Day 30- 1 Nov- 55 miles/1106 total miles: to US-84 intersection with SR 21 near Frisco City
Lots of trucks drove around the convenience store/fuel station during the night. However, we turned-in early and slept well, considering the activity. We left the CRV at the station and drove the RV about 50 miles west then started our search for a new dry-camp location. Several large parking areas join near the intersection of SR-21 with US-84. We check with Nancy Tubberville, at Nancy’s Ranch House restaurant. She walked outside with me to make certain I did not get on an adjacent area. “That owner is a real heifer, had police run assistance vehicles off after Ivan”.
I left Betty and the two little dogs in the RV and started riding back east on US-84. The morning was cool, clear and sunny. We have had at least 5 great days in a row. Some folks take advantage of the nice weather to pick up pecans that have fallen. Sometimes it appears to be a paid work force of 10-20 people, other times it might be a family; kids with their mom and grandparents. Some places they are in pecan groves but sometimes a lone lady is picking up under a tree or two in her front yard. After the first hard frost, some of the groves use mechanical shakers that attach to the pecan tree trunk and vibrate until most of the pecans have fallen on to tarps that have been spread on the ground.
The town of Evergreen is about midway on today’s ride and it is lunch time and a Subway shop appears; how fortunate. While eating, I notice a casual but neatly dressed black gentleman, a customer, fifty-ish, with a cell phone on his belt. He smiled and spoke to every customer that entered, black or white. He had short conversations with most of the men. All of the women, from 18-80 gave him a hug, some stood with their arm around him for several minutes, he walked some to their car, opened their door and waved as they drove off. A white police officer entered and the two men talked “Alabama football”. Finally he took his bag of “subs”, said goodbye to each of the four ladies behind the counter and departed. I had a window seat and saw him greet two more residents, then get in an older pick-up and drive away. This guy had to be a local politician; election day is only 5 days away. I think I was the only person in town that he did not know.
Early afternoon, 16 miles to go, bike seems sluggish, or maybe it’s me. I stop to check, the front tire is very soft. When I start to add air I notice the valve stem is broken and air is slowly leaking. Maybe I can pump it up enough to get me back to the car. No such luck, as soon as I touch the valve stem all the air hisses out. The good news is that I carry a spare tube. The bad news is my little plastic air pump can only get a few pounds of pressure in it. After an hour of doing battle with the tire, pump and tube, I decide that half-flat is better than walking. The next 16 miles were like carrying two sandbags. The hills were especially punishing, each one reminding me to get a better air pump.
At last, the car, a quart of PowerAde and I am driving back west to meet Betty at the RV.
Trucks have now invaded this dry-camp. Some are so close we don’t dare put the slides out, a driver might damage them if he does not pull out exactly straight. We go to an “Old Mexico” restaurant. The food is super, but, still no Margaritas nor Corona. Outdated liquor laws strike again.
Passing Observation: Every year it seems there are more women truck drivers.
Day 31- 2 Nov- 57 miles/1163 total miles: to Tombigbee Campground
Windy, overcast, misting and cold, not a good day for man nor beast to be out. The first order of business is to repair that tire I limped in on yesterday. Amazing how well a “good” tire pump works. Even though it is a good tube, it is not a “thorn resistant” tube, so off with it. First, this thin little tire gets a “Tuffy” liner. It is a long strip of tough material molded to fit inside the tire, between the tire and the tube. Next, the thick, heavy rubber tube is stiffed in, between the wheel and the liner. That’s a lot of stuff in a small space. Raw wind and cold hands don’t make the job any easier. But finally, with some verbal help it is all in. The tire bead holds and it gets 110 pounds of air. We are ready to roll. All of our tires but one now have Tuffy liners and I think they all have thorn resistant tubes. These thick tubes take 3 or 4 times as much space to store, so I carry the much smaller, conventional tube as an emergency spare. It will fit in the small wedge pack under the bicycle seat.
We have breakfast at Nancy’s Ranch House restaurant and leave the CRV in the parking lot as we drive the RV west to the Tombigbee Campground near Coffeeville, AL. The campground is beautiful, it is a Corps of Engineer facility in a wooded area right on theTombigbeeRiver. The autumn colors and river traffic, mostly barges, just a couple of hundred feet away, make this a very picturesque site.
