MD to NV on US 50: Advice, please!

[MDCRUISER]

If you've been reading these posts, you'll know I was to have travelled to Jefferson, TX from Clarksdale, MS today. Alas, my good luck skirting the century's worst storm just came to an end. In Brinkley, AR I've been grounded by 4 inches of driving rain (3 more inches expected tomorrow) and a tornado warning (sirens blaring as I write this from the motel where I was forced to take refuge). I can no longer make it to Vegas in time for the Grand Canyon trip. My wife cancelled her plane reservations, and I will travel home in 2 days when it will be safe to leave Brinkley. Then I'll post my pix.

It's been a great and memorable trip, evev if it was cut short by these awful and tragic storms.

[glenfiddich]

If you've been reading these posts, you'll know I was to have travelled to Jefferson, TX from Clarksdale, MS today. Alas, my good luck skirting the century's worst storm just came to an end. In Brinkley, AR I've been grounded by 4 inches of driving rain (3 more inches expected tomorrow) and a tornado warning (sirens blaring as I write this from the motel where I was forced to take refuge). I can no longer make it to Vegas in time for the Grand Canyon trip. My wife cancelled her plane reservations, and I will travel home in 2 days when it will be safe to leave Brinkley. Then I'll post my pix.

It's been a great and memorable trip, evev if it was cut short by these awful and tragic storms.

Are you going straight home, or taking an alternative scenic route..?

[MDCRUISER]

Are you going straight home, or taking an alternative scenic route..?

At this point I'm just looking for a DRY route home...

[bob88061]

So sorry you won't be finishing the trip but understandable! Keep dry and ride safe.

Best Regards, Bob Bryant

[MDCRUISER]

So sorry you won't be finishing the trip but understandable! Keep dry and ride safe.

Best Regards, Bob Bryant

Bob, I'll take a rain check on your hospitality in Silver City!

I had skirted this absolutely incredible weather for 4 days, but my good luck was not to last. By the way, the flooding I've seen on the bike has been unbelievable. And I've become an expert on riding through standing water, though it still fills me with terror.

[piperjim]

Sorry you're gonna have to bag the trip, but congrats on having the wisdom to do so rather than just push on. Hopefully you'll have another chance soon,

Hope the storms pass over soon and you get back on the road. Rest well, ride well.

[BACKROAD.ADV]

If you've been reading these posts, you'll know I was to have travelled to Jefferson, TX from Clarksdale, MS today. Alas, my good luck skirting the century's worst storm just came to an end. In Brinkley, AR I've been grounded by 4 inches of driving rain (3 more inches expected tomorrow) and a tornado warning (sirens blaring as I write this from the motel where I was forced to take refuge). I can no longer make it to Vegas in time for the Grand Canyon trip. My wife cancelled her plane reservations, and I will travel home in 2 days when it will be safe to leave Brinkley. Then I'll post my pix.

It's been a great and memorable trip, evev if it was cut short by these awful and tragic storms.

Based on what the weather appears to be doing you might want to consider heading southeasterly (when you can) before trying to head north. It looks like the flood warnings will are coming to an end Monday in late afternoon and early evening. If you elect to do so, by the time you get to Georgia you should be able to swing north and stay out of this nasty weather moving east.

Also, it looks like you are in the worst of it right now.

Best of luck and safe journey home.

WX Forecast to the SE of you

Monday: A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 7am. Partly sunny, with a high near 81. South wind between 10 and 15 mph.

Monday Night: A 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 60. South wind between 5 and 10 mph.

Tuesday: Showers and possibly a thunderstorm. High near 61. South wind 10 to 15 mph becoming northwest. Chance of precipitation is 80%.

Tuesday Night: A 30 percent chance of rain before 1am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 41. North wind between 5 and 10 mph.

Wednesday: Sunny, with a high near 63.

Wednesday Night: Clear, with a low around 43.

Thursday: Sunny, with a high near 67. WX

Forecast northeast of you

Monday: Periods of showers and possibly a thunderstorm. Some of the storms could produce heavy rainfall. High near 56. North wind between 9 and 11 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%.

Monday Night: Showers. Low around 45. North wind around 9 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%.

Tuesday: A 50 percent chance of showers, mainly before 1pm. Cloudy, then gradually becoming mostly sunny, with a high near 58. North northwest wind around 9 mph.

Tuesday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 41. Northwest wind between 5 and 7 mph.

Wednesday: Sunny, with a high near 68. Northwest wind at 5 mph becoming southwest.

Wednesday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 45. Calm wind becoming south southeast around 5 mph.

