Starting to Mess with Texas!

Monday, February 27

I had a good night's sleep at the Bunkie Fire Department and in the morning fueled myself with the standard steel-cut oats, supplemented by one of the great rolls that Jeffrey had made for last night's dinner.  Really appreciated the great hospitality extended by the guys!

I was glad I had pushed hard the day before as the wind was coming out of the south and, unfortunately, I had a southernly direction for most of the day.  In addition, the roads today were not great.  While not heavily trafficked, they were rough and didn't have a shoulder.

A classic Louisiana above-ground cemetery was expected--and I was glad to take a shot of it--but I was surprised by the rice fields since I didn't realize they grew rice here.  These fields are very different from the Asian ones I have seen.

Even though I was making slow time, I still stopped at a Piggly Wiggly (yes, there is actually a grocery story chain with that name) in Mamou for some powdered milk, Gatorade mix, and some lunch supplies.  I then lunched in a grass lot next to the store.

Eventually, I straggled into Oberlin around 2:45, but the hotel clerk was out so I had to call him and ask him to return for my check-in.  I spent the wait orienting myself to the remaining maps, putting in the mileage for each section and tallying up the remaining miles.  It looks like I have about 2065 map miles to go.  Now I just have to decide whether to stay on the designated route or try to find a more direct route.  Or maybe even cut out some of the monotonous sections from Austin to El Paso.  :-)

Oh, and it looks like I should make it to Texas tomorrow, a state which accounts for 1069.5 of those remaining 2065 miles!

Day: 12
Time: 7 hours and 50 minutes
Distance: 64.5 miles

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Tuesday, February 28

I started the day with a breakfast pot pie I picked up from one of those ubiquitous Dollar Stores--plus some yogurt, a banana, and mini donuts.  This kept me going for a good 30 miles until I needed a snack.

Since I was making decent time, I decided I could treat myself to a poboy in the town of  Merryville before I left Louisiana.  Shortly after leaving Merryville, I crossed into Texas.  This is the longest state on the trip: 1069.5 miles!

I also ran into my first touring couple.  Michael and Clara were heading east and planning to spend the night in Merryville.  They started back in November, and they are taking a much more leisurely trip.  Not sure I would like to be on the road that long...

Tonight I'm staying at the Kirbyville United Methodist Church.  The good people of that church open their facilities to cyclists.  I especially want to thank Jim who helped set up this arrangement.  Jim let me into the church, and we enjoyed a pleasant evening at a local Mexican restaurant.

Jim: I hope to see you back on a bike soon!

Day: 13
Time: 8 hours 50 minutes
Distance: 80.5 miles

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Wednesday, March 1

Jim graciously met me at 5:45am so that I could make an early start.  After he got a picture of me for his records (all geared up with the bike and ready to go), I was off.  Of course, it was only after I left that I realized that I didn't get a picture of the church or Jim...

It felt good to get on the road before 6am.  Getting up at 4:30, not so good!  I had a long day ahead of me with a chance of rain and thundershowers, and I am lucky that the rain never materialized.

Going through Buna, I decided to reward myself with a couple of donuts and a coffee since I had gotten on the road so early.  The good thing about burning so many calories is that I don't feel guilty about consuming so much food.

The day started warm and got warmer with fairly high humidity.  Plus I had a fairly steady headwind to battle for most of the day.  By 2pm I was ready for a break and stopped for a big 32 oz. Coke.  I never drink soda, but I was feeling the need for some caffeine and sugar.  I'm not sure it it was the Coke or the 30-minute break, but I felt better afterwards and able to face the final 20 miles.

I decided to try a campground called Shepherd Retreat, and I'm very glad I did.  It was this cute place run by two ladies, Peaches and Connie.  It started out as a place where they could host their many nieces and nephews.  Then the nieces and nephews started bringing their friends, and it grew from there.

For lodging, I had two options: camp or a cabin.  It was looking to be a cold night, and when I was told it was $10 to camp or $20 for a cabin, I was sold.  (It had to have been a flea-infested pig sty for me to choose camping at that point.)

Luckily the cabin was very clean and comfortable.  Plus I had access to a kitchenette (no pulling out my stove--yay!), washer and dryer, plus a shower with towels (priceless, when all you have is a pack towel).  I was also given free rein to whatever I wanted to forage in the fridge.  There was some boiled crawfish and corn.  While the thought of cold crawfish wasn't appealing, after not having fresh veggies for a while, the corn looked great--and tasted amazing with the crawfish boil seasonings.

All in all, it was a terrific place to spend the night!

Day: 14
Time: 11 hours
Distance: 90 miles

(post by Will)