Day 47 (Feb 27): Dauphin Island to Gulf Beach 48

Odo 5143.9

Florida, Florida - my last state!

Was saddened to realize this morning that the iPod wouldn't charge; it's really gone.

Got up, repacked the tent, the tent fly (which I had tried to wash some more to reduce the souvenir of the cat visitor a couple of nights ago), and the clothes I'd washed. Left the motel about 10:30 and headed for the Lighthouse Bakery, where I enjoyed a bacon spiral, strawberry cream cheese danish, croissant, and chocolate chip cookie - the breakfast of champions. The day was brightening up quickly, and the roads were dry by the time I was leaving the bakery.

I discovered that my saddle had shifted all the way to the back, so I got my wrench out and readjusted it. This explained why I was having trouble with sitting further back and the discomfort of the resulting pressure on my crotch.

The cookies at the bakery were good, so I got a half dozen before heading on my way.

I took a ferry from Dauphin Island to Fort Morgan. I spoke to some people who were standing around their car waiting for the ferry to come. On the ferry, I talked to a guy with a Sprinter RV conversion van. He had eight feet of headroom in his van.

I've dubbed this day's ride "the endless beach house / condo parade." Pretty land that varies between beach scrub and pine forest. I'm camping at Big Lagoon State Recreation Area. The clerk asked for my phone number, and bingo! they had my info. This is because they use the same on-line reservation service the Texas parks use. The campground is pretty, but the charge was $22, which is about what Texas parks charge, but seems steep after the RV places' $10-$16 charges. The RV places often have better showers, laundry, etc., but lack the beauty the parks usually have.

About 2:30 AM I thought I heard something, so I took a look. A raccoon was checking out my panniers. I tried to threaten him, but his response was more like, "Oh, hi. Thanks for leaving these things out for me. You're a nice guy. Do you want to watch me eat your panniers?" I got up and tried to figure out somewhere to hang my panniers. After about 20 minutes, I got them hung up, so the knots I've spent the last few years learning finally came in handy.

Day 46 (Feb 26): Vancleave to Dauphin Island 72.22

Odo 5071.5

And I made it to sweet home Alabama. Well, maybe not my home, but beautiful Dauphin Island.

Stopped in Hurley, MS, at a bakery where I got some great chocolate chip cookies. Decided a balanced diet was needed, so I had lunch there at Lotta Burger - a steak sandwich. Steak sandwiches in Mississippi aren't like those Philly cheese steaks; they come chicken fried in the south!

Busy roads, but few stores or other stops. Of course, there are the ever present realty store fronts. I think they're even more ubiquitous than nail salons, although both are equally useful to me.

Wearing cycling attire here is a bit more difficult for the local folk to digest. It's mostly men who react to the clothes. This makes sense as a violation of the "male code" is taken more seriously here. No hostility from people in restaurants or stores, though. I'm surprised that the drivers are so hostile here because it is a rural area, and there are few driving irritations, the usual cause of driver meanness.

I took a short cut, but two thirds of it turned out to be dirt, and 10% of that was unrideable dirt. Luckily, it was short, and I was done pretty quickly, so the short cut was a success. It was a bit of a grind to get to Dauphin Island because, although it is flat, there was about an 8 to 14 mph headwind. This was on the 5 mile causeway to the island.

The day has been sunny & pretty, warm enough to take off my jacket, skull cap and mittens. I found the motel & checked in. The room was nice, with a ramp making it easy to get the bike inside. I turned the heater on and put the iPod in the vent hoping it would dry better than it did outdoors the night before.

I ate at a place called the Oar House. Good gumbo.

Day 45 (Feb 25): Poplarville to Vancleave 78.26

Stayed at the White Sands RV Park. There really are white sands in Mississippi. It looks like the river floods occasionally leaving very pretty white sand deposits. The people there were very nice.

Day 44 (Feb 24): Franklinton to Poplarville

Made it to Mississippi!

A man & woman in a red Ram pickup passed me in Bugaloosa. They honked at me, and the woman called me a c**ks**ker. Bicyclists are obviously not universally loved. The frequency of mean drivers has been a little bit higher in Louisiana and Mississippi, but I'm not sure it's statistically significant.