Thursday: A slight chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny, with a high near 69. South southwest wind between 6 and 8 mph.

Thursday Night: A chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly cloudy, with a low around 50. Calm wind becoming southwest around 5 mph.

[Earache]

Bummer!

Best of luck with the ride home then - hope you make it dry and safe.
I'll be headign towards teh Grand Canyon June 30 through July 11, you're welcome to come along then if you want to try again.

[MDCRUISER]

Thanks. The choice seems to be to go to Birmingham (100 miles of crap today, but B'ham's weather tomorrow is awful) or to wait it out here and head to St. Louis tomorrow... I think that's what I'll do. It's a longer ride home than through Birmingham, but chances are good that the rest of my ride would be rain free. And that's worth an extra day in Brinkley!

Based on what the weather appears to be doing you might want to consider heading southeasterly (when you can) before trying to head north. It looks like the flood warnings will are coming to an end Monday in late afternoon and early evening. If you elect to do so, by the time you get to Georgia you should be able to swing north and stay out of this nasty weather moving east.

Also, it looks like you are in the worst of it right now.

Best of luck and safe journey home.

WX Forecast to the SE of you

Monday: A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 7am. Partly sunny, with a high near 81. South wind between 10 and 15 mph.

Monday Night: A 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 60. South wind between 5 and 10 mph.

Tuesday: Showers and possibly a thunderstorm. High near 61. South wind 10 to 15 mph becoming northwest. Chance of precipitation is 80%.

Tuesday Night: A 30 percent chance of rain before 1am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 41. North wind between 5 and 10 mph.

Wednesday: Sunny, with a high near 63.

Wednesday Night: Clear, with a low around 43.

Thursday: Sunny, with a high near 67. WX

Forecast northeast of you

Monday: Periods of showers and possibly a thunderstorm. Some of the storms could produce heavy rainfall. High near 56. North wind between 9 and 11 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%.

Monday Night: Showers. Low around 45. North wind around 9 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%.

Tuesday: A 50 percent chance of showers, mainly before 1pm. Cloudy, then gradually becoming mostly sunny, with a high near 58. North northwest wind around 9 mph.

Tuesday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 41. Northwest wind between 5 and 7 mph.

Wednesday: Sunny, with a high near 68. Northwest wind at 5 mph becoming southwest.

Wednesday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 45. Calm wind becoming south southeast around 5 mph.

Thursday: A slight chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny, with a high near 69. South southwest wind between 6 and 8 mph.

Thursday Night: A chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly cloudy, with a low around 50. Calm wind becoming southwest around 5 mph.

[MDCRUISER]

And let us never forget: Man plans, but G-d laughs....

[BACKROAD.ADV]

All the best on your ride home.

[MDCRUISER]

It's been a heck of a ride. To recall, my goal was to go down the Ohio and Mississippi River valleys to Vicksburg, then go west to Nevada where I was to meet my wife (she would fly in and together we would ride to the Grand Canyon).

Well, as you surely know, the flood of the centuries (literally) has struck both valleys. I have experienced many flooded out roads, and for three days was myself involved in torrential downpours (I ride in the rain, but this was Noah's Ark rain). I was holed up in Brinkley, Arkansas for 2 days waiting out the rains and waiting for roads to clear of water that was over the axle of my wheels.

Anyway, this prevented me from getting to Las Vegas in time to meet Cynthia's plane. We tried to change her reservation, but Delta wanted $1500. So we decided to cancel the remainder of the trip, and I rode home (arriving home yesterday). Total trip was "only" 2400 miles, not the 4200 miles planned. I saw incredible devastation. I was actually in Cairo, IL when the Army Corps of Engineers blew the levy to save the town, and I saw dozens of Missouri farms flooded in consequence.

I ended up staying in Athens, OH, Madison IN, Ste Genevieve MO, Clarksdale MS, Brinkley AR, Louisville KY and Charleston WV. All (except Brinkley, alas) were highly interesting places.

Attached is a photo of where I stayed in in Clarksdale, MS (home of the Blues).

Feeling great about my trip. There is an old Jewish saying, "Man plans.... G-d laughs". G-d laughed at our plans this year, but I got in a trip I'll never forget.

[ROCKBOTTOM]

The Shack Up Inn?

[MDCRUISER]

The Shack Up Inn?

Yup. One of the most interesting places I have ever stayed at in the USA.

Some more pix from the trip are below. The first is the Delta Blues Museum in Clarksdale. The second is Morgan Freeman's juke joint in the same town. The third was the inside of my "shack." The piano works great. The fourth is a downtown street in Madison, IN, under water.