After a quick lunch, I start biking back east to the car at Nancy’s Ranch House. It is still cool but the sun is now our and the north wind makes for annoying crosswind gusts. And, the hills! They seem endless. Across the Alabama River and more hills, plus a 17 mile stretch of highway with no shoulder at all. Some traffic slows or waits behind me for oncoming vehicles to clear, but not the logging trucks. These guys must get paid by the number of trips they make. Every few minutes a couple of them barrel past. If I see that a trick behind me will pass at the same time as an oncoming truck, I ride off onto the roadside to an immediate stop in the weeds or dirt.
Whew! Glad, that is behind me. The 18 inches of shoulder to the right of the white line is a welcome site, even if it is deeply serrated. Now to avoid simultaneously meeting and passing trucks, I can ride on the serration for a few bumpity moments, then ease right back onto the roadway.
The sun is getting low and I like to be off the road by 5pm, it will be dark by 5:30. The red flashing light behind the bike seat really shows well in the dimming daylight.
Ahh, Nancy’s Ranch House, a 57 mile drive back to Betty and a crockpot full of BBQ ribs and a glass of red wine. Smiles!!!
Day 32- 3 Nov- 62 miles/1225 total miles: to Laurel, MS
What a great campsite: wooded area, autumn colors, on the river!
Betty starts driving the RV, with car in tow, to Laurel, MS, about 60 miles west. I will follow on the bike.
About 10 miles down the road, I see an interesting little gas station and stoop. It is more like a gas station or oil station was 50 years ago, not today’s convenience store with pumps. I open a bottle of GatorAde and realize my little travel wallet was in a pouch on my bike. When I told the lady behind the counter that I had forgotten my money, she said “Don’t worry about it”. I brought the money in and paid up. Then had a delightful talk with Karen and her mother Kathleen. They ask about the bike trip and told me that Karen’s dad, Jack, was section hiking the Appalachian Trail a few weeks every summer. Also he’s a pilot and has a small plane, spent 3 weeks camping alone in Alaska a couple of years ago and he is 74 years old.
About 5 miles along the way, a doe trots across the road in front of me as I coast down a hill. I watch her disappear in the brush. Surprise! An 8 point buck is now directly in front of me and only about 20 feet away. At the noise of my brakes, he darted quickly out of sight.
“Welcome to Mississippi” almost immediately a sign “Road Work Next Ten Miles”. A new 4 lane expressway is being built near the existing narrow 2 laner. No shoulders and steep drops along much of the hiway make this the most treacherous road yet. As I neared the top of a hill, a pick-up behind me slowed to allow me to get around the curve at the crest. Suddenly, a car came around the corner toward me – in my lane. I instantly veered off the road, down the bank and into the ditch. The driver behind me jumped out yelling at the old guy in the car who never looked back. Rob, the pick-up driver checked to see if I was alright then got on his cell phone as he checked the precarious position of his truck on the steep embankment. He told me he was an off-duty deputy and had called to have the errant driver intercepted. Rob said that I might have saved him from a head-on collision. If he had not slowed behind me, he would have been right on the curve when the old guy came around in the wrong lane.
Most of the next 35 miles were on a much better road and uneventful. Betty had found a campground called Sleepy Hollow. All is well that ends well.
From Betty: I had my own bit of excitement. I was driving the RV towing the car on that same stretch of Mississippi 2 lane, no shoulder road. I was meeting an oversize load and tried to give the guy as much room as possible and managed to get the front right tire of the RV off the road. The RV fishtailed as I tried to get it back up the lip and onto the road. I managed, but shook for about an hour after that little mishap. Then, same narrow road going up a hill, a pick-up truck passes me going uphill. There wasn’t oncoming traffic, however if there had been it would have been a bad accident. As I entered Laurel, I needed to get on I-59 and take it north to Highway 11 and on to the campground. I could see the sign for I-59 and got in the right lane, then at the last minute saw 59 North going off to the left – so I headed straight and soon was at a T- intersection. Turned right, looking for a place to get turned around. I finally spotted what used to be a gas station, but the pumps had been removed and it was now Dian’s Crown and Glory Salon. Once I got pulled into the parking area I realized I couldn’t make the U-turn – too tight. I went inside and was met by a nice young lady. I asked if I could unhook and get the RV turned around using some of their space. She said “You’ll have to talk with my mama, and she’s driving in right now”. I went back outside to see this woman looking at the RV like “What in the world?” I explained the situation and she said, “Honey, where are you trying to go?” I explained I wanted to turn around and get back on I-59 heading north to Highway 11 and to a campground. She said, “You’re more than welcome to unhook and turn around, but if you just continue straight ahead on this road (Susan B. Anthony), it becomes Highway 11 and I know the campground you’re trying to get to – it’s straight up the road”. Wow!! What a relief! On I went and sure enough – there it was. That was enough for one day!
