I have had a road bike since January 2007. I am a member of a cycling club, have been on a number of club rides, and have done the BP MS150 for most of the years since 2007. In early 2012, I wanted to see if I could do an unsupported cycling trip on my own.  I did several “warm up” overnight rides from home to Brookshire, about 34 miles away, and wanted to try for one or more longer trips. In August 2012, the big ride idea became a reality, when I rode my bike from home in Sugar Land, TX to Marshall, TX, which was 320 miles away by the route I took. I eventually picked up from there and ended up riding all the way to Memphis, Tennessee, for a trip total 710 miles.

The ride from Sugar Land to Memphis was done in 3 segments:

• Sugar Land to Marshall, TX, with overnight stops in Sugar Land, Brookshire, Navasota, Huntsville, Trinity, Lufkin, Nacogdoches, Carthage, Marshall. August 2012.
• Marshall, TX to Fordyce, AR, with overnight stops in Marshall, Vivian (LA), Springhill (LA), Magnolia (AR), Camden (AR), Fordyce. June 2013.
• Fordyce, AR, to Memphis, TN, with overnight stops in Fordyce, Pine Bluff, Stuttgart, Clarendon, Forrest City, West Memphis (AR), Memphis. July-August 2013.

I stopped riding and returned home between each segment, and returned later to continue the ride.
Segment 1