I stayed at the lovely Hacienda RV Park where I had a truly terrible night. Besides sleep difficulties, I woke up to discover that my new iPod Touch (given to me on my birthday by my generous mother-in-law) had spent the night in a pool of Diet Coke at the bottom of my bag. My iPod has been both a source of entertainment and a method of writing these blog entries. In addition, my tent fly had been comprehensively sprayed by a cat, which was going to be an ever present reminder of my nocturnal visitor. I first devoted my efforts to my iPod, and then I tried to clean off the tent fly. I finally packed up and moved on to Vancleave.

Day 43: Easleyville to Franklinton 52.57

Odo 4878.1 morn

I got up determined not to use the restroom if possible due to the mud inside it which smells much like cow manure. In Kentwood, I had breakfast at the sonic and watched a guy doing something next door. It turned out that he was doing environmential monitoring. In particular, he was checking groundwater levels and peterolium contaminants. We had an interesting conversation which included mention of a bamboo farm near Franklinton. His wife wanted to plant some black bamboo. I had never heard of black bamboo!

After another 5 miles or so I arrived at the day's most important stop. It is a small cabin which sits on about 25 acres of pine forest. My father built it when I was very young, and it became the only constant "home" we had while I was growing up. Not that we ever lived there, but we always came back to visit my grandparents and relatives. My father died a few years ago, and the cabin remains the only part of his estate we have not dealt with. For these reasons, visiting it brings up some sadness for me, and after spending an hour or so there, I left to continue on to Franklinton.

Day 42: Morganza to Easleyville 72.26

Odo 4805.8 morn

The day started out cloudy, but improved to give a few sunny hours during the prettiest part of the day's riding. After about 14 more miles of levee, I got to the ferry that would take me to St. Francesville. There was no one waiting on my side of the river so I had the entire ferry to myself! I ended up just standing there holding my bike talking to one of the crew. We had a pretty interesting conversation (after the usual "Where are you going on that bike?") about technology, the Internet, Big Brother, etc. St. Francesville is a very pretty town with lots of historic stuff plus the 8 Sisters restaurant where I ate lunch. The Audobon preserve is east of the city, and one of the most beautiful stretches of road I've enjoyed. There is also a nature conservancy site with free access to trails. It seems to me a Mecca for bird watchers. The route became more agricultural, and I stopped at a small RV park with poor facilities right past Easleyville.

Day 41: Ville Platte to Morganza 108.0

Odo 4697.2 morn

Wolfram was ready at 7:30, but I was just getting up! He left, and I said, "I'll catch up, maybe." He is planning to take a short cut that will cut out a lot of miles because the route makes a strange detour northward by about 35 miles. I decided to stick to the route because it went along the river and appeared to offer scenic interest. By evening I was still 10 miles short of New Roads, where Wolfram planned to camp for the night. It was just about fully dark. There was a nice RV place here, so I decided not to ride after dark since the road is fairly busy even though it does have a shoulder. Perhaps more importantly, I was really tired! Two thirds of the ride today was against a moderate headwind. The longer route I took didn't seem to offer anything special except little traffic and plenty of time to look at the levee. Maybe I will catch up tomorrow...

Day 40: Mamou to Ville Platte 10

Odo 4663.2 morn

I got up around 7:30, and was ready in a flash. This is because I packed everything up the night before because I was worried about the place possibly burning down and I wanted to be able to quickly leave. I went outside and took a few pictures. Wolfram came out and was shocked to find I was ready to go. He said he'd be ready in about 50 minutes. I told him it would be the only time I'd be ready before him!

We left, and we were in Ville Platte by 9:30. We rode around for about an hour looking at hotels, but there are really only two: cheap or expensive. We chose cheap. I ended up spending a couple of hours trying to find a laundromat; but there isn't one in this city of 8,000 people! Finally I discovered one just outside the city limits! So, the day's riding breakdown: 10 miles to get to Ville Platte, and 20 miles looking for a laundry! I should have just hand washed my stuff. Still, it was a beautiful day!

Day 39: DeRidder to Mamou 70.37

Odo 4592.8

I got up at about 7:30, but Wolfram was already up, and he left at 8! I ended up leaving (effectively) at 11! I did my stuff, wrote an entry for the guestbook, and then rode back to DeRidder to eat breakfast. This added about 6-7 miles onto the day.