We’ve now re-evaluated and decided to head a little more south. There are a few factors that helped make this decision. We can tell from the map that Highway 84 continues to be narrow for much of the route. We know there’s lots of logging traffic in this area and a lot more hills. If we get a little further south, we may get out of some of the logging traffic, it may be a little warmer and we may have flatter terrain as well as better road conditions. We’ll see.
Day 33- 4 Nov- 37 miles/1262 total miles: to Hattiesburg, MS
Another cool morning, frost was forecast, but it didn’t happen here. Sunny, no wind, only a few hills and light traffic, it is a joy to be biking.
After yesterday’s experiences with US-84, Betty and I decided to alter our route. We will go south about 75 miles and take SR-10 west through Bogalusa, LA and toward Austin, TX. This plan will intercept the route charted by Adventure Cycling. Some cyclist avoid their recommendations because they zig-zag a lot and take many back roads that are not on a lot of maps. We will try some of their recommended route and see how we like it then do as we wish. Maybe the back roads will be more to Betty’s liking. She does not like biking in traffic or on hiways unless there is a protected bike trail or lane. Actually, that’s pretty smart.
Not only did we decide to change our route but we also agreed to lower the daily mileage so we have more time to enjoy and explore the areas we are passing through. Today was an easy day of biking. We kept the RV at Sleepy Hollow campground just north of Laurel, MS. Betty drove the CRV down I-59 to pick me up in Hattiesburg, MS.
After cleaning up, we went to the local mall, then to a Street Fest with Soul Music in downtown Laurel. We ate at an Old Mexico restaurant. This one promised the best Margaritas in town. They were good, so were the Coronas.
Passing Observations: The #1 roadkill victim in Alabama and SE Mississippi is: Opossum and a distant second is Armadillo.
Day 34- 5 Nov- 32 miles/1294 total miles: toPoplarville,MS
Cool morning and sunny day, Betty dropped me and my bike at Hattiesburg, MS then drove south in the RV towing the car to Poplarville, MS to find a place to dry camp.
As I pedal south out of Hattiesburg on US-11, I see a sign about theUniversity of Southern Mississippi. In the summer of 1977, I spent two weeks on the USM campus at a US Army Reserve seminar course as part of the Command and General Staff College. Good memories.
Lunch in Purvis, a quart of GatorAde in Lumberton and viola; I am in Poplarville. Betty has set up the rig on the hardstand behind a Conoco Station. We could not find anyone to ask for permission; it is Sunday and this truck-stop is closed. Later a sheriff’s car pulled up and asked if we needed assistance, he said it should be alright to park here for the night.
Day 35- 6 Nov- 25 miles/1319 total miles: toBogalusa,LA
After breakfast at the Conoco’s grill, we asked the manager if we could leave the RV parked here until this afternoon. No problem.
Betty and I drove to Bogalusa, Louisiana and found an American Legion Post that agreed to let us leave the car while we biked back to Poplarville and also to park the RV for the night.
