Day 38: What a Difference a Day Makes

Our accommodations change every evening. Last night was an armory that we shared with thirty others. Tonight we got a room to ourselves at a bed & breakfast. We were very appreciative because only the couples got their own room at this location. And we were given the suite: private bath, bedroom, and sitting area. We did have to share our bathroom for post-ride showers. A small price to pay  

 

Our ride was short, only 36 miles, so we took time out to visit Audubon Memorial State Park and Oakley Plantation in St Francisville, LA. The most interesting fact was that John James Audubon, famous naturalist/painter and namesake for the National Audubon Society, killed his subjects and posed them for his paintings.

A little over five miles into our ride we crossed another milestone, the Mighty Mississippi. We are now back on the “right side of the river and headed toward the Atlantic Ocean. As far as bridges goes, this was not a hard one for me to cross. My phobia did not kick in due to the wide shoulder and high guardrail.



Note: we have completed 2,123 miles so far

Day 37: New Roads

After a 3-hr group dinner last night in Deridder,LA,the skies turned stormy overnight,and we awoke to thunderstorms, but procrastination proved to be a good thing as the rains stopped by around 7:45, and we were on our way.

I wish we could say the ride was not as turbulent as the storms the previous night, but the were rough in a lot of places. Bubba’s crew made the very wise decision to shuttle us over about 7 miles of a bridge over the Atchafalaya River where no shoulder was available and the traffic was moving too rapidly to be safe. We were all very appreciative!

When we rode into New Roads, the roads smoothed out and it is located on False River Lake, which is a picturesque environment. The street was lined with Spanish moss covered trees and respectful traffic. It made up for the day that seemed a bit chaotic.

We are sleeping tonight in a LA National Guard Armory. On a side note,Bubba and some staff went exploring after dinner and stopped at a snowball stand, wearing their Pedal 4 Paws t-shirts and the owner very excitedly said she had heard of Custom Canines and Bubba gave her all the information and the website, so we are so appreciative and hope she goes to the website and finds out more. It always warms our heart to spread the word about CCSDA. Thanks Bubba, Mickey, Ed and Joyce!!


Note: the entire ride was completed under 39 feet of elevation.

Day 36: Crawfish Capital

We rode 65 miles through crawfish country. Again the route was flat, the altitude oscillated between 50 and 200 feet above sea level. The fields we passed were filled water for crawfish or rice. They alternate the two as the crawfish feed on the remnants of the rice harvest.

One of our sag stops was at a donut shop in Oberlin, LA. By the time we got there, only three donuts remained, but plenty of a local delicacy, pigs in a blanket. While resting, a local bicycle ride of cruisers rode by.

As we approached Mamou, there was a puppy sitting in the middle of the road. When we got closer we saw what must have been his companion lying by the side of the road, a victim of a traffic accident. The puppy moved over to him as we rode past. It was a sad situation, but nothing we could do.

Our first stop once we arrived in Mamou was Fred’s for cajun music. By the time we got there, shortly after noon, the place was hopping. From the looks of things most of the patrons had started early.

Day 35: Cajun Country

We have finally made our way through Texas and into Louisiana.

The ride was 72 miles and the profile looked to have some serious hills. However, we began our ride at 30 feet above sea level and our altitude never got over 170 feet, so it was flat and we had favorable winds. A very pleasant day, not easy, just nice as we crossed many creeks and passed by farms. The only blemish was the portions where trees had been harvested – clear cut.

After entering Louisiana, we stopped in Merryville for lunch, bypassing the suggested lunch stop in Bon Weir, TX with their boudin balls. With only a few choices we had fried chicken at Fausto’s. It was the best fried chicken that we had ever eaten and Lisa loved their fried apple pie – similar to McDonald’s before they got “healthy”.

Only four more states to pedal through until we reach the Pacific Ocean. We celebrated leaving Texas. I meant we celebrated entering Louisiana with a Cajun dinner at Presley’s BBQ. Fried pickles were served as an appetizer. It didn’t sound very good to me either, but dipped in some ranch dressing – yummy. Not having any real barbecue in Texas, we opted for the ribs with sweet potato fries (the best) and fried okra. As a final course and to prepare for tomorrow, we all shared Ed’s boiled crawfish.