The day started with some light cloudiness, but got sunny in the early afternoon. There was a mild headwind, but progress was reasonable, riding through pine forests, ranchland, rice fields, and crawfish fields. At least, I thought they were crawfish fields, based on some strange boats that look like they were designed to harvest in the "fields"!

Arriving at Mamou, I searched out the RV park, and it was pretty minimal. There were also motel rooms, and the clerk said that he'd give me a room at the same price that "my buddy" got ($25). He also told me that the campground didn't have showers, so I went with the room. The room was only one step from condemnation and didn't even have a key, although the door did lock from the inside. The plumbing and heater worked, and there was a bed with sheets, so it was ok, but it is the most depressing room I've had yet. I decided even the laundry room I slept in was more cheery, although a little less functional as a room!

I rode back to the town and quickly encountered Wolfram, and we talked a bit. Then I continued on and ate at a Cajun restaurant that gave me about a 1.5 pound portion of fried catfish. I took about half back to the room, but I don't know what I'll do with it!

Day 38: Kirbyville to DeRidder 50.76

Odo 4541.0 morn

Since my achilles tendons felt a little sore this morning I decided to just ride to DeRidder at an easy pace. It was another pretty day, and the wind seemed neutral. The first order of business was to get to Merryville, where I expected that a package Sara mailed on Tuesday should be waiting for me. (Warm tights, snacks, & chocolate - Mmmmmm.)

On the way, I encountered a man and his daughter, who were doing the route from east to west. Their difference was that his wife was driving a VW camper for support, so they didn't have to carry any gear on their bikes!

When I got to the post office, the package was indeed waiting for me. I got a box and mailed home the lightweight tights and the heavyweight wool socks. I am a little concerned that I'll want those socks, but I need the extra space in the panniers. Then I tried to call Sara, but there was no service! DeRidder is a much larger town, but when I arrived, I discovered there was no Verizon service there either!

I checked out the first of the 3 RV parks listed. It looked pretty bare bones, and when I checked for restrooms, I discovered the only restroom was padlocked, and nobody seemed to be in the office. Not good signs, so I headed for the Pleasant Hill RV Park.

When I finally arrived at the Pleasant Hill RV Park, I was surprised to learn that it actually caters to cyclists! And also that Wolfram had already arrived. He turned out to be the guy that was ahead of me. (www.insideasien.de) I found out later that he had started behind me that day, but arrived at the park first, probably mostly due to my late start and my enjoyment of a very lesurely lunch in Merryville. The setup at the park is quite nice. There was a log building devoted to us containing a restroom/shower, laundry, kitchen (with full stock of spices), stove, oven, full size refridgerator, and an eating area/lounge. Amazingly, the fee was only $5!

I talked to Wolfram and learned he rode east from Germany through central Asia and China. His ride then continued from Los Angeles using the southern tier route. We talked about a lot of stuff, and I asked him if he ever felt endangered or had any problems beyond the normal bike maintenance requirements. He said that there hadn't been any problems.

Day 37: Shepherd to Kirbyville 92.84

Odo 4448.1 morn

Ho hum. Another beautiful day. Blue skys and a mild tailwind! Made great progress through beautiful pine forests, and was at my stopping point by about 3:30, so I kept going.

Met a couple traveling west. They were a bit more heavily loaded than I was. They had some difficulties that caused them to stop their trip for a few weeks. She had fallen and torn a rotator cuff, and they stopped for a few weeks for it to get better.

By the time I got to Kirbyville I was feeling a bit tired, and my butt hurt. I didn't feel nearly as wussy when I saw that I had gone 92 miles!

Ate dinner at a place called Elijah's in Kirbyville. A nice place with reasonable prices and good food. The waitress was talented, and they made me feel comfortable there. Recommended!

It's interesting to note the great variations in motel pricing. "Americas best value inn and suites" had the same rates as this 60's era motel. The Indian woman running it could see my disappointment with the price. I asked about the laundry, and she said I could use it, just come see her when I was ready. So I did, and she did my laundry for me!