Today we tried a different approach to biking. We followed the detailed directions provided by the Adventure Cyclist route planner. It led us on back roads through the Mississippi country side. It was great, very refreshing, we slowly meandered by manicured farms, junked yards, woods doublewides and “neat as a pin” country homes. Right on Buck Branch School Road, one miles left on Humphrey Road, tow miles right on unsigned Old Camp Road, 2 ½ miles left on Archie Wheat Road, 1 ½ miles right at “T” on Holden Road, 4 miles continue on Homer Ladner Road, one mile right on White Sand Road and so it went winding our way back to Poplarville on back roads. All the roads were paved and only occasionally did a vehicle pass. Most drivers waved and passed at a slow speed. We really enjoyed the ride. Betty grimaced a little on a couple of the hills but even the rain during the last few miles did not dampen our spirits. The back road route was 25 miles while SR-26 was only 21 miles but the extra 4 miles were well worth the effort. SR-26 is a busy two lane hi-way with no shoulders and lots of logging trucks.
We had a burger at the Conoco Station and drove the RV to the American Legion compound inBogalusa,LA. This Legion Post has over 400 members; it has two large buildings and a large fenced area for outdoor festivities or ceremonies.
The rainfall has increased and may continue through the night, we are comfortably warm and dry in the Legion parking lot watching the rain as we catch up on some paperwork.
Passing Observation: The roadsides of Georgia, Alabama and Mississippi all seem to be much cleaner than I remember them eleven years ago on the horseback ride.
From Betty: It was a great day. Even with the rain at the end and we were soaked, but the rain and weather were warm enough that it was not unpleasant. The route was wonderful. Great back roads. We saw the most unusual squirrel. It had a red tail, brownish gray body and black face. We think we’ve seen it before in our mammal’s book, but don’t have a book along to look it up. Chuck thinks he remembers it being called “Sherman’s Squirrel”. We’ll have to check it out.
Day 36- 7 Nov- 49 miles/1368 total miles: to Tangipahoa, LA
The rain stopped before dawn, it is a cool overcast morning. While we were packing up, a pick-up truck had parked in front of the Legion buildings. Just before we left, James Hall stepped outside. I introduced him to Betty and she took a picture of James in front of their grand hall. We all chatted about how their Post could afford such elaborate facilities. James said they had received some very generous donations and that they hosted Bingo every Thursday night and opened it to the public, a big money maker.
Betty took our dogs back to the RV and James showed me through their main hall. It is a huge beautiful building with a covered drive-thru entrance, large tiled latrines and a hall that will seat over 500 people. Plus there was an appropriately sized kitchen, a bar, storage room with coolers and an oversized garage housing their own new van. Outback was a separate garage for their parade floats.
Alongside the main building was the “Old Hall”. This 99 year old structure has been completely renovated and is used for community meetings. The Legion board met there last night, the DAV and other organizations meet there regularly. Today the main hall will be used by “ducks Unlimited” for their annual dinner and auction. It is an impressive operation.
We thanked James for their generosity and I pedaled off with Betty driving out behind me. A couple minutes later she blew by me on her way to a campsite near Amite, LA.
Cool turns to chilly as I pick up speed. What was comfortable standing still is a lesson in “wind-chill” at 15-20 mph. Trying to generate some body heat, I pedal harder. This makes me go faster and the wind-chill is more intense; this doesn’t seem to be working like it should?? For the past several days I have been wearing a long-sleeved synthetic tee-shirt and one of our logo short-sleeved tee-shirts on top of it. If it warms up enough during the day, I remove the long-sleeved shirt. Since my legs get a good workout they don’t seem to get cold, so I continue to wear biking shorts with loose nylon workout shorts over them.
Again today, I am following the route recommended by Adventure Cyclist magazine’s staff. Peaceful, paved county roads with little traffic. We continue to be in rural areas with farms that raise mostly cattle. Between the farms there is a lot of commercial pine. Pine forests in various states of growth often line the road for miles. Some areas have been freshly clear-cut, some areas are full of seedlings only a year or two old and some are tall stands of timber ready for harvest. Gates, often closed and locked, are at the entrance to numerous unpaved side roads leading into the pine forests. These clay roads are used to manage and log the timber and to help with fire control.
The sun is trying to break through the overcast, it is warming. The town ofFranklintonhas a Burger King – great it is lunchtime. Geez, with their AC and ceiling fans it is cooler inside than out. I wolf down a “Big Fish” sandwich and get back on the bike to warm-up. Should have waited for the Golden Arches.
