total of 31:41:20 on the bike. His total ascent was 19,247 feet and his total calories burned was 18,817!!!

Our joke was provided by my very own Grandma Lynn Hirsch, 

here it is

Budum Ching - Thanks Grandma. She also gave me this quote.

Very deep very deep. Once again thanks Grandma

Our final riddle is:

What is harder to catch 

the faster you run?⬇

Answer: Your breath

Old McDonald had a farm eiyeiyoooo

And now for the final time here is a word from Pa:

As you know I had been looking forward to doing this ride for a long time. The experience turned out to be even better than I hoped. Riding on the Parkway reminded me of what it was like to have the roads to myself in the beginning of the pandemic. I did not see as many cyclists as I thought I might.

One thing about cycling for me is that it gives me a good opportunity to think about a lot of things. As I said before I have done a lot of different fund raising rides over the years but the ones that were personal to me were the I Care I Cure I Cycle rides and now the Natchez Trace Parkway. The first benefitted a charity started by his parents after our nephew succumbed to leukemia and now this time for Keep Punching in memory of our son in law, Shahak Nagiel. I thought about Shahak often during this trip and know how devastating glioblastoma can be not only from his experience but also I had several patients over the years with this diagnosis. Hopefully, with the funds that you so graciously donated in his memory it will enable assisting other patients with brain cancer and to one day offer people more effective treatments than are currently available.

I would like to to thank you all for being so generous in contributing to the cause. For some of our family and friends such requests have gone answered going back to 1991 with my first charity ride. My family, as always, had been very supportive. I can never thank Lynn enough for all the time and effort she put it over the years in being my SAG person(Support and Gear). I am especially grateful to her to let me get back on my bike after being hit by a car in July. Last but not least, I owe a big thanks to Seth and Fletcher for doing such a good job on the ride. They are great travel companions.

Thanks,

Glenn aka Pa

Click here to check out our 

Keep Punching Donation Page

 

Thanks for following along it has been fun to share our adventure with you. And who knows maybe I will be blogging again soon. ✌😀😂 -Fletcher

DAY 5. It is hard to believe that we have only been here for 5 days. As usual, here are today's stats. Pa rode 79.90 miles it took him 5:34:02. His average speed was 14.4 mph and his max speed was 22.8 mph. His total ascent was 3,012 feet and his total descent was 3,091 feet.

I love that superhero pose we should call him Bike Man.

Mississippi, I love you but you are literally just flat land and trees. I think you should try and be more creative.

Took the picture to show where I am compared to the start.  More visible if you enlarge the map

-Pa

I learned today that these trees can live up to 1,000 years old. They look good for 1,000. Except, of course, for the 2 dead ones.

I think that bridge could use a little WD-40. And maybe a new bridge. 

Pa made it to mile marker 100. Only 100 miles to go.

Perfect place for eating a banana. It’s the Pearl River which further south divides MS and LA

-Pa

___________________________________________________________________________________

Todays joke is frog themed.

Why did the frog sit on a lily pad? He didn’t want to leaf!

Budum ching

 

And today's second joke is also pond themed and courtesy of my Aunt Nicky 

                                                                   Budum ching

Thanks Aunt Nicky

Now here is a word from Pa:

Today was relatively easy. The temp was about 45° and things warmed relatively quickly. The road was essentially flat so I was able to make good time. I took the opportunity to stop and read a lot of the signs that were posted. I especially enjoyed my stop at the bend of the Pearl River and riding along the Reservoir was also quite scenic. The only problem I had was trying to figure out how to get to the rv site. I had hoped that there was a frontage road at I-20 but I could not find it so I had to back track on the Parkway for about 3 miles and meandered through the town of Clinton. It is hard to believe that I only have 1 day left. I had been looking forward to doing this for so long and it is almost over. I am really enjoying the time spent with Fletcher and Seth. They make a great team!

 Todays midmorning riddle is:

The more of this you take, the more you leave behind.
What is it?

Scroll down for the answer.