Day 36: Navisota to Shepherd 83.11

I still had laundry to dry from the previous evening since the dryer
did not work. The laundry happens to be across from the brookshire
bros grocery, so I get breakfast there, and also pick up two bags of
David's gourmet chocolate chip cookies. I now am overstocked with
cookies! The day is very sunny and a little less cold than yesterday,
and it is still, or the wind is favorable. About 16 miles out I meet
another tourist headed west. He's from Liverpool, riding a Thorn exp
(a specialized touring bike), and he's headed to south America after
he gets to California. He says that there is another rider only an
hour or two ahead of me. I can't quite decide if I want to catch up to
him or not. By the end of the day I still haven't seen him, and I
think I put in a good day.
The riding highpoint was going through parts of Sam Houston national
forest. I miss the smell of the pine forest.

Day 35: Carmine to Navasota 54.46

Odo 4308.3 (morning)

10:30am sitting in the only store in Carmine eating a hamburger
because they aren't making breakfast anymore. I'm looking at the stuff
on the isles. Condensed milk, beans, soup, spam, cake mixes - and I
get an idea for a new cooking show. Something like "Convenience Store
Cookoff". Chefs vying to make great dishes with only stuff from a
typical convenience store. 7-11 ought to sponser it!

It's cold today, about 45, but pretty windy, perhaps 10-15 mph winds.
It's from the north, and I'm going east, so it's not good, but it
could be worse. Progress is mixed all day. Stopping in a country store
in Indepedence, I discover cyclists had stopped there just yesterday.
The question is: which way were they going?

Along the way I notice a spot that appeals to me. It appears to be a
small park that commorates the founding of a babtist church. It is the
park area that is most interesting. There are about 5 clumps of oak
trees in a rough circle, and each clump of oaks is itself a circle of
oaks. These trees look to be about 150-200 years old. The space had a
certain power to it, although it would be hard to verbalize it.

In Navasota, I eat and try to determine where the RV park is. I never
quite find it and end up in another Indian run motel.

Day 34: Buescher to Carmine 58.21

Odo 4250.0 (morn)

I wake up about 7:30, but consider sleeping a bit longer until a crow
perhaps 10 feet away gives a couple of really loud caws. I had been
hearing them but usually much farther away. I took it as a strong
suggestion that I should get up - I wouldn't be able to sleep with
that racket anyway. The tent fly is totally wet inside from
condensation, and totally wet outside from dew. It is foggy. I try to
shake the water off the fly, but it just makes me wet instead - I'll
just have to put it away wet today. By the time I leave, the day is
sunny, and I'm feeling too warm. I have to take off some layers. The
temperature maxes at about 64 and sunny. LaGrange comes up about 1:30,
and I eat at a dairy queen. On the way out of town I ponder stopping
at a busy laundromat, but decide one of the little towns ahead will
have something. Of course they do, but it's not laundromats, it's
antiques and real estate stores.

On the way to round top, I encounter a guy riding the route from east
to west. He is also camping out, but he looks to be carrying about 40%
of the stuff I'm taking. He says he uses compression stuffsacks to
make everything fit. I think he carries fewer insulative clothes than
I do.

At this point I need to decide where to stay for the night. I can get
to the corps of engineers campgrounds, but they always seem to be only
primitive camping. I opt for an RV campground because they will have a
laundry, and all my clothes are dirty! About half an hour before I get
there a north wind blows up, and the temperature drops. By the time I
get to the Dixieland RV Park, the wind is blowing at about 20 mph,
with gusts to 30, and the temperature is about 39, and still dropping.
The campground host shows me the tent area, and it's really windy
there! He also shows me the laundromat. I leave to get food at the
only open place, a gas station. They turn out to have BBQ, and I get a
really nice sliced brisket sandwich and new potatoes and take it back
and eat it in the laundromat, prior to doing clothes. I begin to long
for the nice still laundromat, so I ask the host, and he readily
agrees to let me sleep there, even offering a heater, which I
mysteriously decline?!