Ahh, now it is mostly sunny, country roads, rolling hills; just great. As a general rule I try to take a short break about every ten miles. This gives me time for a drink from a water bottle, a little stretching and lets the blood fully re-circulate to all body parts. The neck, seat and hands are most affected; in that order. Different riding positions help some but the ten mile breaks are always welcome.
I’m a little fussy about where I stop for a break. A good place is remote, away from houses, barns and barking guard dogs, preferably at the top of a hill or knoll for an easy restart, and in the sun when it is cool, shade when warm. Also I like a grassy spot on a slope so I lie back in the sunshine and absorb the countryside all around. My bike doesn’t have a kick stand so I have to either lay it on the ground or, better, lean it against a tree, sign or post.
Today, my bike is on its side in the weeds and I’m soaking up the sunshine and sipping on some Gatorade. A pick-up truck stops and the driver asks if I’m OK. We talk for a minute and he goes on his way. He said if I need anything, he just lives over the next hill and would be pleased to help.
Hey, hey, hey, here I am in Tangipahoa. Betty arrives before I am off the bike, good timing.
She has parked the RV at a large campground a few miles south near a Casino. It is a really nice, well maintained campground with hundreds of sites around a lake.
A crock-pot full of Meatloaf tops off a great day.
Day 37- 8 Nov- 45 miles/1413 total miles: to Jackson, LA
Betty dropped me in Tangipahoa. I decided to deviate from the Adventure Cyclist recommended route. I went 5 miles south on US-51 then west on SR-10. It started as a pretty good road but narrow shoulders, then the shoulders widened to a 12ft safety lane, great. The next 30 miles were smooth, no need to worry about traffic with such a wide safety lane. Gentle hills, slight head wind but good riding. During this time Betty drove by me with the RV towing the CRV. She stopped to see how I was doing.
There were few towns and they were small with few stores. At a wide spot, called Darlington was a general store of sorts. It had gas pumps with grocery/convenience items inside. It was past noon and I stopped to get some lunch. A young oriental couple were embracing behind the counter, I was the only customer. The thirtyish guy greeted me and asked what I was doing on the bike. He was Vietnamese but had lived in the US most of his life. Just seven weeks ago, he went to Vietnam to bring back his wife and their two year old daughter. I had not seen the little girl quietly playing behind the counter. We talked a lot about Vietnam, Nick Tran was from Vung Tau. I told him I had been there several times. It is a beautiful seaside town with major French influence, it’s about 50 miles (I think) east ofSaigon. Nick insisted that I must revisit Vietnam. He said it is beautiful, peaceful, and cheap and has become very international with Europeans, Soviets, Chinese, etc. OK, Don Johnson, this may be our next joint adventure – get ready.
Nick’s wife, Mymy (Meme) spoke almost no English, both she and his daughter Y (e) were strikingly beautiful. The assortment of foods there was a bit different, since I don’t carry a can opener, I ended up with an “easy open” can of sardines and some crackers. I ate outside then went back in to get a picture of the three of them.
An interesting note is that while all of this was going on many “elderly” customers came and went. The most common purchase was two dollars worth of gas and two large cans of cold beer.
Now back on the road with my mind in Vietnam. The hills and miles slowly glided by as I thought of times past. Hey, I know that car on the side of the road; it is Betty in our CRV. She informed me that the next 8.5 miles to Jacksonwere a bit of hell. She was right, there were no shoulders, road ruts were sometimes over 10 inches deep, badly patched lumpy asphalt and pot holes over a foot deep that could easily topple a bike or bend a wheel. This kind of excitement we can do without. Traffic behind me just had to wait for oncoming vehicles to clear before they could pass me. When possible, I got off to the side and stopped to let vehicles get by me. When that was not feasible, I just pedaled harder to get over a hill or around a curve so they could see ahead and pass me. The time goes fast because the mind is on constant alert. Not soon enough, I was inJackson,LA and saw where Betty had parked the rig at the local VFW. We decided to recon the route ahead in the CRV and ended up having a beer at the VFW and spending the night in their parking lot.
This is such an interesting area that we plan to have a “short” day tomorrow and investigate some of the local historic spots. The next town west is St. Francisville, it is on theMississippi Riverand is rich in pre-civil war history. Oh yes, our route, SR-10, stops at the river and a ferry takes vehicles across – bikes too.