Imagine Jeopardy music as you solve. Dun nu nu nununu nunu bum bumbum bumbum bum bum🤣

The answer is.....................footsteps 👣👍

Day 4 wrap-up

 Finally we had a warm day. It was a beautiful 75°. Here are Pa's bike stats. He rode 70.10 miles today, it took him 5:16:00. His average speed was 13.3 mph and his max speed was 20.8 mph. His total ascent was 3,134 feet and his total descent was 3,154 ft.

Pa got an early start today at 6:45AM (which I was not awake for)

On today's journey, Pa crossed the halfway point

Today was an interesting day because we had to pick Pa up and go around this detour and drop him back off all because someone decided now would be a good time to renovate a large chunk of the trace. However this was not the perfect time for Pa seeing as he is trying to bike on said trace but I guess we'll just forget about it.

Pa thought about riding through the barrier so he had a place to stay for 6 months

What a wave.

I don't know about you but I think this is a good photo.

I call this one Sun-kissed Forest

Todays joke is tree themed here it is:

What did the tree say to the wind?
➡️ “Leaf me alone!”

More trees 😱

FOOD

You might be wondering what pa eats to get through the day. If you wish to know solve this riddle... If you dare mwahahaha just kidding here is the riddle:

I’m golden and sticky, my partner is thick,
Together we spread on your bread real quick.
No jelly this time, yet still quite sunny,
What tasty pair am I — smooth, sweet, and funny?

if you want the answer scroll ⬇ thataway

Once you finish that, here is a word from dad aka the driver:

For years, I have followed along with my dad's bike riding adventures from a distance.  I have read the blogs, talked with my mom as she drove the SAG vehicle, and checked-in with my dad after his long days of riding.  Being on the trip with him is a very different perspective.  I find myself waking up early to make sure he has all he needs for the day and I track him on my phone and calculate his miles per hour so I know when to find him next.  (Today when I did my first check and saw that his phone was still in the camper, I hopped in the truck to give him his phone back so I could track him again)

From a distance, you can easily forget how far 75 miles is.  It just sounds like a number.  But when, you make the drive yourself and see how many hours he is pedaling away, you can truly appreciate how impressive this is.  Several years ago on a long bike ride, I named my dad "the machine" because he could keep going and going.  Well, that is definitely still true today.  

I also love having Fletcher here to keep me company on the long days while Pa is out riding.  He keeps me entertained and I love watching him work on the blog.  

Caution

don't read this next part if you don't want the answer to the riddle above

Incase you couldn't figure out the riddle the answer is peanut butter and honey. 

Pa wanted me to tell you that it used to take mail carriers on horse 12 days to travel the trace.  He is doing it in half the time!

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Day 3 Wrap-Up

 Day 3 is coming to an end. Here are pa's stats from today. It was 25° out this morning. Pa rode 71.7 miles in 5:49:50 with an average speed of 12.3 mph and a max speed of 29.2 mph. His total ascent was 3,103 ft and his total descent was 3379 ft.

We started back at mile marker 322. Sorry about the photo my dad took it. I was snoozing in the truck at the time of this photo.

We crossed into our final state and the hardest state to spell, Mississippi, today.

At first glance, this little hill looks like the world’s most unmotivated mountain — it tried to grow up to be Everest, but decided halfway through that a nap sounded better. Maybe it’s a retired dirt pile, living out its golden years watching over the field, judging all the flat ground around it. Or perhaps it’s hiding something exciting — treasure, alien artifacts, or just a very confused groundhog with big dreams. Either way, it’s the kind of mysterious bump in the landscape that makes you want to climb it, strike a heroic pose, and declare yourself ruler of “Mount Mildly Impressive.”

Todays joke is Mississippi themed here it is:

What’s the Mississippi river's  favorite game?
Hide and go creek!

And finally a word from Pa: 

We cut across the northwest corner of Alabama today.  The topography changed a bit . This part of Mississippi is rather flat.  I think I am going to be riding in the wind for the rest of the trip. I learned at the first of two Indian mounds that I saw, the sign said it was used for ritual purposes.  We have a mound about an hour or so from where we live in Georgia and came away thinking it was used primarily for burial purposes.  The second mound I saw said the same thing. The purpose of the Marietta sign would be something everyone in the family could explain. Over 30 years ago I began to talk about a machine I wanted to develop. It would enable transport to any town or city of the same name. Had it been functional for this trip we could have gone to Seth and Fletcher's house for dinner and to say a quick hello.