Perhaps most memorable, although painful, was my shower. The restroom
building and it's celing are separated by about a foot of open air,
and the wind is shaking the roof like it's going to blow off, and the
curtains are blowing around in the 30 degree wind like banchees. I
can't believe I'm going to do it. I turn on the shower's hot water -
and it gets hot! It's ok in the hot shower, but I know when I step
out into that swirling wind it will be bad. And it is. What I remember
is shivering hard enough to start breathing like a steam engine. The
clothing fights to cling to my damp feet defying all efforts to pull
it on quickly. I have to slow down and deliberately put the tights on,
then the insulated pants. Half dressed, it seems almost wonderful to
be only freezing half to death!

Day 33: Lockhart to Buescher State Park 50.48

Odo 4199.5 (morning)

I sleep late. I think this is mostly because it is cold in the
morning, and getting out of my warm cozy sleeping bag is very hard to
face. Every cold night I thank myself for getting a good sleeping bag
(a Marmut Pinnicle 15 degree). When I do get up, my hands hurt from
the cold while taking down the tent.
Today there is a generally favorable side wind, and I make good time
to Bastrop on the moderately busy hwy 20. It's bright and sunny and
gets to about 59 degrees by the time I stop in Bastrop at the
Hamburger Road House. While eating a car stops across the highway,
smoking. A waitress runs across the road to help them, calling 911.
It's only overheated, and the fire truck quickly assesses the
situation. The customers cheer the waitress!




The route then takes the park road between Bastrop and Buescher state
park. I have ridden this road before, but it has been years and I had
forgotten just how beautiful it was, and how steep some of the hills
were. I camp in Buescher, in a walk in area. All of the low lying
areas are soggy from recent rain. Even the park road had to be closed
from flooding, but it had been reopened by the time I reached it.

Day 32: (Feb 12) Blanco picnic tables to Lockhart 58.95

Odo 4140.4 (morning reading)

Sara takes me to the picnic area so I can resume the ride, but I have
forgotten the tent rain fly and the pillow pump for the air matress!
After talking to Steve W. ( who met us there to see me off) for a
while, we return to pickup the items. I end up leaving there about
1:20. Conditions are good, and it is easy getting to Wimberley. I
stopped at a burger place where I was served by a very talented
waitress, who cheerily informed me that their only bathroom was a
portapotty around the side of the building. Continuing, the road
becomes a bit busy all the way to Kyle. Then it's a quick run into
Lockhart where I get some BBQ at Smitty's to eat at the campsite.
The tent area is empty, so I pick the best spot next to the small
river that flows through the park.

Day 31: rest day in Austin

Rain and 38 degrees. I think resting my knee today would be a good idea!

Day 30: Blanco to picnic tables 8

The day starts off with light sleet which quickly becomes rain. The
rain gear works, but getting the right selection of clothes on, then
putting on the rain gear takes a lot of time. I have a noon breakfast
at a little and excellent Mexican restaurant across from an exxon
station barely 100 yards from the park. After riding for about 6 miles
my right knee starts aching, and I decide to take a rest day. Since
Austin is close, Sara picks me up at a roadside picnic area where I
have stopped. It's about 38 degrees, and I finally start walking in
circles to keep my hands warm - everything else is ok, but it seems I
have to take my mittens off to change clothes etc. So the hands get
cold.

Day 29: (Feb 9) Fredericksburg to Blanco SP 65.72

Odo 4064.9

Got up late, left late. Sara and I drive to Fredericksburg so I can
pick up where I ended the first half of the trip. I am on the road
about 1:30 headed to Comfort where I will pick up the adventure
cycling route. It takes an interesting path through Comfort, and heads
to Blanco using some roads I have ridden before. After a while, it
branches off on some small roads I haven't been on before, which is
good as I've toured in this area for 30 years! ... Or maybe these
roads just look different in winter!
Things are going great, except my right knee is getting achy, and I'm
getting cold as dusk deepens, and then I cross a "dip" which is full
of water, and a large wave of water splashes my left foot and ankle.
Time to stop and put on more clothes, pants and mittens. A half mile
later the balaclava goes on, but now my torso freels cold. So another
stop and I put on the insulated pants and jacket. This fixes
everything except the feet, which remain cold. About a half hour
later, I arrive in Blanco, and stop at the Dairy Queen. The
thermometer on my HB bag says 38 degrees. Stayed at Blanco River State
Park, in one of those screen "shelters", which don't do much for cold!