From Betty: It was a road from hell – in the RV, too. My knuckles were white by the time I got to Jackson.
Day 38- 9 Nov- 14 miles/1427 total miles: to St. Francisville, LA
It was a quiet night in the VFW parking lot. This morning, we packed up and I saw a car in front of the VFW entrance. Just before we departed I went inside to thank them for allowing us to stay the night. Helen Rollins was inside; she said Betty had talked with her daughter yesterday. Helen is a few years older than us and has a quick wit. She said she likes our RV and if she could win the lottery she would buy the best one she could find and hire a good looking young guy to drive her all over this great country. She hoped we had a safe journey and I wished her luck on the lottery.
I pedaled from Jackson to St. Francisville while Betty drove the RV to Green Acres Campground just SE of St. Francisville. She hooked up the RV and met me at the Magnolia Café for lunch.
At the campground we met our next door neighbors, Charlie and Linda Stroud. Until a couple months ago they lived about 2 miles from here. Now they have sold their home and are traveling in an RV. They just returned from several weeks in the Northwest. We immediately discovered we have a lot in common with them: retired Army, RVing, spontaneity, etc.
We spent the afternoon at the local museum then on to a nearby plantation that has been restored. Rosedown was built in 1830 and was restored in the 1950s; a beautiful peaceful place.
Back at the campground we sat outside the Stroud’s RV chatting with them about travel dreams while having some good spirits. At their recommendation, we had dinner at Varnedoe’s Carriage House, a part of the Myrtle’sPlantation. An ideal setting and a great meal.
During dinner, we got to know the folks at the table next to us. Dick Carrere is from New Orleans and Susan Bond lives in Dallas. Conversation revealed that Dick’s college roommate was Andy Lorentzen from Naples,FL. I told him that I was several years older than Andy and did not know him well, but that his dad, Coach Lorentzen, had been one of my high school teachers; trig, advanced algebra and solid geometry.
It was an interesting day; a little riding, a little history, a little culture and a lot of fun.
Passing Observation: At the St. Francisville museum we learned that this area was once part ofFlorida; they fought for and won their independence in 1810, fromSpainto become the “RepublicofWest Florida” for 74 days before being annexed into theUnited States. Now, I find it a little frustrating that we have biked 1427 miles and are still in what wasFlorida.
Day 39- 10 Nov- 9 miles/1436 total miles: to New Roads, LA
The day got off to a slow start. We took advantage of the wireless internet provided here at Green Acres Campground. Both of us went through our email backlog, I had 163, mostly unsolicited junk. Also, Betty searched for the best deal on a flight to Germany. We want to spend the holiday with Suz, EJ and the kids who are now living in Wiesbaden,Germany (near Frankfurt).
We had a long friendly visit with our new friends, the Strouds. They will be going to Key West in a couple of weeks and we tried to plan a rendezvous.
OK the riding plan today is: 1. Leave the CRV in downtown St. Francisville. 2. Take the RV, with bikes, across the Mississippi River on the ferry, find a place about 10 miles away to leave it. 3. Bike back, crossing on the ferry, to St. Francisville. 4. Load the bikes on the CRV, cross on the ferry, one last time, and link-up with the RV. 5. I would get on the road bike and continue riding while Betty drives ahead 20-30 miles to find a site for the night.
A busy plan, a late start, a wonderful day, lots to enjoy. Good news, the ferry can take vehicles up to 51 feet long, great, we are only 40 feet long. Oops, not good, the ferry can only take one large vehicle per crossing and a semi-trailer is in front of us. The schedule is departures from the east side on the hour and half-hour. We wait. The ferry can accommodate about 20 cars and pick-ups then they ark one long vehicle crosswise so it drives on last and drives straight off first.
