Day 45: Microtel in Baton Rouge

Paradise! This is by far the nicest place we've stayed at!

It started out kind of eerie today with some dense fog in places.

The ride was nice, we stopped and some folks ate some huge pieces of fried chicken. I'm still not sure how you can eat that and then continue riding.

While they ate, I went and played video poker and won $25.

Eventually we got to take the ferry over the MIssissippi. It looks a little different down here than it does up in Itasca.

Bob (my trailer) had a flat with about 5 miles left, so I just kept pumping it up every mile until we got to the hotel. Annoying. I think a little scrap of metal was the culprit. I guess I'll find out after New Orleans if I found it or not.

Day 44: Sportsman Inn

I regret taking a ride to the next camp today. We got up, and it was pouring rain, and the blackbox (aka BlackBerry) forecast wasn't very good. 4 of us hitched a ride from the hotel owner and we threw all of our stuff in the back of his truck.

 Everyone else rode, and I didn't think it was a good idea. Turns out it poured for the first hour, but the rest of the day was just overcast.

It was my night to cook, so Doctor Mark and I decided to make chicken pineapple curry. Cooking was a challenge as we sat outdoors under the stairs of the hotel cooking on our little camp stoves as it started raining again. Luckily, the meal turned out pretty tasty, if I may say so myself!

Day 43: Ospelous, LA

We beat the rain! Barely. About 20 minutes after we got in it just poured. The weather doesn't look so nice the next few days. I went to Walmart (in the pouring rain) and got a nice pink rain jacket to help me through the next few days.

Day 42: Oberlin, LA

Another chilly morning, but today we woke up to a delicious home cooked breakfast prepared by the kind folks of Merryville. They brought us (yes Doctor Mark, infinite) biscuits, homemade jams, and sausage gravy. After filling ourselves beyond capacity, we set out for our 56 mile day.

We got to Oberlin, and we are staying at the local fire house. Lucky for us, they have a tv, and we finally get to watch a game of the World Series! Frosty (the Australian) brought us some Big League Chew to set the mood. Thank you, Frosty.

Day 41: Merryville

We woke up FREEZING today. The low last night was 38'.

We made our way to Louisiana today! Merryville has been said to be the definition of southern hospitality, and our visit was no exception. We camped outside of the Merryville historical society, and about 10 or so people from town came and made us dinner (and breakfast the next morning). Every year, these folks get together for all of the American Adventure Cycling Tours passing through. Not only do they allow us to camp and use their showers, but they cooked us a (probably the best) meal we will have in Louisiana. Mark's blog has some good pictures. THANK YOU MERRYVILLE!

Day 40: Silsbee

Our last full day in Texas! It was a nice ride today, and the weather was much cooler. Accommodations lately have been nice but sometimes lack some modern things we tend to take for granted (aka a washing machine and dryer). Rumor had it, the accommodations tonight have 3 working washers and 3 working dryers, and I was looking forward to being able to clean my clothes again.

The terrain has become mostly flat, and we often have 5-15 mile stretches with no turns. I much prefer this to what we had in Arizona, but I have a feeling it might get old after a week or two.

Day 39: Coldspring

At about 3 am, the winds became very strong, and it was mostly a sleepless night. A tree fell on my bike!!!

Unfortunately, the winds were from the north at about 15-25 mph. It felt like we were getting some of that cool, crisp fall air from Minnesota! We had a really strong head/cross wind the whole way. Despite that, it was a nice ride (minus the death highway) as most of the roads were asphault or worn finer chipseal.

The weather cooled off signifcantly, and the low tonight is supposed to be 38!