Day 34: Texas Citizenship

Not sure what the residency requirements for Texas are, but after 19 days we must be close to being able to qualify as a resident. One more full day today, and then we make our way across the Louisiana border on Friday.

The thunderstorms, as predicted, battered our tents all night long with strong winds, loud claps of thunder and heavy rain–not to mention the temperature plummeted into the lower 40s. We woke up at 6 and started throwing on layers and as much waterproof gear as we could find. Bubba said the forecast showed the rain ending by 9 AM. We made a group decision to hold off starting until around 9.

When the rain decided to show mercy on us, we took off. Not far into the ride the sun peaked out. I raised my face toward the sun, eyes closed and said out loud “Thank you,” and I meant it with every fiber of my being!

We took off layers the rest of the morning and enjoyed a glorious sunny day, with not so much as a drop of raining falling on us. We did 72 miles today and arrived in Silsbee, TX. Low predicted to be mid 40s tonight but no rain. We now start a stretch of days of indoor overnights.
Cajun country, here we come…crawfish beware!!!

Day 33: Racing the Rain

I woke up this morning and turned my head the wrong way. I must have pulled a muscle in my neck. Thankfully we had a short 45 mile day scheduled. Even with low mileage we left as early as possible because thunderstorms were forecast for noon and 3pm. There were a few pockets of mist as we made our way to Coldspring, TX. The skies were overcast and we observed banks of dark rain clouds as we rode through Sam Houston National Forest. We raced the rain to camp; we won and stopped for lunch at The Hop.

A newspaper reporter for the Houston Community Papers stopped by camp in the afternoon. She started her interview with a few of us, but probably talked to half of the group. We were able to share Custom Canines info and the article will be available at "yourclevelandnews.com" this week.
Almost one hour after our post-ride showers, storm clouds approached from the distance and appeared to be moving past. The temperature dropped 15 degrees as the wind changed from the South to West before the skies let loose. Things would have been difficult, but Bubba arranged for us to use the clubhouse at the RV Park we are staying. Coincidence or karma, the facilities for inclement weather and timings of rest days have been most fortuitous.

It has been raining all afternoon and into the evening, so we will be turning in early. It is very cold (42 projected) since the front moved through. Quite a change from last night (70). Sleeping with socks, sweatshirt, and stocking cap.

The rain is supposed to continue all night, but let up just in time for our scheduled start time at 7 am.

Day 32: Mexican Hill Ranch – Rest Day

It feels like a Saturday. Today is our day off of biking, and we are relaxing at Mexican Hill Ranch in Richards, TX. The owners, Ernie and Doris Bazan, are about the nicest people you will meet, and their ranch is immaculate. We are camping in tents, but they offer cabin-like room accommodations also and they cater to Harley riders as well as Trek riders!

They raise some cattle, horses,a couple donkeys and a number of water fowl and chickens. Doris is known to be a caretaker to animals; apparently even the animals know this because 1 day last year in Feb a tiny calf came wandering to their property, only 24 hours old or so. Doris scooped it up and then went looking for mama, but tragically found mama had died giving birth to the little calf, so the rancher who owned the mama said Doris might just as well keep the calf. We met “Bonnie” today, a big, healthy cow who is almost ready to start having a calf of her own. 

We are trying mentally to prepare for now 10 days of biking before another break. Only 44 miles tomorrow but thunderstorms are predicted in the afternoon, so we all hope to be in camp by the time any rain starts to fall.




 Rest days always give us time to reflect on the people who have helped us, so thank you to the Petry family for watching over our house and checking in on things, getting our mail, etc., and being all around good. Thanks also to Mom and

Dad Arndt for opening up your home to Monte. We miss him a lot, but it is reassuring to know he is in good hands.

Thank You to everyone who has supported Custom Canines by purchasing t-shirts or bike jerseys or sponsoring miles or spreading the word about Pedal 4 Paws; we are so very grateful, and I know Nicole and everyone at Custom Canines appreciates you too!

We appreciate all of your encouragement. It keeps us focused and motivated.