I have had a question about the Trace Parkway for months.  There is a detour due to construction that encompasses some of tomorrow's travel.  If the shutdown was over I could have had my question answered at the Visitor Center for the Parkway which is located south of Tupelo.  As I was riding south, I passed a group of 4 cyclists heading the opposite direction.  Because they had gear on their bikes I assumed that they were camping their way along the Natchez Trace.  The last person had separated from the others. I was able to get her to stop. Alex was able to tell me that the area is still closed although the website said the construction was supposed to be done by the end of October. She described the detour as being very bicycle unfriendly with logging trucks and no shoulder.  I will be happy to hitch a ride with Seth for this part.

Finally, I was not happy with the amount of traffic today as we got to some more populated areas in the state.  I guess that means that as I get towards Jackson I should expect something similar.  The weather is about to turn warmer which will be fine by me.  We left my bike out last night so it was covered in frost and one of the water bottles was left and was filled with ice.  It thawed by the time I arrived at our camping site.  After a good night's sleep I will be ready to Keep Pedaling!

Day 2 Wrap-up

Day 2 was great! The day started out at 21° but then warmed up to about 40°. Today Pa rode 70.35 miles over the course of 5:20:43 hours with an average speed of 13.2 mph and a maximum speed of 25.4 mph. His total ascent was 3857 ft and his total descent was 3887 ft

 

About The Trace

The Natchez Trace is more than just an old road—it’s a 444-mile journey through time, stretching from Natchez, Mississippi, all the way to Nashville, Tennessee. Long before cars and GPS, Native American tribes like the Choctaw and Chickasaw used this trail to travel, trade, and connect their communities. Later, explorers, settlers, “Kaintucks” (frontiersmen from Kentucky and Tennessee), and even soldiers walked or rode the same path, turning it into one of the most important routes of early America. Today, the Natchez Trace Parkway lets you follow in their footsteps—only now with a comfy car, smooth roads, and plenty of scenic overlooks. Along the way, you’ll find waterfalls, ghost towns, ancient burial mounds, and cozy spots for picnics or hikes. It’s a living museum of history, nature, and adventure—all rolled into one unforgettable road trip.

Todays Joke: Why did the bike stop moving?

It was two tired! 🤣

And finally a word from pa: I had a bit of an issue this morning in trying to decide whether to do the ride or wait another day owing to the temperatures. The wind chill factor was in the upper teens and the temperature was about 24. As I write this it is a balmy 36.My definition of a winter day is if the temps do not break 40, so I had my first winter day. I think what helped to make the decision was that it was pretty cold in the camper so I opted to head out and try it. Seth was willing to wait a couple of hours to see how I was doing and when he came upon me I thought I was good to complete today's ride. It was my first ride in some time with snow flurries! I was dressed with enough layers that I even got sweaty for a time. The most interesting things today were some of the things I learned about the trace and the area where Meriwether Lewis died and was buried. What I learned about the Natchez Trace. It is thought that the Native Americans began to use the path about 10,000 years ago. Not only did people use it but it was a buffalo trail as well. I had no idea that there were buffalo east of the Mississippi but there were until about 1832. The other thing I learned was that the Old Trace was difficult to travel from the standpoint of the number of snakes and mosquitoes and it was often muddy making it difficult to use for wagons. I came upon an area today that they tried to overcome the muddy issues but they were not quite successful. As for the Parkway itself it was started in 1938 and not completed until 2005. I got to ride a section that had recently been repaved and there has been an area under construction that was to have been completed by the end of October. I should reach that point in 2 days. I am pleased to report that I have completed over 25% of the journey so far. Glenn

Day 2

 

Day 2 is the new coldest day at 21°😱. Pa just left with the plan of riding 80 miles from Hohenwald TN to Waterloo AL