On the west side of the river is New Roads, LA, a nice town, but distinctly different from Louisiana towns we have been traveling through. They tell us we have just entered “Cajun Country”, west of the Mississippi and south through Baton Rouge to New Orleans. We leave the RV in a WalMart parking lot and start biking back to St. Francisville. The ride along the river is quite pretty. On a long isolated stretch paralleling the levee, Betty borrows the camera to get some pictures. As we bike down the road at a leisurely pace, I ride up alongside Betty and reach for the camera to put it back in its case. OH NO!! The handle bars get hooked and we are instantly in a pile in the middle of the road. We hit hard, limbs and bikes are in a tangled heap. We ask each other if we’re OK, neither of us knows. It is a struggle to take a “self-inventory”, get untangled and move off the road before any traffic appears. Apparently, no broken bones but lots of aches, cramps and bruises. Our heads had not hit the pavement, we are lucky. However, the left crank, on my bike, (one of two rotating arms that hold the pedals) is bent so badly it won’t turn by the frame. With the bike on it’s’ side, I stand on the frame and pull on the pedal and crank. It only moves enough to allow it to scrape by on each rotation. Good we can limp (ride) back to the car. Probably the most costly damage is to our little digital Nikon camera. It banged hard on the pavement bending the box open exposing lots of electronic parts – not good.
As I was trying to torque the bike back into shape, a pick-up pulling a nice little boat on a trailer, pulls alongside. Jim Scott asks if we are alright and offers to help. He had passed as we were leaving the road, turned around and came back to help. Assured that we are ambulatory, he again turns around and passes us on his way to the ferry.
We ride the bikes onto the ferry and I find Jim to thank him. Both Jim and a friend he is talking with are bikers, they offer to help fix the bike but I tell them I have a spare.
Back in St.Francisville, we load the bikes on the CRV, cross on the ferry (by now we know the crew) and return to the RV. We decide our biking is done for the day. A hot shower and a cold beer seem to be the recommended treatment. Wow, the shower water finds crapes I didn’t know I had. We are parked with a view of the River out one side of the RV and a view of WalMart out the other side. We turn on the generator, raise the antennae and watch “Vanished” before zonking. A nine mile day, this may be a new record.
Day 40- 11 Nov- 45 miles/1481 total miles: to Opelousas, LA
It rained during the night and by morning the temperature had dropped into the thirties with a cold NW wind under overcast skies. We both felt pretty good considering our spill yesterday. Betty had an abrasion on her left calf and her left hand was stiff. I had abrasions on all the typical spots for a bike wreck: left hand, elbow, thigh and calf. Fortunately, all wounds seemed to be only superficial and none had a lot of gravel or dirt ground into them; just good clean road rash.
It is Veterans Day; Betty gets me outfitted with a small flag to fly behind the seat of my bike. She has flags ready to fly from the RV and the car as soon as she parks. The cooler weather begs for more clothes. A long sleeved synthetic covered with a tee-shirt still lets the wind cut through on my arms. Only one-half miles and I stop to pull on my “sleeves” these little lightweight extenders are for tee-shirts, they cover from shoulder to wrist. A quartering tail wind helps me spin along southward on SR-1. No shoulder but light traffic, cool wind behind me, I fly along easily at 20 (plus) mph. Soon I come to US-190, due west, ahh-ohh, a quartering headwind. A wide, sometimes cracked and rough safety lane help me avoid the heavier traffic on this four-lane highway. The sun starts peeking through, even with the cool temp and headwind it is a good day; still making about 14-16 mph.
It is past noon, lunchtime, a gas station/grocery/restaurant lures me to the side. The work “Restaurant” on the sign is a bit of a stretch. Already prepared food is behind a glass counter for take-out. Corn-dogs, wings, cracklins and boudin balls. The cook is refilling one of the trays of food. She tells me that Boudin (pronounced “boo-dan”) balls are a mixture of ground pork, rice, green onions and spices rolled into the size of a baseball, covered with some kind of flour mix and deep-fat fried. I try one. They are great, a little like stuffed green peppers but spicier.
Back on the road, Betty calls to tell me that the Opelousas City campground we had planned to stay in was not very “RV friendly”. Rutted, soft ground, a lack of facilities and Saturday parties made her reconsider. She had found a vacant lot along Main Street, just two blocks off US-190, to park the rig and wait for me.
A quick look, when I arrive, and we agree to stay right where she had been waiting. There is a boarded up building back of us, main street in front and businesses closed for the weekend on the sides. We park the car with Betty’s bike and my “good” road bike in front of the RV. My “injured” hybrid bike is on a bike rack on the back of the RV. All the bikes and racks are locked onto the respective vehicles. Street lights are located on the left front and back.
