Yikes! Yer scarin' up names I haven't heard in a while! :scream: I tried to block most of that from memory! OK, let's see (reaching way back into the brain cell folder here...) The hiway that runs up to the base is Hwy 39 North (regardless of the direction you're traveling-It's a Mississippi thing). If you go about 1/4-1/2 mile south of I-20 on 39N, there is a park there called Bonita Lakes. That used to be the hot spot for MTB. Just as I was leaving there, they were gutting some of the woods around there to build a mall. Can't have too many empty stalls and shoe stores, yanno... The place to race is the summer series at Forrest Hill Park in Jackson. About 90 miles west on 20. Pretty flat, beginner friendly. They used to run a four race series. Also, they used to hold the "Mississippi State Games" MTB race at Bonita Lake. Not sure about either of these anymore though. (been gone a while) A really cool place we rode once was in Alabama, and I will have to spell out the name of the park phoenetically here, "Chick-uh-suh-bogue" state park. Really cool place to ride. My SP (at the time) friend and I stopped off to ride there once on the way to the Naval Aviation Museum in P-cola.
An interesting fact about that town-The population of that town never fluctuates by more than 1k or so for the last half century. Keeping that in mind, there is generally only so much business it can support. So, if a new shop (of any kind) opens up, it will either fold, or another one will go under. It's really quite the interesting study.
There was only one bicycle shop in town, and I really had my fill of them after a while. The owner was an unappreciative prick. Just generally an angry little man lacking in inter-personal skills. I can go into more detail if you want, but I would recommend mail order if you can do your own wrenching. As for moto, this was pre-moto days so I don't know what's up in that scene down that way.
One of the better apt complexes in town is called "The Mark", right across the street from Foodmax, 3315 North Hills St. (it runs east-west. Again, more confusing Mississippi stuff...). A one bedroom was $450 in 96. Fireplace, deck, laundry hookup. If you can, I'd go for base housing, although I'm not sure if SP's can get in there or if that's just for the IP's.
The closest relief will be 3 hrs to New Orleans or Biloxi/Gulfport, although coming from pcola, that may be a bit underrated.
One last useless bit of tid: At the museum in pcola, there is a Harrier hanging there. S/N 158945. I worked on that jet in the Corps. They were calling it an "AV-8A" Harrier, when in fact it is an "AV-8C", which were modified A's, but the B was already on the board at the time, so that letter was taken. I put in a suggestion slip that they relable it-could you check that out for me before you split?! :)