TV reception on our little antennae is perfect. While I shower, Betty finds the Florida vs South Carolina game; it is in the first quarter. It is interesting to see Steve Spurrier, back in “the Swamp”, working desperately hard to keep the Gators out of the contention for the National Title. He worked hard for 12 years for the to win that prize. In 1996 he ledFloridato their only National Championship. Today, the Gators played poorly and only won by a fluke (or more appropriately, “a finger”) in the last second of the game. A winning South Carolina field goal kick was deflected by a 6’5” Gator, and the game was over 17-16. Ahh, life is good; exercise, fresh air, beer, popcorn, alma mater team wins, warm rig, red beans and rice, and loving wife.
Day 41- 12 Nov- 46 miles/1527 total miles: to Kinder, LA
It is a little after 2am, Betty wakes me saying that someone is trying to get the bike (the damaged one) off the back of the RV. I hear the banging and clatter. On with the pants, I quickly turn on an outside light and loudly bang the door, then continue to dress and grab a gun. I ease outside and am surprised to find the sole perpetrator still wrestling with the locked bike. About 10 feet from him, I say “Hi There”. A young, black male, about 6’2” takes flight. He looks back, sees the gun, and yells “Don’t shoot man, don’t, I’m sorry, don’t, I’m sorry, don’t, don’t”. He disappears around a building and into the darkness. He would have been an easy target, running under several street lights at such close range, but we still have the bike and he had a good scare. I considered firing a shot into the air but thought better of it. We are in the middle of town and hopefully he has learned a good lesson. Betty was able to watch the “drama” unfold. The street light cast shadows that she could see from the bedroom window of the RV.
I check the bike, the lock is still secure but some of the web straps have been cut. The bikes on the car seem undisturbed. Several times during the next couple of hours, Betty does a 360 degree window check and I go on patrol outside. All’s well, when we finally get to sleep, we sleep deep.
It is Sunday morning, Betty said there was a Presbyterian Church just beyond the house next to us. We work on the journal and other “administrivia” until the services start at 10:45am. It is a friendly congregation and we meet several interesting people. As everyone was gathering, Jan Artigue, the church pianist, immediately identifies us as newcomers, and extends a warm welcome to us. Jon Sonbuchner is also a biker and has taken some exciting trips. He told us about biking in Sierra Nevada mountains – all the way up to Touloome Meadows. I asked him to join us today but he would be attending a funeral this afternoon. He will stay in touch, maybe next spring he can join us in California. Betty met Tom Billiodeaux, they had a lengthy discussion about Cajun cooking. He invited us to a lunch of gumbo, that would have been interesting but we still had 40 “miles to go before we sleep”. Tom said he would send Betty some recipes for Cajun dishes. The minister and his wife, John and Lydia Uhl, reminded me a bit of our experiences. They had lived in Columbia,SC while he was in Seminary; Betty and I met in Columbia when I was a Second Lieutenant. He was a student minister at little country churches. I grew up going to a little country church with a succession of student ministers. They, like us, are subject to be assigned to strange, far away and exciting places. They have been in Opelousas two years and are adjusting to new customs and traditions as they raise four active kids, seven weeks to maybe 12 years. Nice folks.
It is nearly 2pm by the time we get changed and in the “travel mode”. No wind, flat roads with a wide safety lane (most of the time). The miles fly by as I maintain a moderate but steady pace. This flat country has both sugar cane and rice fields along the road. Betty drives ahead to Quiet Oaks Campground about 5 miles south of Kinder, LA. We will meet in Kinder at about 5pm. If I have not arrived by then, Betty will drive east on US-190 and pick me up before dark- hopefully.
We meet at 4:55pm, and then back to the RV. While Betty walks the dogs, I shower and we are off to dinner. We had seen Fausto’s Restaurant in Kinder and wanted to try some of their Cajun food. It was great; we now have leftovers for tomorrow’s lunch.
Passing Observation: The #1 roadkill victim has been changing; as we moved intoLouisiana, it was raccoon and now is a toss-up between turtle and bull-frogs.